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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#26 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 8:52 PM Last edited by LOLBAG2 : 17th Jul 2017 at 9:05 PM.
Thanks everyone for replying, I've enjoyed reading about all our different habits and tastes. It's interesting how some people can survive with less, but others (like me) need ALL OF THE THINGS !! !!1

Actually, I will agree with blueskii55 in that simplicity can be better. A while ago I made the game load up new folders for a cc-free environment to do some testing in. After the testing, I got distracted and ended up making a cute little family, moving them into Riverblossom Hills and making-over their house. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the renovation turned out with just original content.

Quote: Originally posted by gazania
After a while, I realize there are only so many hairstyles that are short, medium or long. I don't need twelve different long-haired styles that look similar.
CC hair was one thing I recently went mad on downloading, but now I'm thinking oh boy did I go overboard. Looking through all the options is a hassle, trying to find the one specific thing I'm thinking of. Meanwhile I've passed by a dozen which look basically exactly the same.

Quote: Originally posted by Voeille
I like a good preview of something I download too.
SAME. While I appreciate pretty pictures that look like a magazine photo-shoot, I don't love it when creators don't also have at least a few more basic pictures acting as an overview of the items included.

Quote: Originally posted by klapaucius
Nah. Long ago, I accepted that I would (a) never be able to download everything that ever existed and (b) I was never going to have the wonderfully organised, colour-coordinated, Feng Shui-friendly downloads folder that everyone else seemed to be able to achieve.
Feng Shui-friendly
I'm not giving up just yet, my downloads folder WILL have harmony, goshdangit!

@stitching that sounds pretty similar to what I've been trying to do! Having an "archive" separate from the actual downloads folder. Only problem is I'm finding it a bit of a headache. There's certain aspects I wish I could change about Windows explorer that would make navigating and sorting files and folders so much easier for me.

Quote: Originally posted by SIMelissa
As far as organizing goes, I'm much better outside the game than in. I have a Master Downloads folder bazillion folders and subfolders, most with a pic or two to give me an idea of what's inside. But in the game, I'm super overwhelmed. Too much stuff, too impatient to search multiple places and click through pages of thumbnails to find things that work together. I have DJSims collection creator program and plan to create a bunch of collection files to make the search and find process easier.


I started making some collection-only sets for clutter items about a month ago, and that program would have been handy back then! I think I found out about it through a tutorial, but the link in the tutorial didn't work so I just assumed it didn't exist anymore, ahhhhhhh...
I could have googled it like I did just now. Note to self: please be less stupid in future.

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Mad Poster
#27 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 9:06 PM
When my husband and I installed the game this time around, we agreed on a rule for ourselves when it comes to CC: it has to be Maxis Match. We both really like that style and putting more shiny/realistic stuff next to Maxis content pretty much makes the Maxis stuff unusable. But more than anything it was a way to limit the amount of CC we could download. Used to be we'd just download everything that looked cool or pretty or whatever and end up with a laggy mess. Playing on a laptop, it's just not feasible. So with our current system, it seems to be working well. Not trying to say you (or anyone) should have to use Maxis Match if that's not your preference, but maybe pick a certain style/aesthetic (maybe one that has some nice defaults for the Maxis stuff), and stick to just that with CC.

I guess I've taught myself to be picky, and maybe in the end that's a good thing.
Mad Poster
#28 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 10:29 PM
Quote:
Really? When does that point come?


When you get tired of scrolling through the catalog trying to find something you know you have..and having all that other stuff you have no idea why you downloaded it in the first place...

and your computer says, "I can recommend a 12 step program for download hoarders.."

Receptacle Refugee & Resident Polar Bear
"Get out of my way, young'un, I'm a ninja!"
Grave Matters: The funeral podium is available here: https://www.mediafire.com/file/e6tj...albits.zip/file
My other downloads are here: https://app.mediafire.com/myfiles
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#29 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 10:54 PM
Oh I download plenty of stuff just because, but it doesn't see my game it just sits in that large shoved in folder on my desktop, because you never know, either I will want it or if it vanishes someone else might want it. Of course the whole 'well someone may want this so I shall save it' thing doesn't work too well-because I can't find a darn thing in there!

But for the game, yes I would slow down. Also only download quality, even there you will now find even with that you have too much cc. But if poorly made things sneak in, be ruthless, toss them. It will bug you every time you look at it.

The only time I did gather a download folder rather quickly was for my medieval sims 2 folder. It demanded it. But for a modern folder, just fix stuff that makes you scream, for me that is Maxis eyes, even my AGS game has default eyes since I test in there. Maxis eyes would eat my soul.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Theorist
#30 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 11:17 PM
CC burnout is oh so real...which is why I finally caved and decided to pull all of my downloads and start from scratch.

It has been quite enjoyable (and slow) starting my downloads folder over, and setting up a new custom neighborhood too. Sometimes, you just have to let it all go.


“Seize the time... Live now! Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again.” ― Jean-Luc Picard
Link Ninja
#31 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 11:25 PM
The reason I ever download CC is because I know some sim in my game will use it. And it comes in phases, such as I dislike it when I am playing and I see sims wearing the exact same outfit or having the exact same hairstyle, color, within the same age bracket so I've constantly collected clothes and hairs (within reason, cc I think looks good but not ALL the hairs and ALL the clothes, and yes I've been to the hairs database and refrained from going for every link.)

The next sets of CC I ended up downloading when I got bored because there was always one good looking piece of furniture being used throughout all the houses so I thought maybe it was time to download some furniture cc sets.

Way later in the game in decided I'd like to try my hand at some more detailed decorating so I downloaded clutter objects, wallpapers, flooring, etc.

My advice is play to have fun with what you have and then scope out what you think your game needs to make it the way you want it to eventually look or play it (such as eventual hacks/mods that fix coffee cup placement or prevent sims from waking up every time it snows to look out the window)

Keep those bookmarks just in case, but to keep from getting overwhelmed just do a bit at the time that you know you will use the next time you play or specifically want to try out the next time you fire up your game.

Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.

Meet Me In My Next Life
#32 Old 18th Jul 2017 at 12:53 AM Last edited by Simonut : 18th Jul 2017 at 11:42 PM.
I am please with my Sims 2 game the way it is right now, my downloads folder is well organized, Custom clothes is my weakness, but I have really cut back on that.
I have three different types of Sims Body types in my game they all have their own clothes. ( I went on a hunt for their clothes years ago ) my Maxis Standard Body types. ( they have their own clothes )
Body types I have :
1. Classic Pinup- CPU ( Female )
2. Slim Body Builder- SSB (Male )
3. Hour Glass- HG-( Female )

The only thing I really stay on the look out for is "Mods" Only if I need them to change something, or add something new to the game. But it took me years to discipline myself and say ENOUGH already to CC.

"Nothing in life is a Surprise it just happen to come your way at the time".
Lab Assistant
#33 Old 18th Jul 2017 at 4:57 AM
Quote: Originally posted by FranH
and your computer says, "I can recommend a 12 step program for download hoarders.."


CC = crack cocaine

"Nothing is what rocks dream about." - Aristotle
Test Subject
#34 Old 18th Jul 2017 at 5:38 AM
I am, for the most part, too lazy to download a ton of CC. I have limited time to play, so I use the time I do have to actually play, rather than look for, download, and test new CC. Because of this, my downloads folder is about half a GB (I've been playing for probably 6+ years). My game doesn't necessarily look the way I want - I have a ton of bookmarks of things I would potentially add to my game, but I rarely want to take the time to look through them all.

I recently went through and reorganized my downloads folder and it was annoying despite being quite tiny- having to do that with a huge downloads folder sounds horrible. Not to mention, I play on a cheap laptop from 2012 that already takes too long (for my limited patience) to load. If something is going to add to that load time, it better be worth it.

What annoys me is that I was much less picky when I first started downloading CC for my game, so I have a subfolder in my downloads called "what is this" with CC I'm not 100% sure what it is/if I can delete it, so it just sits there. I'd like to avoid that in the future, which involves testing CC, which, again, is generally too much effort for me.

Being picky and letting CC come to you instead of going out and looking for it makes it a lot less overwhelming in the long run. Save the bookmarks for a rainy day. And don't stress about not having a perfect downloads folder- I've certainly never achieved it
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#35 Old 18th Jul 2017 at 7:06 AM
Thanks everyone for the advice, I think I'll accept that taking it slow is the best way to go

Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
just fix stuff that makes you scream, for me that is Maxis eyes, even my AGS game has default eyes since I test in there. Maxis eyes would eat my soul.

I don't know how I played with Maxis eyes for so long. It's only since I got back into the game recently (this year) that I finally got some defaults. Now I don't flinch when sims occasionally do that thing where they turn their head and look directly at you

Quote: Originally posted by schwimmbad17
What annoys me is that I was much less picky when I first started downloading CC for my game, so I have a subfolder in my downloads called "what is this" with CC I'm not 100% sure what it is/if I can delete it, so it just sits there. I'd like to avoid that in the future, which involves testing CC, which, again, is generally too much effort for me.


ahh, that made me laugh. I have a folder like that too. It's not named like that, just simply "OLD DOWNLOADS", but that's essentially what it is - what is this? What's in here? Will I ever find out?

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Forum Resident
#36 Old 18th Jul 2017 at 3:55 PM
Well, since it apparently looks like it's confession time...

I download and browse custom content. A LOT. I download binge. A LOT. I have CC tabs up on my work computer and my home computer. I browse during work and at home. I've even had one or two co-workers and patrons ask what game I'm playing (when I'm just looking for CC).

My download folder is bulging at the seams and nearly ready to blow, I'm sure. But until the computer sets on fire, I don't really intend to slow down. My game is still operating fantastically on a six/seven year old computer. I'm not done yet.

I will say that I did have to overhaul my download folder. Things I never used were removed from the actual folder. I do, however, have an archive of nearly everything I've downloaded as a 'just in case'. Before and after my last install. (I really should go through there and see what I actually have...) The only reason the overhaul actually happened is because I went from a 15 minute initial loading time to a 40 minute loading time. It's much better after cleaning up and removing subfolders.

Scary thing is that I tend to use most of my custom content. I like clutter okay? I like my sims to have their own unique clothes and hairstyles. I am getting better at not downloading new kitchen/living/dining sets. I do still download the recolors though.

But for me, CC makes me a little more eager to play, especially the stuff from Sun and Moon. I'm desperately waiting for my farmer to get his butt out of college.

For my physical health, I can't eat cheesecake everyday.
For my mental health, I imagine eating cheesecake everyday.
It's a delicate balance.
Mad Poster
#37 Old 18th Jul 2017 at 4:01 PM
I don't really suffer from CC burnout so much, although occasionally I get frustrated when I can't find something in the catalog because it's stuck between 50 pieces of CC. I can usually use Sims 2 Categorizer to track it down (even though it doesn't like compressorized content, as long as you don't try to save it it'll show up fine). Think part of it is because I had a decent organizational structure in the first place. It's a lot easier to start out with one than to go back and sort it all out later. None of what I'm saying is any help, I'm afraid.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Forum Resident
#38 Old 18th Jul 2017 at 6:00 PM
Dear OP, try playing a cc-free game! Its a challenge but you'll be surprised how good some existing stuff already are. Once you know your buy/build catalogue by heart you'd be decorating like you HAVE cc!

You can also try playing with maxis-match style so the cc doesnt look sooooo cc hahaha

When I play with cc I just download what I need or what comes to mind. For example, I was building a park that overlooks the ocean and I thought "I wonder if there's a coin operated binoculars/telescope I can download." And lucky me there is!

You dont need 39 tabs to play a good game. You already got it all from the start C:
Mad Poster
#39 Old 18th Jul 2017 at 9:47 PM
Quote: Originally posted by wthrwthoutyu
Do you make skins?

This is why I don't download skins. Many creators photoshop the hell out of their pictures, so what you see on a site is not what I end up seeing in my game. It's so annoying I've given up downloading skins. (Not to mention so many are the shiny plastic Barbie skins and I really don't like those.)


@wthrwthoutyu may I recommend "You Are What You Eat" skins here http://www.digitalperversion.net/ga...hp?topic=9469.0 they look way better in game than on the site.

All my Beginning Hoods here at MTS. http://www.modthesims.info/member.php?u=7749491
All my Beginning Hoods as Shopping Districts plus Old Town. http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=523417
MooVille, a tribute to Mootilda and her fabulous lots http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=534158
Mad Poster
#40 Old 18th Jul 2017 at 10:31 PM
I have to totally agree with kanzen.

If something becomes a core, and not one that is highly enjoyable, it is time to change things.

When it comes to building, one has to admit that it is not necessary to have any cc - because builders have proven that. Zarathustra never uses any, Jo has built excellent lots without cc too, and it may be worth looking at the no cc lots on this site to see how pretty they can be.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#41 Old 18th Jul 2017 at 11:20 PM
Aww thanks Petro. Maybe if I can get my act in gear I will have a set of four season based lots out-if I can ever get that ski lift that I am CFE'ing to actually behave itself.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Field Researcher
#42 Old 19th Jul 2017 at 12:41 AM
Quote: Originally posted by marka93
@wthrwthoutyu may I recommend "You Are What You Eat" skins here http://www.digitalperversion.net/ga...hp?topic=9469.0 they look way better in game than on the site.


That looks interesting. Somebody else in the thread said the pictures look yellowish, but not in game, so that's good, too. Do the Elders look like old folks? All her images are young folken.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#43 Old 19th Jul 2017 at 5:14 PM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
Aww thanks Petro. Maybe if I can get my act in gear I will have a set of four season based lots out-if I can ever get that ski lift that I am CFE'ing to actually behave itself.


Ski lift ????



I was daydreaming recently of making a snowy mountain vacation hood being centred around a ski resort. I wondered if there was any ski lift (probs hood deco) CC out there. But if someone's brave enough to make something like that with CFE I'd love to see it :D

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Field Researcher
#44 Old 19th Jul 2017 at 6:03 PM
I have 12 GB of cc, over 46,000 files. They're all categorized, all cataloged, every single one with tool tips etc. I don't play the actual game much anymore so most of it is building and design cc, neighborhood objects, a lot of pose boxes, some mods and a moderate amount of bodyshop stuff. I would not use the game without cc - it simply wouldn't interest me. That said, if you start small you can find out what organizational structure works best for you without having to move huge amounts of files. Some people like to organize their cc by creator, some by type of object and so on. A mix of those works best for me. You can run the items through Wardrobe Wrangler to fix problems, bin the hair, check out missing tool tips or fix all the plants that show up as sculptures or rugs as plants without that horrified feeling when staring at thousands of unidentified files. The time to start is when you have a small database.
Mad Poster
#45 Old 19th Jul 2017 at 6:59 PM
I have a "if I don't use it in game, I get rid of it" policy. I personally don't like keeping something in the game If I'm not going to use it.

My gripe with CC is more not finding what I want. I suppose the problem is not everyone thinks about trying to put characters from a different game into Sims 2, and I only have very basic CC making skill. I don't know where to even start if I could make what I want for Sims 2.

(I can't find proper Ljosalfar or Dokkalfar skin from Kingdoms of Amalur, and forget trying to find Whaler Outfits from Dishonored 1 and its DLCs and forget the outfits from the new Death of the Outsider standalone DLC).
Forum Resident
#46 Old 20th Jul 2017 at 1:12 AM
I try to limit my CC because I have so many households and I'd rather my memory go towards gameplay. My CC is generally Maxis Match or recolors as well.

When downloading new CC, I tend to focus on a few things when I get inspired by other people, or while playing my game, I think "I want more of X" or "I want X function" and find the CC that matches the want. Currently I'm looking for mirrors because I keep using the same 4 Maxis ones over and over again. I don't need to download everything just because it looks nice. I also lean more towards recolors than objects.

Recently I was watching a YouTube channel of someone who builds Sims 2 lots and they always have these beautiful kitchens full of realistic clutter and customized cabinets. The lots are gorgeous, but I don't need that level of detail, and I don't want to seek out 10GB of CC just to achieve something that looks pretty or realistic, but has no functionality in game. But I did download some decorative food objects because I have 6 owned grocery store businesses and needed some variation from the vanilla.
Lab Assistant
#47 Old 20th Jul 2017 at 9:59 AM
About three years ago I decided I had too much "junk" in my downloads and spent some time sorting the folder, deciding what CC I couldn't live without, and otherwise sticking with Maxis match and recolours. With all the EPs and stuff packs there is a decent choice of Maxis stuff, so all houses don't have to look the same. It fun because I went looking for that and found lots. Then my hard drive died, and my back up was only part way up to date. I redownloaded some things I recalled, but otherwise went back to playing instead. And now I have even more recolours and need to sort out what I want to use and what I don't ( but will keep elsewhere in case I need something)!
Scholar
#48 Old 20th Jul 2017 at 10:06 AM
The only CC gripe I have is that I wish there were more already decorated hoods with horizons etc. Since I can't place deco for the life of me. I will gladly download whatever the hood needs, just decorate it for me please!

Paladins/SimWardrobes downloads: https://simfileshare.net/folder/87849/
Top Secret Researcher
#49 Old 21st Jul 2017 at 2:16 AM
I used to be a pretty big CC installer, but I managed to resist the urge to download all of MTS and generally don't install much custom content into my game these days. However, I'm not exactly an organized guy either, and recently I've been trying to "catalog" all of the CC I have in a Google Sheets file, so I know what's in my game, where I got it from, and who made it.

I still, however, like to occasionally check the Downloads section of MTS and check out what's new. It's almost like window shopping for CC, and I admit that window shopping is a pretty guilty pleasure for someone who's trying to cut down on materialism (that's me).
Scholar
#50 Old 21st Jul 2017 at 10:59 AM
Quote: Originally posted by k6ka
I used to be a pretty big CC installer, but I managed to resist the urge to download all of MTS and generally don't install much custom content into my game these days. However, I'm not exactly an organized guy either, and recently I've been trying to "catalog" all of the CC I have in a Google Sheets file, so I know what's in my game, where I got it from, and who made it.

I still, however, like to occasionally check the Downloads section of MTS and check out what's new. It's almost like window shopping for CC, and I admit that window shopping is a pretty guilty pleasure for someone who's trying to cut down on materialism (that's me).


I many times find that if I have an object in my game, it's almost as good as owning it in real life. Saves on expenses and space too! :D

Paladins/SimWardrobes downloads: https://simfileshare.net/folder/87849/
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