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The Sims 2 Opportunity Pack Reading Desk & Accessories

by Sophie-David Posted 31st Oct 2015 at 2:47 AM - Updated 18th Jun 2017 at 6:21 PM by Sophie-David : Normalized title.
 
43 Comments / Replies (Who?) - 23 Feedback Posts, 19 Thanks Posts
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Top Secret Researcher
THANKS POST
#26 Old 28th May 2016 at 9:31 PM
Thank you!
Theorist
THANKS POST
Original Poster
#27 Old 29th May 2016 at 4:15 AM
You're welcome.
Theorist
Original Poster
#28 Old 18th Jun 2016 at 7:34 PM
BUGFIX June 18, 2016: Coffee Table Usage

1) This release corrects an error that had crept into the release versions of the set, preventing speakers from sitting at a coffee table.

2) Sims can now sit in a living chair to speak at a coffee table. However, the game does not normally allow Sims to sit at a coffee table with a living chair, unless the chair is carefully positioned using boolProp snapObjectsToGrid off or M&G's setQuarterTilePlacement on.
Test Subject
THANKS POST
#29 Old 17th Aug 2016 at 8:56 PM
muito obrigado
Theorist
THANKS POST
Original Poster
#30 Old 18th Aug 2016 at 11:04 PM
You are welcome.
Theorist
Original Poster
#31 Old 21st Aug 2016 at 5:17 AM Last edited by Sophie-David : 21st Aug 2016 at 12:59 PM.
UPDATE August 20, 2016: Improved Speaker & Listener Routing

1) Sims who are already sitting in a good location to speak at the book or sculpture or to listen to the talk will no longer jump up and attempt to find another seat.

2) Children will not be Invited to speak at the book or sculpture, but they can still do so autonomously or as playable Sims.

3) Invited speakers are now consistently announced by full name.
Theorist
Original Poster
#32 Old 29th Aug 2016 at 2:08 AM
UPDATE August 28, 2016:

This release fixes an error with the Mystic Icon that may occur in complex lots: it was possible for two NPCs to appear and try to teach at the Icon.
Mad Poster
#33 Old 28th Sep 2016 at 7:16 AM Last edited by gazania : 28th Sep 2016 at 1:24 PM.
Me again.

It seems the Mystic book generates the Social Worker. I'm not sure if this is fixable but those who do use the Mystic Icon might want to keep the Visitor Controller handy to ban her. I know your fix, though, LESSENS the possibility of an unplayable UPC coming up to the reading desk; not necessarily eliminates it.

I should add more info here. This is a test hood with no witches outside of the head witches. It's a small hood, so this might be a factor. However, after using these reading tables/lecterns for a while after the update without seeing any unplayable NPCs, I WAS surprised to see not one, but TWO social workers trying to speak. I banned them immediately, though, and it was easy enough to dismiss them, cross out the action, and ban them.

For now, I've disabled the mystic icon book. It's not as if my Sims don't have enough material for lectures!

Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Theorist
Original Poster
#34 Old 28th Sep 2016 at 5:31 PM
Quote: Originally posted by gazania
Me again.

It seems the Mystic book generates the Social Worker. I'm not sure if this is fixable but those who do use the Mystic Icon might want to keep the Visitor Controller handy to ban her. I know your fix, though, LESSENS the possibility of an unplayable UPC coming up to the reading desk; not necessarily eliminates it.

I should add more info here. This is a test hood with no witches outside of the head witches. It's a small hood, so this might be a factor. However, after using these reading tables/lecterns for a while after the update without seeing any unplayable NPCs, I WAS surprised to see not one, but TWO social workers trying to speak. I banned them immediately, though, and it was easy enough to dismiss them, cross out the action, and ban them.

For now, I've disabled the mystic icon book. It's not as if my Sims don't have enough material for lectures!
Yes, the Mystic Icon is designed to generate the Social Worker NPC to work as a teacher on community lots - this object is more like the Ravendancer series in that respect. The Social Worker will disappear as soon as the lecture is over, so as to minimize any risks associated with this NPC becoming playable. Hopefully the TWO social worker for one job problem was fixed with the latest update.
Mad Poster
#35 Old 29th Sep 2016 at 6:56 AM Last edited by gazania : 29th Sep 2016 at 4:02 PM.
For now, I decided not to use the Mystic icon. I know this is extreme on my part, but the social worker isn't exactly a favorite NPC in my game. I did notice, though, that she did exactly as you indicated. She lectured, and once I disabled the invite, disappeared. So it's indeed not as if she interacts with the Sims in any other way, unless you are foolish enough to select her.

The good news is that your story books can attract head witches, so my Sims can get some paranormal interest using those. So that's fine and dandy.

Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Theorist
Original Poster
#36 Old 29th Sep 2016 at 5:19 PM
Quote: Originally posted by gazania
For now, I decided not to use the Mystic icon. I know this is extreme on my part, but the social worker isn't exactly a favorite NPC in my game. I did notice, though, that she did exactly as you indicated. She lectured, and once I disabled the invite, disappeared. So it's indeed not as if she interacts with the Sims in any other way, unless you are foolish enough to select her.

The good news is that your story books can attract head witches, so my Sims can get some paranormal interest using those. So that's fine and dandy.
Thanks for the follow-up gazania. Others have expressed interest in having a way to disable the community lot auto-invite for the Mystic Icon and the Ravendancer series, so I suspect that I will eventually design a variation on the Opportunity Pack Lost Opportunity that will suppress auto-invite on community lots.
Mad Poster
#37 Old 29th Oct 2016 at 9:57 AM Last edited by gazania : 2nd Nov 2016 at 5:58 AM.
Still another thing ... how do get your Sims to sit down? I see they are seated in one picture. Mine stand at rapt attention, which is great, but I can't get them to put their butts in their chairs! Is there a certain place the reading desk should be in relation to the seats, or certain seats, or ....?

I can always say that the students are so enthusiastic they just can't stay in their seats

Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Theorist
Original Poster
#38 Old 31st Oct 2016 at 3:19 AM
Quote: Originally posted by gazania
Still another thing ... how do get your SIms to sit down? I see they are seated in one picture. Mine stand at rapt attention, which is great, but I can't get them to put their butts in their chairs! Is there a certain place the reading desk should be in relation to the seats, or certain seats, or ....?

I can always say that the students are so enthusiastic they just can't stay in their seats
Thanks for reporting this issue, gazania. This bug appears to have crept in when I developed the options for sitting around a table with the lecturer. But in the case of selectable Sims, if you have them sit down before listening to a lecturer who is standing, they will remain sitting while listening to the lecturer. I am working on a major upgrade for all the Opportunity objects, so I will add the fix as part of the next release.
Theorist
Original Poster
#39 Old 10th Dec 2016 at 8:43 PM
College & Grade School ACCREDITED December 10th, 2016:

a) With the major upgrade, all the teaching items in the Reading Desk set are now University and grade school accredited, meaning that school and college students will earn grade points while they attend the talks. Their educational progress will be displayed at the beginning and end of each tutorial session.

b) To support this more serious purpose, a proper dress code is now enforced for all teachers - no more lectures in pajamas or swimsuits! In the case of the Mystic Icon, children and teens who are not magicicans will dress in private school uniforms.

c) Lecturers who teach autonomously are now more likely to stay on the job.

d) For users of the Mystic Icon, a student's magic alignment and skill status is displayed at the beginning and end of each learning session.

e) The placement rules for the Reading Desk are changed to prevent the back of the object (where the Sim stands) from being occupied, but to allow the front to be placed next to a railing such as might exist on a raised stage.

f) A bug that caused listeners not to use audience seating has been fixed. My thanks to gazania for confirming this problem.

g) In checking for valid audience seating, bar stools are now approved for use.

If a Social Worker NPC is teaching at the Mystic Icon on a residential lot, ideally she should be dismissed before installing this update. However, if you find that if the Social Worker ends a teaching session without disappearing as she should, this release allows the Social Worker to be recalled and then dismissed properly.
Theorist
Original Poster
#40 Old 17th Dec 2016 at 5:31 AM
UPDATE December 16th, 2016: Routing Improvement

Enthusiastic listeners will now go to the front of the class to attend the talk, rather than the rear.
Test Subject
THANKS POST
#41 Old 1st Mar 2017 at 10:38 PM
muito obrigado
Instructor
THANKS POST
#42 Old 14th Apr 2017 at 10:34 PM
Seriously, thank you. With this and the 'make skills harder' mod, I feel like University has been rejuvenated. On a small lot (say, Mootilda's university classroom sizes) with a pedestal and a career reward object, I can now make a lot that is a lab and lecture classroom (e.g. Biology Lab and Lecture Hall). Since I have the 'make skills harder' mod, sims struggle to learn on their own via the usual means (e.g. library) and going to the classrooms (with the mod - haven't tried it without) gives them a bit more of a noticeable boost, making it so it would make more sense to go to class instead of relying on the library but you would also need to attend a few class sessions before they get another skill point. Makes it more challenging and is realistic.

I'm not sure if I should post this as a Thanks or Feedback...so I'm going to go with Thanks.
Theorist
THANKS POST
Original Poster
#43 Old 15th Apr 2017 at 8:29 PM
Thank you Rinchan7, its encouraging to hear the Reading Desk project put to good use.
Test Subject
THANKS POST
#44 Old 23rd Oct 2020 at 3:55 AM
Hi! I'm not sure if anyone can see this but is there an easy way to change the required skill level to invite a speaker (of any kind) from 3 to something higher? I consider 3 too low, and I don't want basically everyone to be available to lecture. I also see a lot of weird NPCs showing up to lecture, Some are really weird (ideal Planstim, for example).Is there a way to restrict it to playables and townies, for example?
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