Look at what I made and om nom nom it! (Post your creations pt. 2)

[paperbeth]

I was able to reduce the folder to 6 gigs, but it still takes forever to load the game.
I have everything meticulously organized in sub-folders, and now I think I need to put Snarky's folder back in. I really love his beds.

Having OCD helps when it comes to having the patience to navigate through all of it.

[Dr House]

Paperbeth, don't make too many subfoldering levels. IIRC more than 5 levels or so made the game hellishly longer to load (not sure about that but I think someone said it here). Defrag C drive. Close all uneeded programs. Delete all the uneeded recolors/similar recolors. 26 white sinks aren't needed, trees recolors are barely useful, you don't need 10 recolors of each set: select 3 recolors for each set or single CC as a maximum. lol I like to insist on recolors since I discovered that a fourth of my sims 2 download folder was recolors. Remove a third of your make-up, I'm sure you have like 37 lipsticks, 25 mascaras, etc. You don't need 17 earrings and 31 bracelets. Neither 36 PJs.  Remove stuff you never in fact used... Remove uneeded mods that correct stuff that were later fixed with patches. Remove lots, we always forget about these. Finally Remove everything and start a new hood, you'll see that the stuff you're really missing are only a fifth of what you actually had. If you're into theme hood, make different accounts, each having seperate themed downloads

If you're still overflooded with downloads, well the hell with it: launch the game and go make something while it's loading. Go to the bathroom, watch the telly, clean the dishes, play with your cat, whatever lol

[paperbeth]

My subfolders only go 3 deep at the most. I pretty much did everything you suggested already. I got rid of all make-up except Bruno and Halaene. Got rid of all clothing except Adele, Bruno, and All About Style. Got rid of all hairs except Nouk, Agustin, and some of Rissa's recolors. Wiped out all neighborhoods, and I had no downloaded lots to begin with. As far as objects, I basically had to choose my top 10 favorite creators and only use them. I have a folder just for global mods, which I went through with a fine-toothed comb. I got rid of a few things there too.

I also disconnect from the internet and turn off all background apps before I start my game. It still takes about an hour to load, but I manage to fill that time pretty easily with tons of housework and taking care of child and animals.

The game is running smoothly now, but I still find myself missing certain things that I had to take out. *sigh*

[Dr House]

Don't keep everything a creator posted because you like this creator. Limit yourself to several sets by creator only. Bruno released like 30 sets of make-up, you don't need them all, select 1 or 2 sets of each category. Do the same thing for all your favorite creators, you don't need 50 AM everyday outfits. Don't forget to swipe kids and toddlers clothes and stuff, just keep 3 outfits for each age and gender, no more: one for each category. Don't forget custom cars. Remove 90% of your fences, doors and windows. No, you're not a building entrepreneur, so ditch them! Clean your furniture sets, throw away your 50 living sets, keep 5 sets maximum for each room, only keep a maximum of 3 recolors for each set, no more. Defrag and delete the accessories and catalogue caches, when you remove a ton of stuff you have to ditch these or else the game will take forever to load or even never load. If you really did that uber cleaning/selection you should be down to 1Go and game will load in 2mn!

I still find myself missing certain things that I had to take out. *sigh*

No you're not. You're just recovering from your addiction

[paperbeth]

Thanks for the advice. I'll try to whittle it down some more. It really is an addiction though.

*stands up*
Hi, my name is paperbeth, and I'm a download whore.

*sits down and begins arduous 12 step program*

[dstar]

Other advice- always remember to remove that stuff you download because it looks nice in the pics that ends up looking like shit in the game. Keep stuff in  separate sub-folder labeled Testing until you have actually tried it out in game- if it doesn't look right - delete it- if it looks and works the way it should move it into a proper subfolder either by category or creator.This is proving to be a pain with me for TS3 because I just cannot get the new subfoldering method to work for me no matter what I try- it just doesn't show up in game so I am really limiting what I download and then if I don't use it in two gaming sessions, or I don't like it goes away.

[Dr House]

I too am a huge download whore The funny thing is that I keep downloading but rarely install stuff. I always install them in a bunch of 5 or so, then I launch the game, check these for long minutes to decide if I keep or not, make pics of them (if it's hair I make the sim sit down & move around to check the bone assignments), quit the game and compare the pics to the OP pics. Pics ingame you did yourself are always more true than the pics used to advertise the item (And your system is different) . I delete if they suck. If I keep'em I paste the pics in their directory.  Every couple of days I suddenly think of a couple of so-so stuff I installed and decide to delete them, which I do (for example my victims today will be 1 top and 1 hair). It's the only thing that works to limit my addiction: make it a long and tedious process

This is proving to be a pain with me for TS3 because I just cannot get the new subfoldering method to work for me no matter what I try- it just doesn't show up in game so I am really limiting what I download and then if I don't use it in two gaming sessions, or I don't like it goes away.

Read about subfoldering here http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=344148 and here http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,15176.0.html It's just a matter of editing the resource.cfg then you'll create all the subfolders you want in *\Sims 3\Mods\Packages\.
It works in everybody's game, why shouldn't it works in yours?

[Motoki]

I too am a huge download whore The funny thing is that I keep downloading but rarely install stuff. I always install them in a bunch of 5 or so, then I launch the game, check these for long minutes to decide if I keep or not, make pics of them (if it's hair I make the sim sit down & move around to check the bone assignments), quit the game and compare the pics to the OP pics. Pics ingame you did yourself are always more true than the pics used to advertise the item (And your system is different) . I delete if they suck. If I keep'em I paste the pics in their directory.  Every couple of days I suddenly think of a couple of so-so stuff I installed and decide to delete them, which I do (for example my victims today will be 1 top and 1 hair). It's the only thing that works to limit my addiction: make it a long and tedious process

You should post a list of downloads that have passed the Dr. House test and you have found suitable. Might be useful to the rest of us. I need to get pickier. File management for this game is a nightmare and I can't be arsed to take pictures of rotate stuff around and make notes bla bla. I just get it in the game and eventually go 'Oh that SUCKS!' but then I can't remember what got damned file it was to delete it and you can't delete the package crap in game or in the launcher.

[lkandak]

WOW! You guys are so good with the sims 2! I could only recolor clothes and hair, and it still turned out ugly Not even talking about objects! I don't have Sims 2 any more, i got all the sims 1 eps, and the sims 2 eps, and now the sims 3, and i had to un-install sims 2 cause of ALL the room it took up! I had to re-start my game 13 times cause it crashed of download overdose, but that was on my old super slow (it had really little room on it) computer

I have 448 downloads which take up 825 MB for the sims 3! Just letting you guys know for the sims 3 there is a 2 GB downloads limit, and if you go over it crashes, its really helpful knowing!

[dstar]

I have just sub-foldered them- Will test in game later- going to the movies. I am not as bad as most but my patterns and bodyshop folders are pretty hefty- and I have been cleaning them of stuff I don't like- though a lot is default replacement files for the hair textures, and my  skintone and eye defaults. The only things I don't have in a sub folder at the moment are my hacks and mods and some defaults that are not easily categorized into build, buy, patterns, or bodyshop

[Dr House]

I just get it in the game and eventually go 'Oh that SUCKS!' but then I can't remember what got damned file it was to delete it and you can't delete the package crap in game or in the launcher.

Only put packages, keep the sims3packs for store stuff; it will be neater. Take a sheet of paper and a pencil and write down your 5 items to test list (like a grocery list), you won't DIE 'cause you wrote a few words ^^; keep the windows directories opened. Use your latest save to quickly see your stuff ingame. Use your saved lot or hood CAS to see the new stuff and make pics. Immediately quit game and delete or keep stuff (don't play or you'll forget about the stuff!). With your list and your subfoldering directories already opened it's easy as 1-2-3.

The best advice is to make a 'clone'/copy directory of your installed stuff, with the same subfoldering that's in your packages directories: make a directory for each item you installed in that category (Site ItemName Age/Gender), put in them items links (for updates), a description text and pics (OP's and yours) and the archives. Call it "Installed Stuff" or something that suits you and make it neat and organized. When you decide to clean your dumpster simply navigate through that directory to see/retreive the items and weed them and their packages installed in *\Sims 3\Mods\Packages\. That way you don't even need the game to weed stuff you've already checked several days ago.
Very tedious and anal but it works. 'cause looking at a mess of non-referenced packages simply tossed in subfolders is impossible to manage, you need clean and organized folders, pics and whatever. I've been doing that since sims 2. Clean & neat. I've never done the last big weeding for sims 2 as I stopped playing it as soon as I got sims 3.

EDIT: oh yeah, NEVER download and install stuff directly. Bad! Toss you downloads in a seperate directory with the item directory already correctly named and filled with OP's description, links and pics. When you decide to install stuff you simply cut and paste from that directory to the "Installed stuff" one in the correct subfolder, install the package in the category subfolder and write it down on your 'grocery list'. Repeat the process 4 more times maximum. Then weed after testing.
Yeah, I'm crazy. It must be 'cause of my virgo-virgo sign. I hate mess.

[dstar]

I still play and create for Sims 2. So I keep on weeding. I just went and deleted a bunch of recolors by Piggis Sims and am thinking of going in and doing a further delete or move sub-folders to the desktop when I get back from the movies. For instance, I don't really ever use Helga's Charlotte Bedroom or the stuff by Studio-8.3.3 but, it is rare and hard to come by content so I just don't want to toss them so I move them to a file on my desktop. Stuff I don't want to lose but, stuff I don't play with either. I went ahead and purged my TS3 Packages file as I subfoldered to get rid of unused stuff

[Motoki]

I'm a virgo too but that's too much work. I can't be arsed! I'll just deal with a clusterfuck, but I still wouldn't mind seeing a Dr. House approved list.

To me I hate to say it but I like the sims3pack installs better because it clearly denotes what is custom content, unlike the package install method. Many a time I have looked through my patterns and had no flippin clue which were EA and which I downloaded.

Oh and I just found these signs at MTS http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=362297

SIMLISH!!! OMGWTFBBQ111!! I could totally kiss her or him for making those! No one ever takes the time to make Simlish signs and pictures and sadly I have rejected many of an otherwise nice download because of it. It's just too immersion breaking for me.

I actually did experiment with converting one of the Sims Art Gallery pictures into Simlish. One of my families who live on the beach put up the Hibsicus flower picture and the English writing was just bothering me that damned much that I had to do something about. Yes it's anal. I guess this is where the Virgo part comes in.

Anyway, long story short, after a lot of fussing and fighting and yelling WHADDAYOU MEAN IT'S NOT WORKING YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO WORK! I finally got it working, but suffice it to say the process is not so user friendly right now. Mostly the strings breaking was the issue. I dunno, I might try it again but it was a pain. Hopefully I'll get it down or figure out what the heck I did wrong so I can get it working easier next time. Or better yet, hopefully someone writes a user friendly tool.

Mind you I'm not a total noob either. I've modded for years and done some meshing, hex editing bla bla. I dunno, maybe my brain is getting old in my middle age.

[Paden]

I'll give my normal response people get when things are fucked: blow it up and piss on it.

[Dr House]

I actually did experiment with converting one of the Sims Art Gallery pictures into Simlish. One of my families who live on the beach put up the Hibsicus flower picture and the English writing was just bothering me that damned much that I had to do something about. Yes it's anal. I guess this is where the Virgo part comes in.

Share pretty please? I can't stand non-simlish stuff in my sims (not THE game, MY game )

I managed to modify several stuff already. It works alright. Export native textures with Postal. Edit these dds with Paint.net. Import them again using S3PE. Done. None of the stuff I modified imply any simlish writings though and that seems more a pain in the ass. I'm just good for removing details I don't like, not adding simlish words afterwards. And I have no idea how to do that. Does installing the font and using a mere text editor to have simlish translations then scaling the cropped word on the dds with Paint.net would be enough?

Grabbed the signs from MTS today, They're clearly awesome. I should post a request at MATY for converting my favorite sims 2 simlish advertising posters I used everywhere in my urban hood. You know the pizza chinese takeout posters from MTS.

EDIT: It's this one here http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?p=1550802 (see how cool it is to organize everything? I found the link in my sims 2 "Installed stuff/Shop Items/Advertising posters"!)
Since you're a long time and regular MATY dweller, could you please post the request there?

BTW... YAY another virgo! *hands a bottle of rum*