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Disappearing Props in the Lot Editor

Started by evarburg, September 03, 2019, 10:02:45 PM

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evarburg

Could someone explain to me why Swi21_fontain_rectangular Left and Right, which I used wayback then to make my TL-Obelisk Place https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/32003-tl-obelisk-place/ disappear when that lot is not in my plugins folder and reappear when it is ? the Reader shows it [pict 1 & 2]in BSC Swi21 Megaprops vol1 (where it is and should be), even when the L.E. does not [pict4] I obviously had it in the L.E. when I used it to lot the lot, right ? By then it WAS in the L.E. [like in pict3].

I am flabbergasted.

Andreas

What do you mean with "disappear"? Does the obelisk props disappear in the game (on some other lot) when you don't have your fountain lot in the plugins folder? Or do the props disappear from the prop list in the Lot Editor? Or both? If it's only in LE, keep in mind that the prop list doesn't show props that won't fit on the lot you're editing (even if it would fit visually, and just the blue "footprint" rectangle is a tiny bit larger than the lot). Could it be possible that you once included a modified set of exemplar files for the obelisk props into your lot (I didn't check the files yet)?
Andreas

evarburg

I think I mean just what I showed  :) , i.e. the props disappear in the L.E ; when the lot is in my plugins folder, the props show up in the L.E. ; when the lot is not in my plugins folder, the props don't show.

The props show up correctly in the L.E. on image screen and plopping screen, when the lot is in my plugins.

The lot plops without a hitch in-game.

art128

Are you absolutely sure you didn't put Swi21 prop file inside your lot folder? Did you per chance datpack it?
I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog

evarburg

Yes and no  ;)

(and remember : the props show up when I open the pack.dat in the Reader whether the lot is in my plugins or NOT.)

twalsh102

First, I have to say that I have never used the Maxis LE to create a lot, and have only limited experience with it otherwise, and thus may not have known what I was doing.

After installing the Maxis LE (and finally getting it to work with Win 10), and going with what Andreas mentioned, i.e. props that don't fit within the confines of the lot you have open, will not show in the list, I tried the following:

Given the Occupant size of the prop is 16 x 4 x 60, this would obviously suggest that one would need a minimum lot size of 1 x 4 (or 4 x 1).  I opened lots of various sizes.   For any lot that I opened that was not at least 4 on one dimension, the props in question did not show up in the Props list, regardless of whether I had TL-Obelisk Place in my Plugins or not (and in fact show what you show in your last screenshot).  For every lot I opened that was a 4 or greater on one dimension, the props in question did show in the Prop list, regardless of whether I had TL-Obelisk Place in my Plugins or not. 

So, based on my limited experience with the Maxis LE, I would have to say that Andreas hit the nail on the head.  What size lot(s) did you have open when you couldn't find the props in the Props list?

evarburg

(sorry for your trouble but thanks for taking the time to try !)It has nothing to do with prop vs.lot size (although what Andreas says is perfectly right) ; I already made a lot (right size) with those props and I was not trying to make another lot unproperly sized when I noticed the props' absence.

But I still don't know what it is about, for it is getting curiouser. I wanted to test an hypothesis. So I made a test with a lot (right size), with Obelisk Place in the plugins and the props showing up in the L.E.. My idea was to test if the presence of the lot, or any lots with those props, really make the difference. Then I take all lots out and...

WHAAAAAT ???? THE PROPS ARE BACK ????

Color me totally confuzoflabbergnonplussogasted.

evarburg

aaaaand... THEY'RE GONE AGAIN (I added Peg-Smal Sparkles to basins the folder of which has been there the whole time.)

aaaaand... THEY'RE BACK AGAIN (i put the modified lots in the their folder, overwriting those already there.)


twalsh102

In my Army days, we had an acronym for occurrences such as this, which rightfully shouldn't happen, for which there was no logical explanation, and which suddenly appeared and disappeared.  We called it FM.  The M stands for Magic.  The F stands for a 7-letter word I cannot use here without getting banned from the Forums, but which one can probably guess.  During such occurrences, we would first shake our heads in amazement, and then nod our heads "knowingly" while uttering almost in unison "FM again!"

I think that most people would agree that there are a lot of things that happen on computers that one can only attribute to "FM!"

Andreas

Hmm, I think magic is hard to overcome with a scientific approach, so I better don't even try to think up a way how to test this properly. ;) All I can suggest that "something" is causing the props disappearing from the list "sometimes", but I guess you need to check this a) in the PIM-X LE, so you can rule out the Maxis LE is misbehaving, or b) use another computer, just to make sure yours is not bewitched. ;D
Andreas

evarburg

Well, I don't know how to use PIM's Lot Editor, so I wouldn't know how to check if the props are there. I tried, with a=an empty plugins folder and only Swi21 megaprops 1, and all I get is a frapload of No Preview, Nains de Jardins et maxis vanilla stuff.

art128

Can you try to re-download the prop pack and replace the existing file to see if it is in any way corrupted?
I'll take a quiet life... A handshake of carbon monoxide.

Props & Texture Catalog

evarburg

I did, and I tried again... and suddenly what Andreas et al. said finally finished percolating through my thick brain : 3x3 vs 4x4 lot, stoopid ! For, Lo and Behold, they were not there and then they were when I changed the lot. Which I should have done right away in the first place, and in the SAME session of the L.E.

And so I am right there in Canossa (History buffs will know what I mean.)

But you know what ? I am glad it is the faulty stuff between my ears and not FM. I thoroughly dislike FM in anything computer-related.

Thanks, guys  :)