SimPE
| SimPE | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Quaxi |
| Latest Version | 0.72 Alpha |
| Release Date | September 24, 2008 |
| O.S. | Windows |
| Type | Modding Tools |
| Website | sims.ambertation.de |
SimPE is a modding tool designed for use with The Sims 2 and is often regarded as the most widely used program of its kind in the community. It has grown rapidly in the two years since the release of the game, seeing its feature set grow and its interface improve drastically in that same timeframe. Its main contributor is Quaxi, who has become somewhat of a celebrity in the community for his work on the program.
The current version of SimPE as of September 24, 2008 is Version 0.72 Alpha for EP's up to Apartment Life.
Contents |
Usage
SimPE's usage in Sims 2 modding is broad. The program has the ability at current to make modifications to nearly all or portions of the game, from simple editing of Sim traits to more complicated editing of BHAV and objects. Most authors who design or create content for the game use SimPE in some fashion, whether just for the creation of their package file at the end of development or for the majority of their development cycle.
Main Features
- Edit Sim traits: Family Ties, Interest, Turn Ons/Turn Offs, Age, Wants/Fears, Careers, Job, Monetary Value, Romantic Interests, Personality Traits, Aspirations, etc.
- Modify objects: recoloring (through the CEP), interactions, animations, functions, and appearance.
- Edit neighborhoods: terrain, lots, decorations, etc.
- Maintain your downloads folder through scanners, with the possibility of fixing bad files.
- An extensive plugin system which allows advanced users to implement their own functionality within the program without modifying it's base code.
- An object recolor and creation wizard that eases the creation of content for less advanced users. Authors who use this feature are able to create content with only five clicks.
Development
SimPE is regularly updated with bug fixes and improvements to the code. The program is most notable for being updated for compatibility with a future expansion often before the expansion is officially released in stores, allowing authors to begin working on means of making existing content compatible before a mass audience receives the update.
Work is being done on migrating SimPE to Microsoft's .NET 2.0 framework. Development has been ongoing while the transition takes place, so that when the next version is released (version 0.60 Alpha), there will be a slew of new features, bug fixes and the like in addition to .NET 2.x compatibility. The main reasons cited for the migration were to ease the compatibility transition with the release of Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system (which will come with .NET 2.0) in early 2007 and to improve development with the more streamlined coding environment in Visual Studio 2005.
Community Response
SimPE has seen an exceptional response in the community since its release, with many users regarding it as the ultimate tool for its defined purpose.
Criticism
Many users have offered criticism of SimPE's relatively slow loading time and while the interface has seen drastic changes to improve usability since it was released, many users still often cite this as one of the program's few shortcomings.
Tutorials
- Installation Guide
- SimPE From The Ground Up
- SimPE Handbook: Cloning and Recolouring options
- SimPE Resource Editing
- Clothing recolor using SimPE
