Know What Is Inside Your Game: The Sims 3
Introduction and Part 1: Inside the Programs/Applications folders I will be putting together a few informative posts to help people understand their TS3 game better. It may take me a while, and I'm...
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Part 3: Continuing on, with the Exports folder
The next folder we will discuss is Exports. When you are in your game, and click on the up arrow to save a lot or sim to the exchange, the resulting saved Sims3Pack lands in the Exports folder.
Any Sims3Pack laying loose in the Exports folder will also show up in your Launcher, so that you can upload it to the exchange.
But the Sims3Packs in the Exports folder can also be organized, moved, deleted, and etc. Subfolders inside Exports will not show up in the Launcher, so they can be easily organized any way you want.
I would recommend you organize exported Sims3packs by world, and then a subfolder inside the world folder for sims, residential lots, commercial lots, and recolors. But you can do it any way you choose. The point is to organize, so it is easy to reinstall all your things, after a factory reset.
If you have saved any sims or lots as Sims3Packs in Exports, you will want to have a backup of the Exports folder.
You can ignore FeaturedItems. It is advertising. When the servers go down, it will be eliminated.
I'm not sure what IGACache is. In my game it is blank. If you have something in it, be on the safe side and back it up.
The next important folder is InstalledWorlds.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/installedworlds_zps4fd04ab5.jpg
The world files for each store world you installed are found in InstalledWorlds. These files MIGHT change from installation to installation, when doing a factory reset. If they do, and you had a Save from the previous version of a world in this folder, your Save will not open. So when doing a backup of a Save folder, ALWAYS include the InstalledWorlds folder along with it. Then you can at least get into your old Save to export what you want to keep. Or if that Save is vital to you, simply replace the newest version of the world in InstalledWorlds with your old version of that world.
It is MANDATORY you keep a backup of this folder. Your world will not show up in the worlds menu inside your game, if they are not inside the InstalledWorlds folder. Just saving the DCCache/DCBackup will NOT put the worlds into your game.
But even if you have a copy of InstalledWorlds, you still don't have all you need. Because worlds also go into another folder, which we will discuss now, even though it is out of order.
And that folder is WorldCaches.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/worldcaches_zps92172403.jpg
You can see, that for each world, you have a file for objects and a file for sims. These files are REQUIRED by your game's coding. If they are not found, your world will corrupt. So don't get any brilliant ideas of removing the sim file to depopulate the world. ;)
Obviously, you need to backup the WorldCaches folder, and keep it with InstalledWorlds and DCCache/DCBackup, so you never forget to add them altogether.
If you ever get a "missing objects" warning when opening up a newly installed world, then you failed to put a backup of this folder into your factory reset game. Throw away the world you just opened inside your game (it's toast), quit the game, put the WorldCaches folder into your factory reset game folder, and when you start a new game, open a new world.
The next important folder is the Library folder.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/Library_zps942bede4.jpg
The Library folder contains those h.a.s.h numbers for venues that we discussed earlier. It also contains sim families you saved to your Library bin inside your game. And single sims straight from CAS that landed in your Library bin, including pets. Also sims inside their houses. And empty residential lots, as well as commercial lots.
If you are like most people, you rely on houses and commercial lots you have saved to the Library bin. Which means you MUST backup the Library folder.
If you ever want to have a game mod or lighting mod or download a blueprint or use packaged CC, you will need a Mods folder.
Inside, it will look like this:
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/Mods_zps691fc22c.jpg
If you open up Packages, in my game, you will see this:
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/modspackages_zps25cebb7d.jpg
Hacks is for game mods, blueprints are for blueprints I made with a third party program, Lighting Mods is self-explanatory. Multipacked is for some content I created in package form, and then combined to turn several packages into one package, which is easier for the game to read and does not slow the game down.
If you have never used a Mods folder, but are considering using one now, you can download my Mods folder framework from MediaFire, in the link, below. It has some of my blueprints in there, but you can just throw them away if you don't want to keep them. It will just be empty folders inside Packages, other than some of my blueprints. No game mods or multipacked items are included. (One folder is named Other instead of Lighting Mods. Feel free to change it. Any of the folders inside Packages can be renamed, and you can also add or delete folders inside Packages, if you wish.)
http://www.mediafire.com/download/dtidsn2sa4sd10i/Mods.rar
If you use a Mods folder, don't forget to back it up.
The next folder, Recorded Videos can be ignored, unless you have made some of your own videos. If you have, you will need to backup this folder.
SavedOutfits is supposed to have recolors of sim clothing you did in CAS. I have tried to backup this folder and put it into a factory reset game with no success. So I ignore it. You can try to save it, if you wish. YMMV.
SavedSims has a file for each sim you have made in CAS and saved to CAS using the little folder icon. Sims you made in CAS and exported to send to the exchange are in the Exports folder, but they will not be found in SavedSims. Families will not be found in SavedSims, either. They go into the Library. SavedSims is just for single sims that have been saved into CAS using the little folder icon.
When you open CAS, and click on the asterisk to see custom sims, all the sims from SavedSims will be visible for you to choose, including pets.
You will want to backup SavedSims if you have ever saved a CAS sim.
The next folder is Saves. Everyone knows that you MUST backup Saves if you want to keep your currently played game safe. I right click on Saves after each play session, and save a copy of it right inside my game folder. I keep three of those copies, at all times, so I can go to a previous save if a world corrupts. It doesn't bother the game, and it has saved me from losing a world, more than once.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/savescopies_zps8bfba320.jpg
The next folder is Screenshots. This is where any in-game pics you take are stored. If those pics are valuable to you, then backup this folder. Sreenshots also show up in the Launcher, so you can share them online. However, if you organize your Screenshots folder, only the loose files will show in the Launcher. It does not read anything in subfolders.
SigsCache and Thumbnails are used by the game. You can ignore them.
We have already discussed WorldCaches, which must be backed up.
The remaining single files inside The Sims 3 are caches, logs, etc. Technically, they will all be regenerated, if you throw them away.
But one file is important: userPresets. If you have saved any pattern recolors in CAS, or saved any solid colors, or saved any object recolors in buy/build and want to keep them, then you will need to save a backup of userPresets.
One quick caution: Sometimes, if you have too many pattern recolors, solid colors, and object recolors saved, it can cause a game to lag. And that file might even contain something corrupted. So, if your game is acting really wonky, it might just be better to start over? It is something to think about.
It could be that only one or two pattern recolors are "must haves" and maybe only five or six object recolors are things you would use again and again. If so, while inside your game, export those particular things. They will end up in the Export folder. Then you can reinstall them into a factory reset game, and not need to save the userPresets, after all.
With this situation, all you can do is try it different ways, and see for yourself. Every game is going to be different, so it comes down to trial and error.
I hope that you now understand your game a little better, and have an idea of what is important to back up and what you can ignore. If you have questions, I will try to answer them. :)
The next folder we will discuss is Exports. When you are in your game, and click on the up arrow to save a lot or sim to the exchange, the resulting saved Sims3Pack lands in the Exports folder.
Any Sims3Pack laying loose in the Exports folder will also show up in your Launcher, so that you can upload it to the exchange.
But the Sims3Packs in the Exports folder can also be organized, moved, deleted, and etc. Subfolders inside Exports will not show up in the Launcher, so they can be easily organized any way you want.
I would recommend you organize exported Sims3packs by world, and then a subfolder inside the world folder for sims, residential lots, commercial lots, and recolors. But you can do it any way you choose. The point is to organize, so it is easy to reinstall all your things, after a factory reset.
If you have saved any sims or lots as Sims3Packs in Exports, you will want to have a backup of the Exports folder.
You can ignore FeaturedItems. It is advertising. When the servers go down, it will be eliminated.
I'm not sure what IGACache is. In my game it is blank. If you have something in it, be on the safe side and back it up.
The next important folder is InstalledWorlds.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/installedworlds_zps4fd04ab5.jpg
The world files for each store world you installed are found in InstalledWorlds. These files MIGHT change from installation to installation, when doing a factory reset. If they do, and you had a Save from the previous version of a world in this folder, your Save will not open. So when doing a backup of a Save folder, ALWAYS include the InstalledWorlds folder along with it. Then you can at least get into your old Save to export what you want to keep. Or if that Save is vital to you, simply replace the newest version of the world in InstalledWorlds with your old version of that world.
It is MANDATORY you keep a backup of this folder. Your world will not show up in the worlds menu inside your game, if they are not inside the InstalledWorlds folder. Just saving the DCCache/DCBackup will NOT put the worlds into your game.
But even if you have a copy of InstalledWorlds, you still don't have all you need. Because worlds also go into another folder, which we will discuss now, even though it is out of order.
And that folder is WorldCaches.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/worldcaches_zps92172403.jpg
You can see, that for each world, you have a file for objects and a file for sims. These files are REQUIRED by your game's coding. If they are not found, your world will corrupt. So don't get any brilliant ideas of removing the sim file to depopulate the world. ;)
Obviously, you need to backup the WorldCaches folder, and keep it with InstalledWorlds and DCCache/DCBackup, so you never forget to add them altogether.
If you ever get a "missing objects" warning when opening up a newly installed world, then you failed to put a backup of this folder into your factory reset game. Throw away the world you just opened inside your game (it's toast), quit the game, put the WorldCaches folder into your factory reset game folder, and when you start a new game, open a new world.
The next important folder is the Library folder.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/Library_zps942bede4.jpg
The Library folder contains those h.a.s.h numbers for venues that we discussed earlier. It also contains sim families you saved to your Library bin inside your game. And single sims straight from CAS that landed in your Library bin, including pets. Also sims inside their houses. And empty residential lots, as well as commercial lots.
If you are like most people, you rely on houses and commercial lots you have saved to the Library bin. Which means you MUST backup the Library folder.
If you ever want to have a game mod or lighting mod or download a blueprint or use packaged CC, you will need a Mods folder.
Inside, it will look like this:
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/Mods_zps691fc22c.jpg
If you open up Packages, in my game, you will see this:
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/modspackages_zps25cebb7d.jpg
Hacks is for game mods, blueprints are for blueprints I made with a third party program, Lighting Mods is self-explanatory. Multipacked is for some content I created in package form, and then combined to turn several packages into one package, which is easier for the game to read and does not slow the game down.
If you have never used a Mods folder, but are considering using one now, you can download my Mods folder framework from MediaFire, in the link, below. It has some of my blueprints in there, but you can just throw them away if you don't want to keep them. It will just be empty folders inside Packages, other than some of my blueprints. No game mods or multipacked items are included. (One folder is named Other instead of Lighting Mods. Feel free to change it. Any of the folders inside Packages can be renamed, and you can also add or delete folders inside Packages, if you wish.)
http://www.mediafire.com/download/dtidsn2sa4sd10i/Mods.rar
If you use a Mods folder, don't forget to back it up.
The next folder, Recorded Videos can be ignored, unless you have made some of your own videos. If you have, you will need to backup this folder.
SavedOutfits is supposed to have recolors of sim clothing you did in CAS. I have tried to backup this folder and put it into a factory reset game with no success. So I ignore it. You can try to save it, if you wish. YMMV.
SavedSims has a file for each sim you have made in CAS and saved to CAS using the little folder icon. Sims you made in CAS and exported to send to the exchange are in the Exports folder, but they will not be found in SavedSims. Families will not be found in SavedSims, either. They go into the Library. SavedSims is just for single sims that have been saved into CAS using the little folder icon.
When you open CAS, and click on the asterisk to see custom sims, all the sims from SavedSims will be visible for you to choose, including pets.
You will want to backup SavedSims if you have ever saved a CAS sim.
The next folder is Saves. Everyone knows that you MUST backup Saves if you want to keep your currently played game safe. I right click on Saves after each play session, and save a copy of it right inside my game folder. I keep three of those copies, at all times, so I can go to a previous save if a world corrupts. It doesn't bother the game, and it has saved me from losing a world, more than once.
http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss84/amjoie/savescopies_zps8bfba320.jpg
The next folder is Screenshots. This is where any in-game pics you take are stored. If those pics are valuable to you, then backup this folder. Sreenshots also show up in the Launcher, so you can share them online. However, if you organize your Screenshots folder, only the loose files will show in the Launcher. It does not read anything in subfolders.
SigsCache and Thumbnails are used by the game. You can ignore them.
We have already discussed WorldCaches, which must be backed up.
The remaining single files inside The Sims 3 are caches, logs, etc. Technically, they will all be regenerated, if you throw them away.
But one file is important: userPresets. If you have saved any pattern recolors in CAS, or saved any solid colors, or saved any object recolors in buy/build and want to keep them, then you will need to save a backup of userPresets.
One quick caution: Sometimes, if you have too many pattern recolors, solid colors, and object recolors saved, it can cause a game to lag. And that file might even contain something corrupted. So, if your game is acting really wonky, it might just be better to start over? It is something to think about.
It could be that only one or two pattern recolors are "must haves" and maybe only five or six object recolors are things you would use again and again. If so, while inside your game, export those particular things. They will end up in the Export folder. Then you can reinstall them into a factory reset game, and not need to save the userPresets, after all.
With this situation, all you can do is try it different ways, and see for yourself. Every game is going to be different, so it comes down to trial and error.
I hope that you now understand your game a little better, and have an idea of what is important to back up and what you can ignore. If you have questions, I will try to answer them. :)
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