27 replies to this topic

[Trillian]

I'm posting this here as a word of caution in case there are any Mac users getting TS2 that haven't kept up with what's gone on in the PC community. This is not in any way an attempt to discourage you from downloading houses and lots for TS2, but it is important to know what you might be getting when you do.

Because of the way that the game packages lots and houses, *everything* that is on the lot gets packed up and installed with the house/lot. That includes the lot, the house, all the furniture, any custom content used, and any hacks that were installed in the game of the person building the house. That means that depending on where you download a house/lot from, you may be picking up alot of things that you never wanted installed in your game.

Keep this in mind not only when you are downloading, but also when you are creating houses/lots you want to put up for download. You'll want to be careful that you don't accidently distribute someone else's creations without their permission. There is a good bit of information about this in the Build A Lot forum here on TSR.

By the way, all the lots available on TSR have been tested for hacks, so it is pretty safe that you at least won't be picking up unwanted changes to your game from TSR. Many lots do still contain custom content though, so if you don't want that stuff, read the descriptions carefully.

Happy informed downloading :)

[Safemining]

GASP! :eek:
i shoud be more careful when downloading lots! :rah: :eek: :puke:

[yoddledooddle]

Wow, thanks for the info ... I used to download lots of stuff for the Sims 1 on my PC and Mac in the past, but after both computers crashed running the game almost everytime without fail, I swore not to download any custom content ever again ... I remember this Chinese proverb that say "Be happy with what you already have." I guess that's me ... :)

[Atonal1]

I had heard that the game packages in stuff that might not even have been used in building the lot. Is that true? And if so, how can I make sure I don't upload other people's custom content if I choose to upload a lot? Obviously the programs to clean the files are not available for us Mac users.

[luws]

The easiest way is to remove your downloads folder, start up the game and package your lot. Do NOT save. Quit the game and put your downloads folder back.

[Atonal1]

Thanks.....now I've uploaded a couple lots.

one question: if you were to save a lot while the Downloads Folder was removed from your game files, would it mess up all the other lots? I guess the question is: does the game save EVERYTHING every time, or just the lot you're working with in build mode?

[luws]

I believe it saves it all because the game loads CC at start up. If there isn't any CC, then any CC would be replaced with Maxis items. So if you save, all your lots would be changed.

I haven't ever actually tried it, but that's how I understand it.

[figaro_black]

It wouldn't suprise me if saving really worked like that. But in my experience it is not so. I downloaded one of Jonesis houses from MTS2 the other day, installed it, removed the things that installed in my downloads folder with it when it crashed, not thinking about having downloaded some other things. The game crashed again. I removed all of my downloads, loaded the house just fine. Removed everything since I was mostly interested in the plain version anyhow, saved, quit, moved my downloads into place and played like normal.

I will never get that house back furnished as it was from the beginning since I saved but all my other houses are just as they should be. So, if you want to keep your house furnished with custom content, and give the downloader a chance to get it like that too, remove your downloads, package your house. If you want a Maxis only house, remove your downloads, go into the house, save and exit and package. :)

[macgirlffx]

I believe the saving is on a house by house basis. I think the game keeps track of the files that change during a play session and those are the only ones updated. And if you muck around in one neighborhood and save and quit it doesn't much with the others you didn't load. At least, this is how it seems to work for me.

I take my downloads folder out when I package because it sucks up everything. Not only any CC you used but all the recolors as well, and hacks if you have those installed. To keep it simple I always only use Maxis items in my original lots. My CC is for my play and that's it. I'll redecorate and do many versions of a house after I've packaged the original.

[luws]

macgirlffx said:

And if you muck around in one neighborhood and save and quit it doesn't much with the others you didn't load. At least, this is how it seems to work for me.

Strange... in my game I notice that when I'm only playing Pleasantview, my custom hood still shows that's it's been modified & has a current date.

I've always wondered what the game is doing to my custom hood when I don't even click on it or anything. I go straight to Pleasantview. Not every file is changed, but the ones that have to do with the whole neighborhood change. Every time I load the game I believe.

[rhiamom]

As of OFB, this info is no longer completely accurate. The game no longer packages up *everything* in your Downloads folder with a lot. It does package up all CC related to any item you used on that lot. If you didn't use the crib, for example, none of your crib recolors will be in the lot package. If you did use the crib, though, all of the recolors for it will be included in the package.

[macgirlffx]

I think the updated date for hoods you don't do anything with is just a label to let you know you ran the game, I guess. I don't think it changes anything if you didn't meddle, just gives it a current date. Hmmm... I just haven't had any of my hoods I didn't play ever change unless I changed them. I'll usually load a different one each session just to check on things, but also, because of that disappearing name thing, I go through and rename them all so I know which is which again. That would constitute a date update but really nothing changed. You just typed in the name again. And again. And again. And again. :duh:

Actually, I never thought a packaged lot sucked in your whole downloads folder, just the items you used and any corresponding recolors, even if you didn't use them. This is still an easy mistake to lead to giving away CC you didn't intend too. TSR wants "clean" lots and for you to use Clean Installer to get it that way. Well, guess what, we don't get Clean Installer and all that jazz so the only way to really be safe in uploading lots is to remove all your CC and just use Maxis stuff in them and package them without your CC installed. You'll never know which files you need to get rid of otherwise to just include what you used because most file names are undescriptive "junk" and you can't tell anything apart. :wacko:

[rhiamom]

Those junk names annoy me. It's just lazy creators who can't be bothered to rename the package file after the package is complete. Files created in Bodyshop CAN be renamed. Files created in HomeCrafter CAN be renamed. There's no excuse at all for packages created in SimPE! I think some content creators think it keeps people from stealing their texture files. It doesnt. You can get the filename for any CC by looking at the texture file images in Clean Installer.

[luws]

I thought those junk file names were a result of how the Package installer works, not the creators.

Here's a pic of my neighborhood files after playing tonight. I only played Pleasantview, didn't go anywhere near neighborhood 4, but as you can see N4's main files show that they were modified today. However, N2, which is a Maxis hood & one that I have never played, remains unchanged. So I assumed the game was reading & loading & saving CC info for all lots & hoods, whether they were entered or not.:huh:

Attached Files

•  modified dates.jpg   142.29K   121 downloads

[macgirlffx]

I'll have to look closer at my folders the next time I play. I'm not sure what the game does. I wonder if it's just from updating CC and enabling it for the hoods you've played but not really saving anything.

[figaro_black]

Well, when the game fire up it does load the neighbourhoods, that is why the more neighbourhoods the slower the game will load. Though, of course it is just a potential, half loading but that might be enough to change at least a couple of files, ought it not? :)

[macgirlffx]

I would think as long as the computer processes them, even if we don't play them, that would update the date.

[luws]

Yes.
But (not to belabor the point) the only neighborhoods that the game updates are the ones with CC (in spite of whether or not I play them). The Maxis hood that I don't play, and therefore has no CC, never gets a new modified date. So it seems tied into CC... somehow. I dunno.

[Ladyphae]

I just purchase the Sims2 & the sims2 university. As I was reading the directions in the sims 2 university, I read something confussing. Under installing the game it says the following:
"Please do not install The sims2 University in the same location where you installed the Sims2. If you do, The Sims2 University files will overwrite The Sims2 files and neither game will work properly.
By default, the installer automatically installs The Sims2 University into a separate location. If you choose to install The Sims2 University elsewhere, please make sure that it is not the same place where The Sims2 is installed.

Does this mean that the sims2 university will install in a different location automatically, or do I have to choose the location? I played the sims and I had the expansion packs, I don't remember having to make sure they were installed in a separate location. I consider the expansion packs an extension of the sims.

Can anyone explain this to me? Or tell me what I should do?

Thank you

[luws]

:huh:
Boy, I don't remember ever reading somthing like that. How confusing. :wacko: (Unless I'm totally senile, I thought every EP updated the sims 2 with a new icon, so there is only ever one version!)

If I were you, I would use the default location chosen by the installer (sounds like it picks the correct location by default).
Then come back & let us know where it ended up!:D