lumpinou

Some Progress Info :)

Added 2021-11-24 22:54:45 +0000 UTC

Hello everyone,

----- A Quick Word --------

First and foremost, since for some this is a week to celebrate being thankful, I want to thank you all once again. I don't know where I would be without you all and you support. I am always and forever deeply thankful and humbled. Thank you also for your patience as I navigate this year. I'm hoping for much better for next year...

Now - we are here for Progress info :)

(a little prototype video and info dump).

--- General state of affairs ----

I have been hitting a lot of walls with this module but we are getting somewhere :) This month I was sick for two weeks which didn't help going fast. But, as I said before, we ARE getting somewhere and the end of the ever dreaded module 10 is coming to a close!

Yet, we must not forget - there will be also be a major game patch on or around November 30-December 1st.

This will not help our situation here. I have been nearing a breakdown over being tight for time (yes, again, sorry) so I have decided to make priorities.

So, there will be a partial release at the very end of November.

Then because of the patch and adding features, there will be another release / update.

Here is as it goes:

First and foremost - what is just about certain going to be ready to early release by the very end of November (meaning, what I am prioritizing):

- court and amicable discussions to decide who has custody of children in a separation

- the little lawyer thingie

- custody visit system (THE most complicated part of this module!)

All these elements are the most complicated but also the most advanced and close to being done and if I prioritize them as planned, making the rest (listed below) wait, they really should be done in time.

What will possibly be ready:

- decisions and court visit about sharing financial capital

This is a short feature so it might fit in the time left.

What likely might not be ready to go & will be finished up from Dec 1-10:

- Child support system, co-parenting systems, and more social interactions and moodlets everywhere.

- At that point, is also when I will make the post asking for your requests and work on adding them in the mod.

I want to do all these pieces right and with how taken up I have been with the custody visit system, I haven't been able to yet.

---------------------------

The Custody Visit System: What and How

See a quick video HERE of a little test run - (prototype)

So, the custody visit system, because of the 'automatic' aspect I tried to give it, has been a difficult thing to work with.

I expected it to be trouble, because the game basically almost does not have ways to make things happen to Sims when they are not on the screen. What that means is, it's complicated to have an automatic visit system work in a rotational manner.

But, it was more troublesome than I thought it would be because some of the game's own mechanisms to circumvent around that issue... well, completely failed to do so and created other issues. BUT. I have, too, circumvented around that and got somewhere functional.

I think at this point I am reaching the "best possible set-up at the moment considering the game's limitations and the limitations of my own current knowledge". Which means it may evolve later if new ideas come, but for now it is this:

The system

- Sims sent on a visit will automatically be sent to the 'receiving' household.

- They will automatically come back when time's up if the household played at that moment is either the child's or the parent's. If not, the sim will transfer automatically back whenever they appear again in game (so if they randomly pop up on a lot while you're playing a completely unrelated household, then they'll do the switching at that moment; or otherwise, they'll transfer back whenever you next play either of their parent's household, etc). Once again, this being due to those troubles with the game not really doing things in the background at all for sims who aren't currently appeared and loaded in the game.

- Visits can be one day, two days, three days.

I am trying to finish up an auto cycle visit (1 day every 4-5 day) ut being that this is an automatic set up on two levels and with the aforementioned limitations due to the game's way of being, this is a bit tricky to adjust perfectly.

- Sims can also call to ask for a visit, and call to send kids back early. Refusal will be possible there. but perhaps not at first release if I can't fit it in. I will also add a choice to call to extend visits. Same deal, might not be before early December.

- There will be a similar system for pets, which is started but not finished yet at this moment, and maybe will not be automatic, to simplify things. We'll see.

Some moodlets gotten in the tests. These ones were for a toddler. Sims will also react to custody decisions positively or negatively depending on relationship with each parent.