a boolprop enquiry

[soul1955]

hello gentlepeople! i've seen a few people in this forum caution that "overusing" the boolprop cheats can mess up the game. i'm hoping someone could outline what "overusing" the cheats means, exactly, and also what sort of "messing up" we're talking about.

i know what some of the cheats are, but does "overusing them" mean using too many different ones, or is using just one or two also risky? or maybe it's more a question of leaving them "on" too long at a time, or using them too frequently, or ... ? are there particular cheats that are more hazardous than others, or does it endanger our game every time we hit ctrl shift c?

and what is the nature of the risk - crashes, freeze-ups, etc? or more like ... stuck maids, nannies not arriving on schedule, unloving offspring, etc?

thanks for any available clarity

curious soul

[Clelclan]

I think the one that most people had a problem was - boolprop testingCheatsEnabled true/false.

There are several other cheats that begin with 'boolprop' for building, controlling pets, rotating furniture etc, but the one that caused the most grief was the testing cheats one.

I believe it was originally specifically for the game developers to be used as a tool to test various things in the game, but it somehow it got 'leaked' to the simming world and people went crazy with it, using it for everything!

There's a whole piece about it here.

I seem to remember some folks had problems when they tried to 'add to family' sims/things/NPC's that should never be playable in the first place - like the Grim Reaper, the Hula girls, Pollination Technicians, remote control cars etc. These items did appear in the list, but caused no end of trouble for some.

I have used the cheat, and have found it useful in some circumstances. For instance, in each of my Uni dorms I have a 'Tombstone of Life and Death' - this has an option to 'make friends with all sims on this lot' which I sometimes use.

It is a cheat to be used with caution but can also be useful if used in moderation, afterall, in my opinion, too much cheating can ruin the whole game play experience.

[soul1955]

thanks very much, Clelclan! so i gather "messing up the game" means both technical glitches of varying severity and simply reducing the fun of it. i use "control pets" sometimes, boosted an aspiration level or two, and i've occasionally changed a townie's age, but adding a toy car to the family is one i hadn't thought of trying, and i'm glad to know i should watch my step with that one.

soul

[soul1955]

sorry gentlepeople - it's me again, with the uneasy feeling that i'm missing something that's right in front of me. but could someone please point me to where i can learn more about the "Tombstone of Life and Death" that the good Clelclan mentioned above? it sounds intriguing, and if it's described somewhere in that long "boolprop details" thread, i must have missed it.

thanks so much ...
soul

[Clelclan]

Asuuming you have entered the cheat while in the neighbourhood view - this is best as you get the full range of options. Entering it once you are on the lot, gives limited options.

Enter a lot and 'shift' + click on a sim.

A large pie menu will appear, click more (I'm fairly sure it's on the second list), and again a large pie menu. Select 'spawn' -> another pie menu, look for Tombstone of Life and Death and select. I can't remember if it's in the first list or if you have to click 'more' again.

Beside your sim will appear a tombstone.

If you then click on that there are again at least two lots of options to choose from.
The one I use occasionally in Uni dorms, is the 'make friends with everyone on lot'.

If I remember right, the Tof L&D is used to 'add neighbour to family' so treat with care if you see it.

Also under the 'spawn' option is a 'sim modder'. When you select it, a standing baby appears beside your sim. This contains an option under 'wants and fears' to 'change lifetime want' - very useful if you don't like whatever the game chose for your sim.

Both the T of L&D and the Sim Modder can be picked up and put in your sim's inventory if they move house.

And finally, don't forget to turn the cheat off when you are finished.

[soul1955]

thanks very much, Clelclan!

[dragongirlxcool]

They dont really effect the game its just if you try to use a cheat on something its not made for then the game could delete it. but 99% of the time it doesnt really effect the game only if you dont so something stupid if that makes sense

[thesimling]

SnootySims were the ones who found it - they went through the games code and found a whole bunch of BoolProp codes. They told the world, gave them and suddenly they were the best cheats in the world!