it's actually kind of refreshing to find people here who think sticking with 98 wasn't actually insane...

I think the constant pestering from microsoft about updates would slowly drive me insane...  at least 98 isn't being messed with any more, so the only way it's going to mess up is if I do somethiing stupid...

in fact, now that I think about it, the only times my copmuter has crashed have been when I've been doing something stupid...  like leaving ts2 running, with about 5 different IE windows, sending an email and reading a pdf file - all at the same time!  And the big clue about the computer techs I work with - every time I need to be printing an exam in a hurry (because the deadline was last week and they sit the exam tomorrow!) the school network, without fail, will fall in a screaming heap!

mr ness (the stubborn old goat!) can have one more attempt when he gets home, and then 98 is going back on if that doesn't work!

Ness

well...  just like the babies managing to sit at the computer and chat...  but suddenly losing the ability to type as soon as they age to toddler!

Ness

yeah, that's pretty much what I was starting to think after the third attempt on the first day!

next time an alleged computer tech at school comes my way I shall firmlly block my ears and walk away so I don't have to hear the "you need XP" crap...

mr ness built the entire computer (twice, once when it was his, and then again when it got passed to me because I didn't like the giant blue light strips on his case) and can get 98 running with no glitches at all...  mr ness's faster and fancier new computer (the one he got when I inisted I needed to upgrade from the P2 350 I was using - I get his, and he gets something even better) is only running XP because when he was buying components to uild it, he missed the fact that his motherboard doesn't support 98...  and would have got a different motherboard if he had seen it!

the copy of XP I had was free, so the only thing I've wasted here is time, and sanity...  it was effectively thrown out by my father's place of work because they bought an entire system, with OS, to run software that only works with 98...  just like they throw away flat screen dell LCD monitors because they bought an entire system but want to keep the 19" CRT...  you've got to love the wastefulness of australian universities!

*take 2 at typing this reply, I started some time before Hook and the server died*

Ness

well...  the game files are all safely backed up...  I'm hoping that one day I may actually be able to use them again...

the 18-month old computer that worked excellently under 98 is stubbornly refusing to function at all with XP when the drivers for the graphics card are installed - makes no difference whether we use the factory drivers on the CD that came with it, the most recent drivers downloaded from the compnay's web site, or the drivers that XP likes to use when it gets up to that particular update - every time the refresh rate goes bananas and we can see nothing but a blue and green garbled mess...

3 days!  and still no computer...

I think tonight we will be putting 98 back on that computer - despite the fact that almost every one (except the poor husband who needs to make it work!) would tell me I should upgrade to XP, I see nothing so wonderful in XP that I'm willing to sacrifice my computer for a week and jump through ridiculous hoops to get it to function...  nor am I willing to ditch ts2 for XP either...

so, unless someone can give me some sound, irrefutable good reason for persevering (read continue to beat head against brick wall until it's a bloody mess) with getting this install to work - I'm going back to 98!

Ness

the processor is more than capable of running without the graphics card...

but, considering I only have a half-baked XP install right now, I got through the base game install and decided to see if it runs...  at which point in time the monitor went completely black...  turning on the second monitor (attached to the second, temporary graphics card that we could actually get to work - major dramas yesterday!) reveals some error message about a lack of direct X compatible hardware...  so I guess there shall be no more sims until my husband gets home - I'm through battling with this machine!

Ness

ok...  in the middle of an OS upgrade here - I was finally convinced to ditch 98 and go XP...  after major dramas with graphics drivers, I've got a functional computer, but my graphics card isn't yet operational...

should I go ahead and install just so I don't go completely mad?  Or will I just have to reinstall ts2 when the graphics driver is sorted to get it to use the card?

*sigh*

Ness

about inge's shrub - it's the days left shrub...

I've actually got three shrubs of hers that I use - the teleporter plus, days left and stay things - couldn't be without them!

although, the inventory in nightlife makes stay things a little useless...

I don't mind the permanent platinum - permanent platinum grandparents are great to help raise babies so parents don't have to miss work - I just find that once they reach permenent platinum and are elders, I get bored with them very quickly...

I think it's the mood thing - not worrying too much about the wants is fine, but some compromise where the day-to-day wants don't matter, but you still need to worry about keeping them in a good mood would suit me better - although, I know that's probably impossible...

Ness

the number of days an elder has to live appears to be set at the time they age...

I usually use on of inge's shrubs to tell me how long they have, and routinely suck off about 10 days with merola's painting...  somewhere in the 70s seems to be about averages

Ness

I can only imagine what happens to romance sims!

I think it's kind of silly that sims with a simple crush will go ballistic if they so much as see a sim on a date with another person - they don't even have to have done anything romantic yet!

*sigh*

in the middle of upgrading to XP, which is not going well, so it's been over 36 hours since I last simmed...   

Ness

never used it yet...  I'm thinking the bow isn't actually part of the hair, but is actually a hat - what happens when they change to pjs, formal, underwear?  or it could just be that the water in the hot tub makes that fancy do go limp...

Ness

You also get to see their aspiration, too...

I'm thinking now that there is a decent attraction system in the game, killing it completely wouldn't be a bad idea - although, I could certainly tolerate having it reversed so that it's the romance sims who do the attraction thing - it would make more sense...  Even the I have really bad chemistry with you but still want to woohoo you silly thing... 

Ness

urgh!

I personally can't stand it!

I usually play knowledge or family sims - neither should be interested, yet they all go weak-kneed when a romance sim enters the room...  now that we've got a whole new attraction system, it would be nice to kill it completely.  My first thought was that it was backwards - should be the romance sim doing the swooning, and I think I'd still like that to be the case - romance sims go all gooey when someone that fits their turn-ons walks past?  sounds a much better idea to me!

Ness

glad it helped!

I was extremely skeptical myself - but now I am convinced...  something, somewhere is obviously case-sensitive...  at least I know I'm not the only one who got caught in the same trap - thing is, it was fine pre-NL, this just started afterwards.

who'd have thunk!

Ness

I requested this a while ago...  no bites, though...  just the suggestion that I wait until after NL was released...  and as much as I'd like to see it done, nothing will be done until the existing hacks are upgraded for NL, I imagine...

Ness

I thought the capital D thing was rubbish too...

until I tried it, and it actually did work!

Ness

I had a similar problem with clothing hair and makeup in my game - everything was enabled, it was in the right places...  everything else showed up and worked, but not this!

Moving it from downloads to savedsims helped.

Before I tried moving it to savedsims, I contacted EA's tech support - took 3 days, but they did eventually get back to me with the solution "rename the downloads folder to Downloads" - make sure it has a capital D...  I'm yet to try this, but it sounds like you're having the same problem I did.

Ness

darn!

the incessant ringing I could cope with...  the horrid messages when people call to say where are you I could sort of cope with...  I generally just use autoyak to make sure relationships stay high...  but not being able to call people with cell phones in the family bin is driving me nuts!

didn't realise it was the hack at all...

Ness

the weird thing about cell phones...

pre-nightlife I could always call a sim in the family bin if they had a cell phone - now I can't!

Ness

ok, I've just tried buying pjs the regular way (community lot) and the weird purple toddler jammies don't show anywhere - what's going on?!

Ness

mostly seems to be working, except for something interesting I've just noticed with the toddlers...

there appear to be extra pyjama options introduced with nightlife that the clothing tool doesn't pick up...

with my first toddler boy in the house, he ended up with purpley coloured pjs, which were very quickly changed to a custom set - the second boy has just aged to toddler - and I noticed that those weird purple pjs didn't show up in the buy clothes part, but they did show up in the choose outfit section.  Anyone else noticed this?

Another thing with the toddlers - I gave one the first one of the new hats - he's grown up to have the same hair as beau broke - but I can't actually choose this anywhere - a glitch, in my game, or working as intended and the clothing tool just isn't giving all the hair options?

Ness

not much, really, if that's the type of sim you want to play...  looks great for some of the romance sims I've had...

Ness

and there was much rejoicing!

moving all of it to SavedSims makes it show up...  which is kid of annoying - I've never used that Directory before, I had to create it...  but at least I have make up that doesn't make my sims look like trashy whores...

Ness

I've got the same problem - none of my custom skins, accessories or make up are showing up now that I've installed nightlife...  moving them to saved sims works, you say?

I'd really rather have them in downloads - anyone else encountering this?  why is it happening?!

Ness

I'm just confused...

I can't find any hacks section on MTS2 now...  the world has gone crazy!

Ness

thanks, gali...

I didn't have it bookmarked before - every time I typed in what I knew the link to be I would get insiminator.net...  very strange...

Ness