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Custom content has always been a part of The Sims series, at least for the PC and Mac games in it. However, how to install it has varied from game to game, and has not always been obvious.

Readers who are unfamiliar with compressed archive files (zip, RAR, and 7z), should read the section on annal files.

File paths given in this guide employ the Windows-standard "\" ("backslash") separator. Macs may use a "/" instead.

Contents

  • 1 The Sims
  • ii The Sims 2
    • 2.ane Sims2pack files
    • 2.2 Enabling Custom Content
  • three The Sims three
  • iv The Sims 4
  • 5 Archive files
  • 6 Identifying file types
  • 7 Notes
  • eight External links

The Sims [ ]

In The Sims, dissimilar types of custom content are placed in different folders, depending on their file type. There is no need to do anything to the content files other than place them in the correct folders. Sub-folders are non recognized, except in the Downloads folder used for objects.

Information technology is best to fix Windows so that file extensions are always shown. When installing content for The Sims, file icons and listed file types should not exist considered reliable, as many of the extensions The Sims uses for custom content are likewise used by other programs, and those extensions may be associated with those programs.

The file paths given beneath assume a default PC installation to C:\Program Files .[ane] Macs may or may not have a Program Files folder. Regardless of install location, and regardless of whether the game is on a PC or Mac, the part of the file path later on "The Sims" will be the same.

Objects normally have the extension .iff, merely occasionally utilise .far . They are normally placed in:
C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\Downloads, and may be placed in sub-folders. They may too be placed in:
C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\GameData\UserObjects

  • Some objects, such every bit default replacements, may accept specific install instructions.
  • Files which modify aspects of game behavior too use the .iff extension, and may have specific install instructions.

Skins, for both Sims and pets, have the extensions .skn and .cmx for meshes. The textures are BMP files, and accept the extension .bmp. These files are placed in:
C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\GameData\Skins

  • Custom animations, which use the extensions .cfp and .bcx.cmf, are as well placed in this folder.

Roof textures are 32x32 BMP files, and accept the extension .bmp. They can be distinguished from skin textures by their small size. They are placed in:
C:\Programme Files\Maxis\The Sims\GameData\Roofs

Walls, including murals, have the extension .wll. They are placed in:
C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims\GameData\Walls

Floors take the extension .flr. They are placed in:
C:\Plan Files\Maxis\The Sims\GameData\Floors

Lots are a special case. Their filenames take the grade HouseXX.iff, where XX is their lot number. They are placed in:
C:\Programme Files\Maxis\The Sims\UserDataXX\Houses
The 20 is a two-digit number representing the neighborhood. For example, Neighborhood 1 is UserData01, Neighborhood 2 is UserData02, etc.

The Sims 2 [ ]

In The Sims 2, custom content has been simplified. At that place is ane main extension, .package, and one master folder, Downloads, whose location does not depend on the install location. The location of the "Downloads" binder is:
Windows XP:Documents and Settings\(Your User Account)\My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads\
Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac:Users\(Your User Account)\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Downloads\

If Nightlife or later is installed, the Downloads binder may contain sub-folders.

As a rule, .package files will non be associated with a program unless a program designed to read them, such as SimPE, is installed.

At that place is no need to do anything to the packet files other than identify them in the Downloads binder, or a sub-binder of it. Notwithstanding, it is often necessary for players to manually create the Downloads folder. When doing this, there are 2 things to go on in mind. Ane is that, equally far as The Sims 2 is concerned, the proper noun of this folder is case-sensitive. The offset alphabetic character must be an upper-case "D", and all other letters must be lower-case. Also, if the base of operations game was installed by way of a compilation, the base folder name in Documents may be the name of the compilation instead of "The Sims ii". For example, in The Sims 2: Ultimate Collection, the Downloads folder is placed nether:
Documents\EA Games\The Sims™ 2 Ultimate Collection\ .

Players should note that some content needs to be placed relative to the game'due south install folder, or relative to the folder for the latest expansion pack. For Ultimate Drove this is always
C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims ii Ultimate Drove\Fun with Pets\SP9\ [1] [two]

Sims2pack files [ ]

Some content for The Sims 2 if delivered in files with the extension .sims2pack . A sims2pack file is a form of archive file; the format was designed to work with an installer program[three] that is included with all versions of The Sims ii. The sims2pack format can be used for whatsoever type of content, and is the standard format for delivering lots, Sims, and custom pet breeds. This is because the installer is designed to place the lot, Sim, or brood in the proper bin.

By default, double-clicking a sims2pack file will invoke the game's installer. It will open a dialog showing the names and descriptions of all custom content files contained in the sims2pack. (A packaged lot or Sim will normally contain custom content used by that lot or Sim.) The dialog has two buttons, "Install" and "Cancel". Clicking the Install push button volition install everything in the sims2pack, regardless of whether it is already nowadays. It cannot be told to install to a sub-folder of the chief Downloads folder, and may requite an installed package file a "nonsense" filename that is a seemingly-random string of messages and numbers.

An alternative to the game'southward sims2pack installer is the Sims2pack Clean Installer from Mod The Sims. This plan "assembly" the sims2pack extension with itself, so it will launch whenever a sims2pack file is double-clicked. It allows players to see what content is in a sims2pack, and to select which parts to install. When installing to the Downloads folder, information technology allows the player to select a sub-binder. Players can cull to override the default install folder and browse for the folder they wish to extract to. Players with Ultimate Drove will need to do this if they have a version prior to 1.6.22.0.[2]

N.B.: Despite what Make clean Installer'southward master page says nigh needing to install the .Net framework, this should not be necessary with Vista and later versions of Windows.

Enabling Custom Content [ ]

In The Sims 2, it is not enough to install custom content correctly. It must exist specifically enabled by manner of a dialog that appears when the game loads. For players with Nightlife or afterwards, or whatsoever stuff pack, this dialog will not announced unless it is enabled in Game Options. Also, custom buy mode and build manner objects will not announced in the catalogs unless the game option "Catalogs Display Custom Content" is set to On. Fortunately, these things only demand to be done afterwards the game is first installed, or after calculation a new expansion pack or stuff pack.

In add-on to enabling custom content, players who want to utilize recolors of Maxis buy and build objects must apply the Colour Enable Parcel.

The Sims 3 [ ]

Installing custom content in The Sims iii requires some framework. Information technology too requires following some instructions, which vary depending on the type of file existence installed. Installation of custom content for The Sims three is covered extensively here, and in linked pages.

There are three main file types for The Sims 3 custom content; .package, .sims3pack, and .sim . The .parcel and .sims3pack files are equivalent to .package and .sims2pack files in The Sims 2, though they utilize different formats. The .sim extension is used for custom Sims.

The Sims 4 [ ]

In The Sims iv, in that location are two custom content folders: Tray for lots and Sims, and Mods for other content. Both of these folders are located in:
Windows XP:Documents and Settings\(Your User Account)\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\
Windows Vista, Windows vii/eight, Mac:Users\(Your User Account)\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims iv\

The Mods folder may contain sub-folders. If the Mods folder does non exist, information technology can be created manually. The Mods folder volition contain a file named resource.cfg. If information technology is deleted, the game should recreate it.[four]

Almost content uses the .package extension, though the format is different from that used in The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. As in The Sims ii, installing package files is just a matter of placing them in the Mods folder, or a sub-folder of it; there is no need to do anything to the files other than place them. Yet, the annal file should not be placed in the Tray folder.

Lots and Sims use several dissimilar types of files. Both use a type known as .trayitem . Lots also use .blueprint and .bpi files, while Sims utilize .hhi, .sgi and .householdbinary files. These files can exist installed past extracting them from the archive file they are in, and placing them in the Tray folder; in that location is no need to practise anything else to them.

Script mods come in two cases. One case uses the .pyo extension, and must be left inside its archive in order to function (ie. the archive itself is placed in the mods binder). The other instance uses the .ts4scriptextension, and is installed the aforementioned way equally a.packagefile.  Besides, script mods must be specifically enabled in Game Options.

Archive files [ ]

Custom content for games in The Sims series is unremarkably independent in what is known every bit an "archive" file, usually a .nada, .rar, or .7z file. In some ways, an archive is sort of like a folder; it has its own proper noun and location, and can contain other files and folders inside of information technology. Even so, the files inside an archive are compressed, so they take upwardly less space and take less time to download. The files inside an archive must be decompressed and copied to a location outside the archive earlier they tin be used. This is called "extracting", fifty-fifty though the file is not removed from the archive. With custom content, the effect is knowing which files to extract -- and for The Sims, which folder to identify them in.

The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3 do not recognize archive files and cannot read them. While it appears that The Sims 4 does recognize zip files in the Mods folder, it also appears to wait anything in them to exist role of a script mod. Therefore, when downloading any Sims content other than a script mod for The Sims 4, the archive files should not be downloaded to any game folder, but tin can be downloaded to any not-program binder the player chooses. Also, it is not necessary to keep the archive files once the custom content files have been extracted; they can exist deleted or moved to an external storage device such every bit a thumb drive.

Windows and Bone X can extract from zip files (which Windows may call "compressed folders"), but users will need a separate programme to extract from RAR or 7z files. There are many programs which can extract from archive files, and almost tin extract from cypher, RAR, and 7z files.[5] [6] Prices and licenses vary, from commercial, to nagware, to free or open up-source.

Identifying file types [ ]

When installing custom content, it is more often than not useful to be able to identify the types of files that are in an archive. An archive file may contain files that should not exist extracted. For example, it may contain images or text files that are most the custom content, just non function of it.

Identifying a file's type is best done by looking at the file extension; the office of the file proper noun later on the final "dot". Other methods, such every bit looking at the file's icon, can be misleading, peculiarly when installing content for The Sims. Past default, Windows hides file extensions that are associated with a plan, even if the Details view is used. Yet, this can be changed:

  1. Open a binder; it doesn't matter which i.
  2. Enter Folder Options:
    • In Windows XP: Click on the Tools menu, and so Folder Options.
    • In Windows Vista: The button at the height left (to the left of the Views push) volition say either "Layout" or "Organize". Click it; then click either "Folder Options" or "Folder and Search Options", depending on which one appears.
    • In Windows vii: Click on Organize at the meridian left, then choose "Folder and search options".
  3. In the "Folder Options" dialog window, click on the View tab. Look in the list for "Hide extensions for known file types". Make certain that the box by this option is empty, with no checkmark, and then click OK.

Notes [ ]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 64-flake versions of Windows utilise "Program Files (x86)" for 32-scrap programs.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.one Game Help:Ultimate Collection FAQs at Modern The Sims
  3. ↑ This is "PackageInstaller.exe", formally the The Sims 2 Body Shop Package Installer.
  4. ↑ How To Install Custom Content in The Sims 4. SimsVIP.
  5. ↑ The zip and 7z formats are open. RAR decompression is open, though RAR compression is proprietary.
  6. ↑ Version 5.0 of WinRAR, released in September 2013, introduced a new version of the RAR format chosen RAR5. Older software will not recognize this new format, and volition non be able to open RAR files that utilise it.

External links [ ]

  • Game Help:Downloading for Fracking Idiots (for The Sims 2 on Simswiki.info)
  • Game Help:Downloading for Downright Dunderheads (for The Sims 3 on Simswiki.info)

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