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CC/mods for the very beginner (Help please!)
chealsycat
Posts: 2,974 Member
I've been playing The Sims 4 since 2014. But I haven't used any CC/mods yet. I'm scared to crash my game as I don't have any idea how to use them.
However, the further the more I can't go without CC. As a video maker I need animations first of all.
But what to begin with?
What programs are musthave for every CC/mods user? Where and how to install them?
I badly need your advice as I know nothing about mods/CC.
Can you help me and explain with very simple words what to do? 🙏 Also, I'll be very thankful for the links to useful tutorials for the very beginners.
Thanks in advance.
However, the further the more I can't go without CC. As a video maker I need animations first of all.
But what to begin with?
What programs are musthave for every CC/mods user? Where and how to install them?
I badly need your advice as I know nothing about mods/CC.
Can you help me and explain with very simple words what to do? 🙏 Also, I'll be very thankful for the links to useful tutorials for the very beginners.
Thanks in advance.
1
Comments
That is an complex question entirely dependent on your gameplay style. Two mods that provide greater control of the games fundamentals are MC Command Centre and UI cheats, both are excellent. MCC is free, but UI cheats is a Patreon unfortunately, because I think its easier to use, meaning you have to pay for it. As far and Custom content is concerned what do you want more of in your game? Hairstyles, clothes, etc. There are many free CC providers, but be warned many creators don't keep up to date with base games updates and that can cause problems in your game and causes crashes. Good luck!
First of all I need animations for my videos. What should I do first? I mean what mod or program shoud I install first of all? And how to use it?
Also I need some hairstyles, clothes, objects, etc..
I used to download lots of CC in The Sims 3 and crashed my game because of bad CC. I'm scared to do the same thing in The Sims 4. That's why I'm looking for a safe mode of using CC.
Are there any mods/programs that can see bad CC and delete it? Or something else that helps to keep the game safe?
Thank you @LJK I know that you have to put CC/mods in the Mods folder and the advanced CC-users advise to make several special folders for hairstyles, dresses, objects, etc. in this folder.
But there are also some programs that you don't have to install in the Mods folder. What are necessary programs for a CC-user?
I'm sorry, I can't help you with animations, because I've never personally used them.
As far as CC is concerned, there isn't an easy way to know if the CC and other mods is within in date, so to speak, but a simple rule is has this mod been updated to the latest game version. You just put them into your game via the mod folder and then check by trial and error. Play for a while and then come out and check your Sims 4 folder. It's in documents for any LastException files, the presence of these files in that folder shows you whether your game is experiencing problems with the mods that you've installed and they warn you about possible future game crashes. My advice is to go slowly. Find a CC author that you like and install a few items of CC and build slowly.
There's a lot of excellent CC out there so hunt around for what kind of cc you like. You could also check with other forum members on their opinions: what they recommend and what their experience have been with how frequently the mod/CC is updated by the author or you could browse the web for recommendations, or you could look for information on mods recommended by game changers, if you're wary.
One thing though -- Using folders to separate CAS collections is a good idea, but make sure its only one folder deep (i.e. not folders within folders) as the game can't read more than one folder deep. Also, be careful with mods that include scripts, because they need to be unpacked by the right unpacker tool, read what the author recommends and follow it. If you've used CC before you probably know about upacker programmes, but just in case you're not aware, its a programme that coverts and holds big files in a bundle to make them easier and quicker to download. They have zip as the file type, i.e. win.zip. There are some free programmes out there. Good luck!
The only necessary program I can think of for a CC User (and I think the only one) is Sims4Studio. Besides being the main tool for creating CC/Mods, it also helps you identify CC you've installed that you don't want. Me, I had over 11,000 files of CC and have started to get rid of CC causing bugs, bugged CC (like CC missing meshes, for example) and CC I simply don't use a lot. While I'm still not under 11,000+, my game has shown improvement in having less bugs and overall CC clutter.
Your questions make me think you've modded Bethesda games and assume you're going to face a similar process. But there really isn't some third-party application or some such when it comes to actually using CC.
Incorrect, UI Cheats is free to download on Patreon for non patreons. The only time you pay for it is for an early access version of it that will be released publicly when it's ready. There's also a release on MTS, but that's mainly for simmers who play the legacy edition.
Anyway, aside from MCCC, UI Cheats, and S4S; I also recommend Better Exceptions as an extension for MCCC, and Sims 4 Tray Importer for CC as it's very handy when you need to look for any broken cc items in your game.
Lein Modded Legacy
OriginID/PSN: Gemmie12
That's ok. First of all I need to know what to begin with. And then I'll look for special tutorials on animation.
Oh, that's really useful for me. I didn't know about that! Thank you!
Thank you! I think I'll begin with Sims4Studio.
Lol. No, no. I'm not a modder at all. Me and CC is like a caveman and fire - I need it but I'm scared of it as I don't know how to use it.
Thank you for the useful information!
Basically, you just download a custom content file and plop it into your mods folder. If you have a million files as I do, merge them using Sims4Studio, though I don't know if merging is even necessary given how stable Sims 4 seems to be. It's just a habit I got into back in the TS3 days given that Sims 3 is such a laggy, crashtastic game.
Don't be afraid of using Sims4Studio to merge files. It's the easiest thing in the world.
And Sims4Studio allows you to edit custom content catalog entries, as well. You can delete swatches, change outfit categories, etc. It's an extremely user-friendly application.
As for bad custom content and how you can't always tell ahead of time, yes, that's true. Most of the time, the problems are just visual. Nothing game-breaking.