Installing pirated store stuff?

[simaddict]

I know there's probably a thread out there for this, so before you say search, I have. However, I have limited vision so searching through pages & pages of posts is very difficult.

I'm trying to install the pirated store stuff but the launcher won't install it. I have base game & the latest patch (which from what I can tell has screwed the launcher)

So has anyone found a way to install the store files after installing the latest patch?

[foxygator]

this worked for me...

http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=382520

[snowbawl]

I know there's probably a thread out there for this, so before you say search, I have. However, I have limited vision so searching through pages & pages of posts is very difficult.

I'm trying to install the pirated store stuff but the launcher won't install it. I have base game & the latest patch (which from what I can tell has screwed the launcher)

So has anyone found a way to install the store files after installing the latest patch?

The above post (by foxywhosit) addresses how to get your previously installed store content (pre-patch) to show up.  I have tried this method for installing new store content post-patch.  Doesn't work.  The launcher just simply will not install store content.  It says it does, but it is a lie.  I believe the only work-around at this time is to convert files to .package.  This is estimated to cause lag.  So, personally, I am just not installing any new store content at this time. 
If someone has a better work-around, I'd like to hear it, please.

Read this thread for more information:
http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,17592.0.html

[nanacake]

I've been installing new store stuff using 3Viewer. It will extract into package files, but it automates the process for you. Also allows you to rename the files and view the preview image before installing. Define in the options where your folders currently reside (Or use custom installation). It will extract the .packages to the proper locations based on content, so downloaded sims will still go to saved sims and so on.

[sheep_plushi]

 I believe the only work-around at this time is to convert files to .package.  This is estimated to cause lag.  So, personally, I am just not installing any new store content at this time. 
If someone has a better work-around, I'd like to hear it, please.

I keep hearing that making store items into packages causes lag but I'm not seeing it. There was a very long wordy discussion on this at MTS but in the end almost everyone just had crappy package files which were causing lag - deleting such files ended lag. I have over 1g of CC and it's all in .package (my C drive is for windows only so I'm not letting EA take over the 'my documents' folder) and my load time is about 5 minutes (much better than my Sims2 LOL). I have all the store items as packages. I'd say give it a try because it could vary PC to PC. If you get excessive lag try the procmon.  The 3viewer is nice but apparently abandoned, so if you have issues with it there's really no support, seems the author now resides over the TSRwizard - which works great but names all the packages 0xblahblahblahrandomnumbers. There's also Delphy's Sims 3 Pack Multi-Extracter.

[Drakron]

.packages will create "lag" as they did in TS2.

The reason is about the same, it have to open multiple files and create thumbnails as sims3pack just puts everything on big files (and I think creates a index so files are faster in loading), the situation will only get worst as the game will be loading more and more files, either from expansions and/or from CC.

[speedreader]

Since I was loading a new computer, I simply uninstalled my (stupidly) patched game when I discovered this problem.  I reinstalled Sims3, used Launcher to install all store package files, and then installed patches and hacks.  Game works fine for me.  Hope this helps you.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I used the workaround found at MTS and linked in the post above in this thread in order to see the CC after patching.

[sheep_plushi]

.packages will create "lag" as they did in TS2.

The reason is about the same, it have to open multiple files and create thumbnails as sims3pack just puts everything on big files (and I think creates a index so files are faster in loading), the situation will only get worst as the game will be loading more and more files, either from expansions and/or from CC.

I meant for specifically the store items, because that's what the topic is. Reinstalling the pirated store items as .packages was an easy and working fix. My game is certainly not lagging, but my computer is not necessarily the same as the OP.  I don't see why people can't just try it out. I'm not trying to start another .packages vs. sims3pack argument. I'm just saying in this case it works, it's fast, and it doesn't requiring you to reinstall the game or sacrifice a chicken on your mobo.

[Drakron]

My point still stands, it might not "lag" NOW but it WILL in the future for the exact same reason as TS2 loading times grown larger and larger as more files were required to load.

[jonas]

Thank you for the information here, Sheep Plushi.  I've decided to go with the "converting Sims3packs to package files" method of fixing this latest problem as I think EA is going to continue to try to manipulate the game in order to prevent our usage of store items.  I think it will become increasingly more difficult to obtain/keep the items for our game and I wish to stop using the launcher as soon as I figure out how to.

However, I do have some questions as I am experiencing extreme lag in the game after converting/installing not even half of my downloads into the game.  I used the Multi-Extractor to do this and only about half the converted files had names.  I tried using Sp3e to view the package files but have been unable to do that correctly I think.  Also, Simlogical's package viewer isn't available as the links I went to did not work.  So I need a method of viewing what those package files are.  

Most importantly, I plan to delete my downloads from the documents folder and the launcher to lessen this horrible lag.  Is that advisable? Will it make a difference?  If the lag was restricted to the loading times, that would be fine, but apparently it slows every aspect of sim-making as well as build and buy modes.  My computer may not be new, but she was a beauty less than two years ago with Nvidia 8800 GTX.  

My goal is to run everything Sims 3 exclusively on my E drive and I think my documents in C is holding me back.  Everything before this patch was just fine and ran beautifully without any problems whatsoever.  

[Drakron]

Are you serious?

You realize the my documents folder is were the cache files are created and stored, not to mention its also were save sales are keept and also the game settings, you CANNOT DELETE IT and expect the game to work, there is a fucking reason to why its there (and you can thank Microsoft for that, its Vista related and no, you are stuck with it even on XP).

The Launcher could potential be deleted without immediate problems (until there would a patch, then its going to look for a file that no longer exits) but what would be point of that? the files you can identify as part of the launcher dont even take 2MB of space.

[nanacake]

Most importantly, I plan to delete my downloads from the documents folder and the launcher to lessen this horrible lag.  Is that advisable? Will it make a difference?

If you just mean the downloads folder inside of /My Documents/ -that won't remove your launcher installed items completely. You have to also delete DCCache. If you meant the entirety of /My Documents/ -see what Drakon said. Bad idea. The operating system and most installed software relies on it.

Unless you are using the launcher to load TS3.exe instead of opening it directly, it can't affect your game's performance. Use 3booter/fpslimter, which will fix graphical lag/heating if your video card is running too hard and remove the need to launch through the launcher at all. Some reasons that there could be lag in TS3:

- Badly formulated downloaded content. Those 20mb shoes you downloaded from TSR? Trash them. I've fixed a few bad downloads using the compressor/blue lot fix tool by Delphy (Fixes some other errors also) but some user creations are eaten/disabled by the compressor. It's hard to determine what makes a creation bad, but usually if a single file is larger than other files of the same sort of content, it's your call to delete it or suffer. You shouldn't have to worry about EA Store items if that's all your custom content consists of.
- Bad Game Mods.
- An over populated neighborhood. Start a new hood and see if you have the same lag issues.
- Moving camera lag, other graphical lag, monitor shutting off. FPS is too high, use fpslimter. Your graphic card may also suck regardless.
- Too much downloaded content. In my tests with forceably causing my game to have too much content, this only caused loading screens to become much too long. You need more RAM or less content.
- CAST lag (Changing patterns/colors)- the userpreset file with your modified patterns becomes corrupt, delete it. Memory leaks with paterns may be unavoidable for some, restarting the computer/more ram might help.

None of these problems are from the launcher.

[jonas]

I think you may have misunderstood me.  I'm not deleting all of my EA folder in my documents; simply the downloads in the downloads folder and also uninstalling them from the launcher.  I'm hoping this will help kill the lag time from the package folders I've transferred them all to. Worse comes to worse, I will have to re-install all the simspack files again, which are mostly useless now anyway. I won't be deleting the launcher.  I just want to find out how to enter the game without it like I hear people doing all the time.

Thanks, Nanacake - I'll be sure to delete the DCCache as well!

I'm going to check out this 3booter also.

My reasoning for doing this was that I think that the game is pulling out double the number of files for me.  The package files and the downloaded sims3pack files.  I'm about to find out whether I'll be playing tonight or if I'm in some sort of lagging, nightmarish hell.

[jonas]

Well, I've achieved laggy, nightmarish hell anyway.  My town still isn't loaded and somehow, I've lost Riverview.  I purposely tried to keep that.  I think I still haven't properly deleted everything I intended to yet.  According to the task manager, the game takes about twice as much memory to run as it did before I started this venture.  This makes me think it's doubling the files it's retrieving.

Other than the previously mentioned things, I don't understand why the game would lag so much more with just the package files rather than the Sims3pack files.  At this point, my Sims2 would be loaded up a while ago by now and that has nearly 7gb of cc in it.  I don't even have 1 gb of package files for Sims3.  It is still loading.

I really don't know what to do other than this.  I really feel the "workaround" that everyone is using is not a long-term fix and that sooner or later, we will have to have all the store stuff as package files or be screwed.  Any thoughts?

[snowbawl]

Yeah, here's a thought: don't double post.

Also, I suspect you are an idiot.

[jonas]

Sorry - I didn't see that as a double post so much as rather an update of what I was trying to do. 

As for the idiocy, sure; I guess I'm an idiot because none of this makes any sense at all to me as I'm a gamer - not a programmer.  All I want to do, is, make my houses and families so that they can run through the flowered fields of Sunset Valley and procreate to their little pixelhearts content.  All I know, is, I've been unable to play this game without the cc because nothing looks right without it.  The above posters indicate that package files can easily be substituted without much lagging.  I suspected that the downloaded files in the documents folder and on the launcher were contributing to my giant lag, but perhaps it's just the package files after all.  That doesn't make a lot of sense to me as they don't take up nearly the space that my Sims 2 package files did.  I've already stated how I feel about the workaround.  Do you have any ideas about this?

[snowbawl]

Alrighty "gamer", let's test a theory.

Did you have store content installed via the launcher in Sims3pack form prior to the latest patch?

[jonas]

Yes. All of my store content was installed via the launcher. 

[snowbawl]

I am assuming that your store content suddenly disappeared post patch, yes?  So why not use the quick fix?  Instead, you uninstall and delete everything and then turn it all into package files, knowing that this very process might cause great lag on certain rigs?

[jonas]

Yes - that's exactly what happened.  Originally, I was just going to wait until the next patch to see what happened, but my day off got the better of me and I really wanted to play.  The package file replacement method seemed like a more realistic option than the fix. (I didn't know the lag would be so much!) I believe that eventually the "fix" will be useless or need to be fixed further and that ultimately, package files will be the only solution to keeping the cc rather than using the launcher.  Maybe I am way off on that I'll concede, but, I would like to understand more about what is causing this lag as my computer shouldn't be having an issue with that.

[snowbawl]

If you had read the thread I linked earlier, you would have found explicit instructions on how to get your store content to magically reappear WITHOUT doing anything drastic.  Took me all of two minutes, voila.  I even got Riverview to show up, how exciting!  That took another minute.
If another patch comes out that borks that set-up, would take me all of two minutes to change it back to the way it was.

Why would I resort to such a quick, easy, and harmless fix?  Because I am not an idiot.

[jonas]

I saw all the threads actually.  I've been reading thread after thread on this site for days now.  Thanks for your help.  Have a nice day.

[speedreader]

Poor Jonus.  You got yourself caught in the middle of two lines of thought at MATY.

Since you have tried the convert to package theory and met with problems, now maybe try the other method.  Even if you are right and Sims3 will continue to have store/launcher problems, you will be able to play your game in the meantime. 

As a sidenote, I am a gamer not a programmer also.  Frequently I have no idea what the posts here are talking about, but I follow the directions these brilliant folks post and generally come out ahead.  If I can't find the answer here I check at ModtheSims and compare the two sites.  Between the two I have never had a problem that I couldn't identify and usually solve (assuming my computer was capable of the fix).  Just overlook the "idiot" kinds of comments and go with the real meat of what is being said. 

I hope you can get your game running okay, until the next EA screwup!

[jmtmom]

I usually try to stay out of the fray here, but the method suggested by snowbawl is simple and easy to undo. It should always be tried first. The conversion to packages is tedious and hard to undo. It should be considered as a last resort.

[jonas]

I made a mistake and went with the package file route but am working on the other one now.  It wasn't completely a bad thing re-installing all the store content as I was able to organize some files and get rid of ones I didn't want anyway. 

However, my only problem now, is, since I re-downloaded all my store content, those files don't appear in the .dbc files.  So that's an issue.

I usually seem to go the more tedious and destructive routes with these kinds of issues which is one reason I stay away from programming. I'm not mad or anything. I've been coming to this Awesome site for over 5 years now, so I know what to expect when posting.