TOOL: TS3 Recompressor

[J. M. Pescado]

Like the original TS2 recompressor, we bring you the TS3 recompressor, with more features. Simple drag-and-drop or command-line interface! Fixes busted-ass Store Sims3Packs! Will work with the Jfadetool! Accept no Kewian-based substitutes!

Presently available in Windoze edition, until the designated Mac tester can figure out how to compile it for Mac. Linux edition available on request...although I can't see why someone who isn't me apparently would want it.
s3rc-win.rar
s3rc-lin-x86.tar.gz

[J. M. Pescado]

NEW UPDATE
The mystery of bloaty, slow save files is solved: TS3 is saving every craptacular thumbnail and image and dumping it in your save file, which it then compresses, making the entire process slow and clunky.

Running your save file through s3rc -s will now ENSMALLEN these save files by stripping out all the thumbnail and imagecache data (your game will have to regenerate everything), but until the bloat catches up again, YOUR GAME WILL BE ENSMALLENED! Don't do this too often or you will instead see lots of blank thumbnails while the game regenerates them. This is not something you do every save.

[diana]

I'm having a bit of a problem using s3Rc. My understanding is you simply drop the files onto the s3Rc and the program does the rest, easy enough. But when I drop my saved game files onto s3Rc I get these types of save files...

sims3.bad and sims3.tmp, the files shrink but they also become unusable. So what am I doing wrong?

Edited to correct typo error.

[J. M. Pescado]

Bad files are bad. You don't try to compress bad files.

[diana]

I figured out what the tmp files were for, and I thought the compressor was creating the bad files but I'll have to recheck that and get back to you.

[edejan]

OK, I need help...I was reading the thread about bloated save times which my game has developed.  Also in that thread was a link to this tool stating that "running the save file over (this tool)" every once in a while would be a good thing to debloat the files.

OK, having a blind belief in anything built by Pescado and being a TOTAL DUMBASS when it comes to computereze, I downloaded the s3rc.exe to my desktop.  Now what?  Do I run it, save it or just leave it there?  What files do I "run over" the tool and HOW do I "run them over?"  I'm completely at a loss about this procedure but yet want the goodness of improving my game with this tool!

Thanks...

[Sigmund]

Click and drag your file(s) onto the s3rc.exe. A black window will pop up and then disappear-- that's it. The window may stay up for awhile, depending on how bloated the file is.

To find your saved games files, go to My Docs>Electronic Arts>TS3>Saves.

[edejan]

Yay!  Thank you...even I can do that...but which files?  Downloads only or saved game files, such as neighborhood, saved sims, etc.?

[Sigmund]

If you're looking to cut down save time, just do the files in the The Sims 3>Saves folder (the files end with .sims3).  I'm not sure what would happen if you tried it on the SavedSims folder... probably nothing, but I've never tried it so I can't say for sure either way.

[edejan]

I tried it and it worked!  Thanks for your guidance and for not flaming me!!! 

[J. M. Pescado]

You need to invoke with a special command line switch in order for it to properly decrudulate. Otherwise it will compress, but not prune.

[Lathen]

Can you please explain how to invoke the special command line switch? Thank you very much in advance.

[J. M. Pescado]

You run it from DOS. What now, do you want advice on how to breathe?

[coconnor]

You need to invoke with a special command line switch in order for it to properly decrudulate. Otherwise it will compress, but not prune.

Thanks, Pescado!

Can you please explain how to invoke the special command line switch? Thank you very much in advance.

Look in this thread for the information you require:  http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,15587.msg487732.html#msg487732

[Lathen]

Damn, and I tried so hard not to make my first question be a stupid one.  Thanks for the link coconnor.

[alexpilgrim]

Thanks for this tool, this was very much needed. However I've found one little glitch: some .package files don't like to be compressed and will not show up in catalogue. Up to now this has happened I think only with CAS items.
I've double checked this and I'm 99% sure it's a compression issue, items did show up in catalogue when uncompressed. Maybe they got too small, from 2 MB to maybe 300 KB or something like that.

[J. M. Pescado]

Certain items are known to misbehave if compressed by any means. The reason why this occurs is unknown, and using -d to decompress them tends to make them work again.

[idtaminger]

If you're looking to cut down save time, just do the files in the The Sims 3>Saves folder (the files end with .sims3).  I'm not sure what would happen if you tried it on the SavedSims folder... probably nothing, but I've never tried it so I can't say for sure either way.

I don't have any .sims3 files in my saves folder. I only have .sims3.backup and .sims3.legacy files, and a folder named mycurrentstoryline.sims3, and when I open it up all I have are neighborhood files and a few other random files, but no .sims3 file.

So what do I recompress if I want to de-bloat? The backup files? The legacy files? I've tried running the command line on the folder but that didn't work at all, so I'm guessing its not that?

[J. M. Pescado]

Debloating is now largely an obsolete function, but you can still perform the process on the .nhd files.

[J. M. Pescado]

NEW UPDATE
Can now compress and decompress Sims3Packs directly.

EXPERIMENTAL "DECRAPIFY" OPTION!
Invoke with "s3rc -fD" (fixonly, decrapify) OR "decrapify" (drag/drop FOR TARDS). Should fix all busted s3packs that don't install correctly in the launcher, like those old TSR ones.
Caveats:
1. Permanently and irreversibly alters the target package/s3pack. Due to the type of damage involved, the game will see the decrapified object as a seperate object from a non-decrapified object. Any saved game that used these objects or skins will be broken as a result, but...
2. If you decrapify objects, you must decrapify all of your SAVED GAMES (.nhd & .packages in your .sims3), PRESETS (userPresets.package), and LIBRARY.
3. DECRAPIFIED saved or exported items containing CRAPIFIED content will malfunction in a non-decrapified install.
4. THIS PROCEDURE IS EXPERIMENTAL!
5. decrapify exe requires s3rc exe to be accessible on path.

THEREFORE:
Do not share decrapified packages, only share original unmodified packages.
"decrapify" not available for Linux, because Linux users are not stupid enough to need it and can just use -fD by hand.

[knightguy]

Ok this may be a stupid question but I'll ask anyway

is the s3rc file changed any or did you just add the decrapify file to the zip?  i noticed that the s3rc file is larger then the old one i have an i rather not try any "EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE" that isn't widely proven to work   

lord knows i do enough that when installing EA Patches

[J. M. Pescado]

Both. s3rc is the executable that does the lifting, but you don't have to invoke the new options.

[noname]

Is it possible to make this take wildcards on the command line, such as the following?

s3rc *.package

[J. M. Pescado]

It already does. Wildcarding is a shell functionality, not something that needs to be in the program.

[noname]

Odd, it doesn't seem to work for me. It returns:

Could not stat *.package
Done!