[GTW] Photographs and Custom Content [ Edited ]

[name023]

Was about to create a new thread about this issue but I figured it would be best to post it here.

The Compiled list of Bugs says that "Photographs of Custom Content are recognized as custom content" but it happens with any photograph regardless of if it is custom content or not. Even basic photos of the landscape around the town or Sim portraits taken in the Photo Studio are marked as custom content [Tested this no custom content installed]. So that bug description should be updated properly.

(Found a different, more recent thread about this and posted a workaround solution for this issue there. Please ignore this post)

Also worth mentioning that photos that had been framed revert back to no frame when uploaded to the gallery and redownloaded.

[name023]

I'm having the exact same problem, and after doing some testing around I think I found the source of the problem as well as a possible workaround solution.

I had some mods installed when I first noticed the issue, I removed them all to see if the problem kept happening with them gone and it still kept flagging rooms with photographs as modded. Then I repaired the game through Origin, created a new save/new Sim, took some photos around in one of the default starter homes and tested them. Those new photos did not flag the lot as modded.

Then I imported the problematic lot with the photos that were flagged as modded and saw those were still flagging the room. What's interesting is that any new photos that I took while on that "Modded" lot were marking new rooms with the modded flag. And once I removed all the "modded" photos from that lot and took new photos, the flag was gone.

It seems that whenever you take a photo, the game checks if there's any kind of custom content anywhere in the active lot and if there is it marks the photo as custom content as well. So as long as you keep the custom content out of the lot when you take the photos (either by putting it on the family inventory, or removing it completely) then you won't have any issues with the "Modded" flag. Sadly this means that any photos you took that were marked as custom content will stay that way permanently (unless a patch comes that fixes the whole issue).

Don't know if Paintings by Reference have the same problem, didn't test those out myself but if they do then the same workaround should fix the issue for now.

UPDATE: I did even more testing and I found out a couple more things: 1) First, this is definitely a bug with the game and not a modding related issue. The Modded photographs flag gets triggered by any mod installed that adds any kind of custom content (Build Mode items, new clothes, new facial features, etc), if the custom content is active when the photo is taken then the photo will get the Modded flag attached to it. So not only you need to avoid custom items in the lot if you wanted to try out that workaround solution, you also need to make sure that neither your active Sim nor any other Sims in the vicinity are wearing any kind of custom CAS parts.

2) Second, some mods that don't add any custom content (aka gameplay tweak mods) can also trigger that Modded photographs flag simply by being installed in the game. A notable example is moxiemason's No Mosaic / Censor Mod, that will flag your photographs regardless of if you have your lot and Sims clean of any custom content.

So yeah, bug appears to be worse than expected. And again, definitely a game bug.

[ju1ka]

Glad to know I'm not the only one, at least. I started a new game, created a new sim and basically retook everything that I previous had (which was causing lots to be "Modded"). Extremely annoying and tedious, but I'm happy to report that this time I am not experiencing any "Modded" problems.

Your mod/CC in vicinity makes sense, but like I've already mentioned previously, something else was definitely at play.

My main sim (CC-free) was in a household with a lady who wore CC eyelashes. But before I took all of the "broken" photos, I removed the lady from his household, saved him to library (which wiped out any friendships, and his personal/family inventory) and made a new save. He was on a lot that was like a 10x15 room with white walls and a bunch of ceiling lights. So 100% no CC anywhere on the lot/sim, but game mods were active.

For my further test (which I detailed in the OP), I used a completely new sim, in a new save, in a different lot. By that point I removed my Mods (because I thought they were making the photos read as CC). I made her take a random photo inside her house (once again, no mods, house is CC-free), she snapped a photo of her kitchen and that photo was making the entire house be "Modded". :-/

Third test was performed with the same sim as in No. 2, I took a random picture of the street, a day later. And it seems to have miraculously fixed itself. But to be safe I made a fresh save/sim and retook all the photos, none of them are making my lots "Modded", thank heavens.

https://41.media.tumblr.com/cafdbf5b725582d0bb9dccd49da7c412/tumblr_nnwfsgQyNx1t0jfq2o8_r1_1280.png

[crinrict · Accepted solution]

@ju1ka @name023 @BryonyRae I merged the threads now.

I got an answer from SimGuruModSquad on this and this is by design.

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SimGuruModSquad wrote:

If there is CC anywhere in the lot when a picture is taken, then the picture is flagged as modded and that will stay with the picture forever. And a picture flagged as modded will cause the lot to be flagged as modded.

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 If you want it changed, I would suggest, posting in the feedback forum.