[Read First] Running Sims 3 in Windows
Overview
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Contrary to popular belief, Sims 3 is not...
Forum Discussion
jump to: Installing mods
jump to: If your mods don't load
jump to: Installing custom content
jump to: Best practices: mods and cc
Many players use mods and/or custom content in Sims 3, and there is thus a lot of information about how to do so. Contrary to popular belief, however, no mod is absolutely required; there are some extremely helpful mods, plus more suggestions for better gameplay or longer-lasting saves.
My personal (strong) recommendation is to play with NRaas ErrorTrap, Overwatch, MasterController, Register, and Traveler, plus Traffic if you have Showtime installed. (Please see this post for more information about the mods, and other suggestions are in the next posts.) I wouldn't play without these mods, but I also don't need anything beyond that to tkeep my saves in good shape overall. Additional bug fixes can be helpful, and mods that add interesting features can be fun, but they're not necessary to preserve the health of your saves.
To install mods, you must create your own Mods folder in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3. The folder must be called Mods with a capital M. Inside must be a folder called Packages with a capital P. Finally, you'll need a Resource.cfg file directly inside Mods. Don't create your own; get one here instead:
https://www.nraas.net/community/How-To-Install#Blunote00s-Check-List
Alternately, you can download the already-created Mods Framework found here:
https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Installing_Sims_3_Package_Files/Setup_and_Files
Any mod (with the file extension .package) goes inside Packages, or in a subfolder. You can also create an Overrides folder, but you don't need this folder unless the modder specifically says it's required for their creation.
Make sure your folder structure is exactly as described above.
Make sure they're in the Sims 3 folder the game is reading. There will be a file called DeviceConfig inside this folder, and its date should exactly match the last time you loaded the game. If it does not, or the file is missing, you're not in the right folder. Search in Windows for deviceconfig to try to find it.
Make sure you haven't accidentally downloaded mods for Sims 2 or 4.
Delete scriptCache.package any time you add or remove a mod. For .package-based custom content, delete CASPartCache, compositorCache, and simCompositorCache as well. These files will regenerate the next time you load the game. They should be deleted regularly anyway, as they can accumulate stale data.
Custom content files with a .package extension are installed as mods are. Please see the installing mods section above.
Files with the extension .Sims3Pack need to be placed in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 > Downloads. They will then appear in the launcher's Downloads tab, and you can install them from there.
Please be aware that extra custom content can attach to downloads, even those that claim to be cc-free. Whenever you install third-party (not Store) content through the launcher, check the launcher's Installed Content tab for any extra unwanted cc. It's much easier to uninstall it right away than to go looking for it later. For more information, please see the section below.
If you already have bad cc, please see this guide to getting rid of it:
https://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/tutorial-how-to-get-rid-of-unwanted-custom-content.html
For any new mod, please carefully check its documentation before adding it. The mod must be compatible with patch 1.67 and higher; anything built for patch 1.63 or lower can break your game. Please also check the comments, if the site allows any, for any reports of problems. The creator may have addressed them, but if you don't see any later posts to that effect, you may want to skip the mod. When in doubt, you can ask about a particular mod on the NRaas site—the user base there has at least some knowledge of pretty much any Sims 3 mod in existence.
Since .package-based custom content is simpler to remove than .Sims3Pack-based cc, you can treat it like mods. If you see anything odd in-game, pull out your new cc, delete the cache files in your user folder, and look again. If you're having trouble finding a bad .package file, try the 50/50 method:
https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Finding_Problem_Custom_Content#The_50.25_Method
With Sims3Pack-based custom content, the safest approach is to try it out in a clean user folder before adding it to your main one. That way, if you get bad cc that is difficult to remove, you can delete the clean folder rather than having to deep-clean or rebuild your main user folder. If you do need to rebuild the folder, please see this section above.
To test in a clean Sims 3 folder, move or rename the existing folder in Documents > Electronic Arts, open the launcher to spawn a new folder, and install the new content there. Check the launcher's Installed Content tab for extra cc you didn't intend to download, and remove it if possible. If it can't be removed, that's an example of bad cc, and you should skip using this particular download.
If the content looks fine in the launcher, create a new save and test the item(s), looking for graphical glitches and other signs of trouble. Check both CAS/Build/Buy and live mode, and make sure any CAS part is NOT available for the wrong age or gender. That's how you get babies in Grim Reaper robes.
When you're satisfied that the cc is what you want and safe to use, you can delete the test user folder and restore your old one, then install the cc in that folder.
