I know it's been a while since Maxis released the Urbz game for download, but I mostly ignored until now the fact that I can't get it to work. The only posting I coudl find on any such problem merely said that it has its own rack or something, so I figured I just overlooked that in the game. But it doesn't show up at all. So I downloaded it again, and the Sims2Pack Clean Installer (Which I didn't have last time I tried installing the Urbz) lists the Urbz package file as an empty package. I tried downloading it again, and it is still called an empty package and still doesn't show up in the game.

So... It's not going to break my heart or anything if I can't ever get this to work, but it'd be nice to have it in the game. I just don't know what else to do.

What happens when you open the package with SimPE?

Did you try buying the game from a shop on a community lot?

The only reason I noticed that it isn't working is because I coudln't buy it in the community lot. When I try to open it with SimPE, I get an error. Clicking on Details, I get this:

Message:
Error while trying to open

Exception Stack:
System.IO.EndOfStreamException: Unable to read beyond the end of the stream.
at System.IO.__Error.EndOfFile()
at System.IO.BinaryReader.FillBuffer(Int32 numBytes)
at System.IO.BinaryReader.ReadUInt32()
at SimPe.Packages.File.LoadFileIndexItem(UInt32 position)
at SimPe.Packages.File.LoadFileIndex()
at SimPe.Packages.File.OpenByStream(BinaryReader br)
at SimPe.Packages.File..ctor(String filename)
at SimPe.Packages.GeneratableFile..ctor(String flname)
at SimPe.Form1.OpenPackage(String filename)

Source:
mscorlib

Execution Stack:
at System.IO.__Error.EndOfFile()
at System.IO.BinaryReader.FillBuffer(Int32 numBytes)
at System.IO.BinaryReader.ReadUInt32()
at SimPe.Packages.File.LoadFileIndexItem(UInt32 position)
at SimPe.Packages.File.LoadFileIndex()
at SimPe.Packages.File.OpenByStream(BinaryReader br)
at SimPe.Packages.File..ctor(String filename)
at SimPe.Packages.GeneratableFile..ctor(String flname)
at SimPe.Form1.OpenPackage(String filename)

Thing is... When I install it, it takes up 7.39 megs, but if I restart my computer, it drops to 96 bytes. I've never had any problems with any other Maxis created stuff before this. The only thing I can figure is that something is going wrong somewhere between me and this file's location on the Maxis site or something.

If I open it with SimPE after I restart my computer and it's sizer drops, it doesn't give an error but simply opens the package with nothing at all in it.

Last edited by zedrik : 4th Mar 2005 at 12:04 AM. Reason: Additional Information

So does no one have any more ideas? Or would anyone be willing to see if they can give me the .package file itself and see if I can get that to work fine?

Nope, we can't transfer Maxis originals on MTS2. However, did you try redownloading it from the Maxis site?

Edit:
Whoops! Sorry, I didn't read your first post clearly.

Last edited by daysies : 6th Mar 2005 at 09:16 PM.

ill see if i can get it to work..im re downloading everything i had..and ill see if i can get it to work for me. i didnt notice.. im seeing if anyone knows where to find the sims ep files that i need.. *sad*

I don't know why this is all of a sudden bugging me so much. I've lived without it for so long and University just came out and there's so much I haven't explored in that yet. But I finally broke down and went over to the official Sims 2 boards. Everything I've read so far over there says basicallt either to:

1: Place the Urbs rack on a community lot and buy the game from there. (Which I cannot do because no such rack appears in the game.)

2: Dial-up connection are too slow to download such a large file. (I've downloaded a few rather large files from here before and had no problem. So I would be more inclined to believe that the Maxis site is connectionist against dial-up users than the fact that the file can't be downloaded by a dial-up user. I wish broadband was available here. )

Either way, hopefully I'll become obsessed with something else soon, because it looks like I'm out of luck on this one.

LOL.. i have dial up and downloading files like that from maxis is a bitch!!

My Urbz disappeard when I patched the game

try using a download manager to download the urbz from the offical site. Try either get right, flash get or flashfxp. a download manager will download the complete file. well hopefully it will. it did for me. the file size once downloaded should be 7.66 mb

i've been trying to get it to work in my since it came out, still doesn't....

If you go to a community lot and open the buy mode. Go to the cash register symbol and go to misc catagory the Urbz rack shows up there. Place it in one of the stores. I usually replace one of the delux game displays with it. Then save and exit and send one of your sims to that store. Then you can buy the Urbz and it work on computers and the game console. It also works on the X-box and the imac I've downloaded from this site.

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM! I have downloaded the Urbz game to The Sims 2 but I never saw it in community lots, on the game store! I have already downloaded the package again but nothing changes! I have the patch if you want to know. Please, help us!

It doesn't automatically appear. You have to buy and place the rack in the game store. It is in the misc section of the store tab.

I had the same problem

It downloads the whole 7.66 meg file. But it still registers as empty. I think this downloads window Firefox has is a download manager? Either way, I get a 7.66 meg file. I'm probably going to have my friend ICQ me the .package when he gets a break from his trucking.



It -DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE COMMUNITY LOT CATALOG-. It doesn't appear anywhere AT ALL. There IS NO URBZ RACK. The .package is EMPTY. Sorry, but this is what everyone tells me and I am getting sick of hearing it. I want to clarify in BOLD TEXT some more: IT DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE CATALOG.

My second reply was to the person who posted directly above me. I'm sorry you have a bad download. There is nothing anyone can do if your file is corrupt. Thanks, please drive through.

Sorry for being a bit snippy the other day. I was just overly frustrated.
Anyways, I got the .package from my friend and it works perfectly fine. So apparantly my problem was my (dial-up) connection to Maxis.

If I might add here.. I had some problems with original Maxis downloads and those pre-Sims 2 packages for BodyShop, as they didn't seem to show up in the game. I found out that there were actually 2 package installers, the pre-game version and the new one that came with the game. Windows XP wanted to open the packages with the older one, that's why they wouldn't even install. So if anyone has problems like these, check the program you're trying to open it with. If there's 2 installers, it's probably the wrong one you're using.

Or download the installer from here. The one from here lets you pick and choose what you install from the package. I love it. I can download sims and uncheck all the custom eyes and skins. I have enough of those already that I dont' need 50 thousand variations of pale skin or 80 million variations of blue eyes.

There is another problem with the Urbz game. I was able to buy it from the community lot once I downloaded it, but when I play it at my sim's house on the tv screen there will be no game just a blue screen that keeps flashing. The weird part is that my sim plays it like its one of the other games.
So does anyone else have this problem or does anyone know why the game doesn't show up on the tv screen.