Game Mod Discussion at Carl's Sims 3 Forum

[Hosfac]

It's like my posts don't show up or something.  See my above reply.

Yes, I know the feeling.  Since you're feeling ignored (and I apologize for that), allow me to address your concerns directly:

Just to clarify Seera, the ruling (I assume you mean the ruling that Mods can't be discussed/used) is not what I thought seemed "elitist", it was the fact that mods were discouraged to an illogical point and then actually used by those who discouraged them.  That was what I was referring to.

The reason I know how you feel so well when you say that it's like your posts don't show up is because I never did this.  There was a time that I did; shortly after the "girldolldressed" incident rocked the entire Sims community.  I was still reeling from my run in with this thing, and as a result I was very anti-mod.  You can't blame me for this...my game was messed up beyond all hope for a bit over a month before I even figured out what the problem was, never mind what to do about it.  But as the saying goes:  time heals all wounds.  After the horror faded, my hard-line stance against mods softened greatly.  All of this occured before I became a moderator here.

As a moderator, I've always said that there were good mods out there, but I was quick to point out that there are bad mods out there as well and that we simply do not make the distinction between the two (I have used this exact wording more times than I could possibly relate to you).  I've never discouraged anyone from using mods; I've only discouraged the discussion of mods because as a moderator it was my job to do so.  I would have been a poor moderator if I had picked and chosen which rules I was going to enforce.

Likewise, I can say with 100% certainty that the moderators who did discourage people from using mods did not use them when they did so, and still don't.  Trust me:  Carl did not just throw this thread up on a whim.  He discussed it with the staff at some length first, so I have a pretty good idea where everyone else stands on this issue.  This "elitism" you think you see is an illusion you've given yourself, because you don't see what goes on behind the scenes.  And there's a lot going on back there.  There is at least one forum business discussion or debate going on in PM between the staff pretty much every day.

Finally:  If any of you had ever approached me in PM about it, I would have freely admitted to using mods, I would have told you which mods I used and would have even given you step by step instructions on how to install them if you asked me for this directly.  I was never embarrassed about using them, I just didn't talk about it publicly because doing so was against the rules.  I have had several conversations about mods and custom content in PM with various members (JeanaMarie3 [i think] and NickyDuvyrda are two names that I remember specifically), so any of them can tell you that I wasn't exactly shy about it if the conversation occurred in the appropriate place.

If I missed anything, feel free to call this to my attention and I'll address those points as well. 

[wednesday21]

Dust builds up in the card which leads to more heat being trapped which leads to a dead card.

Does this apply to laptop computers too? I remember reading somewhere that it is very unsafe and not recommended to manually attempt to clean the inner parts of a laptop if you are not very tech-savvy. That is what put me off of cleaning the insides of my laptop. I clean the outer parts regularly though, and the keyboard monthly (by taking out the buttons one-by-one and cleaning the dust under them).

[Hosfac]

People can burn out a video card if they don't know how to throttle back the settings. Some of the CC for new hair have very high polygon counts, 10-20mb files.

Again, a lot of CC is designed with more current equipment in mind.  Thus the age of the card plays a major factor.  But yes, I'd imagine that if you have a lot of high end custom content and your town uses it a lot, this could have a significant impact regardless of how current your machine is.  So I stand partially corrected.

I remember reading somewhere that it is very unsafe and not recommended to manually attempt to clean the inner parts of a laptop if you are not very tech-savvy.

You read correctly.  This is not suggested for anyone who doesn't understand how a laptop is supposed to fit together.  Space conservation is a concern for laptop, and so the components are almost literally shoe-horned into the case...and once you open it up, getting it closed again can be a monumental challenge if you're not experienced with it.  However, I would think that this would also be taken into account and laptop designers would take steps to make sure that dust is not as much of an issue.  I do not know, however, as I have never owned a laptop.

Likewise, if you own a Mac (especially a newer one) I don't suggest opening it up either.  Apple gets kinda funny about people cracking open machines they build.  Opening the case will void your warranty as I understand it.  It's better to just have a professional do it.  I wouldn't think that it would cost that much.

[Seera1024]

Likewise, if you own a Mac (especially a newer one) I don't suggest opening it up either.  Apple gets kinda funny about people cracking open machines they build.  Opening the case will void your warranty as I understand it.  It's better to just have a professional do it.  I wouldn't think that it would cost that much.

I think it might even void a PC's warranty as well. So if you plan on opening the case for anything, either wait until the warranty has expired, read the warranty to see if opening the case for periodic cleaning is allowed, or just be careful if you choose to do so. And most companies will only do warranty work if it's in the original configuration. So if you're replacing anything during the warranty period, don't get rid of it. Or at least that's what I've heard. Definitely read the warranty if you plan on doing any upgrades during the warranty period.

Edit to add: If you do decide to get it cleaned by a professional during the warranty period, keep the receipt. That way you'll have proof that it was a professional. And I know at Office Depot, the cleaning service is $9.99. I know this, because I work there. So it isn't that bad of a price considering.

[KrispyNickyB]

I was never embarrassed about using them, I just didn't talk about it publicly because doing so was against the rules.  I have had several conversations about mods and custom content in PM with various members (JeanaMarie3 [i think] and NickyDuvyrda are two names that I remember specifically), so any of them can tell you that I wasn't exactly shy about it if the conversation occurred in the appropriate

I'll vouch for this. We talked on many occasions and many PMs about modding and the technicality of the game.

Likewise, if you own a Mac (especially a newer one) I don't suggest opening it up either.  Apple gets kinda funny about people cracking open machines they build.  Opening the case will void your warranty as I understand it.  It's better to just have a professional do it.  I wouldn't think that it would cost that much.

This is actually true for PCs too. If you open your machine before that warranty is up all computer makers will count the warranty as void. If you ever have problems and still have warranty call the company first! If you don't know how to rebuild your computer from the motherboard up. I don't recommend you poking around inside. A lot can go wrong very fast i.e. static electricity. Always have someone certified or trained to it for you.

[Hosfac]

I think it might even void a PC's warranty as well.

This is actually true for PCs too.

Ok, this is somewhat surprising to me.  You'd think that manufacturers would want you to perform periodic health maintenance, although I guess I can understand why they wouldn't want just anyone poking around inside lol.

My last PC has a panel that can be removed without tools (slide a lever and pull the side cover off) and the manual actually suggested opening it up and using canned air specifically designed for PC use to blow the dust off the components.  However, if I modified it in any way, it definitely would have voided the warranty.

[KrispyNickyB]

Look for a sticker somewhere attached to the case. Most PC manufacturers used to do this. The sticker would be attached so if that lid was removed the sticker never quite looked the same. It's how they would tell if it's been opened or not.

[Mandier]

I have always used mods, since Sims 1. I never felt ashamed of using mods or cheat codes, I just wanted to make things easier for my sims and that's they way I like to play. The ban regarding mods and CC never bothered me, I usually came here to learn more about the game. I decided to stay and finally join the forum when I started reading the dynasty stories. After reading a couple of times the rules I decided to begin my first dynasty without almost all of my mods. There are three that I kept because I just didn't want to risk losing my save file to a bug that one of my mods could have prevented. I know my dynasty will never be official and that I won't be able to join any future challenges, but I just feel safer with my mods.

Getting rid of most of my mods and having to play the game like it's suppose to be played has proved to be more fun than making my sims' life easier. I'm going to try to finish my dynasty even if it means I have to start over 100 times. I'm also planing on trying to complete some of the challenges even if I can't register. I really don't mind that the rules for dynasties and challenges will not change, been able to complete the challenges on my own is enough for me.

I respect everyone's point of view and I won't try to make anyone change their mind regarding their opinion about mods. If my knowledge about mods can help someone then I'm more than happy to help. I have spend countless hours searching for mods, getting information on how they work and testing them. So far I haven't confronted any major issue with any of them. If I find that something is not working right I review the mods I currently have and search for information on how to fix the problem. If the problem is a mod, then the mod is deleted and I try something else. So I think mods can be useful but using too many can break your game or make the game pretty boring.

[jeanamariex3]

People can burn out a video card if they don't know how to throttle back the settings. Some of the CC for new hair have very high polygon counts, 10-20mb files. So if you play with a large population the amount of extra stress on the gpu really starts to climb. That stress causes heat and will shorten the life of the card.

I wholeheartedly agree with your post though, because technically it is not the mod's fault, it is the fault of the person who installed it without understanding the impact it might have. And mods are not always performance hogs, many actually help people on lower end machines.

That's what I was trying to tell you guys. It isn't the mods, it's the stress from Sims 3 in general with onboard graphics, which are too weak to render such a high graphical game as is. Add EP's+SP's and it's just going to slowly get weaker and weaker. I know, because I was there. Crashing on older, or lower end computers, that are ideal for internet use and business means the computer is working too hard, and overheating, from all the resources of a complex program, so it will shut itself down, to protect itself. Still, that's because the individual system isn't meant for the kind of activity it's being used for, not the program.

Still, none the less, that doesn't make Sims 3 or a mod bad. It means the system is either too old, or too weak, or not designed for what you're using it for.

Really, someone saying "mods are bad" would really be like me, and all the other vegetarians on this forum saying "Steak is bad. Don't eat it because it's high in fat and cholesterol and you could get Mad Cow disease..." But steak can be good for you too, I choose not to eat it. Then there's all these claims on how soy can be bad for you, which is also misleading, as was rule #5.

[Wench]

I'm glad to see this topic at least being discussed, regardless of the outcome.

I found this site when I acquired World Adventures and discovered that it had broken my game.  A google search brought me to your forums as someone had a similar problem and I learned about cheats like resetsim to be able to make my game playable.  Each new expansion brought new bugs along with the exciting new features and I gradually became more and more unhappy with The Sims 3.

For months I gave up and uninstalled the whole game because of endless problems that would break my save games irretrievably if I dared play one game long enough to pass on to the next generation.  I'd heard rumours that mods existed that could help fix some of the problems I'd been having (the worst one being abandoned NPC cars) but I didn't know where to go to find out more without having to wade through endless sites full of content that would definitely be raising the Teen rating of the game.  I'm not a prude or anything, but I have absolutely no wish to experience the details of my Sims intimate moments, and quite like the whole vague as Barbie dolls approach to Sim forms!

A friend eventually told me about Twallan's mods.  There are some that do things that I'm not really that bothered about, or that play around with story progression that I might one day take a closer look at, but what I loved was that now I could play the game.  I didn't want mods to make the game less difficult or that altered the way I played the game...to be fair I don't even use cheats except as a means to fix things that have broken.  Suddenly this one discovery meant that I could install a little mod that would fix the bugs that EA had neglected and make their game playable for me.  I'm a little disappointed that I have to resort to mods and cheats to enable me to play the game the way it was intended, but I understand that some things may be slow or difficult for EA to fix.

If mod discussion had been allowed here, I feel that I would have found these tools to fix my game so much sooner and not been so worried about using them.  The choice to install them and run them would still have been my own, but I would have been able to make a swifter and more informed choice with feedback from people whose opinions I have come to respect over my lurker years.

I adore that these forums have always backed a CC free approach to sharing content and I wouldn't see that change for anything, but for those that find they need the assistance of mods to make even the CC free games playable it would seem sensible for them to be able to ask for help from people they trust rather than having the risks of trying to find these things themselves.

[jeanamariex3]

If you downloaded patch 1.31, I would wait a bit to install any mods. Twallan hasn't updated yet, and I don't know how the older 1.29 patch compatible will work.

[grimsoul]

If you downloaded patch 1.31, I would wait a bit to install any mods. Twallan hasn't updated yet, and I don't know how the older 1.29 patch compatible will work.

Good point. I usually wait until Twallan updates his mods for any new patches before I update the Sims with the new patch so I'm not without the mods.

[Carl]

Since there is so much support for this, I am going to open the board by Saturday afternoon.

[Frey]

Since there is so much support for this, I am going to open the board by Saturday afternoon.

YAY! There are so many questions I want to ask  .

[cndneh]

If you downloaded patch 1.31, I would wait a bit to install any mods. Twallan hasn't updated yet, and I don't know how the older 1.29 patch compatible will work.

twallan usually updates within a day or so of the patch (or expansion packs/stuff packs) being released.  Usually its within the same day.