Trying to mod a mod

[ssquicci]

Good afternoon everyone,

I would like to alter the Sayonara! Maxis Tree Mod http://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/29333-sayonara-maxis-trees/ so that it will replace the evergreen versions of the new trees for the seasonals.

I have never attempted a mod before and not sure how to approach this project.  Does anyone have any suggestions or know of a tutorial that may put me in the right direction?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

[mgb204]

If you want to replace the Maxis original tree props with Seasonal versions you can not make an override, changing such props from RKT0/1 to RKT4 (single state to multi-state) is not possible as it can lead to Prop Pox. Seasonal props must use the multi-state RKT4 property to change the props for each season, therefore overrides are not going to work.

What this means in practice is that you can make the seasonal trees as new props, but you would have to manually chage every lot and T21 that displays the trees before they would show (this is no small task).

[vortext]

It's nice to see people want to start modding but for technical reasons mgb explained your project is dead in the water from the outset - if it were possible it would've been done by now. 

Though on second thought I do wonder, what if one were to dat pack the seasonal exemplars into the original game files? That'd circumvent the conflict, wouldn't it? Not very practical for release though as tech-support would be demanding but still, I reckon it'd work.   

[Magneto]

Good idea there Erik. Indeed for props that might work but then only when replaced by semi-seasonal trees...Right?

As for flora, the constraint of seasonal flora that needs to be planted in a specific timeframe is a major issue

Still, semi-seasonal is way better than evergreen. I have to try this! Thanks for your suggestion 

[mgb204]

You know what, I reckon you are probably right there, but good luck dealing with user support on that one, I think that's something if I made I'd be pretty careful about who I gave a copy too. Every user that "missed" the readme file would in theory end up with prop pox, even if it was their fault, that's no end of hassle being opened up. Or consider someone who re-installs the game forgetting the mod and opens up a well developed region, saving a few key cities, it's a can of worms in any case.

By the same token, assuming you start a new region with such a modified prop in place, and never ever remove it then the original prop entry in the network subfile would never exist for prop pox to appear either. But as I type this I start to think about how certain properties attach themselves to lots, like having to open the lot and removing/replacing all props after changing the occupant size. If this prop data is somehow held in the lot files, maybe it's not so clear. I'm really not sure how you'd be able to test it and be sure such a mod would not be dangerous. That said it's something I'm comfortable with trying out or installing personally, I don't really build the sort of regions where prop pox is likely and my savefiles aren't that big a deal (maybe if I ever get a region I'm happy with that would change).

[ssquicci]

Thank you for helping me to understand this process a bit more.  I see that this is well outside my abilities right now.  I had hoped to do it as an alternative to trying a seasonal street tree mod, but that does not appear to be the best route right now.

Thanks.

[vortext]

Indeed for props that might work but then only when replaced by semi-seasonal trees...Right?

Yes, it's be restricted to semi-seasonal (or should it be demi-seasonal  ). Flora is a hassle indeed, though if you were to remove it from the lots and only lay the transit networks during fall. . you might be able to pull it off. . At any rate, please report back with the results. 

But as I type this I start to think about how certain properties attach themselves to lot, like having to open the lot and removing/replacing all props after changing the occupant size. If this prop data is somehow held in the lot files, maybe it's not so clear. I'm really not sure how you'd be able to test it and be sure such a mod would not be dangerous.

Yes, there're a lot of unknowns in this area and it'd be rather hard to test to the fullest extend. Hence my remark in the pox thread that it's not easy to verify by any means.

I had hoped to do it as an alternative to trying a seasonal street tree mod, but that does not appear to be the best route right now.

If a seasonal street tree mod is your aim, you want to look into T21 modding to start with and learn how to make timed props secondly.