frankkulakmods

Language Barriers v2.0 alpha 5

Added 2021-07-20 01:22:39 +0000 UTC

Alphas are incomplete snapshots of my mods while they're in development, and are only available to Goth and Landgraab patrons. The 2.0 update will be released to Pancake patrons when it's feature-complete, and to the public 2-3 weeks afterwards. I do not have a concrete date at this time, but it should be done by the end of July, or early August at the latest.

About this alpha

This is the fifth alpha of Language Barriers v2.0 (read about the first, second, third, and fourth). This is the smallest alpha in terms of changes, but it did involve a lot of behind-the-scenes work to complete - it focuses on interaction locking, bug fixes, and technical changes. This should be the second or third to last alpha before beta begins.

Interaction locking

Non-verbal interactions will never be locked

Most non-verbal interactions should now be untouched by LB, and should always be available. There might be some that I missed - if you notice any, please do let me know.
Non-verbal interactions include, but are not limited to: giving gifts, hugging, handshakes, making faces, kissing, and so on.

Changed locking thresholds for verbal interactions

Some more interactions are now available at shared level 0-1. This is to make it so sims can actually try to same something when they don't have a language in common.
I have combed through all 1,500+ social interactions in the game, and hand-selected which ones should unlock when, to make the mod more realistic and to prevent weird bugs that came up when I tried to automate this process. There is still some automation of locking to ensure that it still works after patches, but I have much more manual control over it now.

Mod integrations

Mod integrations now use the same file format as LB's core interaction locking, allowing other mod creators to choose which levels to unlock their interactions at, and which of their interactions LB should ignore entirely (i.e. which ones should never be locked).
All mod creators* are welcome to integrate their mods with LB. If I make the integration for your mod, it will be included in the LB download, but if you make the integration, you can host it yourself. NOTE: Please do not create your integrations with the alpha version. Since this is a development version, things are still subject to change. I will provide a guide for how to create a mod integration when beta begins.
* = If you make or are otherwise associated with mods that feature immoral content, such as those by CN, you do not have permission to make mod integrations with LB. I do not wish to be associated with your work.

Other small changes

Bug fixes

Sims should now always be guaranteed to have had a language context set by the time they talk to one another, and there should no longer be any LEs caused by missing a language context.

Known issues

Sometimes, when sims are gaining LB moodlets, their mood will either (A) swing because of different moodlets being added, or (B) keep resetting, where it looks like their pose glitches and the mood sound replays over and over again. This is so beyond annoying, I know - I have a fix in mind, and I'll aim to include it in the next alpha.
Non-verbal interactions are unlocked, but can still lead to communication events (i.e. "accidentally saying something offensive" even though nothing was said). Again, I have a fix in mind, but am not sure if it will work. I'll aim to fix this as well, but I can't promise anything right now. Fixing this might require a re-write of how miscommunication occurs in the first place, which I don't have time for right now.

Conclusion

This is a small alpha in terms of content, but it's finally rounding out the v2.0 update. Just about every major aspect of Language Barriers has finally been revamped, and it's now time to focus on bug fixes and the final touches. Beta should begin within a couple weeks. I will post something to update you on this soon, keep your eyes out for that.