#ts2 legacy collection tutorial

[afroplumbarb]

TS2 Legacy Collection CEP Extra Tutorial

Hi guys! I just wanted to make this quick tutorial on this since it's the first time a lot of players will be doing this.

Step 1: Download CEP Extra Manual installation from ModTheSims linked here (Read all instructions included if you get confused)

Step 2: Extract the Zip to a folder

Step 3: Open the folder and place the package _EnableColorOptionsMMAT into the Sims3D folder located here: Program Files > EA Games>The Sims 2 Legacy>Base>TSData>Res>Sims3D

Step 4: Place the package _EnableColorOptionsGMND into your Downloads folder located here: Documents>EA Games>The Sims 2 Legacy>Downloads **Note: You will likely have to create this folder yourself which is easy. Simply right click inside The Sims 2 Legacy folder and create a new folder named "Downloads" and place that file right inside.**

Step 5: Open the 'Extras' folder inside the Zip

Step 6: Open the folder 'MyDocuments' and place the entire zCEP-EXTRA folder inside your Sims 2 Legacy document folder located here: Documents>EA Games>The Sims 2 Legacy

Step 7: Open the folder 'ProgramFiles' and place the entire zCEP-EXTRA folder inside your Catalog folder located here: Program Files > EA Games>The Sims 2 Legacy>Base>TSData>Res>Catalog

And thats it! You should be good to go now. You can check if it's working by the start up message. If you have that setting turned off you can also check to see if it's working by going into one of the households and using the design tool on objects that were previously not recolorable or expanded objects. I believe you can also check to see if it's working by checking the skin tone range in CAS but don't quote me on that lol. Anyway I hope this helped someone 💜

EDIT: Quick reminder for those that are extremely new to the game that you need to start the game at least once first The Sims 2 Legacy folder to appear in your documents folder or you could simply create it yourself, add your folders, and then start the game after and it’ll populate around your newly added CEP and Downloads folder.

[honeylungsims]

…Hello! It's been a while.. About three years, I think?

So, after my previous simming PC died (unfortunately it really truly dropped dead, I thought it was just a graphics card issue, but nope), I fell into a pit of depression. Even after I got a new PC, I just didn't feel like playing TS2 at all. All that legacy/ISBI challenge effort down the drain.. Starting over felt too heavy.

Since then I've mostly been playing Fortnite and modded Skyrim 😅

I was gonna wait until Paralives is released to see if it could reignite my love for life simulation games, but something else happened just now!

I am of course talking about the TS1/TS2 Legacy Collection which was released a few days ago.

I didn't need to buy it, since I still own TS2 Ultimate Collection, but my nostalgia hungry friends (their memories of TS2 are very much connected to their childhood) got crazy excited about it and they immediately started playing again. We even started planning some kind of elaborate TS2 gaming nights with Discord voice chat 😅😅

And so, here I am. I literally only just installed the game an hour ago though. It was surprisingly easy this time around, maybe too easy - Didn't even need to troubleshoot any error messages for hours. Odd!

Like I said, sadly I can't continue any of my previous challenges, so when I make a full comeback, I'll have to start from a clean slate. I do have some old backups, but.. I feel like messing with those would just be confusing. Maybe starting over isn't so bad.

I don't even know how to install custom content anymore.. But IIRC it was easier than modding Skyrim, so maybe I'll be fine after reading a tutorial or two.

And oh man, I really can't wait to hoard CC again! I think I have some backed up from years ago, but I also want to see what's new. I've missed out on a lot.

But yeah, enough rambling for now. I just want you guys to know that I'm here, I'm trying to crawl back to this beloved game, even though it might take a while.

[freezerbunny-sims2]

How did you install TS2 on Linux?

I installed it through Lutris. If you want a detailed guide, there's Tea Addict's video tutorial on youtube.

Depending on your version of Linux, a few things might look different or need some extra steps. It took me about three days to fix all the roadblocks, I had to take breaks to avoid quitting out of frustration. But it was worth it.

The main problem with Linux and TS2 now is that since EA "rerelased" The Sims 2 as the Legacy Collection, they are taking down free uploads of the Ultimate Collection (the previous, less buggy version), like the one TeaAddict uses in the video tutorial.

So pirated versions are more difficult to find, but not impossible. I won't tell you where to download it but with a bit of research you can find it. Don't try to find osab's version though, it was taken down and they already said they won't reupload it.

If you have the Legacy Collection, my guess is you can install it through Lutris as well, but I have no idea how to.

[symonesun]

Got Sims 2 Ultimate Collection via Origin? Never update without backing up your game files.

I had an experience today where an Origin client update completely wrecked my Sims 2 game (or so I thought), and I don’t want this happening to anyone else. And before you ask, an EA rep walked me through clearing the cache on my computer. That didn’t work.

The Issue I Had

I updated Origin because it was touted as “mandatory” (cue eyeroll that gives me a migraine). When I went to open TS2UC after the update...The game wouldn’t open! Running the program as an administrator didn’t work, compatibility mode did nothing. I would click on TS2UC and instead of launching it would open the Sims 2 copy in my Game Library. Clicking ‘Play Game’ would make the Origin window disappear for a second or two (as if the game was about to load) only for nothing to happen. The game was not launching in the computer Task Manager either.

After much of the day trying to figure things out (with the “help” of EA/Origin Games support representatives), warning fellow Simmers on Reddit, and thinking my game was wrecked, I have a solution.

Backup Your Game Files Before All Origin Updates*

Backup your Sims 2 Ultimate Collection Folder (or specific folders like Downloads, Lot Catalog, Neighborhoods, and SC4Terrains). 

Place the copy somewhere else in your computer that is not the Documents > EA Games folder. 

For more information on backing up files, read about it via ModtheSims.

*The Sims 2 is a “legacy game” (read: old, geriatric, and unsupported), so support is not really available outside of the Simmer community, and Origin is not accounting for the game whatsoever when new client updates are published. Because of this, you need to back up all your game before allowing updates. Even if you have no had this happen to you and you believe it never will, backup your files anyway. If you have your Origin client set to auto-update, I recommend turning that feature off so you have time to backup TS2. In fact, putting Origin in Offline Mode may be in your best interest (read more under the Misc. section).

Please only follow this solution if clearing your Origin cache didn’t work, or you are not comfortable messing with program data and such.

The Solution

After backing up the files you want saved, uninstall the Origin client from your computer. It is not necessary to uninstall Sims 2. You can leave that alone. (In fact, don’t touch TS2 in your Uninstall Program manager unless this tutorial doesn’t work!)

Reinstall Origin. 

After logging back in, go to your Game Library, and right-click on the TS2UC thumbnail. 

Click ‘Repair Game’. Let it repair. 

Launch TS2 and let it load.

Check if your game was switched back to the default settings (no custom content, no saved games, no custom neighborhoods, etc.). 

If you find anything like this changed, that is where the backed up files come in handy! Close your game.

Go to the Documents > EA Games folder. Delete any and all files within. Place your backed up game files in that same folder. Launch. Voila!

Or are you like me and you already updated the game before you found this tutorial and backed up your files, so you “lost” everything?

Fear not!

Check your Documents > EA Games folder. Are there two files (one saying ‘The Sims 2′, the other saying ‘The Sims™ 2 Ultimate Collection’)? 

Delete the folder that doesn’t have your Downloads folder (or it is not filled with your finds), has no custom neighborhood(s) in the Neighborhood folder, and/or no custom neighborhood(s) in the SC4Terrains folder. This will most likely be the most recently created folder, usually with only a few folders/files inside (instead of 16-20 total items), and/or it may be entitled simply ‘The Sims 2′.

After deleting the appropriate folder, please make sure it is named  The Sims™ 2 Ultimate Collection exactly, or TS2 will create another file (more than likely named The Sims 2 only).

Misc.

You may notice that the resolution has switched to the default. You will have to re-edit the Graphics Rule information, including using the Graphics Rule Maker program from Sims Network.

For those of you who only use Origin to play Sims 2, it would be better to avoid all Origin updates by using Offline Mode. Read this thread on ModtheSims for more info.

I am not programmer extraordinaire by any means, but if you need help, please feel free to contact me and I will try my best to help. If you have a better solution, do the same - let me know! Happy Simming!

[equinoxts2]

10 Questions Meme

I was tagged by @shannonsimsfan​ and @starrsim​ :)

Rules: Always post the rules, answer the questions given to you, then write 10 questions of your own, and tag some friends!

Because I was tagged twice and I tend to ramble on, here’s a cut.

Starr’s Questions:

1) How long have you’ve been playing the sims franchise? No idea... about 13 years? My first Sims game was Bustin’ Out for PS2, then my uncle gave me a copy of TS1 Complete Collection which was promptly installed on my late Mac, Terry. I started playing TS2 when OFB was the newest expansion. So yeah... more than half my life.

2) Do you have a favorite sim? why? I love all my Sims! I’ll admit there are some I’d be more likely to reroll a death ROS for than others, but I’m not naming any names. If I do the others will get me. :P

3) What’s your favorite sims career? I don’t really use careers in my game, since Kulo Seeri isn’t the sort of hood that has them. My Sims do have professions and crafts, and I think the one I enjoy most out of them is the not-quite-school run by Otolo zan-Ave and Markal Go. I haven’t shown it on my blog yet, but basically the two elders summon the village kids to their lot with Simlogical’s meeting controller. They offer lessons on various subjects using Sophie-David’s opportunity objects (usually invisible) but for most of the time the kids just run wild together and make friends, enemies and occasionally childhood sweethearts.

4) What’s your CC weakness? Rugs, paintings, hair, etc? CC in general! My good old external hard drive Trixie contains *checks* 190 GB of hoarded stuff. Most of it I will probably never use, but it’s there in case I ever need any of it. This is a side effect of my hoarder nature and obsession with TS2 and I’m not ashamed of it in the slightest. Fun fact: That same hoarder-obsessive nature applies to dice. I have over 1000. Dicedicedicedice... yay :)

5) What aspect of the game have you not played with, or tried, yet? Businesses, vacation hoods, or university. I’ve been wanting to experiment with them for a while but they fit into Kulo Seeri like a foot into a glove. However, that doesn’t stop me occasionally trying to shoehorn bits in - an in-hood “university” might be a possibility for KS, maybe representing a craft apprenticeship. I will have to test that out.

6) When do you usually play? When I’m awake. No kidding - since I’m unable to work due to a combination of autism, depression, social anxiety, semi-regular bouts of ill health, several debilitating phobias and a distaste for the “cog in the machine” life, I am essentially a professional Simmer.

7) What’s your simming routin? (settle in with a drink and a few hours, keep the game open for days, etc) Play in bursts throughout the day, occasionally taking screen breaks to play board games or dice games or kick ideas around with my mum, or to snooze.

8) Do you talk sims with others outside the simming community? My mum and support workers, yes. My mum is probably the non-Simmer who knows most about the game - when she’s home, she’s my go-to person to bat around ideas for KS.

9) Besides tumblr, how else do you interact with the simming community? Through my story blog on Blogger, and also through Plumb Bob Keep and Garden of Shadows’ forums. I don’t know any other Simmers personally, only through the forums and blogs.

10) Why the sims vs other games? It’s pure escapism for me - it lets me immerse myself in another setting without being too focused on achieving certain objectives (the reason I could never get into computer RPGs and still haven’t completely warmed to TS4). I love being able to customise pretty much everything the game has to offer and create new worlds to explore through the eyes of my Sims.

Shannon’s Questions:

1) When you’re playing, do you have the game music on or off? Sometimes I listen to my own music while I’m building, and my Sims don’t really have stereos, so mostly off. I do have a few disguised/invisible stereos but I don’t use them much, and I have - thanks to a tutorial by @greatcheesecakepersona​ - added my Unofficial Kulo Seeri Playlist to the selection of loading tunes.

2) How long have you been playing your current hood? In one form or another, Kulo Seeri has been around for ten years. I started it in April 2007 as a third rate legacy, and it ended up taking me in all sorts of directions I never expected. It’s currently on Generation 7 and has a lot of in-game history, folklore and dreaming behind it. I love it to bits <3

3) Uh-oh! Your game just exploded: are you going to rebuild or start afresh? Rebuild, of course. I couldn’t imagine being without Kulo Seeri after all this time. Although I’ve rebuilt it what feels like a million times and hate setup and hoodlessness, I’m still too invested in it to let it go.

4) What is your favourite Sims version and why? Sims 2, of course! It’s pure sandbox fun, easy to customise and remove from the default modern setting, lends itself well to a huge variety of playstyles, and IMO it’s got more heart than 3 and 4 put together.

5) What’s an expansion you’d love to see that EA never did for any version of the game? I have to second Shannon’s idea of a prehistoric-style one. I’d also love to see more ways for younger Sims to act out that don’t require modern vehicles or technology.

6) Do you use cheats (apart from building cheats) when you play? Yes, not too often because I enjoy having a challenge, but I do use money cheats (KS doesn’t have money, so I always give them enough to move into their homes) and mood cheats (when I can’t stand to see a struggling family suffer any longer, or I need a Sim to stay awake for a photo opportunity).

7) Do you consider yourself primarily a player, builder or decorator? Or other? Player first, storyteller second, don’t touch Build Mode unless I have to. I’m not bad at building, landscaping or decorating... I just find it tedious and avoid it.

8) Do you play pre-mades, your own sims or a mix? Most of my Sims were born in Kulo Seeri, with a handful of premade Sims (mostly from TS3 hoods) who have moved there over the years. Some of my Sims originate from other players’ games, too.

9) What is your favourite kind of business to run? Or what kind would you like to run, if your game version allowed it? Hmm. Never really done much with businesses, but I’d like to have a small trading post of some sort in Kulo Seeri, once the population reaches the point where it splits into two villages. However, KS culture regards trade as the most unclean occupation, so I’m not sure who’d run it.

10) If you were a sim, what would be your aspiration and lifetime want? Feel free to translate that to your own game version - I only speak TS2! My aspiration is Pleasure/Knowledge, with the Pleasure bit being more “stay at home and play games all day” than “go out clubbing and dating”, and the Knowledge bit being limited to my major obsessions: Sims, dice, notebooks, vintage 90′s My Little Ponies, and Plants vs. Zombies. But my LTW would be "reach golden anniversary” - I am a hopeless romantic despite my asexuality, and I’m fed up of getting close to people (mostly support workers and therapists) and then never seeing them again. I want a long-term partnership like my parents have (over 30 years and counting!) with someone who isn’t a support worker or a therapist or other person who listens to my problems partly because it’s their job.

11)  What do you think Sims 5 will be like? *VT Cynic Powers Activate!* It will probably feel more mechanical and repetitive than TS4, and be more goal-orientated than sandbox play. It will probably also have more online features and in-game ads. The hoods or worlds or towns or whatever they’ll be calling them by then will be harder to customise, be designed for legacy style play with some form of annoying story progression, and feature several familiar TS2 premades warped beyond recognition. Modders will find that game behaviour will be much harder to alter, because EA will want to stop fans adding new features so they can release said features as overpriced add-on packs. It will run on patch levels which will force players to update every five minutes, then sneak little bits of the latest pack’s coding into games that don’t have it installed, so that everyone has to have ALL THE PACKS for it to work correctly. (This was one of my major gripes with TS3 patch levels - and then TS4 topped that by adding new functionality into the stuff packs.)

....rant over, time for bed. :)

As for writing questions and tagging other Simmers, that is one area where I fall down, so I’ll leave it there. But thanks again to Shannon & Starr for the tags!