#sims 4 mod tips

[tiallussims]

Short PSA

If you're using cooking mods like Srsly Sims' Complete Cooking Overhaul or Granny's Cookbook, update these afap. If you want to take your mods out before a patch or want to remove the cooking mods, raid the fridges and inventories of your sims and throw out all custom dishes. These dishes can cause the dreaded error code 111, which prevents you from loading into the affected households.

[imfromsixam]

Quick Guide: Stay Safe While Downloading Sims 4 CC & Mods

I just published a quick guide to help you download Sims 4 CC & mods safely. ⚠️ From trusted sources to spotting red flags. Keep your game clean and secure! 😊

Read it now

[pixelglam]

How to start your own save file (+ LOTS of tips, advice & mods) by Amelie

Watch Video Here

1.Pick your save file

Empty Save (personal favorite)

Simlicy's Save

Lilsimsie's Save

2. Take inspiration from real worlds i.e. New Orleans for Willow Creek, New England for Brindleton Bay. Find a theme/style for each world to make it cohesive.

More examples would be:

San Sequoia | San Francisco

Windenburg | Germany & Austria

Sulani | Tahiti

San Myshuno | New York (atleast part of it)

Oasis Springs | Arizona

Henford on Bagley | English Countryside

Mt. Komorebi | Japan

Del Sol Valley | Los Angeles

Tartosa | Italy

3. Finding beautiful builds on the gallery | tips & showcase in video

Video of my favorite gallery builds

Some lots I have in my save file

My favorite gallery creators (scroll down)

4. Map Replacements

5. Tool Mod

Used to further customize your save file & add cars, trees, etc.

Can also be used to change apartment windows

Tutorial

6. No random townies Mod

Prevents the game from further spawning and generating townies

Make sure to have enough unemployed sims that can fill npc jobs such as waiters, baristas, etc.

7. Sim spawn overhaul Mod

Sims only show up in their own residential worlds

Adds realism and doesn't break immersion

[sky-ham]

Arcane Vi Back Tattoo for The Sims 4

Based on the design by Victor Maury and Alex Mahboubi

Works on both F and M frames. The lightest swatch is how it appears in the design, with darker ones for options.

DLCs required: none, base game compatible.

version 1.0

Notes: There's some weirdness going on with the neck gear for the F masculine frame, the mesh seams cut through there at a really unfortunate place. Resolution is also limited to the required texture size, which is 1024x2048. Nothing I can do about the texel density on the body UVs.

[thesimstree]

Clear Sims 4 Cache: Fix Lags, Errors & Slow Loading (Windows & macOS)

Sometimes The Sims 4 starts acting weird: little bugs pop up, thumbnails don't display right, and loading times get a bit longer than usual. These are all pretty normal signs that it's time to clear your game cache. Deleting temporary files is a good habit for any player – it helps keep things tidy and makes everything run a little smoother. Let's figure out together what cache is, why you need to clear it, and how to do it properly and safely.

What is cache and where does it come from?  

In The Sims 4, cache means temporary files and folders that the game creates to speed up loading, store thumbnails, save mod info, log errors, and handle various in-game processes.  

Every time you start or play the game, it generates or updates some of these files. Cache is there so the game “remembers” which thumbnails and objects you’ve used lately, finds things quickly, and saves certain settings and operational data.

The cache includes:  

— Images (thumbnails) of Sims, lots, and objects;  

— Temporary settings and launch data;  

— Working data from mods and scripts;  

— Logs about errors, crashes, memory limit overflows, etc.

Why do you need to clear the cache?  

If you don’t clear the cache regularly, it builds up old or corrupted data – which can lead to all sorts of problems:

Lags and long loading times because of excess or broken files;

Errors and crashes, especially after removing or updating mods or the game itself;

Wrong thumbnails showing: for example, an item is deleted but its thumbnail is still there;

Mod and script bugs due to leftover data;

Endless loading screens, crashes, or even corrupted saves;

Overall drop in performance.

This happens especially often if you use a lot of custom content or actively add/remove mods.

How often should you clear your cache?

1. After every game update.

2. Whenever you make changes to the Mods folder (adding, deleting, or updating mods).

3. If you notice weird bugs, really long loads, crashes, or errors.

How to clear Sims 4 cache (Windows and macOS)  

Step 1  

Exit the game. Never clear cache while the application is running.

Step 2  

Open The Sims 4 folder:  

Documents — Electronic Arts — The Sims 4

Step 3  

Delete the following files and folders (important – not all of the folders or files listed below will always be in your The Sims 4 folder, and that's totally normal):

General cache  

— cache (folder): holds temporary data (mostly image previews from the Gallery); this folder gets filled only while the game is running, so you can safely clear it between sessions  

— cachestr (folder): cache for script mods  

— onlinethumbnailcache (folder): thumbnails of Gallery items  

— avatarcache.package: used mainly to fix Gallery errors on Mac, but can grow quite large  

— localsimtexturecache.package: cache of composite sim textures (max size – 100 MB); deleting helps solve character display issues  

— localthumbcache.package: thumbnail file; it’s useful to delete this from time to time, and absolutely after adding, deleting or updating mods  

— UserData.lock: auxiliary or temporary service files, may pile up  

— ReticulatedSplinesView: auxiliary or temporary service files, may pile up  

— notify.glob: auxiliary or temporary service files, may pile up  

— ConnectionStatus.txt: auxiliary or temporary service files, may pile up  

Error logs  

— lastCrash.txt (all files)  

— lastException.txt (all files)  

— lastUIException.txt (all files)  

These log crashes and game errors. Most players don’t need these, but if you’re having constant errors you can show them on forums for troubleshooting. Old ones (with numbers) can always be deleted.

Auxiliary folders (delete only if empty)  

— ConfigOverride

— Recorded Videos  

— Screenshots  

Step 4 (optional)  

You can take it a step further and clear cache files built up by certain mods:  

— BE-ExceptionReport.html (all files)  

— BE-UIExceptionReport.html (all files)  

— WickedWhimsInfoLog.log / WonderfulWhimsInfoLog.log  

Important: Don’t delete the Saves, Tray, or Mods folders – these are your games and custom content.

Step 5  

Restart the game. Sims 4 will automatically recreate all the necessary files from scratch. You may need to re-enable mods and CC in the game settings after clearing the cache.

You can make it easier  

For players who want to cut down on the routine, there’s an automated solution – a Cleanup Script for Windows by @andirz-mods. This is a special one-click utility that automatically deletes all recommended temporary files and error logs, without touching your mods or save files.

It automates the cleanup, but you’ll need a Patreon subscription to the author for access.  

So, to make sure you can always tidy things up quickly on your own (without scripts or third-party programs), keep this guide handy:

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[hood-simz]

pro tip that it took me 11 years of playing this game to figure out:

if you're a builder that focuses on clutter (but this goes for any object, really), just pick everything you want for the corresponding rooms as you go thru the categories & put it all in them as you go

i feel like this may be obvious, but it took me 11 years of playing to figure that out...

[sashasspace]

How to set up the FUN party in the sims? 🎉

Questions to ask yourself

What is the event?

Who's invited?

Is there a theme?

Where is the party located?

What's the age of the sims?

Who is this party for?

Do I have to do any CC shopping for this event?

Do I need to download a mod for this party?

Gameplay Tips:

Take advantage of the seasons calendar to set up the event. Example: party spirit tradition, sims will do autonomous interactions that show they're feeling festive. Example: Give Gifts tradition, sims will give you gifts If you want sims not to work during the event, you can click for them to not go to work that day too

Set up VFX, if that's what your party needs [RVSN mod]

Create a menu for your sims, and prepare the food a day in advance

Consider sim's lifestyles. Is a sim a vegetarian, or lactose-intolerant? Are there any kids to give them pizza? Is there a junk food lifestyle sim you want to give them something greasy?

Buffet Table [use bb.moveobjects] to get more slots available

Set up Cannons in correct placement aligned with where you want your sims to celebrate

Have a recovered copy your save, if you don't want to go through the mess of cleaning/removing build mode objects. Not only that, but sometimes, you may need to film again. If you save before the party starts, you can keep replaying the party until you get the party you want (hope this makes sense)

The baby shower event from growing together, sims give the host gifts autonomously and sims celebrate properly when the cannon is fired

Set up cannons from growing together expansion pack, in a correct placement that is aligned with where you want your sims to celebrate accordingly

MWS wedding events are perfect for events you need sims to follow your instructions such as "dance" "gather around"

Steady seat is perfect for seating arrangements

Have a photoshoot area ready, if the party needs it, so you can pose your sims. I recommend custom pose shopping in advance, but after the fact isn't bad either; just don't delete the copy of your save until you've completed that.

Place gameplay objects you need for the party around the lot. Example: If it's a birthday party and there's space, have the pirate ship "rented". You know how parents add bouncy castles and stuff for events? Think of it like that.

When it comes to arranging the table, have your sim add the placemat from parenthood around the table. Sometimes, your sim may not be able to add the placement, you can go into build mode and move the placement to the one your sim couldn't and go back into live mode and have your sim do it all over again until every spot has a placemat. If you have better-build-buy mod, you can copy the debug object yourself and place it around.

When it comes to decorating and you are having issues with slots, I recommend OMSP. It is explained in my video at 28:18♥

If you're having a dinner party, have your sim "pick up serving" for drinks and food, your sim will place the food in their inventory and you can place it yourself around the table. Perfect example to see this is Joy of Life Legacy challenge when my sim had a Winterfest dinner party (33:26)*

Don't forget to add kiss of freshness lot modifier on your lot, so food doesn't expire

Place the food over the placemat, and have their drink to their right side.

Zero's drinking mod works like placemat where your sims can place drinks around the table. There's age appropriate drinks too like juices and sodas for child/teen sims.

The Sims 4 gallery contains rooms where there's food for your sims and if you didn't have time to cook. Miss_frogstar has a bunch of rooms for your sims that contain food. It's really detailed for you.

Have a serving table, if your party is meant to have a lot of guests and food. It takes the load off you, when you don't have to worry about table slots for larger events.

Create sims you can hire for events. Think of these sims like Nurse Joy from Pokémon. You can have this sim be a townie in all your saves. Cheat their skills and hire them for events/set their outfits.

Lock them doors LMAO! Sims love to misbehave and go everywhere, so it's easier to have them be in certain areas by locking the door of the rooms you don't want them to be in.

I also recommend saving the party decorated home in your gallery, so you can just place it again in the future and remix it to how you want it

Sometimes you got to combine different events to create the atmosphere you want in your game, so don't be too hard on yourself, if you feel like it's not going how you want. We all know parties in the sims isn't perfect at all

Mods Mentioned Sasha's Space party mods recommendation TheGoldSims Better Birthday Set Better build buy Zero’s drink on table mod Gala place setting by somik and Sevrinka  Surelysims placemat mod OMSP OMSP SHELF Pick up all servings by brazen lotus

WCIF SYB UNICORN COLLECTION Sims 4 ACNH birthday cc BrittPink adopted mods Rex Baby Shower set + Birthday set Platinum Luxe Sims wall letters* (I saw on Platinum Luxe's website, you have to contact them atm) Dreamteamsims birthday Anye Party Inabadromance birthday Happy birthday sign by simmerkate Birthday photoshoot set by simmerkate SG5150 (idk the link for the party banner if you know pls help)

The Sims gallery to follow miss_frogstar (food rooms)

It is best to prepare in advance, so things fall into place by the time the event is set up for you in game. Thank you to all the simmers who helped me create this bday party, CC, Mod creators💕

[random-townie]

Tweaking up the Festivals Calendar for my save file

Check also the previous post on how I created brand new holidays with new traditions and changed the calendar layout to 21 days per season.

I think festivals in TS4 are generally a really nice feature.

I like the random calls from friendly Sims to invite me to the festival. Sometimes my Sims are stuck in tedious routine and trip to a festival with some friends or to meet new Sims is a nice way to keep yourself reminded not to make every sim day exactly the same.

The thing about the Festivals is that as players we have no control whatsoever on the their schedule. You can freely delete, edit and create new holidays with traditions of your choice without any mods, but festivals just pre arranged by the game and they happen when they happen.

This can be fixed with another great life-quality mods that is very vanilla friendly - Schedule Festivals Yourself by @zerbu.

So here are my rules for the Festival Schedule.

I don't necessarily want certain festivals to happen in winter, I want Sims in their party outfits on a San Myshuno night out not freezing to death.

All of them will happen way less often, because of both game/mod limitation to have only 1 holiday per day and because I want them to be more rare, hence more inviting to take part in them if next one is gonna be only next year.

Humor festival happens after the Bloomfest, think of it as Aprils Fool .

It will be followed by GeekCon on Sunday.

Flea market will be happening on one Saturday each Spring, Summer and Autumn.

Spice Festival as above, but on Fridays.

HSY Cheerleading and Football Team events will happen twice a year - before the Spring Break and Harvestfest in the autumn.

Second week of the summer is when I combined Youth Festival and Series of Sulani Festivals in a row with the Summer Break holidays I added before. I think of some of the worlds like Sulani to be mostly vacation worlds. Sims can plan summer holidays there to attend all of the festivities.

Fishing Competition and Flower Festivals are for the next weekedns, let's give Sulanians a chance to catch a breath from all the tourists.

Beginning of autumn hosts series of Finchwick Harvest Fair events, where all 5 fairs will start in the middle of first week/month and progress over the next 5 days. It's also a chance to have longer vacation in H-n-B to attend local fairs and admire the nature. Locals will have only one chance year to show off their biggest harvest/best farm animals.

After the Spooky night holiday Sims can attend Festival of Light. In my irl home city we have a light festival each year in the autumn, when evenings come earlier to fully enjoy the show.

The first day of winter is Sunday and it is the day when everyone goes to Mt. Komorebi for a Snow Festival.

And last but not least there is Chess and Computer Science weekend in "January".

And here is what it looks so far in my Random Save File . WIP - missing Romance Festival and L&D festivals and more custom icons to better identify some of them. Hope you enjoy it and get inspired to try something new in your game 💚

To schedule Festivals you need to add a new holiday on any day you wish and pick respective festival from the traditions list. It even adds likes to the traditions/festival activities based on your Sims characteristics, which is an extra sweet twist. I still need to play test the mod but I give it much hope.

Shout out to Peter Plays It on YT for his videos on all the festivals to keep me reminded of their character and fit them better in my Sim year.

***

If I ever share my save file publicly I'll surely include all the must have small mods that make the gameplay better and allow customization for things that IMO should just be a part of the game.

[p00dle]

essential occult mods.

I am a vanilla-ish & maxis match player. I usually put very few mods in my game... I only download occult stuff when I intend to play with an occult sim, otherwise it is out of my folder. As someone who is very minimal with mods, I made my very own masterlist with essentials for occult gameplay. Feel free to download, save, reblog if you like it.

Vampires

Age Traits / Self Preservation Blood Party Event / Vampire Tweaks (1) Vampires can Kill / No Weakness Vampire Powers / No Cold Breath Vampire Slayer / Immersive Vampires Vampire Food Set / More Drinks Plasma Packs / Red Plasma Override Vampiric Children / Deadly Duels Vampires Can Drink from Vampires Eternal Night in Forgotten Hollow

Spellcasters

Kuttoe / Spellcaster Lot Trait / Ars Goetia Better Familiars / Climatio / Classic RPG Spells Expanded Spells / Craft Wands & Brooms / Witchy Brew Improved Practical Spells / Functional Spellbook Cauldron Herbalism / Alchemy Overhaul RoM Tweaks / Immortality Potion / Vampire Potions Master Magic / Deadly Duels / Black Magic Blocked Access to Magic World / Initiation Rework

Mermaids

Expanded Mermaids / Mermaid Aspirations / Merfolk Lot Trait Sirens / Deadly Sirens / Kiss of Life / Fertility / Eat Fish

Aliens, Ghosts & Plantsims

Alien Zone Lot Trait / UFO Hotspot Lot Trait Better Ghosts / Stay White / Hidden Fruit

Werewolves

Expanded Werewolves / Werewolves Can Kill Less Furious / Feral Containment Unit Werewolves Tweaks / Waffle Tweaks / Fated Mate Be Less Obvious / Moonwood Collective Tweak Ortelassa Skin / Alpha Wolf / Feet

Others

Secret Occults / Occult: Lore & Order Unicorn Mod / Fairies vs Witches Occult Recipes / Occult Milestones / Glowy Trees Medieval & Fantasy Masterlist

[personder]

Check out my resources page! :)

With my resources page, you can:

View my mods list

An updated (12/24), downloadable PDF list of mods and lighting to enhance your game!

Learn more about mods and custom content management

Provides links and descriptions for software like PlumbBuddy, Tray Importer, etc.

See some of my favorite creators, cc, and mods!

See what software you can use to make custom content for the Sims 4!

Click here to go to my resources page.

I hope it helps & can show you new mods, creators, and software!

.·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·.

[mayorwhiskers-ii]

Sims... just stop being annoying!

the notifications, calls, pop up visits, and other things making the game unplayable/unenjoyable. Note, you will have to watch the calendar yourself if you wish to attend most events, but I prefer that.

I have a list of mods I use to make my game fun again, disabling these things without hurting gameplay. I listed the ones I use and love, but each modder has more options for things you can turn off that annoy the *@#& out of you. Finally, I can enjoy my game again.

Less frequent prom - now every two weeks!

Features Disabler - (I use "Main file" -because you must- and "Multipacks"

Stop High school event notifications- (turns them off altogether)

Sims4me- love of my life who I've never met, you can use the search feature to find these but I use their : "no enrollment and scholarship info" to get rid of the university enrollment pop up. "Neighborhood stories" -files "Romance Disabled" "Friendship Disabled" These turn off those calls asking if npcs should date or befriend other npcs.

(image from this mod, which I have also tried but am not currently using, feel free to try it out if you wish, might conflict with some mods listed above)

[xxlmik3ylxx]

I figured it'd be kinda hard to read the tool tips on screen when using my Too Much Creamer loading screen, and didn't think people would read them but there's always new people who join the game who probably would LOVE to see them when using my (or anyone else's) loading screens! SOOOO I made these for you!!

If there is a tip that loads in white please let me know!! I know of one that is actually already edited to be brown but is stubborn (its about the sim info panel) . I'll fix it and re-upload!!

˜”°•.˜”°• Enjoy •°”˜.•°”˜

[thesimsbaddie]

Johnson Family Home

Download

[fbuilds]

🎨 Why My Presets Are Worth the Investment 🎨

Hey everyone! 💛 I’m thrilled to see how much you love my Presets—and I’d love to share why I’ve chosen to offer them as paid creations while keeping them accessible and fair for you all.

✨ What You’re Getting:

Unique Presets, crafted to stand out from generic filters, with meticulous attention to detail.

Constant Updates, ensuring full compatibility with ReShade and GShade as they evolve.

No Subscriptions Needed: Pay once on my Patreon (for individual presets or a full bundle) and keep them forever—no hidden fees!

🔒 Why Paid? Each preset represents hours of work, testing, and fine-tuning—they’re not just “filters” but a tailored experience for your game. Sadly, renaming a file is all it takes to steal creative work… so this helps protect my effort while letting me keep improving them for you.

💡 Ready to Elevate Your Game? No forced memberships! Find all my presets in my Patreon shop, with the freedom to pick only what you love. It’s a way to support my work without waste—and for me to keep delivering quality content for you.

Huge thanks to everyone who supports and values creativity! 🚀

[musthavemods]

Sims 4 Male Urban Clothes

Elevate your Sim’s swag game with urban-inspired fashion straight from the streets. Dive into a collection of stylish hoodies, edgy jeans, and streetwise sneakers that channel real-world vibes. Let your male Sims express their bold, street-savvy style. Ready to upgrade their wardrobe? Click to explore our must-have Sims 4 urban clothes and spill some fashion thoughts in the comments! Read More At MustHaveMods.com

[lada-plumbob]

How To Enchance Your Community Lots

I love the quality-of-life features that come with some packs, but I ended up not buying any. Instead, I came up with my own ways to replicate those features using only the base game.

The ideas below don’t require any CC, but I’ll still recommend a few that I really like.

Library

Use the same lot type in different creative ways. One library could be an internet café with a great coffee machine and a gaming mat. Another could be an old-fashioned municipal archive filled with expensive skill books. And finally, don’t hesitate to make a science lab that’s open to the public.

Bar

A fun bar setup is a two-story building. The second floor can be a thrift store where your Sim sells collectibles, or a buffet (Ravasheen has some great ones). I often turn it into a hostel-style motel, so Sims can sleep after a night of drinking.

Gym

Working out can be a chore in this game. Add the Clothing Optional lot trait for the hilarity of naked Sims yelling at each other at workout machines. And of course, include the best bath setup possible for a spa area—so your Sim can relax sore muscles and feel great the next day.

Park

Parks are a great place to stash all the bulky or awkward items. A rocket can be placed in a restricted area of Oasis Springs, the observatory makes a great landmark for Newcrest, and cozy cafés fit perfectly along the Willow Creek riverbank.

My personal favorite is the Ravasheen bus stop, which lets you visit hidden lots without going through annoying text quests.

Custom venue types

I never use all venue types in my save file. Why? I stick to the ones with simple requirements. A pool, spa, boxing bag, and dancing mat can give you four fun variations of a gym. A nature survey camp, cookout area, and glamping setup create three distinct versions of a park. I do this with every venue type—so there’s always something fresh to look forward to.

General tips

Use lot traits wisely. Each trait should boost the venue’s main activity so you’re rewarded for visiting.

The Lifetime Aspirations mod has great reward traits—like Explorer, which gives skill boosts when your Sim learns outside the home.

Fix your lot, not your Sim. If your Sims obsess over one sculpture in a museum, don’t delete it—replace it with something fun. A Baby Yoda shrine, maybe?

Stick to functional CC, not decorative. Managing lots of CC furniture gets overwhelming. Functional CC (appliances, leisure items) can be used more creatively and keeps your catalog clean.

Always multipurpose. Lots can feel empty unless they serve multiple functions. Try adding a second venue or a secret room to match your Sim’s current goals.

Happy simming!