E. S. Sims

Aka: the clarity and communication that you deserve

Hi everyone. As some may have caught already, GoS is not dead (anymore)! During the period that it was, however, so much drama started and if you ask me; it all comes down to people not knowing what's going on and making assumptions that further sparked panic. So, let's clear some stuff up for those who got caught in the rumor mill.

Oh and if you haven't, it's worth reading @julessims excellent writeup on how she got GoS working again.

This is gonna be focused a bit more on communications stuff. Like, a bit more general I guess?

Hello! I was the one who fixed it.

Well it wasn’t 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.

I’m super happy I got the chance to work to fix it. It wasn’t 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.

Published: 5-16-2026 (Version 1.5) | Updated: N/A SUMMARY “You can tell a better story when you have a more fleshed out character” – Simulation Princess, 2026 The SimLife Generator is an Excel-based tool for generating Sims 2 character profiles. Use it to create new sims, play with ideas, edit existing sims, or get unstuck in Bodyshop/Create-A-Sim. You can also profile details related to a sim’s background, family, hobbies, relationships, career, lifestyle, and more!

This tool requires one of the following: Excel 2021 and up, Google Sheets, LibreOffice 26, MS Excel Online (via MS Outlook), Office 365, or PlanMaker.

Some profiles will include both default and custom content – disregard what doesn’t apply to your sim. Sims 2 default items are generated on separate lines for ease (“DEF” or “TS2”).

Select Sims 1/Sims 3/Sims 4 items were included so there is some limited application for those games. Lots of descriptive details are available to help you create unique faces/bodies – not everything will have a literal button/slider in Create-A-Sim (i.e. there is no “dad bod” or “bottom-heavy” toggle in-game but the detail can help you assign unique physical features).

See below for more information.

IMPORTANT: Generated suggestions come from a small language model (SML). Text items stored in the gray “DATA-“ tabs – DO NOT ALTER THESE unless you know what you’re doing. The password to unlock these is: cityof2morrow. TESTERS WANTED! If you use one of the programs listed above – I’m looking for another set of testers for the generator. There are a few unfinished areas but it is 95% finished. I’m still looking for feedback on the following:

-What kinds of reference images you need for the FACE profile (I was thinking body shapes, head shapes, eye shapes, beards, 1A thru 4C hair). You don’t have to test Steps 1-5 on this profile since it’s been thoroughly tested – unless you want to! -I need links to TS4 body presets (so I can add them to the suggested shapes part of the BODY tab. -Making pets using the PETS tab for TS2, TS3, and TS4 -General feedback on any other profile tab (which parts you like best, which parts could be improved/explained better). -Suggestions for the CENSUS tab (the plan is to generate a census of sims types. Example: how many low, medium, high income sims a subhood should have). CONTACT ME via PM.

Good Bad news, everyone!

I have returned from a grueling 48-hour adventure deep within the Maxis mines, and have witnessed unspeakable man-made horrors with my own two eyes — the object limit is very real and there is nothing that can be done to fix it! The end times are upon us!

Okay, I'm being slightly dramatic. It could be fixed fairly easily, but not with a simple patch, and likely not without access to the source code (anyone else tired of hearing that excuse?).

The issue is that the limit isn't localised to purely the Build/Buy menu — it's integral to every aspect of the game that involves objects. Here are just a few examples of the game's functionality that would need modifying to remove the limit:

Sim pathfinding and routing.

Mapping tree tables to objects.

Interacting with objects.

Manipulating objects within lists (reading/writing/deleting them).

Objects being unselectable in the Build/Buy menu was also a result of this limit and I managed to fix it very quickly, but because The Sims 2 is a house of cards with the limit as its foundation, everything started falling apart almost instantly.

"So, what is this limit?", I hear you ask. 32,767. Yes, you read that correctly. The game is only willing to accept object IDs up to a meager value of 32,767. In computing terms, this is the maximum value of a signed 16-bit integer. It can store many more objects than this in a list, which is why you can still see all your 4t2 objects in the catalogue, but it isn't designed to recognise this many IDs and thus can't do anything with them.

Why are integers signing things? Are they famous or something?

'Signed' refers to the fact that these are integers (an integer is just a whole number btw) that can represent both positive and negative values — negative numbers have a negative sign before them, hence the term 'signed'. An unsigned integer is therefore one that can only represent positive values.

While they can both represent the same total of different values, the range of representable positive values differs. Using 16-bit integers as an example:

Unsigned: 0–65,535 Signed: -32,768–32,767

This shows that both can represent 65,536 different values, but the range of positive values for signed integers is half of that of unsigned integers. Object IDs cannot be negative, which means Maxis deliberately chose to use signed integers as a way to cut the ID limit in half.

The cherry on top of all this is that the game is manually converting 32-bit numbers into 16-bit numbers to enforce this limit. This is why I could fix objects not being selectable in the Build/Buy menu easily, as all I had to do was patch out the conversion. Could EA do this across the whole game themselves if they wanted to? I imagine so. But then again, if I had billions of dollars, I probably couldn't be arsed either.

What's an object ID?

An object ID is just a number from 0–32,767 that the game assigns to each new object it places into a list, presumably starting at 0 and incrementing by 1 for the next object. It would appear that CC objects are given IDs first, which is why it was solely Maxis objects becoming unselectable after passing the limit.

Sims and objects are stored in separate lists, but I believe they both contribute to the overall limit. My single piece of evidence for this is that I experimented switching between several hoods and observed that the IDs of objects in the Build/Buy catalogue fluctuated across them. Objects in hoods with subhoods attached had higher IDs than in those without.

What was causing the Build/Buy menu crashes?

The same thing I explained in my original post (the game trying to access null pointers), except the creation of these null pointers was no accident and not the result of something going wrong.

The game merely checks whether the ID for the object it is looking at is above 32,767, and if it is, it deliberately sets the pointer to its address to 0. This would be fine, if it didn't then try and access this nullified pointer immediately afterwards!

I'll cut Maxis some slack here, because surely no one would be crazy enough to want more than 32,767 objects in their game, right guys? How could they ever have predicted such a scenario? (2004 was a simpler time).

Wait, so you were wrong about there not being an object limit? Not so cocky now, are you?

Whoa there, cowboy — hold your horses. If I may direct your attention to this excerpt of an email I sent to @teaaddictyt on the 22nd of April 2026 at 13:42 BST:

As you can see, I was right all along!!!

In my defence though, we thought the crashing was the only thing we had to solve, which is why I missed the completely obvious 16-bit conversion that was occurring within the functions I patched. Unfortunately, I am only human, but I understand if you want to destroy all the spockthewok posters I know you have hanging on your walls...

In light of these new findings, if you want to hear my updated opinion on the existence of the object limit, watch this video.

Is your patch useless?

Yes, but also no. It's not fixing the object limit (I should probably rename it tbh), but it is fixing those annoying crashes caused by it.

At the moment, not having the Build/Buy menu crash when you try and use it is the best we can do. It's up to you which you find more annoying — crashing, or not being able to buy x number of objects in the catalogue. Like the 4GB memory limit, this is going to be an additional constraint we'll have to learn to accept :/

Another alternative would be to join me and the 12 other weirdos who play with no CC, and never have to worry about any of this. No? Oh well, it was worth a try...

Will you ever actually fix the object limit?

If it's even possible without the source code, then not by myself, no.

Because of the number of core areas of the game that would need patching, I don't trust myself not to miss something and have the game explode. Unless someone wants to assemble a modding strike force to try and tackle the issue as a team over several months, I'm not touching it with a 10-foot pole (for your safety and for mine).

Should Maxis go on trial at the Hague for crimes against humanity?

Probably.

Anyway, that's all from me, apologies for the false hope :( One small positive is that I did manage to map out a reasonably large chunk of the game's code while I was frantically searching for solutions, which should make my life easier when looking at your requests. I feel like I need to successfully complete some of them now to make up for this dud!

Will

Are your serial daters running the risk of drowning in flowers? Does it not seem quite right to just sell them? Do you question why there's even a market for second hand date roses in the sims world? Well boy does my sim Maja Sernman have the solution for you! The Sernman Group is opening a florist near you where you too can procure 100% authentic flowers that actually age! Insect-proof, compost friendly, bio-degradable flowers for you, and you, and all of you!

Inspired by @kashmiresims, and with a little help from some friends, I bring you my first mod of 2026.

Features

- After 7 days flowers will go old, using a new texture by Epi. By default a dialogue pops up, and camera will zoom to show to the rose.

- A new interaction to throw away flowers, that routes to the nearest trash can. By default the sim will think about who sent the rose, and roses can be thrown away anytime.

- Storytelling debug interactions for setting recipient/sender, make fresh/expire, pick text option (see below)

- Buyable date rewards, which thanks to debug interactions can be set up correctly. Now your sim can give extra, if they want to! You'll find them in deco/misc, prices are 5, 5, 15 and 55 simoleons (unchanged from original).

- Optional text default! Maxis intended date rewards to have 4 possible writings, but then they just duplicated the same text. I restored this to the intended mechanic and spruced up the writing. To give you a variety in style and personality, @kashmiresims @episims @nikkasimms and I have all written one entry for each of the four different date rewards with writing (bouquet, single flower, love letter, hate letter). Edit friendly, you can add more text options if you want to.

- Highly BCON tunable. Features can be turned on or off, some are active by default, some are not. See read me for more info.

NOTE!!! This requires Date Rewards by Color Traits by Episims and PForestsims. It uses their base texture, and will look extremely weird without their mesh default. Must load after!! Roses will error on expiration if load order is wrong, which erases sender/recipient info, so please make sure you get load order right if you care about your existing roses. Debug interactions can restore if error did happen, if you know who sender/recipient were.

Download from simfileshare

Conflicts: Must load after color trait date rewards. Will conflict with anything that alters pie menu and dialogues of date rewards. Adds new code to date reward semi global. Use HCDU+ to verify if you have other mods that alter date rewards.

Edit: Just read the article and...so a completely new engine that none of the expansion packs will work on and it's probably going to be using Rene as the base and...*checks notes again*...several "studios" are working on it.

Am I missing something here? Is this a Valve situation where they can’t count to a certain number? Why remaster 4 ahead of 3?

Silken Threads Fantasy Flavor - Silk Spiders

ARACHNOPHOBES BEWARE: The original spinners themselves have found their way into your game. This set allows your Sims to raise spiders for Spider Silk.

Threads so delicate and yet so sturdy; the gameplay loop Sims who understand the creatures around them, even the dangerous ones, can be of great use when treated with respect. By giving food and shelter to these critters, sims will receive valuable spider silk thread in return.

To get to know Spider, sims will want to keep a Leatherbound Bestiary on their person. This acts as an inventory tool to bypass any restrictions (aside from skill level restrictions) with spiders.

These spiders of unusually large size will hop around the lot and go about their day. They can be interacted with and if a Web Arch is present on a lot, they will spin spider webs that can be gathered by sim. Female Silk Spider have a 10% chance to lay an Egg Sack every 24 hours (Both variables BCON tunable). Each come in 5 color variations.

If slaughtered, their carcasses can be used as food points, or Silk Spider Venom may be extracted. This venom is consumable and causes delirium, sickness, or somethings nothing if a sim drinks it. It's a good dare for any party game!

Food and shelter for these roaming critters comes in the form of the Web Arch. Various animal carcasses can be offered to silk spiders here and after 24 hours (BCON tunable) sims can gather either the silk spider's web, or an egg sack to hatch more silk spiders. It takes silk spiders 48 hours (tunable) to hatch and then grow.

Feed Spider, 24h later, collect web or egg.

IMPORTANT: Spider Silk has been added to Flowing Fabrics as of November 1 2025. Any files from earlier than that date, will not allow you to use Spider Silk. Get an up-to-date version.

Requirements:

Easy Lot Check

Easy Inventory Check

Smarter EP Check

Money Globals

A source of animal carcasses (Barnyard Bash, The Game's Afoot, It's a Trap!)

Download - SFS

Ugh, how obnoxious. And you just know that anything they make quickly will be parceled out into tiny untested packs or even micro-transactions so they get even more money.

🎉 THE DAY HAS COME!!! IT'S OUT!!!! 🎉

This has been such an amazing and fun journey! We're beyond happy so many great artists could join us and turn this little idea into a beefy magazine! We want to extend our thanks to each and every contributor and we hope you had as much fun creating for the zine as we had seeing, reviewing and assembling everything. 💚

How can I read this zine?

We coded this cute online flip book (big thanks to npc_crow!) to really get the magazine experience, but you can also download the free pdf here!

But I want to actually hold it in my hands! Can I get a physical copy?

Same, dear reader, same!

We are still trying to find an optimal solution uniting quality and affordability, and that requires looooots of testing.

Our plan is to sell physical copies at non-profit aka production & shipment price, and per request to avoid out-of-pocket expenses by printing stock without knowing if it would sell entirely. We hope to be able to fulfill printing requests soon and will be sure to update you about that.

Until then, we hope you enjoy the digital version!

-Team Nostalgia

I'm looking for people with some spare time who would like to test an experimental mod for dyeing objects in the buy/build mode. And then check how they behave in the live mode.

I would like to receive your feedback, including any issues you encounter and suggestions you have.

If you’re interested, DM me on Tumblr or Discord.

Here's a short video showing the current state of the mod: