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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 18th Oct 2014 at 9:57 AM
Default What happens if I edit GameplayData.package directly?
Sorry if this is a dumb question but I've been wondering about it since I started modding Sims 3. If I'm told not to do something and the reason is not obvious, I will be asking why.

I always thought it's all about restoring the default settings in case the mods cause problems, simple as that. If a mod has too many negative effects, I can just delete it and the game goes back to the XML or ITUN from GameplayData.package. But out of curiosity, I want to know what happens if changes (eg. the values in XMLs and words in STBL, nothing too significant) added by mod packages are made directly to GameplayData.package instead. Does the entire game stop working? Does it run but with glitches of apocalyptic proportions?
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Inventor
#2 Old 18th Oct 2014 at 1:44 PM
Not sure if this is a level or if there's a deeper meaning in your question,
but since I'm in a happy mood I'll try to answer.

The obvious reason that comes to mind is that editing directly GameplayData.package
(or another package of that kind) means that if you want to distribute your modification,
and maybe you just changed a boolean value from true to false, you'll have to share that
big file and also in this way there can be only one mod of a certain type at a time because
you will have to overwrite that file every time, unless you want to try to manually merge
and resolve conflicts of different versions. So you see right there...

Not to mention legal issues in distributing directly a game library (or whatever is called).

If you meant "why can't I edit directly that file for personal use only and to customize my
own game?" then I guess there's no problem in doing that, I doubt there are things like
CRC or other integrity checks on those data and configuration files, but I'm sure that even
in this scenario one will find small, separate, modular mods a more handy and flexible solution.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#3 Old 18th Oct 2014 at 5:03 PM
I was actually referring to personal use. There's no deeper meaning here, it's just something I have been wondering about.
For example, if I find a lake (in real life) and my mom warns me to never, ever, EVER jump into it, I will guess that there is a crocodile in there. But what if the reason is simply because I will get wet if I dive in? Same thing here, a strict warning but absolutely no explanation of the consequences.
Scholar
#4 Old 18th Oct 2014 at 11:35 PM
One of the big reasons was that if you edited files in the install location, you couldn't patch the game afterwards (hence why most mods would tell you to keep the original files somewhere safe if they edited something in the Program Files folders), as the patcher would complain at you when it tried to update. Not to mention that you had no way of rolling back to a clean start short of reinstalling if you ever had to troubleshoot, so you would never be able to write the edits off as the source of an issue.

You can try editing it if you absolutely must know whether or not it will break your game, but if it does, you'll probably have to reinstall the game and any expansions to fix it.

Heaven's Peak, my CAW WIP
Instructor
#5 Old 19th Oct 2014 at 3:43 AM
There are so many benefits of using individual packages - think of this: there is a reason for modders to try to find out a way to create a Mods folder that the game reads shortly aftrr release. It's easier to manage files, and there isn't any good done if you edit GameplayData directly. Other than satisfying your curiosity, that is.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#6 Old 19th Oct 2014 at 5:13 AM
So aside from being unable to return to the default, the big problem is that I cannot patch the game. Before I take the plunge for curiosity's sake, does anyone else know any other issues?

I should tell you that I have a Sims 3 patching phobia thanks to the pre-Supernatural patch that caused plants to grow weird. A lot of people had the same problem and for me, it only went away when I bought and installed Supernatural. Since then, with no interest in buying any more add-ons, I haven't patched my game at all.
1978 gallons of pancake batter
#7 Old 19th Oct 2014 at 7:14 AM
There is no big secret here. I think it's a mistake to alter the original game files, not because of any inherit big problems but because you're dismissing a tremendous advantage. Having your changes naturally alongside the original and being able to tell the difference and go back any time is huge. With other games you have to alter the original, so it's up to your own bookkeeping to know what you changed. Every change is a critical one. When you mess something up, it's up to you to manually revert the changes. But not here. You can alter anything you like, try it out and revert the changes just like that. If your curiosity really compells you to change the original game files, then go ahead, but there's nothing to gain from it.

If gotcha is all you’ve got, then you’ve got nothing. - Paul Krugman
Test Subject
Original Poster
#8 Old 19th Oct 2014 at 8:37 AM
No other issues then. If anyone else is curious, I'll try it out with a few minor changes to ITUNs and post here if something seriously bad happens as a result. Surely it won't break the game if my Sims gain extra energy from sleeping or extra hygiene from brushing teeth.
Btw, don't get me wrong. I'm not insisting on doing something risky despite the warnings. If I go for it, it is with all those warnings in mind.
Scholar
#9 Old 19th Oct 2014 at 9:07 AM
It's your game to break dude. Godspeed!

Heaven's Peak, my CAW WIP
Test Subject
Original Poster
#10 Old 23rd Oct 2014 at 11:24 AM
Apparently, S3PE cannot overwrite GameplayData.package, only create copies. I tried running it as administrator with all permissions allowed, the Save option is still grey. In other words, directly using GameplayData.package for mods is not possible at all.
1978 gallons of pancake batter
#11 Old 23rd Oct 2014 at 4:52 PM
You are actually serious, aren't you? Kids these days...

If gotcha is all you’ve got, then you’ve got nothing. - Paul Krugman
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