Installing And Using Downloaded Content (Sims 2)

[Menaceman]

Ok, so I see a lot of people in this guild asking how you get custom content to work in the game. Hopefully this will help you all. If not then ask in here and I will see if I can help explain better.

So you've just downloaded this awesome new item/clothing/hairstyle/whatever but don't know how to get it to show in your game. First of all you need to check what type of file it is.

If the file ends in .zip or .rar then you are going to need to extract the file first. To do this you will need to download a program such as Winzip or Winrar. There are many free programs available online to download for this purpose. If you are using Windows XP (or Vista I guess) then you can already extract .zip files by right clicking and selected 'Extract'! (yay!)
So, following the program's instructions, you've extracted your file now and you should end up with a normal folder in the same location as the original file. (ie I saved my download to my desktop so now the extracted folder is also on the desktop)
The files contained in this new folder should all end in .package. These are the files you want. If there are any other files, such as text documents or picture files, then they can be deleted.

If the file ends in .package or .Sims2pack then you are ready to go! To install the .Sim2pack just double click on the icon and it should do all the hard work for you. If it's a .package file then just go to the next step.

Installing
Now you need to know where to put the files. Navigate your way to the Downloads folder. This folder can usually be found by going to My Documents> EA Games> The Sims 2> Downloads. Now all you have to do is drag and drop the individual .package files into the Downloads folder. Don't worry if you don't have a Downloads folder as you can just create one yourself. Create a new folder and call it Downloads. The game will recognise it the next time you play as long as you type it as you see it here.

You're done! Now the next time you play your game you should see all of your new content in the correct catalogues. If you have Nightlife or a later expansion pack then you may get a warning box appear when you load the game telling you that custom content has been found and asking you if you want to enable it. Select 'yes' and then restart your game to see the items.
If you want to stop the warning box from appearing every time you play then go into the game options tab (looks like three white dots) when you have loaded a neighbourhood and check the box that says 'no' under the 'Show custom content dialogue box'.

Also if you have Nightlife or later expansion packs then you are able to use subfolders in your Downloads folder to keep it better organised. Subfolders DO NOT work with the base game or University.

mrgreen Happy Simming! mrgreen  

[Bloody Ally]

How do I organise my custom content? My friend told me I can put them into folders but it doesn't work.

 

[Menaceman]

I'm guessing you want to make it so that all wall coverings are in one folder, makeup in another, clothing in another, hacks in another, that sort of thing?
Providing you have Nightlife or a later expansion pack installed then you should be able to create new folders INSIDE your downloads folder which the game should then still access.
On my computer I have the regular downloads folder and then inside that I have 3 subfolders. One for Hacks and Mods, one for Walls and Floors, and a third for one item download that had a lot of files to make it work.
All of the content in these folders is read fine.
It still has to be unpacked before you put it in these subfolders though.  

[Bloody Ally]

Ooooh thanks. My friend has expansions but I don't. That's why it works for her but not for me...

 

[maggoty tacos]

I'm pretty sure that there is a download somewhere on ModTheSims2 that helps you organize your downloads.

 

[maggoty tacos]

If I may add...
I would recommend using WinRar for unzipping your files.

Even though it says that there's only a 40-day trial, it will still unzip your files after the 40 days.



It's a lot easier and faster than using Windows to do it.
Especially if yours is like mine.
sweatdrop


I just thought that I should add that.
:3

I was actually going to make a picture tutorial for this.
Good thing I checked before I did all that work.
xD

 

[The FoxyTrot]

I already have a downloads folder which is imdiettly (sorry about my spelling) where the downloads go ... do I still have to create ANOTHER folder?  

[Menaceman]

You only need to make a new Downloads folder if you don't already have one.

If you have Nightlife or a later pack then you can make as many more folders inside the Downloads folder as you want just to keep it more organised.

The only required folder is the main Downloads one.  

[The FoxyTrot]

oh, well it never worked I would never get the downloads in-game, OH well... at least I got bodyshop  

[Menaceman]

What type of items are you trying to install?
If it is clothing are you making sure you also have the MESH files if you need them? If you only download the recolours but not the mesh then you wont see anything in game.
MESHes are needed when the clothing item has a new custom shape.  

[The FoxyTrot]

I'm downloading Sims and hairstyles  

[Menaceman]

The hairstyles might need a mesh. The Sims shouldn't.
Where are you looking for your downloaded Sims when in game?