Accessory Bin Types
jfade:
OK, so, I'm trying to finally finish up the Wardrobe Wrangler ("AFTER HOW LONG NOW?" I know I know go away. :P ) and I'm noticing that there is absolutely ... no ... convention for "binning" accessories.
To explain: Most accessories are mesh overlays, cloned from glasses. (Though they can be texture overlays too.) This is why they all tend to show up in the glasses section when you're working in CAS. The problem is this: When you go to differentiate accessories, you give them different bins. This allows you to layer things on the sim, so that they can have, say, glasses, a watch, and a purse that they carry around. However, since no one has bothered to make a STANDARD of some sort, creators just make up random bins for things, sometimes even making multiple accessories of the same category all have different bins. One time I noticed that a creator made a new mesh for a pair of glasses, and then stupidly binned all the recolors as a totally different bin. This is clearly stupid, and results in things like this:
http://temp.djssims.com/SOFASHIONABLE!!!111.JPG
First off, here's my big annoyance: This creator made glasses. GLASSES. There's already a standard bin for Maxis glasses. USE IT. Secondly, since they also binned all their recolors stupid-like, you could layer the recolors on top of each other. This is also stupid.
So. Given that there's only a finite number of bins that can be used (granted this is a large number) and given that it's stupid to have custom purses, for example, all binned to made up bin numbers so that you can shove 50 purses in a single sim's hand, I think it's high time for someone to make a set list of recommended bin types, and this would be helpful to me given that I'm making a program to do this anyhow.
If you're wondering what the current list of Maxis bins are, they're listed here: http://www.sims2wiki.info/wiki.php?title=2C1FD8A1#bin
I guess what I'm asking is for input on whether this is even a big deal, and then help thinking of new bin categories. I'm thinking that we should start with 50 and then move up from there. Here's some starting accessory category ideas I've thought of so far: Purses, Necklaces (maybe 3 categories of these so you can layer if you want to) Watches, Bracelets, Electronics (I've seen iPods made before) and Rings.
Any other ideas/input?
SaraMK:
Trying to coordinate anything in this community is like trying to teach worms to dance the Macarena.
Mens Mortuus:
It was difficult enough convincing people to bin hair. You've got a long fight ahead. :P
akatonbo:
I'm VERY much in favor of this -- at the very least, I would desperately love something that would let me organize my own downloads in a way that makes sense, even if very few creators actually sign on to the idea.
All the programs coming out now that actually let me manage my crap make me SO happy. I've been waiting for this kind of thing for two years, and I'm sure most of the community feels the same way. I've had the WTF Editor cacheing for, oh, hours now, and I can't wait to spend a ridiculous amount of time organizing files.
Possibly I should step up my accessory-wrangling (need to clone a bunch of things in Body Shop to give them tooltip text that explains what they are if they're not visible from the neck up) so I can contribute some more categories. Off the top of my head -- Hats, Wings, Facial Piercings, Apparel (like generalzoi's cape or trenchcoat), Earrings, Scarves, Hand-Held (guns and other weapons, and I have some others), maybe something for headwear other than hats (I have one particularly fabulous hair flower, possibly the best thing Peggy has ever made, plus some lesser ones from other creators and various other non-hat headgear).
SaraMK:
What I think needs to happen is to have a tool that changes the bin # easily and quickly. Rather than creators binning their accessories, this could become something that downloaders do themselves, much like we now use tools to change clothing categories and bin hair.
The tool, which could be similar to Theo's plugin, could have a short list of bins that a person could select from. For example (and these are not real bin numbers, of course): 001 = glasses, 002 = purse on shoulder, 003 = purse in hand, 004 = earring on upper ear, etc. This would help users select an appropriate bin for their stuff, without having to keep track of which bins they have used for other items, or needing to check which bin the item is already in.
I honestly do not see creators following any types of guidelines. Leaving it up to them is not going to work. There will always be thoughless idiots who bin their pink hair in the red bin and their purple hair in the black bin, or put each of twenty glasses recolors into different bins. Fighting creator stupidity is a losing battle in my opinion.
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