PMBD

Funny how this site was created to share items that should be free. However, I found myself using it most of last night for the sole purpose of finding filenames to REMOVE crappy shite I already payed for. Mostly Peggy hair and SimChic makeup/hair.  I don't know what possessed me to download it in the first place or what possesses them to CHARGE for it!.  :?

Apologies if this post is a repeat.

There is an entire thread dedicated to the crapisms of paysites. I suggest you take a look at that, rather than posting a new thread.

And uh, search. It's your best friend.  :wink:

On the other hand, it is an interesting commentary about the state of custom content. So while a new thread might have not have been appropriate, the comment certainly is!

I think that it helps to be able to get the stuff fof free, so if you don't like it, you've not wasted money on it. I'm forever downloading, testing, and deleting.

Well, thanks for sharing how YOU use this site. That is vaguely interesting. And I have to admit...the conversation lately is getting pretty boring. We need a troll visit to inspire our wrath.  :P Read the FAQs to make sure YOU aren't the one to inspire us!

I agree, Hec.  I always wanted to see Peggy hair.  It looked so good in pics.  Then, I downloaded and the gaps made my eyes bleed.  We won't even get into Pandora's selling other creator hacks.  

I have in the past couple of weeks looked at paysite clothing and noticed an extreme similiarity to free clothing that I already had.  I even downloaded a couple from the booty to see in game if it was indeed that similiar.  And with the exception of a flower or a bow, they were identical.

thanks for the friendly welcome Lwerszva and SparklePlenty. :D i wouldn't actually say this is how i use this site. i've downloaded a ton of stuff. the clean up was necessary because of all the goodies i've got from here in the past two day. and i'm not a troll either.

i read the faq and i did search for 'filenames for removal' which didn't produce appropriate results. i also apologized up front if my post was repeat. geesh...

i'll just refrain from posting and make everyone happy. m'kay?

Hell no, don't do that.  They may have given you a gentle reminder, but if they were really ticked off the kitties would come out.  You're fine.

Tim

Yes, don't do that.  An unusual entrance, but at least an interesting read, and not a hint of "where is file 45142541 - can i hav it plz"

Keep posting - you're interesting  :D

If Calalily didn't ream your ass, and she says your interesting, you should stay.  She's never told me I was interesting....*ponders*   :?

armywife i saw that for the first time yesterday (Pandora)! most of the hacks came from MATY or MTS.

thank u guys. i'll just hold off on starting threads until i'm a bit more familiar with site and rules. i don't want to piss anyone off or get banned. this site is the best thing since sliced bread AND cheese. i feel like the cat that swallowed the canary and i don't want to mess up a good thing.

I've never made a new thread but look at my post count.  There's always plenty of discussion around here!  Welcome.

So what makes pay content worth paying for?

Isn't that subjective to aesthetics?

I mean I DETEST different colour hair. other than black brown blonde red and pink. For some reason I like pink. And when I get pay hairstyles I usually get 45 different colours that go with. (slight miscalculation there, but maths was never my bag baby. Well... maybe barf bag..) And having to delete all those colours through bodyshop because sometimes the creator doesn't label them.. or sometimes they do... but for some reason they label them in languages I don't understand... or with numbers :evil:  So I have to do it. Which would be okay if my Bodyshop didn't take three hours to load.
*hic*
I think that if I paid for that stuff.. suuuuurely it would come binned? Or with clear labels that said PURPLE.
Some paysites do... they do... please the plank is slippery tonight...
but not all.

So in my case.. I would expect the content to be properly configured if it was going to cost me money.
I'm sure a creator here said that sometimes the audio in the files is wrong! The audio! And how is that supposed to enhance my gameplay? Offer it for free so I have no excuse to bitch.

which was exactly why i had to come here to find the filenames for all the garbage i wanted to delete, since the filenames are hidden on the sites i got them from. it's much easier deleting objects than skins. and on that note when you delete items from the buy/build menu are they permanently deleted from your downloads folder? i was wondering about that. i didn't know you could delete skins in body shop. thanks for that bit of info.

I believe that when you delete an item in buy/build mode it is permanently deleted from the downloads folder.  However, if there was a mesh as part of the file, that might still be in there.  That is also the same with Body Shop items.

Tim

when u delete it from buy/build mode wouldn't u be deleting the mesh because u can't delete specific recolors? i deleted a ton of objects and skins yesterday. i didn't bother to check my dl folder to see if the objects i deleted in b/b mode were actually gone. it was just too much stuff to do that. i just hoped and assumed it would all be gone.

As I understand it (and I am NOT the expert here), the meshes remain in the downloads folder.  As a matter of fact, you can delete specific recolors of a given item.  Presumably the reason for keeping the meshes is in case you download another item that requires it.

Tim

I've set my downloads folder to read only so I won't accidentally delete content (something I've done before). Instead, I use SimPe and the Object Categorizer from Paladin to identify objects I no longer want or need and remove them. It's not as easy, but it does keep me aware of what's in the downloads folder and where it's at.

I keep the original archive files so if I accidentally delete something I can just reinstall it.  I usually only use the Object Categorizer to set more realistic prices for objects when the creators do something like pricing the item for one Simolean.  When I do delete items purposely, I'll use Delphy's Download Organizer to get rid of the orphaned meshes that are left behind.

Tim

Threaten to leave, and I might beg on my knees  :lol:

ok u guys are getting real technical. so in other words all that crap i thought i deleted yesterstay in b/b mode is still in my dl's folder???? ARRRRR! and DAMMIT!

Yes.  No.  Maybe.

Basically, it depends on whether the things you deleted in build/buy mode required a mesh which was also downloaded.  If so, then you still have some things in your download folder you may not want.  Get Delphy's Download Organizer at Mod the Sims 2 and look for "orphaned" items.  That will be the leftover stuff you want to delete.

http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=227925

Tim

It's iffy because people also build their files (packages) differently.  What you think you're deleting is just a recolor but sometimes the recolor is in the mesh file and so the object and recolors get deleted.  This is not the norm though.. most are separate.

will do - thanks for the link, tim. my dl folder is completely out of control right now. and finding this site is not going to help the situation at all! i think i spend more time downloading stuff than i do playing the game. which is kinda pathetic when u think about it.

yes, angelica i have noticed that. sometimes one file will have all the colors, sometimes mesh and colors are separate. i understand now. i'm pissed for all the click click clicking i did last night thinking i deleted stuff. looks like i gave myself pre-carpal tunnel for nothing.  :x

You're welcome.  I sometimes have the same problem doing more downloading than playing the game myself.  I decided to do things differently.  Now I play my neighborhoods for a week (game time) then start looking for new things to download.  After a couple weeks (real time) I'm usually good to go.

Tim

i want to add some recommendations:

1. If you use Delphy's organizer, don't delete outright...move the possible offenders to a folder on your desktop until you're sure. I lost valuable stuff that way. But it is good for separating the items into categories for you...which helps with....

2. ...organizing your downloads: some of us get hog-wild with subfolders by creator/set, others just simply go clothing, hacks, build, buy, etc. However you do it, do it...it will help when having to isolate problems or clean out unused stuff.

Has Delphy fixed the issue where recolors of Maxis meshes were labeled as orphans?  I never heard an answer to that..

ok.

that's the biggest issue with my dl folder. i don't have any subfolders. it's got to be over 1000 files in one big undiscernible lump. and i even removed the dl's that came with subs. *shaking head* the only files that are in a sub are jmp's hacks. and i only did that because i was initially afraid of them. i like jmp - we have the same initials.

i have a huge job ahead of me guys. :( thanks for the guidance.

Definitely start a subfolder system, it can be a sanity saver.

And I had thought that deleting custom objects only deleted the mesh and not the recolors.  The way to delete them all is to place the object on a lot, use the Design Tool to choose, then delete one by one the recolors until you are only left with the base/mesh object.  Then delete that from the catalog.  That's how I've been doing it anyway.  I have a Recolor folder still far too full from when I didn't do the above.  And I have no idea what most are for or from.

I still have every dang .zip/.rar I've ever downloaded in a file on my desktop, but starting over completely sounds better and better all the time.  Clothes and hair are a total chore to delete from the game if you don't know which they are in your DL folder.  :cry:

That would me going hog-wild! I loved organizing my downloads folder! However, after reading that too many subfolders can cause lags, I'm moving towards a more simple system; each creator gets only one folder.

It's been hard letting go of the old system... :cry: ... as my downloads folder was organized beyond belief (who am I kidding? it was a work of ART, dammit!).  But I'm going to give this new way a try and see how it works out. The upside being if I don't like it, I get to organize everything all over again (yes!).

wow. if what u'r saying is true i'm REALLY in trouble. i didn't know u could or had to delete recolors one by one with the design tool.  :shock:

i was basically in the catalog clicked on the item, and then clicked delete. isn't the mesh file what shows up as the catalog icon? if not that means i possibly have errant meshes AND recolors left. i'll never find them now if that's the case. u guys are scaring me. i do not have a backup of my dl folder either. seems i really went about this the wrong way.

 :shock: u actually enjoy that?!!!? i avoided it like the plague. hence my current position. i wish i never brought the subject up. now i'm stressing.

can i send u my whole dl folder in a rar and u can organize it for me. that would rock!!!  :D

... since u enjoy it so much and all.

Yes, it is true if you delete an object and it still has recolors with the asterisk on them then the recolors will still be in your downloads folder.

However, it's also true that some recolors are packaged within the mesh's .package file.  If that is the case then when you delete a recolor it will delete the object too.

Maybe it's just me, but I've found the orphan scan absolutely useless.  I guess I've been lucky enough to avoid having many orphans but, of the forty or so results I get on an orphan scan (with over 9000 files in my downloads), every immediately recognizable name is something I have in my game that I like and know works.

that's really disappointing because i was actually on my way to get it and start the clean up of my initial clean up. i'm just going to have to be diligent and do it manually. i thought i had about 1000 files - it's actually 6,515. this is going to be FUN! thanks everyone for the help and advice. i'm off to tackle this monster.

Clean Installer is what I used when I first organized...before Delphy made his organizer. IT does a nice job of at least defining package type, and you can move them about...then further organize from there.

Personally, I think I am masochistic. I always start of with a nice neat organized folder, but after a while I end up just shoving files in. I always think oh well I will fix it later. Of course that never happens so I just say screw it and delete the whole thing and start over at square one. Which I do every few months anyways. I never back up my folder with a new ep, just delete and start again, but then for some reason I think I enjoy finding and downloading stuff more than the game itself. Must be impulsive side, I guess.

I've never go my mind into this whole over-organizing...the trick is to not slip in crap in the first place. I keep track of hacks and defaults, and the rest I Just shove in there, hoping it will not explode. Uh...that didn't sound good. But even though I organize more now that I have Deplhy's Organizer, I still don't do it often. I check for duplicates and orphans, and delete custom trees, and sometimes whole sets of hair.But other than that, I don't do much. So, not really any need to over-organize. But yeah, I was a mess before the DDO.  :roll:

Don't get me wrong--the program is wonderful for identifying TYPES of content, and you can sort by install date, subfolder installed, name, type, all sorts of things--it's perfect for moving files around.

I'm a lazy downloader, personally.  I love to use QExpress, even off of MTS2...I'll dump .zips and .rars in a catch-all on the desktop and use QExpress to install them into Downloads.  Then, I'll run my game and if anything is crappy or doesn't work right, I can find it right in the base folder.  Also helps me Compressorize, since everything in Downloads hasn't been run through it yet.

On a regular basis, then, I run the organizer and move things into the appropriate subfolder.  I just haven't had any luck with the orphan scanner.  Maybe I don't have any orphans, though.  It just seems unlikely with so many downloads, that I wouldn't have at least one orphan clothing mesh or something, you know?

ARGH!!!!
SlickChick, it's great that you've found us and managed to avoid many of the problems that n00bs struggle with, but please stop double/triple posting. You're all over the place like a Catholic school girl. If you have already posted and no one has replied, just edit the existing posts. Unless more than a day has passed, there's no reason to have consecutive posts.

Quinctia, I now feel like a cc ho, I have over 27,000 files in my DL folder, of course in subfolders as well.  Maybe I need to quit downloading?  Or join a support group.   :lol:

Well, how much of it do you actually use?  If I like something, I generally don't pause before downloading it.  I'm just kind of picky about some things.  Like genetics.  I like tons of variety, but I make all the eyes NPC available and bin all my hair, so I like to keep things that play well together.  Things that don't go, I pull out.

I really need to go and kill a lot of stupid deco objects I never use, and a couple of ugly recolors of objects here and there, still.  I finally killed the last of the lower quality textured clothes I had last night, leftover from my old computer with the worse graphics.

I'd say I've probably had at least 18,000 files in my game total, but as CC has improved and my own system to play on has improved, a LOT has been cycled out.  I'd say I have very, very few things now left from when I was first downloading.  I even killed my own first body shop projects last night!

Strangely enough, after the Booty came into existence I've got less CC than I've ever had (holding steady at 2GB, was 4GB once upon a time).  With each EP I find there are EAxis things that do/look like what I'd had CC for, so out goes the CC version.  And I strip out old stuff before I'll install new stuff.  It's like a rule I have now.  At least four hairs go before any new ones come in, like that.

Quinctia - I've never had much luck w/orphan scanning either, tho I did manage to delete every damn mesh I had once.   :roll:   I'm a spaz w/3rd party programs.  They were just in the recycle bin, had to fish them out, but I'll stick to my old manual sorting method and CleanInstaller.

Oh I though I was the only one with a thinner Downloads folder than pre-booty. Actually I use the booty in a childish way. My downloads are in general from Rose and Peggy so a) "Revenge sweet revenge" for the way I was treated when I was a newbie 2)  I can point and laugh. Pretty stupid reasons so the files don't even end in the DL folder.
I think the booty made me realize that 80% of the pay stuff out there isn't worth my time to download it. I had this theory "you get what you pay for", it changed quite a lot with the involvement in the Open Source community and the Sims environment was definitive proof. i.e. I always wanted the Victorian stuff of VitaSims, got it from the booty and decided that my DL folder was happier without it :)
Like others here I bin all the hair I put in my DL folder if isn't yet binned and no eyes or skintones get there without being geneticized and NPC available. That takes my time and effort so makes me ask myself if is worth it.
I'm anal retentive so I've sub folders divided in Eyes / Hair / Skintones / MakeUp (you got the point) and inside those by creators, plus recolorists have their subdirectories under the creator of the mesh.
Hey I said I'm anal retentive, ok?

Not that I know of.  When I downloaded it, the post mentioned a problem with occasionally labeling something as an orphan when it is not.

Tim

I, too, have found the orphan scan useless. I still stick with Clean Installer and it does the trick for me. It helps that I can now read the file names and usually know what is what.

Oh my gosh first time I used the orphan scanner it told me I had over 600 orphan files, I said delete all and had to go do everything again. Then, I tried it again after the update, where it put things in the recycle bin instead of just getting rid of them. Same problems. I ended up restoring almost all the files, so said no more. I'll just use clean installer. I'm with you on this.

DDO orphan scan is only good if you could probably write a list of 90%+ of your cc. Before that point, it's mostly useless, because you don't know what it's showing you. The duplicate scan is pretty good, though, especially if this attempt is your first true attempt at organising your downloads folder, and you had a few half-hearted attempts before.

I have 2204 files right now, and that's waaay too much. I feel like such a slattern :( I used to have more than 15000, though. That was probably when I only had up to Pets installed, and that's when I started feeling the lag. I got down to 3000 before Seasons, and now Seasons is lag-free with a slightly aging computer and everything turned to max, even on big or community lots. :) (This last leg of the cleanout should make that an and/or. Yay!)

I recommend everyone gets and uses the Compressorizer (http://www.djssims.com/index.php?category=21). Don't do a whole downloads folder in one go or you might run into trouble. Divide into subfolders first, even if all you can be bothered to call them is 'section a', 'section b'...

If your downloads folder is a total mess, you may be better off blowing the lot away and starting again. If there's some sort of organisation, you can probably salvage it, even if it's just that most of your files are prefaced by the creator name. Make creator folders, then, inside those, make a CAS and a Build/Buy folder if it's applicable (and a Hacks folder, too, but I don't know of many creators who are so multi-talented... there are some, though :))

Then, use a program like JDiskReport (http://www.jgoodies.com/freeware/jdiskreport/index.html) to evaluate the situation. If, for example, you have a huge Peggy folder, but hate her stuff and don't use it, what's going on? Or you might see that you have a bunch of CAS stuff when you don't care too much about your sims because your real love is decorating. This also tells you the size of these folders and the amount of files in them. Generally, the size of each creator folder, or each type folder (for example, if you decide to divide by Hair, FA Clothes, Genetics, Kitchen) should correlate to how much you like and use the stuff in it. If it doesn't, why? Look at the biggest files first - do you think they're worth how much space they take up, compared to smaller files you love? If not, delete them.

I've found that if I have doubts about something, I won't miss or even remember it when it's gone. If you have doubts about deleting it, keep it in another folder and try playing with that folder taken out. Build a house, make a family - did you miss something? If so, put it back. If not, delete it!

If you have lots of files without descriptive filenames, put them all in one folder. How many do you have? If it's about 30, I'd go through them in SimPE and work out what they are and rename them appropriately. If it's more, or however much you can't be bothered to deal with, delete them all.

After you've sorted out your CC, you can use less subfolders. I'm moving mine now to function-based folders instead of creator ones. The more files there are in a subfolder, the more I want to get rid of, so that's helping to motivate me :P

Once you've cleaned out your downloads, try and have some self-restraint! You might think, well, I got rid of all my crappy hairs and their orphaned meshes and recolours, but now I want some more good ones to fill it out a bit more. That's fine, obviously. But if you always hated Peggy and Rose hairs, remember that! Don't go to them! :P Once you're happy with the amount and choice you have, when you see a new thing you want, try and think: should I delete something to replace with this? If you can't think of one to delete, maybe you don't really want it. But if you still think, after looking for things to replace, that you want it, get it, because you probably do :) As long as you want it, you'll use it - and as long as you're using it, it's completely worth having!

And once you have a subfoldering system, never fall into the 'well, it's mostly sorted now, what will it hurt if I dump this one little download in the main directory?'. And then I did that once more, and, ooh, just this time 'cause I'm busy, and then again, and I had to start sorting all over again.

There are basically two ways to have a good downloads folder: you can go the 'keep the zips and the pictures, subfolder by use then creator then set then item' and the 'delete everything you're not using or using very rarely and group the rest together by something' people, which is me. You might find the other method better, though it's too much work for too little gain for me, or you might do something inbetween. Good luck :) (And apologies for my second essay in a week on here :P)

The duplicate scan would actually be useful if it popped up with BOTH copies of a file.  When I tried it, I only got one.  So I thought it was broken, too.  After going through with Clean Installer, I saw it was right, but I still wanted to be able to pick between the two files, which one I wanted to delete.