Hi everyone,

I'm new to The Sims 2 Legacy Collection. I originally played The Sims 2 many years ago when I was at primary school, but back then I only used a very small amount of custom content. Now that I've returned to the game, I'm learning how to build and manage a proper Downloads folder for the first time.

I'd really appreciate some advice from experienced Sims 2 players.

* Which websites do you trust for Sims 2 custom content?
* Which creators consistently produce reliable, high-quality CC?
* Are there any creators or sites you personally avoid?
* Do upload dates matter, or is older Sims 2 CC generally still safe to use?
* Are there certain types of CC that need extra care (for example hacks, default replacements, cars or other gameplay mods)?
* How do you personally organise your Downloads folder?

One question I'm particularly interested in is this:

Has anyone noticed any CC or mods that work perfectly with the Ultimate Collection or disc version of The Sims 2, but don't work correctly with the Legacy Collection?

I'm hoping to build a reliable collection of CC that I can enjoy for years, so I'd really appreciate any advice, favourite creators or trusted websites you'd be willing to share.

Thank you!

I have not found any mods that do not work in the Legacy edition. Older CC is safe, as this is an old game. The only caveat is to avoid anything that requires the Ikea stuff pack, as Legacy edition does not include it. There is a way to add Ikea to Legacy, but don't add mods that need it unless/until you get it installed.

Multi-Pollination Technician mods should be removed with care; the mod part can be removed but the character files that come with it should not be removed. I believe the hitch is that the characters can end up in your alien abduction babies' family trees. Before installing a multi-PT mod, read up on them so you understand them.

Custom foods can be problematic to remove, because they can get added to want trees, can become favorite foods of random sims, can have memories associated with them, etc. Foods are supposed to work like this. But it means that removing them would require editing your sims (all of them) in SimPE to delete all references to that food, it would be very tedious and it could be easy to miss references to the food you removed.

I organize my downloads pretty much as objects are organized in game. I have CC sub-folders for BodyShop (all clothes, make up, hair and accessories go here), Build Mode and Buy Mode, plus another folder for Mods that modify game function. Buy Mode has sub-folders for Appliances, Automotive, Bedding, Children, Decor, Electronics, Lighting, Plumbing, Surfaces and so on. Matching CC sets, like Guatla's Broken Bathroom, get their own folder. Build Mode has sub-folders for DoorsAndWindows, Fences, Floors, GarageAndAuto, Garden, Roofing, Stairs, Walls, etc. Again, large CC sets like Parsimonious' Pirate Bay Build set, get their own folder.

Thank you - this helps a lot!

I'd think most plain CC or mods (in Downloads folder) would work fine (with the caveat of anything that touches IKEA or the Holiday packs do require those to be installed for the CC/mods to work).

Mods that go in the install location might need some adjusting (CEP and the like). Not sure about empty/clean hood templates, light mods and the like, but I think as long as you backup files before changing/removing them (or are prepared to need a game reset if things don't work), you should be good.

Mods that change the UI, the EXE files, or generally larger mods that edit a lot of files in the install area might require spesific LC versions, as there have been some changes done to LC that may or may not touch those areas.

Mods/programs dependent on install location data (SimPE, Clean Installer, etc.) should still work, but need to have the locations manually input, and could cause a bit of trouble at first. There's a Bodyshop version for LC, if you need that.

You'll want to check if there are messages from the mod creator, and/or comments that mentions the LC (usually at the end, look at date stamps after LC was released).

LC has had some patching/changing done, so you can probably expect it to have different issues than UC/disc versions - some old issues patched, new issues popping up.



I have a very large collection of old stuff, but a lot of the sites are dead and gone, unfortunately.
Besides MTS,
various creators on Tumblr (a lot of creators post stuff there - list is too long to post)
https://gardenofshadows.org.uk/gard...adows/index.php (Lots of gems)

A few other sites:
http://www.insimenator.org/ (traffic is almost dead, so it's pretty much an archive these days, but has some decent stuff)
https://simpearls.boards.net/ - mostly archived from the old site(s) (BPS/Simpearls)
https://simblr.cc/home/
Hair database (The dropdown list to the left where it says "A1:J1" is where you navigate to the hair creator you want)
http://www.parsimonious.org/sims2.html
https://www.aroundthesims2.com/


The ones who care enough to fix problems, answer questions, and where you can see the quality on every thing they do.


Most plain CC is safe to use.
In regards to items that need extra care, the general advice that would be given for any game version would also be true for LC.

In regards to mods, don't put in too many at the same time, keep a "test" folder for new mods, and it can be an idea to have debug mode active while testing, just to rule out bugs. A game that's working fine with mods should not have errors popping up left and right. Make sure to read the mod creator's notes about potentially conflicting mods, and also make sure the mod is compatible with your game version (LC=either M&G, or special version for LC).

It can be an idea to keep a "test" folder for any new CC. Get a good look at it, test it from all angles, see if you like the colors, figure out if you are going to use it or not - and if you do like it, find it a more permanent spot in your Downloads folder. If there are colors you don't like, or if you don't like the item at all, delete it.


I've gone through multiple versions, but these days I've sorted everything into large categories, and have folders inside there, so I think I use a max of 2-3 subfolders deep at the most (my previous sorting looked a lot worse). This way it's a lot easier to check through one spesific category if I need to find or remove an item, or I can pull all folders that aren't relevant, for a much easier 50/50 check.

It's something like this (with a few more folders, because I sort my own creations into separate folders too, and have even more categories)

ACCESSORIES
BUY
BUILD
CLOTHES
DEFAULTS body
DEFAULTS other
FOOD
HAIR
LOTS (this one has some buy/build too, but whatever the lots need)
MODS
POSEBOXES
SIMS
(etc.)

(Build is sorted in to a few more categories, and I also have a few themed ones, for weddings, easter, christmas, etc. which I don't always need, so they're easy to pull out)