Merging mods to increase Performance!

[Tempo]

hey can someone help me with the SP3 installation? -_- well I don't need help installing it, its just that I don't know what version to install because I have Windows Vista. Not XP and I only see search results FOR Windows XP
x.x

I used the SP3 from the first page and it works just fine for me I have Vista 64. It might say the program is not responding when merging and loading the files but it will work just fine.

[morriganrant]

hey can someone help me with the SP3 installation? -_- well I don't need help installing it, its just that I don't know what version to install because I have Windows Vista. Not XP and I only see search results FOR Windows XP
x.x

I am using Vista on this machine:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/sims3tools/files/
I'm using the s3pe_1006-05-1643.7z file. No installing. Just extract to it's own folder and run from the .exe within. There looks to be an update out though. Just grab the one that is the version number, not the one that says "source" in the name, and the .exe download is only a necessity if you really like installers. I have no problem, although, I have UAC off.

[Anach]

Is there a method, if any, for splitting a merged package into 2 smaller ones?

That would be extremely messy. You are best to simply re-merge and make smaller packages.

[BriarRosethorn]

I attempted this, at first with a large number of files, but soon realized that I was trying to merge too many files as I kept receiving error messages.

Once I started merging a smaller amount of files, I stopped receiving these messages, but after saving a newly merged file, S3PE stops responding. I'm not sure why this is or if this is at all normal.

[morriganrant]

I attempted this, at first with a large number of files, but soon realized that I was trying to merge too many files as I kept receiving error messages.

Once I started merging a smaller amount of files, I stopped receiving these messages, but after saving a newly merged file, S3PE stops responding. I'm not sure why this is or if this is at all normal.

If you want a tutorial with a few pics:
http://club-crimsyn.dreamwidth.org/28336.html?#cutid1

As for S3PEs response going to "not responding", as far as  can tell, that is normal. Just wait for it to finish. I have about 10 -15 that I've done and a majority of these have stopped responding while they were saving. If you keep an eye on the file that you are saving while it's doing this, you will see that in comparison to finished ones, it looks to be much smaller then it ought to be, and much larger after S3PE returns to normal. So just kill a minute or so on MATY while you are waiting on S3pe.

[ZombieRain]

Can we merge the merged files? Or would this be completely redundant and just create a huge package file that our games can not handle?

[Baarogue]

Can we merge the merged files? Or would this be completely redundant and just create a huge package file that our games can not handle?

You can, but it's not that important to trim one or even a dozen or so files out of the mix. What's important is to prune the hundreds-thousands of files down to a more manageable number. I have merged my "official" content into a dozen+ .package files and have another couple dozen player-content .packages and have seen no significant reduction in performance or load times compared to when I had merged everything into six. Also there's a recommended upper limit to the file size. I believe the exact number is somewhere else in this thread.

[ZombieRain]

Okay, thank you.
I as just unsure of whether the game slows down because of sheer number of files or the size of them. I believe the number is something along the lines of 250MB so I'll keep my files around there.

If I have all my CC down to roughly 30 packages, (all under 150mb), and my game is still slow should I look elsewhere for the solution? Like converting my launcher files?

[ShortyBoo]

I've merged most of my files down now. Actually, this is the second time I've had to do it. My hard drive died right after I did it last time, but luckily I had saved the pre-merged .package files on an external hard drive. Anyway, I was just wondering if there's anything that shouldn't be merged into a single package? I'm especially wondering about default replacement skintones. I have HP's replacement skintones and with all the ages and separate body and face files, there's a total of 20 package files. If I combined those into 1 file, would they still work? Or would it cause problems?

[Tangie]

Somewhere in this long thread, I seem to remember someone saying that they merged their skins and they worked fine. I choose not to merge mine yet since I'm not sure I will keep them. It wouldn't hurt to keep backup files just in case it doesn't work, though.

[ShortyBoo]

Ok, thanks. So this leaves my mods as the only things I didn't merge now, but I won't bother since every time a patch or EP comes out, they'll need to be updated.

[MuggleLouise]

I just wanted to say thanks for the guide that you posted. My game was incredibly slow and it runs as if I don't have any CC in the game. It's awesome! However, the only way I could get my CC to show up in the game after I merged it was to save it as a .dbc file instead of a .package file and then placing it in the DOCUMENTS/ELECTRONIC ARTS/THE SIMS 3/MODS/DCCACHE folder.

[gelfling]

I have merged the default skins that I use and all's well. I have also merged the slider mods that I use.

[aya_alexa]

i would like to ask if there a size limit for every package made? i made 4 packages of  peggys hair and are 210+ in size and im not sure but i think some of the CC hair doesn't show, is the size the reason?

[tizerist]

I set myself a limit of about 230mb, then I'll break it down if it gets any bigger.

[morriganrant]

I just wanted to say thanks for the guide that you posted. My game was incredibly slow and it runs as if I don't have any CC in the game. It's awesome! However, the only way I could get my CC to show up in the game after I merged it was to save it as a .dbc file instead of a .package file and then placing it in the DOCUMENTS/ELECTRONIC ARTS/THE SIMS 3/MODS/DCCACHE folder.

Configure your Resource.cfg to read .dbc files, then you can place the .dbc files in with your other custom. You also probably have some kind of framework fail if your game wouldn't read the merged .package files.

[Loolitah]

Hello everyone. Really interesting and helpful post and its following comments.

I have a question. Anach mentions in the first post the possibility of converting .sims3pack to .package and then merging as in the tutorial.
Is it worth?

Thank you! 

[morriganrant]

Hello everyone. Really interesting and helpful post and its following comments.

I have a question. Anach mentions in the first post the possibility of converting .sims3pack to .package and then merging as in the tutorial.
Is it worth?

Thank you!  

The .dbc files that the launcher makes from your Sims3pack files and the merged file you are creating using simpe are pretty much the same thing(someone will correct me if I am wrong, I'm sure). I haven't noticed any speed difference over using one or the other, I have several of both. There are however, a few items in sims3pack that just will not install via the launcher. Usually ones from TSR, or made with their tool. It throws up a error when you try to install them, something about versions and you needing to patch, which is bullshit. If you want to avoid a headache of trying to install and them not installing, I'd extract the .packages and use simpe. Otherwise it's just trial and error, and then you end up extracting them and merging them anyway.

[Inge]

Can something be added to the top post to stop people opening a thread at my site every time they try to import HP's hair to a dbc?   Can they be told to get support in this thread rather than at simlogical, and then if Anach and associates spot there *is* an actual error in s3pe, or an improvement can be made, we'll take a report from yourselves.  Only it's getting kinda boring getting the same report over and over again, and we're getting tempted to remove the feature.

[Anach]

Can something be added to the top post to stop people opening a thread at my site every time they try to import HP's hair to a dbc?   Can they be told to get support in this thread rather than at simlogical, and then if Anach and associates spot there *is* an actual error in s3pe, or an improvement can be made, we'll take a report from yourselves.  Only it's getting kinda boring getting the same report over and over again, and we're getting tempted to remove the feature.

I've simplified the original post to hopefully take care of it.

[Alicelove]

Just wanted to let people know, in case there are any idiots (like me) reading who want to remove files from their merged package and don't have a backup. (I know, I know, but it's also useful for people who don't feel like re-merging just to remove a couple files they don't want anymore, as it's significantly faster.) I just successfully used Sims 3 Package Explorer to re-save my patterns package without 14 files I didn't want. It was incredibly easy, and rather self-explanatory. The entire process took me about five minutes (or less, once I figured it out).

Unfortunately, this only works this easily with patterns. My other merged packages were way too hard (for me) to sort through, though someone more awesome than me (ha!) may figure it out. Nevertheless, it's a good starting point.

Tutorial for the Non-Awesome (Like Me)
1. Obviously, backup the file you're messing around in.
2. Start the Package Explorer and open the package you want to edit.
3. You will see a list of files and a preview window. You can identify individual objects/patterns, etc. in several ways, but the easiest for me was by image (because, y'know, then I knew what I was looking at). It is easiest to pick out individual items if you do NOT sort the list - leave it the way it is.
4. Under the drop-down menu in the preview window, choose "image".
5. Click an Icon, any Icon (you'll see them identified under "type").
6. You will notice that immediately before or after the icon in the list, there will be three other files which share either the same full Id, or the same first 10 characters of the Id as the Icon. This is the rest of the file that makes up the item (obviously).
7. Select (highlight) all items you want to keep (which, depending on how many packages you have, may take a while). This means all four files of each item.
8. With your items selected, go to "Edit->Copy".
9. Click the "create new package" button (it's the little sheet of paper in the left-hand corner, just like MS Word).
10. Go to "Edit->Paste".
11. Save your new package and test it out in-game to make sure you've removed/saved all you intended.

That's it. It's that simple. Again though, this only worked because my patterns were in a merged package by themselves and were kind enough to be sorted for me. If anyone has improvements on this technique for other types of content, have at it!

Edit: Fixed some minor spelling and grammar errors (including a very irritating "to" that should have been a "too"), because I wrote this at 3am.

[Sigmund]

Thanks for the directions. I actually just downloaded some messed up patterns, and stupidly merged them without testing, so that'll be helpful.

[Freezerburn]

What about decrapifying? When should I need to decrapify the stuffs? Do I need to do it after repackaging them?

EDIT: What is the number of about 200 Mb packages I can have before my game started to lag?

[ShortyBoo]

What about decrapifying? When should I need to decrapify the stuffs? Do I need to do it after repackaging them?

EDIT: What is the number of about 200 Mb packages I can have before my game started to lag?

Right now I have over 100 .packages in my game. While most are merged, there are several that aren't (like my mods) and the ones that are merged, I do by category, so that's the reason for the large number of merged packages. But my game doesn't lag with them all in there. It loads up to the save game select screen in less than a minute and the game all runs really smooth with no lag and everything loads fast. I don't know about decrapifying stuff since I never bother with any of that. I don't touch Sims3Pack files, unless I'm extracting them to .package, so there's never been any need for it.

[Anach]

What about decrapifying? When should I need to decrapify the stuffs? Do I need to do it after repackaging them?

EDIT: What is the number of about 200 Mb packages I can have before my game started to lag?

Decrapify is a personal preference, much like your brand of toothpaste. Read up one what it does and decide whether you want to do it.

I try to keep the packages under 100, but lag is a gradual thing, not something that jumps on you if you hit 101 packages. I've not noticed any difference between 10 packages or 80 packages. Originally I had about 700, which halved my FPS.

Keep in mind, that 200MB is only a sensible limit on file size for reducing merging times and RAM use for creating those large packages. The largest .package used by the game is around 1.9Gb, but creating that in S3PE would take a lot of time and memory.

Essentially, there are no hard rules, just what works for you.