Tutorial: Extracting & Packaging Sims

[dragancaor]

Well we all know the Pixel_trade community is all about sharing sims that its members have either created or bred in game. And then installing what we download from others into our games to create stories, or play challenges with. But in order to extract or package a sim, you first need to know how to do it in a way that wont create issues for someone else'

Comments

[skittlebox]

You can leave the file name as is, or you can name the sim something that you will remember.
Actually, from what I've read, you're best to change it because leaving it as the original name can cause BS crashing issues.

[dragancaor]

Oh thanks! I shall edit that to say change it & why =)
I tend to change them anyway, but then I'm pretty darn pedantic with my pc filing system =P

[nicthesim0]

How do you install InSimenator?

[mjo5oh]

You got this done quick....!

Dragancaor's self sim! Oh no!! HAHHA

Thanks, I'll be linking to it in the sidebar probably.

I've downloaded a few .package files from people and they didn't include all the CC... most were bald. Although, some did work correctly.

I'd just like people to know that you're not being forced to sim pack them, but if you would like to ensure that all your CC comes correctly with your sims, this is by far the best way to do it.

[dragancaor]

Mwahahahaha!! She'll terrorise your neighbourhood! Lock your doors & windows. Grab your torch & pitchfork! Journalists are evil & all photographers are terrorists!!

[grins]

My dvd burner died so I cant make space on my harddrives to process photographs (I have roughly 65gb to get through). So essentially, I'm on enforced holidays until I replace it =P

Yeh most of the ones I grabbed were missing back of their skulls... it looks rather... wrong. The worst bit was that those were some of my favourites that I was all excited about installing. [sad face]

[strange_tomato]

So what happens if you just add .package files to your saved sims folder? I know that I've done that once or twice. Is it worth trying to remove them now, or is the damage already done?

[madame_ugly]

Good question. I'm thinking it might not be an issue at all. I'm fairly certain I have more than one .package file sim in my game and to be honest I've never seen any issue beyond cc not showing up (meaning bald/skull-less sims in BS).

OR, my game could be on the verge of melting down and I'm blissfully unaware. Either way, what's done is done.

[strange_tomato]

I BROKE THE GAME. Again.

I'm beginning to think that the game isn't as easy to bork as people let on, or mine is just resilient. *crosses fingers* I haven't tried moving characters across neighbourhoods or deleting binned sims, but I've done a handful of other minor Very Bad Things, with no issues yet.

I'm with you on the "what's done is done" approach here. I'm not going to worry about it. It's nice to know this for future reference, though. Thank you for posting this, dragoncaor!

Oh, and Madame... this will crack you up. I downloaded that Spore Creature Creator demo and played it without even thinking twice about SecurRom, and I'm pretty sure it's on there. It ocurred to me after I had started the thing up. At that point, all I could really do was say "ooops." *snicker* After all the fuss over that with FreeTime, I went and blew it as quickly as that. I'm a genius, I tell you, a genius.

[madame_ugly]

I'd just feel really bad if one of my "bad" files broke someone else's game. My game is used to the abuse I give it (and I think it LIKES it).

I've also done Very Bad Things, like packaging a family in a house and them re-locating them to a new neighborhood. That hood was Nocheat which is still chugging along after all these YEARS, so I guess I dodged a bullet.

From this point on I'll practice Safe Sharing (but I'm really lazy and don't know if/when I'll ever correct my existing shared stuff--the damage has probably already been done there).

[madame_ugly]

Being an ignorant sim sharer, all my stuff (except pets) are just the simPe clones (not packaged). I had never heard that this type of sharing was "bad".

Advice, please. Is it worth the effort to go back and fix all the existing shared sims?

[dragancaor]

It's up to you if you package them with BS, though I'll admit yours are the ones that are missing the back of their skulls in my CAS =(

I don't know how badly it breaks it, unless its keeping things like memories etc from the SimPE file. I'd need to sit down for a thorough read on their forums & then break down the code myself... which I'm now heavily tempted to do just for the sake of knowing.

If nothing else, packaging them in BS means that they show up in other people's games looking similar enough to the pictures given that you can tell who they are. Most of yours are fairly obvious when you bring them up with faces, but not everyone's are.

One or two may be fine, but with the number of shared sims in this comm sitting over the 700 mark I figure Fate is being sorely tempted =P

[madame_ugly]

Good point about tempting fate.

(and I kind of thought my sims might be skull-less due to cc hair, I've had that in my own game)

I suppose to be nice I'll go and fix them all. But it might take a while (though it might not be such a daunting task since I do have them in there already).

Thanks for all the info.

[mjo5oh]

I haven't had any problems with your sims, but they are the only ones I haven't had problems with (I've downloaded 4-5). I don't know, but pretty much they are the only ones that show up right in the game for me. If you don't feel like going through the trouble, don't. If you get some comments saying they don't work, then you can.

I'm also not sure if they really mess up your game, but I know that it does cause some weird things to happen (the baldness, missing CC, etc.). I think that it may also add meshes without the main recolor file. After installing some that were just .package files, I think I had more custom hair that didn't work and just looked like a maxis one.

I must admit I was afraid to have this tutorial posted because I know all of your sims are .package files. I didn't want you to feel singled out, when that isn't the case at all. :(

[simhilarity]

Thanks for the great tutorial. I suppose I really should go & download SimPE (not that I think anyone would really want any of my Sims - though I am totally the proud one over my pets lol) ... perhaps I will once I've finished singing.

*Star Trekking, across the universe, always going forward ....*

Just one question ... can anyone advise, please?

[simhilarity]

Umm, I being really thick here - do I download the latest version, even though I don't have Kitchen & Bathroom?

I have Freetime - it shouldn't make any difference that I don't have the Stuff Pack, right?

Thanks in advance for any help.

And I'm sorry, this is probably not the right place to ask - so Mods feel free to delete this question - probably should be asking on the SimPe site ...

Re: Just one question ... can anyone advise, please?

[dragancaor]

It wont hurt to have the latest version. It's still compatible. Plus it means you dont have to redownload it if you get the pack later =)

[mjo5oh]

WE NEED MORE PETS!! Packaging pets is different from bodyshop though, check the info page here for a guide on how to do it.