Custom Content and Loading Times

[rafaelwow]

As much custom content you have installed on your downloads folder, the more the time spent on loading screens. As an example, I have 5 GB of custom content, with new meshes, recolors, clothings, hair, and I have to wait about 6 minutes to start playing with a family. And I think that a big part of the users has the same problem.

I deleted about another 5 GB of things I didn´t want (and waiting more than 10 minutes was killing my pleasure with sims2).

My questions are about what I could do to improve the loading time. Obviously I should delete more files, but what files are "better" to delete aiming for decreasing the loading times of the game?

-Big files, as skins, recolors, new cars?
-Small files as posters, little decoration?
-Big 3D meshes, as new objects new accessories?
-Clothing files, hair files, makeup?
-Neighborhoods, Sim Families, Neighboorhoods decorations?

Sorry for mispellings, as English is not my first language, and thanks for the attention!

rafaelwow

[gwillewyn]

Deleting neigbourhoods you don't use helps a lot.

[simsample]

The best things you could do to improve loading times are as follows:
1) perform a disc clean up, and defragment your hard disc. Do this often- weekly if you can.
2) Periodically delete the groups.cache, cigen and contents registry files:
http://www.modthesims2.com/article.php?p=1110057
There is no need to do this very often- just occasionally, if you notice the game is slow to boot.
3) Take out ALL downloads you do not use that often. You don't have to delete them, just put them into an archive folder somewhere safe on your hard drive (not in your documents folder). Then, if you do decide you want them back in future, you know where they are. If you play for a month without needing them, you could just delete them anyway!
4) Shut down all unnecessary applications before running the game, and close any anti-virus/ shield programs.

[McDora]

I could try that!!! I have that problem as well, (that's probably of my weak processor) just as blurry makeup. I will listen to your advice simsample

[rafaelwow]

Thank you for your ideas simsample! They are indeed very good.

But I am thinking of something more direct and faster, as really deleting files. I´m doing a heavy cleaning for some time now, and I´m proud to say that I´ve deleted half of my custom content, and I´m planing for more deletening. From 8GB I hae now 4GB and shrinking. My objective is not having a very simple sims2, but a fast loading sims2.

My game crashes sometimes and it´s a pain to wait it load again, and for both I think that the reason could be the downloads. 13000 files on the downloads folders, distribuited in 10 folders (some are subfolders) makes any computer thinks "why me?!" heheheh....

Let me try be more clear... I have a ton of maxis posters recolors and a ton of clothings and another of hairs (I just can´t get enough of them). On the loading screeb of the game, the first loadin screen, that takes me about 5 minutes to load, and that´s the one I want to make faster, what takes more loading time, meshes or recolors? Thanks everyone for the help, and for the viewers, I hope that this thread helps!

[gwillewyn]

The loading time of any individual package is dependent on it's size. Try sorting your downloads by size and find out which files are the biggest problem. Skintones are usually massive files, so those are good files to delete.
Most maxsis recolours don't take up too much space because the textures used are pretty small. Many creators who make custom objects tend to go with bigger textures to allow more freedom; those take more space.

[simsample]

Also check your files for orphaned recolours and orphaned meshes, as these are all loaded into the game's memory at start up, even if they aren't being used. Duplicate files are wasteful on time, too.