#NOCD

[timidsketch]

I had an extremely bad experience with NOCD—a company that sells OCD treatment to clients—and a YouTuber I watch just promoted the company on their channel. So, I'm making this post to warn people about the company. I do not recommend NOCD.

The company expects you to fit into their cookie cutter therapy model as if their clients aren't all individuals with extremely diverse backgrounds. I especially do not recommend NOCD if you have more conditions than solely OCD. They do not know how to handle people who have multiple disorders and mental conditions.

The only positive I will say about NOCD, and this is a major stretch to count here, is that NOCD's website has a lot of information about different OCD subtypes. You may learn you have more OCD subtypes than you realized by reading NOCD's webpages about the disorder. Did the NOCD therapist I had actually treat me well with multiple subtypes? Absolutely not.

Keep in mind that the therapy that NOCD offers is a type of exposure therapy made for OCD. This means that if the therapy is not done correctly, there is severe likelihood of psychological harm to the client, which may worsen the client's OCD symptoms. NOCD therapists do not work with their clients on trauma either. They solely "treat" OCD. If you want more than your OCD to be treated, especially if your other mental disorders intertwine with your OCD, do not go to NOCD for therapy. You will be forced to have a separate therapist for everything else, which means paying for two therapists (and NOCD will demand multiple NOCD appointments a week as well, so you'll be doing way more therapy than what's healthy). For months until I finally cut ties with the company, I was having three therapist appointments a week, which was harmful and expensive.

To make matters worse, NOCD does not allow you to choose your own therapist. The company will assign you a therapist and hammer home that they don't want you to switch to a different person. The therapist I had was so bad that she started forcing me to look into residential treatment as "homework" instead of putting me on the waitlist for a NOCD therapist trained in PTSD, which she had promised to me that she did. She told me to keep meeting with her while I was "on the waitlist," so she was lying to me about the situation while trying to shove an intensive residential treatment option on me that I didn't need and would have harmed me even more.

NOCD ghosted me as soon as I asked about the possibility of being given a refund—such a great example of professionalism. /s And what I've written here isn't even all of the problems I had with the company. Please potect yourself. I sincerely suggest finding a therapist outside of NOCD who is trained in treating OCD specifically. That therapist will also be able to treat your trauma and other mental disorders too. You'll be saving money and not paying a horrible company to worsen your OCD symptoms. You'll also have a therapist who doesn't shove you into their company's mold and expect you to magically fit. Your therapist won't have a manager telling them what to do; your therapist will focus on what you as the client want and need.

If you need proof of my validity, I just finished my MSW degree. Therapy and trauma were main focuses of my master's degree program. Do not use NOCD.

[shrimpmandan]

don’t answer if ur not comfortable but how do u differentiate truly having a harmful paraphilia from intrusive thoughts abt it? im someone who has intrusive thoughts abt 2 out of the big 3 as well as other sexual things that can’t be done morally and i often stress that that means i am a paraphile (ik that’s a broad term but i don’t like specifying which ones yknow).

to my understanding, non offending big 3 paraphiles experience with their attraction seems similar to intrusive thoughts because they cause distress and such, so i guess im wondering abt where the distinction lies? i also find the psychological aspects of sex and sexuality interesting in their own right so beyond my own concern i’d be interested to learn cuz it’s just really fascinating

thanks dude!! :)

No worries at all anon! This is a HUGE SpIn of mine and I'm always happy to provide any perspective, even if I'm not a professional and all that.

The biggest distinguishing factor between an intrusive thought and a regular thought is if it's voluntary, and if the thought is welcomed or wanted. Intrusive thoughts are out of your control and often incite feelings of revulsion, disgust, discomfort, fear, anxiety, or rejection. They are thoughts that you want OUT of your brain as soon as possible. When you talk about paraphilias, the waters can muddy a little.

Paraphilias do not necessitate that the thoughts are unwanted. This may be true of paraphilic disorders, wherein the patient experiences clinically significant distress over their paraphilia (this doesn't necessarily refer to one of the big three!), but it's not inherent. A lot of paraphilic fantasy rejection can come from internalized shame due to outside social stigma and personal morality... but so can intrusive thoughts. There's no clear cut distinction between the two due to how much influence society has over our thoughts and how we respond to them, HOWEVER, you may want to consider looking into something like POCD.

POCD, while not an officially recognized diagnosis, is a subset of OCD that specifically centers around pedophilia. There exists also ZOCD (zoophilia OCD) and NOCD (necrophilia OCD), however POCD is by far the most well-researched out of these. POCD involves obsessive and/or compulsive behaviors regarding proving or disproving if one is a pedophile, such as through intentionally exposing themselves to distressing imagery on purpose or engaging with intrusive thoughts related to children. More often than not, people with POCD don't end up having any paraphilic attractions at all-- they are worried about the concept of being a pedophile and if they'll enact tangible harm, not grappling with actual attraction.

I've struggled with POCD for some time now, but I'm fairly confident in that I don't have any attraction to IRL children. The extent to which I'll engage with my thoughts is in fiction, and even then, it's more of a curiosity as opposed to something that's a consistent turn-on-- which is in direct contrast to my other paraphilias which are much stronger and carry with them less internalized shame, and more externalized fear over being harassed, abandoned, and/or doxxed. I don't experience fear over IF I'll offend, because I'm confident that I won't under my own circumstances. But this is something that can vary from person to person.

Some potentially helpful further reading:

r/OCD also may be potentially helpful! Plenty of people on there have talked about experiencing zoophilic, necrophilic, or pedophilic OCD. Just type one of those words into the search bar and you'll probably find someone who's going through the same thing.

[mysticdragon3md3]

John Green on how a lifetime of OCD inspired Turtles All The Way Down by NOCD

I saw the question at the beginning of this interview, asking John Green to describe his OCD with a song, and his answer reminded me of this track from the Natsume Yuujinchou (first season) soundtrack, "Natsu Mado Hirakettanashi".  https://soundcloud.com/hammad-babar/natsu-mado-hirakettanashi?in=tiredcreme/sets/natsume-yuujinchou-ost&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

It’s all bugs buzzing for over 3 minutes. But also, after a while, it starts to sound musical. Almost like the vibrating or reverberating undertones of the wind instruments in Gagaku. (Which is appropriate, if you’ve heard the rest of the Natsume Yuujinchou soundtrack.)

[flamingspitballs]

Post: I think people do these actions because they feel this way and honestly, feeling that way is pathetic.

Guy who feels that way but doesn't do those actions: man I don't even know what I'm supposed to do about this like I don't even know

[unknown68d]

U68D's End-Of-2024 Critical Value Examination

I recently finished my exams for the semester & have decided I'll be dedicating some time to critically examine my worldview. There's a lot to talk about here, but the overall theme can be summed up in one word: "Crossroads". I feel like I've been at many of them for years.

I invite you to read an article discussing the fear of saying the wrong thing from the lens of OCD, the disorder I suffer from. OCD themes often vary, and rn this one's affecting me the most. One crossroad is black-&-white morality vs nuance.

I've tried & largely succeeded in unlearning black-&-white thinking internally, but in terms of my external social spheres, I perform cost-benefit analysis CONSTANTLY. I've engaged with many new, different online communities, both actively & passively here & there, since 2022.

Some I still remain in, some I've left. Clearly, I'm still trying to figure out where I "belong". What's LESS clear to me is what's required to simultaneously "belong" to a social sphere while also being true to myself & adhering to my more established values.

Consider 4 people with established communities: A, B, C, D. Say I've respected A and B for years. Over time, A thinks B & D are problematic & shouldn't have a platform. B thinks the same of A & C. I'm not fond of C & D but don't agree they should be deplatformed. Now, scale up.

ALT TEXT: In this diagram, U68D visually describes the social dynamics he believes are always at play on social media from a purely cultural perspective. Imagine U68D likes people/communities A & B. A likes C & B likes D. U68D isn't fond of C, nor D, but believes it's important to tolerate their existence without deplatforming. However, A believes B & D don't deserve a platform & B believes A & C don't deserve one either. Scaling up this network by adding new people/communities makes this network more complex, with an infinitely expanding number of connections with different colours representing how a person likes/dislikes or respects/doesn't respect them. This is how U68D's brain sees the cultural component of social media platforms in the present day.

Scaling up here means adding more people, more communities, and more coloured arrows. Yes, it's as messy as you'd think. THIS, in my mind, is how the purely cultural component of social media operates. You're forced to choose the colour of your arrows just to socially survive.

As an observer whose actively trying to gain multiple perspectives & not get confined to bubbles, you realize this network only continues to grow & the colours of arrows can change for one reason or another, at any point. Sometimes the colour was a lie in the first place.

Then there are the arrows you directly control. Choose the wrong combo of colours? Lose friends or a community, maybe gain harassers & potentially someone so mentally unwell that they stalk you & jeopardize your safety. You may not even HAVE arrows there & it STILLS happens!

Fortunately, there ARE spaces, communities & people that don't operate like this. The best example I can give is HealthyGamerGG, a mental health platform for the internet generation, who directly tackles the echo chamber problem.

All this to succinctly say that I find it hard to really participate in communities authentically without running into these issues. Simply put: Some values I have that just aren't tolerated in some spaces I'm in, while they're quite respected in others & vice versa.

In closing, I'll be doing another wave of unfollowing people. I've cast quite a wide net of people to follow for some time, so I feel now's a good time to re-align myself once more. I'll do these periodically, but know it's nothing personal most of the time!

If you made it to the end, I appreciate you & hope you'll keep this in mind as you engage with social media & online communities moving forward. It's all I ask for this festive season. Speaking of, I hope you all have a happy holiday! 💝

[spiritualhoor]

[cudiess]

posting for queer month ex

yay gay women kissing wowwowowowow

(my favorite devil believers)

[fangsup-cobrastyle]

I've always had a very hard time being happy and living in the moment. Years and years of therapy and tools haven't helped at all. You know what did? Exposure response prevention (ERP) therapy. I tried being happy today - despite a lot of negative things happening - using the methods I've learned in ERP, and it worked!!! Turns out the other methods haven't been working because they were targeting my anxiety and depression, not my OCD, but my OCD is why a single bad moment can ruin my day.

I can't find it but someone in my OCD memes group made a meme of "Wait, it's all OCD?" "Always has been." And I can't stop thinking about it because I never would have imagined my bad attitude was OCD. I feel like 90% of my psychological problems have actually been OCD this whole time.

Seriously, I know everyone is different and the same methods won't work for everyone, but if you have access to ERP for your OCD, you should at least try it. It's been like a miracle for me. It's giving me a life I never thought was possible before.

[slicedanddiceddie]

I did NOT expect cult leader lesbians at all

Like I thought there would be lesbians with the rose knights but damnnnn

Did they have to be cult leaders?

Is this homophobia? For portraying them as antagonists or was their portrayal a deeper commentary on the world of black clover? Also was their portrayal in this anime important, cause Im pretty sure japan is homophobic?

Does this mean that homophobia exists in this fictional world?

Why didn’t she just divorce her husband and get with bow?

Episode 143+

[whosyourfavevoicedby-polls]

[idontthinkimokaymentally]

Hello there Bow Nocde fans.

[fella-lovin-fella]

im so tired of numbers 😭😭😭

[kylinavie]

Simler90 core mod compatibility

Ok make myself a guide just in case...from the comment section

I read through it...so you dont have to...(tbh, it's interesting thread...since drama appears...cough)

Thanks to all comments on that comment section

Do let me know if I miss anything and if you also use it...let me know if there are mistakes...

Update:

2/23/2025

icarusallsorts.EatHeldFoodOverride

icarusallsorts.MermaidEatOverride

these two crashed my game while launching

Added compatibale mods (basically what I have)

*Issue with changing setting w/ Nraas mods is after load the savefile, at the beginning will be slow...but let it load for 2 minutes...it should be fine

Deep Conversations + smooth patch v2.1 + simler90 crashed my game together...:(

But hey, get to know fix now works for me :)

scripterror:

Nraas Go here (I got a lot of routing error...I'll remove this from my save file)

Twoftmama Route Fix v9 (took this out from my mod list...to be safe)

Arsil_ToDoAbout_AllNewsTVChannel & JustAnotherSimsFanTelevisionAndStereoWorkoutAskToJoin1.67 (removed from mod list...got TV errors)

2/22/2025

It is not compatible with:

Nraas SP and any modules (just to be safe...)

Nraas Mover

Nraas printer

Nraas tax collector

Nraas sleep freeform

Nraas NoCD (might)

Nraas Career's academic modules only (I believe)

Asymmetrical Relationships (dk what this is...found in the comments)

Random Genetics (I dont use it...so idk, but comments said no)

any mod that fixes genetics and hair color like Random genetics (unless you turn off the tuning, RandomizeSimFeatures value)

Retuned attraction & any mod for attraction

LeapsForCauchy_RoommateFix

bluegenjutsu's watch star fix (dont have it...dk the name)

nikel23's more opportunity phone calls

And other opportunities mods

gamefreak thank you notes fix

Spicy food fix (I assume the animation one or others)

shimrods all dive cave reset fix

shimrods visiting situation days

any mod that tweaks bonehilda's behavior

Bluegejutsu sit on more comfy object for better routings

Buzz's NoRelationshipDecreaseFromPerformance

Buzz_DigSiteFixer (idk...but this too)

fixes collecting and bugs

icarusallsorts.EatHeldFoodOverride

icarusallsorts.MermaidEatOverride

Twoftmama Route fix flavor

Might be false incompatible (which means might work for you):

Nraas Traveller (Proved by Mookymilk, it seems compatible)

Nraas Relativity (NO MORE ISSUE FOR ME YEAH)

Nraas Register (some people say it's not on Reddit)

NRaas Woohooer (comments on this post say it's ok)

Nraas Go Here (there are fix below...but it's not working for me)

icarusallsorts.Scolding

ani_DonationBox (might)

No Mutated Hair/Eye Colour (updated see random genetics)

microwave time fix

kiss mods that remove romantic rel gain (:0)

Awesome Mod (didn't use it...so dk, seems like need with all its options turned off, and use Supreme Commander only

[quote from comments: select Sim Shift +CTRL>SC box appears, pull down menu select task like Collect Everything and sit back])

{comment section #342 on page 14 has some interesting things mentioned about this one}

Nerd Games Unrestricted (should be compatible...but i dont use it)

Nraas Dresser (dk..yet)

Faster/slower houseboat (might conflict...without tuning I think)

Zerbu's Ultimate Careers & Sonyaju's Ultimate Careers (should be fine? according to page 13 #325 on comment section)

OhRudi's all less space mod (Compatible prove by creator)

Arsil_ToDoAbout_AllNewsTVChannel

JustAnotherSimsFanTelevisionAndStereoWorkoutAskToJoin1.67

Mod that seems compatible:

Nraas MC & their modules

NRaas Career (except academic one [I didnt use that one so idk])

Nraas Returner

Nraas Dreamer

Nraas Tempest

NRaas OnceRead

NRaas Saver

Nraas Relationship Panel

NRaas DebugEnabler

NRaas SecondImage

NRaas ErrorTrap

NRaas Hybrid

NRaas Selector

NRaas Porter

NRaas PortraitPanel

NRaas PocketProtectorPotionCase

cmar PregnancyControllerV5

CherryTS3 CancelTimeoff

lizcandor Toddler Independence

Boring Bones: get out & smart sims & Higiene & cooking faster & Social-Consequences (with tweak to match other mods)

Sims 3 Attraction System Overhaul (dont see conflict tuning)

BiggestLittleModForToddlers

Boarding Schools Skill, Career, & Trait Additions (not tested)

TSS mods should be all fine

Fun in the sun

Aging Manager

Tiny UI Fix

Tuning need to change from Simler90's core mod:

MemoryAutomaticScreenshotsAllowed value ==> False (to work with Velocitygrass' Memories mod)

kPossiblyGeneratePregnancy value ==> 0 (I have passion hope passion will take care of it...but KW definitely need to turn this to 0)

MaintenanceSendYoungstersHome value ==> False

MaintenanceTurnOffElectronics value ===> False

InactiveToddlersLearnSkills ==> False

MaintenanceFixMissingSims value ==> False (don't change if you changed Overwatch, see below)

StoryProgressionShowNotifications value ==> True (If you want to see notifications) [My game crashed bc of this..be careful]

Nraas Mod compatible but need to change setting:

Nrass Retuner:

kMinLikingAddMourning ==> 40 (base on comments)

[Path: City Hall > Nraas Retuner > Main > XML > Sims3.gameplay.Objects > Urnstone > kMinLikingAddMourning]

Nraas Overwatch:

Set Alarm Hour ==> 5

[Path: Nraas > Overwatch > Settings]

recover dead Sims ==> False (If you want simler90 to take care of it)

[Path: Nraas > Overwatch > Settings]

kCleanupGenealogy ==> False (read UPDATE 107 on mod description...or comment section #399 on page 16)

kTurnOffStereos, kTurnOffTelevisions, kRecoverMissingSims, kRecoverStrandedToddlers ==> False (if you want simler90 take care of them, which is MaintenanceTurnOffElectronics, MaintenanceFixMissingSims, and MaintenanceSendYoungstersHome value [I believe])

Nraas Go Here:

Allow Active Daycare = true

Allow Babies/toddlers home alone = False

Hire babysitters for inactives = True

Use Daycare instead = true

[Path: Nraas > Go Here > Caregiver]

Nraas Traveler:

removes the chance for a dig spot to spawn (where?)

Change Game version of this mod:

Open S3PE and look for S3SA (use it to change tuning as well, but look for XML)

clicking on the "Grid" button

0.0.0.32 - for Steam 0.2.0.32 - for EA app

Others:

bonehilda can't have a glass from bar ==> replace coffin...fix

#458 & #459 mention something about resort issue

Apparently, this creator also recommend you to make your own story progress GameplayData to change things...which I believe with Retuned EA SP by phantom99 should make this happen...

They say Sarah Sims's Nraas setting might work with this too...

Also, this link can help a little too

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

do you have any advice for someone with gender identity ocd? :(

i can’t trust myself anymore to know what pronouns i like or what clothes i like or what i want for my body… the dissociation is getting bad :(

Hey anon,

OCD can be very stressful. It's important to recognize that Gender Identity OCD is, at its foundation, OCD. It doesn't revolve around your gender, but your cognitive inability to deal with uncertainty. Thus, it can and should be helped with OCD support, as opposed to gender identity support. Focusing so much on the questioning aspect of your gender is what your OCD is fixating on. I would encourage you to directly challenge that. Here are some different support resources for OCD that might help you.

This is a site called OCD Challenge. It is one of my favorite resources for OCD.

This here is a list of OCD Related books and workbooks you might find helpful. Particularly the Self Help category.

The NOCD has many resources and blog posts with information, as well as tips for managing OCD.

Not Alone Notes is an organization that connects people with OCD and aims to bring support and end stigma. There is also a list of resources on their website you may find helpful.

OCD Gamechangers is an organization that helps provide professional help, resources, and other support to people with OCD.

OCD UK has some resources that go over different kinds of professional help and things that could reduce the weight of OCD.

If you haven't, I would highly suggest ERP therapy, which is a type of CBT especially for OCD. It could help you immensely.

I hope some of these help, anon.

~ Mod Night

[shinki26]

The Sims 2 Disc Installation and fix guide for Windows 10/11 PCs

I’m writing this guide to hopefully instruct people on how to properly install, fix and run their disc based The Sims 2 game and also educate you on why the discs are not as bad as everyone makes them to be.

First things first, some clarifications about common misconceptions of both the Ultimate Collection and TS2 disc games I’ve been seeing being tossed around:

1. The Ultimate Collection has compatibility patches for modern hardware: 

This one is actually kinda true? The UC did have some patches made to it compared to a fully patched disc game but no one has been able to tell what exactly it did.

A fully patched, fixed and correctly installed disc game should work the same as the Ultimate Collection, with no difference in compatibility or game performance.

2. SecuROM doesn’t work on modern OSes so you can’t run the game off the discs: 

Totally untrue. People who says SecuROM doesn’t work on Windows 10/11 haven’t actually tried running a game that uses it at all. It 100% works even on Windows 11.

What doesn’t work on modern OSes is SafeDisc, which all packs released before Bon Voyage used. So if you install BV and any pack released after it, the game IS going to run normally as it’s using SecuROM instead.

3. But SecuROM makes the game lag: 

True, for some machines it does happen. But as I will explain in the guide, you can uninstall SecuROM with the official removal tool and just use NoCD executables to have it not install itself again.

4. The discs requires Flash and it’s been deprecated:

No, the discs DO NOT require Flash. The only thing that uses it in the setup is a pop up that used to ask you if you wanted to register your game. Since of course you can’t register it anymore, you can just close it and it WILL NOT affect anything.

That out of the way, let’s get to the guide!

What you are going to need:

-All original TS2 patches released by EA back in the day:

They’re all hosted HERE on ModTheSims. 

Please, be aware that there may be multiple variatons of a patch. You need to pick the right one for your game. If you have The Sims 2 Base Game DVD version, you will have to download the second option where it says “DVD Patch Notes”, for example.

For Pets and Seasons the “DD” patches mean Digital Download, so if you have them on either CD or DVD them both are going to use the “Disk Patch”

If you seem to be not able to download them, right click the download link and choose “Save Link As”.

If you have The Sims 2 Deluxe / Double Deluxe / Holiday Edition / Other compilations you’re not going to need the Base Game patch as those versions are already updated!!

You also don’t need the Nightlife patch if you have Deluxe or Double Deluxe!!

The same thing applies for the Collections: You don’t need to patch their EPs!!

-Grumpy Loader:

Get it HERE on ModTheSims.

-If you have Bon Voyage and/or packs released after it... SecuROM Removal Tool:

Get it HERE.

-If you have Mansion & Garden Stuff... Sims2RPC:

Get it HERE on ModTheSims by @lazyduchess!

If you DO NOT have this pack, you’re going to need to source a NoCD executable of the game based on your latest installed pack.

-If you DO NOT Have Mansion & Garden Stuff... 4GB Patch:

Get it HERE.

-Graphics Rules Maker:

Get it HERE.

Having downloaded everything, you can start inserting your Base Game disc one! Or your Base Game DVD!

Installing the Base Game:

There’s no mystery in this part, install your game normally as you would back in 2004 following the instructions of the setup.

Three of the biggest problems I’ve seen people have when installing the Base Game is:

1. I get a red pop up saying “This app has been blocked for your protection”

This happens usually on Double Deluxe games and later EPs such as Bon Voyage, FreeTime and Apartment Life.

There’s two ways you can circumvent this.

First one is the one that I personally prefer:

-Open the Task Manager

-On the top left, click “File”

-Click “Run new task”

-Click “Browse...”

-Now go to your disc drive in your PC and open it, select Autorun.exe

-The target box should be pointing to “D:\Autorun.exe”. The “D” letter changes depending on what letter your disc drive is set to in your PC

-Check the “Create this task with administrative privileges” box

-Now click OK.

The setup is going to run normally now.

When you are installing EPs that show you this error, you can do the same thing to every one.

The other way is just to change your PC’s date to somewhere before 2020.

This is going to work too, I can’t explain to you why though!

Something about licenses expiring!

2. I get a Flash pop up when I try to install!

As I explained earlier, you can just close it and the installation will continue normally.

3. The setup just hangs at a specific percentage and won’t progress anymore!

This is mosty probably the setup asking you to swap discs!

DVD users do not have this problem.

What happens sometimes is that the setup GUI is supposed to make a pop up window appear in front of the GUI asking you to swap to disc 2, but on modern OSes it doesn’t appear sometimes.

Actually, it does. It just is in the background, if you minimize every open window on your machine you’re going to see the little pop up!

Just swap to disc 2 and press “Ok” on the pop up and it should resume installing.

The same thing can happen when having to switch to Discs 3 and 4.

After installing the Base Game:

Now you are going to need to patch it.

Open GrumpyLoader, on the top left select “Load...” and on the window that opens, choose the Base Game patch’s executable you’ve downloaded and open it.

It’s going to automatically patch your game, if you are on the 4 CD version of the game you may have to swap discs.

Sometimes GrumpyLoader throws errors when updating, especially when it ends. But you can just ignore it.

After patching, your Base Game is FULLY installed and properly patched, congratulations!!!

But if you didn’t already try, you will see that you can’t run the game as it doesn’t open.

That’s because the Base Game uses SafeDisc that doesn’t work on modern OSes as I said earlier.

Installing Expansion and Stuff Packs:

It’s the same process of installing the Base Game. Follow the setup instructions.

After installing each one, PATCH them with GrumpyLoader.

For example: you just installed University!

Do NOT immediately install another pack right after. 

Follow the same GrumpyLoader patching process you did on the Base Game but choose the University patch instead.

Do the same thing to ALL EPs and Family Fun Stuff.

Also, there has been some info online about installing packs out of release order can mess up your game.

I personally don’t think it’s true as I never had any problems but I prefer to be better safe than sorry.

If you want to, Install them in this order:

-University (or University Life Collection)

-Nightlife (skip if you have The Sims 2 Deluxe/Double Deluxe)

-Christmas Party Pack (I don’t recommend if you have Happy Holiday Stuff or The Sims 2 Holiday Edition) 

-Open For Business (or Best of Business Collection)

-Family Fun Stuff (or Fun with Pets Collection)

-Glamour Life Stuff

-Pets (skip if you have Fun with Pets Collection)

-Happy Holiday Stuff (skip if you have The Sims 2 Holiday Edition)

-Seasons

-Celebration Stuff (skip if you have The Sims 2 Double Deluxe)

-H&M Stuff (skip if you have Best of Business Collection)

-Bon Voyage

-Teen Style Stuff (skip if you have University Life Collection)

-FreeTime

-Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff (skip if you have Best of Business Collection)

-IKEA Home Stuff (skip if you have University Life Collection)

-Apartment Life

-Mansion & Garden Stuff (skip if you have Fun with Pets Collection)

If you’ve installed all packs, great! You can even launch your game from SP9′s (Mansion & Garden Stuff) disc and executable as it uses SecuROM which WORKS on modern OSes.

Getting your game to work properly:

Your game is fully installed, patched and even running if you have Bon Voyage and later released packs!

But you probably noticed very heavy lag, crashing, bad graphics and things not running as they should.

That’s because, just like the Ultimate Collection, the game is a PITA to get running properly on Modern OSes!

If you have Bon Voyage and/or later released packs: I HIGHLY recommend you to uninstall SecuROM from your machine.

This is going to help greatly with game performance.

Use the SecuROM Removal Tool I’ve linked earlier and remove it from your PC.

Do NOT open the game again as it’s going to install itself again if you do so.

If you have Mansion & Garden Stuff: After uninstalling SecuROM, you’re going to need to install Lazy Duchess’ Sims2RPC Launcher I’ve linked earlier. Follow their instructions on the download page and be sure to apply the 4gb patch in the launcher as it’s going to GREALTY help with the crashing.

Or... if you DO NOT have Mansion & Garden Stuff: Get an appropriate NoCD executable for the pack you are using to launch your game and apply the 4GB patch to it.

Open the 4GB patch executable and use it on your game’s exe.

After doing all that, all that remains is fixing your game performance, resolution and graphics!

Install Graphics Rules Maker and open it.

Firstly, you’re going to have to add your Graphics card to the game’s database. To do that, go the “Device Info” tab and add it there.

Back to the “Settings” tab, be sure your game is set to “The Sims 2″ and is properly recognizing where your game is installed, if for some reason it isn’t, click “Browse...” and point it to your latest installed pack’s folder.

For example: “C:\Program Files (x86)\EA Games\The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff”.

-Force Texture Memory: Use the auto-detect button and it should automatically calculate the best value for your graphics card.

Check “Disable texture memory estimate adjustment” and “Enable driver’s memory manager” boxes.

If you have an AMD Radeon HD 7000 series, also check the “Fix AMD Radeon HD 7000 series recognition”.

If you have Intel integrated graphics, check the last two boxes.

Now you can set your resolution! Choose your default (which one the game is going to start with) and maximum resolution your game is going to support.

After doing all that, you can click “Save Files...”

And... Done! You got your disc-based The Sims 2 game fully working, properly patched and fixed!!!

Any Feedback on how to improve this guide is very welcome!

Happy Simming, y’all!!! :)

[deep-dive]

2023

albums/eps: a.s.o. - a.s.o. Amaarae - Fountain Baby Amnesia Scanner & Freeka Tet - STROBE.RIP André 3000 - New Blue Sun ANOHNI and the Johnsons - My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross Anthony Naples - Orbs bar italia - Tracey Denim Beach Fossils - Bunny Ben Vida, Yarn/Wire & Nina Dante - The Beat My Head Hit Beverly Glenn-Copeland - The Ones Ahead Biosphere - N-Plants Blonde Redhead - Sit Down for Dinner Bored Lord - Name It Call Super - Eulo Cramps Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loveliest Time Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You Chuquimamani-Condori - DJ E Cole Police - If I Don’t See You in the Future, I’ll See You in the Pasture Dean Blunt - Give me a moment DJ Lostboi - Music for Landings DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ - Destiny Double Virgo - hardrive heat seeking Eartheater - Powders The Embassy - E-Numbers Everything But the Girl - Fuse Fever Ray - Radical Romantics Freak Heat Waves - Mondo Tempo Headache - The Head Hurts but the Heart Knows the Truth Hiroyuki Onogawa - August in the Water: Music for Film 1995-2005 Jam City - Jam City Presents EFM James Ivy - Everything Perfect Jessy Lanza - Love Hallucination Jim Legxacy - homeless n****a pop music Joanne Robertson - Blue Car Jonnine - Maritz Kelela - Raven Khotin - Release Spirit Kota Hoshino, Shoi Miyazawa - Armored Core VI OST Laurel Halo - Atlas Loraine James - Gentle Confrontation Maria BC - Spike Field mark william lewis - Living Matmos - Return to Archive MIZU - Distant Intervals ML Buch - Suntub Noriko Tujiko - Crépuscule I & II Nourished by Time - Erotic Probiotic 2 Oneohtrix Point Never - Again Osmotic & Fennesz - Senzatetto Pierre Rousseau - Mémoire De Forme Purelink - Signs Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12 Sofia Courtesies - Madres ssaliva - sector6park/counterfeit Sufjan Stevens - Javelin Tim Hecker - No Highs Tirzah - trip9love…??? Wild Nothing - Hold Yves Tumor - Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) µ-Ziq - 1977 7038634357 - Neo Seven

songs: a.s.o. - Love in the Darkness Addison Rae - I got it bad Alex Kassian - Leave Your Life (Lonely Hearts Mix) Amaarae - Reckless & Sweet Amnesia Scanner & Freeka Tet - Clown André - Ants To You, Gods To Who ? ANOHNI and the Johnsons - Can’t ANOHNI and the Johnsons - It Must Change Anthony Naples - Silas Armin van Buuren & Punctual - On & On (ft. Alina) bambinodj - High as Ever Still Passin' Through (Remix) bar italia - Nocd Baths - Do I Make the World Worse Beach Fossils - Don’t Fade Away Beverly Glenn-Copeland - People of the Loon Bibio & Óskar Guðjónsson - Sunbursting Björk & Rosalía - Oral Blawan - Toast Bored Lord - Wait Wait Wait bvdub - Days on Heaven and Earth Call Super - Coppertone Elegy Carly Rae Jensen - Psychedelic Switch Caroline Polachek - Bunny Is a Rider (Doss Remix) Caroline Polachek - Crude Drawing of an Angel Chuquimamani-Condori - Eat My Cum Chuquimamani-Condori - Know Dean Blunt - Rinsed (ft. TYSON) Dj Lostboi - PUF 2 LAX DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ - For Now and Forever Double Virgo - gainfully deployed EASYFUN - Long Long Time The Embassy - Amnesia ESP - North Fever Ray - Kandy Freak Heat Waves & Cindy Lee - In a Moment Divine Fwea-Go Hit - Back Wildin Headache - That Thing with the Rabbit Headache - Truism 4 Dummies Hemlocke Springs - sever the blight Hudson Mohawke & Nikki Nair - Demuro Ike - Rose Quartz Jam City - Magnetic James K & hoodie - Ether Jessy Lanza - Don’t Cry On My Pillow Jim Legxacy - amnesia111 Jim Legxacy - candy reign (!) Jonnine - Tea For Two (Boo) Kelela - Divorce Khotin - Computer Break (Late Mix) Kylie Minogue - Hold on to Now Laurel Halo, Bendik Giske, Lucy Railton & James Underwood - Earthbound Loraine James - Tired of Me Lorenzi - Lonely Cowboy Tales (Crayon Moon Remix) LSDXOXO - Devil’s Chariot Maria BC - Still Maria BC - Watcher mark william lewis - Living Mc LcKaiique, MC Celo BK & DJ Jeeh FDC - Quem Tá de Motão, Vou Sarrar Puta Na Marcone (ft. DJ Biel Divulga) ML Buch - High speed calm air tonight Nation & Ecco2k - Ça Va Nicole Dollanganger - Gold Satin Dreamer Nourished by Time - Rain Water Promise Oliver Coates - One Without Oneohtrix Point Never - Krumville Purelink - We Should Keep Going Shoi Miyazawa - Rough and Decent Slayyyter - Miss Belladonna Sufjan Stevens - Shit talk Tim Hecker - Total Garbage Tirzah - u all the time Troye Sivan - Got Me Started Wild Nothing - Suburban Solutions Yves Tumor - Echolalia Yves Tumor - Fear Evil Like Fire µ-Ziq - 4am

mixes: CFCF - CFCF for TERMINAL 27 Chuquimamani-Condori - Fact Mix 937 PC Music - 10 Physical Therapy - car culture remissions vol. 4 plush - LIVE AT SKSKSKSK S-candalo - Fact Mix 897 WHY BE - OdyXxey Radio Mix

movies: Afire (Christian Petzold) All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras) E6-D7 (Eno Swinnen) Evil Dead Rise (Lee Cronin) Grown in Darkness (Devin Shears) How Do You Live? (Hayao Miyazaki) The Killer (David Fincher) Killers of the Flower Moon (Martin Scorsese) Knock at the Cabin (M. Night Shyamalan) Last Summer (Catherine Breillat) May December (Todd Haynes) Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan) The Outwaters (Robbie Banfitch) Rotting in the Sun (Sebastián Silva) Showing Up (Kelly Reichardt) The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)

games: Alan Wake II Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Baldur’s Gate III Blasphemous II Diablo IV Humanity Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Lies of P Metroid Prime Remastered Octopath Traveler II Pikmin 4 Star Ocean: The Second Story R Super Mario Bros. Wonder Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty