Mods for populating worlds in CAW

[Chuckles_82]

I've read the wiki on how to populate CAW worlds, and I find it a little bit bare-bones. Especially when it comes to how to use the mods required. I've had a glance through some of the documentation at NRAAS, but would like some advice/guidance on using these mods for this specific purpose. Any tips or things that aren't mentioned in the brief tutorial would be really appreciated.

I'm only at the early stage of building my new world, but I want it to be fully complete this time. My first one was good for a first try, but this time I am going all out. I want to make sure that I plan from the outset how many sims I'll need (I've got a rough idea from looking at the wiki, but if the game doesn't accept my townies and makes its own, then I'll need to make considerably less), how to get them in, and how to set them up with careers, skills and relationships.

Also it would be good to know how to clean up routing (I think I read that a mod is required?) and anything other advanced tips for finalising my world.
Edit: Should I use Overwatch or Story Progression?

Is there a mod or inbuilt function for adding food trucks to worlds?
Edit: I think I'll give the food truck a miss - flagging my world as a city seems too complicated and iffy, at best. I've also had problems in the past with unlocked items crashing the game.

Is there a way to set what hours tourists visit worlds (with or without a mod)?
Edit: Once again depends on how the world is flagged, and I'm not messing with that for now.

And last but not least, can I just confirm that the factory reset method (switching my sims folders in and out) is enough to 'uninstall' the mods for my challenge files? None of the program files are touched? Edit: confirmed - I wasn't sure if once installed the mods would run a script or something that edited program files. Glad to hear that they don't.

Thanks Nona for the help sofar

[NonaMena]

Unless you actually did something to the files in Program Files, nothing in your your game installation folders is touched by mods that you install via Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3. In the past (before the Ambitions EP), mods were installed in the Sims 3 Installation directory, but that is no longer the case, as EA added support for the Mods folder in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3.  So, yes, if you do a factory reset, there will be no mods in your game.

I know people use Porter to populate a world, but I've never done it myself. Hopefully somebody else will help you with that.

To add a food truck & food truck parking space, you can use this mod: http://www.modthesims.info/showpost.php?p=3390100&postcount=3  If you put the food truck in a non-City world (i.e. not a Downtown world like Bridgeport), you'll need Nraas Traffic to make the food truck move around.

As for tourists in Custom Worlds, there may be a hint here about it: http://nraas.wikispaces.com/message/view/Register/54085066  I've never actually built a world or paid much attention to tourists, because they don't interest me much except for possibly getting quick friends for charisma.

Hope this helps a little, and hopefully somebody else will add more.

[Swirl-Girl]

There is a very small lot in Bridgeport and if you wait for the food truck to park itself on it, you can go into edit town immediately, and save that lot with the food truck on it. It also has a subway stop on it, along with the food truck parking space.

[Chuckles_82]

Thanks swirl-girl, I already have that saved to my lot bin. I'll probably do the same as what I did for my fire station - use my firefighter sims with all the rewards to build the firestation, then convert it in CAW. Where there's a will, there's a way!

[caittorr]

HELP!!!
I'm just finishing up my CAW project. I've created all the Sims I want to have living in my town, and it's now time to put them all into my world ... only thing is, I can't figure out how! I will be using Twallan's Porter mod, and I have it installed (let's assume properly, as all my other mods work fine). I've scoured this site, but there is no actual instruction on how to do this in CAW or EIG. Please help! Thanks

[_Annika_]

I believe if you have master controller installed, you can click on townhall to get the options. There is a link to the wiki in the first post. Does that help? If not you could ask the team that created Union Cove to send you a PM with the instructions (or another person who has a custom populated world).

[caittorr]

I have read over that Wiki about a hundred times. There is ONE step I'm missing. I've added a Sim using the "makesim"command. Now what?! There is nothing to do with Porter that I can find anywhere. I've tried clicking on the City Hall. There is a Nraas option, but I can't navigate through to find anything. When I'm in edit town mode, I don't have any families in the bin, even though they are all there in the regular game.
The Wiki says "Build all the families in the game itself, save them to the bin, and then introduce them into Edit-In-Game using Make Sim > Porter > [Family name]." But I'm lost how to get the command to start. I am so frustrated, I just can't figure it out!