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r/sims2help FAQ: Common Sims 2 Issues

# r/sims2help

r/sims2help
general-support

# Back to Index

Before we get into the FAQs, a note:

Please regularly backup your saves, your mods, and your EA Games folder in general - it's the best way to protect things that are important to you in case anything goes wrong!

In Windows, the important folder to back up is located in Documents/EA Games (or possibly C:\Users\Public\Documents\EA Games\, if the normal Documents/EA Games folder is empty). If your game is within OneDrive/Documents, you should immediately remove it as syncing programs like this can corrupt your hoods - you need to disable OneDrive or stop it from syncing the Documents folder. On MacOS, your save folder is located in ~Library/Containers/com.aspyr.sims2.appstore/Data/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2/ if you have the 64 bit version (which you have to have if on MacOS Catalina or above) or ~/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2 if you have the 32 bit version - please note this is the hidden Library folder (visible with Cmd + shift + .) not the System Library folder.

To back up your folder, right click on it and choose copy. Then navigate to a separate, safe place on your computer (or an external drive, Google Drive, USB stick, etc.) where your backups can live in safety, away from the rest of the game. Right click in the new place and select paste. Your folder will be copied over to the new location.

# What is SimPE?

The Sims Package Editor, or SimPE, is an external program created to modify .package files in The Sims 2. It's possible to edit Sims, neighbourhoods, and make and edit custom content with it. It's a very powerful tool, but it's not intuitive to use and requires a lot of practice.

SimPE used to be available on Sims Ambertation, a German website, but the site has been gone for years now. You can see most recent versions on Mod The Sims here and the latest version (SimPE 0.77.69), which is still being maintained by Chris Hatch, is available here. Make sure you don't download the file with T&A in the name unless you have Chris's custom (NSFW) pack! SourceForge also hosts older versions of SimPE which is helpful if you can't get the newer version to work.

There are many tutorials about the various things you can do with it, such as these custom content creation tutorials and this guide about adding memories and this one about changing names. Please backup your files before making any changes. If you're unsure how to do that, please refer back to the very first section on this post.

If you're not using any custom content and don't want to edit your neighbourhood or Sim files, you most likely won't need SimPE.

Unfortunately, SimPE is only available on Windows - so if you're running The Sims 2 in Bootcamp or Parallels, you will be able to install and use SimPE but you can't use it on MacOS.

# What is the BodyShop?

NB: The BodyShop does not come with the Legacy Edition

The BodyShop is a program that comes with your game, and can be used to create Sims and custom content without opening the game itself. For Windows, it's automatically shipped with the game, but for the Super Collection on Mac, you need to download the Extras file here or here (alt Google Drive link).

On Windows, your BodyShop application is found in the installation folder of your latest EP (or SP as is the case with Mansion & Garden Stuff). Once you find the application, you can make a shortcut to your desktop to make it easier to start.

For a physical disc game, the path is C:/Program Files (x86)/EA GAMES/(your latest EP or SP)/CSBin.

For the Origin Ultimate Collection, the path is C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\CSBin.

For the EA App Ultimate Collection, the path is C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\CSBin.

For the Games4theworld Ultimate Collection, the path is C:\Program Files\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\CSBin

For osab's Starter Pack/web installer Ultimate Collection, the path is C:\Program Files (x86)\The Sims 2 Starter Pack\Fun with Pets\SP9\CSBin

For MrDJ's/Oldgamesdownload version, the path is C:/Program Files (x86)/Mr DJ/The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection/The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff/CSBin.

Don't be alarmed if BodyShop takes forever to load. It's even slower than the game!

You can learn more about the BodyShop here including how to modernise it and make it look similar to the Clean UI as well as how to get it running a little more smoothly.

# How do I restart the premade neighbourhoods?

Please follow this guide to reset the premade neighbourhoods to their original state.

# My game won't save sims or settings!

If you're having issues with the game not saving, for example when new sims are created during birth or adoption and then disappear when you reload the game or when you change a setting and it reverts the next time you start the game, you should look at your antivirus and OneDrive. Both of these can interfere with the game's files. For OneDrive, read this thread (it is about sims 3 but applies to 2 also) about how to disable it to prevent further issues.

For your antivirus, you need to add an exception for the game's files - this is the case even if you only have the generic Windows' Defender/Security installed. You will need to Google how to add an exception for your particular antivirus as it varies based on the program - just Google "your antivirus name + add exception" and you should find the info. Make sure to add your installation location (e.g. C:/Program Files/The Sims 2 UC or wherever you installed it - see Where are my installation files in the Tech Support section), your save location (Documents/EA Games) and the game application itself (Sims2EP9.exe, Sims2RPC.exe, Sims2RPCSettings.exe, and Sims2EP9RPC.exe), if that's an option on your antivirus. Some antivirus software will have an additional setting "Data Protection" (e.g. Norton 360) - make sure to add the game as an exception here too as not doing so may stop the game from saving any progress you make.

# I get a low disk space notification / I have no neighbourhoods when opening the game

If you get a low disk space notification when starting the game, and your disk space isn't actually low, or if you have no neighbourhoods to choose from on the neighbourhood selection screen, the issue is the TM in the name of "The Sims™ 2 Ultimate Collection" which is only present with the actual Ultimate Collection from Origin/EA App or Games4theworld.

The reason it is only an issue for some people and not everyone is to do with the region/locale of the computer you are using; many Japanese simmers have the issue, for example. You can read about the issue and solutions to it here, here, and here - your options are to either remove the TM symbol from the game in the registry or to change your region/locale on your computer.

# Something is messing up my game but it's not corruption!

If you're having issues with the game that are not technical issues (flickering, black shadow boxes, pink flashing, etc. are covered in the tech support section of the wiki), then you probably have an issue with broken or conflicting custom content. This is a relatively normal thing and it's nothing to worry about. Sometimes you download custom content that doesn't work. While it might sometimes look scary, usually it's a simple fix.

If you know which piece of custom content it is, we advise you to take it out! However, if the custom content causing issues is geneticised/townified skins or eyes then you will need to use SimPE to fix each Sim that had the custom content in their DNA before loading the game again, otherwise you will mess up the DNA of the sims. Here is a tutorial. If the custom content is custom food, see the note on custom foods in the mods info section. If it's a career or a major, you should make all sims using that career or major quit the job/change major before removing the package - but if you don't, you'll just need to reset those sims using testing cheats afterwards.

If you don't know what piece of custom content is causing the issue, we recommend the 50/50 method. It's simple: you remove 50% of the custom content in your folder, boot the game, and see if the issue is gone. If it's not, you repeat the process with the other half of your custom content. Once you know which half the error is coming from, you can start to narrow down your search and repeat the process until you get down to just one file! This is the quickest way to find problem content, and is far faster than doing it one file at a time.

# Where can I get safe CC?

There are so many places out there to get custom content, it can be a little overwhelming to start shopping. ModTheSims is an oldie but a goodie, the Pleasant Sims blog has a lot of great resources, and we also have a mods list which links to many other great places!

You can find a lot of custom content elsewhere on the internet. Many people upload their creations to Tumblr but you have to be wary when searching through obscure sites.

A great way to ensure you don't click on any misleading links or pictures is to use an adblocker. We recommend Ublock Origin. It is an extension for your browser that will protect you from misleading download buttons and harmful ads. While it is recommended to have an adblocker on at all times for your own safety, Ublock Origin is easy to turn off when you want to support your favourite creators by watching their adverts. Just click on the extension and press the big power off button. Job done!

# Why do some people have a white/black/pink/green user interface?

Greatcheesecakepersona spent two years working on improving and updating the UI of The Sims 2.

The Starship UI mod is the dark UI version of the clean UI and is available here. The pink version of the UI is also available at this link, as well as the dark UI for BodyShop. The "Random UI Experiments [Alpha]" folder contains unfinished experimental UIs in several other colours, however, these are likely to have bugs such as parts of the UI being the wrong colour as they are not final release versions.

# Typing out all those cheats is so tiring. Is there something I can do about it?

Yes! If you always want your game to start with certain cheats on, you can create a UserStartup.cheat file. It's a special file that not only automatically enables cheats when you load up the game, but it can also create shorter codes for your cheats. For example, it can change MoveObjects On so all you have to type in the cheat bear is moo!

First of all, some mods create a UserStartup.cheat file for you. It's best to check that you don't already have one. So head on over to Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2/Config and have a look for a file called UserStartup.cheat. If you're on Mac, you'll need to go to ~/library/Containers/com.aspyr.sims2.appstore/Data/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2/Config.

If you have one, great! If you don't, simply open up Notepad and immediately save the empty file to your desktop. Where it says the name for the file, type "UserStartup.cheat" without the quotes. On the file extension just below it, choose "All Files" from the drop down box. It should look like this.

Once it's saved to your desktop, all you have to do is write in the cheats that you would always like to be enabled. Please remember to write the cheats correctly and only have one cheat per line, like this:

> boolProp constrainFloorElevation false

> boolProp ControlPets on

> boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true

> boolProp allow45DegreeAngleofRotation true

> intProp MaxNumOfVisitingSims [number]

> uintProp LotSkirtSizeIncrease [number]

These will be applied every time you start the game, so you won't have to type them in. One-time cheats, such as kaching and motherlode, will not work in this file. The only cheats that work are ones that can be turned on and off. If you don't know what the cheat does, please do not apply it!

For aliases, it gets a little more tricky. The layout must be as follows:

alias TheTextYouWishToUse "CheatCommand" "ShortDescription" "LongDescription"

So, if you wanted to shorten MoveObjects On to moo, it would be as follows:

alias moo "MoveObjects On" "Move Objects" "Allows the player to place objects anywhere"

Some examples:

> alias test "boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true"

> alias mon "moveObjects on"

> alias mof "moveObjects on"

> alias mot "motiveDecay off"

> alias m "maxmotives"

As you saw above, you do not have to write out either of the descriptions for the file to work. When you type "help" into the cheat bar, the descriptions will be listed next to the cheats to help you remember what they're associated with. If you don't think you'll need them, don't add them!

If you don't write cheats correctly, the game will stop reading the file and none of the cheats beneath the broken cheat will be read.

Also, be aware that the quarter tile placement cheat (setQuarterTilePlacement on/off) must be typed in this format to work in file:

boolProp quarterTilePlacementEnabled true

You can still create an alias for the regular version of the cheat though. Eg:

> alias qtileon "setquartertileplacement on" "setquartertileplacement on" "setquartertileplacement on"

> alias qtileoff "setquartertileplacement off" "setquartertileplacement off" "setquartertileplacement off"

Note that this cheat still needs to be toggled in game - use Ctrl + F to turn it on or off.

Please also note that the cheat "boolprop AllObjectLightsOn true" will cause crashing on launch if you put it in your userstartup.cheat file as mentioned in this thread.

If the above section doesn't make much sense to you, there is a more in-depth guide here.

# What's up with the Main Street Mobile Homes lot?

As mentioned in this thread, there is a bug with the Main Street Mobile Homes apartment lot that ships with Apartment Life where it causes crashing. You can delete the original and use this remake if you want to play the lot without crashes.

Last revised by Mysterious_Potential 7 months ago
Created May 2, 2020
6 years ago
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- PAGE SECTIONS

- Back to Index
- What is SimPE?
- What is the BodyShop?
- How do I restart the premade neighbourhoods?
- My game won't save sims or settings!
- I get a low disk space notification / I have no neighbourhoods when opening the game
- Something is messing up my game but it's not corruption!
- Where can I get safe CC?
- Why do some people have a white/black/pink/green user interface?
- Typing out all those cheats is so tiring. Is there something I can do about it?
- What's up with the Main Street Mobile Homes lot?

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