I have a little bit of info. that some others might find interesting. I hope this hasn't been posted yet . . . if so I am really sorry.
I am big into created awesome lots that are fully furnished and ready to go, I then save them, and place them in my Lot Catalog so I can play them anytime I want in the future. I do this a way that a lot of people don't, because most people just package their lots and then install them that way. Also, sometimes I'll place the lot and move a family in, and then due to new EPs or SPs I will update the lot that my family is living in. Then I think to myself, "Damn it, I wish it was that version of the house in my Lot Catalog," well there is an easy way to put the updated version in your Lot Catalog without the family (unlike packaging the lot with them or moving them out and losing all the details).
Here is how I do it:
1.) Go to C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR NAME\My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\
2.) Then go to the Neighborhoods folder
3.) Go to the Neighborhood with the lot you want saved in your Lot Catalog
4.) Go to it's Lots folder
* Side Note * - You can do all of this while the game is running. It will appear in your Lot Catalog when you do this right away in your game while running.
5.) Go to your game screen and open the cheat menu (Ctrl + Shift + C)
6.) Type in "boolprop ShowLotPackageFilename true" without the quotations
7.) Hover over the lot you want saved, with or without Sims living in it, and remember the file name
8.) Go back to the lots folder you have open from your neighborhood and find the file name
9.) Copy the file
10.) Go to C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR NAME\My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\LotCatalog
11.) Paste the file
12.) Rename the file cx_00000001.package and if that name is taken, rename it whatever the next number is available. So, if you have files in there named cx_00000001.package all the way up to, say, cx_00000021.package then you need to name it cx_00000022.package.
Make sense?
Basically, that is it. It will be in your Lot Catalog forever now, or until deleted by you. You can do this to a lot of any type at any stage. There can be Sims in it or none at all. It will ONLY take the lot and all your hard work with it.
I know for me this is awesome, because I tend to use a lot of the same houses in different neighborhoods as well as apartment complexes and community lots.
If anyone has a problem doing this, or it doesn't appear in your Lot Catalog, please let me know and I will try to walk you through and see if there was a step missed.
Updated Information - Thank you to
unholypassion for this update!
unholypassion asked, "Can you use this for Maxis lots which aren't in the catalog? There's a few Uni & AL lots I would love to have in different neighborhoods." unholypassion then experimented and returned back with this information, "Success! I used a Uni community lot, and a couple of Belladonna Cove residential lots, and it worked like a charm. :oD"
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.2){kind=small}
I am big into created awesome lots that are fully furnished and ready to go, I then save them, and place them in my Lot Catalog so I can play them anytime I want in the future. I do this a way that a lot of people don't, because most people just package their lots and then install them that way. Also, sometimes I'll place the lot and move a family in, and then due to new EPs or SPs I will update the lot that my family is living in. Then I think to myself, "Damn it, I wish it was that version of the house in my Lot Catalog," well there is an easy way to put the updated version in your Lot Catalog without the family (unlike packaging the lot with them or moving them out and losing all the details).
Here is how I do it:
1.) Go to C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR NAME\My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\
2.) Then go to the Neighborhoods folder
3.) Go to the Neighborhood with the lot you want saved in your Lot Catalog
4.) Go to it's Lots folder
* Side Note * - You can do all of this while the game is running. It will appear in your Lot Catalog when you do this right away in your game while running.
5.) Go to your game screen and open the cheat menu (Ctrl + Shift + C)
6.) Type in "boolprop ShowLotPackageFilename true" without the quotations
7.) Hover over the lot you want saved, with or without Sims living in it, and remember the file name
8.) Go back to the lots folder you have open from your neighborhood and find the file name
9.) Copy the file
10.) Go to C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR NAME\My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\LotCatalog
11.) Paste the file
12.) Rename the file cx_00000001.package and if that name is taken, rename it whatever the next number is available. So, if you have files in there named cx_00000001.package all the way up to, say, cx_00000021.package then you need to name it cx_00000022.package.
Make sense?
Basically, that is it. It will be in your Lot Catalog forever now, or until deleted by you. You can do this to a lot of any type at any stage. There can be Sims in it or none at all. It will ONLY take the lot and all your hard work with it.
I know for me this is awesome, because I tend to use a lot of the same houses in different neighborhoods as well as apartment complexes and community lots.
If anyone has a problem doing this, or it doesn't appear in your Lot Catalog, please let me know and I will try to walk you through and see if there was a step missed.
Updated Information - Thank you to
unholypassion for this update! unholypassion asked, "Can you use this for Maxis lots which aren't in the catalog? There's a few Uni & AL lots I would love to have in different neighborhoods." unholypassion then experimented and returned back with this information, "Success! I used a Uni community lot, and a couple of Belladonna Cove residential lots, and it worked like a charm. :oD"
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif?v=92.2){kind=small}
Comments
This is amazing! I was actually looking for a way to furnish a lot with career rewards but WITHOUT sims, and your solution is just what I need.
Thank you very much!
If you find anything out, I will be more than happy to update this post with the info. and credit you for it.
1.) Copy lot file from Uni. and paste in Lot Catalog
2.) Place the lot in Res. (since it is now in the Lot Catalog)
3.) Delete the one in your Lot Catalog currently (the first one)
4.) Get the file name of the one just placed in Res.
5.) Then follow the regular procedure as listed in the original post with THAT file.
So, do the procedure twice and delete the first one placed in the Lot Catalog.
However, occasionally lots built in a Uni hood will have crazy prices if you package them from the Uni hood and then install them. I know it doesn't happen all of the time, so I was more saying it's something to watch out for, as it may happen with this method, too. That's all. :)
It's never happened to me, but I never really made a habit of doing my building in Uni, aside from making dorms. I like making over the rentals into good frathouses, because it reminds me of ~real college life~!
I don't design in Uni. either, except dorms. I do the same thing with my rentals, because real frat houses/sorority houses mostly look like big nice houses in real life.
*adds to memories*
The only part I just figured out, that is the reason I finally posted, is that even if there are people living in the lot and you do the 12 Steps . . . it will only take the lot to the Lot Catalog and not the Sims living in it. That was a brand new find for me, and I felt it was important enough to post.
Atleast you know now, though. Right?
What great info, thanks for sharing!