Is it true, that if I have used compressorizer (I got it from here) to a file and then I edit that file in SimPe, and put it in the game, it can make my hood corrupted?
I have had weird crashes lately, and I do have compressed all my download files and after that I have edited many of them in simPe. For example I have made objects visible in neighborhood view and also I have made some recolours.

No. The absolute worst thing that will happen is that whatever you edited won't work right anymore, it might cause a crash but in that case you can fix the problem by restoring or deleting the object. I edit compressorized stuff all the time, though, and I've never had any problems. I think I've really only heard of one person who said they had a problem with that once.

The only problem I ever have with compressed files is adding more recolours to a bundle. Sometimes SimPE will throw an error when I try to give the MMATs unique instances and then if I save it, the file crashes my game. But that's it.

It doesn't corrupt your game to compress CC files or to edit them after. Don't compress other files, though.
(be a bit careful with hacks and such. Items containing textures and meshes is fine, but small hacks probably don't need compressing anyway).

If your game crashes or throws errors after compressing files... Delete the cache files. Serioiusly.

According to the creator of the Compressorizer, leaving in the cache files is pretty much the only thing that makes (an otherwise functioning) game crash or throw tantrums after compressing files.

Personally, I've compressed files, edited them, recompressed files, edited them again, probably recompressed them a third time, edited them again, and I don't think I've ever had my game crash due to compressed files as a clear cause - but I also delete my cache files before playing pretty much every single time because I can't play my game otherwise (Maybe I can play one or two times, and then my game or Bodyshop promptly refuses) - so it could very well be my game is reacting and doesn't want to start until I do indeed delete those pesky cache files. When I do, everything is fine. Then again, I tend to edit, move and/or compress files every so often, especially now when I'm doing some Downloads maintenance, so I wouldn't be surprised if those cache files are constantly confused and in crash mode...

(Just to clarify, when I say "cache files" I mean all 2-4 of them you'll find in your Documents/EAgames/The Sims 2 (UC or not) folder after playing or using Bodyshop or Homecrafter: accessory.cache, Groups.cache, cigen.package and/or contentregistry).

(Later EDIT: Probably enough to delete all except Cigen, because that one only has Bodyshop thumbnails, and helps Bodyshop to load items faster. Contentregistry only appears when you've made items in Bodyshop, possibly also in Homecrafter, so shouldn't affect objects).

Phew, thanks! When that reason is out, it means that only reason for crashing must be reaching my file limit. It seems to be around 36 000 pieces of cc. Now I have 1000 too many. When I take that amount away from download folder (no matter which files or folders) game works again.

There isn't really a file limit (unless you're on a Mac), but there could be a limit on objects, or more spesifically items with GUIDs*. Exactly what that limit is I'm not sure of (whether it's a limit of a spesific number of files or GUIDs or items in one of the cache files or some such), but some people claim that after having reached that limit they can not put in more objects or items that contain GUIDs without their game crashing, but they can put in recolors, CAS items and anything without new GUIDs.

I think I have yet to reach that limit, so I can only quote what others have said on this.

Currently my Downloads folder appears to have nearly 100.000 files in it (I know some of it is pictures, but guaranteed not half) and I know the folder has worked, so there's definitely not a 36.000 file limit on PCs (because that's about 2/3 of the files I used to have...).

(*EDIT: Either GUIDs or OBJDs, not sure - but they're in the same resource, so both of them probably count)

I have pretty decent PC, and I have tried to find out what is the cause of crashing by doing 50/50 search, but cannot find anything, which made me think that maybe I just have too many files. Game crashes in play mode without warning and also when I try to click windows/doors section. When I remove all custom windows and doors, everything works fine. But funny thing is, that if remove for example outdoor plant instead of windows and doors, then game works as well. It seems like I just have to remove certain amount of stuff (around 1000 pieces) and it starts working. I have no clue what is going on. And if I do 50/50 search for windows/doors, it crashes in every half I put in, like all windows/door files would be broken.

Could be you're one of the people who have found that GUID limit. I have yet to find it. Or maybe I just have a ton more CAS content than objects without realizing, and have yet to find that elusive GUID limit.

I don't mind a lot of the EAxis objects (recolors of them, anyway), so while I have a lot of CC most of it is deco. An extremely rough estimate of my buy/build items take it to roughly 8,5 GB and 45 000 files. A lot of this is probably recolors, and I have become a lot more selective with what I put in over the years, so maybe I just don't put in too much stuff. I have a pretty decent PC, too. I've had a couple pretty decent PCs for TS2. Last I had (the one I used for heavy simming, anyway) had to struggle with my 35+ GB Downloads folder with even more content (and a lot more mess than there is now).

Have you tried deleting cache files, by the way? And I really do mean after every change in your Downloads folder. Those files are some nasty little buggers that can happily play along until they just for whatever reason decide to crash your game or refuse to even start it. Even if you put something in or take something out they can occasionally decide that "nope, today the game isn't gonna work" just for the heck of it.

If you have Windows 8 or 10 (occasionally 7) you may need the 4GB fix for the game not to cause random crashes (it's a memory thing - "not enough Ram to browse through these items? Need more? Well, sorry, not today *crash*"). Windows 10 has a few other fun ideas about not playing nice with the game and may need other fixes as well. Not saying it will absolutely help, but it could if you haven't already done them.

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To figure out if it's the GUID problem, I think the only way really is to remove objects item by item. Find the items you can do without, and slowly remove them one by one until your game no longer crashes. When you hit that "magical" limit where your game no longer crashes, you know that's the limit you have to stay under. Every time you want to add a new item that has a GUID, you have to remove another item that has a GUID.

It's that ultimate "Add one item, throw (or give) another item away" how-to-keep-your-closet-clean method that everyone actually knows about but that keeps trending and comes as a *gasp surprise this WORKS?* every so often because someone writes a book about it or gets interviewed or something

This game is just odd, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn´t. I know there is always a reason why something doesn´t work, but finding it out is a terrible job. I kind of hate this game and love it at the same time, which is little weird I guess. I do delete cache files every time. I also deleted thumbnails file and I have done all 4gb patch, dual core stuff, graphic cards and all that.
I have also scanned GUID conflicts with SimPE and done hack detection. I use Windows 7.

BTW, the original question of mine was because I read this sentence: "Note: if you compress your package, you can't SimPE your package without causing corruption. It's a function that should go last." from HERE.

^ If possible, do compression last and don't touch the file again (just to be on the safe side, but honestly, it won't hurt the file or your game to edit the file after compressing - if it had, then I'm pretty sure my game would've crashed a whole lot more than it have ever since I started realizing that warning didn't hold any water at least 5-6 or so years back, because I have been compressing already compressed files long before that). If not possible, delete cache files after editing the compressed file (because otherwise the game will crash, as compressed files don't like cache files (or the other way around - the feeling could be mutual).


Sushigal had a few words on the object limit (GUID problem?) here: https://sushigal007.tumblr.com/post...ct-limit-in-ts2
(which is where I first read about it, albeit on 2FW's page)

And (took me a while to find the link, but) Serabiet had the words from the Compressorizer manual here: https://serabiet.tumblr.com/post/61...zer-manual-2007
So you don't think I'm pulling this straight out of nothing...

Not that I read the manual, but I've used the Compressorizer for several years and never had any issues with it. I was very cautious the first few years, because I'd heard about the crashing issues and that you shouldn't edit the files, so I did the whole "always compress last" for a long while (and file backups of the originals...). Then I had to do a massive file edit session due to having learned a ton of new things in SimPE, realized the files were perfectly fine even if edited in their compressorized version. I still do all edits I can on new files before I compress, but if I later have to go back and edit something I'm not afraid of compressing again (but I usually only do that if I have to edit the texture or mesh, because I can deal with an extra byte or two of information from editing the price or some such).

The object limit is the bane of my existence. I dream of the day I finally find a way around it and can throw in all the things I've been hoarding.

You happen to (roughly) know how many objects we're talking about?

I don't know if it varies between Windows OS or game setups, but for me, Windows 7, running Mansion and Gardens, it seems to be about 10,000 items.

I would like to know this too since I have been downloading a lot of furniture meshes. Most of my content has been CAS and recolours before this.



My guess is, they meant the CC file could become corrupted, not your hood. Only your link goes to the entire thread, not to the quote.

I assume you have done your stand by memory? And also checked after each crash that your 4GB patch is still applied?

10.000 meshes and/or unique GUID items, or 10.000 items in all (meshes, recolors, CAS items, all the lot)?

10.000 unique items is quite a lot. Would probably explain why I haven't reached the limit yet, because I tend to either have a few meshes with a bunch of recolors, or have a bunch of repo'd items and a massive amount of recolors of those few things to give the illusion of having a lot of items... and a huge pile of deco items and kids stuff (but not 10.000 items) but almost nothing in the other sections, and I barely have any build stuff. At the moment my downloads are kind of trimmed down to bare-bones storytelling mode, and I'm trying to trim it down even further (without that project going particularly well, because I need this and that and those things, and stuff from a folder I thought I'd banned from my game 4-5 years back, and... well, you know )

10,000 files containing OBJD resources. It doesn't seem to matter if they're multi-tile objects or not, when I'm at the limit, it makes no difference if I swap around multi-tile, multi-GUID fountains for single tile flowers, either one will crash the game and either one will work if I take something else out. Literally everything else seems to be just fine - I mean, after tinkering around with it last time I hit it, I went away and downloaded 14gb of hair, wallpaper, floors, recolours, clothes, neighbourhood deco (doesn't contain OBJDs), makeup and jewellery and it all worked fine, I can play for hours and hours. But objects? I reckon I have space for about 50 more objects, but it doesn't matter what they are, once I hit the limit, I can't add any more without crashing. Doesn't matter if they're high poly, slaved, brand new or from 2005, my game will just crash, either when I'm looking at my shiny new objects in the catalogue, or after a few minutes of gameplay.

Then we at least have a rough estimate on the number of files. Could help some people figuring out why their game crash.

I think I may have hit some sort of limit when I was up in the 35-40 GB area at one point (when I banned that folder, or at least the files I put in it). Not so much because of crashing, but because my game would more frequently go into pink-flashing mode. After I culled those files (folder cunningly named "moveout" - it's still named so) my game would only do the pink-flashy dance during heavy snowfalls, during cookie-baking and/or on heavy-duty lots (had one incident during cookie-baking on the heaviest-duty lot I had, so I'm counting both - even though I'm pretty sure it was the lot that did it even if it was the cookies that flashed pink ), or after 2-3 days of the game running non-stop. On that computer, mind. It's funny how a less powerful graphic card, Vista and 1/4th of the RAM performed better with just the 4GB (or 3GB?) fix than my current (gaming) laptop did for several months... But I hope that's sorted out now.

So are you thinking only object meshes which contain the OBJD resource are the limiting factor? What other downloads might contain the OBJD resource?

I have 20 GB of downloads in 48,000 files, my GameObjects folder contains 11,000 files of which 1100 contain the word "mesh" in the filename. I've not run into any limits yet. Just trying to help narrow it down.

Other downloads that contain OBJDs besides standard objects include social interactions (or anything that adds new interactions to sims' pie menus even if it's not strictly speaking a social interaction), anything that uses a controller or a token, I believe careers and majors, custom memories, and possibly other things that I'm forgetting right now. I think custom NPCs might also count since sims have OBJDs as well, but I'm not sure if sims count in general, or if you just move them to the Characters folder they don't count anymore?

Thanks everyone! This is interesting information. I wonder if there any way how to increase the amount of GUIDs game can handle? Is it up to computers specs or is the amount something that has been coded in game? Maybe there is some way...something to go round that limit.

Custom jobs and custom meals have OBJDs, which is why I decided to risk corruption and remove all the ones I had (plus I was tired of getting service sim jobs on the computer all the time). Gates, doors, windows and arches do, but not fences, half walls, roofs or neighborhood deco. Some mods do. Some do not. It depends entirely on the mod. Generally speaking, ones that doesn't spawn an object or add anything to pie menus don't have OBJDs. I think buyable EAxis items count even if the GUIDs haven't been altered. I have a file containing 195 basegame accessories and objects made buyable that I seem to recall crashed my game, but that was when I last hit the object limit and it was the first thing I removed- actually I'm gonna put it in my Downloads again now and see what happens!

ETA: OK, genuinely surprised by this, but so far... it seems to be working! I've got some stuff I want to do while I have the game open, so if it does crash, I'll update, but it let me look at every page of the catalogue and my test sim dug holes in the yard on triple speed for hours before I sent her to Three Lakes and I've never had a household go this long before crashing when I hit the limit, so that's promising.

One more thing....I checked GUID scanner in SimPE once more and looks like some items have multiple GUIDs. I mean over 20-30 GUIDs!! That seems odd to me. Why is that? If I want to reduce amount of GUIDs should I delete those items first...?

Items with multiple GUIDs are generally large multi-tile objects like rugs or Ferris wheels or enormous fountains, but in my experiments, deleting them didn't make a difference, They're still one object and I could only replace them with one other object, not half a dozen single tile objects.

Sometimes mods that involve OBJDs will bundle multiple objects into the same package to save on the number of packages, especially if one of the objects is a token that only needs a definition. For example, the college tuition mod has three objects in the same package. Simler's new parties mod also bundles all of the parties together, and those are all individual objects. I don't think I know of anything that bundles together 20 objects, but theoretically it's possible that someone would do that.

Rough estimate at about 5000 items with "mesh" in them, though I'm not sure if that's all the meshes or if any of those are misnamed (and another rough estimate at 900 of those being made my me o_O ) so probably not having reached the ten thousand limit just about yet (but apparently I'm working toward it ).

I'm guessing multi-tile objects a "main" GUID that actually counts toward the GUID count, the one that makes the item show up in your game. I've had multi-tile items that seemingly show up fine but then crash the game because the "tile" GUIDs are bad, so it could be those extras just don't count when the game is deciding whether it's had enough.