#making pack stuff bgc because I want to

[lumenniveus]

Anyone else remembering these metal slides?

I managed to pull the Whale one from GTG into the basegame for my new set and when the sun hit that thing memories came back.

Now included and ready to download in this set here

[awingedllama]

Hi I guess this is my 2 cents on your save file wip:

Usually when I do my own renovation I would limit the packs to just the ones that's related to the world I'm building on (base game + get together if it's on Windenburg) plus essential packs that most people will likely have (Seasons & Pets & free stuff), but definitely won't use the whole catalog of every packs I own in each world.

So, say if a person doesn't have the vampires pack, then they'd be safe when playing with other worlds that they do have access to because all the vampires content are confined to Forgotten Hollow. It will be rather limiting but from my experience it did give me some room to experiment with stuff I won't usually use :)

This is a very good approach! I considered doing this, but since I'm only renovating 1 base game world in the file, I don't want to limit myself to certain objects and not be able to capture the vision I'm going for.

So for anyone who's interested, I've decided to use free CC (where necessary, mainly build CC) to build my lots, instead of doing a bunch of CC-free TOOL magic with a million packs/kits (how I'm used to building). That way I can limit packs to ones with major functionality, instead of having 83,082 kits required because I wanted to use a few plants

Currently I know I'll be using Seasons, City Living, GTW (retail), Dine Out (restaurant), Eco Lifestyle (community space) and Get Together (cafe). *maybe* High School Years if I find the energy to build a school

I'm also using Zerbu's Venue Changes Mod and Spawn Refresh, which allow multi-purpose lots (it is revolutionary), so if people don't have the packs that belong to those lot types, they can still use the lots as libraries/museum, parks, lounges/bars or something else functional!

All the CC/mods needed will be linked in the post when the file's done. And any debug world decorations from other packs I'll make BGC (after all it's just set dressing). My reasoning is that since it's a save file, only PC players can use it anyway: so everyone who uses the save can download CC. But someone who only has the base game can still have 99% of the lots completely furnished and playable, they just have to switch the lot type!

also a sidenote: we're in willow creek now 😎 bc it has more lots than newcrest

and i learned how to edit strings/world maps, so 'Crest Harbor' (working title, don't really like it; suggestions welcome) will have its own special map & loading screen (this screenshot is unedited, i desaturated the BG map as a test).

'Crest Harbor' is also it's own world (though on the loading screen it's icon is identical to Willow Creek, unless i can figure out how to change it, since it's a clone made with Zerbu's Copy Worlds mod)

sorry this is post is so long lol, once i started typing my thought processes i couldn't stop. and posting updates keeps me motivated to keep working on it, so brace for more annoyingly long posts soon

[maplebellsmods]

Updated Sept 4:

Added Authoritative Parent Trait (Parenting style, between Permissive and Strict. Chances of parenting being strict are 50/50) (I'm still working on this one)

Added New Activity (Go Out With Date)

Added a separate file with more basemental buffs (DL only one.)

Fixed the issue where picked sims don't come with you to locked activities

_____ 

I have finally completed this mod. I have been working on it for a few months now. I basically finished it a month ago, but then I was traveling, and I had then there was the big update, so it took me a while to basically just tie up loose ends. 

What is this mod?

I love focusing on my teenage sims, but sometimes I know the game can't do things that I would like them to do. So I created 15+ rabbit hole activities they can go to. But it's different because I have added a system where you can/have to ask for permission to go out and if you don't you get in trouble. For the activities, there are also some requirements, like you, need to ask a friend to hang out with you or ask someone about upcoming parties in order to attend.

In order to unlock the parent interactions, you need to left-shift click on your sim. There are three options, Permissive Parent, Uninvolved Parent, and Strict Parent. Each one of these traits has different outcomes when you interact with your sim. I didn't lock the interactions to what the game considers a parent because there might be special cases. 

If you ask the sim with one of the parent traits to go out and they say yes, your sim will go out and come back and the options to confront your child for going out will not appear. If the teenage sim leaves without permission dialogue options will open up for you to confront the teenager for sneaking out. 

If you want don't want the social interactions to appear for a teen who went out without permission you can select the option Has Uninvolved Parent, by left-shit clicking on the teenage sim.

There are also social interactions available among the teens themselves. 

If you try to organize a sleepover, hang out at the house, or join activities they may say no, but they will most likely say yes if you have a high enough friendship score.

Depending on the traits you have assigned the parents they also have a chance of agreeing to you going out. For example, the Permissive Parent will usually let you go out. They might say no though if you have bad grades in school. The Strict Parent will usually say no, but if you are an excellent child on some rare occasions they might say yes. But, they will most likely always say no to you going out to a party. The Uninvolved Parent will usually always say yes. 

One parent can have a strict trait and the other one can have a permissive trait and depending on who your sim asks for permission they will most likely get a different response, so you can feel free to add different traits to the respective parents. 

Does this mod require any DLC?

No, it does not. I realize that I could have used HSY and Parenthood features in this mod to create some cool stuff, but for now, I really wanted to focus on making it BG Compatible

So yes. The mod is BGC.

What else do I need for the mod?

For this mod, I heavily used Lumpinou's Mood Pack Mod, so it is required for the mod to work properly. 

You can get her mod here.

If you already have it great! But make sure it's up to date.

I also added so buff from Basemental. You have to be over 18 to use this mod. If you already have the mod you might see some moodlets that come from the mod, but other than that it is not a requirement.

Questions and concerns you might have?

Do I have to use the has ______ parent trait?

No, you don't have to, but if you have an uninvolved parent and you don't want the option to yell at your sim for sneaking out without permission to appear, then yes you should use it. I also created this feature to be able to expand on this mod later. So it will be used for more things later.

Where can I find the options to go to the activities?

On your sim phone, you should go to entertainment, you will find it there. Only available for teens. 

How come I press on multiple sims for _____ activity and nothing happens?

This might be because you don't have what you "need" to go to the activity. If you press on your sim individually, you will see the greyed-out option. This option does not appear when you select multiple sims. This is just something that happens in-game. It's very annoying, and I didn't find a way to work around it.

I'm experiencing some weird bugs!

Let me know, please. I dealt with a lot of files when creating this mod, so something might not work the way I wanted it to work so please let me know about that so I can fix it.

I have different questions about the mod.

Honestly, I don't blame you. I might not have explained everything too well, so if you have questions about something, let me know. 

How to install the mod?

Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Mods <--- Unzip the file and make sure it's placed in this path.

What's next for the mod?

More Interactions.

Download Here: Patreon

[stingraysims]

COSPLAYER’S DREAM APARTMENT (free download)

💕Location: 121 Hakim House, San Myshuno 💕 Packs used: City Living, Get to Work, Dream Home Decorator, Get Famous, Discover University, Cats & Dogs (The vast majority of the stuff is BGC, you’ll just be missing a few items without these packs! The only one you *really* need is City Living since this was built on one of the lots that came with it) 💕I had to knock down one wall from each of the rooms in order to save the entire thing because EA won’t let you upload entire apartments to the gallery, but they can be added back easily! 💕 Build contains lots of high poly items, please be careful!

I usually build houses tailored to specific sims who already have their own backstories- This is my first time building based on a more generic concept. Cosplaying is one of my main hobbies so I thought it would be fun to make an apartment for a cosplayer sim! Complete with a lil studio area with a sewing machine (which actually functions as a computer) and an area for styling wigs. 

This lot is free to download and is intended for personal use only! Feel free to edit/redecorate as much as you’d like and post it (you don’t have to tag me but I’d love to see what people do with this). Just don’t use this for financial gain, for example using for commissions or putting images that use this under a paywall.

Download (Dropbox, no ads)

This includes the tray file AND all of the CC used. If you are a CC creator and do not want your items included, please let me know so I can remove them!

[potatosimslife]

How to Have Better Weddings without the New Game Pack - Part 2

Part two of my essential custom content for weddings is here! I have a whole folder for weddings in my game that I add back every time I have weddings so it finally came in handy to share my favorites!

In this post, I'll be sharing the big wedding collections and build/buy items that I use for weddings.

Rustic Romance Stuff for Sims 4 by @plumbobteasociety

This set has not been updated in years but it has held up so well. I think the new game pack definitely got inspiration from a lot of the items in this fan-made stuff pack.

It has beautiful items to decorate the perfect garden party. The outfits in this game are amazing, I've used this pack multiple times in different saves. This also came with a few in-game poses that I have yet to try.

Also check out their Cottage Garden Stuff for pretty hairs with floral accents!

Happily Ever After Pack by @maxsus

This is a free stuff pack by one of my favorite CC creators! It comes in a lot of fun colors that can be used for garden and even weddings in ballrooms! There's even a cool trailer to show off the items!

Garden Stories and Garden Stories Patio by @myshunosun

Technically not a wedding specific pack but the items in this pack are perfect for a garden themed-wedding.

Smaller Packs and Functional Objects for Weddings

By @ravasheencc

Push Comes To Love Wedding Set

Holy Marchrimony Wedding Arches

ISO Love Photos – Full Control Camera - The ‘ISO Love Photo’ camera mod is BGC and gives you full control over the in-game camera viewpoint without disturbing your sims!

Photographic Memory 2.0 - The new and improved Photographic Memory 2.0 comes with over 10 new photo objects and a new photo studio hub that lets you improve existing photos and transfer images!

Shop Chef Buffet - These buffet inserts can be placed in any countertop and spawn a literal buffet or freshly prepared, multi-serving potions of food for your simmies to eat!

Upright Piano by @illogicalsims - Again not really wedding specific, but sometimes we just need a small piano for smaller venues.

Other items:

Romantic Table Setting by @aroundthesims

Wedding Arches by @dudleystrailer

Flower bouquets and wall arrangements by @melonsloth

Wedding Cakes

One of the biggest additions in the pack are the wedding cakes. We do have a lot of cakes in the game that you can use as a wedding cake. Here are some nice CC food:

Base Game Food Retexture by Utopia Sims - gives better quality to the base game food. It makes all of the in-game food look edible palatable.

Custom Food by @icemunmun and The Food Group

Rustic Floral Cake

Edible Wedding Cake by @aroundthesims and @icemunmun

Grannie's Recipes by @littlbowbub

Rustic Wedding Cake

Wedding Cake

Pink Rose Wedding Cake

Corpse Bride inspired cake

Added a part 3 because there are too many CAS collections that I wanted to share. So, the next post will be about wedding dresses, suits, and more for your wedding!

Check out the other parts of this series:

Part 1 - Gameplay mods, events, and bug fixes

Part 3 - CAS items

[madameriasims4]

Tiny Living Bunk Bed (Separated)

July 30, 2022: Updated for the High School Years EP patch! (1.90.358.1030)

There are five packages in this set:

MadameRiaTinyLivingBedFrame, and MadameRiaTinyLivingBunkFrame:

Found in the Miscellaneous Comfort category, the same as other creator's CC bed frames

Four Tiny Living Wood Swatches and Eighteen Addon Swatches in a modified Peacemaker's Wood Tones 02

MadameRiaTinyLivingBedMattress and MadameRiaTinyLivingBunkMattress:

Found in the Beds category, along with EA's beds

Twelve Tiny Living Swatches and Nine Complementary Addon Swatches

MadameRiaTinyLivingBedHIDER:

This package hides the original Tiny Living single bed to reduce clutter in the catalogue. Feel free to delete.

Important Note: The lower mattress and frame require the Tiny Living Stuff Pack!

The Bunk Bed Mattress and Bunk Bed Frame are still base game compatible, though. I'm sorry it's not all BGC, but I wanted to abide by EA's terms for CC creators.

Download Link below the cut!

Instructions:

Make sure the frame and mattress are both set to the same ladder setting! Otherwise Sims might walk through the frame to climb up to the top bunk!

When EA released bunk beds, I guess everyone's first thought was dorm rooms! But I kept thinking about how nice they would be for tiny homes... so I made this! It was actually a pain to texture because Tiny Living doesn't have a lot of good, flat wood textures (they all have weird shading).

A big thanks to @ravasheencc for helping me update this set! I used her Bunk Bed Frame Template to make a new, slot-less clone for my bunk bed frames!

Check out my other separated bunk beds here: (Mod Pod | Metal Framed)

Download (Patreon) Always free, no ads.

[enniewritesathing]

🎃Happy Simblreen! 🎃

This is technically my 4th but my first in actually participating (the others I was simblreen adjacent). I’ve done vampire and werewolf-themed poses seperately, but now... it’s time to bring them together. I don’t exactly know when it was a thing to be always pitted against each other, but I feel like it’s dumb considering the amount of commonality they have as occults.

Bit of lore stuff: this is a half-AU in that in this AU, Brian is a vampire (canonically, he is not) and John is a werewolf (actually canon, but kind of situational and, y’know not A Thing in TS4 yet). They’re also happily married! I wanted to do something chill this year, so I decided to make a themed couple pose set. I feel like these can be treated as engagement photo, some nice formal pics to put in the living room, maybe something a little sexy after party, etc.

It’s also my first time rendering anything in blender to make things look a little nicer, so, if you’ll excuse the basicnessl ^^;.

How many poses?

9 (With furniture), 3 (Floor), 6 (Standing)

Labeled Bat and Wolf

What do you need?

Captain Rodrigo De Pablo Couch (BGC)

Captain Rodrigo De Pablo Chair (BGC)

Lap of Luxury Modern Chair (BGC)

(Optional) imadako shirt and tie (or any open shirt)

Note/Suggestions: I made these with male rigs and this time it’s closer to my sims’ shapes to avoid any floaty hand business. I suggest that the smaller sim is the Bat in this case to avoid clipping (but it’s up to you, really). If you’re gonna use this for m/f sims or f/f, there may be clipping with a certain standing pose (unless they have small boobs, then it’s okay). I’d also suggest something form fitting for the Bat too.

The furniture poses are specific to what I listed, so, if you use a low couch, it’s gonna look weird bc a few of them have the arm resting on the back. Chairs... well, they look okay with others but they sit a little high/low.

Because this is a special pack, the pics that are shown here are rendered, but I also made in-game pics too to show ya’ll how it looks like honestly.

🦇See them here!🦇

As usual, feel free to ask me questions, tag #enniewritesathing or @ me! I’d love to see your sims! Don’t forget to like/reblog and check out my other poses!

[SFS] // [MF]

@simblreenofficial, @ts4-poses, @maxismatchccworld

[simstel]

how to make your cc (or any game-pack CAS exclusive item) base game compatible (bgc) for sims 4

so i'm new to all this cc making and at first i couldn't find a tutorial that makes my stuff bgc. after a few trials and errors and mixing of steps found online, i've finally learned how.

you will need:

blender  sims 4 studio 

1. open sims 4 studio and go into CAS. it doesn't really matter if the selected button is "Create CAS Standalone" or "Create 3D Mesh".

2. you'll be teleported to a wide selection of available CAS items in your game. you'll also see the CAS items from your owned game packs. for this tutorial, first choose the pack-exclusive item. you may navigate through the toolbar above to find whatever specific item your'e finding. press Next afterwards.

3. save your package in your chosen folder.

4. export its mesh as well as its texture. make sure the diffuse one is selected (seen just above the Export button). if you have your own texture for this specific mesh then you don't have to save its original texture. * in this part you can also add color swatches in case you forgot to choose the other colors (or you just don't like the available colors).

5. press Cancel then repeat the same steps of going into CAS except this time find an item that is BGC. also make sure that this item has the same part type/age/gender/species as your first item. in this picture you can see that i still chose the same specifications, so that this mesh and the first mesh can perfectly fit. press Next. * it is easier if you choose an item that is mostly an undergarment, such as a bra or tank top, or one that can easily be covered by your first chosen item or cc. you'll see why later.

6. save your package in your chosen folder.

7. this time we only need the mesh, as we're going to replace its texture with the one we want, so press Export Mesh.

8. open this mesh, or specifically the base-game available item, in Blender.

9. on the right side, you'll see the s4studio_mesh_(no.) files. * if there is only one mesh file, like in the picture below, usually named s4studio_mesh_1, remember the number of cuts. this can be found under the s4studio CAS tools tab, the one with the GEOM type. * if there is more than one mesh file, join all the meshes by selecting each one (shift click) and join them by pressing ctrl + j or the join button, which can be found by toggling Edit (found in left side). now that there's only one mesh, remember its number of cuts. this can be found under the s4studio CAS tools tab, the one with the GEOM type.

10. go to File and press Append. press the blend file (the exported mesh) of your pack item, then Object. then, select all the s4studio_mesh_(no.) available (shift click). press Link/Append from Library.

11. by this time you're supposed to see your model with the base mesh completely covered.

if not, like in this example, find the single mesh from your base item by toggling the eye of each mesh on the right side. you'll know it's the base mesh if any unnecessary patch has disappeared from your model when it is toggled off. 

delete the vertices of the unnecessary patches of your base mesh. there are many ways to do this. for me, i go to edit mode, right click (the outlines will turn black), press B, then go over the unnecessary parts. the selected vertices should turn orange. press X, then delete vertices. keep doing this until you achieve your desired look.

12. we should only have one mesh, to do this, shift click all the meshes (including the base mesh) and join them by pressing ctrl + j or the join button, which can be found by toggling Edit (found in left side).

13. now there's only one mesh. remember when i told you to remember the number of cuts? (step 9) check if the number of cuts are the SAME as the base mesh. in this picture, they already have the same number, so it's all good. if not, just type in the number.

14. go to File and save your Blender file. (can be saved as another file)

15. go back to Sims 4 Studio, specifically to your base game item. press Import Mesh and choose the newly saved Blender file (the new modified mesh).

16. it's going to look weird at first (like in the pic LOL) because you haven't imported the texture yet. go to Texture and import the texture of your pack item (or cc). press Save afterwards.

and voila! your item is now base game compatible. you may add more colors by adding a swatch then changing the texture. don't forget to save! if there are any questions or difficulties just let me know! hope this helped. :)

[ssspringroll]

DL (sfs, no ads) separates and merged packages available

It’s finally here! The first of (I hope) several packs of antennae for your extraterrestrial sims! Just in time for Halloween! (This is technically my treat for you all ♥)

They’re available on 5 different slots, and you can have any combination of them in your game. The slots are:

Hat

Right Brow Ring

Brow Scar (Occult Brow)

Forehead Crease

Acne

I believe for the Acne slot you will need Parenthood, and for Brow Scar you might need either Vampires or Get Famous, but the rest should all be BGC. 

Every single one has a custom thumbnail so they’ll (hopefully) be easy to find, and they should all more or less appear right in a row. 

They all pick up the sim’s skin tone, so they should work with any color alien you want to make! They will also pick up patterns to some extent, but they aren’t all mapped in the exact correct spot, so it won't be seamless (mapping them all accurately made them incompatible with Most hairs). They are all set up to pick up patterns from the correct side of the head, only one pair is shown below because that’s the only one that was in the right area to demonstrate.

The longer ones (Spring Droop and Irked XL) WILL clip through the body sometimes, this is just how it has to be. (A better preview of Irked XL is below the cut)

The Droom preview, as you can see, one antenny is darker than the other. This is just because of where the shadows are on this particular hair. I could’ve edited it out, but I think it’s better to show you the reality of the cc! Some hairs do some slightly odd stuff to these guys, I hope that’s okay with you! 

The Dragon tends to pick up eyebrow colors, but honestly, it isn’t a big deal imo

No LODs but I didn’t notice any issues with the graphics turned down as low as possible, so you (hopefully) shouldn’t even be able to tell

My TOU is here: TOU

Basically, you can do whatever you want with these as long as they remain 100% FREE. Mesh edit them, change the slots, convert them to other games, go wild :) (and credit me)

Aaaand... yep. I think that's everything! Let me know if you have any issues!! 

I appreciate likes, but reblogs help even more people see the set ♥

[ravasheencc]

Hello! I understand your goal to make your mods and CCs BGC. I have all your creations but they tend to clutter my buy/build catalog because of doubled items. Would it be possible for you to come up with a tutorial how to make them overrides? Or is it against your TOU? Thank you and more power! ❤️❤️❤️

hello!!! so i have never just taken an item from a pack and made it BGC. i dont think it is ethically right to do that (even though EA overcharges IMO). the only time I have used objects from packs and made BGC was only done so if it took significant time/effort to make the changes necessary.

most of the items from my mods arent just duplicates from ea objects either, i do a pretty significant amount of changes to them. i did look through the mod items to see what you were referring to and i see a few items that are pretty similar like the vending machines and book displays. however, i still made quick a bit of changes to these as far as geostates etc etc boring stuff u dont want to hear about lol.

that being said, what i have been meaning to do for awhile now is make a list of the tunings (coding) i made for these items. then if you want, you can go delete my objects and add the tuning to the similar EA one. i will also make a tutorial on how to do this!

this would also allow modders to reference my tuning and add more objects with the functionality in my mods (similar to a recolor where you would need my tuning files in order for them to work)

i am kinda slammed at the moment so i wont be able to get to this for a week or so though, so sit tight! :)

[simranger]

a somewhat comprehensive performance guide for the sims 3

what it says on the tin. i’m sticking everything under the cut to avoid clogging everyone’s dash because, hoo boy, this is a looong post

welcome to my kitchen, and hopefully i can help you get your game to run a bit better!

first, if you haven’t already, make sure to launch your game (i recommend just bg so it loads quickly) and check if you need to change your graphics settings. if you’re on windows and would like to play your game in windowed fullscreen: 

download and install this program (it’s safe, i promise)

open the program and you should get a notification that it’s running in your tray

with ts3 open (in it’s windowed mode), click on your tray and right click on the program’s icon, then select Add window

go back to ts3′s window and press F3 on your keyboard. you should get a notification that ts3 has been added to the program’s list, and you’re done!

you’ll also need an fps limiter to prevent the game from frying your video card. i use this one, set at 60fps. alternatively, you can download MATY’s fps limiter and place it in your game’s bin. (The Sims 3/Game/Bin)

is your game crashing on startup? check your DEP settings or try using 3booter.

some tips to help your game run better

have as few programs as possible running while ts3 is open.

run a 4gb patch on your game. download this, run the .exe, select the game’s executable (The Sims 3/Game/Bin/TS3W.exe for patch 1.69 or TS3.exe for patch 1.67), and click open. you’ll get a pop up saying it’s patched. please note that your computer needs to have over 2gb of RAM for this! (most do, but do check how much RAM you have!)

if you’d rather increase how much RAM the game uses yourself, follow this tutorial.

download razer game booster. this frees up some memory on your computer to increase performance.

check how much virtual memory your pc is using. follow this tutorial.

delete cache files. the game will generate new ones every time you open the game, so make sure to delete the following files before running the game: CASPartCache, compositorCache, scriptCache, simCompositorCache, socialCache. these files are found in Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3.

if you’re on pc, delete your WoldCaches folder. not everyone will have this folder, and the game may also regenerate the folder. (mine didn’t regenerate the folder, but it’s happened to others)  DO NOT do this if you’re on mac!!!!

disable your FeaturedItems folder. this prevents the game from generating a fuckton of store thumbnails you’ll never look at. follow this tutorial or just set the folder to be read only.

turn off the following in your game settings: shop mode, interactive loading screens, and online features. i also recommend turning off story progression and memories and using mods to handle these instead.

edit your GraphicsRules.sgr. this will help your game load textures faster. (it also helps how fast your sims change their clothes!) do it yourself by following these tutorials ( 1 + 2 ) or download avian’s graphics fix (v1.69) (v1.67). i recommend doing the latter more than doing it yourself!

modding your game: a quick crash course

yeah, i know most people know how to download and install custom content + mods, but this is still good to give a read for managing your sims 3 cc!

first, you’ll need a mods folder because ts3 won’t generate one by itself. i recommend you download this framework and follow MTS’ guide to setting it up. it comes with a nifty little no intro video mod!

use the compressorizer redux. you can extract it wherever you’d like, just make sure to keep all its files in the same folder. this program is pretty self-explanatory, it compresses .package and .sims3pack files. to use it, click Add Files to List, select the folder with your files (you can do this multiple times), and click GO! now, just let it do its thing! it may take a while to process everything if you have big files, but you’ll get a pop up saying how many MBs you saved when it’s done. you can also use decrapify mode on .sims3packs (useful for store content!)

i recommend downloading Delphy’s Sims3Pack Extractor. i avoid using the game launcher to manage my cc at all costs, and this tool is useful for extracting .package files from .sims3pack files. follow this tutorial to use it!

Delphy’s Dashboard Tool is also useful for finding any broken, duplicate, or conflicting cc. i don’t recommend using the fix all problems option, do it yourself instead to make sure you don’t delete anything you want to keep.

renaming cc files can also help with lag. follow this tutorial!

you can also merge your package files to help with lag and load times using this tutorial. i don’t do this personally, but my mods folder is pretty small too.

note: the game launcher can only load 500 .sims3pack files at a time. only use the launcher to install absolutely necessary items!

to help reduce lag and load times, you can delete everything in your DCBackup folder (Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/DCBackup) EXCEPT for ccmerged.package. DO NOT delete ccmerged, it has all the cc installed through the launcher. (ps. you can safely use the compressorizer to compress your ccmerged file!)

final tip: try to control the amount of cc you have installed. i’ve noticed that the game takes a lot longer to load when my mods folder starts to reach a Gb. my mods folder is currently 368Mb, and it takes around 5 minutes to load any saves.

helpful mods for your game

the ETERNAL must have: nraas’ mastercontroller. you’ll need this to run all nraas mods! also be sure to grab overwatch and errortrap while you’re at it! these catch and clean any errors that happen in your game. i also recommend register and traffic.

no (or fewer) auto memories is SUPER useful for controlling memories in the game and helps with game performance. it’s super customizable!

ellacharmed’s world fixes. not really a traditional mod, but this helps with routing and camera control! note: don’t use these on preexisting saves! some lots have been moved and there will be little gaps in the world with preexisting saves.

routing fixes for schools + other lots. be sure to use nraas to reset your school lot after installing!

interaction on sloped terrain. this is mostly just a sanity saver, but very useful!

finally, i recommend grabbing awesome mod. it has a bunch of fixes and is very customizable!

reducing save game bloat

a.k.a. the steps i go through to make sure that my game loads relatively fast and runs with minimal lag. 

if i’ve taken any screenshots the last time i played the game, i move those out of ts3′s screenshots folder and into a separate folder.

i delete all generated cache files. see the tips section above for more info

i run kuree’s save cleaner on the save i’m planning on playing. if the latest version (2.1) doesn’t open/work, try using v1.1 instead. you can also do this manually, though i don’t recommend it for the sake of your sanity.

every couple of in-game weeks in a save i run a total reset on the world i’m playing in. this is done through nraas mastercontroller. click on your city hall from map view>nraas>mastercontroller>total reset

tip: to help prevent your saves from corrupting, use save as and keep multiple versions of your save. for example, i have 3 versions of my lepacy save. this way, if a save does corrupt, you have a backup! 

misc. ways to reduce lag

don’t run the game with all packs enabled. it’s going to murder your game. only run with packs you know you’ll use. you can also refer to this masterpost for bgc items if you only want certain items from a pack.

don’t keep tons of stuff in your sim’s inventory. use the fridge to keep fish and harvestables instead.

if your sim has the collection helper LTR in their inventory, make sure you have it set to none when you’re not using it.

i recommend downloading simborg’s CAS hiders, ILTS’ CAS Rehaul, and/or sweetdevil-sims’ CAS hiders to reduce CAS load times.

change CAS’ catalogs to show in compact form using nraas mastercontroller. select a sim>nraas>mastercontroller>settings>CAS and look for show in compact form options and set each to true

nona’s no limos mod can help nraas overwatch’s nightly clean up

make sure to turn off any build/buy cheats you activated when you go back into live mode. (even if it’s just to save)

if you’re using CAS a lot in a play session, it’s a good idea to quit to desktop and reload the game every once in a while

try to avoid saving presets and CASt swatches

disconnect from the internet. i don’t do this often because i usually have spotify or carl’s sims 3 guide open alongside ts3.

good resources to refer to

the sims wiki’s game guide to improving performace

nraas’ tips for better game performance

this thread @ MTS

optimization guide @ games4theworld

this post by darkfridaysims

that’s all folks!

if you’d like to know what cc and mods i’m using, here’s my resources page. thanks for reading all this, and if you need any clarification or have anything to add onto this, definitely hmu!

edits

*ps that i won’t be tagging people i credit so i don’t risk clogging their activity, i’ll still include a link to their blog!

the fps and 4Gb patch aren’t needed, it was fixed in a patch! (thank you, create-a-sim!)

[mspoodle1]

Hi! Sorry if it's stupid question (or if it's not ok to ask), but is it difficult to unlock hidden stencils in objects? I tried to find any tutorial about it, but came up empty. Recently I made two objects from Kathy Perry SP bgc, and for some reason your dr for them sort of work: the game duplicated the objects, one is regular cc, the other has the icon for stuff pack but has a blank name and description. Anyway, I'd be grateful for any advice! Thank you

Hi there! It’s not hard. What you need to do is make presets for the stencils and enable them. Originally EA only has one preset for them but left the image files intact. I’m sure it was an over site and never went back to fix it. Anyways, if you’re making a bgc version, then you don’t need my default because that won’t work for the bgc version. Just add the presets and your good to go. 

You can do the preset in TSRW by adding a preset and then in the Stencils tab at the bottom. Click the little plus sign to open the drop down menu. then it will show all the stencil numbers. #A should be active - so make it false. then open #B and make it true. Then you would add another preset. Go to the stencil section and do the same for #C make the others false and make the one you want True.

Now, just in case the file images are not there you can get them from my defaults package. Open it in s3pe and export them. Then you would import them and place them in the appropriate stencil section #.

*as for picture credit* I took these images from another tutorial. Too lazy to go into TSRW right now. lol. 

If you have anymore questions about this let me know. I’m going to make this public. Hope you don’t mind.

[purplesurveys]

718

If you lived in Bikini Bottom, would you befriend Spongebob or Plankton? Obviously Spongebob. I’m there to have a good time and catch jellyfish, not eat holographic meatloaf and make it my life’s goal to steal a secret formula. Do you have any bananas in your house right now? I think we still have some left. My dad bought a pack? a group? a bunch? of them so he can make banana cue and turon for my mom and sister while we’re all stuck at home for the meantime. Which overrated tattoo are you sick of seeing? Eh I don’t judge this easily since I assume tattoos mean a lot to people but where I’m from, line tattoos are pretty overused. They DO look nice and I get why they’ve been trending for a while, but yeah they’re evvvvvverywhere. Is it easy to distract you? Yes haha I have a rather quick attention span. Do you prefer to drink from glasses or mugs? Depends on the drink. I drink my water from a glass but I prefer my coffee in a mug, that sort of thing.

What was the last thing you taught a younger kid? I don’t feel confident teaching kids just yet, huhu. It usually works the other way around: when I’m with kids, they teach me how to play their toys or whatever game they’re playing on their parents’ phone/iPad. Are the clocks in your house mostly digital or analog? We only have one analog clock. We mostly tell the time from our phones. How long have you had your television(s)? Answered this before but we have two TVs that are 12 years old and two others that were bought within the last decade. Do you like watching movies made with CGI or do you prefer hand-drawn ones? I don’t care. As long as the end product is done well I can enjoy the movie. Where did your parents buy their car(s)? I know for sure the two family cars were bought directly from the official dealers. I think mine was a secondhand one. Do you know why your grandparents chose your mother's name? No. I think they just liked the name. That makes me want to ask my grandma though. What is your favourite kind of soup? Miso is the only one I really like. Have you ever made your own musical instrument? Nope. What do you think of Leighton Meester's singing voice? I only know one song of hers and I reeeeeally loved that when it came out, but I don’t think it’s enough for me to have an opinion for her music altogether. I definitely don’t hate her voice though. Do you think you'd do well at teaching the English language to a foreigner? Yeah, it’s my other everyday language and I’m a little bit more fluent in it than I am in Filipino. How long have your neighbours lived there? About the same time as us, I think. We all moved in at sort of the same time when the village was newly developed. Is it weird to hear your name in movies or TV shows? It’s not a very common name so it does feel a bit weird to hear, yes. It’s weirder if I have to refer to the character in third person cause I never liked saying my own name :/ Why do so many people seem to hate the Jonas Brothers? Am assuming this refers to the Jonas Brothers pre-reunion because I’m sure no one hates them and their new music now lmao. I think, simply put, it was because they were teenagers then, and pre-teen and teenage girls was their main fanbase? Most people liked to shit on that category of celebrities, even today – case in point, Justin Bieber, 5SOS, One Direction haha. What is a store you like that is exclusive to your country? Fully Booked! It’s the most complete, up-to-date, and chic bookstore brand we have. The Fully Booked branch in BGC in particular is a partnership with Starbucks, so you can immediately walk over there to get a coffee and read after buying a book heh. If you attend school, what time do you usually get home after? I always have extracurriculars like org stuff, meetings, or fieldwork after my academic schedule so more often than not I’ll get home by 9 or 10 PM, which leaves me feeling exhausted as fuck at the end of the day. When was the last time you really needed to just let loose? Like two weeks ago? I was bored out of my mind being stuck at home so I chugged a lot of soju that I asked my dad to buy so I can at least be drunk while being bored lol. Have you ever been blackmailed? Kinda. There was a time when I didn’t talk to my sister and didn’t really feel well enough to reconcile with her yet, but my mom threatened to go to our class guidance counselor and expose me and ‘the kind of older sister I am’ if I didn’t make amends with my sister immediately.

This might sound sarcastic but thanks, survey, for reminding me what kind of mom my mother actually was during the years that were the most critical to my development lmao. I always need reminders like this because despite how our relationship has ‘improved’ now that I’m older, I shouldn’t forget the trauma she caused me and the fact that I had always planned to detach myself from her as much as possible once I’m fully independent. I can’t disappoint my younger self by keeping her in my life as if nothing happened.

Do you suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome? No. I keep forgetting what that means. Would you rather have novels based on your life or a series of comic books? Novels, so I’d be more interested to read it. Have you written a resume before, either for yourself or someone else? I did a resumé when I applied for my internship. Did you know that they plan on releasing a movie based on The Smurfs? This survey is sooooooo old hah they’ve made a bunch of films on it already. Do you ever wonder what it would be like to live underwater? Not really. Mostly I’ve just wondered what it would be like to be a creature from the deep sea, where it’s totally dark and most of the animals there look prehistoric as fuck lol. Have you ever worked in a bakery? If not, would you like to? No but this question reminded me of Harry Styles, aw :’) ANYWAY if I did I’d probably take up a job in the office, since I can neither bake nor deal with people on a regular basis even if one argues that bakeries aren’t really particular spots for angry Karens or Barbaras. What is your favourite thing about snow? I like that we don’t get them because it’s bound to make my first encounter with snow in the future magical as fuck. Is there a big personality difference between you and your sibling(s)? Yeah. I tend to adapt to new environments way better than they do and I’m definitely the most extroverted of the three in all aspects.  Do you enjoy decorating things with stickers? Hahahah yes, it’s an uncontrollable urge. I keep my stickers to just my laptop case these days, but back then I used to put stickers on my phone case, my ID case, clipboard, wallet, etc. Did you lose anything recently? Did you end up finding it? I lose my hair tie every now and then; my hair’s a bit short for a ponytail now so my hair tie gradually slips out my hair with me barely noticing it, so it always ends up in random places around the house. I do end up finding it after a while but it gets frustrating whenever I realize it had fallen off again. What colour oven mitts do you have? We don’t really use the oven so we barely use the ones we have. I don’t even know the color of it.

Why do you/don't you watch award shows? Because there are sooo many commercials in the middle of it, some presenters are awkward as fuck and I’d rather save myself from the secondhand cringe, and most of the time the choices for the winners are undeserving and end up pissing everyone off. It’s always easier to just wait a few hours and check the results on Google; and besides, the only fun parts are seeing what everyone is wearing and who attends to begin with hah. What do you think of Ellen DeGeneres as the new judge on American Idol? God this was a lifetime ago. I think I mostly didn’t mind it but I never did get over the replacement of the OGs Randy, Simon, and Paula. Do you ever do the exercises featured in some magazines? No. Have you ever watched What The Buck? What do you think of it? I don’t think I’ve heard of that. How long ago did you switch from cable to satellite, if you did? We didn’t make a ‘switch,’ per se. We had cable in our old home but when we moved to our current house in 2008, having extra channels wasn’t really the priority as moving already entailed a whole lot of expenses to begin with. That meant we only had free TV for a while which was extremely fucking boring, but eventually my dad got us satellite in like 2011 or 2012. When was the last time you partnered up with someone to complete something? I decided to partner up with Andrew for my undergraduate thesis in like August last year. Do you consider Lady GaGa's appearance artistic, or just plain weird? Artistic. What do you usually do when you have trouble sleeping? I put a lengthy YouTube video on so I can fall asleep to the background noise. At least that’s what I do these days - I always thought I needed complete silence to fall asleep, but apparently that’s not the absolute case. What was the last thing you used scissors for? I opened a sachet of 3-in-1 coffee.

Have you ever used some kind of food as a facial mask? Nah I always just use Korean sheet masks. How many USB cords do you have lying around? I personally don’t have any but I do have a hard drive. Are you satisfied with your social life (or lack thereof)? I’m very satisfied with it and I’m glad I got to open up in college. Do you know anybody whose initials spell something? Sure. What is your favourite flavour of Kool-Aid? I’ve never had Kool-Aid. Is there a specific food you think NEEDS to be at Christmas dinner? My grandma’s steak. Would you be able to re-string a guitar? I wouldn’t even know where to buy guitar strings. What TV show do you just assume you wouldn't like? How I Met Your Mother, just because their fans love to make fun of and compare their oh-so-great show to Friends so much when I’ve never seen a single Friends fan make fun of HIMYM like ????? Why the one-sided, unsolicited hate??? I was always planning to watch the show and appreciate Friends and HIMYM at the same time but because the fans are so pathetic I just stopped wanting to watch it altogether. Do your friends have more money than you? Seems unfair to pit ourselves against one another when we’re all still depending on our parents’ money lmao. Who always has the power to make you feel intimidated? Ate Frances has always had a very strong personality. Do you have more bread or cheese in your house? Bread. What was the last movie trailer you saw? Not sure. I don’t really like trailers since most of them give away too much of the plots already. Did you purchase any meat product when you were at the store last? My dad did. Have you ever been told that you have chubby cheeks? Well I don’t, so no I’m not usually told this lol. Do you know how to properly use a saw? Nope. Isn't it a shame that what Kanye West did at the VMA's overshadowed what was supposed to be a night dedicated to Michael Jackson? Hahahaha not really, I found it hilarious and so so stupid. There were a billion other tributes to MJ that year that went smoothly so it doesn’t really matter to me if the 2009 VMAs will always be known as the Imma-let-you-finish VMAs.

[miles-lousie]

Sims cc skin details

Eyelashes http://kijiko-catfood.com

eyes 540857

skin https://grimcookies.com/post/167408793340/tahani-skinblend-making-this-was-such-a-learning

freckles https://simtzu.tumblr.com/post/128360234022

Skin billy-skinblend-by-vikai-so-alot-of-people-ask skin summer-skeletons-v2-skinset.html body blush file skin penguin-skinblend-because-it-was-5-am-and-in-this skin tumblr_ogjiwpf6W11tjrolt skin papillon-default-nondefault-skin-blend-for-all freckles hey-so-im-sorry-this-isnt-much-for-easter freckles 1367008 freckles 1468972 freckles 1377865 other mccc / playable pets sims-4-cats-dogs-controllable-pets-mod makeup pride flag face paint hey-guys-i-wanted-to-do-something-after-being the-conspiracy-collection-the-long-awaited spring-eye-trio-36010576 hair elli-hair solar-waltz-pack-bgc-all-lods-shadow-maps lois madison olive luna-by-simstrouble-i-wanted-to-make-something enriques4-sunflower-hairstyle-new-mesh-18-ea lia-hair-base-game-compatible-hat-compatible-all mabel-hair-yes-i-named-this-hair-after-mabel-from thought-i-was-dead-didnt-you-yea-me-too-this-is nyx-v1v2-hairs deliliah-hair-your-sims-inner-icon-is-gonna road-to-nowhere-cc-pack-bgc-all-lods-shadow-maps charli-curlsyou-can-change-the-scrunchie zara-hair-ts4-maxis-match-cc-some-long-braids accessories leaves-earrings-im-so-happy-to-finally-share glimmer-rings hello-this-collection-is-entirely-based-on-a sim-style-stuff-i-swear-im-not-going-mad-i-just 1344533 1353814 1343394 finally-made-some-highly-requested-cheek anathema-lip-33695814 DOWNLOAD

DOWNLOAD clothes hello-this-collection-is-entirely-based-on-a road-to-nowhere-cc-pack-bgc-all-lods-shadow-maps magnolia-jeans-high-waisted-cuffed-jeans-with-a sim-style-stuff-i-swear-im-not-going-mad-i-just trust-me-dress-one-piece-midi-dress-with-a-white DOWNLOAD 1448798 shirts-female-teen-young-adult-elder-hq-mod (MESH NEEDED)

[decafsimsta]

Male Beach Lookbook (cc links and sim)

YT video: https://youtu.be/2FZYSyvLqnY 

Sim: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KT9GZhgmrL3x5GxQAYKte2ZDDHnjiAge/view?usp=sharing 

**DISCLAIMER: the sim might be slightly off. I had to make a second version because I lost all of my files in the process of making this. The cc will all be the same, just the base face of the sim could have very tint differences. I tried my best to match the Kaleb Paris in the video, and I can’t really see a huge difference between the two so there shouldn't be a problem, butttt just in case you do see a difference please let me know<3

cc links below the cut<3

Base-

skin detail: https://simbience.tumblr.com/post/188756610020/d-o-w-n-l-o-a-d-patreon-free-1-2-info 

skin tone (I think!): http://kijiko-catfood.com/skin-tones-maxis-match-edition/

freckles: https://hollowsprings.tumblr.com/post/178922415534/honey-freckles-click-pictures-to-enlarge-thank 

tattoo: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-accessories-female-tattoos/title/kehlani-tattoo/id/1392138/

body hair: https://luumiasims.com/post/160374208324/body-hair-v5-body-hair-is-back-and-even-more

teeth(ADFLY): https://mellouwsim.wixsite.com/mellouwsim/post/highbeam-3d-teeth

eyes (I think!): https://simulationcowboy.tumblr.com/post/178389042537/the-day-has-finally-come-so-like-have-some-eyes

eyelashes: http://kijiko-catfood.com/3d-lashes-update-november-23th-2018/

eyebrows: https://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims4-sets-hair/title/maxis-match-eyebrow-pack-n01/id/1341799/

nose shader: here

beard: https://wcifsareclosed.tumblr.com/post/182531130442/simstrouble-simstrouble-facial-hair-dump-base 

Everyday-

hat: https://luumiasims.com/tagged/s4acc // scroll a bit down, there isn't a direct link<3

necklace: https://simlaughlove.tumblr.com/post/185839046508/sll-cowrieshells

hair: https://okruee.tumblr.com/post/614149025709604864/april2020-followers-gift-set-ok-i-know-its-not

top: https://greenllamas.tumblr.com/post/176986320671/pool-party-stuff-description-download-and-details 

bottom: https://greenllamas.tumblr.com/post/176986320671/pool-party-stuff-description-download-and-details

shoes: https://serenity-cc.tumblr.com/post/183102457388/serenity-cc-fitness-collection-part-1-custom 

Formal-

hair(different than other fits): https://okruee.tumblr.com/post/190537878736/jude-hair-a-simple-edit-of-a-hair-from-tiny-living

suit: https://grimcookies.com/post/189636263042/a-very-grim-christmas-hello-i-decided-to-release 

shoes: https://plumbobteasociety.tumblr.com/post/170874771645/rustic-romance-stuff-for-sims-4-the-love-child

Athletic-

top: https://greenllamas.tumblr.com/post/176986320671/pool-party-stuff-description-download-and-details

bottom: https://luumiasims.com/post/167072426529/sxl-presents-teen-style-stuff-a-brand-new-cc-pack 

shoes (SIMSDOM): http://shunga-cc.blogspot.com/2019/02/reebok-classics-club-c-85-sneakers.html 

Sleep-

top: https://wcifsareclosed.tumblr.com/post/182560183747/obi-uhie-ayoshi-we-needed-some-more-male-cc 

bottom: https://greenllamas.tumblr.com/post/176986320671/pool-party-stuff-description-download-and-details

socks: https://kumikya.tumblr.com/post/160196037178/i-made-some-mid-calf-socks-because-i-want-some

Party-

hat: https://qwertysims.tumblr.com/tagged/downloads // scroll down towards the end, no direct link<3

top: https://luumiasims.com/post/149368562974/summer-stroll-a-new-cc-stuff-pack-from-synth-x

bottom: https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/187194346870/axa-2019-official-release 

shoes: https://luumiasims.com/post/149368562974/summer-stroll-a-new-cc-stuff-pack-from-synth-x

Swim-

hair(different): https://squeamishsims.tumblr.com/post/190590214417/depoofed-and-bgc-tiny-living-hair-by 

trunks: https://aharris00britney.tumblr.com/post/187194346870/axa-2019-official-release

Hot-

hat: same as party<3

top: https://greenllamas.tumblr.com/post/176986320671/pool-party-stuff-description-download-and-details

bottoms: https://www.patreon.com/posts/boxing-shorts-30180581

Cold-

top: https://wcifsareclosed.tumblr.com/post/182560183747/obi-uhie-ayoshi-we-needed-some-more-male-cc 

jeans: https://www.patreon.com/aharris00britney // scroll down a bit, no direct link<3

boots: http://sims4updates.net/shoes/recolor-sp15-boots-pattern-at-helga-tisha/ 

[stayathomesim]

Tiny House + Cats & Dogs

I was excited for the Tiny House pack and got it the day it came out.  I LOVE the build/buy and the CAS items.  Those alone are worth it.

I built a micro home in Brindleton Bay.  The first thing I noticed was that my Sim’s relationship bars were going up REALLY fast.  I had assumed the micro house perks only applied to household members, but realized that explains why after one short hangout my Sim was like ready to marry Pedro Bheeda (the son of Arun and Jesminder in my file).  So that’s awesome.  Also, she gets the friendly interaction “Brag about really REALLY micro house.”  Heheheheh.  One would.

The Murphy bed.  I’ve seen a lot of stories about sims being killed by this thing.  So I was nervous, but it didn’t happen to me.  But my bed did break basically every night until I upgraded it.  The animation for moving the bed up and down is by remote, so I can only conclude that the people losing all their sims to this bed were trying to put the bed up or down while it was broken?  I didn’t try doing it because I want my sim to live.

Tiny House Stuff, 4.5/5.  They didn’t give us ladders, so.

Cats & Dogs, I just got it.  I never wanted it before because, tbh, I dislike pets IRL and thus have zero interest in my sims having pets.

But over time I’ve come to mourn my lack of shaker shingle siding, which I knew came with C&D, and that there is no BGC CC for it because they gave it to us in a pack.  Also I knew Brindleton Bay looked like a world I wanted.  I thought it was more rural, but that’s not really it.  It’s New England, which is also amazing.  I cannot wait to rebuild it.  I think it will become my new base world because it’s probably most like my Great Lakes coastal area.

The things I have now learned come with Cats & Dogs that make it WELL worth the $20 I decided to spend on it even though it puts unwanted animals in my game:

Hostas.

Maple trees.

Birch trees that actually look like birch trees.

White 3-pane windows.

White X-shaped fences.

Shaker shingle siding.

And some really nice CAS items and maritime-esque BB items, including giant stacks of crates and pallets, and some nice debug items.

Also the world is beautiful!