#2
2nd Aug 2021 at 9:30 PM
Last edited by simmer22 : 2nd Aug 2021 at
9:48 PM.
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Not sure if they're searchable (unless they have S3 or TS3 in the name), or if they show up in for instance
Clean Installer or any of the other programs, since they have a completely different set of resources than TS2 files.
If you have SimPE, it will throw an error if you try to open TS3 or TS4 package files, something like "this is the wrong type of file", so that's one way (just drag-drop files one by one that you think might not be TS2 files). If it's a TS2 file it should open without any issues.
That's what I do whenever I'm unsure, anyway - I also use the various programs to open the files (SimPE, S4Studio, S3PE, S4PE, TSRW), and whichever manages to open the file is the right program/game for that file (TSRW can open both TS3 and TS4 files, but you have to open under the right game).
Another way is to look at whether the file has recolors as separate files. If it does, it's probably TS2 files, because TS3 and TS4 files tend to have swatches included in the file. Because of this the files also tend to be larger - if you see files that are over 5k, they're a bit more likely to be TS3/TS4 files (but not always, so check first). Fewer TS3 and TS4 CC makers seem to have gotten the "memo" about using few/no special characters, so if you see single files cluttered with a lot of those, that could quite possibly be one (but there are those who never use special characters, and TS2 creators who clutter their files with them, so... also not a given).
But the most important thing you do is to make sure you keep track of which game the files are for when you download, so you don't put the files in the wrong game. Check tags for sites like Tumblr (usually says "ts2cc" or some such), make sure you're in the right area for sites like MTS/GoS that have multiple downloading areas for the various games, and if you download for two or more games, keep the downloads separated (I have a TS2, TS3 and TS4 folder for the downloads I haven't put into my games yet, so I know what's what).