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Using lots of store content with CAW

CorininiCorinini Posts: 134 Member
edited March 8 in Nominated Threads
I figured out a way to include a lot of store content in my world and I thought I'd share it here, since I did an extensive google search and hadn't found anything, and thought other people might be having the same problem.

I had the problem where EIG would crash, and not allow me to continue adding lots/content and saving beyond a certain point. Essentially I was using too much memory on a world with 150 lots and a whole lot of store content installed.

However, I noticed that within the CAW folder for my world (Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 Create A World Tool\UserToolData\Worlds\NAMEOFWORLD) there were two other folders labeled lots and layers. Within the lots folder are a number of files - each one representing a specific lot on your map (150 lots in my world = 150 files in the folder). When you add a lot in EIG and are able to save it successfully, the name of the file doesn't change but the contents does and the file increases in size. So I thought if I could add the lots in smaller doses in EIG, and then replace the empty lot files with built lots, I would be able to include more lots and store content.

So essentially the steps are as follows:

- Make copies of your "NAMEOFWORLD" without any built lots (saved in different folders on the desktop so you don't get them confused) - as many as you need, although I only needed 2. Do not rename them or change anything about them!!!
- Keep one copy whole and untouched.
- In your other copies, you need to delete lots to form partial world files. I did mine where one had commercial lots and one had residential lots. You want both (or all) of your partial world files to "add up" to your whole world.
- Add the built lots in EIG to each partial world file and save it.
- Copy and paste the lot files from the partial world CAW folders to the CAW folders for the whole world file, choose the option to replace the files with the same name. On my computer these files are kept here: Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 Create A World Tool\UserToolData\Worlds\NAMEOFWORLD\Lots

You should now have a "combined" world with all of your lots installed. Some things to note - you have to be careful as you need to have a number of CAW files all with the same name and you don't want to get them confused. So far doing this I have been able to export successfully, and while I have only begun play testing I haven't run into any obvious problems from using this method to add lots, everything appears to be showing up in game.

I'm not 100% about doing this with pre-populated worlds since I haven't tried it yet (am planning on it, will update) but I imagine it would work. It may be a bit more complicated, as you'd need some residential lots in your whole world file to place the sims in. But you could still add all your community lots or unoccupied lots after the fact.
Post edited by EA_Solaire on

Comments

  • auntielyndsauntielynds Posts: 3,071 Member
    Brilliant! I have a huge world I've been slowly working on for awhile now. I'll try this technique out next time I work on it.
  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,583 Member
    Hi :)

    Wonderful! :mrgreen:

    I made a post about this awhile ago if you want to check it out - http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/737094.page
    I'm going to have to check those picture links since the site move. :)
  • CorininiCorinini Posts: 134 Member
    Awesome! Thanks, that confirms what I was thinking about adding sims to my world.

    Question - in your testing, did you run into a limit to the amount of store content you could install and run EIG at all with no built lots? I got a little over-excited when I figured out how to add extra lots and decided to try installing all of my store content. Now EIG is crashing upon start-up. I'm slowly removing store content to see how much I can get away with, but I was wondering if you had any sense from your trials, or if it just depends on the computer. I remember seeing something somewhere about a 4G hard-limit but I seem to go over that without issue. 7.5G on the other hand was too much.
  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,583 Member
    edited February 2015
    I didn't have a problem with Store stuff and no built lots.

    Iirc- I had a problem with 2GB and about 30 built lots. I don't remember how much Store stuff I had installed any more. I know I had to have it all installed if I wanted it to show up in CAW (map and lots).

    *My instructions work for adding about 10 lots with full store installed. At least I had no problem last year with Beach City. :)
  • auntielyndsauntielynds Posts: 3,071 Member
    I must not have been very active last January because I completely missed your thread Rflong.


    Thank you for pointing back to it. It's old news to you now, but I'm very excited to try it out. :)
  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,583 Member
    Hi, @auntielynds
    You might have. :)
    Everywhere I was checking no one had an answer but to limit Store Stuff and to keep lot numbers down. I tried everything out there but nothing... Beach City had over two hundred lots. I even tried placing Rabbitholes on the map to cut down on lots- didn't work out well. I think I was driving all my tester nuts with my whining and hair pulling because of EIG crashes.

    I finally can do it no problem.

    Plus, Adding Sims is easier, too. Ttesting and moving Sims from one test to a new test without having to go back in EIG to re-add all those Sims (because of not going back in EIG with Sims in the world)... it's so much easier now if I want to populate. :mrgreen:
  • Shadecaster101Shadecaster101 Posts: 1,343 Member
    Thank you!

    This also happens to me. Once I get a few lots in, EIG no longer works. I have tried making a copy of the world to do them in doses, but I didn't know the files could be copied over. I thought I would have to save them to the in-game bin (library) and add them after the world was exported.

    I will have to try this.
  • flstriderflstrider Posts: 1,912 Member
    edited March 2015
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    Hi :)

    Wonderful! :mrgreen:

    I made a post about this awhile ago if you want to check it out - http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/737094.page
    I'm going to have to check those picture links since the site move. :)

    Hey @Rflong7 just followed the test you did in that old forum post and WOW! its awesome <3 now the question I have is can I go back into the main world and add and save base game lots or will the added lots from the steps above cause EIG to crash when saving those new added base game lots?
    Post edited by flstrider on
    My World's thread linked in Sig
    NewSig.jpg


  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,583 Member
    flstrider wrote: »
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    Hi :)

    Wonderful! :mrgreen:

    I made a post about this awhile ago if you want to check it out - http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/737094.page
    I'm going to have to check those picture links since the site move. :)

    Hey @Rflong7 just followed the test you did in that old forum post and WOW! its awesome <3 now the question I have is can I go back into the main world and add and save base game lots or will the added lots from the steps above cause EIG to crash when saving those new added base game lots?

    Hi :)

    I don't know what you mean.... If you have problems adding lots in EIG then the steps I have work to add a few at a time. You can add more- I had over a hundred lots and added ten at a time- in batches. So, at the end they were all there. I had to do it a couple times when lots had to be fixed- missing/added/more ideas, stuff like that.

    I would save your world with a new name for testing then you still have your original. :)
  • flstriderflstrider Posts: 1,912 Member
    @Rflong7 so once I start using the steps you outlined (which I am still in love with) you must stay with these steps to add additional lots? Let me see if I can explain what I mean.....

    So I have a store full world with 120 lots. So far there are 40 lots completed and in the world I add three lots using the steps outlined then save the world. I go into the game itself and build 5 base game only lots then without following the steps add them to the world in CAW will this work or will EIG crash I guess what I am asking is after you begin using the steps outlined will you need to continue using them for each lot you build after that? Yeah I think I confused myself here...lol
    My World's thread linked in Sig
    NewSig.jpg


  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,583 Member
    edited March 2015
    Okay- I only had to find this work around once EIG started crashing on start up. It hit a certain amount of installed Store/CC content and the number of lots. So, as long as you can use EIG then you shouldn't have to use these steps. They're for desperate situations when EIG crashes.

    See? There's a certain saturation point between the number of *built lots in the world and the amount of Store Stuff installed. :)
    If you can use EIG then alls good with still using it or going back to using it. You don't have to until you have to. :)
  • flstriderflstrider Posts: 1,912 Member
    @Rflong7 Thanks I just found my answer when I added the city hall through the "usual" CAW EIG and it crashed so it is once you start with those steps you need to continue with them to add any additional lots, Store or base, thank you so much for adding these steps to the forum it will be a huge help in two of the worlds I am working on.
    My World's thread linked in Sig
    NewSig.jpg


  • RRArtieRRArtie Posts: 204 Member
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    Hi :)

    Wonderful! :mrgreen:

    I made a post about this awhile ago if you want to check it out - http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/737094.page
    I'm going to have to check those picture links since the site move. :)

    The old forum has gone away, Would you post the new URL please. Thank you

  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,583 Member
    @RRArtie wrote: »
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    Hi :)

    Wonderful! :mrgreen:

    I made a post about this awhile ago if you want to check it out - http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/737094.page
    I'm going to have to check those picture links since the site move. :)

    The old forum has gone away, Would you post the new URL please. Thank you
    http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/737094/only-testing-adding-lots-when-eig-will-only-crash-from-store-limit/p1

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