Subfolders for downloads?

[simaddict]

Hello, I'm wondering if it's possible to do subfolders like we did in TS2. I like to keep my downloads organized but w/ all the different steps I've ready about installing CC I'm totally lost.

[J. M. Pescado]

Ahahahahah. Subfolders for downloads. That's a good one. See "The Launcher And You" in Facts.

[mibsywibsy]

Actually, you can totally do this if you have your Resources.cfg set up properly. I already have mine set up to snarf packages from folders one level down from the standard Mods/Packages directory that all the MTS, sims3tools, etc people seem to be working as a default. Works fine, I have the into-skip mod, HystericalParoxysm's patterns, the hidden traits unlocker, etc etc up and running in my game, and they all live in their own little anal-retentively named and organized sub-folders. It's just, you know, subfolders in the actual installed program directory of Sims3, not the blob of crap it spews into your home directory. My Resources.cfg looks like this (the relevant lines are "Priority 498" and what's just below it):

Code:

Priority 501
DirectoryFiles  Mods/Files/... autoupdate
Priority 500
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*.package
Priority 499
PackedFile Mods/Test/*.package
Priority 498
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*.package
Priority -50
PackedFile Mods/Probation/*.package

[delete_me]

Actually, you can totally do this if you have your Resources.cfg set up properly...
My Resources.cfg looks like this (the relevant lines are "Priority 498" and what's just below it):

Code:

Priority 501
DirectoryFiles  Mods/Files/... autoupdate
Priority 500
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*.package
Priority 499
PackedFile Mods/Test/*.package
Priority 498
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*.package
Priority -50
PackedFile Mods/Probation/*.package

Does this mean that I can go even further down in sub-levels by adding
Priority 497
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*/*.package

and further down by lowering priority by one step and adding another */ for each new sub-level i want to add?

[mibsywibsy]

Should be, yeah. The only thing you'd have to watch out for is if the modders decide to start using those priorities for something else in order to assure compatibility between mods (like the old zz_* filenames for TS2).

This is only for mods and community based-CC, though, not the EA store crap. Although maybe people will come up with a way to load those from Resources.cfg too; that'd be nice, given that the Download Manager is apparently a braindead piece of shit.

[J. M. Pescado]

In theory, you could get EAxis content to load from resources.cfg, but it wouldn't HELP, since the names of EAxis content files are TOTALLY USELESS. I personally advocate that the community boycott the horrid launcher method, as it becomes COMPLETELY UNMANAGEABLE in a GIANT UNSORTED LIST OF POO, and leave that as the hellhole of EAxis content.

[Kittycataussie]

OK, so I am not the best when it comes to making crap work, but I have a folder in my Sims 3 folder that says "Downloads" is this what the launcher eats and turns into fertilizer? Because what I see in mine has everything named like normal things. If I am just a dummy reading things inside out please don't be offended, I just seem to have an uncanny ability to find exactly what I am looking for, but have it turn out to be the wrong thing.

[morriganrant]

OK, so I am not the best when it comes to making crap work, but I have a folder in my Sims 3 folder that says "Downloads" is this what the launcher eats and turns into fertilizer? Because what I see in mine has everything named like normal things. If I am just a dummy reading things inside out please don't be offended, I just seem to have an uncanny ability to find exactly what I am looking for, but have it turn out to be the wrong thing.

What is in Downloads, should be just the Sim3pack files. Those are not the real downloads that are read by the game. Those are just like Sim2pack files, the items in the launcher installs from that folder. As a test, you can put a Sims3pack on your desktop, double click it, the launcher will open, now install the item. You should now have two copies of the Sim3pack. One on your desktop, one in the Downloads folder. Or at least, that seems to be how it was working for me.

[SimDebster]

In theory, you could get EAxis content to load from resources.cfg, but it wouldn't HELP, since the names of EAxis content files are TOTALLY USELESS. I personally advocate that the community boycott the horrid launcher method, as it becomes COMPLETELY UNMANAGEABLE in a GIANT UNSORTED LIST OF POO, and leave that as the hellhole of EAxis content.

How can we circumvent the launcher?  I am all for boycotting it.

[Marhis]

How can we circumvent the launcher?  I am all for boycotting it.

Jfadetool, Echotool, Petertool, Delphytool... pick one .
I personally recommend Jfade's, because of the shiny awesome features, Mac functionality and above all because he's Jfade .

[rhldavies]

I've just learnt that I can no longer keep my CC in subfolders if I want to use Pescado's AwesomeMod. Bawww.

I got someone to double check what I was doing with installing everything and he came to the conclusion that somewhere in the AwesomeMod, it changed how other hacks/mods are recognised by the game. I tried 2 mods in particular, 'nomosaic' and 'nointro' by rick on MTS (they were the fastest to test) and they both stopped working as soon as they were put in subfolders.

Has anyone else come across this problem?

[mibsywibsy]

I got someone to double check what I was doing with installing everything and he came to the conclusion that somewhere in the AwesomeMod, it changed how other hacks/mods are recognised by the game. I tried 2 mods in particular, 'nomosaic' and 'nointro' by rick on MTS (they were the fastest to test) and they both stopped working as soon as they were put in subfolders.

Has anyone else come across this problem?

Unless ElPresidente did something truly odd in the latest version of his version of the framework, it shouldn't be an issue. I use the Delphy framework, but I used the Pescado framework before that, and I have both of those mods, along with AwesomeMod and a bunch of others, each in their own sub-directory, under the "Hacks" subdirectory. It all works fine. Try using Delphy's, if you're not already.

[rhldavies]

Thank you so much mibsywibsy.

What you said made me think the problem might be to do with the Resource.cfg file, so I rooted around and I found it was the problem after all.

From what I understand... Pescado's Resource.cfg doesn't seem to have the option (yet maybe?) to allow sub-foldering, whereas Delphy's Resource.cfg allows up to 4 levels of sub-foldering.


I'd previously installed Delphy's TS3 Installer before Pescado's AwesomeMod. I should have done it the other way around. Pes's AwesomeMod then Delphy's TS3 Installer.

*slaps forhead in shame*

[rhldavies]

Thank you Jordi, this will be very useful.

Edit:

I used it on Pescado's Resource.cfg and replaced Delphy's to stop the awesome hack from crashing when loading and it worked (yay!)

Many Baa'ings to you Jordi!

[socurious]

P&L demand -  but I cannot remember how to repack the stupid file once I've opened the blasted thing.  I saved the .cfg after changing and now its saved as a notepad file.   If someone could please explain how to save properly, I'd appreciate it.  My brain, please find it.

I'd like to have an excuse for my lack of rememberation, but I have only brain-fartage.  It stinks.

[Marhis]

P&L demand -  but I cannot remember how to repack the stupid file once I've opened the blasted thing.  I saved the .cfg after changing and now its saved as a notepad file.

It is a notepad (text) file, there's nothing to repack. Just be sure it ends in .cfg and not .txt and it's fine.

[socurious]

Yeah, I made sure it ended in .cfg and not .txt, but the file still looked like a notepad doc.  I thought I was doing it wrong.  Thanks for clarifying for me. 

After I altered the .cfg file, all my neighborhoods are now red.  REDRUM anyone?  It has to be my alteration, since it was fine beforehand, yes?

Thank you Marhis.  You seem to help my halpless self on more than one occasion.  My nooby brain-fartedness.  It are huge!

[morriganrant]

Yeah, I made sure it ended in .cfg and not .txt, but the file still looked like a notepad doc.  I thought I was doing it wrong.  Thanks for clarifying for me. 

After I altered the .cfg file, all my neighborhoods are now red.  REDRUM anyone?  It has to be my alteration, since it was fine beforehand, yes?

Thank you Marhis.  You seem to help my halpless self on more than one occasion.  My nooby brain-fartedness.  It are huge!

Apparently, the red-ness happens when you have the AwesomeMod in the wrong folder. So either you have it in the wrong folder, or your game doesn't know where to look for it. I assume that you changed the correct resource.cfg file? As there are several in different folders. My guess is that it is still displaying the icon as a notepad file because now notepad recognizes it. So long as it ends in .cfg it should be fine.

[bottles]

If you're on a mac, all you have to do is right click the file and choose a label. It looks like this:



I'm not sure you can do that with windows but it seems likely.

So far, all I've got is Awesomemod, minor hacks, default replacements, and patterns in my .packages, so... yeah.

Beyond that, I suppose subfolders would be useful for creator, or at LEAST source website.

[socurious]

Unless it was tightpants, I can't explain the redness.  I installed the awesome in the c:/blah/blah/Sims3/mods/package folder.   I am having difficulty getting the game to recognize downloads installed using anything but the EAxian manager, so duplicity could be an issue. 

[morriganrant]

Unless it was tightpants, I can't explain the redness.  I installed the awesome in the c:/blah/blah/Sims3/mods/package folder.   I am having difficulty getting the game to recognize downloads installed using anything but the EAxian manager, so duplicity could be an issue.  

Eh, I had to modify the resource.cfg that Jordi gave. I had to take the file "package" out of the directions. The 3viewer installed some folders for custom, along with itself, I opted out of installing it's resource file. Instead of them all being in the Mods\package folder, they are just in Mods. Mods\Modtest, Mods\Patterns, Mods\Packages. So you may want to have a good look at your resource file and where it points compared to to your file arrangement. Then go through your downloads a bit and sort them.

[socurious]

Since the package files are installed in various locations and copied somewhere else, I presumed it wouldn't be a good idea to just move them about willy-nilly.  I was very happy to find out that I could modify the resource.cfg file to arrange my downloads.  I really miss the good ol' days in Sims 2 when you could just unzip and place in the downloads folder. 

Thanks for the info.  Going to check out the settings now.

[adalita]

Hey I've got a few questions-
I've got my subfolders organised



This resource Cfg is in my C:\Users\****\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3

Priority 501
DirectoryFiles Files/... autoupdate
Priority 1000
PackedFile Overrides/*.package
PackedFile Overrides/*/*.package
PackedFile Overrides/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Overrides/*/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Overrides/*/*/*/*/*.package
Priority 500
PackedFile Packages/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*/*/*.package
Priority 499
PackedFile Test/*.package
PackedFile Test/*/*.package
PackedFile Test/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Test/*/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Test/*/*/*/*/*.package
Priority -50
PackedFile Probation/*.package
PackedFile Probation/*/*.package
PackedFile Probation/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Probation/*/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Probation/*/*/*/*/*.package
Priority 500
PackedFile DCCache/*.dbc

I also have one in my mods folder too

Priority 501
DirectoryFiles  Mods/Files/... autoupdate
Priority 500
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*.package
Priority 499
PackedFile Mods/Test/*.package
Priority 498
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*.package
Priority -50
PackedFile Mods/Probation/*.package

Which one should I edit to put my folders in correctly
What should my resource.cfg look like??

Thanks

[morriganrant]

Take the one you have in C:\Users\****\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 and put it in Mods.

[adalita]

okay thanks - I thought that one looked correct!