Witch Way To Install Sims Files?

Installing Downloaded Files for Your Sims

If you're new to downloading things for your Sims and putting them into your game, here's some tips. I'm assuming you know where your Sims directory is! The default (if you didn't change it when you installed) is C:\Program Files\Maxis\The Sims. If you're going to be downloading and installing stuff, I strongly recommend you get The Sims File Cop from the offical Maxis site.

To get wallpapers into your Sims game:

Extract the file(s) to the ...Gamedata\Walls folder. If you want to play with it in HomeCrafter first (for instance to change the price to §1), put it in a holding folder you use for HomeCrafter, open and save it as you normally would with that application per its readme.txt.

To get floor tiles into your Sims game:

Extract the file(s) to the ...Gamedata\Floors folder. If you want to play with it in HomeCrafter first (for instance to change the price to §1), put it in a holding folder you use for HomeCrafter, open and save it as you normally would with that application per its readme.txt.

To get house/downtown lots into your Sims game:

Extract the HouseXX.iff file into the Houses folder of the neighborhood in which you want it to show. For instance, if you wanted a house that belongs on lot 5 in your Neighborhood 3, you would extract House05.iff to ...Userdata3\Houses. The original Sims game has only one neighborhood, so it would be in just plain ol' Userdata if you don't have any expansions (and obviously, you can't have downtown lots without the Hot Date expansion, either).

To get skins into your Sims game:

Well, you didn't get any from me because I can't make them, but in general you put them in the ...Gamedata\Skins folder, unless the .txt file that came with it says to do anything differently with any of the files. (I just don't get how to do the whole distortion so it looks right when it wraps around the 3D mesh thing, if you wanted to know why I don't make them.)

To get objects into your Sims game:

You still didn't get any from me, because I could probably make skins before I could make objects. Well, except for paintings, and anyone can make those with Art Studio. At any rate, you put objects into the Downloads folder. I also recommend having separate little folders for each place from which you download objects, so if you go on a binge and install a bunch of them, and then your Sims game doesn't work, you can go back into the folders that hold the new objects you just got and selectively take them out 'til you figure out which one is messing up your game. For instance, I have Downloads\TSR for The Sims Resource, and Downloads\RomanSims for Minerva's great objects. Once in a while you'll run across objects that need to have accompanying files put in different places, depending on whether you have the original Sims game or various of the expansions. Check any .txt files that come with objects!

Hope that helped. Happy Simming!