Ok so I followed these instructions and made a Downloads folder and all that. I downloaded some CC and moved it into my downloads folder, and when I opened my game, only some of what I downloaded was showing up in the very beginning. I said to enable the custom content, but when I actually started playing, I couldn't find ANY of my CC anywhere! I tried restarting my game and everything. Why isn't my custom content working????

Did you do these things, in this order?

1. Enable custom content
2. Go into a lot (any lot) and save immediately
3. Go into Game Options and turn off "Display Custom Content Dialog At Startup?" (or whatever the exact phrase is)
4. Quit
5. Restart

Most people forget either #2 or #3. If you don't go into a lot and save, the game will forget that you wanted your custom content to show, and you have to restart after you've told it (and saved). If you did all those steps, what instructions did you follow to set up your Downloads folder?

This also helped me to add subhoods. Thank you!

Reset the game or reset the computer?

Just quit the game all the way down to the desktop and then boot the game from the icon (in the Dock or on the desktop, wherever you keep it). You don't need to reset anything or restore a previous version -- just go all the way out and then all the way back in again.

Does that make sense? I'm a bit sleepy, so it might not...

Help D; So just recently I downloaded the Sims 2 Super Collection and was wondering about cc. I have played the sims 2 and I have had cc in the past. So whenever I try to download cc sims my package installer says I don't have an expansion pack for this cc...and it says it compatible. Help please D;

Use Clean Installer from here - the in game installer is pants.

@maxon CleanInstaller doesn't work with Macs.
@paigepann Are you trying to download a lot? If you are, then you have to have all the EPs and SPs that the builder had. Otherwise, try using MacUnpac -- it's like CleanInstaller, but for Macs: http://forum.jfade.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=456

If you still have problems after you use MacUnpac, let us know what kind of problems exactly, maybe with a link to what you're trying to install and any specific cc that's included in the file according to MacUnpac. Because maxon is 100% right that the in-game installer sucks.

Oh sorry Esme - missed that. Though paigepann didn't say anything about a Mac or is the Super Collection only for Macs?

@maxon That's right -- the Super Collection is only for Macs.

So, I have been having a reoccurring problem where periodically, once a month-ish?, some of my mods disappear from my downloads folder. I discover it when I run the game and suddenly an object or mod is missing. Am I running into open file limits due to having too much cc? I'm running Super Collection on a MacBook Pro Air with OS X 10.9.5.

@slhancox How much cc do you have? (The limit is based on the number of files, not the size of the files, so "I have X files" is more helpful than "I have X GB.")
Is it always the same object/mod, or the same type of object/mod?
Does it happen mostly after you install a new object/mod? Or does it happen sort of at random?
Do you rearrange your files? Are the files that vanish files that you recently moved?
How may folders deep do you store your cc? How deeply stored were the items that disappeared?

Those are good starting places for diagnosing the problem.

As of today Downloads file says it has 1669 items.
As for what goes missing... It happens with random cc, but I don't always notice it unless its a major mod. It doesn't always happen right after I install new cc.
For example, I use MATY's BV Directors Cut set of mods (168 files) installed in a sub directory Downloads/Mods/MATY. I had installed 1 or two new mods, but loaded and played the game twice without issue. Then I load the game, load up my neighborhood and current household and see that all options for his macrotastic mod have disappeared.
I got to my files and, yep, 5 package files from my MATY folder are missing.
But it isn't just mods, it can be custom clothing or objects.

It does seem to be stuff in subfolders that disappears. I try to not get too deep into subfoldering, but I do have some content that is 4 folders deep, ie: Dowloads/Build/Leefish/IndependentExpressionsSet.

So yeah, any thoughts?

@slhancox It sounds like there are one of two possibilities: either you're at the file limit, or your files are subfoldered too deep. (Macs are picky about both things.) However, you didn't tell me if you rearrange your files, and if you do, whether the files that disappear are files that you just moved. Do either of those things apply?

To fix a problem with the file limit, there's a tutorial by Greymanticore here: http://greymanticore.livejournal.com/25802.html I was not quite tech-savvy enough to make it work, or perhaps simply not brave enough, but perhaps you are more tehc-savvy/braver than I am. The file limit would be the number of files in your whole Sims 2 folder (including Characters, Neighborhoods, Storytelling, etc.), and the magic number is 12,000. However, I would be willing to bet that with fewer than 2,000 files in your Downloads folder you aren't anywhere near that limit, especially since you haven't described issues like your hood pictures turning into green-and-white grid maps or anything. One question, though:

As far as file paths go, the maximum number of characters that a Mac can handle is somewhere around 250. (I found slightly different answers depending on where I looked, but they were all along those lines.) Your file path right there is 49 characters, not counting "EA Games/The Sims 2/" at the beginning (20 characters) and the name of the actual files inside the "IndependentExpressionsSet" folder (could be any limit really; one set of recolors of that build set by Michelle has 69 characters in the name of one window alone). That's 138 characters right there, and if you've got things or folders with longer file names, then your game won't be able to find them. That is why I asked if you moved files around, and if the things that disappeared went poof after you moved them. You can test that by taking some bit of cc that you can easily redownload and easily tell in game if it's there or not, and put it pretty deeply foldered. If it disappears, then the problem in file path length.

Fortunately, file path length is pretty easy to fix by simply rearranging your folders. Personally, I don't include any subfolders for creator or location in the Downloads folder, to save space. (Even if my Windows machine isn't as fussy about path length as my Mac used to be.) To keep track of what's in my game and where I got it, I use my LJ WCIF. You can see it here: http://esmeiolanthe.livejournal.com/118800.html It's written out pretty much like my Downloads folder is organized, and that is where I record the creator and source. It's a bit more work at the outset, but if I ever lose something, I know where to find it again, plus it helps tremendously with answering WCIFs.

If neither of those things works, let me know and we'll see what else we can figure out.

@esmeiolanthe

I'm definitely no where near the open file limit if it is 12,000. It may be the file path character limit. I don't usually move stuff around that much once its installed. And if I do, it doesn't go poof right then. But since it does tend to be items that are more heavily sub-foldered, I'm guessing that's probably the deal. I'm hoping that it is anyway. The open file limit fix does look like it's a pain.

One thing, for SuperCollection, our file path is already pretty long to begin with: /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.sims2.appstore/Data/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2

Am I to understand from your earlier post that this is included in the 250 character limit? Because I feel like more of my stuff would be disappearing if that were the case...

Also, and I'm not sure if this was clear, its not just going poof in-game, the files themselves are missing from my downloads folder.

@slhancox Well, see, there's where you start to reach the limits of my expertise (such as it is). I know that file path limits can cause problems... sometimes. But I can't find agreement on how long is too long, or where to start counting. And I've seen some people complaining that when the path got too long, files just vanished... and other people saying more or less "Don't be stupid, that doesn't happen." And none of these discussions were about TS2 specifically -- they were all about other programs. But it's enough to make me think that there might be a relationship to path length and disappearing files.

It seems like maybe making a second Sims 2 folder* and then testing out what happens when you put things deeper and deeper in subfolders, or in shallow folders with longer and longer names would be the way to test what is true for you. That's what I'd do, anyhow. But if tests like that don't turn up anything, then I am stumped!

*Just rename your current one to "The Sims 2 Current" or something and the game will do the rest of the work of making a new "The Sims 2" folder without any of your cc or hoods or anything. A fresh game like that is great for testing things. When you want your real game back, just toss the new folder and rename "The Sims 2 Current" back to "The Sims 2".

@esmeiolanthe

For my version of OSX it seems like there should be no limits to file path length and the filename limit is 255ish. So at the system level, this shouldn't be the problem. However maybe there is some sort of limit imposed for the game itself via Aspyr or EAxis?

@slhancox That's a workable theory -- I'm just starting to get out of my depth. I think what I would do at this point is make a new Sims 2 folder (as described above) and test out different file path lengths and how deeply you can subfolder and see if that recreates the disappearing problem. I never had cc disappear on me, I only ever hit the file limit, so I'm not sure what the symptom is a symptom of. I'm sorry.

Has anyone had any problems with lots and neighborhoods disappearing? At first, it started with my game crashing every now and then, and then when I would reload the game. But then the neighborhood thumbnail pics in the neighborhood menu weren't showing up. But it's progressed now to where it has deleted every single lot within the neighborhoods, whether pre-loaded with the game or with CC. It's also happened with all the sims too. Now it won't load create a family or let me build. Any thoughts?
Up until then, there wasn't any specific downloads disappearing to my knowledge.

Yes, I've been having a similar problem. Especially with disappearing pre-loaded lots and families.

Someone mentioned it earlier in this thread: I'm fairly certain it's a file count limit. In the short term, I'm just cleaning out my downloads folder (it's at about 3GB right now and everytime I try to load the game it crashes - yet it worked smoothly around 2.2-2.5 GB range hours earlier). Long term - not sure, might have to try the various file limit tweaks linked in the thread.

I cleaned out some and it started working again, and I think also deleting all the subfolders in the downloads folder helped.... now my game loads and is working pretty well again.

Something I discovered the other day when I did a clean install of OS X Yosemite on my Macbook Air and then re-downloaded Sims 2 Super Collection, which may be useful for any future new users who can't find "~/library/Containers/com.aspyr.sims2.appstore/Data/Library/Application Support/Aspyr/The Sims 2/".

You need to click on the Sims 2 Super Collection app and get it to run at least once before the Sims folders get created inside ~/library/Containers. It looks like it copies them into place during the first (slow) load. You can quit as soon as it gets to the launcher, but you need to run the game and get it at least that far before you've got anywhere to put your "Downloads" folder.

Hey everyone!

I'm having troubles installing sims2Pack files
I bought super collection from the apple store and i installed the extra app that gives you sims 2 pack installer, but when i double click on the file it says that it requires an EP that I don't have even though the downloads doesn't need any...
Anyone else is having this trouble? isn't there any other way to install the sims2pack files ?

Thank you!

What are you trying to install? That's probably where the problem lies. (A link to the item would be terrific.)

I DID EXCATLY THAT AND IT SAYS 'THIS FOLDER CANNOT BE FOUND' WHAT DO I SOMEONE PELASE HELP ME