Order of installation

[Inge]

I just installed FFS after OFB, and I think that like with Sims 1, the EPs should be installed in the order they came out.   My FFS objects.package includes all the stuff from OFB now, rather than vice versa, yet my game is running from FFS code (well it's not, because I also installed Glamour, but let's pretend I didn't for now)

Anyway as my latest pack installed is FFS, I am ruinning the sims.exe from FFS, with the globals as they were in FFS, but with the object code from OFB.   A bit dodgy IMHO, to say nothing of how impossible it would be for me to simply untick some ticks in SimPe and be able to say a hack was compatible with a particular game configuration.

[Inge]

OK I am going to test out some theories.  I have completely uninstalled the game and am going to reinstall in a bizarre order.   I don't need any patches do I, if I end up with Glamour installed?   That should back-patch everything shouldn't it?

And what order *did* the packs come out in?  Were FFS and GP both after OFB?

[tIIsuggas]

Just make sure you don't try to install The Sims 2 base game after any of the others.

[Ness]

I remember doing similar experiments with the original sims...  never again!

FFS and GLS were both after OFB, not sure where the holiday pack fits in.

[Venusy]

It doesn't matter about when the Holiday pack is installed, as it patches directly into the base game objects.package.

[siggylove]

Good luck Inge, will you let us know your findings as I have wondered about that too?   

I'm packing off all my old Sims1 games to my nephews along with a note telling them in which order to install them.  I remember all too clearly the havoc it caused me when I didn't load them in the correct order.

[jsalemi]

And what order *did* the packs come out in?  Were FFS and GP both after OFB?

Base game
Uni
NL
OFB
FFS
GLS

[ZiggyDoodle]

I had to do a complete reinstall recently and after researching that topic here, installed the base game and each EP (and its patch) in order:  Uni, NL, OFB.

I think BlueSoup had pretty strong opinions on installing each EP's patch before moving on to the next EP so I followed that advice.

Only stuff pack I have is the holiday issue, and that went in last.

The reinstall resolved my problem with missing makeup, but I am  curious why some CC hair still shows up in color sections other than the CC icon in that menu.

Have noticed that the game loads a lot faster since the reinstall.

[jsalemi]

The reinstall resolved my problem with missing makeup, but I am  curious why some CC hair still shows up in color sections other than the CC icon in that menu.

Because whoever made the hair binned it properly so it shows up as the color it is, and is not treated like custom hair by the game.

[Inge]

The results of my experiments are as follows: I completely uninstalled my game including my data files.   I reinstalled, base game first, followed by Glamour Pack.   Glamour Pack updated the newly installed hoods etc, the basegame Sims2.exe and the basegame objects.package.

I installed the in between EPs and Addons out of order, and none of them subsequently either updated existing .exes  nor objects.package, nor did they update their own after reading any of the earlier installed EPs.

Each EP or addon pack's objects.package included all the objects in previous EPs, whether I had already installed those or not.  Ie each EP *comes* with all the objects and code from previous EPs.

I did not look in detail about what was happening to the other files in each installation, but a quick glance into each of the folders gives the impression that with the exception of the Xmas pack, all addons can be regarded as progressive game updates from the point of view of hacking compatibility.

[siggylove]

Thanks for testing that Inge. I think I would have had some minor heart failure had I attempted to do it   Have you noticed anything "in-game" since installing?

[Inge]

Everything looks fine.  I finished up by copying back my entire MyDocuments side of the game I had been playing before I uninstalled and everything is as before, except I lost Numenor's wall collection

[jrd]

FYI, in my last reinstall I installed out of order (TS2-OFB-Uni-NL-Xmas-FFS and later GLS) without problems.
I also installed the patch for each XP/SP out of order, again without problems.

[Sagana]

I reinstalled (totally clean) and forgot that FFS came after OFB (other than that, I did them in order with the appropriate patches in between.) When I loaded OFB, it told me I already had a newer version of the game and to play from the newest disk (too bad, I don't like the FFS splash and all and I don't have glamour). Other than that, it didn't care that I mixed them up.

[jrd]

You always need the most recent game version's disk (or no cd, or mini-image). Duh.

But installation or patching order does not matter.