Creator Guidelines - Majors
Creating a custom major is a relatively simple task, but that is not an excuse for lazy uploading. The following are the rules you need to follow when creating and uploading a major - follow them and you are almost guaranteed approval!
Creation Requirements
| Is There a Theme?
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- The subject matter of a custom major need not be within the realms of possibility. We have magic majors, hoodlum majors, majors on how to be a ninja... no sense of reality required. However, whatever theme you choose must make sense as a major.
- Making majors based around games, films, books, TV shows or celebrities is very popular - but it has to be done carefully. People, and sims, go to university to learn how to be or do something. They don't go to university to learn about a TV show or a celebrity. Using a TV show or a game world as a base is fine, but a sim studying your major should have some chance of learning something they might actually care about.
- The key is immersion - is anyone likely to create a sim who would want to follow this major? Someone has probably made a Buffy sim, they probably haven't made a sim who is Sarah Michelle Gellar's #1 fan. To illustrate, some acceptable and unacceptable class titles:
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- Avada Kedavra! And Other Phrases You Should Rarely Use
- Advanced Mechanics: Smack It Wiv' Yer Spanner!
- Why Stargate + Black Hole = Do not Want
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- Dumbledore Dies on Page 596!
- Is Paris Hilton Really Straight?
- The Hidden Message of the Fast Food Rockers
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Other Important Bits and Bobs
| Uniqueness and Grammar
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- Description, title, and classes must be new, unique, and inventive. They must also be double-checked for spelling and grammar.
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| "Clear All Languages"
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- Make sure to hit "Clear All Languages" before you upload, or your file will not work properly with non-US English games!
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| Overwriting
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- Unless your major is specifically intended to overwrite a Maxis major, it absolutely must have a registered custom GUID.
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| Skill Requirements
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- If you use BCONs to alter skill requirements, test them thoroughly before you upload. Incorrectly modified BCONs can cause game crashes, so test them.
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| Custom Icons
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- Custom icons should be icons - not photos, drawings, or anything else. In addition, give your icon a transparent background - no-one likes to see a fugly black box in their UI, making the icon look half-assed. If you have trouble with making a transparent icon, just google "transparent image your graphics editor here"; and save as TGA or PNG.
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Posting Requirements
| Required Information and Photo
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- You must include in your post:
- Major title and description, and class names.
- If the major overwrites a Maxis major, you must state which major it overwrites.
- If you used BCONs to alter skill requirements, state which skills are focused on.
- The icon used for the major, as an attachment to the post. If you created your icon in a program which uses lurid pink to show transparency, put it on a white background; otherwise it just looks tacky.
- Majors require University. They are not basegame compatible. They do not require Nightlife, Seasons, or anything else. Tick the University box, and that's it!
It is a good idea to link to FrikaC's Majors Made Easier in your post.
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Additional Stuff
- If your upload is rejected or marked as changes required and you're not sure why, ask in Creator Issues.
- If you're not sure whether your neighborhood is ready for uploading, use the Creator Feedback Forum to get feedback on it.
