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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 6th Oct 2014 at 10:05 PM
Default Missing quest?
Hey guys, I was looking at the game's files and I saw a mention to a quest (which I couldn't seem to find the name) that was about pixies and a man named Snicklewort, it seemed to be able to play with various heroes, has somebody played it? If so what's the quest's name?
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Scholar
#2 Old 7th Oct 2014 at 2:18 PM
I wonder if someone could make a mod to make it appear.
Field Researcher
#3 Old 21st Oct 2014 at 2:00 PM
What part of the game files were you reading? I'd like to see for myself, and perhaps I or someone else might catch a hint you may have missed, and therefore at some later date be able to reveal an answer as to where that quest ventured off to. It would be marvelous to have a real life adventure finding this supposed hidden "treasure" don't ya think?

Xeny

Quote:
Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must live.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#4 Old 25th Oct 2014 at 10:56 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Xeny
What part of the game files were you reading? I'd like to see for myself, and perhaps I or someone else might catch a hint you may have missed, and therefore at some later date be able to reveal an answer as to where that quest ventured off to. It would be marvelous to have a real life adventure finding this supposed hidden "treasure" don't ya think?

Xeny


Yes, it sure would!

I was reading the game strings, on the SASdeltabuild2 file (program files/electronic arts/ the sims medieval/ game data/ shared/ packages), once you find the strings, the best thing is to search them for a mention of a guy named "snicklewort" that is seemingly related to this quest (to search I find it better to copy the strings to notepad)
Field Researcher
#5 Old 27th Oct 2014 at 10:09 PM
Quote: Originally posted by mister-z
Yes, it sure would!

I was reading the game strings, on the SASdeltabuild2 file (program files/electronic arts/ the sims medieval/ game data/ shared/ packages), once you find the strings, the best thing is to search them for a mention of a guy named "snicklewort" that is seemingly related to this quest (to search I find it better to copy the strings to notepad)


I just love Notepad! LOL, really, but I must sadly admit Notepad has its weaknesses. Wordpad can't load as much in file size, but has more abilities to interpret different file formats than Notepad. I found that Notepad hangs quite frequently in many of the files of TSM, but Wordpad spats them out and fast too.

I recently got a free download program straight from Mickeysoftlysnoozes called xml Notepad, just today in fact. Haven't tried it yet, but hope it turns out to run well.

I appreciate the information you provided, mister-z, and also the helpful hint to copy the strings over to another source. I have always had a rare talent for research.....let us hope SUPER HARD, that this talent expresses itself like a Resident of all research engines known to a PC, and as if this "talent" is NORMAL, and not unique, or rare. And if it does, let us also hope it is fast....like well before a year into future....argggg, that might be asking too much....LOL

Take it Easy, and Thanks, mister-z, will reply again if I find out anything new, that is if I can still breathe after my initial excitement passes....Xeny

Quote:
Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must live.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#6 Old 27th Oct 2014 at 10:56 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Xeny
I just love Notepad! LOL, really, but I must sadly admit Notepad has its weaknesses. Wordpad can't load as much in file size, but has more abilities to interpret different file formats than Notepad. I found that Notepad hangs quite frequently in many of the files of TSM, but Wordpad spats them out and fast too.

I recently got a free download program straight from Mickeysoftlysnoozes called xml Notepad, just today in fact. Haven't tried it yet, but hope it turns out to run well.

I appreciate the information you provided, mister-z, and also the helpful hint to copy the strings over to another source. I have always had a rare talent for research.....let us hope SUPER HARD, that this talent expresses itself like a Resident of all research engines known to a PC, and as if this "talent" is NORMAL, and not unique, or rare. And if it does, let us also hope it is fast....like well before a year into future....argggg, that might be asking too much....LOL

Take it Easy, and Thanks, mister-z, will reply again if I find out anything new, that is if I can still breathe after my initial excitement passes....Xeny


Great! Hope you find some good stuff.
Lab Assistant
#7 Old 28th Oct 2014 at 6:27 PM
If the localized strings mentioning this "Snicklewort" character are the only thing to go on, I'm afraid you will have a very hard time finding what you're looking for. The quest itself will refer to the localization keys, and the string table will use a hashed version of the same keys. You can't get the original value from a hash, and you can't be sure that the original keys mention either "Snicklewort" nor "Pixies", so searching through the quest files for either keyword might prove to be a futile task.

As far as I can see, the only way to verify whether or not this quest even exists, is to take every localization key from the quests, hash them, and match them against the keys of the strings that you found. A rather time consuming task, I'd say, unless you're able to program a script to do it for you.

However, if it's not to be found in the game, it's more likely that these are just strings left behind for a quest EA decided not to include.
Field Researcher
#8 Old 29th Oct 2014 at 8:14 AM
Quote: Originally posted by DeeDawg

As far as I can see, the only way to verify whether or not this quest even exists, is to take every localization key from the quests, hash them, and match them against the keys of the strings that you found. A rather time consuming task, I'd say, unless you're able to program a script to do it for you.


Thanks DeeDawg for your helpful comment. I would like to make a suggestion....since you are so very experienced in TSM files, unlike myself who has never had any interest in programming whatsoever, though Mickeysoft seems to think differently, always trying to throw their software at me, I suggest you might consider taking a bit if time researching this proposed missing quest, mister-z believes he has discovered? You have developed a very simple mod that has the ability to do well the job of opening up all the furnish items in TSM when the player has not yet achieved all the levels in which the furniture plus extra items are revealed. Not even Shimrod's (I believe) mod could do that fully. I consider that feat practically brilliant...and your mod got me the little fountain from the Clinic's garden I had been waiting forever for....so how about it?

Looking at this suggestion positively, perhaps doing this research and file searching, might end in handing you a few new ideas for future mods? Anything is possible, and if you did make more mods as well made as the previously mentioned one you made, Xeny would be delighted, and eager to load them up in my game!

You have the potential to teach us something, perhaps....Please consider it?

Xeny ?

Quote:
Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must live.
Lab Assistant
#9 Old 29th Oct 2014 at 7:23 PM
Without going into too much detail, let me just say that when it comes to knowledge of the TSM data files, I'm no genius. My UnlocksManager mod is merely a whip I slapped an UI upon, used to force the game to do all the heavy lifting. Xeny, I do appreciate your faith in my abilities though.

But I do probably know more than most, and yes I could probably figure this out for you without too much hassle. The amount of time I have to spend on it, is however limited, and I have other projects going on that I've got more interest in. Like others have started before me, I'm currently mapping the format of the quest files, which will make it possible to introduce custom quests. Rick already proved that this is possible, but it needs to be functional as well. (Even if I ever manage to finish my endeavour, I'm far from releasing anything, so just don't get your hopes up too soon. )

I'll keep an eye out while working on this, but I'm afraid that's about all I can promise you right now.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#10 Old 29th Oct 2014 at 9:26 PM
Thanks fellas, if you see anything do tell.
Field Researcher
#11 Old 30th Oct 2014 at 1:38 AM
Quote: Originally posted by DeeDawg
I'm currently mapping the format of the quest files, which will make it possible to introduce custom quests. Rick already proved that this is possible, but it needs to be functional as well. (Even if I ever manage to finish my endeavour, I'm far from releasing anything

I'll keep an eye out while working on this, but I'm afraid that's about all I can promise you right now.


Hey! Don't let me stop you from your endeavor! Sorry, mister-z, but I myself have WAY MORE interest in DeeDawg's "endeavors" than this "missing quest". LOL And I think you are, too! What I wouldn't give for some new quests!

I know Rick had shown that creating custom quests was indeed possible. I actually do a heck of a lot of research concerning the ins and outs of TSMP&N, DeeDawg. Just when it comes to the reading of the files, I have difficulty if they are not written in plain English text. I speak human ya know? Not Lua, not code, not syntax, not C++, or any other language in an unnatural format. My Notepad, and Wordpad are also giving me a hard time opening up the file mister-z references. Wordpad opens it, but I would not call it a smooth task...it seems to struggle in running the large 166mb file. It is too large for Wordpad to run it well. Notepad just hangs.

So I downloaded Notepad 2, but have yet to use it. It will do much better as its abilities are much higher than simple MS Notepad. But all the same, Xeny understands little of the mess written in the file, as to me it is language written in such a way as to appear like a pretender of the English language, like a child pretending to be an adult working at a major corporation, just writing up a memo in scribble since in reality that is all he can do, but daddy does it, so he wants to pretend to be daddy at work.....yes, my thought process concerning programming files does go this deep...ROFL

I want you very much to succeed in your attempts with others to create a new, or some new custom quests, DeeDawg. I will never believe it is impossible, and I will wait and wait until either I am dead so cannot wait anymore, or for the quest(s) you and others may produce in future. I may be the most dedicated of TSM gamers alive, and I say this with confidence in its truth, without arrogance and also without programming knowledge. I get the gist, and that's all I ever wanted. More than that would take me from my sims and game play...lol...seriously!

Thanks for your dedication in the endeavors department concerning TSMP&N, DeeDawg!

Bless ya, and go to go to! LOL

Xeny

Quote:
Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must live.
Lab Assistant
#12 Old 30th Oct 2014 at 7:43 PM
Even if you're not planning on doing anything with the code/markup, I'd recommend you to download an actual code editor, because it will be able to handle large files without problems. Now I can't express my fondness of the Sublime Text family properly, so I'm not going to, but a good free alternative would be Notepad++.

The standard Notepad application can be used as it's made to edit plain text, but I guess you noticed its limitations. Please never use either WordPad, Word, or any other rich text editor, as it won't be able to handle code/markup correctly, even if you just want to view it.
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