NRaas Industries

[brappl]

For the past few years, I've stayed away from mods altogether.  I'd always thought they caused more problems in my game than they solved.  But it's all over this site that so many people use them, now I'm starting to wonder if maybe that has changed?

So here's what I would like:
I would like a high quality story progression mod.  One that actually pushes the sims not in my family to enter relationships, get married, have kids, get jobs, etc.  Currently in my game, it's rare that I see that.  I used to have the NRAAS Industries story progression mod and I loved it, until it messed my game up beyond repair and I had to completely re-install.  My concerns for getting this mod are as follows:
I don't want something that's all or nothing.  Meaning, if I get Master Controller (which I think is what the story progression is included in?) that means I can then do EVERYTHING.  I don't want to do everything.  I generally like to play my game cheat-free, unless something really bad happens or a sim is stuck, or whatever.
Of course, another concern is whether or not it will mess up my game!
And, one of my main concerns is how much maintenance will I have to do.  It used to be that you had to create folders, and move files, and do allllll this annoying time-consuming stuff JUST so you can have this ONE mod in your game.  And then you'd have to keep doing the folder moving, etc, it wasn't a one-time thing.  If this process has been streamlined now, awesome!  I saw that there is a thread for a step-by-step guide on how to install mods, so I'm not asking for that here.  I'm fully capable of reading that, I'm just expressing my concerns.

Another mod I would like is that saver thing?  The one that saves your game every 15 minutes or whatever.  I have a very bad habit of forgetting to save, and then something bad happens and I've lost all my progress.

Then I saw that Twallen has those other mods that prevent problems or help you troubleshoot.  I generally DON'T have problems in my game.  I have NO CC and stay away from it simply for that reason!  So....I'm not sure I would need them.  Unless, it's to prevent problems that the Master Controller creates, in which case, that would simply turn me off to the Master Controller completely.

As you can see, I don't want a bunch of maintenance.  Any advice would be awesome!  Thanks!

In the past I did experience some problems with mods until I learned some of them were conflicting with each other.   Now I use only Twallan's mods.  Most of his mods are Pure Scripting mods which do not necessarily need an object therefore should not create any problems.   NonaMena has an excellent write up on Mods and it is posted somewhere in these forums, I just am not sure where.  Here is a direct link to that information:   http://www.den.simlogical.com/denforum/index.php?topic=1551.0

I use Master Controller.  The Mod is awesome.  Takes a bit to get used to as it has deep menus.  He also has a Story Progression Mod (not included in Master Controller) that looks like something you might be interested in. Here is the link:  http://nraas.wikispaces.com/StoryProgression.  You will find all his other mods here also. 

My game has been pretty much problem free and runs without lags but have had a few issues and that is where his Overwatch has been an awesome tool.  Stuck Sim?  Routing Problem? .. Overwatch fixes that.  One of my Sims would not go to the Bookstore so I used reset town in Overwatch and it cleaned up everything.

The mods are easy to remove if they are not what you want.  I've never had these mess up my game.

Before I install any mods I copy and paste the entire The Sims 3 game folder so I have a good working copy of the game if it is needed.  I am not familiar with the saver thing you mentioned but I do back up my game after playing by copy and pasting the Saves folder to my desktop.  If playing for an extended amount of time, I've quit the game copied the Saves folder to desktop and gone back into the game.   

Hope you check the mods out and find something you like.    I couldn't live without them now and I do not like to cheat all the time but there are some interesting features that do make game play more fun.

[SingleMomSim]

Thanks for the info brappl.

This whole copying and pasting thing has me worried though.  I know it may seem like a very simple process but it's just plain annoying and tedious.  Yeah, yeah, I know I'm whining

But I think I will look into getting Master Controller as long as it comes with the Story Progression.  So many people have recommended it...

[brappl]

Thanks for the info brappl.

This whole copying and pasting thing has me worried though.  I know it may seem like a very simple process but it's just plain annoying and tedious.  Yeah, yeah, I know I'm whining

But I think I will look into getting Master Controller as long as it comes with the Story Progression.  So many people have recommended it...

I believe Story Progression is not included in Master Controller, you will need to add it.   

[grimsoul]

SingleMomSim, Master Controller and Story Progression are two separate Mods. And they both have several different extensions that can be used with them depending on how much control you want the Mod to have.
Like you I'm bad about forgetting to save my game so I really recommend using Saver. It defaults to saving every 30 minutes but you can change that to what ever you want.

[brappl]

Thanks grimsoul... I did not know Saver was at NRaas.  I'm going to give that one a try.  But will still keep a back up of recent game folders. 

[Frey]

I think I will have to get Saver. I had never had any error 12 issues before but now, everytime I forget to save for a while, I get it. If I save every 5-10 minutes it's OK, but half an hour without saving... and I'm doomed. Really annoying!

[Dellena]

Here is a link to Twallan's "Which Mod FAQ"

https://nraas.wikispaces.com/Which+Mod+FAQ

You might find it helpful and I'm sure it's been posted before.

I know the moving of folders can be annoying, but you should only have to do that when a new patch is released.  If you're going to use mods, I'd recommend turning off the Automatic Updates so you can decide when you want to update.  I know a lot of people won't update their game until Twallan has been able to update his mods.  The good news is he's very dedicated and fast.

Also, there is a matter of maintenance on mods.  Like anything else in software, they require updating even between patches.  When problems are found, Twallan is good about fixing them and updating the mods.  He has a special page for Update History: https://nraas.wikispaces.com/Update+History  And there are instructions there on how to get e-mail notifications of updates.  I'd recommend that so you know when you need to get the latest version.

For me, the general maintenance is very worth the outcome because I enjoy the game so much more with his mods that I use.

Regarding Story Progression:  If you get Story Progression, you'll need to also get a module for Master Controller called Progression.  You'll probably also want the module Cheats.

More tips:  I have a folder on my desktop where I keep the zip files from NRaas.  The zip files shows the version.  However, the package file that is installed in your mods folder does not.  So it can be hard to remember which version you have.  So I have that separate folder to make it easier for myself.  When I get a new version, I simply install it from that folder and then remove the previous version.

When a new patch is released, you'll need to have some patience for the mods to be updated.  You can either remove the mods and update.  Or wait for the mods to be updated and then get the patch.  Totally up to the individual.

NRaas has it's own Chatterbox discussion board which is very useful if you have a problem with an NRaas mod and want some friendly advice.  Everyone there is very helpful and don't discriminate against those who aren't very computer savvy.  I frequent the forums here and NRaas Chatterbox and that's about it.

Lastly, I'd recommend you get the basics in the mods first (Master Controller with Cheats, Overwatch, Errortrap and Saver).  Get used to those first before getting into Story Progression.

[SingleMomSim]

Here is a link to Twallan's "Which Mod FAQ"

https://nraas.wikispaces.com/Which+Mod+FAQ

You might find it helpful and I'm sure it's been posted before.

I know the moving of folders can be annoying, but you should only have to do that when a new patch is released.  If you're going to use mods, I'd recommend turning off the Automatic Updates so you can decide when you want to update.  I know a lot of people won't update their game until Twallan has been able to update his mods.  The good news is he's very dedicated and fast.

Also, there is a matter of maintenance on mods.  Like anything else in software, they require updating even between patches.  When problems are found, Twallan is good about fixing them and updating the mods.  He has a special page for Update History: https://nraas.wikispaces.com/Update+History  And there are instructions there on how to get e-mail notifications of updates.  I'd recommend that so you know when you need to get the latest version.

For me, the general maintenance is very worth the outcome because I enjoy the game so much more with his mods that I use.

Regarding Story Progression:  If you get Story Progression, you'll need to also get a module for Master Controller called Progression.  You'll probably also want the module Cheats.

More tips:  I have a folder on my desktop where I keep the zip files from NRaas.  The zip files shows the version.  However, the package file that is installed in your mods folder does not.  So it can be hard to remember which version you have.  So I have that separate folder to make it easier for myself.  When I get a new version, I simply install it from that folder and then remove the previous version.

When a new patch is released, you'll need to have some patience for the mods to be updated.  You can either remove the mods and update.  Or wait for the mods to be updated and then get the patch.  Totally up to the individual.

NRaas has it's own Chatterbox discussion board which is very useful if you have a problem with an NRaas mod and want some friendly advice.  Everyone there is very helpful and don't discriminate against those who aren't very computer savvy.  I frequent the forums here and NRaas Chatterbox and that's about it.

Lastly, I'd recommend you get the basics in the mods first (Master Controller with Cheats, Overwatch, Errortrap and Saver).  Get used to those first before getting into Story Progression.

Thank you for the tips!  Actually, yesterday I decided to go ahead and get Story Progression.  It's the only mod I got.  I'm considering getting his Saver mod and the Financial add-on to the Story Progression mod but for right now I'm just gonna enjoy Story Progression.

I am very impressed with the NRAAS site.  It's much different than it used to be.  I recall that when I used it years ago it was difficult to navigate and the forums I used (before I found Carl's!) weren't very accepting of people who weren't as computer savvy as them.  Which is crazy because I'm incredibly computer savvy and have a degree in Business Office Technology.  I'm just not a PROGRAMMER.   But anyway, I love this site for that reason!

As far as the file folders go, I actually did create a separate folder on my desktop for the unzipped files, and a backup for my saves, just in case something went wrong, or for when I need to update.  So, as of right now, I'm very happy with Story Progression.  Hopefully that continues!

[cndneh]

Thank you for the tips!  Actually, yesterday I decided to go ahead and get Story Progression.  It's the only mod I got.  I'm considering getting his Saver mod and the Financial add-on to the Story Progression mod but for right now I'm just gonna enjoy Story Progression.

I am very impressed with the NRAAS site.  It's much different than it used to be.  I recall that when I used it years ago it was difficult to navigate and the forums I used (before I found Carl's!) weren't very accepting of people who weren't as computer savvy as them.  Which is crazy because I'm incredibly computer savvy and have a degree in Business Office Technology.  I'm just not a PROGRAMMER.   But anyway, I love this site for that reason!

As far as the file folders go, I actually did create a separate folder on my desktop for the unzipped files, and a backup for my saves, just in case something went wrong, or for when I need to update.  So, as of right now, I'm very happy with Story Progression.  Hopefully that continues!

Nraas was always hosted on other people's sites in the past, then twallan got his own wiki and the rest is history. So if the other sites weren't accepting its because of the hosts, not twallan.    I have a bunch of his mods and love the story progression, also love saver.  I would recommend it.  Saved me from a lot of heart ache when the computer would crash/error/ etc and I would lose everything (since I always forget to save). Now I have it to save every fifteen minutes, and it pauses when it goes to save (so when its saving I can get up and go away without fear of my sims playing by themselves.

[SingleMomSim]

Nraas was always hosted on other people's sites in the past, then twallan got his own wiki and the rest is history. So if the other sites weren't accepting its because of the hosts, not twallan.    I have a bunch of his mods and love the story progression, also love saver.  I would recommend it.  Saved me from a lot of heart ache when the computer would crash/error/ etc and I would lose everything (since I always forget to save). Now I have it to save every fifteen minutes, and it pauses when it goes to save (so when its saving I can get up and go away without fear of my sims playing by themselves.

Yes, I'm definitely getting Saver.  Probably not until next weekend though.  My weekend comes to an end tonight, unfortunately.   Since I've decided to work tomorrow....*sigh*

[Swirl-Girl]

If you install Traveller with out WA but with Uni, how will that work out? Will you be able to go on vacation? Or will the other towns be universities now?

[sawadaWiz]

I hope there's a mod that put sims into social group and behave like what they should do

[Seabody]

Very sad news coming out of NRaas Industries today.

For a long while, it has been known that twallan has no intention of modding for The Sims 4. However today, due to an increasing amount of work, plus growing disinterest in The Sims 3, twallan has decided to cease support for his mods, and he will not be making any more, nor developing any more.

What does this mean? The mods that work at this point in time will continue to but will likely break with the next update. Twallan has released his source code for anyone interested, and I'll be downloading it tonight once I'm home from work. Please note, for obvious reasons, the source code should only be downloaded by people who know what they are doing.

You can read more at his State of the Mod page.

[RaiaDraconis]

...oh dear. :/

He was one of the best modders out there, one who really cared about what he was doing and I admire him greatly. I wish him the absolute best of luck in his future endeavors.

Given that there are no further expansion packs coming out, though, I wonder if there will even be any future patches for the Sims 3. Perhaps 1.63 will be it and the current mods will hold...?

[Seabody]

...oh dear. :/

He was one of the best modders out there, one who really cared about what he was doing and I admire him greatly. I wish him the absolute best of luck in his future endeavors.

Given that there are no further expansion packs coming out, though, I wonder if there will even be any future patches for the Sims 3. Perhaps 1.63 will be it and the current mods will hold...?

BeyondSims reports that we are getting a new patch soon. Source. Twallan's work is so widely used, that I'm sure someone will update them.