Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 11:33 AM
Default CC burnout...?
I've made this thread because I wanted to know if any other simmers out there share a couple of problems I've been having lately, and if so how often it effects them.

I've recently got back into the game after years of being away, but have found in the time I was gone so much new stuff has happened; awesome CC everywhere and SO much of it! It's almost like a paradise, (so many goodies!) except...

I'm finding it kinda exhausting/overwhelming. and...depressing.

- I get envious looking at pics of other people's games, and then sometimes feel defeated rather than inspired.
- I open up my internet browser and start with 1 tab, ready to find and download CC! ...It spirals into 34 tabs. (seriously. I counted mine just now. SOS)
- I look at my 34 tabs and have no energy/brainpower to do anything with them, so I just bookmark them, saving them for later.
- Later, I look at my sims bookmarks. I stare. Seriously, I just stare at them, dumbfounded, not knowing where to start. Maybe I'll open one or two up, and download a few things, but that's about all I can manage.
- Now that I'm older and smarter (har har) I'm slightly better at organising my downloads folder and sub-folders, but it's never enough. Must be neater, must be TIDIER!!!
- I'm having fun playing, but fully getting into it is a struggle because I still feel like not everything I need/want is in place.

So, tl;dr - do you ever feel burnt out when it comes to downloading/organising/finding CC?

My simblrIcon credit
Advertisement
Mad Poster
#2 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 11:36 AM
Oh, yes..I've looked on with despair to my downloads folder many times, wishing it would reorganize itself.

But-there comes a time when you will know for a certainty that you have all you need to play the game, and ignore those pretty pictures you see of the other games. Besides, most pictures are heavily edited to make them look better.

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
Scholar
#3 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 11:48 AM
I don’t like organising and I do it rarely, so my folder is partially organised and partially a huge mess. Oh well. I’m also getting an impression that despite having 10 GB CC I don’t have much to decorate my house with. What does take up all the space then?

“Secret is only a secret when it is unspoken to another.”
Simblr
My profile on the official forums
Top Secret Researcher
#4 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 12:03 PM
I favourite a lot of stuff on MTS and add some other sites to my favourites, thinking to download later but often I have a second look and think "Do I really want that? Do I need it? It looks nice, but..." Sometimes I don't like having too much choice and don't want huge amounts clogging up my machine and making the game slower. Then there's the annoyance of something making the game crash and having to find that one bit of cc that's causing it. Then there are some things I've already downloaded and never actually use in game. So now I figure, until I actually find a need or want for it while I'm playing, I won't download it.
Top Secret Researcher
#5 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 12:57 PM
I'm more interested in the game itself and the game mechanics than in shinies for the game, so I can't I say that I share that CC-depression.

Also I've created a folder where I put all the CC I download, and I trick myself into believing that I will actually add all that content to my game someday (yeah right^^), that deals with the downloading urges rather effectively.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 1:37 PM
Quote: Originally posted by FranH
Oh, yes..I've looked on with despair to my downloads folder many times, wishing it would reorganize itself.

But-there comes a time when you will know for a certainty that you have all you need to play the game, and ignore those pretty pictures you see of the other games. Besides, most pictures are heavily edited to make them look better.


Really? When does that point come?

"Fear not little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom". Luke 12:32 Chris Hatch's family friendly files archived on SFS: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=603534 . Bulbizarre's website: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C...CoveredPortals/
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#7 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 1:39 PM
I love gathering CC and like Lili shove it into a folder for later. Sounds to me like you are trying to do it all too fast, my latest sims 2 game is starting to look how I want it-after 2 years of adding things in. Don't be in such a hurry. Maybe give your folder a theme which will help curb what you download. My main folder is spring/summer beach themed. You can have as many sims 2 folders as your computer can handle, each with it's own download folder.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Instructor
#8 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 2:12 PM
Quote: Originally posted by smorbie1
Really? When does that point come?

Probably around the same (mythical) time as "the kids will eventually move out"

Just call me William, definitely not Who-Ward
Field Researcher
#9 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 2:53 PM
Oh God you've just described the exact process I am continuously going through, from the moment I got the game. I have this Chrome extension called OneTab which I use to save & collect my tabs with instead of bookmarking them, and *drumroll please* I have almost 1400 tabs saved At this point I'm ready to run off into the woods and forget CC ever existed.
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#10 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 3:16 PM
I think in your position, OP, I'd download some nice defaults and a small selection of good hair and clothes (because all the EA hair and clothing sucks, whereas some of the EA furniture is nice - like the IKEA stuff). Then start playing - and as you play you'll have moments of thinking "I want a ____", and you can go out and get that one thing. When you start to get bored, look for mods which add gameplay and mechanics - stuff like a lot of Sun&Moon's mods which add things like candle-making, furniture crafting etc - grab a few interesting ones, and keep playing.

You don't need to have a full downloads folder to enjoy the game, after all - you'll never really play it if you tell yourself you have to download alllll the mods first!

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Field Researcher
#11 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 3:20 PM
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. Sometimes I feel like browsing CC, sometimes I'd rather spend my time actually playing. Maybe twice a year I get a burning urge to get organised, and I usually lie down until that feeling has passed.

Just chill. Your DL folder is what it is. You don't have to have ALL THE THINGS. If looking at other people's games makes you envious and stressed, then don't do it. Play your game, enjoy the CC you have. While you play, identify any particular CC you think you might want - maybe you need more toddler stuff? Or maternity replacements? Or your Sims are doing some autonomous shit that's driving you crazy, and you need a mod to fix it. Focus on specific CC needs instead of just general browsing. If you can't think of any specific CC you want, then just get on with enjoying your game.
just a girl
#12 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 4:00 PM
Wait till you learn how to make stuff yourself. To want to download everything is one thing, to want to make it all is where it really begins. From then on you will never play again Enjoy it while it lasts.
Mad Poster
#13 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 4:08 PM Last edited by marka93 : 18th Jul 2017 at 9:43 PM.
I still download cc that hold my interest for more than a week but I no longer put them in my game.

I love playing as close to original as possible and now only use cc that came from the Sims 2 Store.

My download folder in only 334 Mb in size so my game runs supper fast and I am in the household I want to play in under a minute.

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
Scholar
#14 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 4:40 PM
I used to play with about 20 GB CC (and I made my own), then years later with just defaults, CS conversions and a few hairs, and now I add CC again, and create it. I noticed I’m in phases, sometimes I feel like creating a lot and I don’t play at all, and sometimes I feel like playing a lot instead, and I only create if I really need something. But I never create stuff I will never use – even if sometimes I make something just because I feel like making it and I don’t have any plans for a use of it in my game, I know that sooner or later it’ll have its role in my gameplay.

“Secret is only a secret when it is unspoken to another.”
Simblr
My profile on the official forums
Lab Assistant
#15 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 5:16 PM
After 3 years of playing with cc, I'm now getting to the point where I'm tired of it and I've been building with in game content again lately. Personally, it forces me to be more creative and strategical in my building. I am finding that my lots, ( and my game), aren't laggy and they look better!! It's the simplicity that I love.

I've fallen in love with the Maxis lots, and have been studying the build styles those creators used. You really can do a LOT with a litle, it's all about mindset. Don't get me wrong, I love cc, but I go overboard!

I will say, I've been to a ton of sim sites and done the bookmarks thing, and MTS is my favorite site so far. I have never had a problem with anything from this site. I can't say the same for other sites. Aside from a few mods, MTS has everything I need.

I revamped recently, and now my downloads folder is under 4 gb. Mostly it is Maxis recolours, fixes, and add-ons. At this point, I can't think of anything more I need. I did have a ton of 3t2 and 4t2 stuff and when I got rid of it all, my game thanked me. It's taken me a lot of trial and error, but I think i've finally learned an important virtue about this game - simplicity is key.

"Nothing is what rocks dream about." - Aristotle
Mad Poster
#16 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 5:38 PM
I have a little over 4 gigs of CC. I guess that isn't horrible after playing for more than ten years.

There are periods when I look at CC and think, "I want this! I want that! Oooh ... where did this website come from?" But there are also times when I cool down, and may not download CC for days or weeks. Only once did that last a month or more, though, and that was because I was having computer problems!

I try to allow myself a certain amount of CC per week, testing it thoroughly. If I'm mixed about something, I'll download it anyway and put it in a "try later" folder. Even if every CC creator and aspiring creator decided not to make anything for Sims 2 anymore, my "try later" folder is huge.

I believe testing CC thoroughly is a must, and handling small amounts at a time is easier. I am picky. I look for huge gaps in hairstyles, blotchy areas in skintones, strange straps on tops and full outfits, furniture that just doesn't match anything (it's nice furniture, but if I never plan to use it because I don't use that style, I don't see the point.)

Unless I like an item with 20 recolors so, so much that I want every one, I pick and choose a few of them. Some recolors in buy or build mode, I'll choose at random. ("OK. I'll use #6, 7. 12 and 21.") If I get the one recolor that isn't my thing, I'll pick another random recolor. That can be fun sometimes, not knowing which one you'll get.

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. DItto for skintones and eye colors. Also, there are only so many items you'll want in one color, unless you really have a thing for brown walls and want 50 variations of plain brown paint.

I visit just a few sites at a time, thoroughly looking over the CC there. I find I have favorites after a while ... PBK, GOS, Crisps and Kerosene's Tumblr (egads, the goodies that are there), Imagine That! (Raynuss' site), here, Keoni's Tumblr, and about a dozen or so more. I'll check the forums where I've registered as well. Oh, and I take stuff out of the "try later" folder. I've found some great surprises there.

I see CC as a box of tasty chocolates that you really shouldn't eat all at once. Take a few pieces at a time and savor them. Be selective.

And as for those pictures ... most are enhanced, either by Photoshop or other means. I take them in that vein. There are ways to improve your picture-taking without Photoshop, though. Personally, I like the non-enhanced pictures; particularly if they contain downloads I can put in my game.

Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Mad Poster
#17 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 5:52 PM
I am that kind of person who goes shopping in Supermarket, stares at all of things and says "There is nothing to buy"
Then I take out my list, buy these 3 things and my shopping is done.
Over the years I have collected and organized nice Downloads folder exactly 1 GB. This is what I have in game.
But...
My hard disk has still 300 GB free space, I have collected many Sims 2 stuff in zips and rars, just in case they can disappear someday.
Field Researcher
#18 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 6:41 PM
I only have about 1.5GB of CC. I can stop myself with CC on the grounds that my computer is old and probably can't handle more. (That doesn't completely stop me. I'll sneak in a few more pieces "just to see if my computer can handle it".) My problem is that I feel overwhelmed by the game itself. It's been a long time since I played, and I'm realizing all the things I never did in the game and I want to do them all but it seems like I'll never have time for it all.

I want to play a house full of servos and a vampire family. I've never played a werewolf or run a car dealership or owned a restaurant or played a family of orphans or had a sim who owns more than one business at a time. I got Pets very late and shortly before I stopped playing, so I've never bred puppies or kittens. It sometimes seems overwhelming, the amount of stuff you can do in this game. I'm spoiled for choices so I sometimes I can't make up my mind what I'll play today and end up looking through more CC my computer probably can't handle, and miss out on playing time.
Scholar
#19 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 6:49 PM
I like a good preview of something I download too. I don’t mind nicely photoshopped pictures as long as there are also some that show how a certain thing actually look in the game. I used to photoshop my pictures more (as visible in my old uploads), but now I don’t bother. I like using the post processing mod, but I also make sure to include a few pictures without it enabled.

“Secret is only a secret when it is unspoken to another.”
Simblr
My profile on the official forums
Field Researcher
#20 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 7:00 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Voeille
I like a good preview of something I download too. I don’t mind nicely photoshopped pictures as long as there are also some that show how a certain thing actually look in the game. I used to photoshop my pictures more (as visible in my old uploads), but now I don’t bother. I like using the post processing mod, but I also make sure to include a few pictures without it enabled.


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.)
Scholar
#21 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 7:37 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.)


No, I’m happy with those I’ve downloaded and I don’t need to make my own

“Secret is only a secret when it is unspoken to another.”
Simblr
My profile on the official forums
Mad Poster
#22 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 7:38 PM
I'm currently on the process of reorganizing, recategorizing and fixing files in my 35-ish GB folder of CC, throwing out several things like zip files, duplicates, pictures I don't need, and other whatnots that clutter the game.

It's a project I've started and then given up several times previously, but this time I actually managed to get so far ahead I didn't feel like abandoning, so I'm fairly sure I'll be able to finish the project. It has taken me several evenings here and there the past few weeks. I've so far reorganized about 2/3 of the files, thrown out some, and will probably add a bunch of new things once the folder is down to a manageable size.

And that's just the old stuff. I've got several GB worth of CC in several folders on my laptop (probably around 25-30 GB) that I haven't used yet. I usually download everything I don't want to miss, and save links for the things that can wait.
Forum Resident
#23 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 7:41 PM
I don't download,organize (move the new downloads to the correct storage folder), and place into the game at the same time. I break it into three steps.

When I download, I'll go on a large spree with many open tabs. I then focus on getting all the files, images, and information off one tab at a time. It's satisfying seeing the tabs start to close. Within my computer's Downloads folder (not the one in my Sim's game file), I'll first save any image files associated with the cc that I'm downloading - that's so that I'll recognize it later and it makes it easier to find cc when I'm looking through my archives. Then I'll create a rich text file within that folder and copy any text about the cc if there's info that's important such as instructions on where to install it, poly counts, or instructions on how the set works - I've recently started saving the html of the page in this file, too. Then I'll download the cc. The images, rtf, and zipped file are all put into a folder with an appropriate name, but I don't bother moving that folder out of Downloads.

Next step is getting the mess of random downloads out of the main computer Downloads and into my reasonably organized archive. Outside of my game, I store things in My Documents in a folder called "Sims 2 files". Within that, I've got a number of subfolders for all sorts of different downloads, and most of the those have yet more subfolders. I'll open both the Downloads folder and my archive, and I'll drag each folder from Downloads to the appropriate place in the archive. I'll do this once the Downloads starts to get cluttered or if I've got an urge to organize, and I listen to music or documentaries while I do it so it's not a chore.

The third step is when I decide I want a particular item in the game - I find the package file I want in the archive, and extract it to a folder within my game's Downloads folder called test. I only put the package file in the game's downloads - the images and text files are just for my archive. The next time I play the game, if I like the cc, I'll remove it from the test folder and stick it in the correct permanent subfolder in the game's Downloads. I don't do this too often - what I tend to do is accumulate cc for a while, then create an entirely new game folder with a new set of cc. At that time, I'll go through my whole archive choosing what to include and what not.

That's my process for downloading sprees. If I started out looking for a particular item that I want in my game right now, I do extract it to the game file immediately upon downloading, but I still get the images and files set up in the computer Downloads folder so I can organize it later.

I only started saving pictures along with the downloads, and creating the text files, last November or so. I spent a lot of time consolidating my archive (it had been on a couple of computers and external storage) and I find it a lot easier to find things with the images. Unfortunately, I haven't tackled my medieval cc yet for similar organization, and I may have lost my chance to easily get images of some of the cc.
Mad Poster
#24 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 7:47 PM
^That's pretty much what I do, too. I accumulate new CC in a separate folder away from the game, and every time I go to play on the stationary computer I've made a new folder with a new date. Hence why the folder turned so disorganized.

Now I've got hairs in a hair folder, clothes in a clothes folder, (and so on), with subfolders in some of them, and most of it sorted by creator name or some other means of recognizing it.
Forum Resident
#25 Old 17th Jul 2017 at 7:49 PM
Dear OP, I feel your pain! I *literally* spend more time reinstalling my game, downloading and sorting CC than I do actually playing. Recently, I lost (accidentally deleted) all my jpg files that help me identify my CC. Now, I'm trying to replace the pictures. As I browse sites, I'm seeing tons of new CC that I need/want. Initially, I was downloading those things, too. Mainly because of a weird fear that if I didn't download immediately, they might not be found or available tomorrow or next month. Downloading new stuff was getting in the way of fixing my original problem, so I had to step back and reevaluate.

I think Jo has the right idea. We need to slow down, be methodical in our search for custom content. Download what we need as we need it, not because we want it. For me, this means bypassing tons of cool stuff that catches my eye but that I will likely never use. Cashcraft's beautiful Victorian sets are an example. I LOVE her stuff! And my downloads folder is chocked full of her furniture and deco items. But I rarely use them because I like playing my poor Sims best, and they'd never be able to afford cashcraft's lovely antiques. Also, I've found that having too much in my game makes it hard to decide what to use.

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.

So many things to learn; so few brain cells to process the info needed to learn things!
Shipwreck Island
Page 1 of 2
Back to top