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r/sims2help Wiki: A Guide to Sims 2 Mods & CC

# r/sims2help

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cc-mod-information

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# How/Where to Install CC/Mods

Windows: Please follow this guide for info on how to install custom content or mods. Note the Downloads folder is created in Documents/EA Games/The Sims 2 (or The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection, if you have the proper UC). If the normal Documents/EA Games folder is empty for you, you possibly need to use C:\Users\Public\Documents\EA Games\ instead - this seems to be the case for some users for an unknown reason.

MacOS: Go to the following location in Finder:

- 64 bit version: ~/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.sims2.appstore/Data/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2/
- 32 bit version: ~/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2/

(A potential alternate location is ~/Library/Containers/The Sims™ 2 Super Collection/Data/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2/)

and create your Downloads folder here, if it doesn't exist already. The file locations above may actually vary based on the particular OS version, as I have seen the 64-bit version use the listed 32-bit location. If you can't find your save folder where you think it should be, try one of the other listed locations!

Note that the game only reads .package files in your Downloads folder, but most mods/CC will be in a zip, rar, or 7z archive when you download them. You will need to use a program such as 7zip or Winrar (or Mac equivalent) to extract the package file(s) inside.

Mods that go in your installation location (this is not the location for your Downloads folder, and the majority of mods/CC will not be in this location. Do not go here unless the mod/CC installation instructions specifically say to put it in the install location. See above for the Downloads folder location for Windows and MacOS) will go here:

Windows: This will be wherever you chose to install the game. Here are the default installation locations for different versions of the game.

- EA App Ultimate Collection: C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection
- Osab starter pack Ultimate Collection: C:\Program Files x86\The Sims 2 Starter Pack
- Origin Ultimate Collection: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection
- Games4theworld Ultimate Collection: C:\Program Files\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection
- Discs: C:\Program Files (x86)\EA Games
- MrDJ/Oldgamesdownload: C:\Program Files (x86)\Mr DJ\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection

Mac: Open the Applications folder, right click "The Sims 2", and select "Show package contents". Then go to the correct location from these options:

64 bit locations:

- Base Game: Contents/Assets/TSData/
- EPs/SPs: Contents/Assets/Expansion Packs/<Expansion Name>/TSData/

32 bit locations (Pre-Catalina):

- Base Game: Contents/Home/TSData/
- EPs/SPs: Contents/Home/Expansion Packs/<Expansion Name>/TSData/

# Mod Conflicts - Please Read Before Using Mods

When you install a mod into your game it reads certain game files. When two mods try to use/edit the same resource it can cause conflicts. Some of these conflicts can be severe enough to cause game crashes or other issues. We advise everyone to check for conflicts with the Hack Conflict Detection Utility Plus. Some mods conflict in ways the HCDU can't detect, although these conflicts are quite rare. Please check modder's conflict lists to make sure.

HCDU plus is slightly updated from the original and has some extra features. For example, it tells you which mod is loading last (very important for conflict resolution as outlined below in the Load Order section). It's a common misconception that the original HCDU displays conflicting mods in their load order but this is not the case. We recommend using this program for conflict detection.

You may also hear of SiMidge, which is Midgethetree's version of a HCDU. This program will only work on Windows 10 and still has some bugs, HCDU+ is a better alternative as it has more features and is still supported.

# A Note on Mod Packs / Lists (Eg. Pleasantsims Mod List)

The single most important thing you can do to prevent errors/glitches/bugs in your game is read the documentation that comes with mods. Please do not add big packs of mods to your game or download entire lists of them (such as Pleasantsims' mod list) without thoroughly going through them to read the documentation on each mod so that you can avoid mod conflicts. It is especially important that you don't add a bunch of mods from a pack/list like this to an already filled Downloads folder - while somebody may release a mod pack that works fine for them, that does not mean you can just put it in with everything else in your Downloads folder.

Note that you must have the correct packs for each mod/CC as well - this is not an issue with the UC, but if you have the discs and don't have all of the packs installed, you need to check that your CC/mods are compatible with the packs you have.

Mac Users: Unfortunately, you will not be able to use Mods or CC that require packs beyond Bon Voyage. Please take care when downloading Mods/CC and do not add mods that require later packs or you will get errors, specifically Bad Gosub Tree errors which indicate a missing pack (or file sometimes, in the case of extra files such as Smarter EP Check for many mods or the Game Edition Addon for Dickhurt's mods).

# Errors / Finding What Caused Them / Binary Search / 50-50 Method

If you are getting errors in your game, it is almost guaranteed to be the result of mods/CC. Please note that errors do not happen for no reason and ignoring them by turning testing cheats off does not make the problem go away, it merely hides the error dialog.

A very useful utility that was released is WhatCausedThis. This program will scan error logs and will list mods that could be the cause of the error. It will not always detect a mod as the cause but that doesn't mean that a mod/CC item isn't the problem.

The 50-50 Method is the quickest way to track down problematic files.

If you experience errors with a mod and it's not due to a conflict, please report it to the creator if they are still active - they will want to know so that they can fix it! If the error is related to a conflict, you can still inform the creator as they may wish to add a note to the mod's description or possibly make the mod compatible if possible.

# Load Order

You can read about the importance of Load Order here. The Sims 2 reads files alphabetically, so to make a file load before another one, simply add _ or 'a' to the start of the filename. To make it load last, you can add a 'z' to the filename. You can also rename an entire folder to load first or last, eg. you could have a folder called aPescado to load Pescado's mods first. When files conflict, whichever one loads last is the one whose functionality will be visible in the game. The HCDU+ program linked above displays the load order of conflicting mods, so you can see which is loading last even if you have several subfolders.

Pescado's mods are great, but they frequently include extra functionality which is not mentioned in their description. It's a good idea to have these mods load first - you can do this by renaming all of them in a way so that they are at the top of your folders, or by making a separate folder for Pescado's mods and renaming it so that it is at the top of your entire Downloads folder, eg. name the folder aPescado or _Pescado.

# Mods That Shouldn't Be Uninstalled / Have Specific Uninstall Instructions

Thanks to u/SuitableDragonfly for writing parts of this subsection!

There a few types of mods that you should not uninstall entirely or should take specific steps to uninstall to avoid issues in game. However, these mods are generally not responsible for problems and are safe to retain in your Downloads folder.

## Custom NPCs

This includes multi pollination technician mods, multi ideal plantsim mods, and most mods that add some non-sim, non-pet entity that can move by itself. It does not include default replacement pollination technicians or ideal plantsims, as default replacements just replace some information about the original EA NPC and do not introduce any new NPCs. It also includes some mods that come with more traditional types of custom NPCs, for example Chris Hatch's hospital mod, which comes with some nurse and doctor NPCs.

It is generally safe to uninstall the main part of the mod that actually does something, you just shouldn't uninstall the custom NPCs' character files. If you're not sure which files those are, ask the person who made the mod. These NPCs are created in every neighborhood you loaded with the character files installed, so removing the character files is just like deleting character files from the neighborhood folder and causes corruption. A lot of these mods say it is fine to remove the character files if they have not had children, but this is not true, it is not fine to remove them under any circumstance. What you can do, however, is copy these character files into the Characters folder in each neighborhood that was loaded with the mod installed, and then delete them from the Downloads folder. This will prevent those NPCs from being generated in new hoods you create while keeping them as characters in the hoods they already exist in.

## Custom Memories

Custom memories are only safe to remove if you first go through all of the sims who have the custom memories and delete those memories, either in SimPE or using the Memory Manager mod in-game. You can also just leave the memory package in your game and remove the mod that adds it. Custom memories are safe to remove if no sim has acquired the memory yet. Notably, the Inteenimater-C package is the custom miscarriage memory and can't be removed if sims have that memory for this reason.

## Custom Foods

Foods generate a lot of data in the game just by existing - there are wants to learn to make a certain food, wants to eat a certain food, invisible tokens indicating that a sim has made or eaten a certain food, memories of burning foods, and sims can have certain foods as their "favorite food" that they will automatically order at restaurants. Custom foods generate all of this content just as much as regular EA foods do. You can use the Memory Commander to remove invalid memory references for custom foods. There has been some previous mention of custom foods in want histories being potentially problematic but this has not been investigated in any great capacity. April Black speculated in a comment here that at worst it may result in a crash if the game tried to access that non existent data. If you're unsure about removing custom foods and using the memory commander to remove references, you can instead disallow the custom food from showing up at any meal times in SimPE, by following this tutorial.

## Custom Skin and Eye Colors

As with custom NPCs, this means skin and eye colors that are new to the game, not default replacements of existing skin and eye colors, which can be removed at any time with no issues. If there are sims who have these skin and eye colors, or carry them recessively, you will wind up with sims with broken genetics if you just remove them. To delete them, you will need to identify all the sims who have these skin and eye colors anywhere in their simDNA and change the values to a skin or eye color that is still in your game. As a result, you should ideally only remove these mods if there are no sims using these genetics. However, this will not corruption and your hood will not break because of it.

# Colour Enable Package (CEP)

A lot of custom content requires you to install CEP as well as Smarter EP Check. Please download and install the Smarter EP Check before downloading any of the following mods, and get the CEP if you're planning to download CC.

# Sims 2 Clean Pack Installer (Installing Sims2Pack files)

You can use the Sims 2 Clean Pack Installer to organize your Sims 2 custom content. You should also use the Clean Installer to install any Sims2Pack files - it's especially important when downloading lots as mods will often tag along with downloads and you need to uncheck these in the clean installer and only install the lot. You don't need the Clean Installer to install regular package files.

# Aging/Lifespan Mods - How to Update Every Sim's Lifespan

If you've added or removed a lifespan mod, you will know that sims needs to age up in order to get the new lifespan (or you'd have to edit them individually in SimpE) which isn't helpful if you want the mod to take effect from their current ages. Luckily, there is a mod to fix this. Lazy Duchess Smart Age Correct, which is an edit of the original Age Correct (comment #3) by Chris Hatch, will automatically update the lifespans of every sim in the hood. LD's version is better because it doesn't require you to remove it after use.

# Mods List

You can access our mods list here - we have everything from the 2 anti-corruption mods to bug fixes to gameplay mods!

# Commonly Encountered Errors/Bugs when using Mods/CC

## Bad Gosub Tree Error

This error means you are missing a required resource, and that can be either an expansion (if you don't have all of them, for example, playing on MacOS/with the Super Collection) or a mod package. Any mod may have a dependency on another mod, and this info will generally be included in the readme or description of the download. The program WhatCausedThis can still tell you which package is missing the dependency so you can go to that mod's download page/readme and figure out which file is missing. Please note, WhatCausedThis will display a limited list of potential mods which you are missing when it sees this error. It doesn't mean that any of these mods are necessary for you or that if you have all the mods listed, the error will or should go away. You need to go to the mod download to determine which file you are missing.

## Apartment Mailbox keeps disappearing?

You probably have a buyable mailbox for the wrong version of the game. Look for SEDD_BuyMailboxBV.package in your Downloads folder - you'll have to do the 50/50 method if you can't find it!

# Helpful External Programmes

SimPE is already covered on the General Support page. The Hack Conflict Detection Utility Plus is covered in the first paragraph on this page. None of these go in your Downloads folder - they are external programs, which you only run and use when the game is closed.

- All of Whoward's programs - Whoward has created tons of the most useful modern programs, from WhatCausedThis to HCDU+ to Outfit Organiser to BHAV Finder, check them all out on his site!
- HoodChecker Clears junk from your hoods.
- Sims2Pack Clean Installer (Sims2PCI) Allows you to choose which CC/mods you want to install along with a Sim or a lot - ensure that you always uncheck mods that try to install alongside lots. Note that CC defaults aren't recognised by this program so if you're using it to look at your CC they will show up as "Incomplete BodyShop Projects" (highlighted blue) but they are not actually incomplete.
- The Compressorizer Compresses custom content and makes file sizes smaller.
- The Wardrobe Wrangler Useful for people who want to reorganise or modify their CC. You can choose which ages and categories CC will show up for.
- Delphy's Download Organiser Useful for people who want to organise their CC and delete broken ones. It can tell you what type of file something is - very useful if you've got old files or ones with gibberish names.
- LotCompressor Compresses lots by deleting and compressing junk data. Makes your neighbourhood files smaller.
- Add Tooltips Automatically Adds informational text to Body Shop content - useful for players with lots of Body Shop CC, especially old files.
- The Sim Randomizer Gives you randomised Sim ideas. Useful for players who get stuck deciding what kind of Sims to make.
- CCMerger Merges files and shortens loading time. Useful for players with lots of CC and long loading times.
- Sims2RPC A custom launcher for Mansion & Garden that fixes a lot of issues, including Firstborn Syndrome, and allows you to show on Discord that you're playing TS2.
- The Scriptorium Makes installation of custom modular stairs, fireplaces and lighting mods easier.

## For CC Creators

- HomeCrafter For creating walls and floors.
- AnyGameStarter for UC / for Disks For creators who want to test their CC in a different game environment, or for those who want to build lots and share them.
- Extra TXTR Remover Removes useless duplicate textures from Body Shop recolour files. Most new Body Shop recolours these days have already been run through the programme, so if you're creating your recolour in SimPE, you won't need this. If you're creating your recolour through Body Shop only, this should be used.
- Quick Easy Hair Binner Sorts hair (and facial hair) recolours into the correct categories: black, brown, blond/e, red, grey. Handy if you're making your own hair retextures/recolours or have CC hair that is in the Custom colour category.
- Blender animation templates For making your own animations in Blender. Previous versions were buggy and extremely hard and tedious to use.

You might be wondering: why so many external programmes instead of one or a few? The Sims 2 was released at a time when the Internet and programming in general were much more scattered. Lots of creators made their own sites and ran their own forums instead of everyone being in the same few places. Tumblr, TSR, MTS and Reddit were all in their infancy. So because of that scattered nature, there haven't been a lot of grand projects to make one singular programme like the TSR Workshop or S3PE for TS3, or Sims4Studio for TS4. A lot of famous and knowledgeable creators have also retired over the years, so the programming scene is quite small.

Last revised by Mysterious_Potential 1 year ago
Created May 2, 2020
6 years ago
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- PAGE SECTIONS

- Back to Index
- How/Where to Install CC/Mods
- Mod Conflicts - Please Read Before Using Mods
- A Note on Mod Packs / Lists (Eg. Pleasantsims Mod List)
- Errors / Finding What Caused Them / Binary Search / 50-50 Method
- Load Order
- Mods That Shouldn't Be Uninstalled / Have Specific Uninstall Instructions
- - Custom NPCs
  - Custom Memories
  - Custom Foods
  - Custom Skin and Eye Colors
- Colour Enable Package (CEP)
- Sims 2 Clean Pack Installer (Installing Sims2Pack files)
- Aging/Lifespan Mods - How to Update Every Sim's Lifespan
- Mods List
- Commonly Encountered Errors/Bugs when using Mods/CC
- - Bad Gosub Tree Error
  - Apartment Mailbox keeps disappearing?
- Helpful External Programmes
- - For CC Creators

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