I downloaded Echo's carnival set some time ago. Back when I didn't know it was a VBT, I deleted the roller coaster. That might have been a custom NPC. Really, I don't know. And I've reinstalled since then, so it's a moot point. I never did download the clowns, so I'm good there.

But I still have the bumper cars. I'm not sure if they're NPCs ... I'll go check that. But actually, I DON'T want to get rid of them. Nope. I actually want to put them on a fairground. I thought my custom vacation one could use a little recreational area after all that historic stuff. Sim kids ... and maybe a few adults ... need to have a little fun!

Problem is, I have no idea how to do the bumper car track anymore! Actually, I don't know if I even made a custom one in the first place. First time for everything.

Has anyone done a DIY bumper car track using this download? Any tips I should know about? From what I gathered, I need three things:

The cartrunner file.
The bumper car mesh
And I guess the bumper car origin file, since it's included in the mesh.

(I do hope I can still read! And I don't SEE any read me files that would instruct me how to do this.)

Download: http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=213108

I'm presuming that the cart runner file applies to the bumper cars, the spooky cart AND the roller coaster ... one file fits all. No special file. At least, I don't SEE any differentiation. Unfortunately, I yanked that one by accident, so I'll have to put it in.

And of course, I'll back up first.

I tried and failed at making one once, for some reason at one point it kept coming off the track. That wasn't the bumper car though, that was the coaster. I'd like to see all that working at a fair.

Do the bumper cards need tracks? I've never built my own fairground using Echo's stuff, but I used to have a downloaded fairground in an old neighbourhood, in Prometedor (a custom vacation destination). As far as I can recall there were no tracks for the bumper cars - you make a mostly fenced off area, put a few bumper cars in it and the sims will ride them around that area and bump into each other.

I'm not sure though! I quite enjoyed the whole set, so I may redownload it and a ready-made fairground lot tomorrow. If I do I'll let you know for sure how the bumper cars work!

(Prometedor can be found here, the fairground lot is an additional lot and can be found here (scroll down)).

I thought not, bumper cars should just move around in any odd direction. I would assume like the remote controlled car.

From the looks of the picture I'd say that all that was needed was a fence/ walls around them and maybe some tiles (but that may be just for looks).

I always thought I'd download and try that some day .. and eventually I still hope to :D.

Please let us know what you did when you get it workin

In case you all have not seen these, during Leefish's Advent 2015 new versions of Echo's Bumper Cars were shared. These are meant to overwrite Echo's original ones.

Oooh, I love those! Thank you for the link :-)

I am thinking that all those objects like Bumper Cars is just a "Bigger" version of Maxis small version of that "VroomMaster4000" car who for years it was said to be control by an un-seen NPCs.
Yes they are nice to look at and the interaction of moving around is there but the question is "At What Cost To Your Game" if played and use by the Sims and then removed ?
I feel like those Bumper Cars have the exact same "hidden or un- seen NPCs" control as the smaller car in the game. Leefish's version to over ride Echo is still to me the question of what moving it around.

Yes, those bumper cars (and other moving objects in Echo's set) will be controlled by an NPC, same as Beck's animated farm animals as well as in-game objects like the remote control car, the toy helicopter, the pet bird when it flies around the room, and the various non-Servo 'bots that you can make on the robot crafting stations. Basically, any non-Sim object that can move around freely on its own is going to be controlled by an NPC. So, if you have a custom object that is so controlled, and you use it in a neighborhood and then subsequently delete the custom content, it will corrupt whatever neighborhood(s) you used the custom objects in because deleting the CC deletes the NPC, which is just like deleting a Sim in the neighborhood where the objects were used. That said, simply having these items won't hurt a thing. You just have to remember not to remove them so long as you're playing a neighborhood where they are currently being used or had ever been used. No reason to be afraid so long as you remember. (Me, I put such objects along with some mods that should never be removed into a folder named, and I quote, "DON'T REMOVE THIS, YOU MORON!" )

That said, I don't have these objects in my game, but I've always sort of wanted them -- and now with those bumper car recolors I kind of want them more -- because I've always had this vague notion of building a big "County Fair" kind of lot with these items and animated animals around to interact with, and cooking contests and all the usual 4H Club/county fair kind of stuff. I really should download these items and get to work on that one of these days. I kind of wish that there were conversions of TS3's eating contest tables and apple-bobbing thing and stuff like that...Unless someone HAS converted those thing? (She says, hopefully? )

Most things that move. Crisp&kerosene recently said the moving carousel did not use an NPC. Doesn't have to be used, doesn't even have to be placed down from the buy catalog, Moo said simply loading the hood with those in your game is enough. There is nothing wrong with them so long as they are not removed, the same way you wouldn't download a sim, move it into the family bin and then delete it.

Well, I wouldn't think a carousel would have an NPC. Unless it's a carousel that can randomly move around the lot, which...Well, that would be some carousel! Just imagine sitting on a bench at a fair, happily people-watching, and then suddenly here comes a carousel trundling down the fairway! Anyway, there's a difference between a simple animated (but sitting in one spot) object and things that aren't Sims but that can move from place to place around a lot, under their own power. The former wouldn't have an NPC whereas I'm pretty sure the latter requires one, in order to give something that's strictly an object more Sim-like abilities.

That said...I have downloaded these objects. (Except the clowns. Clowns are evil.) Fairground, here I come! As if I didn't already have a billion simming-projects I need to do... *sigh*

It doesn't move around the lot but it does go around, like they do, so we all assumed it had an NPC until C&K came along and said it didn't. I think it's always better to err on the side of caution even if it turns out not to be needed.

At some point I do plan to download it all again for this current installation, it's been years since I've had the set.

What is up with this layout?

Apparently the Carousel was cloned from a revolving car display stand that was already in the game.

I don't think the bumper cars have a track, unlike the spooky cart and roller coaster. I think you just place them, fence them in and go.

I would not recommend downloading the bumper cars if you haven't already unless you test them in a separate game. (Copy your old game, test them on one of those two games, then decide what you want and either stick with the game you're playing or go to the backup.)

I have the bumper car files themselves in my files already. For some stupid reason, I deleted the cart runner file when I reinstalled the game; probably thinking it applied to the spooky cart or the roller coaster, and it seems silly to not at least have all the files for the bumper cars. The cart runner file is probably the one you shouldn't delete, so I do believe a game test copy is a must, in case I bomb with this, or if I change my mind. I did like the bumper cars back then, and it was a favorite part of my carnival lot in my old game, so I'm willing to make the NPC commitment if I can get this to work. And I would think I could.

I never had the spooky cart. I feel much better about the roller coaster. I read the PDF and tried and tried, but just couldn't get it to work. Glad I'm not the only one, though I commend those who did!

As we often say, there is nothing wrong with custom NPCs if you like them. They can be a delightful addition to your game. It's if you decide you don't want them and simply yank them out that's the bad thing.

Thank you for the link with the recolors! The recolors aren't the problem files, so they should be fine if I do a quick replace.

(Edited because I've now had enough caffeine in me to see my glaring error!)

@iCad and anyone else looking for carnival/fair items - Crisps&Kerosene did convert TS3's Eating Contest Buffets . One serves hot dogs and the other serves pie slices. I use them on a few of my community lots, along with some of her converted World of Wonders carnival objects. She did the TS3 tents as well.

I use a number of her conversions and highly recommend just checking out the entire download page for cool things to add to your sims community and/or home lots.

As for Echo's bumper cars, I've never used them, but do have Leefish's updated ones sitting in a 'add to the game at some point' folder, as the new ones look pretty cool. And, for the sake of my game, I always assume that anything that moves around a lot is or might be controlled by an NPC...whether that is the case or not.

Me, too. Might be a little simplistic on my part, but better simplistic than wrong.

I'm copying a backup now before playing with that cart runner file. (The NPC File of No Return. ) I think I'll like these cars because I got a kick out of them the last time I used them, but it's always a good idea to play it safe in case my tastes changed. I do not think that overriding the bumper car meshes will be a problem, and since I didn't even play the game since putting in and replacing the cart-runner file, I should be OK. (I decided at the last minute to try Leefish's files, so I let the cart runner file override the one I just put in the game.) If I recall, it's also not a problem if you stick in a file, realize it's an NPC or that you wanted something else, and take it out before playing. I think Mootilda or another Informed One wrote that. Once you open the game, though, all bets are off. Not sure if overrides would fall into that category, but I think it would. And if one of you Informed Ones tell me it's a VBT to even THINK of replacing a NPC file before playing (though honestly, that doesn't make sense, even to me!) ... oh, yes. I have that backup file!

I'm thinking I should throw caution to the wind, and since my game is nice and tidily-backed up, going for greater glory and grabbing more of those Crisps-and Kerosene goodies. They just look like too much fun. I already have the popcorn machine and carousel, and really like them. But whack-a-mole, too? I didn't see that one. I'm still not touching the Echo roller coaster, though. Even though I was really green at the time, I had so much trouble with it back then. My Simmies will have to live without one.

And more stuff for my fair! I'm wondering if I should have gone for a larger lot. Oh, well. If worse comes to worst, I can LotAdjust the next lot and make this a larger fairground.

Did no one else try to use those bumper cars only to find that they just spin around in stationary circles? Just me? Huh.

I've never used the bumper cars, but didn't think that was what they were supposed to do?

Yeah, I have a lot of C&K's conversions. She does such a great job with them, and I highly recommend them. But I was under the impression that those tables just served as buffets in TS2, not that they had eating-contest functionality (which is what I'd like, but I wasn't really clear about that). But, I'm pretty sure you couldn't have that functionality because it isn't something that already exists, code/animation-wise, in TS2. I just wish it did, for a fair setting. So, I'll just stick with a cooking contest...although I really wish Sims could make something at home for a contest, like if "Make Something for Contest" was just a function of all stoves or fridges or whatever, so that you don't always have to have cooking facilities on the same lot as the contest table, but...Well, beggars can't be choosers.

But yeah, between Echo's things and conversions from TS3 thanks to its seasonal fair schtick and a few Maxis things, I think I'll have plenty of stuff for a county fair lot.

Ah, well, you always seem to come up with some useful tweaks for items, so if there is ever a way to even remotely modify the buffet tables to do either of the things you mentioned, I expect you to work your magic.

Oh, I'm afraid those things are waaaaaaaaaay beyond my abilities at this point. Those would be, like...custom BHAVs. And...and custom animations! *shudder* I don't know that I'd ever have the patience for the latter. I've heard it's a nightmare.

And now that I'm thinking about it.... I wouldn't even know where to go to find the coding to add contest-food-making to appliances. Those options only appear when there's a cooking-contest table present on the same lot, so...Is it in the contest-table's coding? I can't imagine that would the case.... So there must be some sort of situational-placement coding that Freetime added to the appliances, which....Ooogh, I wouldn't know where to begin! But it's definitely something I'd like, and wanting something is what prods me to learn things so.......

I have a PCsim game which I am guessing was cloned from the dartboard. It looks like a can toss. I'd love more sideshow alley type things. Then there is Simwardrobe openable gifts, that made to look more like a lucky dip and more items would be great too.

I have a "hot Dog Cart" I got at the Booty I think it by Crisps& Kerosene I love it have it on a few community lots, the Sims make their hot dog and it a cute cart ( That is a "Never" to removed. )
I also found a lost in found popcorn cart by creator AbstractSiMmer187 http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=251569
That is also a Never to removed Items, that and my custom foods it stays.

@ Simonut C&K is on Tumblr, not the booty. Also her food carts can be removed, she said so recently on here. Perhaps you have one by PCsims?