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+--- Thread: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format (/thread-43.html)
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Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - Regina - 03-06-2011 02:35 PM
As time progresses we find simpler ways of doing things and the latest is sharing our lots as .package files instead of Sims3Pack files that need to be installed through the launcher.
The main reason why .package files will be preferred by so many people is due to their ease of installation. It's no longer necessary to wait for the launcher to load then go through what can end up with several minutes to several hours (if adding many files to your game) of installation. Instead, this format allows simple drag-and-drop so scores of lots can be added to your game in just a few seconds.
To install lots in .package file format, follow these instructions:
1. Go to My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Library
2. Move any archive files containing the lot's .package files to the Library directory.
3. If multiple archives, select all of them (click the first file, hold down the shift key then click the last one--this will select all of them).
4. Right-click and choose the option for Extract to Here.
5. If you have the archive files backed up elsewhere, shift-delete them which will delete them from your hard-drive and bypass the Recycle Bin. If they aren't backed up elsewhere, move the original archive files to a permanent home in case you should need to install any of them again later.
Another positive reason - O-Decaff - 05-04-2011 03:14 PM
I have made custom objects in both pack and package format. The advantage of package format for me, is that when I go from CAW to the sims game for adding buildings etc, then back into CAW the items I have added remain visible if they were in a package format. but if they were in a pack format I have a blanck on the lot.
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - suzetter - 05-20-2011 05:24 PM
I would do this if I could figure out which lot is which? I have dozens of lots and they all are ebf_0x............ Does the date go by when you created them or when you last modified them? I'm always tweaking my lots so I can't figure it out. How do you tell what's what?
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - Regina - 05-21-2011 01:49 PM
The date goes by when you save them to the lot library. What I do in this case is open Windows Explorer to the library, sort by date, save the lot to the bin, copy that lot to a sub-directory and rename it there. Then I can delete the lot I just saved from the bin and once I turn off my game, moved the name lot file back into the Library. I've also been doing this with all the lots I download, in that I place the lot in my game, do any necessary modifications like replacing fences and/or stairs, fixing textures that have gone missing because I didn't install them with the lot, then delete the original from the bin and save the fixed version back to the library, copy it, etc. This way I know by looking at the files what is what, and if I decide I don't want all the lots loading in the game, I can move the ones I don't want while I'm playing to sub-directories instead of deleting them from the bin. There are days when I get overwhelmed way too easily and having to look through fifty or so lots to find what I'm looking for doesn't help. :P
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - Spacerox - 05-21-2011 02:12 PM
Yea, I appreciate having the lots in .package format, but I occasionally get frustrated at the prospect of renaming EVERY .package in my library. I have LOTS of lots in my game. Some day I will go through them and name them all and fix them up, since it IS a tidier way to keep track of what you have.
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - suzetter - 05-21-2011 08:41 PM
Okay, so going forward I can rename the lot when I initially save it. Thanks! I still don't see how I can figure out the lots I already have in game (dozens++). I guess I could move all the unnamed numbered lots from my library and put them back in one by one but that will take forever. Still, once done it would make it easier to see what I have without having to open the game. I just downloaded two lots which are sims 3 pack -- I hope that's okay. Goimg forward I'll do packages for new lots.
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - Regina - 05-22-2011 01:43 AM
Suzetter, however you want to upload your lots is fine. Many people use the launcher, I just prefer not to because it takes so much extra time and Sims3Pack files are much larger than .package files for the same thing.
Yes, figuring out the lots in the game is time-consuming. I place a lot, make any necessary modifications, save that lot to the bin, then delete the original lot. This leaves a brand-new copy of the lot in the library so I copy and paste that file to a sub-directory and rename it. I can tell it's the one I just saved because I have the files sorted by date saved and it has the most recent time stamp. :)
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - suzetter - 05-22-2011 02:22 PM
Okay, thanks Regina. Going forward I will do the packages though, as I also like to avoid using the launcher if possible. I'll start working on naming my lots from the old site so I can re-upload them.
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - suzetter - 05-24-2011 11:57 AM
I think I figured out a simpler way to covert my previous Sims3packs lot files into packages using Delphy's tools. I can export the lot as usual (properly named with description info) and then run it through Custard to check it and remove the game generated photos. After that's done I can extract the file as a package using the Multi-Pack Installer. So then I can offer players my lots in both Sims 3 pack and package formats. I haven't tested this yet but I see no reason why it wouldn't work. Once I test it I'll post my findings.
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - Regina - 05-24-2011 12:58 PM
Suzetter that should work! Why didn't I think of that when I started in with the mess I have?
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - tontrin - 05-25-2011 03:20 PM
Oh, yes, the fun of re-naming all your "package" files in the library. I've done that to all mine, but I keep saving more lots to the bin, and now I still have ones I need to rename. Oh, Delfy's tools are so handy. I love the pack extractor tool (the multi-installer), and it allows you to rename the files if it's just one file in the pack. I also love Peter Jones' S3PE, because I can open the files in that and see what they are and rename them afterward.
I mostly stopped downloading things in pack files, because they are more of a pain, and I cannot trust my launcher to always behave properly. Although, I sometimes still download something in them when it's really cool. My game doesn't like a lot of CC though, so I don't know how much more I'll put in. Lots are much easier to handle in package format, and those I keep finding new ones that I want to try.
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - suzetter - 05-26-2011 03:00 AM
Oh, thanks tontrin! I forgot I can look in the package with S3pe. I'm sure a lot of what's in my library files is just repetition and older versions of my lots.
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - tontrin - 05-26-2011 09:02 AM
No problem. I know the feeling.
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - shichiroji - 07-31-2011 11:47 AM
Hi, i have a little problem.... i have no folder called Library... what should i do?
RE: Custom Lots Downloaded in .package Format - Regina - 07-31-2011 01:16 PM
Quote:Hi, i have a little problem.... i have no folder called Library... what should i do?
You can just create it yourself (normally it's created from saving a house or Sim/Sim family within your game to the lot library or bin) in My Documents>Electronic Arts>The Sims 3.