Hello, everyone!



I'm starting this thread as a place where we, as a community, can collect information and supporting files/utilities necessary for using SimPE. I cannot do this effectively on my own---I've only ever casually used the program for my own gameplay convenience and safety and never created anything, to share or not. I just don't have the SimPE expertise to know what's even needed or useful!

So I'm asking your help to fill in the blanks on what we find, because there are many players and creators far better equipped than me to answer questions like these (and several more at the bottom of the page):
A. What do we actually need to make the program work?
B. What other documentation or utilities do you know of that are basic necessities for running SimPE?
C. What caveats are there regarding versions and installations and plugins?


The following pair of tables shows the SimPE versions and related files that I've already been able to locate.

Table I. Utilities required for SimPE to install/run

Description	Location with URL
Nvidia DDS Utilities	Nvidia directly
Microsoft (MS) .NET Framework, v2.0	MS directly (actually only includes more recent versions but backwards compatibility is likely)
MS DirectX 9c	SimPE Extras section, on Sourceforge

(Thank you again to the kind member who PM'd me with that list as well as with the all-important Wayback Machine link to Quaxi's site for the program!)

Table II. SimPE versions and associated critical files we know about

Filename/description	Site	Location with URL
SimPE 0.77.69	SFS - Chris Hatch	Normal Download - Manual and Installer - This folder is updated semi-regulary by Chris Hatch so version may change.
SimPE 0.75.69	SFS - Chris Hatch	Normal Download - Manual - shared by HugeLunatic
SimPE 0.75.68	SFS - Chris Hatch	Normal Download - Manual and Installer
SimPE 0.75f-QA	MTS	As a normal download
SimPE 0.73.44-QA	Sourceforge	Main project page, green Download button
SimPE 0.72.01c with installer	ambertation.de	Wayback Machine to front page under Main SimPE Download
SimPE 0.72.01 without installer	ambertation.de	Wayback Machine to front page under Main SimPE Download
SimPE 0.72.01 Alpha plus numerous older versions	Sourceforge	Binaries page
SimPE 0.71.23-QA and SimPE 0.71.22-QA	Sourceforge	QA page
SimPE Photostudio templates: v3.0/2.0/unlabeled (=v1.0?)	Sourceforge	Photo Studio Templates page
SimPE Base careers	Sourceforge	Extras page
SimPE localization packages for 0.62 and 0.59w	Sourceforge	Localization page

Where are you going to put all this?

As a last resort, this thread itself can be the repository. But that's just the fallback plan, since it would have the same issues with backup and accessibility as when we only had this latest version of the program in a random thread.

I'm hoping instead to use what we collect here to edit the SimPE page on our onsite wiki, to make it much more useful now that Quaxi's site is gone. That wiki page in its current state is here, and until this week, all mentions of SimPE on this site linked there. For now, they link to the MTS download page we have for it, but if the wiki page can be updated, we can likely point the autolink destination back there again, so people can get useful info along with the download. In addition, if the contents of Table II are not safe where they are, it's possible we could again update the MTS download page for the program with them, but I can't guarantee this.

What about the GUID database that used to be hosted at ambertation.de?

Because Quaxi controlled that as part of the SimPE site, it is also down now, regrettably. Please read through this thread for more information on the last time the community tried to get it fixed and back up (unsuccessfully, obviously).

Please do not post your GUID issues and tips/ideas here. GUIDs are a very important topic, but they are not within the current scope of this project. However, you are more than welcome to join in with all the recent posts about it, starting here. (That is also where all the former GUID posts in this thread have already been moved.)

Please allow this thread to stay focused on the SimPE program itself, specifically its components, versions, required utilities, and installation tips.

So what do you still need to know?

Well, in addition to the bolded questions A-C listed above (which may or may not already be answered, based on what you all think of the contents of this page!), I can think of these (and will cross them off as they get answered):
1) Quaxi didn't actually list Nvidia DDS Utilities as required, so are they needed for all users, or only for installs where certain specific tasks will be done with the program (and if the latter, what would those tasks be?) Thanks to omglo for the answer!

2) It looked to me like recent versions of .NET Framework are backwards compatible, but I wasn't sure about DirectX. So, are they both backwards compatible---in which case everyone could just download whatever the most recent version is of both that loads on their system, and have SimPE work well? Or do we need specific versions of either?

3) Are all necessary plugins (like Bidou's Career Editor) for the program already included in installer versions and binaries listed in Table II? If not, are they in the other files in any of the above tables? If they're not there either, any other ideas?

4) How safe is Sourceforge as someplace we can trust to keep the files already there indefinitely available? Do we need to get the files moved off of there, or will the SimPE project there stay up as long as Quaxi doesn't take it down?

5) Quaxi linked several tutorials as his FAQ, the index of which is still available via the Wayback Machine. Actually, the text of most (not all) of those FAQs is still available, but not the pictures. Are any of those tutorials worth preserving or linking to even without the pictures? Or, if they are worth preserving, does anyone have versions that do have the images that they can share? (If this discussion gets involved, with some tutorials useful and others not, I can add a table for those tutorials too.)

6) Are the documents in this final table important, and if yes, does anyone have copies? in particular, if we don't have instructions on installing without installers, is 0.72 the last version that self-installs...and if yes, is that usable as a default for most basic users (non-creators)? Or do our more recent versions also auto-install, and are they more recommended?

Item	Location on page
Instructions on installing without an installer	Under "Main SimPE Download"
Tutorial on downloading SimPE source code	Under "Older Versions and .rar/.7z Archives"

Also, please share here any other tips about SimPE versions or installation.

That's a final question, really: what other insight do you have for users choosing/installing a version of SimPE or any of the accessories here from this page?

I'll quote posts 4 and 6 of the thread here as examples of very useful tips:




ETA: Adding a button you can click to show other tips given for versions and installation given in the current thread...just to keep things from getting too long. Please do check under here before posting your own tips, in case it's added here already.



Another button, for wishes/ideas mentioned for future versions of SimPE (however, these, including bugfixes, are not at this time the purpose of this thread---please try to save discussion of such topics for a later time):



Whew! And of course, please let me know if any of these links are broken or if you have any questions for me, need more information, or would like to add questions to the list that need to be answered.

Thank you, so very much, in advance to everyone who's able to help!

Still hoping for the answers to questions 2-6 if anyone knows offhand. Feel free to specify the question number you're answering in your post...since as I mentioned I'm not a well-versed SimPE user and can use that kind of help!

Currently Working On (help always welcome here too!)

• Recheck OP to make sure all intended edits are present
• Go through post 3 in this thread to see whether question 6 is fully answered by it.
• Pull information from sources like this thread to start a section on editing filepaths in older versions to accommodate the UC when 0.75f doesn't work properly.
• Pull information from sources like this thread to start a section on uninstalling the program
• Read through all blog entries from ambertation.de for further general information (and to track versions per EP)
• Add section to OP on which versions work for which EPs
• Check some program versions using PC to see whether self-installing
• Ask Inge about SimPE section of her site: OK to link?
• Consider PMing others who worked on SimPE if still have questions/missing info: Sourceforge roster? other modders mentioned as active contributors?
• Find information on installation/use of SimPE on non-Windows platforms, beginning with this post.

If you have the UC, it's easiest to make it work with the 0.75f version Quaxi posted (with a tiny bit of UI fixing from the 0.73 version as said above), because I tried the 0.73 and 0.75b version and none of them wanted to have anything to do with the UC file paths on my Win10 system (and I tried everything I could think of). The 0.75f version worked like a charm, and I think the file paths were set up so linking them up was very easy. I also didn't seem to need the DirectX or framework, and only needed to install the usual DDS utilities and CEP - but this may not be true for everyone, and I haven't done the full range of SimPE-ing yet (neighborhoods, etc.), so it's possible those programs are needed for some tasks and for some computers/systems.

If you don't have the UC, you should be able to stick to the 0.73 version (it's updated for AL/M&G, 0.72 goes only to AL but there used to be a patch for it), though there's a chance you may also need a GUID fix (I had to do this with the 0.73 version about a year or so ago, because of some bug with the site that registers GUIDs. The files were somewhere in the same topic as the 0.75f version).

Thank you, @simmer22 ! I've added most of what you said, and you'll see a new button near the bottom of the OP where I'm going to stash those for now.

About those files you mention at the end though; sorry to ask you to click the gyazo screenshot link, but could you look at that image and see whether there's a version there that sounds like what you mean? It did look to me like Quaxi, in that thread where he posted 0.75f, was sounding like he'd posted other versions too, but when I saw the thread live last, it had only 0.75 available for download and not others. But I think there's an 0.73 at Sourceforge...will that work as you suggest?

http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...072#post5334072 - This post has the file that helps people with 0.73(and earlier versions) connect to the GUID database. Quaxi created it to fix an issue that made the database inaccessible through SimPE. It's already included in 0.75. It's not useful at present, because the database is completely down right now, but maybe that'll change in the future.

Oh, I see. Thank you so much! Here I was thinking simmer22 meant another copy of SimPE. (See why I so need the community's help? )

ETA: added your post as well under that final button in the OP.

I did mean the 0.73 at Sourceforge (+the fix Omglo mentioned), and the 0.75f version in Quaxi's post. Hopefully the database will return (I haven't had to register GUIDs in a while, so I didn't know the database was down until someone mentioned it in a post a short while ago).

For the forum moderators, can this thread be stickied so that it doesn't disappear? This would be a significant thread to keep alive when discussing SimPE post-Quaxi, especially since that he stopped servicing the software long ago (aside from he appearance the last time & generously taking a look at his software to update for The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection and small fixes).

There are also a couple of tweaks to SimPE that are in danger of going extinct, particularly Theo's "Alt. Sim Surgery" mod. It doesn't play nice with 75f (you can't see what your "improved" Sim is going to look like), but maybe one of our smarter techies can fix that.

Another good one to have is Theo's "ActionDeleteSim" plugin, if things go so pear-shaped that you must delete a Sim (this should be a LAST RESORT nowadays).

When all was said and done, there were a few things that The Sim Enhancer 2 (TSE2) did more easily than SimPE, but 1) it was payware and 2) the creator lost interest back around the Pets expansion (you can't really do anything with the Pets other than see them and move them from house to house). I think Mr. Halle is long gone from Simming, so there's no longer any official way to unlock the program if you do get it.

Is there any hope we'll ever see some scripting plugin? My attempts to editing behaviours in this 'state machine' in SimPE, has gave me nightmares, like I was again in the darkest cave with Fallout 2 modding.

The DDS utilities are important if you want to use SimPE to work with textures, whether you're making a recolor, a new object, or Skin/Eye/Clothing/Hair. It's what lets you choose "Build DXT" when you right click on a texture. It's better and more flexible than the import option, so Build DXT is pretty much used exclusively by creators.

That ^ and GUIDS.

I am using 73 but I am on disks.

There are small things that could do with fixing. For example when recolouring using Build it defaults to smoothen. Every time you have to scroll and change to 'none'. A small but annoying thing.

I'm using 73.44 as well, tried the newer version and it was worse to use in every way, the short drop down lists intolerable.
A couple years ago I tried (really hard) to get the source code, built up an XP box just for it, followed the instructions, downloaded and installed the recommended software to get the source code and the best I could get was for Freetime. I keep quite about it because the availability of the source code is part of the GNU General Public License and since I love SimPe, practically live it I'd hate to see support for it gone because of that technicality. However I'd still love to be able to get the source code.

Is this a good thread to chat about the preservation of the guid database? I'm hoping that Quaxi can be contacted again, and that the community could take over the site & the program. The guid database is essential for modding, I think, and it'd be a shame to let that go without a fight.

Hi all! Thanks so much for your help and interest. Just got a lead on Table II's formatting issues, so now I'm posting this, I'll edit the OP based on all discussed below and will try and fix the table as well.



(ETA: Although I'm not a moderator, I wanted to share my thoughts...)
Let's see how it goes. My hope is still to get most of the info transferred over to our wiki entry for it (linked in the OP). If that doesn't end up being possible, then it'll be more important to get the post stickied.

Either way though, what's most crucial to me for now is to get all the numbered questions I presented answered. But also it would be good for the OP to get more Helpful votes, or for your post about the sticky to get more Agrees, so that admins see this as info that the community feels is useful. Otherwise there's not much chance it'll get stickied, and perceived low interest may affect whether the info can get transferred to the wiki either.



@Sims2Maven That's great information. Most important: do you (or anyone?) know where we can get those two components?

Also appreciated what you said about the Enhancer---interesting background info.





I am adding a new button to the OP for bugkill/feature wishes and will put both those comments under there.

To be clear, I feel I need to discourage making such ideas a major purpose of this thread right now---I feel we must pin down and ensure complete documentation/preservation of the basic components for future users of the program before we start wishing for better. I hope that makes sense to you guys!



Thank you so very much for answering one of the questions! I'll mark question 1 as answered and link it to your post.



@Chris%20Hatch (trying a new tagging method for people with spaces in their username; let's see if it works!)

Wow, it never occurred to me that we might already have much of the source code. Two questions for you:

I. I'm sorry not to understand (never having had reason to parse the GNU or any other GPL seriously myself), but what do you mean "see support for it gone"---as in, the remaining files would be pulled from Sourceforge if it were clear to everyone that the source code is indeed not fully available? Or something else (surely not that Quaxi would stop supporting it, since he already basically has done that)? I'd really like to hear more in case there's something about that angle that can be followed. (ETA: Please feel free to PM me if you feel it's a sensitive subject.)

II. Do you still have that source code from the Pets version? Is it possible someone could reverse engineer, from a copy of 0.73 or 0.75, a supported version of SimPE now?







I agree that the GUID database is something that sounds very important to modders. I'd like to keep the focus of this thread on the questions I've presented already in the OP. I considering starting a new thread about that topic on your collective behalf, but then I realized that unlike this thread, I would be unlikely to have much to do with that one---it's not likely to produce information that's mainly wiki-able, which was my goal with this one.

But I think it's an important thread to have, especially if you can come up with an alternative. So I would definitely recommend either that a concerned member who was familiar with the GUID database starts a new thread to discuss it...or that you continue posting your ideas about it into this thread, to keep together all the former suggestions about the database as well. (There seemed to be some good ideas over there.)

Also, if anyone's not clear about why the GUID database is down and is still wondering whether/when it will come back, etc, please read through that thread I just linked above to understand the problems and history of attempted contact so far.

For now, I'll edit my OP to direct folks to that old thread about the registration database, or if someone starts a new one, I'll edit again to direct there!


Thank you! I'll reference your post in the OP so people can at least have that answer.

The following will shortly be added to the OP in the tips section---it's a bit of an opinion but some folks might appreciate a brief review, and it's another piece of info about differences between recent versions.

@natboopsie thanks for the link; I'm worried though if the GUID database won't come back, I feel like it's going to be tough to make new CC, especially when I finish my block All that number and hex talk by simmer22 has my head spinning

No problem, cows, for the link.

Unfortunately, the number and hex talk for GUIDs has my head spinning too, lol. I'm struggling already to try and keep all the bits of info straight here about just the basics of the SimPE program, its versions, utilities, and components.

Thus, the mods have been kind enough to split off the entire GUIDs part of this thread, partly so that the questions and info about the other stuff don't get lost. All that is now attached to the former thread about communicating with Quaxi, which also included some other good suggestions about obtaining GUIDs.

For those following the program-basics part of this project, I've made the second post in this thread into the list of what I'm actively working on, so you can keep up with my progress as well as have extra chances to spot anything you'd like to assist with!

I might as well contribute what little I know. As far as getting SimPE to run on other operating systems, i.e Mac and Linux, dotnet20 is required.

First of all, this is super helpful! And the fact that everyone came together to share info and linkies just makes it even more community-feely of that makes sense? :P

ANyways! I figured I'd share my knowledge on what we still need and such:

2) It looked to me like recent versions of .NET Framework are backwards compatible, but I wasn't sure about DirectX. So, are they both backwards compatible---in which case everyone could just download whatever the most recent version is of both that loads on their system, and have SimPE work well? Or do we need specific versions of either?

.Net framework is indeed backward compatible, which for clarification means that if you get .Net 4.0 you'd automatically also install .Net 3.0 and 2.0, if not, 1.0.
DirectX, on the other hand, is not. You SPECIFICALLY need to download DirectX9 in this case in order for it to work. So, say you were to download DirectX11 or 10, you will not be installing DirectX9, unlike the .Net frameworks.

\

Here's Theo's Alt Sim Surgery plugin: http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/s...hp?topic=3563.0

The Sim Deleter Tool can still be found via the Wayback Machine (along with other tools): https://web.archive.org/web/2012021...leter-tool.html

@redandvidya
@Lyralei
@Dorsal Axe

Thank you all so much for contributing! Incredibly helpful too, since as I mentioned none of this stuff comes easily to me.

I've got one more small side task I want to get to, then I'll be back here and working on this project again---I see it as being somewhat of a marathon, so I'm pacing myself. But in a few days, I'll be incorporating your contributions into the OP or into my to-do list in post 2, as appropriate, and continuing from there!

I have managed to get most of the current source code for SimPe, all except 'the current PJSE'. Version 0.75.68 will have the good stuff from 0.73.44-QA and the UC support from 0.75f-QA. It also supports the newer Store Edition and The Sims™ 2 Angel and Nurses Stuff. Jo's suggestion of no compression as default when importing textures was an easy fix.

Will soon be available as a self installer executable, which will come with HoodChecker, HoodReplace, LotAdjuster and LotCompressor pre-built in. Or a manual install which is just bare bones SimPe. Also there will be a version 0.75.69 which is the same as 0.75.68 but also contains support for T&A (so some rude words may appear in it).
I can/have changed the links in it to point to Mod the Sims instead of the original SimPE site (see attached image), it'd be good if there was a specific thread here to link to for SimPE discussion.

Wow, exciting stuff Chris.

That is simply awesome, Chris.

SimPe_0_75_69 Update
http://simfileshare.net/folder/77372/

SimPe_0_75_69.zip is the manual install files
SimPe_0_75_69-Installer.zip is the installer executable files

OriginalDocumentation.zip is the original .PDF introduction etc.

The self installer will delete your settings on install, that makes for a 'clean install' and can be used to re-install later to fix SimPE if it gets messed up. It also adds HoodChecker, HoodReplace, LotAdjuster and LotCompressor.

There is now only one version, it will detect if T&A is installed and load support for it if it is, otherwise nothing related to T&A will appear in SimPe.

I have made a big change to the way SimPE locates your game files which should be much better for UC users. However I don't have UC so I can't confirm that, (I would appreciate feedback from someone that does use UC). SimPE now uses HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\ [exe name] to locate your EP/SPs and Sim Story games.

Note: SimPE is released under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE and as such I make no claim of ownership to the files nor even the links to the files. Provided they are kept free you may use and abuse them however you see fit.