Creating default replacements for the face templates is a very long and daunting task and I understand why few people do them, but soon, soon all my sims will look like I want them to, just a bit, just hoping I do it fast enough to not grow tired of the fifteen templates I have already and start over AGAIN. Soon. I feel like I'm suffering from some kind of creation burnout, but the sims I create during a mood like this often ended up being some of my faves, so maybe I should push through it lol.

@FranH @simsample Be careful with graphics cards that are too new or processors that are too new! xD Buying a new computer that has pink soup is the worst thing that can happen, it is almost a lottery to know if the game will work when you don't know exactly what causes it. My desktop computer with newer components is full of soup no matter how many fixes I use, and yet the "cheap" laptop I bought a few years ago can handle everything!

@Matryoshkah When I learned how to make default face templates, I was shook by the lengthy process, but it was something I really wanted to do, so I pushed through I made a full set. It wasn't that bad!

And then I thought, "I wonder how difficult it'd be to make CUSTOM face templates?" since that's something that you see even less than default ones...

...and I was traumatized by how long it takes. I couldn't even make ONE. So yeah, props to everyone who works on projects like these.

@LauraPamplonaS I have read several times that they are very difficult to make, so I join in congratulating those who make them, the non-default faces are my favorites, since you can have as many as you want and they are very useful for blending.

It has to be brand new tech for me though, I want this new (as yet hypothetical) rig to play Inzoi when it's released too!

The biggest problem for me will be figuring out if I can transfer the data on the hard drive I have now to a new hard drive without having to install the game again on a new computer. I'm firmly sticking with a desktop computer. I don't like laptops (and yet I'm running on one..) because of their known limitations of upgrades. I have to have that extra space..

And also trying to keep Win 7 instead of the default 11 that new computers have. The graphics card will have to be a new one, and I'll just have to wing it. However this does give me the perfect excuse to get the 1t size drive I've been dearly wishing for the last 5 years...

You'd have to reinstall the game, especially if you have a new operating system. Unless they clone your hard drive, which I would not advise as they'd have to update all the drivers anyway and it would be a mess, plus you have a badly outdated operating system (support for Win 7 ended back in 2020 and I doubt you'd find new drivers for it).

Yeah, you're right. A new OS will require re-installation of the game...which I'm dreading. But I will be able to take off all my downloads, neighborhoods, etc from the old drive, I know.

I just wish it wasn't required to 'update' the OS to that spyware they call Win 11 or even 10, because I don't want it on my system. I"m not afraid of the game not working but it's going to be a new learning curve for me.

Hell, I'm worrying about things I have to do even before I've picked the new system out! Talk about premature worrying!

I got the latest, greatest gaming rig available last Christmas... I have no problems with TS2 UC (from Origin.)
I've got an: iBUYPOWER - Trace MR Gaming Desktop - Intel i7 11700KF - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080Ti 12GB - 1TB NVME SSD
And I added an extra internal HDD, for non-sims storage. (Ya know... work type stuffs )
And maxed out the RAM. (Well... I thought I did? Maybe I only quadrupled it - it says I have 64GB right now. )

The year before that I bought a really nice HP Omen 17 which has no problems at all with TS2 UC/Origin.

I also highly recommend - though I haven't needed it yet - to install Osab's StarterPack. It is the easiest, out-of-the-box way to play TS2. It is optimized, updated for new hardware, and fully supported. (Yes, it is free.) Don't "worry" about re-installing the game. It really isn't hard to do anymore.

I know my machines are waaaaay too expensive, and much more than TS2 needs, to be able to play. My point is - don't stress over getting the right machine. The new "stuff" works just fine.

As for W11? I like it MUCH better than 10. Just make sure you disable/uninstall OneDrive and CoPilot the first time you turn on your machine.
And after every major "update," make sure they didn't forcibly re-install them!
I use the free version of REVO Uninstaller to rip those things out by their guts. It is quick and easy.

It is very daunting, but it's good to have an up-to-date operating system because it's more secure and you can get the latest drivers so everything works well. Even Win 10 support ends next year. If you have someone remove the old hard drives from your old computer then you can get yourself a SATA to USB adapter and plug your old hard drives in to your new computer to get files from them whenever you like.



Thanks for the tips, I'd add to that to NOT install Sims games to the default location (Program files (x86)). Make a new folder in the root of your primary hard drive and install your games there- I put mine in C:/Games/EAGames (makes it easy, as when the installer asks where to install you just erase the 'program files(x86) bit and type 'games' ). This is important to do as it makes modding the game so very much easier- installing CEP or lighting mods, editing your graphics rules etc., as you don't need administrator access and nothing is virtualised in the virtual store profile folders. Also, backup your installed game files before you mod them! That way you can easily revert changes or go back if you mess something up (without reinstalling).

I have all the disks, and am going to re-install it the old fashioned way-you can't get the UC any more, and even if you could, I would not. It's appearing right now that my tech guru is gone missing and I'm going to have to wade into the tech stuff without any guidance whatsoever, and buy the computer out of the box.

Which is fine but I have very little idea of what I'm looking for besides:

1. NOT an Allin1 computer because I like towers
2. As much space in the system as possible, which means 1t drive
3. a decent video card that will run the game without hitches and 'pink soup'.
4. Decent power supply and RAM.
5. A system that has a decent frame rate and power processes.
6.That it has a DVD/CD reader/burner installed.

As it is I'm narrowing it down to a Dell or HP. Because I can't get to a store I have to do this on-line. I do have an upper limit for amount I spend only because I don't think in overspending for any of it.

Do the newer Nvidia cards work well with the game? I have no idea why I kept running on a DDR3 but I think it's time to up the game to a SSD, Probably because the tower I do have is only fitted for DDR3 and the slots don't support much else.

Can you elaborate? I knew that Program files asked for admin rights, but I don't know what the virtual store folders are.

A lot of older applications wrote their settings directly to the program installation folder. For various reasons this is not a good idea, so versions of Windows after Vista silently redirect these files to a VirtualStore folder in the user's appdata. I've seen this cause glitchiness before, especially when running as adminstrator and you can end up with two different sets of program data.

This is why I tend to suggest using a C:\Games\ folder instead of installing games under Program Files.

If you had the UC when EA handed it out for free, it should still be available on your EA App-thingie. Mine is.
If you are going to install from disks: here is a really good guide - https://shinki26.tumblr.com/post/72...d-fix-guide-for
But... I really don't know why you wouldn't want Osab's Starter Pack. It comes with everything you will need.
It is not pirated or illegal in any way.

I never went the way of EA app or Origin, considering that to be DRM and I'm pretty hard set on that. I know how to install from disks, because I've done this before at least 3 times.

Right now I'm just trying to figure out what it is I need/want in a desktop. My desktop is dead, officially. I cannot do anything with it, and so I'm running on my laptop trying to get through this ordeal. At least the money isn't an issue this time.
The specifications are..

FYI - When my beloved Win7 desktop died last year (2023), I bought a new Win10 (now upgraded to Win11) desktop tower with TS2 being a priority for it to run. What I ended up getting is an HP Envy TE01-2xxx machine with 32 GB RAM and 11th Gen Intel Core I7-11700 @ 2.50 GHz processors. The graphics card is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super. I included a 1 TB SATA drive (C-Drive) and a 2 TB SSD (D-Drive). I have had no issues with pink flashing and the game runs without issues. Unfortunately many machines don't come with a CD/DVD anymore (mine didn't) so check any system specs closely for that. However, I have the Sims2 UC and was able to install it without the need for the drive. I have since added a USB connected CD/DVD drive for times when I need one. Just providing some input as to what worked for me.

Good luck with your search!

One question I do have:

Do the newer lines of Nvidia cards have any issues with running the game if the rest of the specs are good?

That is my main concern. I''m looking at a Dell machine, but I'm partial to the Nvidia cards, not the Intel ones.

As to the optical reader, I can afford to buy a separate one, so it's really not the biggest problem. I just want the play ability with the Nvidia cards.

I got my computer in 2019 and have a GeForce RTX 2060. I had various problems at first due to messed-up graphics rules but then got those sorted out. I still have the occasional pepto-bismol explosion and the occasional crash but it's fairly stable otherwise.

It's pretty much as Bulbizarre says here:



For 32 bit applications, such as Sims 2, any changes made to the Program Files (x86) folder (which is a UAC protected location) are virtualized- that is, the registry redirects these changes to the user's profile. If you go to Users\[username]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore you might be able to see files that have been virtualized. If you install programs to a UAC protected location, often you will be asked whether you want it to be installed for all users or just yourself. If you say just yourself, the Virtual Store will be where it's put.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Account_Control
https://www.minitool.com/lib/uac-virtualization.html
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/w...ol/how-it-works

Sometimes I've seen on the help forums here where people make changes to their game files but those changes don't apply correctly, or they may uninstall a lighting mod but it's still there. That seems to happen when something is changed in the game files but not written correctly to the VirtualStore. Installing to a non-UAC location will prevent that from happening.

Of course, any programs like Antivirus or system integrated programs (cloud storage, banking or email apps, archive applications) should still be installed to their default locations so that they benefit from UAC protection, but for games where you need to extensively mod the user files, I'd stick them somewhere else.


Me too, I like my disc install because I use the Any Game Starter a lot. You can't run in a purely basegame environment with UC- you need at least M&G running too.

UPDATE:
Because the tech guru is gone missing for the moment, I've done some serious shopping and have decided on (but not ordered yet) this:

Dell XPS desktop with NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4060 Ti,
16GB, 1x16GB, DDR5, 5600MT/s
1 TB SSD

It's a pretty basic set up, but also buying a monitor and optical DVD/CD drive (yes, it's true, they don't come in the box..) from Dell directly.

It's the closest I can come to my last computer, also a Dell XPS.

I haven't ordered it yet because I'm waiting to see if tech guru shows up, but also to inform brother of the item. He's reimbursing me for the computer because he's my big brother and Christmas is coming..

Any thoughts as to the wisdom of my purchase? I think it's pretty good for a set up.

Impulsively installed The Sims Complete Collection yesterday. Even though I prefer TS2 over TS1 a bit, I still miss some objects from TS1: proper picnic table, VR set, mechanical bull, and so on(thanks to TS2 modders such as jellymeduza and Jacky93 for recreating some of them). Oh, and my sim being a celebrity.

So true... A proper picnic table is honestly one of the things I'm most annoyed not to have as EAxis content in TS2... I know there's plenty of CC ones out there and it's not that big a deal, but really, I put it in the same category as the lack of a chain link fence and the lack of an inverted version of the full-height triangular window, where it just seems like it should have been OBVIOUS to the designers to include at some point!

Was that the Sims 1 Complete Collection, and could I ask if you had a DosBox compilation? I've tried to install it on my computer recently and it was obviously a ripped one that had DRM in it so it would never load properly.

It'll work okay on modern OS; I have it running on Win 10 in widescreen.
https://www.reddit.com/r/sims1/comm..._on_windows_10/

(Internet archive link might be dead for a while though until they have it fixed)

I don't even bother to build a VM for that(I simply followed said reddit thread). Seems like No-Disc crack is a must(if you're OK to deal with possibility with malware) for old copy-protected CD/DVD games nowadays.