Welp, I've tried the following games...:

The Witcher 2 ( too difficult on normal and strange controls )
XCOM: Enemy Unknown ( random number generator means disaster waiting to happen )
Mark of the Ninja ( uncomfortable controls )

...and just not motivated by them. The Sims is comfortable territory. I believe TS2 plus all the expansions will be 14GB. See, I have all the disks from my sister, and this is before ORIGIN so there will be none of that. And I've found a website that will help me install all of it, plus the separate patches for all the expansions and the order of installation.

My question is: What should I not do when playing TS2? I mean, I've read that I shouldn't play Strangetown because there is some character data floating around... something to do with the cemetary, and not clearing data, and I don't know, that Strangetown is just bugged from never having been fixed of something. What else should I avoid doing in the game with TS2? All I know is don't delete the mailbox. And moreawesomethanyou sounds like it's the unofficial superpatch that is not supported anymore.

This link has all of the main things to avoid if you don't want to corrupt your game: http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title...Hood_Corruption

DO play with cleaned templates here: http://meetme2theriver.livejournal.com/63030.html meetmetotheriver has cleaned up a lot of the junk that the hoods ship with including Strangetown

^That.
Also, there are some useful hacks at MATY, Simbology, Simlogical, and here. Just take a look around.

Apart from not doing any VBT listed in that first link, make sure you have applied the patch for each EP and SP that you have. Install Boiling Oils No Sim Loaded http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/thread-1665.html to fry unneeded tokens, Pescado Bat Box http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/s....php?topic=72.0 to clear trash and fix things. As well as his nolinkondelete http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/s...hp?topic=2083.0 nocoruptdeath http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/s...hp?topic=2368.0 Creature Fixes http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/s...hp?topic=1482.0 Mootilda's Hood Checker http://modthesims.info/d/456523 And her Clean Installer if you plan on downloading houses or sims. http://modthesims.info/d/409950 That about covers how to prevent hood blow up.

p.s Not sure if the first link covers making NPC's character files via certain downloads. But if you install a download that adds a type of sim or a moving object it may contain a character file. Do not delete the download. For example farm animals.

Do you really need the No Sim Loaded one? I didn't hear that those tokens actually bork your game.

The reasons for no sim loaded are the tokens will slow down your loading, but it's mostly to prevent you from ever getting the Super Duper Hug from a badly made mod or from a lot.

Hmm, I was a little afraid to get it in case my game really did need those tokens for something (or why would they be there), but the opportunity to get rid of the super duper hug? I will have to think. XD

BoilingOil says that neither he nor Cyjon can figure out why the tokens are there, since they don't appear to do anything at all. (Source: http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=1665)

Shoosh, when it comes to Strangetown I disagree with being made leary of playing Strangetown, I know many players who have played Strangetown without encountering terrible problems. It is one of my favorite towns and I have played it many times through several generations and with no mods of any kind in my game. In fact I have played TS2 for several years with no helper or clean out mods. I am not suggesting playing with out such Mods, however, I prefer to avoid using anything that is still being tested. One thing I will not attempt again is to attempt to fiddle with EA C drive files as suggested in a help article that I just read..ended up needing to do a system restore!

The best advise I have given is to play a clean game with the minimum of Mods, to do a regular pc defrag, when playing a lot do not use the exit -save door ; instead first save the game using the little square floppy disc image and then exit ( I usually save and exit to the Nieghborhood). Avoid saving and exiting while there are visitors or NPC's on the lot or while a SIm is using the telephone. I never save and exit untill all of the household are home and all visitors are completely off the lot. Downloading and using all of the patches (can be found at SIms VIP I beleive) will mend and prevent many glitches. It is a good idea to save the patches in a file on an external hard drive for future use)

If some disaster happens and a Sim dies you can save the day by exiting to the Nieghborhood without saving.

One really helpful thing is to go into the EA folder in Documents and regularly copy and save favorite nieghborhoods; then, if something does go awry you will not loose all of your progress.

The very best advise I can give is to relax, explore and enjoy playing. Nieghborhoods and even the entire TS2 folder can be reset. Unlike in RL (Real LIfe) we can always start over fresh. (smile)

AS long as your game is fully patched it is perfectly safe to play the Ottomas family (something else to not fear!)

There are many articles and discusions on line on the subject of how to not mess up our game and some of what is claimed can be inaccurate or misundertood or misinformation. This can all become quite confusing and a bit intimidating taking away much of the fun. We can become so concerned with all of this that we worry needlessly when we could have been simply relaxing and enjoying our Sims!

(I am not a programmer or one who knows how to create game mods. I am just someone who truly appreciates the Sims as a relaxing, fun and creative hobby and who has played for several years.)

I wouldn't look at articles in other places, as yes many out there will bork your game. The most knowable person around here is Mootilda, so if she endorses it I would always go with that. As to patches, they are right here on site. You auto linked to them in your own post! If a player messes with things in the installation files such as Mrs Crumplebottom, then their entire game will be toast, not just their hood. Setting those files to read only will prevent many problems.

I agree! Searching online and reading this and that just anywhere and everywhere can lead down the path to confusion and disaster.

I did something wrong ( still do not know what!) despite carefully following the instructions to set the objects files to read only. I am sure this is a good idea and works or it would not be advised here. I won't attempt it on my own again! (likely need someone with younger eyes to help me!) I don't like to mess about beneath the hood at all since the only thing I know about the game is how to play and basically how to not do things to mess up my neighborhoods.

While I had never used the maintainance mods suggested in this ( and in another thread) before - now that I know about them they are in use.

fried Tokens, including: Token - Sim - Loaded, Attraction Markers and ALL Attraction Memories (both visible and invisible).

Do you know what the Attraction Markers/Memories are?

Oh no! I do understand that as I am very hesitant and non technical, can't even figure out how to record on the TV's hard drive. My husband dusts out my computer as I am way to nervous to try and do that myself-something would be sure to blow up! I have Windows 7 and it sets the files to read only for me. I would ask on the technical board, I'm sure they could pin point what you did wrong if you tell them exactly what you did.



Not really but I get rid of them and everything under memory with the bat box before I save and exit a lot. I figure it's game cobwebs that need constant sweeping.

joandsarah77, thank you. I would describe exactly what I actually did over on the technical board - if I knew for sure!! I do know that I really goofed! I did not know that WIndows 7 will set files to read only. That is good to know, The computer I am using has Vista.

Because the 'batbox' has been talked about here as being a helpful tool I downloaded it; had no idea what for sure to do with it ! Just that it could fix some things. Thanks to your post I know to use it to clear out trash under memory.

I am in the process of making a simple list of what to do and not do while playing Sims 2 as well as helpful maintainance tools.

Thanks for the help, guys!

Installed and patched everything, as well as Tarlia's templates of the main neighborhoods. Also installed Mootilda's Sub-hood Selection Fix. Will install Pescado's mods next. I haven't yet installed Tarlia's stealth hoods ( hoods that exist only to spread npcs and pets and such ). These stealth hoods require to have been installed before loading any and all main neighborhoods.

See, I've already loaded Pleasantview and it has generated pets, magic, seasons, etc, from Tarlia's templates. Am I correct in hypothesizing that I can still install Tarlia's stealth hoods and they will affect all the main neighborhoods except Pleasantview ( because they haven't been loaded and generated anything yet ), and this won't hurt my current Pleasantview because stealth hood data are only called on upon generation of main neighborhoods?

Let me rephrase that:
1. I have already created a character that looks like me in Pleasantview that was generated from Tarlia's templates.
2. Tarlia's stealth hoods were not installed yet.
3. If I install them now, they will not affect or hurt my current Pleasantview. But they will take effect on the other neighborhoods that have not generated anything yet. Correct?
4. I get this from "If you want to use these for your neighbourhood, they will need to be put into your game folders before you load the game and 'hood for the first time."
5. It said nothing about hurting current neighborhoods, that's the "what if" part of my paranoia.

Shouldn't have any effect on your already played neighborhood. Stealth neighborhoods are only called when the game says "Generating Hobbies" or whatever when it's first loaded. But just backup first, and then you don't have to worry about it.

Alright. All templates are installed, new neighborhoods generated. I was able to export my sim into Saved Sims before deleting the neighborhood folder and regenerating it. I learned that no neighborhoods showed up because I had backed up my neighborhoods folder with neighborhoods - backup. Somehow, the game doesn't like another folder with that word in it, so it says "no neighborhoods for u" at the neighborhood screen. Then I installed most of the mods mentioned and I can finally feel safe(r) from neighborhood corruption. Granted that I don't do anything from here:

http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title...Hood_Corruption

Thank you all for your help, I can now get to playing!

Oh god, I do that all the time. I decide to backup a 'hood whilst I have the game loaded, so I copy the 'hood folder and then archive it, and keep playing while I'm archiving. Then I forget to delete the duplicate 'hood folder, with the result that when I next load the game, my precious 'hood is GONE.

Ouch, I've never done that, although I have a few times tried to open SimPE forgetting the game was on. I always realize as soon as I've done it and use task manager to shut it down.

SimPE doesn't open properly for me if the game is running. It always whines about not being able to use the CEP because something else is using it.

You're not supposed to open SimPE while the game is running! That's why i said I had done it a few times by accident.

Well I'm dumb enough to go in game to test something I made and then try and modify the package without first quitting the game. :p