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Field Researcher
Original Poster
#1 Old 2nd Feb 2018 at 2:51 PM
How do you organize your CC?
Since this is more about file management than the sims I've put it in off topic. If i am wrong feel free to relocate me to a new neighborhood.

Ive only done the basics of organizing my folders, clothes go into the clothing folder, objects in objects, ect. But as my collection grows and grows I want to organize even more. Like put my hair cc in folders by age group/gender and so on. But there are so many files to go through. Some would be easy due to having say "toddler hair" in the title but because all package files are a string of worlds I usually cant successfully search for that. Does anyone have any tips or tricks, or a program to recommend or can post about how they organized their folder (after obtaining way too much cc :P).
I personally don't have to worry about limiting how many folders deep I go due to having merged all of my package files in the mods folder (expect hacks), and keeping the unmerged somewhere else for sorting, removing, and remerging if needed. If my separated files where super organized it would make it so much easier to find bad cc, (oh theres a missing mesh for an adult female ponytail hairstyle, well it has to be in the newly organized subfolder for adult female hair), It would save so much time finding and getting rid of the broken cc. But starting this little adventure seems so daunting of a task, and so time-consuming, even though it would be worth it later.

Anyone have anything to share with the class?
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Test Subject
#2 Old 27th Feb 2018 at 4:57 AM
A bit of a bump on an old post, but I go crazy with organisation too!

With the way the TS2 folders are pathed, I've found myself grouping CC together (e.g. Skin & Eyes, Hair & Clothing) as, for some reason, my game crashes if there are waaay too many folders/subfolders. I also like renaming each package file with the creator's name, the type of content it is, and and then the title of the content.

How did you merge package files together? Is there something I'm missing?
Mad Poster
#3 Old 27th Feb 2018 at 11:52 AM
^ Keep to a max of 2-3 layers of subfoldering, and you should be fine.

Last year I took my 35-ish GB folder of CC and organized it properly. I removed a lot of CC I don't use, and added some new items in. My system is a bit complicated, because I like to find stuff if need be. I've got categories like Objects, Clothes, Hairs, and Mods, where I put folders belonging to those categories (I tend to keep the original sets in separate folders, for the sake of being able to relocate things). I also have subfolders like "deco", Livingroom, Kitchen, Nursery, etc. in the Object category, and similar categories if need be for the other folders. I try to keep the subfoldering to a minimum, because too deep makes files disappear from ingame (I've had that happen multiple times). I don't care about categorizing by age/gender, because that gets confusing way too fast, and some items are for multiple ages or both genders. I do have some items by theme, though. I don't always need Christmas or Halloween items, and weddings isn't exactly a frequent occurrence in my game, so I've bunched a few of those items together in a Theme folder, so they can be taken out for quicker loading. I've also removed a lot of extra files (I keep at least one picture for each set, because of my own sanity), but zip files, text files, and the like are mostly gone (I kept a few for default replacement sets, though).

Whenever I've got the time and energy again, I'm planning to recategorize as much as possible of objects, particularly deco items, to make the categories ingame a bit saner. The Deco categories are overflowing and quite frankly it's impossible to find anything in there. I've already done a sanity check on most clothes, so they pop up in proper categories. I've also recategoried a lot of tops and bottoms, so they can be used for multiple categories. I've even done a mesh check on all the clothes (phew! That took ages!), so there shouldn't be anything with missing meshes left there now.
Field Researcher
#4 Old 28th Feb 2018 at 3:26 PM
I'm bundling a lot of my recolours (Mac user, maximum file count limits) and I'm renaming stuff as I go for easier identification and better organisation.

General rules to how I name things are:

1. Name starts with the in game catalog description.
2. This is followed by the EP/SP so I can tell at a glance what it's compatible with.
3. Then MESH/REC/FIX/DEFAULT so I know what the package is. For meshes that are repository linked I'll generally add MASTER/SLAVE. If I have several recolours for the same thing by the same creator, I'll add something to describe what set of recolours I've bundled together. For things that don't bundle well, like modular stairs, that description will obviously be the individual colour instead.
4. Then the creator name. If somebody has modified someone else's work, they both get listed.

Beyond that I subfolder by object or CAS content type, generally along the lines of the Function categories in game. But the file renaming is the important bit, since it means I can find a mesh and all the recolours that go with it will be listed right with it, no matter who created them.

Pictures and download files with their original names get kept in a separate structure elsewhere on my computer, with the same subfolder setup, plus an extra subfolder per creator/download site. That way I can go back to the original if the in-game version has problems, and can find where I downloaded it from again, if the site hasn't disappeared in the meantime.

Quote: Originally posted by kara
How did you merge package files together? Is there something I'm missing?

You do it in SimPE. Hairs and clothes are fairly easy, build and buy object recolours need an extra step or you won't see them all. I followed the instructions Almighty Hat gave in this post - scroll down until you get to the section called "Bundling Package Files".
Mad Poster
#5 Old 2nd Mar 2018 at 12:17 PM
I don't. I throw all my mods in the same folder and hope for the best
I know I should organise my mods... But who has time for that

Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.
Steam ID: PadukSteam
Field Researcher
#6 Old 6th Mar 2018 at 9:26 AM
Hm,here's my routine of CC maintenance:
1.Remove all special characters from the name of the item.
2.Run compressorizer to reduce the size;
3.Put it in the adequate folder on my "exclusive" CC external drive. (For instance,custom chair would go to Buy Mode>Comfort>Dining Chairs)
And that's It. If I am in need of it for some reason,I simply add it to my mods folder,usually merged with "Objects" file that contains previous additions)
I never let my CC loose in mods folder as It triggers my anxiety . This is one of the main reasons why I can't play the Sims 2 anymore.Merging stuff is not a thing there.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#7 Old 6th Mar 2018 at 10:22 AM
@blyneliaivel Sure it is. http://keoni-chan.tumblr.com/post/1...cc-a-mini-guide

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Field Researcher
#8 Old 6th Mar 2018 at 10:25 AM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
@blyneliaivel Sure it is. http://keoni-chan.tumblr.com/post/1...cc-a-mini-guide

Good heavens,what a discovery,thanks a bunch. I'll sure need it whenever I'll feel like re-installing the game.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#9 Old 6th Mar 2018 at 10:29 AM
I feel like I've given you work now!

I've never merged CC in the last 14 years of playing sims 2, but I do try..(try being the word) to keep it organized into folders, periodically batch rename the special characters and sometime compress. I just got a new PC so I am happily downloading. :D

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
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