LS LIFESTYLE v0.1.0.0 (BETA)  -  HELP & SUPPORT
===============================================

Everything you need to play LS Lifestyle v0.1.0.0 (beta): how to install it, every control,
what each phone app does, what needs an account, and what to do when something goes wrong.
The same guide is on the website: https://mylifestylemod.com/help

This is a beta. Things will break now and then. When they do, the Troubleshooting section
tells you which log files help us fix it, and the Contact
(https://mylifestylemod.com/contact) page tells you where to send them.

INSTALL
=======

The mod (everyone)
------------------
  1. Download the mod zip (the file is called HS25_Lifestyle_Mod.zip). Don't unpack it.
  2. Put the zip in your Farming Simulator 25 mods folder: Documents\My
     Games\FarmingSimulator2025\mods
  3. Start the game, load or start a savegame, and tick LS Lifestyle in the mod list.
  4. Keep the zip name as it is. Renaming it makes the game treat it as a different mod in
     your savegames.

Lifestyle Link (optional, for the online features)
--------------------------------------------------
Farming Simulator mods can't go online by themselves. Lifestyle Link is a small free Windows
program that runs next to the game and does it for them: social apps, messages with other
players, real weather, videos from the website, and more. It is a separate download, not
part of the mod zip.

  1. Download LifestyleLink.exe (the "Download Lifestyle Link" button on
     https://mylifestylemod.com, or https://mylifestylemod.com/download/link) and put it
     in a folder of its own (for example Documents\LifestyleLink).
  2. Double-click it. Its window opens as a page in your web browser (it lives at
     http://127.0.0.1:47321 on your own PC). Windows may say "Windows protected your PC"
     (SmartScreen) because the program isn't signed: click More info, then Run anyway.
  3. Press Sign in on the website. Sign in (or make an account with email or Discord) and
     press Connect on the page that opens.
  4. That's it: there is nothing to switch on in the game and no restart. While Lifestyle
     Link runs, the phone connects by itself. The Link tile in the phone's Control Center
     shows Connected, Link not running (start LifestyleLink.exe) or Off (only if you
     switched "Use Lifestyle Link (Auto)" off in the phone's Settings).
  5. "Open with the game" (Lifestyle Link's Settings page, on by default) starts it quietly
     with Windows; it rests while the game is closed and connects the moment Farming
     Simulator 25 starts. "Make a desktop shortcut" puts "Farming Simulator 25 + Lifestyle
     Link" on your desktop: one click starts both.
  6. Multiplayer: only the host needs Lifestyle Link. (Other players can still read, chat
     and call; their own pictures and videos need Lifestyle Link on their own PC.)

You only need an account on the website for the online features. Everything else works
without one.

FIRST LAUNCH
============

  1. Load your savegame. Press Esc (the pause key) or Left Alt + O: the phone comes up
     instead of the pause menu.
  2. The lock screen unlocks by itself (the Face ID look). If it asks, click or press A. You
     can change the lock screen in phone Settings (Swipe, Face ID, Fingerprint, PIN,
     Password or None).
  3. Some apps send you a welcome email in Lifemail the first time you open them. That's
     normal and it's all in-game; nothing is sent anywhere.
  4. Want the game's normal pause menu (to save, quit or change options)? Open the Classic
     menu app on the phone, or turn off Phone replaces the pause menu in the Lifestyle
     settings (Left Alt + C).
  5. To put the phone away press Esc again (at the home screen), or Left Alt + O.

CONTROLS
========

Every key here can be changed in the game's Options > Controls (look for the LS Lifestyle /
Lifestyle entries). Controller buttons are named for an Xbox-style pad; "View" is the small
Back/View button and "Menu" is Start. The "+" means hold the first button, then press the
second.

Everywhere in the game
----------------------
  * Open or put away the phone
      Keyboard / mouse: Esc (pause key) or Left Alt + O
      Controller: Start (pause) or RB + View
  * Lifestyle menu (settings, needs, body, tattoos, pets, help)
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + M
      Controller: LB + View
  * Lifestyle settings
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + C
      Controller: LB + Menu
  * Phone camera on / off
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + K
      Controller: Camera app on the phone
  * Screenshot (goes to Photos)
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + Z
      Controller: Control Center tile
  * Screen record on / off
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + H
      Controller: Control Center tile
  * Eat
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + Y
      Controller: (none by default)
  * Drink (free at your farmhouse)
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + U
      Controller: (none by default)
  * Pets: menu
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + P
      Controller: LB + Y
  * Pets: call (whistle)
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + H
      Controller: LB + RB + A (hold LB and RB, then press A)
      (New default in this update: it used to be Left Alt + J / LB + X, and LB + X also
      lowers implements in vehicles. If you changed the key yourself, your choice is kept.
      If the whistle and the phone ever fire on the same key, open Options > Controls and
      give "Pets: call" its own key - the phone is Left Alt + O.)
  * Pets: stay / follow
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + X
      Controller: LB + B
  * Pets: fetch
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + F
      Controller: LB + A
  * Pets: feed
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + G
      Controller: (none by default)
  * Pets: pet
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + E
      Controller: (none by default)
  * Pets: clean up mess
      Keyboard / mouse: Left Alt + Q
      Controller: (none by default)

On the phone
------------
  * Open an app, press a button
      Keyboard / mouse: Left click
      Controller: A
  * Move around
      Keyboard / mouse: Mouse (arrow keys also move the highlight)
      Controller: Left stick or D-pad
  * Scroll a list
      Keyboard / mouse: Mouse wheel, or drag
      Controller: Left stick or D-pad
  * Back (closes the keyboard first; on the home screen it puts the phone away)
      Keyboard / mouse: Esc
      Controller: B
  * Next / previous home screen page
      Keyboard / mouse: Drag the page, mouse wheel, or the dots
      Controller: RB / LB
  * Control Center
      Keyboard / mouse: Click the home bar (the line at the bottom of the phone): once =
        compact, double-click = big. Or click the right end of the status bar
      Controller: Y: compact, again: big, again: close
  * Notification Center
      Keyboard / mouse: Click the left end of the status bar
      Controller: X
  * Dismiss a notification or a banner
      Keyboard / mouse: Drag it sideways (banners: drag up)
      Controller: B closes the panel
  * Customise the Control Center
      Keyboard / mouse: Hold a tile
      Controller: (mouse only)
  * Rearrange the home screen
      Keyboard / mouse: Hold an app icon for half a second until the icons wiggle, then drag
        it (to another page, or into the dock: max 4). Press Done (top right) or Esc to
        finish; Reset puts the default layout back
      Controller: (mouse only)
  * Messages: pin, mark read, delete
      Keyboard / mouse: Hold or swipe a conversation
      Controller: (mouse only)
  * Type
      Keyboard / mouse: The on-screen keyboard, or just type on your real keyboard. Enter
        sends, Backspace deletes
      Controller: On-screen keyboard
  * Emoji
      Keyboard / mouse: The smiley key left of the space bar
      Controller: Same
  * Answer an incoming call
      Keyboard / mouse: Enter, even with the phone in your pocket (Backspace declines), or
        the green button
      Controller: Open the phone: A answers, B declines

The camera
----------
  * Take a photo / start or stop a video
      Keyboard / mouse: Left click
      Controller: LB + RB
  * Photo / video
      Keyboard / mouse: 1 / 2
      Controller: RB + right stick click (photo, video, selfie)
  * Selfie on / off
      Keyboard / mouse: 3
      Controller: RB + right stick click
  * Turn the phone sideways
      Keyboard / mouse: Right click
      Controller: LB + left stick click
  * Flash: off / on / auto
      Keyboard / mouse: Middle click or F
      Controller: RB + left stick click
  * Zoom
      Keyboard / mouse: Mouse wheel
      Controller:
  * Effects (warm, cool, vintage, VHS ...)
      Keyboard / mouse: [ and ]
      Controller: LB + right stick click
  * Put the camera away (back to the phone)
      Keyboard / mouse: Esc or Left Alt + K
      Controller: Start

Phone games
-----------
Arrow keys or WASD steer, Space or Enter is the action button; on a controller the left
stick and A. The phone's Back closes the game.

THE PHONE APPS
==============

Apps marked (online) need Lifestyle Link running and signed in to a website account.
Everything else works offline, in single player and multiplayer.

Social
------
  - FarmGram (online): photo posts, likes, comments, stories that last 24 hours, Reels
    (videos, full screen, one after another), follow people, profiles. "Neighbours" also
    shows the game's own made-up neighbours offline.
  - Farmbook (online): posts with photos, reactions, comments, shares, groups, pages, pokes,
    notifications and your profile (picture, cover photo, Intro).
  - Messenger (online): chat with your friends on LS Lifestyle. Add a friend with their
    phone number (it looks like TYLE-0155; yours is in Farmbook's Menu and on the website).
  - Farmchat (online): snaps that disappear. Take a snap with the camera, add text and
    stickers, set a timer and send it to friends or your story. Snaps taken while Link is
    offline wait in a queue and go when it's back; chats can't be sent offline.
  - Messages: texts from the game's neighbours, contract offers, your pets and services work
    offline. Texts and photos to real players go through the website (online). If Link is
    off, the app says so and nothing is marked as sent.
  - HayThere: a dating app with made-up adult locals: swipe, match and chat. Matches reply
    with simple lines offline; with an AI set up in Lifestyle Link (or by the server) they
    really chat back. Keep it clean: crude messages get you unmatched.
  - Lifemail: your phone's email (yourname@lifemail.ls). Receipts, sign-ups and job
    confirmations from the game arrive offline. Mail to other players is online. It isn't
    real email; addresses only exist inside the game and the website.
  - Ranks (online): leaderboards for money, land, Munchie Rush and the phone games.

Camera and media
----------------
  - Camera: hold the phone up and take photos, videos (a run of frames played back as a
    clip) and selfies, with effects and flash. Photos are saved in Documents\My
    Games\FarmingSimulator2025\modSettings\HS25_Lifestyle_Mod\photos.
  - Photos: everything you shot, plus screenshots. Set a photo as wallpaper or a contact
    picture, post it, or open it in Edits. With Lifestyle Link running, new pictures from
    your Screenshots and Downloads folders show up here too.
  - Edits: a photo and clip editor: crop, rotate, filters, light, text, stickers and frames;
    trim, speed and reverse clips. It saves a new copy; the original stays.
  - Stories: FarmGram > your circle (or "+ Your story"). Layout, filters, text, drawing,
    stickers (game time, temperature, your farm) and a song. Posting a story is online.
  - LS Music (Tunes): a full music player: mixes, search, playlists, liked songs, shuffle
    and repeat. Add your own songs: put .ogg files named "Artist - Title.ogg" in
    modSettings\HS25_Lifestyle_Mod\music.
  - LSTube: videos on the phone, with full screen. Plays the mod's videos, your camera clips
    and .ogv files you put in modSettings\HS25_Lifestyle_Mod\videos. The Online tab (through
    Lifestyle Link) downloads classic cartoons and TV from the Internet Archive. Videos
    download first, then play; the game can't stream.
  - Wardrobe TV: a TV on the wall behind your character in the wardrobe. With Lifestyle Link
    it plays the website's LS TV channel first (short videos the admins approved; you can
    upload your own at /tv (https://mylifestylemod.com/tv)). The house channels need Hashy's
    house TV mod. Mute and volume are in the Lifestyle settings (Wardrobe TV).
  - Books: a reading app with novels, classics, comics, magazines and read-along kids'
    books. Font size, light / sepia / dark pages, and it remembers your place.

Money, weather, health
----------------------
  - LS Bank: your farm money like a banking app: balance, accounts, spending, activity, your
    card and the farm loan with a credit score. Everything is your real farm money.
  - FarmCard and QuickHay: the credit card and the quick loan of the same bank. Loans use
    the game's own loan.
  - Weather: the weather of the map you play (the game's forecast). With Lifestyle Link it
    also shows the real weather, alerts and radar for your real place (US only: the data
    comes from the US National Weather Service).
  - Health: steps, distance, active minutes and calories from your real walking in the game,
    sleep, driving time, your daily needs, badges and the game's farm statistics. Calories
    are estimated and the heart rate is simulated; both say so.
  - Needs: hunger, thirst and energy. Eat (Left Alt + Y) and drink (Left Alt + U); dial 3663
    on the phone for a pizza.

Farm and game
-------------
  - Map, Market, Prices, Vehicles, Workers, Animals, Production, Calendar, Finances: the
    game's own pages, made for the phone.
  - LS Maps: Teleport here. Tap a place (or long-press / right-click any spot to drop a
    pin), then "Teleport here": on foot it moves you, in a vehicle it moves the vehicle,
    onto the ground and away from water when it can. Setting: Lifestyle settings >
    VEHICLES > Map teleport (on in single player). In multiplayer the host and admins can
    always use it; other players only when the host turns on "Map teleport for all
    players" (their own farm's vehicles only).
  - Garage > Remote start: set up a key fob for any of your farm's vehicles (it is
    remembered with the savegame), then start / stop the engine from anywhere, e.g. a cold
    start from the house, and switch the lights. The engine keeps running for 15 minutes or
    until someone gets in. FS25 vehicles have no door locks, so lock / unlock are shown
    greyed out. The horn is heard in single player / on the host's game only.
  - Contracts: open contracts with their reward; accept from the phone. Big contracts can
    ring your phone.
  - Shop and Build: the game's shop and construction screens. The phone comes back when you
    close them (setting: "Back to the phone after a page").
  - Classic menu: the game's normal pause menu (save, quit, options).
  - Character: the game's wardrobe, with extra tabs for Body (sliders), Tattoos and Pets.
  - Pets: adopt, name and look after a pet. Bowls, beds and a mud wallow are in the shop.
  - LS AI: a farm assistant that reads your game (prices, weather, what to plant). With an
    AI key in Lifestyle Link it becomes a real AI that knows your farm.
  - Clock, Calculator, Farm Daily (news from your farm; real headlines with Link), Scanner,
    Snake, Munchie Rush, Flappy Crow, Barn Ops, Car Lot, 2048, Tic-Tac-Toe, Memory.
  - Phone: a keypad with some secret numbers: 0 is the operator (it tells you the others),
    7387 calls your pets, 3663 orders a pizza (it really feeds you and costs money), 1234
    starts Munchie Rush.
  - Settings: wallpaper, brightness, volume, ringtones, Do Not Disturb, lock screen, Phone
    look (Fresh or Classic), animations, autocorrect and more.
  - Admin: only appears for server staff.

WHAT NEEDS AN ACCOUNT
=====================

  Works offline (no Link, no account):
    - Camera, Photos, Edits, LS Music, LSTube (local videos), Books
    - LS Bank, FarmCard, QuickHay, Finances, Health, Needs, Pets
    - Weather for your map, Map and the game pages, Contracts, Shop
    - Messages from neighbours, Lifemail from the game, HayThere
    - Phone games, Clock, Calculator, Scanner, Settings

  Needs Lifestyle Link + a website account:
    - FarmGram, Farmbook, Messenger, Farmchat, Reels, Stories
    - Messages and Lifemail to other players, photos in messages
    - Real weather, alerts and radar, farm news headlines
    - Phone calls with real voice, Ranks, the online vehicle dealer
    - LSTube Online, the LS TV channel on the wardrobe TV, web wallpapers

LS AI answers questions about your farm from the game itself, offline. For a real AI (in LS
AI and in HayThere chats) it needs an AI key: your own in Lifestyle Link, or one the server
owner set up.

MULTIPLAYER
===========

  - Everyone needs the mod. In multiplayer only the host needs Lifestyle Link: the other
    players' online apps work through the host's Link. Each player still gets their own
    account, decided by the game, so nobody can post as someone else.
  - Players without their own Lifestyle Link can read, like, comment, chat and call, but
    pictures and videos need Lifestyle Link on your own PC (the game can't send image files
    over its network).
  - Real voice on calls needs Lifestyle Link on both PCs. Without it, use the game's voice
    chat.
  - Selling on the online dealer works in single player or for the host only.
  - Text from other players is checked by the filter on your phone and again on the server.

PRIVACY AND THE RULES
=====================

  - Your photos stay on your PC until you post or send them.
  - What you post on FarmGram, Farmbook, stories or reels can be seen by other players (or
    only friends, if you choose). Messages and snaps go only to the people you send them to.
    The website's admins can see reported content.
  - Lifestyle Link keeps your settings and any AI key on your PC (%APPDATA%\LifestyleLink),
    never in the game folder.
  - Full details: Privacy Policy (https://mylifestylemod.com/privacy), Terms
    (https://mylifestylemod.com/terms) and Community Guidelines
    (https://mylifestylemod.com/guidelines).

The chat filter
---------------
Everything you write to other players goes through a filter, on your phone and again on the
server:

  - Mild swears are masked (f***) and sent.
  - Explicit words and slurs are not sent, and count as a strike. Three strikes in 24 hours
    = a 24 hour timeout.
  - Severe things (threats, telling someone to hurt themselves, sexual talk about children,
    posting a phone number, home address or IP address) are not sent, are flagged urgently
    to the staff, and give an immediate 24 hour timeout.
  - Farm words like grass, cocktail, Essex or oilseed rape are fine.

Reports, timeouts and bans
--------------------------
  - Use Report on any post, comment, profile or chat that breaks the rules. The staff see it
    on their admin panel. You can also block people.
  - Staff can warn you, put you in a timeout (you can read but not post), suspend or ban
    your account. A warning or timeout pops up on your phone with the reason.
  - Think a decision was wrong? Write to us through the Contact
    (https://mylifestylemod.com/contact) page.

TROUBLESHOOTING
===============

The phone doesn't open
----------------------
  - Press Left Alt + O. If that works but Esc doesn't, another mod is using the pause key;
    the phone tries to work around it and writes what happened to the log.
  - Check that Phone replaces the pause menu is on in the Lifestyle settings (Left Alt + C).
  - Close every other menu first: the phone doesn't open over another game screen.
  - If the controller does nothing on the phone, the phone may have opened in its fallback
    mode (mouse and keyboard only). Close and open it again; send us your log.txt if it
    keeps happening.

Lifestyle Link says offline, or the social apps say "Sign in to Lifestyle Link"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  - Is LifestyleLink.exe running? Open http://127.0.0.1:47321 in your browser to see its
    window.
  - Is it signed in? Its window shows "connected" next to the server.
  - What does the Link tile in the Control Center say? Link not running: start
    LifestyleLink.exe (it connects by itself, no restart needed). Off: turn "Use Lifestyle
    Link (Auto)" back on in the phone's Settings.
  - Is the website up? Open https://mylifestylemod.com.
  - Firewalls or antivirus can block the program. Allow LifestyleLink.exe.

Link is running but the phone still says "Link not running"
-----------------------------------------------------------
Almost always Link is writing to a different game folder than the one the game uses
(Documents moved to another drive, OneDrive, an old second copy of the game folder, or the
game started with another profile).
  1. In the game open the phone > Settings > Lifestyle Link > Connection help (or tap the
     Lifestyle Link tile in the big Control Center). It shows the exact folder the game
     uses, for example D:\Documents\My Games\FarmingSimulator2025.
  2. Use Lifestyle Link 3.7 or newer (download it again from mylifestylemod.com). It finds
     that folder by itself: the mod leaves a small file there (link\game.xml) every few
     seconds while a save is loaded, and Link connects to the folder where it is fresh.
     Link's Overview then says "Game: connected" and Settings > Game folder says
     "game seen a few seconds ago".
  3. Still not? In Link's window open Settings > Game folder, type the folder from step 1,
     press Save. (Press "Find automatically" to go back to automatic.)
  4. Link's Settings says "Can't write to the game folder"? Windows Security > Virus &
     threat protection > Ransomware protection > Controlled folder access is probably on:
     choose "Allow an app through Controlled folder access" and add LifestyleLink.exe.
     Some antivirus programs have a similar list.
  5. Start Link normally, as the same Windows user that plays the game. Don't run it from
     inside a zip, and don't start it "as administrator" with another account's password
     (that account has its own Documents folder).
  6. The phone says your Link is old: close it (Stop in its window, or end
     LifestyleLink.exe in Task Manager) and start the new one. Only one Link runs at a time;
     starting a second one only opens the first one's window.
  7. Multiplayer: only the host needs Link. A guest without Link uses the host's; if the
     host's Link isn't connected, nobody's online apps work.

No pictures in multiplayer
--------------------------
That's expected for players without their own Lifestyle Link: pictures can't travel through
the game's network. Run Lifestyle Link on your own PC and sign in.

Videos don't play
-----------------
  - The game only plays .ogv (Theora) videos. Convert others with ffmpeg: ffmpeg -i
    input.mp4 -c:v libtheora -q:v 7 -c:a libvorbis output.ogv
  - Videos from the website and reels need Lifestyle Link to download them first. Give it a
    minute.
  - The house channels on the wardrobe TV need Hashy's house TV mod.

The game runs slowly
--------------------
  - Turn off Animations in the phone's Settings, or switch Phone look to Classic.
  - Close the phone while you drive or work; videos and the camera are the heaviest things
    it does.
  - Screen recording takes a screenshot several times a second: keep it short.

Where the logs are
------------------
  - Game log: Documents\My Games\FarmingSimulator2025\log.txt (lines with "LS Lifestyle",
    "Lifestyle Mod" or "CharacterPresets" are ours). It's rewritten every time the game
    starts, so copy it right after the problem, before you start the game again.
  - Lifestyle Link log: %APPDATA%\LifestyleLink\lifestylelink.log (paste that into the
    Explorer address bar). It's rewritten every time Link starts.
  - The mod's saved data: Documents\My
    Games\FarmingSimulator2025\modSettings\HS25_Lifestyle_Mod

FAQ
===

Do I have to use Lifestyle Link?
--------------------------------
No. The phone, camera, music, books, bank, weather for your map, health, needs, pets and
games all work without it. Link is only for things that need the internet.

Is it free?
-----------
Yes. No ads, nothing to buy.

Does it change base-game files?
-------------------------------
No. It's a normal mod; take it out of the mods folder and your game is as it was. Savegames
keep working, just without the mod's extras.

Is it safe to run LifestyleLink.exe?
------------------------------------
It only talks to the LS Lifestyle website, the weather and news sources you switch on, and
the AI service you choose. Windows warns about it because it isn't code-signed.

Can I use it without the website?
---------------------------------
Yes, offline. Online features need a free account on https://mylifestylemod.com.

Is the data real?
-----------------
Bank, health, needs, weather and farm pages use your real game data. The heart rate is
simulated, calories are estimated, and HayThere's people are made up. Nothing is made up and
passed off as real.

Is this made by GIANTS, Meta or anyone else?
--------------------------------------------
No. LS Lifestyle is a fan-made mod by Hashy. Farmbook, FarmGram, Messenger and the other app
names are our own, not connected with any real company.

SUPPORT
=======

  - First check Troubleshooting and the FAQ.
  - Then reach us through the Contact (https://mylifestylemod.com/contact) page. Tell us
    what you did, what you expected, and what happened, and attach your log.txt (and
    lifestylelink.log if it's about online features).
  - To report a player or a post, use Report in the app: that's the fastest way to the
    moderators.

LS Lifestyle by Hashy. Not affiliated with GIANTS Software.
