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Mad Poster
Original Poster
#1 Old 15th Jan 2015 at 3:12 AM
Default XMLs and Game Packs
With Outdoor Retreat game pack, I was able to extract the file (S4_62E94D38_00000002_F10287740C1C4EB0) from the SimulationFullBuild0 that came with that pack and extract the contents. However, I am noticing that very easy changes that I make to the XMLs aren't being recognized by the game. I was wondering if it was just me? Has anyone tried it yet?

I am attaching an example where I changed the minutes of marshmallow roasting from 7-10 minutes to 1 minute. (I was trying to do another mod that wasn't taking, and I thought I would do a quick test and grab something super easy. My goal really isn't to have 1 minute toasted marshmallows.) This mod does not work in my game. The sims still take the 7-10 minutes.
Attached files:
File Type: rar  MB - Outdoor Retreat - MARSHMALLOW TEST.rar (1.1 KB, 27 downloads) - View custom content
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Deceased
#2 Old 15th Jan 2015 at 5:24 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ~MadameButterfly~
With Outdoor Retreat game pack, I was able to extract the file (S4_62E94D38_00000002_F10287740C1C4EB0) from the SimulationFullBuild0 that came with that pack and extract the contents. However, I am noticing that very easy changes that I make to the XMLs aren't being recognized by the game. I was wondering if it was just me? Has anyone tried it yet?


Well, the interaction you're overriding appears to only be the staging for the actual interaction, 19B0F (campfire_RoastMarshmallows) which bases the length of a marshmallow roast off a commodity on the campfire object. I tried tuning that to finish earlier, but didn't see any success at that either. So I figured I'd try something that would really show, thinking maybe the animations were long enough that it took that long to finish no matter how low it was tuned.

Changed the ages allowed specification near the end of the interaction to remove CHILD. Did that to both the 19B0F and your original 19B13 resources. Crap - children can still roast marshmallows.

Tried overriding the object XML to remove the SA completely. It still shows up on the pie menu and they can still roast marshmallows.

WTF?

Now I'm going to try something drastic to see if it's even parsing the XML from the package, introduce a malformed XML tag into the mix and I should get an exception generated. Let's see what happens...
Deceased
#3 Old 15th Jan 2015 at 5:31 AM Last edited by scumbumbo : 15th Jan 2015 at 6:41 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by scumbumbo
Now I'm going to try something drastic to see if it's even parsing the XML from the package, introduce a malformed XML tag into the mix and I should get an exception generated. Let's see what happens...


Well, ?good news? That broke the roast marshmallow action completely and generated an exception, so that's progress?

EDIT: It's very strange, no matter what I try changing (at least regarding the compfire roasting) nothing seems to matter unless I break something completely and then it disappears.

EDIT2: Tried changing something else even simpler (the text that the forest ranger says when they introduce themselves to a different valid string ID) and again no luck. Double-checked that it wasn't backed by a SIMDATA resource and it isn't.

Just as a guess, but I'd lay money on it: My guess is it's a feature bug related to copy protection, so people can't just make a .package file with all the stuff and run it as a mod. Unacceptable. Unacceptable
Deceased
#4 Old 15th Jan 2015 at 6:47 AM
Posted a thread on forums.thesims.com: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/dis...-retreat#latest
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#5 Old 15th Jan 2015 at 10:41 AM
Thank-you for struggling with me! I thought I was losing my mind. This is bad.

Edit: Oh, and you've had a reply:

SimGuruEugi writes:

Quote:
When overriding XML resources for Outdoor Retreat, make sure the group ID is set to 2. Let me know if that addresses your issues.

♥ }i{ Monarch of the Receptacle Refugees }i{ ♥
Pettifogging Legalist!
retired moderator
#6 Old 15th Jan 2015 at 11:56 AM
Thanks for that! I added that quote (with link) to the tdesc/patch updates sticky. Please do not hesitate to post there as well, when you find / hear of / figure out important technical changes like that =). I hope everyone will see it ..

(There have been new tdescs provided too btw, have you seen that?)

Stuff for TS2 · TS3 · TS4 | Please do not PM me with technical questions – we have Create forums for that.

In the kingdom of the blind, do as the Romans do.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#7 Old 15th Jan 2015 at 12:00 PM
Ok! Thank-you Plasticbox. And I can confirm, changing the Group I.D. to 0x00000002 did work for me. I got the original mod that I was working on to work this time. So if GP01 is 0x00000002, I wonder if FP01 is 0x00000001, and so on?

Edit: Yes, I downloaded those last night. Thank-you!

♥ }i{ Monarch of the Receptacle Refugees }i{ ♥
Deceased
#8 Old 15th Jan 2015 at 3:19 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ~MadameButterfly~
Thank-you for struggling with me! I thought I was losing my mind


Me too, but in my case it was a short trip! I kept trying different things thinking I must be overlooking something basic. Which I was, I'd just never seen the bit about the group in documentation. I wonder if the group needs to be set for CC recolors and such as well?

Quote: Originally posted by ~MadameButterfly~
Edit: Oh, and you've had a reply:


Thanks for checking, I'd have figured it was too early in the morning for any possibility of a reply.

Edit: Oh, and I guess I lost my bet, lol.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#9 Old 15th Jan 2015 at 4:22 PM


I don't know about CC recolors. I saw at least one questionable post elsewhere that could have gone around it. I am not sure if a more legit approach needs the new group number, however.

♥ }i{ Monarch of the Receptacle Refugees }i{ ♥
Mad Poster
#10 Old 15th Jan 2015 at 9:46 PM
Quote: Originally posted by scumbumbo
I wonder if the group needs to be set for CC recolors and such as well?


_IMG can be overridden without changing the Group#, so I think that s4pe is showing the correct Group# for all the standard assets for modding purposes. XML is a special circumstance inside that combined file.

MedievalMods and Sims3mods: Dive Cave Reset Fix, Resort Revamp, Industrial Oven Revamp, Will O' Wisp fix, UI Sounds Disabled, No Cars, Gnome Family Planner, Townies Out on the Town, No Martial Arts Clothes, Fast Skilling, etc. http://simsasylum.com/tfm/
Field Researcher
#11 Old 16th Jan 2015 at 7:38 AM
This thread saves me, thank you so much! :D
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#12 Old 16th Jan 2015 at 2:45 PM
Glad it was of help to you!

And looking back at the file that I originally extracted to get the pack's XML's has the hint in it. I just didn't notice before: S4_62E94D38_00000002_F10287740C1C4EB0.

♥ }i{ Monarch of the Receptacle Refugees }i{ ♥
Test Subject
#13 Old 22nd Jan 2015 at 5:19 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ~MadameButterfly~
With Outdoor Retreat game pack, I was able to extract the file (S4_62E94D38_00000002_F10287740C1C4EB0) from the SimulationFullBuild0 that came with that pack and extract the contents. However, I am noticing that very easy changes that I make to the XMLs aren't being recognized by the game. I was wondering if it was just me? Has anyone tried it yet?

I am attaching an example where I changed the minutes of marshmallow roasting from 7-10 minutes to 1 minute. (I was trying to do another mod that wasn't taking, and I thought I would do a quick test and grab something super easy. My goal really isn't to have 1 minute toasted marshmallows.) This mod does not work in my game. The sims still take the 7-10 minutes.


Hi Madame Butterfly. First, I'd like to thank you for all the wonderful mods you've created. I have several of them in my game. I hope you can answer a question for me.

In the past, I created a lot of simple tuning mods for Sims 3 and am hoping to do the same for Sims 4, however, I have run into a problem with Outdoor Retreat. I am unable to extract the XMLs for the game pack. I had no trouble extracting them for the base game, but when I try to extract from The Sims 4 > GP01 > SimulationFullBuild0.package It doesn't work. Am I trying to extract from the wrong file?

I feel fairly stupid for not being able to figure this out. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Mad Poster
#14 Old 22nd Jan 2015 at 8:15 AM
Quote: Originally posted by SimmerDeb
I am unable to extract the XMLs for the game pack. I had no trouble extracting them for the base game, but when I try to extract from The Sims 4 > GP01 > SimulationFullBuild0.package It doesn't work. Am I trying to extract from the wrong file?


I lifted out that combined file from the Fullbuild using s4pe, so I have a copy of it on my harddrive. Then I used the Extractor on it and it worked fine.

MedievalMods and Sims3mods: Dive Cave Reset Fix, Resort Revamp, Industrial Oven Revamp, Will O' Wisp fix, UI Sounds Disabled, No Cars, Gnome Family Planner, Townies Out on the Town, No Martial Arts Clothes, Fast Skilling, etc. http://simsasylum.com/tfm/
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#15 Old 22nd Jan 2015 at 8:18 AM
@SimmerDeb

Did you make a back-up copy of the file and place it elsewhere on your hard drive first, and then try resource>export>to file on S4_62E94D38_00000002_F10287740C1C4EB0 on that back-up copy?

(Edit: Sniped by Shimrod. )

♥ }i{ Monarch of the Receptacle Refugees }i{ ♥
Test Subject
#16 Old 22nd Jan 2015 at 2:15 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ~MadameButterfly~
@SimmerDeb

Did you make a back-up copy of the file and place it elsewhere on your hard drive first, and then try resource>export>to file on S4_62E94D38_00000002_F10287740C1C4EB0 on that back-up copy?

(Edit: Sniped by Shimrod. )


Thanks for your replies Shimrod and MB. Evidently, I have no clue what I'm doing. I have a copy of the SimulationFullBuild0.package from GP01 open right now in s4pe. I see _RIG files, CASP files, etc., but I don't see S4_62E94D38_00000002_F10287740C1C4EB0 or anything remotely similar.

Sorry to ask you to handhold a newbie, but I can assure you that your help is greatly appreciated.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#17 Old 22nd Jan 2015 at 2:21 PM
Do you know how to filter for instance numbers? Like in this case, 0xF10287740C1C4EB0 in that instance box on the bottom of the screen?

♥ }i{ Monarch of the Receptacle Refugees }i{ ♥
Test Subject
#18 Old 22nd Jan 2015 at 2:34 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ~MadameButterfly~
Do you know how to filter for instance numbers? Like in this case, 0xF10287740C1C4EB0 in that instance box on the bottom of the screen?


No, I didn't. However, I just played around with it trying to figure it out and isolated UNKN 0x62E94D38. Is this the file I need to resource > export to file?

Thanks.
Test Subject
#19 Old 22nd Jan 2015 at 2:44 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ~MadameButterfly~
Do you know how to filter for instance numbers? Like in this case, 0xF10287740C1C4EB0 in that instance box on the bottom of the screen?


Okay, that worked! Thank you so much. One more question. Originally, how did you know that UNKN 0x62E94D38 contained the XMLs?

Thanks again.
Mad Poster
Original Poster
#20 Old 22nd Jan 2015 at 3:34 PM
Quote: Originally posted by SimmerDeb
Okay, that worked! Thank you so much. One more question. Originally, how did you know that UNKN 0x62E94D38 contained the XMLs?


I took an educated guess because the instance number was the same for the base game. I wasn't the one who originally found the base game file, however.

♥ }i{ Monarch of the Receptacle Refugees }i{ ♥
Lab Assistant
#21 Old 17th Aug 2015 at 12:02 AM
Is this still that way? I mean, for example, if I wanted to make a mod from one of the XMLs of Cool Kitchen, I would have to set the Group ID to 7?
Deceased
#22 Old 17th Aug 2015 at 12:43 AM
Yes, if you want to override the XML you need that group set. If you use my extractor it should be already set on the extracted file - not sure about s4s.
Lab Assistant
#23 Old 17th Aug 2015 at 5:06 PM
Quote: Originally posted by scumbumbo
Yes, if you want to override the XML you need that group set. If you use my extractor it should be already set on the extracted file - not sure about s4s.

Thanks , I don't know what I'm doing wrong then But at least I know the group change is right.
I'm using your extractor (thank you, thank you, thank you!!) to get the binaries and then the velocitygrass' extractor to get the XML because it has the option to add the names from the STBLs.
Deceased
#24 Old 18th Aug 2015 at 6:46 AM
Quote: Originally posted by pekesims
I'm using ... the velocitygrass' extractor to get the XML because it has the option to add the names from the STBLs.

The old extractor is known to cause problems with the XML for various game packs, I'm not sure about this latest one, but I know it can produce corrupt XML even once you have a combined tuning file extracted from the binaries. If you must have the STBL strings, you'll probably be safer to use S4S to get the extracted XML - or use vgrass's extractor to get the strings but when you do the actual edits use the results from my extractor for the actual mod.
Lab Assistant
#25 Old 18th Aug 2015 at 12:06 PM
Quote: Originally posted by scumbumbo
The old extractor is known to cause problems with the XML for various game packs, I'm not sure about this latest one, but I know it can produce corrupt XML even once you have a combined tuning file extracted from the binaries. If you must have the STBL strings, you'll probably be safer to use S4S to get the extracted XML - or use vgrass's extractor to get the strings but when you do the actual edits use the results from my extractor for the actual mod.


Ok, I'll do that, thank you!
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