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>>> ANYGAMESTARTER <<<
Build your game (and BodyShop!) the way you want it
for testing purposes or nostalgic pleasure!
Collection packs other than Deluxe, Double Deluxe and Holiday Ed. 2005/06 are not supported. If you install the AGS with any other collection pack, you will probably have to uninstall and reinstall all of your games to get back to a working state.
IMPORTANT - COMPATIBILITY LIST
This AGS version is compatible with any game and expansion on physical CD/DVD.
It support also Store Edition, Deluxe, Double Deluxe and Holiday Ed. 2005/06. Don't use the AGS with expansions bought online from EA site, or other game editions not listed above
The installer works under Windows XP and Vista (32bit and 64bit)
and must be run under an administrator account.
BUGFIX: The "Replace" function didn't actually delete and replace the AnyGame1 any more (the bug was introduced with v. 2.1.0 and affected only the AnyGame1, while the AnyGames 2 and 3 were correctly replaced).
Version 2.1.0 (30 Apr 2009)
Introduced the ability to UPDATE existing AnyGames to a different EP configuration, without deleting and replacing the saved AnyGame (neighborhood, sims, downloads, etc.). The option is available only in Standard Mode (not in BGS mode), and only if the update is actually possible (see details in the "How to Use" and "Hints & Tips" sections, below).
WHAT IS THE ANYGAMESTARTER
The AnyGameStarter (in brief: 'AGS') allows to create a temporary test-game (and optionally a test-Bodyshop) including or excluding any Expansion Pack, Stuff Pack and Add-on Packs (among the ones that you own, of course).
Typical usages of the AnyGameStarter include, for example:
Set up a game with few (or no) EPs, where to create lots with low (or no) game requirements.
Set up mutiple alternate themed Full Games (e.g. medieval, sci-fi etc.), with their own default replacements that don't affect the main game.
Set up an alternate game (with or without EP/SP) to play Legacy challenges.
Set up a game without Seasons, where to create functional CAS screens.
Set up a "base-game only", or a game with an unusual configuration, where to test an object or mod under specific conditions.
Set up a game with only one specific EP or SP, so to explore the new objects and features provided by that single pack (ever tried the thrill of running a game with only FFS, CEL and a Xmas pack? Geeeeez! )
HOW TO USE
First off, you have to download the rar attached to this post and extract the installer ("AnyGameStarter_Setup.exe"). I suggest NOT to extract it to the desktop, so to avoid an eccessive clutter: better put the installer in a folder somewhere on your hard disk.
When done, double-click on the "AnyGameStarter_Setup.exe"; you need to double-click on the installer only once: the very first time you run the installer, it will check if your Registry holds the correct path to the Documents folder, and will update all the existing AGS and BGS games making them compatible with Mansion & Garden (if you have it). Then, the installer will create two icons on your desktop:
You won't see any activity from the installer (apparently it doesn't even start...), but you will see the two new icons on your desktop. From this moment on, use the two icons tu run the AGS:
use the "Standard" icon to run the normal AnyGameStarter. Click the button below to know more.
HOW TO USE THE AGS INSTALLER - "STANDARD MODE"
=======================================
(If you want to know more, read the Hint&Tips / F.A.Q. section)
By starting the installer in Standard Mode, you can create/replace an AnyGame using the full-feature AGS interface; you can also make permanent an existing AGS/BGS game, or delete an existing AnyGame.
Before doing anything, you have to LOCATE THE RIGHT ICON to start the installer.
Look at your desktop, and search for the "Standard Mode" icon:
If you can't find it, then double-click on the "AnyGameStarter_Setup.exe" that you have extracted from the rar downloaded from this thread: the "Standard Mode" icon should immediately appear on the desktop; if not, select the option "Force re-create icons" from the drop-down menu.
Now start the installer using the Standard Mode icon, and decide what you want to do:
CREATE or REPLACE an AnyGame.
This is the main function of the installer. You can create up to three highly customized AnyGames for every need; the AnyGames created this way are "temporary", meaning that the installer can delete, replace or uninstall them without any special warning (if you need a safer game, read on about the PermaGames).
In order to create an AnyGame, follow this procedure:
Step 1: Game Configuration.
In Standard Mode, the selection of the game configuration is mainly done using the EP/SP list; anyway, for your convenience, there are some pre-made game configuration already stored in the drop-down menu.
You can freely include or exclude any of the listed Expansion, Stuff and Add-On packs (the list will include only the games the you own, of course). If you deselect all the packs, the installer will create a "base game only" AnyGame.
Step 2: Additional Options.
The Standard Mode offers a lot of options: scroll down to see them all!
Most of the options are quite self-explanatory, but anyway here is a detailed description of all of them.
AnyGame to create/replace: here you decide which of the THREE available "slots" should be used for the AnyGame that you are creating. If the slot is already taken by an existing AnyGame, the entry is "Replace AnyGameX"; otherwise you read "Create AnyGameX".
NOTE: the "slots" are shared between normal AnyGames, and "BGS games" created using the special "BGS Mode" of this installer (old BGS games created with the outdated BaseGameStarter installer are separated, and don't use these slots).
In addition to the Create/Replace entry, the installer allows - whenever possible - to update the existing AnyGame.
The installer automatically detects if the desired game configuration (as set in the previous selection window) is compatible with the existing AnyGames, and shows the "Update" option only if the update is actually possible.
Keep in mind that adding new EP's to an existing AnyGame is always possible, while downgrading a game is possible only under specific conditions. Read more about the Update feature in the Hints & Tips section.
After choosing one of the three slots, you can optionally activate one of the following options:
Create additional "Legacy" BodyShop: this will create a second icon named "AnyBSX" that start a special BodyShop containing only the packs selected for the AnyGame; this is extremely useful when creating a sim, or cloning clothings, in order to avoid to unknowingly include stuff from unfrequently used packs (Celebration, Glamour, Holiday add-ons etc.).
Customize shortcut icon: by default, the installer identifies the game configuration and chooses the best icon available, from a wide pool of icons:
For example, if you create an AnyGame with UNI, NL and OFB, the game will identify it as a "Up2OFB game", and will choose the proper icon. But in case you want a specific icon to identify your AnyGame, then you can activate the option "Customize shortcut icon" and the installer will ask you to choose the desired icon, among the ones provided.
Type of game to create:
The "standard game" is the normal Maxis game with all the pre-defined neighborhoods, lots and sims (PleasantView, StrangeTown, Veronaville etc.); it's perfect for Legacy Games, but requires more disk space.
The "mini-game" contains only one small neighborhood, with one residential lot occupied by the reknown Randy and Rhonda Random ; the lot catalog contains only one residential lot, the family bin is empty. If needed, you can add the Maxis sub-NH (university, downtown, vacation etc.). Mini-games are suitable as test environments, because they are "clean" and load up quickly.
The "empty game" contains absolutely nothing: no NH, no lots, no families; it only contains some empty terrains (otherwise you couldn't create any new NH); if you are going to create a neighborhood to share, you should create it withing an "empty game". Please note that Maxis sub-NH are not allowed in empty games: you have to create new sub-NH from scratch, if needed.
Game resolution: choose whether you want the AnyGame to run fullscreen, or in a small/widescreen/large window.
Sound options: turn the game sound ON or OFF.
Game language: sometimes you may need to test a creation in a foreign game; using these options you can force the game to start in one of the listed languages. If you don't need to change the language, set it to "Original" (in brackets, you will read the default language used by your game).
Check for updates: activating this option, the installer will briefly go online to check if there are newer AGS versions available; if so, it will alert the user, suggesting to visit the official AGS thread (this one) to read the news and download the new version. This option, by default, is checked if an active internet connection is detected; otherwise it deselects automatically. If you deselect it manually, it will stay deactivated.
DELETE existing AnyGames.
By selecting this option (at the bottom of the EP list, or from the drop-down menu), you can delete one or more existing AnyGames. In the next screen, you can choose which AnyGame(s) should be delete; if you select them all, the AnyGameStarter will completely uninstall itself, deleting all the AnyGames and all the icons from your desktop and the Start menu.
NOTE 1: only the three AnyGames (along with the connected AnyBS) can be deleted; the AGS installer won't do anything to the Full Game, the PermaGames and the deprecated BGS games created with the old BaseGameStarter installer.
NOTE 2: the "Delete" option only appears if at least one AnyGame is found.
Make PERMANENT an existing game.
By selecting this task (at the bottom of the EP list, or from the drop-down menu), the installer can transform into a PermaGame (Permanent game) one of previously installed AnyGames, or one of the deprecated BGS games created with the old BaseGameStarter installer.
I've included the PermaGame task for two main reasons:
bypass the 3-slot limit of the AnyGameStarter: sometimes we might need to have more than three AnyGames at the same time (for example, to quickly test an object in several different environments), so we can make some of them permanent, thus freeing one or more slots;
update and transform the old BaseGameStarter games into PermaGames, since the old BaseGameStarter is now obsolete, unsupported and incompatible with Mansion & Garden.
Force Re-create icons for "Standard" and "BGS mode".
Usually, the installer detects if the said icons are missing and automatically re-creates them; but in case it doesn't, you can double-click on the main executable (AnyGameStarter_Setup.exe) and choose the option "Force Re-create icons for Standard and BGS mode" (found at the bottom of the EP list or in the drop-down menu). This will restore the missing icons on the desktop.
use the "BGS Mode" icon to activate the special BaseGameStarter operating mode. Click the button below to know more.
HOW TO USE THE AGS INSTALLER - "BGS MODE"
=======================================
By starting the installer in BGS Mode, you can create/replace a AnyGame using the simplified "BaseGameStarter" interface; you can also make permanent an existing AGS/BGS game, or delete an existing AnyGame.
IMPORTANT: please don't confuse the new BGS-style AnyGames created with this AGS installer, with the old BGS games created with the deprecated BaseGameStarter installer:
- new BGS-style games can be created, deleted and made permanent;
- old BaseGameStarter games can only be made permanent (you can delete them only using the old BaseGameStarter installer).
Before doing anything, you have to LOCATE THE RIGHT ICON to start the installer.
Look at your desktop, and search for the "BGS Mode" icon:
If you can't find it, then double-click on the "AnyGameStarter_Setup.exe" that you have extracted from the rar downloaded from this thread: the "BGS Mode" icon should immediately appear on the desktop; if not, select the option "Force re-create icons" from the drop-down menu.
Now start the installer using the "BGS Mode" icon, and choose one of the entries from the drop-down menu. Please note that the BGS mode only works using the drop-down menu: there is no list of EP to select/deselect.
CREATE a BGS-style game.
This is the main function of the installer. Apart from the last couple lines, the entire drop-down menu is reserved to the various pre-made BGS games:
You can select from the list the desired "Only..." or "Up to..." game:
Only XYZ: these games contain only the named Expansion or Stuff pack.
Up to XYZ: these games include the named EP/SP, plus all the previous EP and SP (i.e. "Up to Pets" contains PETS, GLS, FFS, OFB, NL and UNI). The entries in the drop-down menu are in "chronological order", so that it's easy to know which are the "previous EP and SP" that will be included in the game.
NOTE 1: In the BGS games, Store Edition is always excluded, as well as the Holiday packs; if you need to include those packs, you must run the installer in Standard Mode. NOTE 2: You can create up to three BGS games, one by one (it's not possible to create multiple games at once, like in the old BGS installer). NOTE 3: the created BGS games are considered "temporary", meaning that the installer can delete, replace or uninstall them without any special warning (if you need a safer game, read on about the PermaGames).
After clicking "NEXT", you are presented the Additional Options window (it's a simplified version of the Standard Mode one):
The BGS Mode offers a limited selection of options, most of which are quite self-explanatory, but anyway here is a detailed description of all of them.
AnyGame to create/replace: here you decide which of the THREE available "slots" should be used for the AnyGame that you are creating. If the slot is already taken by an existing AnyGame, the entry is "Replace AnyGameX"; otherwise you read "Create AnyGameX". NOTE: the "slots" are shared between the BGS games and the normal AnyGames created using the installer in Standard Mode.
Type of game to create:
The "standard game" is the normal Maxis game with all the pre-defined neighborhoods, lots and sims (PleasantView, StrangeTown, Veronaville etc.); it's perfect for Legacy Games, but requires more disk space.
The "mini-game" contains only one small neighborhood, with one residential lot occupied by the reknown Randy and Rhonda Random ; the lot catalog contains only one residential lot, the family bin is empty. If needed, you can add the Maxis sub-NH (university, downtown, vacation etc.). Mini-games are suitable as test environments, because they are "clean" and load up quickly.
Game resolution: choose whether you want the AnyGame to run fullscreen, or in a small/widescreen/large window.
Sound options: turn the game sound ON or OFF.
Check for updates: activating this option, the installer will briefly go online to check if there are newer AGS versions available; if so, it will alert the user, suggesting to visit the official AGS thread (this one) to read the news and download the new version. This option, by default, is checked if an active internet connection is detected; otherwise it deselects automatically. If you deselect it manually, it will stay deactivated.
DELETE existing AnyGames.
By selecting this option (at the bottom of the EP list, or from the drop-down menu), you can delete one or more existing AnyGames (which includes standard AnyGames and BGS-style games). In the next screen, you can choose which AnyGame(s) should be delete; if you select them all, the AnyGameStarter will completely uninstall itself, deleting all the AnyGames and all the icons from your desktop and the Start menu.
NOTE 1: only the three AnyGames (or BGS games created with this installer) can be deleted; the AGS installer won't do anything to the Full Game, the PermaGames and the deprecated BGS games created with the old BaseGameStarter installer.
NOTE 2: the "Delete" option only appears if at least one AnyGame is found.
Make PERMANENT an existing game.
By selecting this task (at the bottom of the EP list, or from the drop-down menu), the installer can transform into a PermaGame (Permanent game) one of previously installed AnyGames, or one of the new BGS-style games, or one of the deprecated BGS games created with the old BaseGameStarter installer.
I've included the PermaGame task for two main reasons:
bypass the 3-slot limit of the AnyGameStarter: sometimes we might need to have more than three AnyGames at the same time (for example, to quickly test an object in several different environments), so we can make some of them permanent, thus freeing one or more slots;
update and transform the old BaseGameStarter games into PermaGames, since the old BaseGameStarter is now obsolete, unsupported and incompatible with Mansion & Garden.
Either mode you choose (Standard or BGS), the installer will let you - in addition to create new games - to delete existing games or making them permanent.
NOTE: the AGS installer must be run using an administrator account (the same used to install the full game).
What is this "Mini-Game"? Why should I select this option, instead of the "Standard Game"?
The Mini-Games are much smaller and faster to load, because they only contain one small neighborhood, without sub-NH. The mini-game neighborhood contains only one residential lot (Randoms' Retreat) occupied by a two-members sim family (Randy and Rhonda Random). The lot bin contain only one unoccupied residential lot and a community lot; the family bin is empty.
This way, the mini-game is ready to be used for any test, but still is small and clean enough to be loaded very quickly. If you need to add a sub-neighborhood, the Maxis pre-made ones are available (universities, downtown, shopping districts, etc.). All the hidden lots, such as Witches' castles, Hobby secret lots, vacation hidden lots etc, are automatically created when you first enter the mini-game NH.
What is this "Empty Game"? What is the differences with the Mini-Game?
The Empty Game, is even... empier then the Mini-Game; it contains no neighborhoods at all, and the lot/family bins are completely empty.
Moreover, the Empty Game is set up so to prevent the game from creating the default lots and NPC: this way, you can create an empty neighborhood that is kept empty when you enter it: no sub-neighborhoods, no hidden lots, no default NPCs, nothing. The game will contain only things that you purposely create yourself.
I have different Windows accounts, used to play different copies of the game; is it a problem?
Having multiple accounts is fine, but keep in mind some important facts.
The installer must always be run with administrative priviledges; if all the different accounts are administrative, there's no problem. If you want to run the AGS installer under a "user" account, you must use tho Vista option "Run as Administrator", or the XP option "Run as..." (and then select an Admin account).
The AGS installer works on a per-user basis: the mini-game installed under one account won't work under another account. In case you need the same mini-game under several accounts, you must run the AGS installer once per account.
The mini-games created by the installer must be run as administrator, too! This is because the mini-games need to temporarily modify some Registry keys in the "HK_Local_Machine" section.
I have some expansion on CD, and some other were bought online. Can I use the AGS installer?
In some cases, there's a workaround, that allows - at least - a limited usage of the AGS even with online EPs; but in any case, my warning is still valid: the AGS is to be considered incompatible with the online EPs, because I don't have online versions and I can't run any test in such environment. If you want to try yourself, do it at your own risk.
The workaround is based to the fact that when you run an AnyGame, it actually runs the executable from the latest EP included in the AnyGame. Therefore, if you have some online EPs and some CD-versions, you can create and run an Anygame that includes, as the latest EP, a CD version.
For example, if you have:
- CD versions for UNI, PETS and BV
- online versions for SSN, FT and AL
then you can create an AnyGame that includes BV as the latest EP (thus excluding FT and AL); you can even include SSN in this AnyGame: the fact that SSN is an online game is irrelevant, since the "latest EP" is BV, i.e. a CD game!
IMPORTANT: When I talk about "EPs" I mean games that act as an Expansion Packs (not Stuff Packs); for example, if you have IKEA on CD, you CAN'T use it as "Latest EP" in an AnyGame!
For your reference, here is a full list of games that act as Expansions, and therefore can be used as "Latest EP" in an AnyGame, if you own the CD: Base, UNI, NL, OFB, FFS, GLS, PETS, SSN, BV, FT, AL, MG.
As you can see, some Stuff Packs (FFS, GLS and MG) act as Expansions, and therefore can be included in the AnyGame as "latest EP".
Why the "UPDATE AnyGame ..." option does not appear in the list?
It's not always possible to update an existing AnyGame. Keep in mind that:
Adding new EP/SP to an existing AnyGame is always possible (you can see which EP/SP are included in the existing games by reading the configuration that appear in square brackets in the Create/Replace AnyGame list, next to each game).
Removing an EP/SP is not always possible, because older expansions can't read neighborhoods saved with newer versions. However, you can safely remove any pack from the existing AnyGame, as long as you keep the current "latest EP" (or you replace it with a newer EP).
For example, if you have created an AnyGame with the configuration Base + UNI + NL + OFB, you can safely remove UNI and NL (thus keeping OFB); or you can even remove OFB, if you add a newer EP (for example SSN, or BV, or any other EP newer than OFB).
Important: When I say "Newer EP", I mean a pack (EP or SP!) that has a greater score in the following table: Base=0 - UNI=1 - NL=2 - OFB=3 - FFS=4 - GLS=5 - CEL/HM/TSS/KB/IKEA=6 - PETS=7 - SSN=8 - BV/Store=9 - FT=10 - AL=11 - M&G=12
As you can see, our example game (Base+UNI+NL+OFB) has a score of 3, and therefore it can be updated with any other game configuration with score >= 3, such as (just to mention a few): Base+OFB, Base+NL+FFS, Base+AL, etc.
NOTE: Store Edition - In the list above, you can see that Store Edition has a score of 9 (just like BV); however, I strongly advice NOT to use Store as "Latest EP": if really you can't avoid including Store in your AnyGame, at least you should add an EP with score greater than 9.
This is because Store Edition is crap It acts as a BV-like expansion, but can't actually manage the removal of some older expansions, especially Pets (while the real BV can manage the removal of Pets and any other pack).
PLAYING THE INSTALLED GAMES
How can I install a lot or a custom Sim into a AnyGame, BGSgame or PermaGame?
Very easy! Just drag & drop the Sims2Pack over the chosen game icon:
The Maxis installer or the CleanInstaller will open up, asking for confirmation: just confirm the default path and the lot (or sim) will be automatically installed in the right folder.
I have installed many different games, and now I don't remember what icon starts what game.
The AGS installer does its best to assign a visually understandable icon and a descriptive name to the shortcut; I also strongly suggest to rename the icons as soon as they are created by the installer, so to better remember the characteristics of the installed game.
In any case, the most powerful information source is the tooltip:
Just hover the mouse over an AGS icon (default or customized, game or BodyShop), and the tooltip will tell you all the game parameters, the packs included, etc.
I play the normal game under a "User" account; is this a problem?.
YES, this is a problem. The games created with the AGS installer (as well the installer itself) must be run as administrator. This is because the mini-games need to temporarily modify some Registry keys in the "HK_Local_Machine" section. If your Windows account is a "User" one, you must use the Vista option "Run as Administrator", or the XP option "Run as..." (and then select an Admin account).
TROUBLESHOOTING AND REPORTING BUGS
Problems with the installer (wrong or blank icons, games not correctly created or moved, errors issued while installing...).
Please post in this thread, giving as many information as possible about the task you were performing with the installer, and possibly a screenshot.
You should also provide the install log; in order to create a log, run the installer using the icons located in the Start Menu -> AnyGameStarter: the icons in the Start Menu are different, because force the installer to create a log ("AGSinstaller_Log.txt") on your desktop. Compress the log into a zip and attach it to your help request post.
If you can't fin'd the icons in the Start Menu, or you have deleted them, run the installer in any possible way (even double-clicking on the AnyGameStarter_Setup.exe) and choose the option "Force re-create icons" form the drop-down menu.
Problems while running the games ("Wrong CD" error, games not starting, error messages issued while starting a game...).
Please post in this thread, giving as many information as possible about the game you were running, and the error you experienced.
You need to include the AppFiles folder (compressed into a zip) to you help request. The location of the AppFiles folder is:
AnyGames (including BGS-style games created with this installer) --> there is only one AppFiles, shared between all the AnyGames, located in: (Documents)\AnyGameStarter;
PermaGames --> Each PermaGame has its own AppFiles folder, located in: (Documents)\AnyPermaGames\PermaGameX (where X is the PermaGame number).
Old BGS games (created with the deprecated BaseGameStarter installer) --> No support is given on these games any more. Please convert them to PermaGames, test them, and if they still have problems, follow the instructions in the "PermaGames" section, above.
MY "FULL GAME" HAS BEEN DELETED/NUKED/BROKEN!
OK, take a deep breath and calm down: you full game is safe and has NOT been deleted. You DON'T HAVE to reinstall anything.
Here is what you have to do:
Be sure to have the latest AGS installer.
From the Start menu, select the icon "AnyGameStarter -> AGS installer (Standard)". If you don't see it, double-click on the file "AnyGameStarter_Setup.exe" (downloaded from this thread): it will create the icons in the Start menu. (Note: the icon from the Start menu are special: they create an Install Log on the desktop).
After selecting the "Standard" icon from the Start menu, you should see the first page of the AGS installer:
At this point, you can click Cancel: the installer has already tried to fix your game.
RESTART WINDOWS. This is important! It will force Windows to read the fixed path to the Documents folder.
Test your Full Game, to see if it's normal again.
If the Full Game still doesn't work, then run again the installer using the "Standard" icon from the Start menu; create an AnyGame (it's not important which one).
Go to (Documents)\AnyGameStarter and compress the folder AppFiles into a zip. Include in the zip also the file "AGSinstaller_Log.txt" that you should see on your desktop.
Post in this thread, explaining your problem and attaching the ZIP.
BASEGAMESTARTER
What happened to the old BaseGameStarter?
The internal code of the BGS is similar, but different than the AGS one; and both have grown too big and complex to be maintained separately. Therefore, I decided to merge them into the new AGS v.2. After all, the only "pro" of the BGS was the simplicity of usage (pre-made games, few options, nice recognizable icons), and all these features can now be found in the "BGS Mode" of the new installer.
What should I do with the old BGS games already installed?
You don't have to do anything; they will be automatically updated (if needed) to be compatible with Mansion & Garden, and will still work like before. Only, they are considered unsupported; for this reason, I strongly suggest to convert to PermaGames the old BGS games that you really need, and then completely uninstall the old BaseGameStarter.
When converting old BGS games to PermaGames, I don't see all my old BGS games in the list! Why?
The AGS installer checks whether you have run each old BGS games at least once; if you, for example, installed the "OnlyCEL" game with the old BGS installer, but you never actually run the OnlyCEL game, then you are not allowed to convert it to a PermaGame: if you really want it, you should instead create a new AnyGame containing only Celebration, using the AGS installer.
HOW TO UNINSTALL
You can either use the Add/Remove Program panel, or run again the AGS installer and choose the option "Delete existing AnyGames" (and then select all the games). When you delete the last mini-game, the AGS is automatically uninstalled anyway.
NOTE: uninstalling the AGS will delete the three AGS games; neither the Full Game nor the PermaGames will be deleted.
CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks a million to MaryLou for creating most of the icons and the community lot included in the mini-game.
The AGS installer has been created using Inno Setup, the ISTool user interface and a lot of self-learned Pascal coding -
CHANGELOG and HISTORY
It's a long story, but if you're interested, click the button!
CHANGE LOG and HISTORY
=========================
Version 2.0.3 (03 Jan 2009)
New "Debug Mode" icon in the Start Menu: use it if you have problems with the Documents folder; the icon forces the installer to open a folder selector, where to select the right Documents folder.
Fixed a bug that prevented the correct conversion into PermaGame of old BGS games created with BGS installers older than v. 2.2.
Many thanks to Aelflaed for reporting and helping tracking down the bug.
Fixed a rare bug that caused the AnyGame/PermaGame batch files to be mangled, thus preventing the AnyGames or PermaGames to run at all, or forced the Any/PermaGames to run using the "full" save-game folder.
Many thanks to Lord Darcy for reporting and helping tracking down the bug.
Version 2.0.2 (27 Dec 2008)
Bugfix: The installer issued a "File not found" error while converting old BGS games, if no AnyGames were found. Thanks to Aelflaed for reporting.
Version 2.0.1 (26 Dec 2008)
Bugfix: The full game "lost" the Apartment Life expansion if IKEA was not installed. Thanks to LauraLaima and PenChris for reporting and providing helpful info.
Version 2.0.0 (25 Dec 2008)
BaseGameStarter merged into the AnyGameStarter: the code of the AGS/BGS has become too complex to maintain them separately; starting with v. 2.0.0, the AGS includes the old BGS functions (see detailed instructions in the How To Use section).
PermaGames: now you can make your favourite AGS/BGS games permanent, meaning that nothing can modify or delete them (except a manual deletion by the user). This is useful, for example, for the Legacy games or the frequently used test-games. PermaGames are also a good way to circumvent the 3-slot limit of the AGS, in case you need to install many games at the same time.
Online check for updates: this option (activated by default if an internet connection is detected) checks if a new update has been released; if so, it suggests the user to visit the official AGS thread to download the new version.
Support for all the expansions: the AGS now supports all the existing expansions up to Mansion & Garden. IMPORTANT: the packs bought from EA's online store are NOT supported!
Improved, more robust fail-safe code: the AGS installer now checks and fixes automatically the most frequent problems (misplaced Documents folders, EP not seen by the main game, "Wrong CD" bug, etc...). Just start the installer, without even creating a game, and it will perform its magic
New terrain for the mini-game: now the mini-game is built over a terrain with many flat areas, so to allow lot builders to find a good building site easier.
Version 1.6 (12 sept 2008)
New Feature: Apartment Life - The AGS is now compatible with the Apartment Life EP: you can include or exclude it at will.
New Feature: Store Edition - The AGS is now compatible with The Sims 2 Store Edition (beta); for anyone curious about this, SE is seen as a Stuff Pack by the game; it doesn't add anything to the game (you have to buy/download stuff online), but there are some exclusive objects that will appear only if you have SE installed and activated. Therefore, the AGS now gives the ability to include SE in the minigame. However, I strongly suggest to deactivate it, unless you really need it: it's mostly useless in a minigame, and might cause your creations to require SE to work.
Improvement: [Double] Deluxe - Solved a little bug that made the "No Maxis Content" option not work properly with [Double] Deluxe.
Improvement: "Wrong Disk" error - The internal code has been partly rewritten, hopefully solving the "Wrong Disk" bug that some users were experiencing with IKEA.
Improvement: Faster loading and cleaner catalog - When using the "Mini Game (no Maxis content)" option, the hidden lots (FT and AL) are now created without any characters; they will be created automatically by the game whenever really needed. Also, all the pre-made Dorms, Hotel and Apartments have been stripped from the Lot Bin.
Version 1.5 (28 june 2008)
New Feature: IKEA Home Stuff - The AGS is now compatible with the IKEA Home Stuff SP: you can include or exclude it at will.
Improvement: [Double] Deluxe - I've finally managed to get access to a Deluxe and a Double Deluxe installations, and therefore I can ensure full compatibility with both Sims2 versions, and also provide assistance if needed.
Bugfixes: IKEA, EP detection and Lot installation - Under some circumstances, running an AnyGame caused the IKEA stuff to disappear from the Full Game; also, in some cases the EP/SP selector showed EPs actually not installed in the computer; lastly, the installation of lots (by Drag&Drop) didn't work fine when the screen resolution was set to fullscreen. All these bugs have been fixed.
Version 1.4 / 1.4b (18/24 may 2008)
New Feature: Kitchen & Bath - The AGS is now compatible with the Kitchen & Bath SP: you can include or exclude it at will.
New Feature: "AnyBodyshop" - Now you can optionally add a second icon to each AnyGame, that will start the related BodyShop (i.e. a BodyShop that includes only the EP/SP selected for the AnyGame).
New Feature: "No Maxis Default Content" "Game Type" choice - In order to greatly speed up the game loading (especially the first time you run a newly-created AnyGame), you can optionally get rid of all the additional lots, families and neighborhoods that come with specific EPs (i.e. the "Maxis default content"): no more "Creating Pets/Weather/Exotic Destinations" screens, no more catalogs clogged with the same old lots and families! Moreover, this option will stop the intro movie from playing (even faster loading!).
NOTE: you can still manually create colleges, exotic destinations, downtowns and everything; and you will still find all the clothings, hair styles etc. in the CAS/BodyShop.
You can choose between the following options:
Standard Game - This option creates a complete game, with all the default neighborhoods, families, lots and everything; it's useful if you want to create a secondary "full game" with a specific theme (e.g. a "medieval" Pleasantville).
Mini Game - This option creates a game containing only the "Mini-Game" neighborhood, with one occupied house already installed and two more in the lot bin; if you want, you can manually add the Maxis pre-made colleges, downtown, etc. (or create custom empty sub-NHs). This is the perfect environment for testing your creations or building lots to share.
Empty Game - This will create a perfectly empty game, without neighborhoods, sub-nh, sims, lots: nothing at all. Choose this option if you want to create an entirely new neighborhood to share with other players.
The neighborhoods created in this empty game will require the newest EP, among the ones you selected (if you deselect all the EP, the resulting NH will be base-game compatible). The size of the created empty NH can vary, but it's extremely small (a base-game simple NH: 190 Kb; an all-EP NH with college, downtown, shop district and 3 vacation dest.: 16 Mb)
Version 1.3 (13 mar 2008)
New Feature: Freetime - The AGS is now compatible with Freetime: you can include or exclude it at will.
New Feature: 64 bit compatibility - The AGS installer will automatically detect 64bit systems, and will install the proper file versions.
Improvement: Temporary language - The code related to the management of the temporary game language has been fixed and improved; there should be no more issues infrequent languages such as Russian or Hungarian.
Version 1.2c (06 feb 2008)
New Feature: NoSound - Now, when installing an AGS game, you can choose whether to mute it or not.
Improvement: tooltip - For better readability, the tooltip shows the info split in 4 lines.
Version 1.2b (02 dec 2007)
BugFix: FullGame - Thanks to the users' reports, I've tracked down and fixed a bug that prevented the Full Game to run correctly whenever the user did NOT have all the EP/SP. Reinstalling the AGS will fix your Full Game.
New Feature: Language choice - Now you can force the AnyGame to use a specific language, chosen from a list of 11 (plus, of course, your original language). This is extremely useful if you are going to create something aimed to an international audience: you can see how your creation behaves in a foreign game!
Version 1.2 (29 nov 2007)
New Feature: Teen Style - Now the AGS works fine with the Teen Style Stuff pack, and can include this SP into your AnyGames.
New Feature: Drag&Drop lot installation - You can now install .sims2pack files by simply dragging the sims2pack over the chosen mini-game icon, and the BGS will let you install the sims2pack content into the mini-game, instead of the full game. When the installer opens up, just confirm the installation into the *default* path. This works with both the Clean Installer and the Maxis installer.
New Feature: Icon Tooltip - Unlike the BGS, whose icons have an explanatory name, the AnyGame icons are somewhat "anonymous", and so you can forget which packs you have included in that particular mini-game.
Now the AGS icons have a tooltip that will remind you the game configuration.
New Feature: Collections - Now the BGS installer copies all your collections from your full game to each mini-game; this won't harm nor slow down your mini-game because the collections are just small files that contain references to the actual objects: if the mini-game doesn't include the EP needed for some objects to be displayed, the collection will appear empty (e.g. if you open the "Nightlife stuff" collection in a OnlyUNI game, you won't see any object inside).
Improvement - Screen resolutions - Implemented in the AGS the same feature of the BGS, that allows you to set a resolution for your AnyGame (3 standard and 2 widescreen resolutions are available)
New Community Lot in catalog: a ready-to-use lot, useful for quick tests, created by MaryLou for all of us to enjoy
Version 1.1b (30 sept 2007)
Fixed a bug that affected only some users: when starting
the mini-game, actually the Full game started; or the game
complaints about not running the right game. If you are not experiencing this bug, you don't need to redownload.
Version 1.1 (30 sept 2007)
The AGS now does NOT cause game crashes any more.
The new installer will also fix your crashing problem, if you
didn't already fixed it yourself reading THIS POST.
Other improvements: > Now compatible with Sims 2 Deluxe
(will also fix the "Nightlife uninstalled" error)
> You can now choose the screen resolution for the AnyGames
> Better handling of games without Bon Voyage
2430 people have said thanks to Numenor for this download.
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You must have the expansion or stuff packs listed above installed to use this custom content. Please see the post text for any exceptions.
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Numinor, this is a question of ability, not a request for action.
CAN you write a program that would move the entire Sims 2 Documents sub-folder to a location NOT within My Documents?
Given what I have been reading about this program, I have reason to believe that it may well be possible, despite previous statements elsewhere here at MTS2 that it is not.
If it is possible, I`d like to learn how. I`m competant at registry modification, within reasonable limits, and I am able to write code to manage registry modifications for me.
GeneralOD, the problem is that the game always looks for the "EA Games\The Sims 2" folder in the [i]user documents; this behaviour is hardcoded into the game and can't be changed in any way.
What does the AGS is to temporarily move the pointer to the user documents, in the Registry, to another location (even outside the real Documents folder), but the game still thinks that the new location is the "documents" one!
That's why this temporary mispacement only occurs for 30/40 seconds: during this time, both the game and Windows itself are fooled by the AGS, who makes them think that the Documents are elsewere, while this is not true.
That said, you now understand that it's not possible to "move the Sims2 folder to a location NOT within My Documents". You can only change the location of the My Documents folder, but the new location will be used by both the game and Windows.
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Thanks, Numenor, I'll see how version 202 goes for me. Crossing fingers now...
Okay, it works now. I only seem to have the option to make one version of BGS permanent at a time - can't alter the checkboxes. It began with allowing up to Freetime, then Uni, then Freetime only, then basegame versions to be made permanent. This may be how it is designed of course.
I was able to make permanent three BGS versions. Haven't tried to play them or the fullgame.
Edit: The basegame permagame errored again. Once more, no error text seemed to be created on the desktop, although I ran AGS from the Start menu.
I was able to make permanent three BGS versions. Haven't tried to play them or the fullgame.
The error this time is different. - "move file failed, code 3, cannot find path". The file in question has a rather long name, would that be it? :
Edit: I removed that file from the basegame folder, but another file (with a long name also) came up with the same error. No error text still.
The path for this file is from FT, but I am trying to make basegame-only permanent.
Edit: the more exact path is ...MyDocuments\Anypermagames\Permagame4\FT\EaGames\Sims2\Downloads\Hacks Freetime\Default Replacements\theMysticalOne\PregDefaults\afBodyHipJacketWideFlaredPants.package
There is a folder for Permagame 4, although it has not yet succeeded due to these errors. There is no shortcut. The folder contains Appfiles, Basegame, BV, FT folders. Should those even be there, when it is supposed to be basegame-only?
Last edited by aelflaed : 28th Dec 2008 at 12:56 PM.
Reason: more info
Aelflaed - I don't know if Inno Setup has a maximum length allowed for paths, when moving files; I can't find anything like that in the documentation. However, the files you mention seem to have an exceptionally long path+filename, maybe that is the cause. If the Downloads are the only problem, you can move the Downloads from:
(Documents)\BaseGameStarter\BaseGame\EA Games\The Sims 2
to the desktop, and then repeat the conversion process (read on, about creating again the same PermaGame). If the conversion succeeds, you can then move the Downloads folder from the desktop to:
(Documents)\AnyPermaGames\PermaGameX\EA Games\The Sims 2.
In general, for your information, here is how the AGS is supposed to work, when making PermaGames from old BGS games.
- In the first screen, you have to choose the option "Make PERMANENT an existing game".
- In the following screen, you should see listed, under the title "BaseGameStarter game:", all the old BGS games that you have played at least once; all of them they should appear, not one by one like you mention. Here is an example from my computer:
Note how my list contains my two AnyGames, and two old BGS games (grouped together under the mentioned title).
- When you select an old BGS game, and proceed, the game is copied to the new location, but the original BGS game is not deleted (this is because the old BGS used folders shared between several games). Therefore, if the first time the process creates a faulty PermaGame, or doesn't complete at all, you can delete the PermaGameX folder (from Documents\AnyPermaGames), then run the old BGS game once more, and lastly run again the AGS installer: you should see again the BGS game in the list.
In your case, you try to convert the BaseGame-only BGS game; the installer expects to find it in: (Documents)\BaseGameStarter\BaseGame, and should copy all the files and folder within "BaseGame" to: (Documents)\AnyPermaGames\PermaGameX.
But you mention a file copied into:
...MyDocuments\Anypermagames\Permagame4\FT\EaGames\Sims2\Downloads\...
This shouldn't be! It seems to me that the installer is trying to copy the entire "BaseGameStarter" folder into PermaGame4, while it should copy only the "BaseGameStarter\BaseGame" subfolder.
QUESTIONS:
1) Have you by chance moved the old BGS folders? Is the old BaseGame still in (Documents)\BaseGameStarter\BaseGame?
2) Have you run the installer while a mini-game was running or starting?
3) Does the old BaseGame still work, when you start it using the old BGS icon?
NOTE about the Install Log: it is created only if you start the installer using the icons in the Start Menu. If using them doesn't help, use the function "Force re-create icons" in the installer.
I've finally started my Journal. Information only, no questions.
This is amazing- however, me being really rather idiotic, I havent worked out how to install custom content into the minigames... well what i can do is drag sims2pack files onto the game (and that works) but doing that for every single file would take ages... and it won't work with ordinary package files... Am i being really stupid?
Each mini-game has a Downloads folder of its own, located in:
(Documents)\AnyGameStarter\AnyGameX\EA Games\The Sims 2
or
(Documents)\AnyPermaGames\PermaGameX\EA Games\The Sims 2,
depending on what type og game you have created.
You can copy the .package files directly into the Downloads folder, while the Sims2Packs must be installed as you already know.
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Thank you for the information, Numenor; I was "afraid" that it would turn out to be something like that.
However, this gives me some other ideas.
Assuming I don`t do anything else during game initialization [which is kinda difficult to do anyway, when running full-screen mode, as it doesn`t let me alt-tab out of the program then], can you assure me that it would be "moderately safe" for me to change the Registry Entry for My Documents to another location with more disk space, launch the program, then switch it back? This appears to be what you`re doing with AGS; I would be doing it for different reasons, though.
Also, in the interest of saving disk-space, when using multiple games with AGS, --are you familiar with Linux`s hard- and soft-link features?-- I`m thinking that it would possibly be useful to use Windows XP`s hard-link feature to reduce duplicated files, especially if one can hard-link directories full of shared downloads. Comments?
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Last edited by GeneralOperationsDirector : 28th Dec 2008 at 10:12 PM.
Reason: I misspelled Numenor`s name, and just *HAD* to fix it!
I would appreciate very much if you could call me "Numenor" instead of "Numinor"
I don't know about this Linux feature, and I don't think that Windows support it. Or better, Windows XP (and perhaps Vista...) can do something that might help: you can create a link that appears as a folder, but actually it's a separate hard disk; for example, you could reserve your "G:" drive to the AnyGameStarter, and create a link named "AnyGameStarter" into the Documents folder, that actually points to "G:".
However, if you (like me) have a lot of space on another disk, different than where Windows resides, then why not moving the entire Documents folder to that drive? For example, I have my Documents on K:
Regarding your idea to manually modify the Registry, I don't think it would be "moderately safe": the temporary mispacemente must be as short as possible, to prevent Windows from messing around in the wrong "documents" folder.
You should change the Registry, start the game, wait for the NH screen, switch back to the desktop, restore the Registry and go back to the game.
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I`m sorry about that, Numenor! I fixed it!
I have already done something similar with mounting my F: drive and a few others in directories in C:\SomewhereSuitable\DeviceName, and something similar **might** be useful to me.
As for moving my entire Documents folder to F:, my external terabyte drive is actually a Linux-based fileserver that I have automaticaly netmounted; it would prove awkward to move my entire Documents folder there, as I occasionally have to power up the main system without powering up the external drive.
As for the hard-links, Windows does *NOT* support Linux filesystems, much less Linux filesystem hard-links, but Windows XP *does* support hard-links in NTFS partitions, if I recall correctly; at any rate, it is the filesystem that XP introduced for even larger partitions with less wasted space than the best FAT could do. What hard-links do is to make one file [or directory, I hope!] appear in two different directories on the same partition, or under two different names in one directory. Soft-links do the same thing, but remove the limitation that it all be in a single partition, by using a different technique. What you describe above sounds like a limited form of soft-link.
Edit: I checked, and it *is* NTFS. Now if only I could remember how to *make* the NTFS hard-links.
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Last edited by GeneralOperationsDirector : 28th Dec 2008 at 10:33 PM.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Numenor
TO ANYONE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE "FULL GAME"
I'm sorry if the new AGS is causing problems to your games; it was deeply rewritten, compared to the previous version, and therefore some bugs are expected.
However, please keep in mind that I can't know what's wrong with your game if you don't provide me information.
If you manage to give me an AppFiles folder (see FAQ C-3), I will help you restoring your game and you will help me tracking down possible bugs.
Dude_Potatoes - If you have shut down Windows while the mini-game was loading, then you might have messed up the path to your Documents, and therefore the Full game can't find any more you neighborhoods etc.
Please read the FAQ C-3 from the FAQ Page, follow the instructions (especially the part "If the Full Game still doesn't work...") and post here your AppFiles.
Liza495 - You too, please, read the FAQ C-3 from the FAQ Page and follow the instructions.
Thanks for teh quick info. I haven't thought of providing an AppFiles attachment as by the way this thread (while another one is locked) is new to me and I read it to see if some people had similar problems.
I did all the steps that were described in the FAQ section you provided. Proof that it worked fine for me the very first day I installed AGS. But maybe I was very confused with two Documents folders appearing in my user's directory with one having the actual game's folder almost empty.
I actually needed to reinstall AL but at the first try with EA Download Manager I got a message asking me if I wanted to leave this installation. From EA Download Manager I know since yesterday that they certainly disabled Pets and FreeTime to allow me reinstall. Which I did this morning and I installed AL successfully again... maybe thanks also to the restoration of the computer system as it was last Dec. 26...
At the moment I prefer to not reinstall AGS but if I ever do I won't select all the EPs I have for the mini game and maybe only the ones I have on CD rom. Maybe there's a true issue with EPs purchased online as Pets and FreeTime seem to have been affected by something that I never experimented before with CC and even not with a few hacks.
It will take me more time to test CC in the actual time but excepted from "fatal error messages" I never had severe issues and especially not from reinstalling the whole game all over again.
The presence of of amost similar folder names for both The Sims 2 (Documents) and AGS is very confusing.
Liza495 - Thanks for reporting back. So, you have the online version of AL? The AGS is not compatible with online games!
There's a partial workaround (see FAQ A-4), but use it at your own risk.
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Wonderful! *_*
I use to test objects. Is "completely" save to test BHAV modifications? I mean, any chance of the AnyGame, only with basegame, "forgot" and inclue some data of the expansions?
The problem with the online EPs is easy to understand, but impossible (for me) to solve.
While the CD-versions, when run, only check if the original CD is in the drive, the online version check the location of the save-game (which is different for each AnyGame), and report to EA that the game was "installed in a different location". Since the users are allowed to reinstall the game, in different locations, a very limited number of times, soon the user runs out of reinstallations, and the game stops working. I can't do anything about this, because this check is embedded into the executable, which I can't modify.
However, in some cases, there's a workaround, that allows - at least - a limited usage of the AGS even with online EPs.
When you run an AnyGame, the executable actually run is the one from the latest EP included in the AnyGame. Therefore, if you have some online EPs and some CD-versions, you can create and run an Anygame that includes, as the latest EP, a CD version.
For example, if you have:
- CD versions for UNI, PETS and BV
- online versions for SSN, FT and AL
then you can create an AnyGame that includes BV as the latest EP (thus excluding FT and AL); you can even include SSN in this AnyGame: the fact that SSN is an online game is irrelevant, since the "latest EP" is BV, i.e. a CD game!
IMPORTANT: When I talk about "EPs" I mean games that act as an Expansion Packs (not Stuff Packs); for example, if you have IKEA on CD, you CAN'T use it as "Latest EP" in an AnyGame!
For your reference, here is a full list of games that act as Expansions, and therefore can be used as "Latest EP" in an AnyGame, if you own the CD: Base, UNI, NL, OFB, FFS, GLS, PETS, SSN, BV, FT, AL, MG.
I hope that I was clear enough If not, ask me for details and I will gladly give them.
In any case, my warning is still valid: the AGS is to be considered incompatible with the online EPs, because I don't have online versions and I can't run any test in such environment. If you want to try yourself, do it at your own risk.
Here's what I have downloaded:
Base Game
Nightlife
Celebration Stuff
Freetime
Apartment Life
Glamour Life Stuff
H&M fashion Stuff
Pets
Sims 2 Store
Here's what I have on physical cd:
Open for Business
Mansion & Garden Stuff
Kitchen & Bath Stuff
Family Fun Stuff
Ikea Home Stuff
Seasons
Bon Voyage
University
What should I do since I have the base game downloaded, I would rebuy the base game I guess.I can always backup all of my downloads and saved sims.
Looking for even more TS3 to TS2 Conversions made by me? They can be found on my own siteTheNinthWaveSims My Youtube Channel for Sims 2 tutorials and more, though don't expect me to reply to comments on youtube. My 2012 MTS Yearbook
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Quote:
It seems to me that the installer is trying to copy the entire "BaseGameStarter" folder into PermaGame4, while it should copy only the "BaseGameStarter\BaseGame" subfolder.
QUESTIONS:
[QUOTE]1) Have you by chance moved the old BGS folders? Is the old BaseGame still in (Documents)\BaseGameStarter\BaseGame?
I don't believe I have ever moved it. That's where it is now.
Quote:
2) Have you run the installer while a mini-game was running or starting?
No, have not opened any game variation since installing the new AGS.
Quote:
3) Does the old BaseGame still work, when you start it using the old BGS icon?
Haven't tried, will get back to you on that.
Quote:
Install Log: it is created only if you start the installer using the icons in the Start Menu. If using them doesn't help, use the function "Force re-create icons" in the installer.
I understand. Forcing the icons did get a log, attaching below.
The selection screenshot you posted looks about right, except that I don't yet have any AGS games. What I was trying to convey was that from that screen, I am only able to check a certain configuration, in the order I reported. After that version was made permanent, a different BGS version was pre-checked in that screen and others could not be chosen.
Maybe this is cleverness, so the BGS games can be updated in some kind of order. It's not really a problem, I just thought it odd.
Is it recommended, then, to delete the permagameX folder created, if the process is aborted? I didn't at first realise that any folder had been created, only found it later.
I just tried moving the faulty Permagame folder to the desktop and running AGS again. Same file-moving error. The file it is trying to move is NOT part of the basegame setup, as you mention, but is installed in the BSG Freetime setup. The Freetime BSG game seemed to transfer to Permagame without trouble, although I haven't tried to play.
I'll try running the Basegame and report back later.
Edit: The BGS Basegame appears to work as usual. I entered a house and took them off pause for a moment, all seemed good.
More Edit: I have been trying to run the FT Permagames from the shortcuts, but nothing happens. I'll read the info again in case I'm being dumb, but perhaps that means my whole AGS installation is broken.
Attaching the Appfile from one of the Permagames (up to FT).
Even More edit: I tried running the UpToFT BSG game, it seems to work still. I'll check back tomorrow now, computer time is very limited at present.
Last edited by aelflaed : 29th Dec 2008 at 12:37 PM.
Reason: added apps file
Edit: Oh, it's not working for me... AnyGameStarter has always worked for me before... It's not running the game. It's really weird because I'm not doing anything different.
It makes the icons and appears like it's made the game but when I click on it, it will never start. It just does the registry editor thing it always does three times but then nothing else.
I use to test objects. Is "completely" save to test BHAV modifications? I mean, any chance of the AnyGame, only with basegame, "forgot" and include some data of the expansions?
In my experience, it never happened. I use clean "basegame-only" AnyGames very frequently, and they never failed to crash/quit/misbehave whenever I tried to test object not perfectly compatible with the base game only.
JONINMOBILE - First off, we must put all the existing packs in "order of precedence"; this is the order used by the game to determine which CD must inserted in the drive in order to play, and it's also used to understand which executable should actually be executed.
Here is the full list: Base-UNI-NL-OFB-FFS-GLS-CEL-H&M-STORE-TSS-K&B-IKEA-PETS-SSN-BV-FT-AL-M&G.
As you can see, this unusual order has nothing to do with the chronological order followed by Maxis to publish the various packs: it's rather based on the fact that all the Stuff Packs from CEL to IKEA contain the Pets code, and M&G contains the AL code.
You can use the list above to determine, for a given AnyGame, which one is the "latest EP": it's the pack, included in the AnyGame, that has the rightmost position on the list.
For example, in an AnyGame that contains all the packs up to H&M, the "latest EP" is Seasons; while in an AnyGame containing all the packs up to TSS, the "latest EP" is BV.
Now, let's examine your specific case. The following list is the same as above, but with the online games in brackets: (Base)-UNI-(NL)-OFB-FFS-(GLS)-(CEL)-(H&M)-TSS-STORE-K&B-IKEA-(PETS)-SSN-BV-(FT)-(AL)-M&G.
Please note that STORE doesn't count as "online game", because it doesn't perform any security check (neither on CD, nor online), and therefore it's always safe.
How to proceed? Simple: choose one pack NOT in brackets from the list above, and consider it as "Latest EP"; you can include or exclude at will any pack listed on the left of the chosen "latest EP", and your AnyGame should work fine.
For example, here are some combinations that should WORK:
- (Base) + SSN + (CEL) + (H&M) -> It works because the rightmost on the list is SSN.
- (Base) + (AL) + M&G -> It works because M&G is the rightmost
- (Base) + all the packs -> Again, M&G is the rightmost
And here are some compbinations that will NOT WORK:
- (Base) only -> Base is online
- (Base) + (PETS) + IKEA -> Rightmost one is Pets (online game)
If you want me to confirm that a specific combination is good or bad, ask me. But before closing this post, let me state once more, as a general warning, that the AGS shouldn't be used with online games at all, and everything I explained in this post derives from my theorethical knowledge, and not from actual tests (because I only have CD-versions).
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"Base - UNI - NL - OFB - FFS - GLS - CEL - H&M - STORE - TSS - K&B - IKEA - PETS - SSN - BV - FT - AL - M&G"
THANK you, Numenor! This is the first time I`ve encountered that list, especially sorted in the order of which executable to run for any given configuration.
How would the list read for Double Deluxe users [like me]?
AELFLAED - The logs don't tell me very much, but your description does.
You say that when you see the list of BGS games available for conversion, one of them is already selected, and you can't change the selection; it shouldn't be this way, and I'd like to see a screenshot of that.
Under these conditions, from the installer point of view, accepting the pre-selected (unchangeable) game means not selecting any game, and therefore the installer tries to convert the entire BaseGameStarter folder, instead of one selected sub-folder only.
I still couldn't understand why this happens...
In addition to providing a screenshot, will you please run a test? Try to follow the same conversion procedure you already did, but using the "Standard" icon instead. Are the BGS entries still unselectable? Does the installer still try moving the entire BGS folder (BaseGame, FT etc...)?
As a bottom line, I've seen from the install log that the file that gave error was actually the one with the longest path+filename; probably the installer DOES have a limit, as for the length of the filename.
If so, the workaround can be moving the Downloads folder away before the conversion, as suggested in my earlier post; or just click "Ignore" whenever the error is issued (in this case, of course, the faulty files will NOT be copied, of course, but at least the conversion would be completed).
How would the list read for Double Deluxe users [like me]?
Deluxe and DoubleDeluxe make no difference, the order is the same; only the locations of the various executable may be different. Apart from a new graphics, Deluxe is nothing more than a Base+NL game, from the operational point of view.
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So what executable would I run if I want to run a BaseGame Only environment or a NightLife Only environment? I cannot run executables I do not have, and the Double Deluxe executable includes features that I presumably would not want, and presumably is equivalent to a patched Celebration Stuff executable [which I understand neither has nor "needs" patches].
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Numenor, I've tried again. First try with standard AGS (I am sure I tried both icons in previous attempts, but could not say which particular times).
Basegame and Only FT were available, prechecked and unalterable. (AGS Screen1.jpg) Other checkboxes on that screen could be altered. That Permagame had already been updated, but will not open using the new icon. It ran from the old BSG last night, though. I had moved the non-functioning icon into a folder on the desktop by now.
I deleted the faulty Permagame folder for this configuration (not the foldered icon) and allowed the permagame to complete. New desktop icon created, Permagame still does not load.
Tried AGS standard installer again. This time, only BSG was listed, cannot be deselected. Other boxes on that screen can be changed. (AGS-Screen2)(AGS-Screen3)The installer ran through what looked like my fullgame, or at least the BSG Up to FT Downloads. Eventually it gave a new error - sourcefile does not exist, for MyDocs\BSG\Appfiles\Sims2_reg.
Attaching pics and error log. Sorry to make so much trouble!
I haven't yet tried removing the DL folders, will do that later. Have to do other stuff now.
GeneralOD - The executable for the base game is: (Program files)\EA Games\The Sims 2 Deluxe\Base\TSBin\Sims2.exe
while the executable for Deluxe (also used for a "OnlyNL" game) is: (Program files)\EA Games\The Sims 2 Deluxe\EP2\TSBin\Sims2EP2.exe.
As for the Maxis patches, I think that Maxis releases specific patches for Deluxe, that need to be patched just like standard games.
AELFLAED - I start to understand. Thank you for your detailed reports, that will help me improve/fix the AGS installer
Your second screenshot is what the installer looks like when there are NO old BGS games to convert; the label "BaseGameStarter games:" that you see is NOT the old "Basegame-only" BGS game, but a mere title for the actuall BGS games, that should be listed underneath it.
As a matter of fact, that title should not appear at all, when there are no games to convert: it's something I will fix in the next release. For now, running the installer under these conditions (your screenshot #3) means NOT selecting any BGS game, thus forcing the installer to convert at once the entire BaseGameStarter folder (i.e. something that is never supposed to actually happen).
So, the main question is: Why there is only FT listed in screenshot #1? And why, after making FT permanent, the list is empty (screenshot #2)?
The first answer that comes to my mind is the one written in FAQ D-3: the installer excludes from the list the old BGS games that were never actually run at least once. In detail, the installer knows if the game has been run if two conditions are met:
- in (Documents)\BaseGameStarter\AppFiles there are two files, named "Start_BaseGame.bat" and "StartBaseGameLog.txt"; the last one (...Log.txt) is deleted after conversion to PermaGame, so that the installer knows that the base-only has already been converted;
- in (Documents)\BaseGameStarter\BaseGame\EA Games\The Sims 2 there is a file named "groups.cache". Please check if the three files are there; if not, run the base-only BGS game once more and check again.
Another solution may be that the installer has a bug specifically regarding the base-only game, and can't correctly detect that it exists (in your system) and HAS been run. I will check the code for this.
Also, I noticed something wrong in the FT-PermaGame AppFiles that you provided earlier; in my system, the installer doesn't make the same error... Let me investigate more about that: I will ask you more info if needed.
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I completely removed all previous AnyGames and reinstalled the new version. It is installed without problem, but when I double-click the desktop icon to start AnyGame, nothing happens. I tried it with many different combinations of EP+SP, but never once succeeded.
Attached AppFiles folder. It's only for one AnyGame with BaseGame+GLS. I use Windows XP Pro SP3.
Lord Darcy - This is extremely puzzling... The installer didn't create correctly the batch file "Start_AnyGame2.bat": few line (but absolutely relevant) are missing.
What puzzles me is that:
- I didn't change that part of the code in the new AGS2, it's the same old code used in the previous versions;
- the code COULD create some lines and COULDN'T create some others.
Frankly, I don't know why is that... It seems like the destination batch file gets blocked by something, but not continuously.
Will you please RESTART windows, and then create some more AnyGames and post again your AppFiles? I'd like to see if the missing lines are random, or they are always the same.
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ModTheSims3? MTS3? Sims 3 Custom Content?
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Collection packs other than Deluxe, Double Deluxe and Holiday Ed. 2005/06 are not supported. If you install the AGS with any other collection pack, you will probably have to uninstall and reinstall all of your games to get back to a working state. 
Version 2.1.1 (9 May 2009)
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28th Dec 2008, 04:07 AM
BGS problem
#65
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