#maxis lostfound

LIVE

*oh yeah, carry on, carry on*Some of you could remember pre-totalitarian clouds floating above the l

Some of you could remember pre-totalitarian clouds floating above the lot in the base game… until the Maxis broke it in Seasons EP.

Years ago I have understood a bit about the structure of the Effects.package file, so I managed to return them into the game, and even made several innovations and discoveries.

Finally:

1. The lot clouds controller (misc.) - the hemisphere, that disappears in the Live mode (as it works in the totalitarian sky). It launches daytime clouds during the day, and night clouds at night time. In the base game there is a common effect for all lot sky effects (skybox fx + sun fx + clouds fx etc.), that switch all of them at the night automatically. The lot sky holder effect was changed in EP5, so there is no way at this time to restore it in original way without destroying the EP5 effections, so, I find the best way - the BHAV-based controller, that works in the similar way.

DOWNLOAD THE LOT CLOUDS

(required one of the next texture files for rain clouds, because they don’t exist in the game files)

UPD:also look at the @lazyduchess global edit launches the clouds on any lot without buying a controller manually! Texture file from this post is still required

2. The rain clouds textures - when I tried to dig out the effects in the game files, I discover, that maxis had made the rain clouds effect directly for EP5, but then leave it unused. Why they destroyed clouds? What kind of fail was arrived during the development EP5? I don’t know. But in fact, when the weather on lot is overcast, the clouds automatically turned into rainclouds (sadly, only top clouds, distant clouds will still white).

The texture file is absolutely required for the mod, because the original rain cloud texture was cut away from the final game, so the storm produces the cringy flakes of NOTEX:

*Richard Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries vibes*

There are three alternative versions of rain textures

Download (click the bold text, choose only one!):

a) THE COAL VERSION:

b) THE DUST VERSION:

c) THE DARK DUST VERSION:

3. The optional default replacement for the basegame cloud textures, based on the dust version (zombie cloud from EP01). It looks nice under the overcast skies (totalitarian or not, they are fully compatible, btw). And suited well with the dark dust rain texture.

DOWNLOAD THE DEFAULT REPLACEMENT

4. The Neighborhood effects: there are lot sky effect holder for lots (either day with nice blue skybox and sun, or night with moon and stars, will switch with “L”-button) and separated day and night floating cloud enviroment can be placed in neighborhood view. As far as automaticall changing it in fx-based or bhav-based ways are impossible, cloud effects should be replaced manually - but it’s not a burden, just one object per map is enough. The weather reaction works fine. NOTE:unlike the Totalitarian Sky, these should be placed in the center of the map.

DOWNLOAD THE NHOOD EFFECTS

5. The neighborhood effect: static cloud (umh, non-floating?). Such a cinematic effect, more for show-off than for actual long-time gameplay. The previous option launch the groups of clouds, distant and top, that float above the map, that real clouds do. This option cast the standalone cloud, as basegame Nhood cloud, that use the fixed point to arrive. It useful to be placed in a row so it can be COOL dynamic overcast sky YAY!!!! There are the low and high versions. Sadly, contains no night versions (but it isn’t too hard to do it, really).