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luthienrising
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2 years ago

Re: [INFO] How to Use Mods and CC

Game Updates and Your Mods

In this post:

  • Why Mods and CC Break
  • Before the Game Updates
  • After the Game Updates
  • Obsolete, Broken, Updated, Cleared:  Using the Broken/Updated Mods Lists
  • “But I can’t play without my mods/CC!”

Why Mods and CC Break

Mods (game mods and CC) aren’t created by Maxis — they’re created by Simmers, who tie into The Sims 4 game code. When the game is updated, the code that gets updated is going to be the code that some mod out there “talks” to, which means that mod can “break.” A mod that uses code that almost never changes will almost never break. A mod that uses code that gets changed a lot will need updating often. This is nobody’s fault. It’s just how mods and games work together.

So how does this affect you as a player who uses mods? An outdated mod can cause you problems. It might only result in last exception (LE) error files. It might not do anything in your game when it was supposed to. It might make parts of the game inaccessible or really weird looking. It might stop Sims 4 or your game (save) or a World or a household or lot from loading at all. It might even make a save permanently unplayable.*

* Game bugs can also cause all these problems, but if you have mods/CC, we don’t know you have a game bug, not an outdated mod, until you test “vanilla”. Even then, sometimes a mod actually caused the problem but the problem isn’t reversible.

Before the Game Updates  

Consider Preventing Auto-Updates

If you need some time to back up your saves or think you’d rather wait a few days before updating the game, so creators can catch up and so you have time to back up your Saves first, consider turning off the game’s auto-update:

 

Once you’re ready to update mods, you must also update the game. You can’t put a mod made on, say, game version 1.104 into game version 1.101.

Back Up Your Saves

Because some outdated (“broken”) mods can actually corrupt your save file, before you let the EA App/Origin update your game, back up your Saves folder. You might want to also do this before adding newly downloaded mods/CC, in case you found outdated content.

“Backing up” a folder or file means making a copy of it in a different place. You’ll find your save files in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Saves.  (Your Documents folder is likely not on your F: drive! I have a lot of drives…)

You can copy that whole folder to somewhere else — such as your desktop, a different folder you make yourself (mine go in Documents > Sims Backups), or a USB key. (Don't rely on OneDrive etc. to automate this, as they don't behave well with Sims 4.) Now you’ll have a pre-patch or pre-new-mods copy to fall back on in case you run into serious problems.

Even after you’ve decided that you’re ready to play the updated game, keep regular backups. You’ll be grateful for them on that day something goes dreadfully wrong for your favorite save or even your whole folder, and the game’s own restorable files don’t go far enough back or are also corrupted.

After the Game Updates

Read the Patch Notes

Some game updates (patches) affect very few aspects of the game. Some affect a lot. The patch notes, which you’ll find pinned (when new) in Sims 4 News & Updates, show you what’s affected. Patches that are more likely to “break” more mods and CC

  • prepare for a new Expansion Pack or Game Pack,
  • introduce a new base game feature, or
  • fix a lot of bugs.

 

Check for Known Broken/Updated Mods

Before launching the game, check for which mods are obsolete, broken, updated, or cleared. That includes CC! Yes, your Sim’s eyelashes or that one pair of jeans can break the whole game! Remove obsolete and broken mods. Update updated mods.

When a mod is listed as “obsolete,” that means the thing it “fixed” in the game is now actually fixed by the game update. When a mod is listed as “unsupported,” that means that the creator is no longer going to be updating it. Eventually, it will break. It’s up to you if you want to remove it now or wait till it breaks.  Game update time is often when creators decide they’re supporting a mod for the last time.

Some creators will have a look at the patch notes and changes in game code to see if their mods are still compatible with the game. If the mods pass the test, those creators will “clear” their mods for the patch. Some creators do this only for major patches, and others not at all. Many Simmers will wait for a creator to clear their mods before re-enabling mods, especially for complex script mods. BUT... Modders are human and fallible, and a cleared mod can still have issues. The "Cleared" list in this forum is selective with a goal to get you going with some of your mods. It is NOT a replacement for backing up your Saves. 

Many mods aren’t reported broken, obsolete, updated, or cleared right away. There are many reasons for this, all of them valid! Modders might have full-time jobs or school, families, health issues, or other personal priorities. The mods might be complex to test and update. Tools that modders use for testing and mod creation might themselves need updating. Please be patient. One of the main reasons modders have stated they're leaving modding has been that impatient Simmers asking about mod status add to the already high stress of patch time.

 

Re-enable Mods

When you’re ready to play with mods again, re-enable mods/CC in game Options, then restart. (Why re-enable? For most patches, as an extra precaution against outdated mods causing problems, Maxis disables the mod/CC settings in Options.) Remember: Even updated and cleared mods can have issues that weren’t previously known. It’s always okay to exit without saving, and always good to have separate backups of your Saves folder.

If you can’t wait to play, you have options for that, too. Scroll down to "But I Can't Play!"

 

Obsolete, Broken, Updated, Cleared:  Using the Broken/Updated Mods List

The current EA Forums Broken/Updated Mods & CC list is always linked in Mod & CC Issues: START HERE in this forum. A new list is started for most patches. If a patch doesn’t require a new list, that info will be in the top post.

Previous lists are linked in the Mod/CC Issues master post, for if you’re coming back to the game after a while or if the previous list had a lot of updates. If you’ve been away a long time, you might still end up doing a 50-50 on your Mods folder to identify mods/CC needing an update.

The list does not include everything. Reasons for mods/creators not being covered are listed in the list’s first post, but sometimes things aren’t on the list just because they haven’t yet been reported broken or because they broke a long time ago or aren’t enough of an issue or common enough to be on the selective “Previously Broken” list. This is another reason to learn how to do a 50-50 on your mods!

Categories in the Broken/Updated list

  • Obsolete – These are bugfix mods that aren’t needed anymore; remove them and delete localthumbcache.
  • Broken – These mods/CC must be removed (and localthumbcache deleted), unless there’s a qualification about how their broken that doesn’t apply to your game. If they get updated, they’ll be removed from the list.
  • Updated – These replace your old version. Many were broken, even if they were updated before they made it onto the “Broken” mods or CC list. Don’t skip deleting the old version and localthumbcache!
  • Core/Injector Mods – These are script mods that other mods rely on. They're listed here so you have their current version numbers, update dates, and download sites.
  • Cleared – These are creators who have said that, to the best of their knowledge and testing, their mods are compatible with the game update and can be used. Some modders don’t clear mods; some do it only for major patches. Any creator may have missed an issue. This list is very selective. If you are relying on creator clearings, check creators' social media or mod pages. Even if you rely on this, keep backups of your Saves folder.
  • Previously Broken Mods – This is a selection (not a complete list) of mods that are still broken from previous patches. Remove them.

 

Other News Sources

For adult mods (or other 18+ mods) and others you don’t see covered in this Forum, check creators’ own social media or mod pages. Many gameplay mod creators keep a master post for mod status, which is extra helpful if you’re coming back to Sims after a long break.

 

Mod Managers

Mod managers work in different ways. If you use one, you should learn what it does and what it doesn’t do. No mod manager can know for certain by itself if a mod is no longer compatible with the game or is obsolete after an update. Any that even try will never find all instances, especially for obsolete bugfixes. Someone has to feed that info to a mod manager that does mod removals, or you have to remove mods yourself. Most mod managers will update your mods for you if an update is available where the mod manager is looking for it. Curseforge will update your mods after the site approves an update.  No mod manager can detect and solve all mod and CC problems.

 

EXTRA TIPS:  Don't Do These Things

  • Don't use ChatGTP to find out what broke.  It does not know anything about which mods actually broken for this patch. It doesn't know anything about anything at all. All it does is skim the web to compile believable text. And it will find text about a problem 10 or 20 patches ago and tell you that's relevant now.  It will likely be wrong.
  • Don't assume only script mods broke. Why are there still people telling people this? LOTS of nonscript mods break at game updates. This has always been the case! And it's another reason for this...
  • Don't just search the internet for your broken-mod symptom. There's a lot of bad info out there, and outdated info from another patch, not this patch. Stick to reliable Sims support people. 

 

"But I can’t play without my mods/CC!"

Please, please, please LEAVE MODDERS ALONE. Don’t ask them when they’re going to test their mods or when an update of a broken mod will be released. This is a very big reason for modder burnout. Don’t be like a 5-year-old in the back seat of the car asking their mom “Are we there yet?” Unlike your mom, a mod/CC creator can just quit. And creators who quit have often given pestering from users at game update time as what the last straw was.

If you want to play Sims 4 instead of waiting, here are your options:

  1. Remove your Mods folder to the desktop (delete localthumbcache too), and play a “vanilla” (unmodded) save for during the wait.
  2. Choose to play in spite of risk. If you do this, please first make a backup of your Saves folder!

 

If you want to wait for updates but it’s driving you crazy, please find other things to do. Pick out another game to play, or find a new book to read/show to watch/hobby to engage in. When not playing Sims nags at you anyway (assuming you’re well enough or able to), go for a walk or throw yourself into a necessary chore. Variety in how you spend time is a good thing to pursue!

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  • luthienrising's avatar
    luthienrising
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    When Your Game Doesn’t Work: Finding Broken Mods and CC

    In this post:

    • Testing "Vanilla"
    • Making a "Clean" (New) User Folder
    • ... and some other useful tricks
    • Previous Known Issues
    • The Broken/Updated Mods and CC Lists
    • The 50-50 Method: Batch Testing
    • Other Things to Check For

    Testing "Vanilla"

    Sometimes your problem isn’t a mod but looks likely to be one. Sometimes you don’t think it’s a mod but you’ve been asked by a helper to make sure of that. This is called (in Sims world) “testing vanilla.” Here’s how to do it:

    1. Navigate to Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4
    2. Drag or move (not copy) the Mods folder to your desktop.
    3. Delete the localthumbcache file.
    4. Start Sims 4 and test what’s needed (including whether you’re asked to test in your previous save or a new one). If it works, guess what? It was your mods/CC!

     

    If you still see mods in your game when you do this, you have an installation issue and are in the wrong folder.

     

    "Clean" User Folders

    If you’re asked to test on a "clean folder," here’s Crinrict’s method. Mine is similar:

    1. Drag the folder "The Sims 4" out of Documents > Electronic Arts to the desktop.
    2. Restart Sims 4. You should see no option to load an old save! If you do, you moved the wrong folder.
    3. Reset your Options (you won't be putting the old file back for that).
    4. Test in a new game to see if you still have the problems you did before.

     

    When putting content back in after creating a new folder, copy files out of the old folder into the new one. You'll want to copy back these:

    • files in Saves
    • files in Tray
    • files in Mods (but not the Resource.cfg file), but don't forget to test!
    • files in Screenshots and Videos

     

     

    ... and some other useful tricks

    Some mods leave errors even after being removed. You might need to do a "Save As," have a Sim travel to a new lot, load a different household, or edit a Sim in CAS, for example. Testing a new save or new household can help problem-solve this too. Feel free to post to get support if you're sure your issue is a mod but it seems to persist in your save.

     

    Previous Known Issues

    The Mod/CC Issues Master Post lists and links to some recent and common issues that are known to be caused by broken mods/CC. 

    Mods and CC broken from earlier patches and some older "known issues" are in Previously Broken mods and CC.

    If testing vanilla showed that your issue wasn’t mod-related even though it really looked like it was, you might also find it in that post, or head to Gameplay Issues or Bug Reports.

     

    The Broken/Updated Mods and CC Lists

    The Broken/Updated Mods & CC lists kept in this Forum (previously, on AHQ, and before that, the earlier Sims forums) give players a convenient first stop when they have an issue and a way to generally keep up with mod news. A new list is started for most patches. If a patch doesn’t require a new list, that info will be in the top post. When you’ve found by testing vanilla that a mod is the cause of your problem, or if it seems really likely that it’s a mod, checking the lists might save you the hassle of more complicated testing.

    More on using the current list is in this post above.

     

    When to Check Previous Lists

    If a recent patch was for an EP or a major addition to the game (on the scale of when Infants were added, for example), there will have been many mod updates. Many of those mods won’t need another update for a long time. Some of you with a lot of mods hoping not to have to test all of them might want to check the most recent major update list. You’ll find those linked in the Mod/CC Issues master post.

     

    The 50-50 Method: Batch Testing

    Often, the lists don’t solve your problem. That might be because you’re using mods that we can’t discuss in these official Forums. It might be because you found a mod that broke a really, really long time ago. You might have found one that hasn’t made it to a “broken” list yet.

    Thankfully, you don’t have to test every gameplay mod and set of alternative eyelashes separately, one at a time! You can batch-test with a system that Simmers call the 50-50 method. Here’s how:

    NOTE: As of patch 1.114, there's a bug with Mermaids with custom tattoos, where if you remove a custom tattoo (including CC ones) that a Mermaid is wearing, the game crashes on the main menu. Before testing your Mods folder, remove custom tattoos from Mermaids or remove that save from the Saves folder.

    1. If you didn't do that already, test vanilla — without mods or custom content. See above.
    2. Drag your Mods folder to your desktop and/or rename it. Both work to trigger the game to make a new Mods folder.
    3. Delete the localthumbcache file from Electronic Arts > The Sims 4.
    4. Start Sims 4 then exit. Now you have a new Mods folder.
    5. If you have enough disk space, make a test copy of your original Mods folder on your desktop. You can the test copy for the 50-50 so that you don’t lose the organization of your original folder.
    6. Divide your test folder up into batches. You might not need to do much for this step depending on how your Mods folder is already organized. You can start with batches as big as half your Mods folder.
    7. Some mods depend on other mods to work. That might be a CC mesh or an injector mod like XML Injector or a core library mod. Make sure dependencies are batched with the mods that depend on them. Otherwise, a mod might seem to not work, but it could just be an installation error.
    8. Start with one batch. Copy it into the new Mods folder the game made. Try it out. Is it all okay? If yes, delete it from Mods, delete localthumbcache, and drag that batch to a folder for cleared batches.
    9. If a batch fails, test part of it. Somewhere in that failed batch is a problem. Separate it into smaller batches and test those separately. It’s common to take out half the batch, hence “50-50.” Remember to keep track of what’s already tested and what isn’t, and keep deleting localthumbcache. Test these sub-batches and keep making them smaller and smaller to narrow down the cause of the problem.
    10. Finally, test the likely culprit alone or with only the mesh/injector/core mods it requires.

     

    A 50-50 won’t always find a mod problem. It will, for example, miss issues that aren’t a result of a game patch, like duplicate files, mod conflicts, missing dependencies, having mods you don’t have required packs for, and wrong mod installation. However, while you’re doing the 50-50, you might notice some of these issues, and it’s a great opportunity to make your Mods folder better organized for next time.

    If you have gone through the 50-50 with no results but putting all your mods back in is broken, you might have a mod conflict. Try testing additively: Batch by batch, add mods. If a batch breaks, something in it is conflicting with the other mods, or inside that batch.

    Other Things to Check For

    • Duplicates: Having two copies of a mod, especially an older version and a newer one, can cause lag and other game issues. NOTE: Better Exceptions by TwistedMexi will identify and show you the location of duplicate files. Do not use tools that retain older file dates instead of newer ones. This makes literally no sense. The best way to find duplicates is to
      1. Keep your files organized by creator.
      2. Actually look in the folder when you add or replace files
      3. Delete the old files
    • Installation issues: Are your mods that have ts4script files only one folder deep? Do you have mods requiring packs you don’t have? Are you missing mesh/core/injector mods your mods/CC depend on? Have you installed mods that are listed by their creators as conflicting with each other?
    • And more: Are your mods in the right folder? Is OneDrive or another syncing app messing with them? Do you have merged .package files that could include broken content?

     

    A Note on “Conflict Detectors”

    Mod “conflict detectors” are, unfortunately, accurate only for finding duplicate files and Sims 3 mods. When they point out that two mods “speak” to the same piece of game code, they aren’t telling you if they do that in a way that causes any problems. In other words, they don’t accurately show you that two mods conflict in a way that is meaningful. They also can’t tell you if a mod is outdated.

     

  • luthienrising's avatar
    luthienrising
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    2 years ago

    Getting Support

    Still stuck? We’re here for support!

    Support in this forum assumes that you are fully patched to the latest Sims 4 update. Also, before asking for mod/CC support, check the pinned Broken/Updated Mods thread to update your Mods folder and the Master Post for common issues.

    When you post a new topic or add to one you found in the Master Post or in search, please be descriptive: To help you, we need to know what symptoms you have in your game, and we need to know what steps you’ve taken to try to isolate the problem.

    Some kinds of issues are best taken straight to creators’ own support: for example, questions about or issues with particular features of a mod and questions about mod conflicts. Creators also appreciate being told (politely, please!) if you’ve done a thorough test that has found a mod problem. Some Sims Discord communities also offer general support. Note: Please check if you’ve got the right creator before asking them for support! And please don’t ask them if their mods/CC are broken or confirmed working for a new game update.

    Adding Pictures and Requested Files

    When it comes to CC and UI issues especially, sometimes a picture of your symptom helps a lot. Please remember that no adult content is permitted in the official EA Forums. If we ask you to upload a screenshot of a folder and it includes an adult mod, we may delete the screenshot after checking the info.

    Sometimes to help with narrowing down an issue, we’ll ask you to upload a file. For Mod/CC Issues, this is usually a last exception file. But sometimes it’s a list of all your mods and CC. (Yes, all!) If the paperclip in the Reply box doesn't let you upload a particular file type, you might need to upload the file to an outside host and then link to it. A link to the file on your computer will not work.

    Getting a List of Your Mods

    Sometimes a helper will ask you for a list of your mods and CC as part of troubleshooting. To get that, follow these instructions (instructions courtesy of the Deaderpool Discord server):

    Windows

    1. Go to Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods
    2. Click on any empty spot in the address bar at the top
    3. Type cmd and press Enter; the command terminal will open
    4. Type the command here and press Enter:
      dir /s > mods.text
    5. You should now see a text (.txt) file in your Mods folder called mods. Upload this file.

     

    Mac

    1. Locate the terminal. You can find it by going to Applications > Utilities, or using Spotlight by pressing Command + Space, typing terminal and clicking the app result.
    2. Enter the following command, which will take you to the /Mods folder: 
      cd ~/Documents/Electronic\ Arts/The\ Sims\ 4/Mods
    3. Enter the command exactly as shown and press Enter:
      ls -lr ./* > ./mods.txt
    4. There should now be a file called mods.txt in your /Mods folder. Upload it.
  • luthienrising's avatar
    luthienrising
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    2 years ago

    Having issues even after going through the thread? Please feel free to post in this forum.

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