Missing something?

[chalcedonyrose]

I'm trying to figure out why AwesomeMod isn't working for me. I've spent a considerable amount of time sifting through threads trying to figure this out, but I haven't seen any glaring errors on my part yet. Please pardon my ignorance.

I installed it in the new post ambitions way and it is in my documents/ea/sims3/mods/packages folder.
I DO have the new resources.cfg file and it is in the mods folder.
I don't have any other core mods or any mods that even alter gameplay options. (although originally I had NRaas Story Progression and I was trying to use a configured awesomemod with story progression turned off.)
I just updated my game with the new 4.2 and 1.14 patches.
I don't have the .dll files or anything relating to the old manner of installation anymore.

Is there something I'm missing?? Something I'm doing wrong? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Claeric]

A brain, maybe.

For one thing, there's a discussion thread literally one topic below this. For two, you didn't even tell us what the problem is, yet still expect people to solve it for you.

[KawaiiMiyo]

I don't have the .dll files or anything relating to the old manner of installation anymore.

I don't know what this "Post ambitions" way is, but I will say for myself, I'm still using those .dll files. And have a copy of that .dll file in the Bin folder of each expansion pack. I've had no problems yet.

[Motoki]

I don't know what this "Post ambitions" way is, but I will say for myself, I'm still using those .dll files. And have a copy of that .dll file in the Bin folder of each expansion pack. I've had no problems yet.

It is the new, yes post ambitions, officially EA sanctioned way to setup and install mods. See here: http://www.modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Installing_Sims_3_Package_Files/Old_Way_to_New_Way

And no, you don't need those dll files anymore if you set it up that way.

To the OP: Are you certain awesomemod isn't working? I get the impression sometimes that people expect it to show a splash screen with AWESOMEMOD!!! in 48 point neon font but it doesn't work that way. The changes are subtle until you really get into playing the game. It's pretty transparent honestly.

If you need to figure out if it's installed and running properly hit control shift and c and then type 'showconfig' in the box, hit enter and see if anything pops up. If you get menus with various settings it is running if it says command not found then it is not.

[chalcedonyrose]

I actually did test the showconfig in the cheats console. It says it's invalid.

[J. M. Pescado]

[chalcedonyrose]

So, setting the sarcastic answers aside, the best way to get it running is to return to the old method? Does anyone know if you can do the old method for awesomemod and the new for everything else?

[Chandria]

I actually did test the showconfig in the cheats console. It says it's invalid.

Obviously!  You didn't READ the setup instructions in the Manual at one of the TWO links in this sentence:
"The Manual is now too long to fit in a post and can be viewed here or here."
AND
You didn't click on the link that reads:
AwesomeMod Configuration Tool and set up the settings you want to use in your game,
 
and then:
 
You didn't SAVE the aweconfig.package to your computer and put it in your Mods folder WITH the Awesome.package!

So, as Pescado says, "FAIL!"

I didn't post the links to make you go back and READ!

Until you do, the Mod has NO instructions!

Do you need step-by-step instructions to breathe also?

P.S. You will find that this site has low tolerance for people that cannot search for, and read, plain simple instructions on setup and use of the Mods you find here.
Don't try shortcuts, READ and search and read moar!

[Claeric]

Um, aweconfig is not required to use awesomemod.

[Motoki]

So, setting the sarcastic answers aside, the best way to get it running is to return to the old method? Does anyone know if you can do the old method for awesomemod and the new for everything else?

It works just fine with the new method. Until you figure out what you did wrong it probably won't work with either method.

I'm going to guess it may be the resource.cfg and that maybe you inadvertently grabbed or copied the wrong one?

If your awesome.package is in My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Mods/Packages/ (or some subdirectory in Mods/Packages) then that's where it should be.

If your resource.cfg is in My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Mods/ then that's where it should be.

Next I would open up your resource.cfg in Notepad or some other text editor and make sure it looks something like this:

Code:

Priority 501
DirectoryFiles Files/... autoupdate
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

This above came directly out of the one linked from the Mod the Sims tutorial.

It's especially important that all of the paths NOT have "Mods" in them. So it should be 'PackedFile Packages/*.package' etc and not 'PackedFile Mods/Packages/*.package'. The old way had the resource.cfg in the directory one above the mods folder, but in the new way it's in the mods folder so it shouldn't reference it in the path or the game won't find it. If the mods folder is referenced in your resource cfg do a find and replace to replace mods with nothing or just copy and past the above.

If your resource.cfg checks out okay, no references to the mods folder or you fix it and it is still not working there's a tool to automatically configure your setup for using mods here:

http://www.customsims3.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=apcro2nboqq8po1ctc6pkadap1&topic=2420

[Chandria]

Um, aweconfig is not required to use awesomemod.

Technically, you're correct, but without the config file you need to reset each config  every time you start it, true?

The point of the post was to get him to go back and read moar.

[Claeric]

Then you should not have written it in such a way that it heavily implies that awesomemod is completely nonfunctional without aweconfig.

So, as Pescado says, "FAIL!"

I didn't post the links to make you go back and READ!

Until you do, the Mod has NO instructions!

[Chandria]

Then you should not have written it in such a way that it heavily implies that awesomemod is completely nonfunctional without aweconfig.

So, as Pescado says, "FAIL!"

I didn't post the links to make you go back and READ!

Until you do, the Mod has NO instructions!

Ah! I forgot to that part out in my preview edit.  I gotta remind myself to have two cups of coffee before I try to make sense in the morning. 

[Motoki]

If you don't use a config file you will simply get a fully functioning awesomemod with all the default settings as Pescado has set them.

To pacify people who wanted to turn this, that or the other setting on or off he made the configuration page that generates the file, but it's completely optional.

You can also change settings in the game via the setconfig command but those changes won't stick the next time you reload the game.

[chalcedonyrose]

Motoki:
Yea, I was wondering if there might be an issue with the resource.cfg file. I noticed last night that the photo thread linked with the thread that delineated the new method that his file had different contents than mine, but from some other stuff I saw in that thread I thought it had to do with the fact that he had a different folder heirarchy inside his mods/packages folder. I'll go and check my resource.cfg when I get home tonight and see if that's the case. Thanks for the help!

[KawaiiMiyo]

It is the new, yes post ambitions, officially EA sanctioned way to setup and install mods. See here: http://www.modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Installing_Sims_3_Package_Files/Old_Way_to_New_Way

And no, you don't need those dll files anymore if you set it up that way.

Ah, I see.  But is there any actual *need* to set them up that way? I mean if the old way has been working just fine still... Should I be concerned with doing it in an "EA sanctioned" way? Are there any benefits I'm not aware of? Or is this just an "Easier" method for those who haven't had it set up already?

[Motoki]

Ah, I see.  But is there any actual *need* to set them up that way? I mean if the old way has been working just fine still... Should I be concerned with doing it in an "EA sanctioned" way? Are there any benefits I'm not aware of? Or is this just an "Easier" method for those who haven't had it set up already?

If the way you have it now already works for you and you are happy with it, it should be fine. It's possible EA could do something to bork it up in the future, but seems unlikely they would intentionally bother doing so.

The main thing is you just have to copy that DLL over to the directory where the episode exe (ie TS3EP01.exe, TS3EP02.exe etc) is every time you install a new episode. The EA method eliminates that so it simplifies things a bit.

[chalcedonyrose]

I checked the resource.cfg file in my game and it seems it was the wrong one. I appear to have 4 copies of it in my recycle bin, including a couple that look very similar to the new one, but some of the later text is slightly different. So when I skimmed it yesterday to check it, I suppose I wasn't thorough enough! I redownloaded the one on MTS and now everything is working perfectly.
Thanks so much for the help!

EDIT: I just looked again at the resource.cfg file given here in the "How to install the framework and awesomemod" thread and it IS different from the one on MTS.

[Motoki]

That thread is old and was created prior to Ambitions and EA's new method for installing mods.

The resource.cfg Coconnor references is specifically for the old method of setting up for mods. You should not use it with the new method. You can't mix the methods, pick one and go with it.

The one SJActress references in the reply is for the new method and is fine to use. There may be some variation among the different resource.cfg files you encounter from different sources. That's fine but the main thing is if you are using the new method none of the paths in the resource.cfg should reference the 'mods' directory at all.

If you aren't sure follow the instructions at Mod the Sims to make sure the old way is uninstalled and you are installing the new way correctly. Follow them exactly and don't deviate. Get rid of any old resource.cfg files in the My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/ structure and all its subdirectories and use the one Mod the Sims links in the new way instructions or just use the tool I linked above.

[kookiekween]

Ah, I see.  But is there any actual *need* to set them up that way? I mean if the old way has been working just fine still... Should I be concerned with doing it in an "EA sanctioned" way? Are there any benefits I'm not aware of? Or is this just an "Easier" method for those who haven't had it set up already?

If the way you have it now already works for you and you are happy with it, it should be fine. It's possible EA could do something to bork it up in the future, but seems unlikely they would intentionally bother doing so.

Actually, with the old method, some mods work, others don't. Awesomemod works fine, but most of the script mods and custom content (hair, clothes, etc.) had no effect on my game after the update to 1.12 until I finally gave in and switched to the new method. Some stuff works will the old method, but as far as I can tell, all stuff works with the new method.

This is just my personal experience. Other people might have different results.

[Motoki]

Ah, I see.  But is there any actual *need* to set them up that way? I mean if the old way has been working just fine still... Should I be concerned with doing it in an "EA sanctioned" way? Are there any benefits I'm not aware of? Or is this just an "Easier" method for those who haven't had it set up already?

If the way you have it now already works for you and you are happy with it, it should be fine. It's possible EA could do something to bork it up in the future, but seems unlikely they would intentionally bother doing so.

Actually, with the old method, some mods work, others don't. Awesomemod works fine, but most of the script mods and custom content (hair, clothes, etc.) had no effect on my game after the update to 1.12 until I finally gave in and switched to the new method. Some stuff works will the old method, but as far as I can tell, all stuff works with the new method.

This is just my personal experience. Other people might have different results.

I have no direct experience with the old method post Ambitions so I was only going by what I'd heard from others.

Personally, I think everyone should use the new method. EA (hopefully) won't do anything that breaks it and it should (again hopefully) prevent people from posting 'ZOMG MODZ DONT WERK W TEH XPANSHUN' when really they just forgot copy the damned dll over to the new directory.

Supposedly Pescado is an advocate of continuing to use the old method, but he is old and stubborn so that is to be expected.

[Simulate]

Actually, with the old method, some mods work, others don't. Awesomemod works fine, but most of the script mods and custom content (hair, clothes, etc.) had no effect on my game after the update to 1.12 until I finally gave in and switched to the new method. Some stuff works will the old method, but as far as I can tell, all stuff works with the new method.

This is just my personal experience. Other people might have different results.

Wrong. Most mods do work using the old method, after the 1.12/1.14 patches (including script mods). A few needed updating but now work fine.

As for CC - I dont use it to many bad designers out there.

[Motoki]

As for CC - I dont use it to many bad designers out there.

I use custom content, but sparingly, from creators I trust and I check for updates when a new episode comes out.

People are quick to blame mods when there is a problem with their game and tend to overlook custom content as the cause, but a poorly created custom content item can do a lot of damage. There are certain custom content items that have caused far worse problems than any mod every has.

[J. M. Pescado]

Badly made mods tend to cause logic errors, which will cause your game to misbehave. Badly made CC causes file errors, tends to prevent your game from running at all.