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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 28th Jun 2018 at 12:12 PM

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 2, University, Nightlife, Open for Business, Pets, Apartment Life
Default The old EP99 issue, not able to run Ultimate Edition with my save files
I just spoke with EA support and they no longer sell/support/etc Store Edition (EP99) and it's completely unavailable besides from private parties.

Long story short, I'm trying to get my old save files to work with my copy of Ultimate Edition. They're back from my CD version of the game (Best of Business's Store Edition, to be exact), so they aren't compatible with Ultimate Edition (the neighborhoods are blank on the main menu). I fully understand the issue, if you're unaware of it you can read up on the issue and how to fix it here: https://www.simsnetwork.com/simpedi...mate-collection

So basically I'm looking for the no longer supported, sold, or possessed (as I confirmed trying to get help from EA support) EP99 so that I can once again run the game with my old save files. Any help or PMs would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to be able to play with my old neighborhoods again.
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Scholar
#2 Old 28th Jun 2018 at 3:47 PM
The problem lays in the ID Number (IDNO), assuming you have SimPE you have two choices. Fix it yourself or extract the ID number from each primary neighbourhood and upload them somewhere for someone else to fix them.
To fix them you'll need to use a hex editor, the ID Number for a primary neighbourhood has the following values each consisting of four pairs of digits.
1 Version (usually 0A,00,00,00)
2 Unknown (always 04,00,00,00)
3 Parent Name
4 UID
5 N'hood type (01,00,00,00 for primary)
6 Subname (probably all 0 for primary)
7 Unknown (always 00,00,00,00)
8 EP (1F,00,00,00) ** This is the one to change. Change this to (11,00,00,00)
9 sub- EP
10 Flags
11 Season Quadrants

If you can't work this out or use SimPe's hex editor then extract the ID Numbers from each primary neighbourhood and place each one in a separate folder clearly named so you know which one belongs to which neighbourhood, zip them up together and upload them to a file sharing site and I can fix them for you.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#3 Old 28th Jun 2018 at 4:29 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Chris Hatch
The problem lays in the ID Number (IDNO), assuming you have SimPE you have two choices. Fix it yourself or extract the ID number from each primary neighbourhood and upload them somewhere for someone else to fix them.
To fix them you'll need to use a hex editor, the ID Number for a primary neighbourhood has the following values each consisting of four pairs of digits.
1 Version (usually 0A,00,00,00)
2 Unknown (always 04,00,00,00)
3 Parent Name
4 UID
5 N'hood type (01,00,00,00 for primary)
6 Subname (probably all 0 for primary)
7 Unknown (always 00,00,00,00)
8 EP (1F,00,00,00) ** This is the one to change. Change this to (11,00,00,00)
9 sub- EP
10 Flags
11 Season Quadrants

If you can't work this out or use SimPe's hex editor then extract the ID Numbers from each primary neighbourhood and place each one in a separate folder clearly named so you know which one belongs to which neighbourhood, zip them up together and upload them to a file sharing site and I can fix them for you.


I recall a few years ago I went through a lengthy, confusing (for me, at least) process of creating blank new neighborhoods in a non Store Edition game, and then manually copying values over from my Store Edition neighborhoods to solve the problem somehow, and I did pull it off, but this was also when I was playing with a smattering of different Origin EPs (I think Apartment Life was the newest EP I was running at the time). About a year ago I know I tried repeating this process with Ultimate Edition, but it just didn't work. There's a chance I did it wrong that time around, but I'm fairly certain I followed the same procedure, so it's hard to say. I'm not sure it was the same as what you're saying, it's all a little beyond my expertise.

So exactly what files would I need to zip up? Just the neighborhood files, such as "XXXX_Neighborhood.package", or would other bits like downtown, university, etc need to be zipped up to be edited as well? I'd hate to just throw a pile of files on you and waste too much of your time, but I would definitely appreciate the help.
Scholar
#4 Old 29th Jun 2018 at 6:46 AM Last edited by Chris Hatch : 29th Jun 2018 at 8:54 AM.
Ideally extract just the ID Number from the primary neighbourhoods with SimPe. That will create two files, one named AC8A7A2E-00000000-FFFFFFFF-00000001.simpe.xml and the other named AC8A7A2E-00000000-FFFFFFFF-00000001.simpe. Place both in a new folder and name the folder so as to be able to tell which neighbourhood it belongs to. All of the extracted files will have the same file name and would overwrite each other if you don't move them into their own folders as you extract them. This way the files for each neighbourhood to upload/download is less than a kb.

The alternative is to zip up the primary neighbourhood file for each neighbourhood ie. N001_Neighborhood.package, N002_Neighborhood.package etc. but that may create an unreasonably large zip.

Edit: I have just found that you will have to do the same for every sub'hood as well, not so much to make them show up although that may be required but to prevent the game from re-adding them.
Sub'hoods have one extra (32bit) byte at 7 for Subname (the primary 'hood they belong to) so the EP value is at 9
Test Subject
Original Poster
#5 Old 29th Jun 2018 at 1:59 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Chris Hatch
Ideally extract just the ID Number from the primary neighbourhoods with SimPe. That will create two files, one named AC8A7A2E-00000000-FFFFFFFF-00000001.simpe.xml and the other named AC8A7A2E-00000000-FFFFFFFF-00000001.simpe. Place both in a new folder and name the folder so as to be able to tell which neighbourhood it belongs to. All of the extracted files will have the same file name and would overwrite each other if you don't move them into their own folders as you extract them. This way the files for each neighbourhood to upload/download is less than a kb.

The alternative is to zip up the primary neighbourhood file for each neighbourhood ie. N001_Neighborhood.package, N002_Neighborhood.package etc. but that may create an unreasonably large zip.

Edit: I have just found that you will have to do the same for every sub'hood as well, not so much to make them show up although that may be required but to prevent the game from re-adding them.
Sub'hoods have one extra (32bit) byte at 7 for Subname (the primary 'hood they belong to) so the EP value is at 9


I've been trying to do it myself, but when I look into the ID Number on SimPE, the editor (under "Plugin View" on the bottom window) ends at "Subname". I don't see any other fields below that, so I'm not seeing the EP one that I need to change. Am I doing something wrong or looking in the wrong place?
Scholar
#6 Old 29th Jun 2018 at 3:20 PM
You'll need to view them in a Hex Editor, use SimPe's inbuilt Hex Editor which is a bit clumsy to use but adequate. Once open look for the value of 1f, there will probably only be one of them. Select it and change it's value to 11 in the little box at the bottom left named Byte, after changing it just 'click' in one of the other little boxes or the change doesn't take (which is what I mean by it being a bit clumsy), then commit and save.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#7 Old 29th Jun 2018 at 4:27 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Chris Hatch
You'll need to view them in a Hex Editor, use SimPe's inbuilt Hex Editor which is a bit clumsy to use but adequate. Once open look for the value of 1f, there will probably only be one of them. Select it and change it's value to 11 in the little box at the bottom left named Byte, after changing it just 'click' in one of the other little boxes or the change doesn't take (which is what I mean by it being a bit clumsy), then commit and save.

Nothing showing up for me yet... I went into the main neighborhood package, changed that 1f value to 11, committed, saved. No change, still doesn't show up for me in game (blank neighborhood menu). Did the same for each subhood, but changed the 1f value to 9 (your explanation on that bit confused me a bit, but I thought that's what you said), no change as well.

That's the method for making Store Edition save files show up in the Origin version of Ultimate Edition? I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, but it didn't seem that complicated. I'm not sure what's up.
Scholar
#8 Old 30th Jun 2018 at 5:29 PM
I don't know, perhaps you should either zip up and upload one of your neighbourhood files (just the neighbourhood file, not the lots or sims) or extract and zip up some of the ID Numbers so I can take a look.

For what it's worth I have a spare computer with Store Edition installed while my main computer doesn't, so I have been able to test getting the Store Edition neighbourhoods to work in M&G and can check if any changes to your files work OK.
Field Researcher
#9 Old 30th Jun 2018 at 5:54 PM
Wait, so you did try that first link you posted and it didn't work? Oh, I see, you don't have a disc anymore?

I had the same problem and that link worked perfectly, and guess what, I still have all my old discs! (It's funny because I've been telling myself to get rid of them, but just haven't been able to...)

So I don't know if it's useful at all if I could get you my disc to you somehow. (If you'd rather try something else that's fine) .


Or maybe old discs are still being sold on ebay if you wanted to check. (Edit: yup still being sold, think that's how I originally got my discs way back when)
Test Subject
Original Poster
#10 Old 1st Jul 2018 at 4:47 AM
@Chris Hatch: Here's the neighborhood file. It's tiny, 600kb or so, didn't bother to zip it: https://mega.nz/#!losH2YgR!3yhgi7D_7ODWYgHIpvrfQdgjXrybxK1V9PnLKHFMexU

@TheDraizeTrain: I tried that first link years ago and it did, but then I moved and my parents wound up throwing away or losing my old discs at some point, so I've been up a creek on that method. I could buy a disc on eBay but the prices are just silly for how old they all are, Fun With Pets is still like 15 bucks for some reason. Best of Business is a bit cheaper, but I'd still rather not have to buy a used disc and hope that solves my problem.
Scholar
#11 Old 1st Jul 2018 at 5:46 AM
One of the problems with Store Edition is there is no 'No-DVD crack' available so if you end up having to depend on a second-hand disk that could leave you in a precarious position in the future.

That file still had 1F as the EP, this one will show up in your game but don't load the neighbourhood until all of it's sub-hoods are fixed or they'll be added in again. Hopefully by comparing this one with the original it'll help you see just what to change.
N006_Neighborhood-Fixed.zip
Test Subject
Original Poster
#12 Old 1st Jul 2018 at 6:15 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Chris Hatch
One of the problems with Store Edition is there is no 'No-DVD crack' available so if you end up having to depend on a second-hand disk that could leave you in a precarious position in the future.

That file still had 1F as the EP, this one will show up in your game but don't load the neighbourhood until all of it's sub-hoods are fixed or they'll be added in again. Hopefully by comparing this one with the original it'll help you see just what to change.
N006_Neighborhood-Fixed.zip

Yeah... I ran into that before when I left my disc back home, that's probably why I wound up uninstalling years ago. Not to mention MTS will slap your wrists if you talk about that stuff apparently.

Yeah, I didn't see that there were two entries of 1f, I had only changed one of them. Unfortunately even with both changed the neighborhood still ain't showing up...
Test Subject
#13 Old 5th Sep 2019 at 6:46 PM
Thanks! It worked for me main hood + subhoods
Replace all 1F to 11 everywhere !
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