With this mod installed, Sims will no longer be able to jump in a car and drive somewhere (community lot, work, school, date, etc), they either need a licence or take a taxi.
Without a licence, a Sim may not
- drive to work
- drive children to school
- drive to a community lot
- drive out on a date
- own a car
- install an alarm
- take a spin
Additionally, a teen Sim may not
- drive to school
- "go out" or "sneak out" with a non-driver friend
There are three ways for a Sim to obtain a driving licence
- be given one by the player
- be given one via "grandfather rights"
- pass a driving test
To give a Sim a driving licence, from Buy mode, go into the Misc/Misc section of the catalog, locate the Driving Licence Card ($0) and place it somewhere. Select the Sim to receive the licence, click on the card and choose "Put Away". The licence card will be marked as owned by the Sim and placed into their inventory. While the licence card is in their possession (ie in their inventory) they may perform driving actions.
Licences given by the player are different to licences given via grandfather rights or from a Sim passing their test, in that the former can be taken away by the player, whereas the latter two cannot be.
"Grandfather Rights" is a term for granting people privileges based on their prior experience - in this case the granting of a driving licence because the Sim or family already has a car.
If you had to manually give every Sim in an existing 'hood a licence card you would a) get bored doing it and b) forget to do some, hence there are two options to automatically do this.
You can choose to give every Sim - teens, adults and elders - that owns a car a driving licence, or you can choose to give every car owning Sim AND every adult/elder within a family that owns a car a driving licence.
Before taking a driving test, the Sim must learn to drive. A Sim can either learn with an adult/elder family member who can drive, or they can book lessons with a driving instructor.
Teen Sims need to be at least half-way through their life stage before they can take lessons. Pregnant Sims in their third trimester may neither take nor supervise lessons.
To take lessons with a family member, have the non-driving Sim click on the family car and select "Take Lesson With ...". A Sim cannot learn to drive with a family member late at night / early in the morning, or on snowy days. There is no cost for learning to drive with a family member. Sims will need between 6 and 8 lessons with a family member before they are ready to take their test.
To take lessons with an instructor, have the Sim call the driving centre to arrange a lesson - they will be offered (up to) four lesson times, two today and two tomorrow. The instructor will arrive by car at the chosen time to take the Sim for their lesson. Learning to drive with an instructor costs $150 per lesson, but a Sim will only need 4 or 5 lessons before they are ready to take their test.
Both types of lesson take about two hours.
Optionally, a Sim needs to pass their theory exam before they can take their test. Teen Sims of any age can study driving theory, even if too young to start lessons.
Before taking the exam, a Sim needs to study from any bookcase or book (like Fire Safety et al). Once the Sim has studied enough, click on the Sim and send them for their exam (provided they are old enough to take lessons). The exam centre is only open Monday to Saturday 8am to 5pm. Sitting the exam costs $100 and takes about an hour. The likelihood of passing the exam depends on the amount of time spent studying, the Sim's logic skill and a small amount of luck - there is always a slight chance of failing. If a Sim fails their exam, they may need further study before attempting a re-sit.
Passing the driving exam grants a small boost to the Sim's logic and creativity skills, and if a teen, they will qualify for the "Knowledgeable Driver Award" scholarship worth $250
When a Sim has practiced enough and feels confident, they may take their driving test - either by asking a family member to accompany them to the test centre (Monday to Saturday 8am to 4pm) or by making a phone booking.
Pregnant Sims in their third trimester may neither take nor supervise a test.
Taking their own car to the driving test costs $200, while booking a driving examiner costs $250. Either way, the Sim's chance of passing the test depends on the number of lessons taken, their mechanical skill, how good their coordination is (dance skill) and a small amount of luck - there is always a slight chance of failing. Both types of test take about 90 minutes. If a Sim fails their test, they may need further lessons before retrying.
Passing the driving test grants a small boost to the Sim's mechanical and dance skills, and if a teen, they will qualify for the "King of the Road Prize" scholarship worth $500
Optionally, Sims will gain memories for passing/failing their driving exam/test.
It is possible for a Sim to gain points on their licence. Gain enough points and their licence will be suspended for a number of days, during which time they may not drive, take their theory exam, take lessons or go for a driving test.
A Sim with points on their licence will have their chance of passing their test reduced - examiners are stricter on known miscreants.
Note: This has nothing to do with InTeen's "Risky Sneak Out" flavour pack!
A teen Sim must ask before "Going Out" with a friend and the parent will only give permission if that friend has passed their test (NPC Sims are assumed to have passed their test).
However, a teen Sim that "Sneaks Out" has no such restrictions, their friend only needs to be able to control a car (has taken 2 or 3 lessons)!
Teens arriving for "Go Out" or "Sneak Out" will turn up in cheaper cars - no more high-end sports cars and limos! Cop cars may also cruise past the house in the small hours.
Sneaking out with a friend who hasn't passed their test increases the chance of the cops being involved.
Whether or not the Sim is busted by the cops, their driving skill will increase - it is assumed they've been doing 'donuts' in the mall carpark or some sneaky practice on a deserted road. If busted by the cops, they will receive one or two points on their licence.
Additionally, their friend may gain driving skill and points on their licence if busted by the cops.
This mod requires the following global mods
It is strongly recommended to install this mod in its own sub-folder.
Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Globals.package" file into the sub-folder.
Copy all the "WH_DrivingLicence_Core_*.package" files into the sub-folder.
Decide which ONE of the Grandfather Rights options you want, and copy at most one .package file into the sub-folder
- None: Nothing to copy
- Car Owners Only: Copy only the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_GrandfatherRights_OnlyOwners.package" file
- Car Owners AND Adult Family Members: Copy only the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_GrandfatherRights_OwnersAndAdults.package" file
Decide if you want bookable lessons, if so copy all the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_BookableLessons_*.package files and the "WH_PhoneCall_GlobalsFix.package" file into the sub-folder
Decide if you want your Sims to have to pass their theory test before taking their test, if so copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_Theory_Book.package" file into the sub-folder. If you play with the Cyjon's Variable Bookcases ("CJ-VariableBookcases.package") mod, also copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_Theory_VariableBookcases.package" file.
Decide if you want your Sims to get memories from passing/failing their exam/test, and if so copy the "WH_MemoryToken_DrivingLicence_Option.package" file into the sub-folder
IMPORTANT: There is no easy way of uninstalling ANY package/mod that adds memories after you have saved your game without potential neighbourhood corruption. As long as all the .package files that add memories are in your Downloads folder, it's safe to play, but if you decide to uninstall ANY mod that adds memories, you should delete all the memories generated with it in SimPe, then clear out all the gossip using the BatBox. There's no proof that uninstalling the usual way will hurt your game, but there's no proof that it's safe either. Please back-up your data and use at your own risk!
Decide what benefits you want Sims to receive from passing their exam/test
- None: Nothing to copy
- Skill Gains: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_SkillGainsOnPass.package" file into the sub-folder
- Scholarships: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_Scholarships.package" file into the sub-folder
- Scholarships (With Badges): Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_Scholarships_With_Badges.package" file into the sub-folder. This is a mod of Cjyon's "Badge Scholarships".
Decide what restrictions on exam, lessons and test you want to lift, and copy one or more of the following .package files into the sub-directory
- Remove Teen Age Limit: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_NoTeenAgeLimit.package" file
- Remove Time Limits On Family Lessons: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_PrivateLesson_AnyTimes.package" file
- Remove Weather Limits On Family Lessons: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_PrivateLesson_AnyWeather.package" file
- Remove Opening Hours From The Exam/Test Centre: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_TestCentre24x7.package" file
Decide what restrictions on pregnant Sims in their third trimester you want to lift, and copy one or more of the following .package files into the sub-directory
- Remove Restrictions On Learners: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_ThirdTrimesterLearners.package" file
- Remove Restrictions On Drivers: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_ThirdTrimesterDrivers.package" file
Decide what options you want for vacation homes, and copy one or more of the following .package files into the sub-directory
- Permit Private Lessons (car): Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_VacationLearners_PrivateCar.package" file
- Permit Bookable Lessons (phone): Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_VacationLearners_BookableLessons.package" file
Decide if you want your teen Sims to have risks and rewards from sneaking out, and if so copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_RiskySneakOut.package" file into the sub-folder. Additionally, if you want Sims to have risks and rewards while sneaking out as part of the rotation of another household, also copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_RiskySneakOut_DriverRiskReward.package" file into the sub-folder.
Decide what risky sneak out options you DON'T want, and copy any of the following .package files into the sub-directory
- Remove Cop Car Cruise Bys: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_RiskySneakOut_NoCopCruiseBys.package" file
- Remove All NPCs As Drivers: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_RiskySneakOut_NoNpcDrivers.package" file
- Remove Only NPC Teens As Drivers: Copy the "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_RiskySneakOut_NoNpcDrivers.package" file
IMPORTANT: Run HCDU Plus and confirm there are no conflicts between these .package files and other mods in your specific game configuration, except those listed in "Benign Conflicts" below.
The following conflicts can be ignored; they are either benign or support has been integrated
| Loads Earlier | Loads Later |
|---|---|
| WH_DrivingLicence_Core_.*\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Option_.*\.package |
| WH_DrivingLicence_Option_.*\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Option_.*\.package |
| WH_AutoWalkToSchool_NotificationChanges\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Core_PrivateLessons_CarMods\.package |
| decorative-parking-space-Mog-20090327\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Core_Restrictions\.package |
| InTeenimater_B\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Core_Restrictions\.package |
| InTeenimater_B\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Core_PrivateLessons_CarMods\.package |
| InTeenimater_B\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Option_RiskySneakOut\.package |
| InTeenimater_FlavorPak_BackToSchool\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Core_PrivateLessons_CarMods\.package |
| CJ-VariableBookcases\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Option_Theory_Book\.package #1 |
| CJ-djsbadgescholarships\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Option_Scholarships_With_Badges\.package |
| canmyfriendcometoohack\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Option_RiskySneakOut\.package |
| phonehack\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Option_RiskySneakOut\.package |
| CJ-CJH_CommTime(StandAlone)\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Core_PrivateLessons_CarMods\.package #2 |
| df_vehicle_and_taxi_messages\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Core_PrivateLessons_CarMods\.package |
| df_vehicles_cost_money_to_drive\.package | WH_DrivingLicence_Globals\.package |
#1 Only if "WH_DrivingLicence_Option_Theory_VariableBookcases.package" is also installed
#2 Conflicts for the STR# resource 0x012D (Dialog prim strings). This version contains all of the non-red-light-district strings from Chris' mod, which is as far as I'm prepared to go in maintaining compatibility.
Benign conflicts are listed above.
This mod changes and adds many semi-global BHAVs in many semi-global groups. They are too many to list. Make sure you run HCDU Plus to check for any conflicts within your own game environment.
If a mod conflicts with an optional module, you can decide not to use the module. If it conflicts with the core code, then you have a bigger decision to make. While I am interested in conflicts between the core and other mods, unless the mod is "commonly used" I will probably not attempt to integrate the changes.
There is a known issue with Simler90's "Butler Mod" where an error is repeatedly generated when the driving instructor/examiner pulls onto the lot. This is caused by the butler trying to answer the door (greet) them. The standard Maxis butler does not do this and I cannot track down why their code is attempting to do this (as the driver NPC is correctly set as Person Type = Service NPC and NPC Type = Bus Driver). The workaround is to set the butler's "Door Policy" to "Don't Answer Door" while a teen is booking driving lessons.
Due to the complexity of the mod and the number of semi-globals it interacts with, it is not possible to configure the many options via BCONs. This is why options are enabled/disabled via separate .package files.
The "WH_DrivingLicence__Configuration_V{version}.xlsx" spreadsheet contains information on where to start looking if you wish to further customize the mod.
There is a debug menu on the Driving Licence Card, use with caution!
- Original post.
- Scholarship update.
- InTeen Check 2 requirement.
- Bookable Lessons update.
- Compatility update.
- No child lessons fix.
- No head instructors patch.
- Peronalised licence card update.
- Reactions patch.
- Version 1.2 notes.
- Version 2.1 notes.
- Cancel Booking update.
- gayers @Sims Crafters; testing and ideas
- FranH @MTS; testing
- bowedy; testing
- CatherineTCJD @Sims Crafters; driving licence card graphics
- irueone; additional driving licence card graphics
- Jo-TheLinkQueen @ Sims Crafters; testing
- piqiwi @ MTS; "cruise by" pointers
- KoKo (aka LimeyYoshi); German translation.
- TheDarkLady; testing and ideas
- barbiepinklady; French transation
This mod has been almost ten years in the making! Originally inspired by this thread at MTS
- Full Download DrivingLicence_V2.2.zip
Note 1: HCDU Plus will report optional modules as conflicting with the core and other optional modules, these conflicts can be ignored.