Well it wasnāt just me, to be fair. I would have never been able to without @fireflowersims help and HugeLunatics trust in both of us. Thank you to both of them for their work and thank you @teaaddictyt for reaching out and doing the more public communication.
Iām super happy I got the chance to work to fix it. It wasnāt an easy undertaking. It seemed like every little thing would cause more errors, I fixed one and another thing broke. But now it seems stable, finally.
A lot of technical stuff below the cut, beware.
Fixing such an old forum is not easy. Documentation is rather sparse because the framework it runs on is old. There is however a more modern version, but updating is difficult. Here was the issue for the forum - upgrading failed.Ā
A website (usually) consists of two different parts: 1 - The files. They contain the code, scripts, designs, images, attachment, profile pictures etc. 2 - The database. The database connects all the different parts and tells the website where to find something. Everything gets stored in tables, assigned IDs and given values. Everything written, each post and topic is also stored in the database. So without the database the whole page would be useless.
It was clear from the beginning that the database was the culprit for the failed upgrades. I got an earlier backup from HL and started working.
I set up a local environment with two versions of XAMPP. One running on php 7.4 (the last version having compatibility for the forum framework version and the upgrade script to the recent version) and the other on a modern 8.3, which was the same as the version the server @fireflowersims set up for GOS.
I ran the upgrade script (which consists of 4 separate parts) on the old backup and ran into errors right away. The script would just outright crash on me, most often without a log or message. The (local) server would just stop responding. My original plan had been to upgrade to version 2.0 first, then 2.1, since it was the recommended order. However the database backup had already been partly upgraded to 2.1. That was the reason my upgrade script failed. Reversing those changes could have been a possibility but extremely time intensive.
(This is the frontpage of the upgrader. I stared at it so much. Like you can see it has a ton of steps)
Instead I asked for the current database and HL provided it to me. This one was already further along on the upgrade and I could see the error HL had run into before handing over. I had to look at the upgrade scripts and source php files to diagnose what the framework was expecting - and failing - to find in the database.
Thatās where I found the main culprit for *most* of the errors: Time tables. The framework saves every action that a user does in a log, a long table with the action, an id and a date. This was where everything had gotten wrong. The upgrader expected to see one column for the date, named *day*, while the current table had a different column for day, month and year. I tried fixing the table at first but that didnāt seem to work, so I completely deleted the table and created a new empty one myself. (By now I think the issue stems from forgetting to uninstall certain packages before upgrading, more on that later)
That was possible because the log actually doesnāt hold relevant information for the forum to work. It just records each step, probably for moderation purposes. Once I had done that step the upgrade script was finally able to proceed.
There were a few more errors where I had to look at what the script was doing, find the corresponding code in the sources and edit the database myself. Thankfully the code is relatively well commented and named, so I was able to find what I needed.
Finally I got the upgrade script to run to the end and I was actually able to open the forums (local) page. I hadnāt been able to for now so it was a first. But a lot of stuff was still missing, like all the topics. I could see that the posts were back, but not sorted correctly.
The fix was simple but annoying. The forum framework comes with a repair_setting.php file which I had run several times to fix all the paths, but apparently it didnāt fix *all* of them. So back to the database I went, ran some queries and fixed them myself.
Then the forum finally worked again!
(This is what the forum looked like when I first opened it. It ONLY had recent posts)
(The working local forum, no files yet with the default theme. Seems wrong to look at GOS without the dark theme, right?)
There were still a few things I needed to fix but the database seemed to work fine now. I had never done so many queries in my life. I know SQL, and had to fix databases before but not this intensely. So I guessed I learned something new haha.
Next was the exciting step to upload my clean install to the server. @fireflowersims and I had some directory issues, but I was able to fix them manually once again.
Then I had to take a look at the files which mostly consist of avatars and attachments. They didnāt work at all once moved to the clean install. Once again I took a look at the code and realized that the upgrade script would have changed those files as well, but because I ran it on a clean install it didnāt actually do this step.
I didnāt want to run the upgrade script again, worried that it would mess up a now working database. Instead I wrote a script myself that sorted through all the attachments, looked for the IDs of the avatars from the database so it could move and rename them.
Last were the attachments. This was an easier fix. They just had to be given the ending .dat. @fireflowersims ran a command through the console and then the attachments worked too!
We were getting closer!
Next was the theme. The old theme didnāt work on the modern framework anymore so @fireflowersims looked for a new one which I customized with CSS, trying to get it closer to the way the forum looked before. I think it turned out quite alright, hope you guys think so too!
(Trying to find out what CSS class addresses what? Make everything red and green!)
(All the spider webs)
Next was packages, or mods, to the framework. Fire and I encountered some hiccups here too, since there were some leftovers in the database. The packages hadnāt been properly deinstalled before running the upgrade script, which was another source of the errors. I tried fixing them manually but one of the packages would continue to just break the site no matter what I tried, so we settled for an alternative.
Some more work was put into SSL and making the forum secure. Once again some settings seemed to just break the page and each time I had to go back in the database and manually fix what had gone wrong. It was tedious but by now I knew my way around quite well.
@fireflowersims handled a lot of the server administrative work and DNS settings. I know very little about that part so having @fireflowersims there was great and they made sure the page is reachable at the correct address.
So yeah, I hope the site stays online for a long time now. Itās such a big part of our community and communities history. I used to download so much from there when I was younger. I wanted to give back to the community I love so much. That was the reason I spent many many hours digging through code and old forum threads.
Jules, I cannot emphasize enough just how cool you are for having done all of this work to get GoS back online! I'm glad I was able to provide a good new space for GoS to live from now on and assist with all the DNS. It was a trip alright, and I'm glad we could work together on this!
You are a hero and I (and I bet so many others) am so grateful for your skill and dedication! ā„ļø
I had a dream in which someone made a very impressive (and free) sex mod for ts2 and for some reason they hosted the download in a website that was mainly for pirated telenovelas. People in the simblr community made lots of memes and started adding the tag "thank you telenovela pirates" to any posts about this mod.
This morning, instead of thinking about any of the many sims games I have going, I latched onto the concept of some sort of Unlocking the UberhoodāMedieval Edition and now Iām stuck rotating that in my mind until I come up with some rules that work.
I mean, I canāt just slap a medieval theme on the Unlocking the Uberhood Challenge. Well, I can, but it doesnāt make sense for typical medieval gameplay, and certainly not if I base it on the MCC. It should be possible to start unlocking progress immediately, and it should be possible for peasants to make progress, too.
Currently I have a notion in my head that completing MCC levels unlocks slots for subhoodsāone level for the first slot, two for the second, and so onāand that each subhood has unlocking requirements to qualify to fill a slot. I would like these requirements to involve SunMoon industries, buildings that may be associated with careers, and/or particular levels of a career, not just completing the career.
Man, I donāt know. I feel like there is something here. Iāll have to rotate it some more.
You are onto something here, I feel like one of my struggles with figuring out sun and moon manufactoring and balancing the mcc is really all the options that could come out of it.
So my suggestion, and it's kind of something i've been workshopping... What if each subhood you unlocked had a "theme"
By theme i don't necessarily mean just a desert subhood or a tropical subhood, but also, what if you restricted what kinds of plants and manufactoring the main hood had access to, and you unlocked more based on what the subhood theme was
Like for instance, what if the subhood you unlocked had plenty of lavender, and thus the manufactoring focus shifted to products such as lavender essential oil, and thus, lavender soap, so unlocking a subhood focus on that let's your main hood trade for lavender based goods, while the subhood gets access to the main products of your region.
Whoo! Big thank you/shout out/love/admiration/eternal debt/first born child/my last dollar/shirt off my back/good vibes/may your pillow always be cold/your tea cup always full to @teaaddictyt who got me set up to play TS2 on Linux on my new computer!
It was painful (mostly because of me though, I did a few dumbs) but Tea held my hand the whole way and we got through it and it was so worth it! My 20GB+ CC downloads folder no longer gives pink soup!
To anyone who's afraid to take the plunge...I'm pretty computer code illiterate (have never built my own rigs or anything, I'm a computer graphic artist, not a scientist Jim!) and if I can do it, I'm sure other can. Don't be afraid!
Welcome to the Club Frac!
I guess for those not in the know, yes, I'm also a Linux user... for the most part, still need to migrate my main machine to linux, but my work laptop, which i did install sims 2 into, does run Linux Mint and it's wonderful
Most of it i did figure out by myself by reading instructions, but when i was stuck in some parts I did ask around @teaaddictyt discord server for help, and folks were nice and helped me figure out some stuff.
So to add to the Linux User testimonials... do it, you won't regret it, and if you are struggling, I'm sure you can easily find someone to help you!
Our "Around the World" creative theme is being extended through the month of March, officially. Of course, our themes are always open to be added to, as well. So show us what you can do!
Sooo. I have something for you.
A while ago I found on the default-database an outfit that looked a little dirty- perfect for apocalyptic games- but it will replace a dress I want to keep in my game. Itās by sonikku3 but the livejournal is gone. The original mesh was by Lace on GoS.
What have I done? I tried (itās the very first time I ever really recoloured something) to undefault these dresses and while I was working on them I showed @susen70āĀ if everything looks fine. She pointed out that there is something wrong on the texture and that mistake was on all the original files of sonikku3 so I tried to fix it.
And I also made some of the dresses with different socks since the original dresses by Lace had also pink socks and I also had found on the files of Lace brown socks- the dresses by sonikku3 had only blue socks. The dresses come with and without apron, all files are compressed.
This is what they all look like (the pictures are also included):
Silvana and Vicki show blue versions. While taking pictures I saw that a bow on Vickiās dress had the wrong blue so I went back to Bodyshop and fixed it.
Linette and Julia show the cherry version.
Elizabeth and Loredana show the polkadots version.
And Mechthild and Dawn show the pink version.
Download
I hope everything is alright- itās really the first time for me and Iām a little afraid I did something wrong.
Credits:
sonikku3 for the defaults and textures.
@fivegigsā / Lace for the original mesh and textures of the socks (brown and pink). Sadly the mesh has no morphs and I havenāt found one with. :/
@susen70ā for her help- big thanks! Iām afraid I really got on her nerves. ^^
Huh, not me only finding out about this now that i'm rebuilding my post-apocalyptic save, didn't even realize the original default had issues!! Thank you for the add-ons, they look awesome!
I did end up reuploading the original default to my Neocities, if people might be interested on that as well, check it out here
I kind of want to have this discussion with the general community, dunno if it's gonna fall in deaf ears, but hey, might give it a shot
To sum it up, i've been struggling to have a functional save file for... slightly more than a decade now, there's been a couple starts, but nothing that has sticked the landing yet, I haven't fully transition to Linux, but i feel like at least that could solve one of my major issues, which is the folder switching, but that's neither here nor there.
I feel like one of my major struggles is... how overwhelming my ideas can become, like, a Medieval Charter Challenge can easily spiral into a fully fledged world, with countries and cultures... and often those ideas become half baked and fragmented, and nothing gets done because everything needs tweaking.
Heck, even the download sprees feel... aimless, like, every download is good for the idea, but like... do you really need 50 chairs or so in your download folder if you aren't playing the game in the first place, if you are just hoarding for an idea that might not be.
And thus, what is meant to be a hobby, can easily become a burden, and... a hobby is mean to ease you from the struggles of the outside world, not make you feel tired to the point you'd rather mindless scroll or mindlessly watch videos on youtube.
Before I continue, no, i'm not quitting the community, I couldn't, this has been my home for many years now, and hey, I go on and off hiatus without telling anyone, don't really have the need to tell anyone, just... happens, and I always keep in touch.
But I feel like i need to find a better way to develop those ideas, not just in Sims context, but also in other things, like Game Development (Yes, I do have studies in game design and development, also yes, they've been plagued with the same issues as my simming endeavors).
And I feel like, the one way I can manage those ideas is... not let them spiral out of control until i have a strong basis of what i want to do, in design they call it the KISS method, which for those who don't know stands for "Keep It Simple Stupid", you can also call it the "Fuck it, We Ball" method.
I guess, the point is, I can't think of the outside scope of the things, if I don't have a main scope to begin with, I can't think of an outside world for an MCC, If i don't start with the main neighborhood first, heck, sometimes, I shouldn't worry about internal logic in a neighborhood, if there isn't just, a basis for that logic.
Even games with deep rich lore, had to start from game 1, and the lore probably wasn't that deep then, it just kept getting deeper the more games and side material got released(Looking at you, Drakengard and NieR), and sometimes, even that lore changes over time (Looking at you, Elder Scrolls).
So, why should i feel like i need to nail the inner logic, or the overall world on the first try, and not, you know, try stuff, get messy with it, mix up styles... have fun with it?
And I feel like, at the end of the day, that's the point of a hobby, it's to have fun, not... optimize everything to the point the fun gets sapped out, but also not to feel like you have to do things aimlessly, just, have a small focus, and build from there.
Anyways, these are my thoughts, what do you guys think? Do you have opinions, stories, found ways that worked for you in not getting overwhelmed, I want to hear everyone's opinions.
Today Plumb Bob Keep was hit with an unusually large spike in traffic, causing the host to suspend the site temporarily. We should be back up within 8 to 12 hrs. Thank you for your patience!
Bring your Sims to life from every corner of the globe! Show us outfits, homes, festivals, and traditions that celebrate the amazing variety of cultures and regions you love. Think creatively, have fun, and let your Sims tell their global stories! Add your creations here!
CALLING ALL BLACK TS2 SIMMERS!
Just wanted to make a quick official post that this community exists (using this sorta-crappy header I made last night at 2am...when I tell y'all I was STRUGGLING trying to find decent Maxis rendersš).
Community guidelines are pretty straightforward (read the pinned post for more information). Joining is on a request-only basis to combat pornbots and whatever else. Otherwise...LET'S GO!
Please reblog to help others find this space!
Just a simblr that she spent many hours working on, she converted cc for free to make other simmers happy and she never posted any nudity nor explicit content to get flagged and removed so please help to restore her precious account.
you may have noticed that jeb's (@twofingerswhiskey) blog has been deactivated. he did not delete it. it was automatically banned by tumblr's systems while he was trying to reblog an MCR pic. he did nothing wrong. this also happened on American Thanksgiving, which is a bad look as he is an indigenous trans man.
he would really appreciate your support in the endeavor to get his blog restored! @2fingerswhiskey, his sim blog, is still active but he cannot access it as it is a side blog.
please restore @twofingerswhiskey
@staff @support @humans
if you need to contact jeb for any reason, he is on discord as twofingerswhiskey. i can also pass messages to him if you don't have a discord.
Reminder that there are only 5 days left to sign up for this year's Secret Santa! We'll need at least 10 people to go forward with the activity, so sign up today.
