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Test Subject
#26 Old 10th Aug 2009 at 10:41 AM Last edited by Xane123 : 17th Aug 2009 at 8:47 AM. Reason: ****GAMEPLAY/EXCEL**** written differently
Add-ons...
Quote: Originally posted by jadaytime
Making channels is easy, but adding new video files is hard. I made a blank .video file and imported it into s3pe. I gave it the right type and a random instance. S3PE recognized it as a video file but I couldn't get the game to recognize it. I think you would have to mess around in the DLL's if you want to get the .video file's instance assigned with a set of words. I haven't tried it yet, but presumably replacement works =P.

Another thing, I made a new channel (Sci-Fi Station) and made the associated traits Computer Whiz, and genuis, and a sim with one, or two of these traits will have their fun meter filled up faster.

One more thing, the Synced event will randomly trigger an animation. "The Big Play" for example is what your sim does sometimes when they are watching the sports channel.


And, also, the TargetBuff is the moodlet in which shows up whenever those exact "Traits" are used. Am I right?

I don't get it at all, but I'm making my own "books" and the so called TV Channels" now... This information is useful.

By the way, did the game call it

Code:
****GAMEPLAY/EXCEL/PV/TV/TVChannel:SciFi****

?

That's what my books had, but my TV channel will probably appear to be almost the same... but, without the STBL Editor, it is called "****GAMEPLAYEXCEL/...**** ". ****GAMEPLAYEXCEL/...**** is the STBL's folder structure. I finally found that out thanks to Stubble by TigerM. :cylon:

Visit my website: Xane.com, please! This is Xane123, signing off!
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Test Subject
#27 Old 15th Aug 2009 at 8:05 AM
Hey xane how is it going did it work, just want to know ur progress
Test Subject
#28 Old 16th Aug 2009 at 10:52 AM
DID IT!... Sorta...
Quote: Originally posted by hugejohnson
Hey xane how is it going did it work, just want to know ur progress


Well, sorta. I sorta did the job... Look at the screenshot (screenshot.jpg) below this text to see my new channel (circled in red). Unfortunately, it failed after thher first video, Sims3VG_Burnout, because I actually like that video, but then (I know I spelled it correctly...) the computer videos (the whole point of the channel! ) failed to load. Just a blank screen (in background of screenshot...) Hope there's an explanation for this... (But I still want my own custom videos, remember? )

Screenshots

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Test Subject
#29 Old 19th Aug 2009 at 4:34 PM
Man that sucks dont know why EA now make it hard for us to have custom channels i heard that sims 2 had like a custom TV folder so i dont why EA did the same for sims 3
Test Subject
#30 Old 24th Aug 2009 at 7:01 AM
Default I know...
Quote: Originally posted by hugejohnson
Man that sucks dont know why EA now make it hard for us to have custom channels i heard that sims 2 had like a custom TV folder so i dont why EA did the same for sims 3

Exactly! I tiried to get "Computer World" in, and I watched Sims3VG_Burnout (The Burnout VG Movie) and then, the test sim (Johnny Test) sat there awaiting something on the screen, but nothing ever shown up. How will I ever get custom movies and channels inside of the game sucessfully?

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Test Subject
Original Poster
#31 Old 26th Aug 2009 at 7:29 AM
This really does stink. I posted a suggestion at thesims3.com's forums. I really hope they enable this in a patch, or in the new expansion. I think you had to use SimPE to get this to work in Sims 2, but I could be wrong.

Either way, it doesn't seem like it would be too difficult for Maxis to add this feature. I'd love for my Sim's kids to be able to unwind after school with an episode of "Rocco's Modern Life" like I did when I was a kid...
Lab Assistant
#32 Old 26th Aug 2009 at 11:02 PM
Greetings to all! I have been looking into this issue and have discovered a few things. I cannot find, anywhere, in the core of the game any sort of directory or loading data for the T.V. This leads me to believe that the "Video File Names" in the XML may actually refer to just the resource names. If anyone has a .video file they would like to send me, go ahead and I will try this.
Test Subject
#33 Old 27th Aug 2009 at 2:30 AM
Quote: Originally posted by jadaytime
Greetings to all! I have been looking into this issue and have discovered a few things. I cannot find, anywhere, in the core of the game any sort of directory or loading data for the T.V. This leads me to believe that the "Video File Names" in the XML may actually refer to just the resource names. If anyone has a .video file they would like to send me, go ahead and I will try this.

If you search FullBuild1.package, you will find that all of the "Sims3TV_"'s are all referenced by the TV xml file, but all of them are there. None missing. But what's loading data? and if you're looking for a game .video file, I believe I have them ( or are you talking about an experimental .video file? )...

Visit my website: Xane.com, please! This is Xane123, signing off!
Test Subject
#34 Old 28th Aug 2009 at 4:41 AM Last edited by Xane123 : 28th Aug 2009 at 5:41 AM. Reason: added partial-results
News!
I'm now attempting to attach a "Target Buff" to my channel (A Moodlet named "Computers!") I'll tell you if it works...

EDIT: Okay, the game crashed as I changed someone in the Single Mom's family to Computer Whiz... She watched the TV channel, and the TV actually showed a computer video, along with the Sims3VG_Burnout video! At last, FINALLY!

Visit my website: Xane.com, please! This is Xane123, signing off!
Test Subject
#35 Old 2nd Sep 2009 at 2:37 AM
That great news finally there is a breakthrough great work xane . Are you to post any guides how to get this done here or on ur website
Test Subject
#36 Old 7th Sep 2009 at 11:30 PM
Maybe... One Problem!
Quote: Originally posted by hugejohnson
That great news finally there is a breakthrough great work xane . Are you to post any guides how to get this done here or on ur website

I might put some of my ways of making books and TV Channels somewhere sometime, but...

There's a problem I discovered when I finally ran the game: I made (I believe) Molly French (or one of her family members) a Computer Whiz, only to find out that the wrong "moodlet" came up. It wasn't my moodlet, "Computers!", but it was EA's moodlet, "New Stuff!". I thought mine didn't work, so I CTRL-Cicked the "New Stuff!" and guess what happened? Their moodlet came back, instead of mine! Attached is the files which I used to construct my video channel, so that you all can see if it's just my game that is giving me that stupid "New Stuff" moodlet instead of my "Computers!" moodlet when watching my channel, "Computer World"!
Attached files:
File Type: zip  tvchannel_computerworldfiles.zip (61.1 KB, 314 downloads) - View custom content
Description: My TV Channel's Files ( Move into Mods/Packages to test on your own time... :giggler: )

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Lab Assistant
#37 Old 9th Sep 2009 at 2:02 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Xane123
I'm now attempting to attach a "Target Buff" to my channel (A Moodlet named "Computers!") I'll tell you if it works...


I'm assuming you mean by typing "Computers!" inside the <TargetBuff> tag? You can't create a new moodlet simply by typing in a name, it requires a completely different approach, and the modding community hasn't figured that out just yet.

Quote: Originally posted by Xane123
EDIT: Okay, the game crashed as I changed someone in the Single Mom's family to Computer Whiz... She watched the TV channel, and the TV actually showed a computer video, along with the Sims3VG_Burnout video! At last, FINALLY!


I don't mean to burst your bubble, but that doesn't do much in the realm of creating custom TV channels. We need to find a way to convert user-made, custom videos into the legitimate EA video format so they are compatible for use with the game.
Test Subject
#38 Old 9th Sep 2009 at 5:18 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Odistant
Note: I'm not sure what happens if you don't set the Channel_Level as Level1, but it's like that for every channel, so do it. I'm not sure what happens, unless someone is willing to take a chance and break their game, so just set it as Level1.


The channel level defines which channels are available for the each type of TV. They go from Level1 to Level4. Level1 will be available to all TV's in game.

Quote: Originally posted by jadaytime
Greetings to all! I have been looking into this issue and have discovered a few things. I cannot find, anywhere, in the core of the game any sort of directory or loading data for the T.V. This leads me to believe that the "Video File Names" in the XML may actually refer to just the resource names. If anyone has a .video file they would like to send me, go ahead and I will try this.


That's correct. The channel data is loaded entirely from xml in gameplay and the vid is over in fullbuild1 referenced by the video file name. This is the video name that is passed to the play video routine.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#39 Old 12th Sep 2009 at 3:27 AM
Default Summary of Our Progress
Okay. For those of you just joining us, here is the lowdown on what we have accomplished so far. Please correct any misconceptions on my part:

1. We know that the channel name data is stored in the .XML file.
2. We know that the .video files are embedded in the FullBuild01 package.
3. We know that the ChannelLevel attribute tells the game whether a particular TV can or cannot pick up a particular channel.
4. We know that the TargetBuff attribute adds moodlets to the Sim watching the TV. Whether they are positive or negative is up to us...
5. We know that when we are able to create a compatible .video file, it will have to be injected into FullBuild01.package

As for what we have yet to figure out, I have listed those below. Again, please correct any misconceptions on my part:
1. We don't know how to turn .avi/mpeg, etc. into an EA compatible .video file.
2. We don't know how to attach custom moodlets to the custom TV channels.

So, from my understanding, once we can get a "normal" movie file to become a working .video, we should have the basic idea of how to make a custom channel down. The moodlet attachment will come in time, I'm sure. After all, the game did just come out. And yet EA has no problem announcing the first expansion just a few months later... When did people start needing expansions 3 months after a game release? That said, World Adventures looks pretty awesome.
Eminence Grise
#40 Old 12th Sep 2009 at 6:25 AM
Six months after a game release, and Sims games always have EPs every six months like clockwork
Test Subject
#41 Old 12th Sep 2009 at 10:14 PM
Quote: Originally posted by eNeos
Hi,
Sorry for my so poor english, I hope you'll understand me :/

I could partially insert a personnal video into the Sims, replacing and existing one.
I have video but no audio, I didn't find the correct codec (I didn't look for a long time).

First of all, you don't need to reverse your .avi in a special .video !
I used only virtualDub to convert a video into vp6 codec.
I used VP60 Simple Profile, one pass - Best Quality, Auto Keyframe, CBR. I also did a "Convert to 15fps" and a 256x256 resize. I disabled audio.

I renamed the new-vp6.avi in the S3_xxxxxx.video I wanted to replace, inserted it in a new package, putted it in my mod folder and that's all.


For audio, I quickly tried PCM and MP3 without succes. Video couldn't be read or the game crashed.


Ähm, there is the way how we can import Videos. But I also can't figure out how to import Videos with Sound, if someone could find out the Audio Codec from the Original .video Data, perhaps we can import sound too.

Dirk

PS: I had no problems with other framesrates and resolutions...
Lab Assistant
#42 Old 13th Sep 2009 at 2:12 AM
Quote: Originally posted by DarkDirk
Ähm, there is the way how we can import Videos.


Which is?
Test Subject
#43 Old 13th Sep 2009 at 4:41 AM
Quote: Originally posted by DarkDirk
Ähm, there is the way how we can import Videos. But I also can't figure out how to import Videos with Sound, if someone could find out the Audio Codec from the Original .video Data, perhaps we can import sound too.

Dirk

PS: I had no problems with other framesrates and resolutions...


The vp6 codec in sims will take raw and flv. Might be worth trying a flv. If I get time over the weekend I'll have a look at the audio.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#44 Old 13th Sep 2009 at 9:06 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Srikandi
Six months after a game release, and Sims games always have EPs every six months like clockwork

Ah, I thought it was coming in September or October. I forgot to check the release date. I guess it's also good business sense to release an expansion during the holidays. Can't blame EA for that.

Quote: Originally posted by nomads
The vp6 codec in sims will take raw and flv. Might be worth trying a flv. If I get time over the weekend I'll have a look at the audio.

I've got some experience with video/audio editing. I'll take a look at .flv as well. I'll report back as soon as I find a working codec. We're getting close!

Lab Assistant
#45 Old 13th Sep 2009 at 10:38 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Teej
I've got some experience with video/audio editing. I'll take a look at .flv as well. I'll report back as soon as I find a working codec. We're getting close!


Good to know someone more capable (and less blonde) than I is taking a crack at it
Test Subject
#46 Old 15th Sep 2009 at 5:50 AM
I thought I knew...
Quote: Originally posted by xalwaysvindicatedx
I'm assuming you mean by typing "Computers!" inside the <TargetBuff> tag? You can't create a new moodlet simply by typing in a name, it requires a completely different approach, and the modding community hasn't figured that out just yet.


I believed I typed in "Comp" inside of the <TargetBuff> linking to the STBL "Computers". I don't know what went wrong!

Quote: Originally posted by xalwaysvindicatedx
I don't mean to burst your bubble, but that doesn't do much in the realm of creating custom TV channels. We need to find a way to convert user-made, custom videos into the legitimate EA video format so they are compatible for use with the game.


That's another step we must master: THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS THREAD! sorta...

I don't know anything about coding: You all are on your own.

Visit my website: Xane.com, please! This is Xane123, signing off!
Test Subject
Original Poster
#47 Old 16th Sep 2009 at 9:24 PM
After messing with .flv videos and changing their audio format several times with the only free video converter I could find (I'm broke as of now) I was unable to get the game to play any of the videos. My Sim would change to the custom channel, but the video wouldn't change.

By my guess, I'm injecting the movies into FullBuild1 wrong, since the custom channel shows up in the pie menu, but the video/audio doesn't change at all. If someone could post at tutorial on how to do that/a link to a tutorial on how to do that (with videos. I've never injected my custom stuff with SimPE or any similar programs). Then, I can actually test the 7+ movie files I have, all with differing audio codecs and post which one works...
Test Subject
#48 Old 18th Sep 2009 at 3:03 AM
Mods 101
Quote: Originally posted by Teej
By my guess, I'm injecting the movies into FullBuild1 wrong, since the custom channel shows up in the pie menu, but the video/audio doesn't change at all.


Remember, you don't put files directly into a package, you make a new one.

I believe no one has found a way of doing this. You're all doing fine, and once someone gets this done, I'm totally getting rid of their stupid channels!

Visit my website: Xane.com, please! This is Xane123, signing off!
Test Subject
#49 Old 22nd Sep 2009 at 3:42 AM
Default @_@
Hoooly shit my brain melted reading all the posts on here. I REALLY hope someone makes a tutorial, I'm sortof file stupid. BUT MAN WE'RE SO CLOSE D: I've looked ALL OVER THE INTERNET for an answer to this and this is the closest I've gotten~
Test Subject
#50 Old 28th Sep 2009 at 8:23 PM
Hey Guys did You Stopped Working On This Or What?? I Really Still Want Custom Tv Channels..Not After All That Work >_<
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