Sims-Third Party Programs: What do you use? What Do You Like? We were talking in another forum about the Sims 2 Clean Pack Installer. I keep reading about Dat Gen and Q Express (or something like that.) I was wondering what are the most common Thrid-Party programs that are used for TS2, and what is different about them all. I have intalled on my comptuer: The Sims 2 Clean Pack Installer SimsPE Sims Enhancer The Sims 2 Content Manager (the one from the official site) Oh, and Body Shop, but everyone has that one. I do use the Clean Installer fairly often, and use Sims Enhancer a lot. Sims Enhancer is not free. I want to make that perfectly clear. And it doesn't do as much as Sims PE, but it is more user-friendly for those of us who are not educated in coding and modding and other such things. The content manager would be better, IMHO, if it put up a picture of the object as it appears IN GAME. Yes, I think seeing the file as it really apears is fine, but geeze, I can't tell what that stuid colorful blur is, a couch or a bed or whatever! I want the program to open up an object file, give me a picture of what it looks like in game, and let me know if there are any possible problems with it such as a missing mesh or something. So, what do you use? What do you like? What should we stay away from?
I have MTS2's Q-Xpress Installer because I messed up the filemaid software and now can't use that one. The Q-Xpress Installer does what filemaid did which is to load a lot of downloads all at once. I like it. I use it a lot. I use the Body Shop a lot for two reasons. 1) To create sims more easily and with more freedom to fine tune their looks. Also, as it happens, to create those that I'll be using over and over in different neighborhoods (like Errol and Harcourt) because you can't safely move their files between neighborhoods. And 2) (perhaps more importantly) to test downloaded clothes and hair and weird sim stuff like skeletons. I've noticed that some items are very carefully made and worth keeping. Others aren't so good, especially for the closeup pictures I like. I certainly can't complain about stuff I download free but it's clear that some people put a lot more effort into what they create, or they have a lot more experience with the tools. More likely the latter, I'm guessing. I'm getting sidetracked here . I'm not exactly sure what the Sims 2 Content Manager is good for other than to see the name of the file and maybe a picture of it, sort of. I've used it to help me remember where I got a download from (having even a distorted picture is helpful for that.) That's all. I guess you can disable some content if you wished. I don't know what to do with SimPE. I have it but it confuses me so I never open it anymore. And, not created for Sims2 game playing but extremely useful to me, I use the Kodak software that came with my digital camera to help me enhance and/or manage my many files of story pictures. I spend a lot of time in that software.
I use Bodyshop, the Content Manager, and I recently downloaded SimPE and experimented with that. The only thing I did with Bodyshop that I succeeded in doing was make red eyes for my Paine character.
All I managed to create on my own with Body Shop was Errol's black eye. Very tricky. I created a black eye with nose bandage, too, but the nose bandage doesn't look quite right so I rarely use it. Those red eyes are pretty cool, though, Cheezy.
Yes, I like the red eyes too. I did a black eye too, using an actual black eye from a photo I found on google. I put it in my story thread, just as a picture. Never thought of a nose bandage, but I did manage a split lip. That was fairly easy, in Photoshop. I use Body Shop a lot, used to use Homecrafter more than I do now, but I think I'll get into it again. I used SimPE before I got my new motherboard, but I've heard you need to be careful so haven't used it this time around. I made a cowprint kitchen set that was pretty cute ... It is fun to play with but I didn't use it all that much. I use File Maid. It searches for corrupt files but not viruses as far as I know. I wanted to download Clean Installer but the Net-X program from Microsoft would take 45 minutes on my machine and I just couldn't face it. So right now File Maid's all I use.
I have Body Shop, and I'm also going to install Homecrafter Plus soon. I'd love to make recolors of some of the floors and stuff with Irfanview. If you don't know, it's a program we simmers use to recolor, well, stuff. Skins, hair and such. I got the link from MikeInside...I think.
