Um...you'd decide the same way you always do? Whatever way that is. Try imagining yourself talking to someone who is only moderately interested in a topic and seeing at which points they start to zone out. Imagine you're reading a tech manual and see if there's anything that really belongs in a sidebar or a long bulleted list. You could reasonably spoiler that stuff.

Don't fret about it too much. People are perfectly capable of both skimming over stuff that's more than they want to know, and of asking for more details. Just be as interesting as you can, and proofread.

Hell, I write long, long, loooooooong posts sometimes, and some people like them and some people skip them and it's not a big deal.

Nat, don't worry too much about what others think and how they do. We're all individuals, and everyone does things differently depending on their preference. If you aren't breaking the site rules, it's up to you how you prefer to style your posts.

Personally, I appreciate and use spoiler tags if the text is large. I find a huge wall of text hard to focus on, I end skimming involuntarily. When someone breaks it up using spoiler tags, I often re-load the page after I read the first spoiler section, so that it goes back to being hidden before I click the next one, because I find it easier to focus that way. But it's not like I automatically ignore a post that is long and has no spoiler tags, or does something else I dislike. If I want to hear what they have to say, I suck it up and read any way. Does that sometimes mean I grind my teeth over how something is written? Yes, but that's my problem, not the posters problem. It's not their fault I'm sometimes a grammar nazi, and it's certainly not their job to try and fix it just to keep me happy.

@Peni Griffin: I can't always tell, because sometimes I miss a cue (or even a clue ), but I'm kind of thinking that you're not talking to me, right?

I was answering nat, who was asking the question. I should've said so.

Thank you, Peni!

Thank you, Peni and BO, for the clarifications! (And I appreciate the reminder to proofread myself, Peni.)

I appreciate you weighing in as well, iCad.

OK, so it's clear that both Peni and BO meant that highly detailed or technical info ought to be considered for spoilering, though again and as Rosebine puts so well, probably not in the case where the point of my thread is to share that sort of info.

For practical reasons, however, since I already posted the directions earlier to Agree with Peni if folks supported my earlier interpretation of what she said, and to Agree with BO if folks supported my earlier interpretation of what he said, I think perhaps I should just stick to allowing those requests to stand, to avoid confusing everyone who may have already clicked Agree at my request. The thing is, my original post about that would almost have to be partially deleted otherwise to avoid confusion, and I prefer not to do that.

So @Peni Griffin and @BoilingOil, is that all right with you? Even though I understand both of you better now, can we still use both your initial posts about this as the polling places, in the way I originally suggested that people do? (Though iCad may be correct---we may not have a consensus about this in the end.)

This is fun already, either way---I sort of wish we had a better way to conduct little polls on this site!

ETA: Oh, and BO, I'm glad you appreciate that reference page too. I went back and added to my original mention of it that it has sort of a built-in index at its top that is very helpful to finding specific syntax.

And @gummilutt, many thanks for weighing in as well! I quite enjoy how you are a strong supporter of independent thinking and self-governing.

Talk to you guys later---must be AFK for awhile now.

@natboopsie: you know how I feel about editing posts, dear. Especially posts that are already replied to. You not editing everything out in this instance is perfectly fine with me! If people read on, they will get it too.

Is there any way to turn off the business tracker? Especially for home businesses?

It's annoying that my sim is going into the red for that business day when all they want to do is buy baby furniture when the business isn't open!

Is this normal game behaviour? If I lock a want to be BFFs with another sim and save the lot and go play another lot, when I come back the want is still locked, but it's unfulfillable, because the two sims are already BFFs. I thought it was a random glitch the first time I saw it, but now it's obviously a pattern. Is this a "normal" game bug/glitch or did I break something?

You have to shift click or shift right click to activate it when that happens.
Check there memory and see if the BFF memory is there.

I would say it normally should have been fulfilled and rolled to a new want.

It should have been filled. You can fill it with the trick Mark mentioned, but if this sort of thing happens consistently you should troubleshoot it.

I guess I didn't think to look at the memories, just the relationship panel (where they were showing as BFFs). I knew there was a trick to force a want fulfill, but I couldn't remember what it was, so thank you!


It's happened now twice that I've noticed, so maybe I exaggerated a tiny bit when I said it was "obviously a pattern." I guess I'll have to keep a closer eye on it from now on, 'cause it seems all my kids and teens are constantly wanting to be BFFs with at least one other person, and I guess it would be nice if they got a bit of credit when they managed it. :p

I hate to argue with a modder, BO, but I play asylums with ACR and your kids and pets unattended. By the time those asylum kids make it to teen, they've been neglected, failed school, everything, and I never see her. Red aspiration, during the infant and toddler stage absolutely red needs--adults in aspiration failure tend to reject the toddlers even if they manage to corner one long enough to ask. Once they're kids they can look after their own needs between brawls, but they still don't do homework and often miss school, so their grades bottom out very quickly.

It's ctrl left click according to my cheats file, and you might want to mention that it requires boolprop testingcheatsenabled true to work.

If you simply place an open/closed sign and set that to closed, no customers will show up to destroy your business' reputation.



If that is true, then the mod does more than I ever intended it to do. If is supposed to only prevent her coming for kids being alone.

Lets say, I'd like to share a lot I made with someone, but it has some of my own creations in it. Knowing, assuming that person must have a lot of CC already, installing my lot into their game would place my CC amongst theirs. I would like my stuff to be easy to find...and especially, not cluttering their folder.
Can you tell me if the way I have in mind would work?
-I go ingame and package the lot to a file.
-2 I open it with CleanInstaller, and take note of everything Rosie in it.
-3 I save the file with Lot File Only checked.
-4 I then create a folder..*Rosie's Creations* on my desktop or else.
-5 I go in my Downloads folder and copy everything I have on my list, to the previously created folder.
-6 Then of course, I share the Sims2Pack lot file along with my folder in a zip...
Adding my folder within their Downloads folder, then installing my lot...

EDIT : I think I found an easier way. Star a new EA Game folder..then install my lot. My CC should be easy to find, even for me..as there will be nothing else in there...

Would that work?

@BoilingOil That's not exactly what I was looking for. I'm trying to find a way to prevent my sims from buying things and it showing as a business expense. I'm not worried much about reputation or customers.

Pardon me, but I do not understand what you mean..I read your first post, and now this one..and I still don't get it.lol
When you say your sims..do you mean the ones who own the shop and live in the house? I never had any homebusiness owners/household members to buy anything from their own shop..So I find your question confusing. OR..maybe you mean, if a sim has a want to buy a stereo..or anything. Then you buy if from the catalogue in buy mode..this is treated AS a business expense for them, just because they own a shop? If this is what you mean...I never noticed this, and/or It never bothered me.
All I know is that you can buy anything either FOR the shop or for the household, using discount because..you own a shop..Now that, yes does not have to be ON.
I am pretty useless I think.
I'll go for a walk!

Sorry. I guess I didn't put it straight. Here's an example.

My sim owns a magic shop and sells potions and the like. He closes the shop for the day, sets his kitchen on fire, and has to buy a new stove later. However, the business tracker see this new stove (which is part of his household, not his shop) as something bought for his business. So it's more of the second option. It doesn't bother me overly, but I've never done a bakery home business. I'm worried that my Sim will be charged every time he makes dinner on the lot.

Let me know if I don't make sense. I'm low on caffeine again.

Ok. So when you bought that stove, your catalogue was all yellow-like? This can be turned off. I have yet to create any homebusiness in that new Hood of mine, so I might not have the proper term...but, you do not need to use the tracker when you go into build/buy mode. It should appear yellowish, only when you click on the tracker so your sim can use the discount.
You bought that stove with the discount, so the game thinks it is for your business.

Define what you mean with "would work". Would work as in they have the CC and it shows up on lot? Yes. Would work as in makes it easy to find? Not necessarily. Personally, I'd much prefer you name your files clearly than put them in a separate folder. Everyone has different ways of organizing their CC, and even if it comes in one folder it doesn't mean it'll stay that way. If your files are clearly named, they'll be easy to find regardless of where the player puts them. But if you want to have them in a separate folder in the zip rather than part of the sims2package, that's your choice. Just don't forget to name them properly

If you are going to include your stuff in a separate folder in the zip, make sure you untick them in Clean installer and re-save the sims2package so that they aren't also included when you install the lot.

Well of course, as I said I would save the file with Lot File Only checked. All my files are named properly. Even though I am not an uploader, I still want my game files clean. Putting them within a folder with my name though gives another option. You place them as you wish once in your game. Many will sort their CC in a folder with the creator's name, some sort them by what it is etc.
But I have my answer, so thank you.

Question: I'm troubleshooting something and I think it's to do with the custom cameras. I lost my original camera files. Are they available through the games' installation files (like the untouched base 'hoods are)? Anything easier than renaming the save folder and letting the game regenerate everything....

My bad! It appears my brain did not register step 3. I see now you had indeed already though of that. Sorry