Installing The Sims 2, Expansion Packs and Patches....

[Tgdrysix]

I will be installing the sims2 , uni, nightlife and ofb on my new computer...and before I do this I needed to find out about the patches....will it automatically direct me to install each patch or check to see if it's installed after each pack or will it let me install everything and then just patch the whole darn thing afterwards?  If this has been covered in another thread sorry and feel free to send me there.... ....if not any takes on this will be highly appreciated....thanks all....tgdrysix

[BlueSoup]

No, it won't direct you to download any patches although it will tell you it's going to check for updates.  After it says it's checking for updates, it will tell you the game is fine. 

My recommendation is to install each pack, then the patch for that game/EP.  At the very least, OFB does not patch NL, so you need the NL patch and the OFB patch.

[kewian]

I dont think it will direct you to install the patches.  Hmmm... the sims2 patch should cover that game, ofb should cover that ep.  Its kind of t ricky there are so many patches and each adds to the previous patch.  you should read the details of each patch at the bbs and make sure youre getting the correct ones.

[Ellatrue]

No, it won't direct you to download any patches although it will tell you it's going to check for updates.  After it says it's checking for updates, it will tell you the game is fine. 

My recommendation is to install each pack, then the patch for that game/EP.  At the very least, OFB does not patch NL, so you need the NL patch and the OFB patch.

Just don't install all of the expansions, and then install the patches afterwards. I did that when I installed OFB, and it somehow uninstalled Nightlife.

[RainbowTigress]

Yikes, that would be bad, Ellatrue!  I think installing each patch after each EP is the best way to go.  That seems to be the least problematic, and most closely emulates what people usually do as they play the game over the course of several months.  Someone here checked it out and confirmed that OFB does indeed NOT fix all the problems covered in the NL patch...so be sure to install it before installing OFB.  Why does the installer check to see if the game is up-to-date if it doesn't actually do anything?? *siigh*

[Tgdrysix]

Thanks for all the great responses.....I figured it wouldn't be simple....sigh....I had planned on installing everything then the patches but since this seems to be a big no no...("Just don't install all of the expansions, and then install the patches afterwards. I did that when I installed OFB, and it somehow uninstalled Nightlife.")....I will heed this advice and patch after each expansion pack....you guys rock... .....thanks again....tgdrysix

[cwykes]

There is another thread here about this, I came looking for it and found this one.
EDIT - here http://www.moreawesomethanyou.net/smf/index.php?topic=3788.0

OFB itself does patch previous EPs and the base game. It used to say so on the official site, but I can't find it any more.  From personal experience I know it's true.  It's news to me that not everything in the NL patch made it into OFB - not sure where that came from.  So in principle any new EP patches the old stuff, but in practice .......

If you are adding OFB, the "in principle" bit should mean you only really need the OFB patch at the end e.g. NL fixes Uni bugs etc.  However EA tech support actually told me to install the patch after each EP, so I'd do that.   Doing it that way should mean that if you uninstall OFB, you are left with a patched NL game not a partly patched NL game.

You can download all the patches at once and have them sitting on your desktop ready to install. They are all here http://thesims2.ea.com/update/?pid=Help_patches  They are quick to install.

[BlueSoup]

No, OFB does not patch NL.  In any case, it doesn't hurt to patch each installation of the game before installing the next.

[gjam]

No, OFB does not patch NL.  In any case, it doesn't hurt to patch each installation of the game before installing the next.

Oh, grumble!  Now I need to reinstall.  Less than a month ago, I got a new PC and did a complete install of all EPs, but I assumed  I only needed the OFB patch, that all prior patches would be contained in OFB itself.  Mutter, snarl!  I even looked for instructions on the official site, but I coulnd't find anything one way or the other.  Stupid EA!  How hard would it be for them to just tell people this instead of making us ask first?  It's not that unusual for people who come late to the game to be installing multiple EPs at once, or for people to get new PCs and reinstall everything.

[SimMoon]

Me too. Dang.


SimMoon/Cher

[MsMaria]

Me 3.

[Paperbladder]

Wait.  You mean that the practice they had in TS1, giving you a patch even if you don't need it, doesn't happen anymore?  I'm shocked to be honest, they used to always say that something was "fixed" with a new expansion that was "fixed" with the patch.

I'm beginning to wonder if the lack of an NL patch is because they wanted to make OFB only one disk rather than being a policy switch.

[BlueSoup]

I don't think you need to reinstall...just install the NL patch and if need be, install the OFB patch again.  I haven't tried it any other way myself, other than game, patch, EP, patch...

[Chezzie]

I always thought each patch was inclusive, i.e the ofb patch contains the fixes for NL, Uni & S2 guess you learn something new everyday.
Good to know if when I'll need to re-install

[J. M. Pescado]

You don't *NEED* the NL patch if you're running OFB. OFB essentially supercedes NL's executable and datafiles, and if it doesn't patch anything, that means it doesn't need any patches for NL, since you will never use the NL objectcode or executables again.

[BlueSoup]

I don't think that's right.  When installing Uni, it would ask you to install Disk 4 of TS2 so it could update, but it doesn't do that anymore.  Why not?

[RainbowTigress]

I found where we discussed this before:  http://www.moreawesomethanyou.net/smf/index.php?topic=3250.msg96495#msg96495

It seems that some fixes for earlier expansions did not make it into OFB or the OFB patch.  I think one mentioned was the problem that came up with NLp2 with final exams.  If I were reinstalling, I would patch after each EP just to be on the safe side.  When playing parts of the game that access files from earlier EPs, I am not so sure that it doesn't access those files.  Otherwise, why does it keep all those old files on your computer, just taking up space???  Why not consolidate them into one directory instead of making a new directory for each EP?

[syberspunk]

I also asked about this at the time. I think it was said that you can still install the 2nd NL patch even after you installed OFB. So, I think that you wouldn't have to uninstall OFB. I did this and my game seems to be fine so far...

I would have thought that it should work as Pescado describes. I held off patching NL since OFB was around the corner. I just assumed that it would include any changes and installing OFB would thus supercede the NL patch. But then I read the thread that rainbow linked and I think peeps in chat also told me this. So I just installed the 2nd patch and it seemed ok. It didn't complain or anything. *shrugs* But Blue is right, when I installed OFB, it did go through a screen that supposedly was checking for updates but it just gave me a message that the game was fine.

Anyways... theoretically, I would normally think that patching should always be a good thing, and that just because you aren't experiencing problems now doesn't mean you may not get problems later. I say normally, because one would think that patching should fix problems and not introduce new ones. But obviously that's not the case when it comes to this game.

This is probably why I am now even more overly cautious and paranoid. Not as much as Pescado tho...

Ste

[vcline]

What's the consensus on the OFB patch?  I remember reading here that it caused some problems, so I never installed it.  Plus I haven't had problems with the unpatched game.  I did read through the thread here again (http://www.moreawesomethanyou.net/smf/index.php?topic=3692.0) about it, but there didn't seem to be a definite conclusion.

[BlueSoup]

Some people report problems, others don't.  I haven't had any problems with it, and overall I think it's better to have it than not.  All of the modders (on this site anyway) patch their games and the hacks they produce and update are a result of it, so to have the latest hack versions, it's better to have the patch than not.  At least that's what they told me when I resisted patching a while ago due to my reluctance to let go of the potty-training glitch. 

[RainbowTigress]

Bad Blue, bad, bad!!

[BlueSoup]

What? ? ? ? ?  I did download it eventually lol.

[RainbowTigress]

I'm just messing with ya.  Potty training isn't nearly as painful with smart milk though.  A toddler can be trained in one session with a bottle of smart milk and a full bladder.    The smart milk glitch is the one I hope they don't fix. 

[MissDoh]

You don't *NEED* the NL patch if you're running OFB. OFB essentially supercedes NL's executable and datafiles, and if it doesn't patch anything, that means it doesn't need any patches for NL, since you will never use the NL objectcode or executables again.

I'm with you on this one.  I reinstall the complete game about a month ago and only install the OFB patch.  My game runs fine, all the mods I have are working perfectly fine and the maid do empty the trashcan (this was a fix included in NL2 patch which I did not install).  I personally don't see a reason to patch earlier ep since the game won't use the sims2.exe related to old ep anyway.  And since I won't uninstall any EP (I paid for it, might as well use it), no use for me to install old patches.

I see no reason why people would be reinstalling, espacially if it is working fine.  Would be a total waste of time. 

EDIT:  If you wonder which sims2.exe file the game is using to start the game, right-clic on the shortcut you have on your desktop, select properties and look in the "target" field it will show you the path.

[ElfPuddle]

I reinstalled last weekend.. I was tired of the neighborhoods and wanted an unplayed Pleasantville. I installed base, patch EP, patch, etc. I don't see it as a waste of time (I was grading)...Just destroying one world to create another.
And yes, my Sims refer to me as GOD.