Merging mods to increase Performance!

[jesuisdvd]

I want to convert the animals abound set and other objects of sims store who has the install error, i do all in the tutorial, i delete the 0x73E93EEB files, and i save into a package file, i save in the mods folder, and in the DCCACHE, i add the line in the resource cfg but when i playing, the object doesnt appear, what can i do?

EDIT:
I do it again and it works, thanks so much for your tutorial!!!

[katierose]

I have been trying to make this work. I have manged to kinda make it work. I have no clue what i should deleat. I have read this post sevreal times and sitll dont get. Oh well it seemed to work ok with out me deleating anything. I have found this helpful. It was driveing me nuts not being able to get the store stuff to work.
Thanks so much

[jesuisdvd]

I have been trying to make this work. I have manged to kinda make it work. I have no clue what i should deleat. I have read this post sevreal times and sitll dont get. Oh well it seemed to work ok with out me deleating anything. I have found this helpful. It was driveing me nuts not being able to get the store stuff to work.
Thanks so much

You want to edit(whit notepad) the "resource.cfg" (in the main folder of the sims 3), an add this command line  PackedFile Mods/Packages/*.dbc   it works to me...

[KawaiiMiyo]

     Okay, tried this myself, got a few errors. I'll claim ignorance and admit I'm just diving in, following steps, but not really understanding the technical stuff.  I got the latest version, went to New-> Import as .dbc -> Selected all my converted .package files. First problem, the moment I hit "Open" I got a popup message "C:\Documentsandsettings\...\...\0xe is not found"
    After that, Looking at the first 3 letters of the filenames, I just selected all up until the end of the ones that began with 0xd. I was able to move on. At some point in the middle, one file said a manual merge was needed? Then it continued on, and after another short while, another error came up. Something about an unexpected instance or something, where "DBPF" was expected, but "DPPF" showed up instead. Then gave me the option to terminate the program, which I did.
     Searched for anyone else having these problems, found nothing, and here I am. I'll imagine somewhere I screwed up while creating packages. Can anyone else make sense of what that "0xe is not found" thing is? or that "DPPF" issue? ^_^ Thanks.

    

[Clara]

    Searched for anyone else having these problems, found nothing, and here I am. I'll imagine somewhere I screwed up while creating packages. Can anyone else make sense of what that "0xe is not found" thing is? or that "DPPF" issue? ^_^ Thanks.

The DBPP error means you didn't compressorize that sims3pack before extracting it to package--make sure to do that for every one. As for the other, I've never run into it but have you tried renaming those problem files and seeing if they import?

[nilniliel]

I don't think anyone here can turn your oversized PDA into a proper computer. Other than that, the reason there is no answer, is simply because there is no answer.

Aw, but it's such a pretty PDA! Thanks for your brute honesty, my poor pitiful hopes were waiting to be dashed. Now I can move on to other stuff! XD

The only way to get windows stuff running on a Mac OS is to do a boot camp arrangement and to have two OSs.

I've thought about doing that, and then I realized I didn't care THAT much about the Sims, so I'll pass. Thanks though!

[joesome]

Is there a way for a Mac user to do this? I have seen two others ask this question but no one has answered them. If anyone knows how to get an .exe file running on a Mac, that'd be terrific, but as of yet, downloading it via MTS doesn't allow for any other platform than Windows.

You could try to run it with Crossover. http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/ There's a free trial or a torrent somewhere on the web.
It's an emulator, so no need to actually install Windows on your beloved mac. I find Crossover to be kind of wonky though, not every program you run with it works properly. I'll try to run s3pe with it myself when I find the time.

[Anach]

Is there a way for a Mac user to do this? I have seen two others ask this question but no one has answered them. If anyone knows how to get an .exe file running on a Mac, that'd be terrific, but as of yet, downloading it via MTS doesn't allow for any other platform than Windows.

You could try to run it with Crossover. http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxmac/ There's a free trial or a torrent somewhere on the web.
It's an emulator, so no need to actually install Windows on your beloved mac. I find Crossover to be kind of wonky though, not every program you run with it works properly. I'll try to run s3pe with it myself when I find the time.

How about some kind of VM. Mac must have something like that? http://i.imgur.com/7fzi2.jpg

[ZombieRain]

I am having problems getting my clothing, hair, and objects to work.

I figured the first option to look at is user error so here is what I am doing and what is happening.

1) Open s3pe. (The version I downloaded from the first post)
2) Select File>New
3) Select Resource>Import>(EXPERIMENTAL) As dbc...
4) Select the "sims 3 package" files I want to import.
5) The program then begins importing and I wait for it to finish.
*6)A popup shows up that says:
"Microsoft.NET Framework

Unhandled exception has occurred in your application. If you click continue, the application will ignore this error and attempt to continue. If you click quit, the application will close immediately.

Exception of type 'System.OutOfMemoryException' was thrown"

At the time of the message only 70% of my ram is being used so I am not sure if my ram is the problem. I believe I have the required net framework but I will double check.
7)If I click continue I get the list of package files with all the numbers and letters as names.
8 ) I input "0x73E93EEB" into resource type and filter my files.
9) I delete the files with the instance "0x0000000000000000"
10) I then turn off the filter and save the file in my mods folder as a package file.
*11) After saving simpe then changes to Not Responding and I have to force quit.
12) I start up the game and my downloads are missing.

I have 203mb of objects, 1.22gb of hair, and 944mb of clothing.
I did not put any hacks or mods into files and I have .dbc files enabled in my framework.

[Mosquito]

And what about deleting?

Specifically - My .dbc files which I`ve moved to my Mods/DCCache folder contain not only store, but "regular" items as well (as in, third-party stuff). Is there a way for me to see which files are store items and which are not inside the .dbc file, so that I can pick them out (I want to keep only store items in those, and plop in new store items as I install them, to keep everything in one place)? It didn`t occur to me to do this BEFORE I patched, ungfff...I like things nice and clean.

[Inge]

Ok, the new release of s3pe was borked and we backed it out.  You have to use the one Peter made as the dbc experiment again

[Simstatic]

Make sure you get the experimental version from the first post in this thread.

Hi, at the risk of sounding really stupid: Is there a link for the experimental s3pe.  I used the link at the beginning of this post which is for the new release version which I downloaded on 12th Jan).  I have read all the posts in this thread and don't seem to see another link.  I hope I have not missed it.  

[Anach]

Ok, the new release of s3pe was borked and we backed it out.  You have to use the one Peter made as the dbc experiment again

Thank you for letting us know

Make sure you get the experimental version from the first post in this thread.

Hi, at the risk of sounding really stupid: Is there a link for the experimental s3pe.  I used the link at the beginning of this post which is for the new release version which I downloaded on 12th Jan).  I have read all the posts in this thread and don't seem to see another link.  I hope I have not missed it.  

I've only just changed the link back to the experimental version, after reading Inge's post above.  http://sourceforge.net/projects/sims3tools/files/s3pe/1001-03-1524/

I am having problems getting my clothing, hair, and objects to work.

I figured the first option to look at is user error so here is what I am doing and what is happening.

1) Open s3pe. (The version I downloaded from the first post)
2) Select File>New
3) Select Resource>Import>(EXPERIMENTAL) As dbc...
4) Select the "sims 3 package" files I want to import.
5) The program then begins importing and I wait for it to finish.
*6)A popup shows up that says:
"Microsoft.NET Framework

Unhandled exception has occurred in your application. If you click continue, the application will ignore this error and attempt to continue. If you click quit, the application will close immediately.

Exception of type 'System.OutOfMemoryException' was thrown"

At the time of the message only 70% of my ram is being used so I am not sure if my ram is the problem. I believe I have the required net framework but I will double check.
7)If I click continue I get the list of package files with all the numbers and letters as names.
8 ) I input "0x73E93EEB" into resource type and filter my files.
9) I delete the files with the instance "0x0000000000000000"
10) I then turn off the filter and save the file in my mods folder as a package file.
*11) After saving simpe then changes to Not Responding and I have to force quit.
12) I start up the game and my downloads are missing.

I have 203mb of objects, 1.22gb of hair, and 944mb of clothing.
I did not put any hacks or mods into files and I have .dbc files enabled in my framework.

As Inge posted above, make sure you get the experimental version that I have updated the link to just now, that should stop the error, if it doesn't, then it's most likely a lack of RAM. Also it's normal for s3pe to go into a state of "not responding" while saving such a large file, just let it run until it saves. The largest file I save is around 250MB. If all else fails you can try dividing your items up into small files (Female hair, male hair, etc).

Also, you don't need to save the files as .dbc, you can save as the default name which is .package, there is no difference in format. This will save you altering your resource.cfg

And what about deleting?

Specifically - My .dbc files which I`ve moved to my Mods/DCCache folder contain not only store, but "regular" items as well (as in, third-party stuff). Is there a way for me to see which files are store items and which are not inside the .dbc file, so that I can pick them out (I want to keep only store items in those, and plop in new store items as I install them, to keep everything in one place)? It didn`t occur to me to do this BEFORE I patched, ungfff...I like things nice and clean.

Once you move a .dbc to your mods folder you will no longer be able to remove items from it, instead you will need to recreate it if you wish to alter it's contents. For keeping mods organised you can create your own .dbc following the instructions of this thread on page 1. You can do what I do and keep your official paid store stuff in the official launcher, keep everything else in separate custom .dbc files in your mods directory.

[ZombieRain]

As Inge posted above, make sure you get the experimental version that I have updated the link to just now, that should stop the error, if it doesn't, then it's most likely a lack of RAM. Also it's normal for s3pe to go into a state of "not responding" while saving such a large file, just let it run until it saves. The largest file I save is around 250MB. If all else fails you can try dividing your items up into small files (Female hair, male hair, etc).

Also, you don't need to save the files as .dbc, you can save as the default name which is .package, there is no difference in format. This will save you altering your resource.cfg

I have the version that was posted on the main page on 13/01/10. The problem still happens with the larger number of files. However when doing my 200MB files it only tells me that xml files need to be merged separately or what ever the message is.

I believe that now with this added on to my problem it begins to resemble a problem earlier on in this post so I will look there for answers. I may just split all my files up like you said. Thank you for the reply.


I am now getting a different error message even with the smaller file sizes:

"s3pe

Unhandled blah balh same as behore if yo uchoose quit blah immediately.

Exception has been throws by the target of an invocation."

So roughly the same as before except the last line and the title of the popup. My object files only gave my the xml popup and this is only an error with hairs and clothing so I may check for more conflicts in case I missed any.

Another popup reading :

System.InvalidOperationException: Collection was modified; enumeration operation may not execute.

   at System.Collections.ArrayList.ArrayListEnumeratorSimple.MoveNext()

   at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ExitInternal()

   at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ThreadContext.OnThreadException(Exception t)

   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.WndProcException(Exception e)

   at System.Windows.Forms.Control.ControlNativeWindow.OnThreadException(Exception e)

   at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.Callback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)

   at System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.DispatchMessageW(MSG& msg)

   at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ComponentManager.System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNativeMethods.IMsoComponentManager.FPushMessageLoop(Int32 dwComponentID, Int32 reason, Int32 pvLoopData)

   at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ThreadContext.RunMessageLoopInner(Int32 reason, ApplicationContext context)

   at System.Windows.Forms.Application.ThreadContext.RunMessageLoop(Int32 reason, ApplicationContext context)

   at System.Windows.Forms.Application.Run(Form mainForm)

   at S3PIDemoFE.Program.Main(String[] args)

appears after as well I have no idea if this is important or not.

(Sorry for the long post!) I don't know if this has anything to do with my errors but I am running Windows 7. I do have framework 3.5 installed but the s3pe says it is using 2.0 so that may be where the problem lays. I have no idea why this is happening for my 3.5 is enabled. I will look on other windows 7 help sites to find an answer to that part.


************** Loaded Assemblies **************
mscorlib
    Assembly Version: 2.0.0.0
    Win32 Version: 2.0.50727.4927 (NetFXspW7.050727-4900)
    CodeBase: file:///C:/Windows/Microsoft.NET/Framework/v2.0.50727/mscorlib.dll
----------------------------------------

[Anach]

1. Make sure you are using revision 1001-03-1524. There were issues with the latest version.

2. The only conflicts you should be getting are those xml manifests with a specific type stated in post 1, which appear to be remnants of the sims3pack conversion process. Those are safe to delete. Any other XML conflicts you get are most likely conflicting mods.

3. If larger files are causing issues, and smaller files are not, then try merging your larger mods into smaller separate files, as stated above. See if you still have the issue. Keep in mind that you may have to re-merge files later if you wish to update something, so keeping them in categories and smaller files makes it quicker and easier to merge again.

4. I have come across some mods which will cause errors when merged, which in all my cases so far have been related to errors with those mods.

What are your system specs?

[ZombieRain]

------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 1/14/2010, 13:59:02
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit (6.1, Build 7600) (7600.win7_rtm.090713-1255)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: P5Q DELUXE
BIOS: BIOS Date: 03/25/09 09:46:13 Ver: 08.00.14
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU    Q8400  @ 2.66GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 3328MB RAM
Page File: 1922MB used, 4729MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled

This is just the basic dxdiag file. If there are specifies you need then just say so. I checked the version I have installed and it says 1001-03-1524.

I have tried splitting my files into smaller ones around 200mb and I still have the problem so I am guessing it is my actual content then so I will begin checking for errors in those. Objects work clothes and hair do not.

I'm off to make sure that the object files are working because they did not get the error message (Except for the xml but I'll try to fix that on my own so I don't bother you with that)

I packed all mods except script mods (xml tweaks, core mods)

Most conflicts I let it resolve by deleting duplicate records automatically, except in cases of xml type files with the resource key of "0x0000000000000000" (see below)

After the import was complete, I deleted all the type "0x73E93EEB" _xml files with a instance of "0x0000000000000000" , as these manifest files appear to be leftovers from the sims3pack versions of the file and don't seem to be required by the game, but will be a main source of conflicts.

I have not packed any form of hack or file that modifies game behavior. I just clicked okay and let the program work things out. I delete the specified xml files.

I'm headed for a tl;dr soon :\

[Trystiane]

I don't know if this will help, but here's how I got mine to work...

I had to create multiple smalller merges with no more than 199 items each, AND I made sure to categorize and merge by type ex:  objects, CAS items, and patterns (although i think patterns are okay with objects if a few slip through). 

I made sure to run all sims3packs through the compressorizer before using Delphy's multipack extractor to get the package files.

Once extracted I ran all package files through the blue lot fixer, and made sure to run the game at least once with the package files and the process monitor to make sure they weren't slowing down my game.

I imported custom items NOT made by EA using "from file" not "as dbc (experimental)".  I only imported EA store stuff "as dbc".  I saved both as .package files.  [grammer note:  I know that technically the end quote should come after the period, but I'm sacrificing for clarity.]  The benefit of importing "from file" is that the xml will merge automatically except for a single instance of the 0x00000000 files.  I don't know if the package files are bigger that way, but my game runs great.

Good luck, I hope you get it to work!

[ZombieRain]

I'm running the process monitor right now to look for any bad files.

I currently have less than 200 files in a folder and less than 250MB in folders labled: Hair1, Hair 2, etc

I do not have any sims3packs for I just install them with the launcher unless its new store stuff which I have already got working fine.

I have already used the blue lot fixer on the files I will just run the merged packages through afterwards to see how that goes.

I will try to use the "from file" option to see if it helps at all.

I would have understood if your grammar was correct, thank you for trying to clarify for everyone.

Thank you for the reply. I will try out everything as soon as possible and post results. I also need to look at the whole "Only reading 2.2 framework" issue.

EDIT: I am successfully importing my files without any type of error messages. I ran the process monitor and found a few errors and fixed those. I have found that the "from file" options works for my but not the experimental one.

My hair and clothes still do not show up in game. I am however now able to create packages at least.

When run through the blue lot checker it comes up with an error so I'll go to the support for that to see what to fix.

Edit 2: I run the files through the blue lot and they are coming through clean. I am genuinely stumped.

[Anach]

I'm running the process monitor right now to look for any bad files.

I currently have less than 200 files in a folder and less than 250MB in folders labled: Hair1, Hair 2, etc

I do not have any sims3packs for I just install them with the launcher unless its new store stuff which I have already got working fine.

I have already used the blue lot fixer on the files I will just run the merged packages through afterwards to see how that goes.

I will try to use the "from file" option to see if it helps at all.

I would have understood if your grammar was correct, thank you for trying to clarify for everyone.

Thank you for the reply. I will try out everything as soon as possible and post results. I also need to look at the whole "Only reading 2.2 framework" issue.

EDIT: I am successfully importing my files without any type of error messages. I ran the process monitor and found a few errors and fixed those. I have found that the "from file" options works for my but not the experimental one.

My hair and clothes still do not show up in game. I am however now able to create packages at least.

When run through the blue lot checker it comes up with an error so I'll go to the support for that to see what to fix.

Edit 2: I run the files through the blue lot and they are coming through clean. I am genuinely stumped.

It seems to me that if it's only hair and clothing not working, then something in those huge amounts of hair and clothes is broken in some shape or form. Bluelotfixer or procmon wont detect everything. Your only option is to go through packages in small groups until you find the packages that are causing errors during merge. You will probably find a lot of them, as there are a lot of bad hair packs and clothes out there, in fact there are a lot of mods out there that are broken in one way or another. I have cut my hair collection down to about 150Mb of the best hairs. It pays to be extremely fussy, as later these issues will often cause game issues, slowdowns, crashes etc.

Fixing mods is always an option, if you know what you are doing. I have fixed quite a few now, and so has my Wife. I do not have one single file now that will not import as .dbc. There were some broken mods which would only import as package, and even though they showed in game, they still cause issues. Once fixed, they import fine. With the sheer amount of hair and clothing you have ( 10x more than me) you are likely to have some crap in there.

As for Procmon, it's hard to tell someone what to look for in terms of bad files. Not every file is going to give you a massive count in the thousands, but 99% of the time the count (Tools>Count Occurrences>Path) will be proportional to the amount of files in the package, and I usually use the official .dbc as a guide as to highs and lows. Essentially if my official .dbc is 600Mb, then a 300Mb file should be lower in the count. I usually clear the procmon window once the game is loaded, run the game for 5 mins, have a quick look around my lot, or use the new items I have just loaded by entering CAS/Build/Buy. An example would be that if a single hair package, I know as good, has a count of 50 when worn in CAS, and another has a count of 500 when worn in CAS, then I'd tend to think the seocnd has something wrong with it. I set myself a limit on hits for certain file types and use a specific test routine each time I enter the game, to try keep the procmon test consistent across mods.

[Inge]

The blue lot fixer isn't relevant to CAS parts in any case.  It's only for objects.

[Anach]

The blue lot fixer isn't relevant to CAS parts in any case.  It's only for objects.

In those cases I merely use it as a check to see whether the freshly merged packages will open or not. Sometimes a file will open ok in s3pe (such as modifed extracted sims3pack packages), but will not open in the game or bluelotfixer. Much easier to check this way than launching the game.

[Arkali]

Hi :-)  I'm having horrible issues with this.  I've followed the instructions on page one, and for the most part everything went fine.  Firstly, I'm working with arr'd store files only - no third party mods or custom content.  There have been some issues of the "magic DBF" error - I'm in the process of nuking the files that generated that error.  The problem, in a nutshell, is that merged files aren't showing up in game.  As a test I extracted all the store files into packages, put them in my mods folder as per normal and loaded the game - they did all load show up (eventually - it's not even an option to play this way - the game took 45 minutes to load and even after loading was so bogged down as to be virtually unplayable) which was my main purpose - I just wanted to make sure that they did work and that my directory structure was set up correctly.  However, when I went back and re-merged all the files - nada.  The game's loading fine and quickly, but none of the CC is showing up. 

The only other thing I can think of is that I am *not* importing as DBC - it glitches if I try.  I am importing .package files, leaving the default setting of "replace duplicates" (I think that's it - it IS the default, though) and then after everything is imported clicking "Save as..." and having the file be body.package or clothing.package, etc.  Apologies for any vagueness - I'm posting from a different computer so am trying to describe everything from memory.  Anyway, if anyone has any input, I'd appreciate it.

PS:  I'd also like to add that the Magic DBF thing is NOT necessarily due to trying to extract non-compressorized files.  I went back last night and deleted everything (the extracted .package files, merged .package files, etc.), ran the sims 3 packages through compressorizor, unpacked them, merged them, nada.

[Anach]

Hi :-)  I'm having horrible issues with this.  I've followed the instructions on page one, and for the most part everything went fine.  Firstly, I'm working with arr'd store files only - no third party mods or custom content.  There have been some issues of the "magic DBF" error - I'm in the process of nuking the files that generated that error.  The problem, in a nutshell, is that merged files aren't showing up in game.  As a test I extracted all the store files into packages, put them in my mods folder as per normal and loaded the game - they did all load show up (eventually - it's not even an option to play this way - the game took 45 minutes to load and even after loading was so bogged down as to be virtually unplayable) which was my main purpose - I just wanted to make sure that they did work and that my directory structure was set up correctly.  However, when I went back and re-merged all the files - nada.  The game's loading fine and quickly, but none of the CC is showing up. 

The only other thing I can think of is that I am *not* importing as DBC - it glitches if I try.  I am importing .package files, leaving the default setting of "replace duplicates" (I think that's it - it IS the default, though) and then after everything is imported clicking "Save as..." and having the file be body.package or clothing.package, etc.  Apologies for any vagueness - I'm posting from a different computer so am trying to describe everything from memory.  Anyway, if anyone has any input, I'd appreciate it.

PS:  I'd also like to add that the Magic DBF thing is NOT necessarily due to trying to extract non-compressorized files.  I went back last night and deleted everything (the extracted .package files, merged .package files, etc.), ran the sims 3 packages through compressorizor, unpacked them, merged them, nada.

Read back a over the past few pages, all the answers are there. It sounds like the files you have are corrupted and the game is taking forever to read them. You need to check with resource monitor and also fix the errors. All the answers are here.

[ZombieRain]

I have been trying to cut down on my hair and clothing for I don't know how long. The problem is that I stupidly did not rename the files to give me any indication of which one is which, and when using different package manager programs the icons do not show up. I truly only use about 20-30 hairs at most and the clothing has only around 40 pieces I use. I need to find a way to filter and delete the whole extra GB I have laying around. I do not know how to fix mods so I won't even try in the risk that I will break things even more.

Would attempting to import every file to see which ones cause an error work? (I am willing to allocate my time to this.)

EDIT: I just realized that my objects are not working either. The only cc working are store items and things that were installed through the launcher.

Delphy has just released this program:

http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=387006

It's basically designed to let people easily clear the cache and identify problem content.

This tool has 3 main tasks:

- To easily show you which games you have, whether or not they have a full framework, and to browse to that games root folder.
- To show you the contents of the Sims 3 cache files, and clear them
- To show you all of your custom content in .package format, and display any "corrupted" files, or Sims 2 content, or stuff that just plain wont work.

I'm going to try this to see if it helps my problem at all. It probably won't find all my corrupt packages but it is worth a try.


I've got everything working. I had to do everything on a vista emulation on my mac
Thanks for the method though. Shaved off around 20 minutes of lead time.

[Turd Ferguson]

Success!

I love you folks. I thought after EA dropped 1.8 on us I'd never see the store content again. But you people are geniuses of all this technobabble.