If you're enjoying my videos, please consider subscribing to my channel. Thanks everyone! 🧡 If you need help with any of my mods, please ask in my discord. You can join for free at discord.TwistedMexi.com It's just not practical to troubleshoot in youtube comments. Thanks everyone.
Omg I deadass thought the whole "no more than one folder deep" for script mods was counting the Mods folder itself All my script mods have just been jangling around loose
I thought the "no more than one folder deep" applied to every mod type! I will definitely categorize my CAS and build/buy items with sub folders, then! 😍😍😍
An organised mod folder is a lifesaver on patch day! Each mod gets its own folder titled with the name of the creator and the name of the mod. That way, I know exactly which creators I need to check in with to see if their mods are still working, and I can just delete the entire contents of the folder and redownload if there's an update.
This is how I organize my Mods folder as well, and its made update day, SO MUCH easier! I'll never be able to go back to the days of throwing everything into the folder and "winging it" XD XD
Honestly, having a folder for each separate creators CC, CAS and mods is so good I have done this for years and I will never looked back. So for instance, I have a folder named 'peacemaker build buy' in that folder all the build buy CC gets dropped in that folder, if I have a kitchen set from peacemaker those CC files are inside a subfolder named what the kitchen is, it is so much easier. I do the same with my CAS folder. All my mods, like mcccc are in their own folder, named what the mod is and dropped directly into the 'mods' folder so they are all on top. I have never had an issue with this system and it makes life so much easier to find something if it is broken. Checking back on the creators web pages for updates is always a good idea too.
This is amazingly organized, and I will never do it. I just don't have the patience. However, what I actually do is pretty helpful. I tend to download multiple things at a time, so I create a folder named with today's date. Always use the year first! Now, if I run into issues the next time I start playing I just go back and remove the most recent folder. I do separate out what I call real mods. These are anything that change the game configuration. These all get their own folder, and the folder name always starts with "real mods" so they are easy to find. Next time we get a patch or an update, anything marked real mods gets moved out until it's updated, or I can verify it still works. The level of organization is nowhere near as awesome as what you are doing, but it is very effective and I very rarely run into issues I can't solve very quickly. Another benefit, is when I decide it's time to get rid of some CC. I fire up Sims4Studio and start reviewing my oldest folders. Anything I don't like, gets deleted.
Having to going through my large folder of CC during patch day was killing me. I made folders similar to how you laid it out. Honestly putting all my gameplay mods into one folder helped me so much! Being able to go through 100 mods v 2000 was so nice 😂
I know this is an old video but just wanted to say that it has been a lifesaver! I completely understand the importance of mod organization, as I have probably watched and tried at least 75% of ways from other videos and still get things messed up somehow! But this way almost combines all other ways I have tried and it truly works! I have been using the downloaded empty template and absolutely love it!! Thank you so much for this, TwistedMexi! You are simply one of the best creators out here now (especially for users fairly new to using mods and/or CC)
This was awesome. I was always hesitant to sort by creator because I like my "sorting by objects" obsessive compulsiveness, but doing BOTH is even better.
I already do follow many of the guidelines from the video buuuut I do merge mods together by category. Making 50/50 harder than it should be. I'll try your approach today. Thanks for the video!
Holy crap I had no idea the Mods folder wasn't the one folder deep! What a game-changer! I've been limiting myself to only a few key mods because clutter is such a nightmare. Now I can go download a bunch of mods! Hurray!
Interesting video! Thanks for the wisdom as always. I’ve subscribed for the longest time to the merged packages load faster than their unmerged counterparts myth so it’s interesting to hear that it is in fact a myth. (I bet it’s the placebo effect there lol.) in any event I’ve upgraded my hardware massively since I first adopted the practice so I think I can stop the pain in the ass that is unmerging and remerging very time I download new CC. (I have over 100k files so as you can imagine this gets annoying to do!)
This is a major help!!! It will not only save us time and effort and believe me I can relate to this, but it will also make it easier for BE to find the bad cc or bad mod. Not only that, but I didn't know that some of the things I was doing could destroy my mods. Thank you! Big time! And yes, I do already support you!!!
This is such a helpful video. I already had my mods organised somewhat like this which is a lifesaver when updating them after a patch. I love your mods, thank you for your contribution to the community, highly appreciated!
Just did this after watching your video. Luckily, I don't use many mods (your Better Build/Buy and TOOL are amazing), and almost no CC, so it took me no time. Thanks for this!
Good to know. I only just started playing The Sims last year and just started putting in CC and mods this month, so I am just starting organization. As such, I kind of thought that everything had to be one folder deep, not just script mods, so this is wonderful to hear. I have my own way of organizing, so I will stick with that, but I will take some hints from this on how to handle naming . . . also glad to see that I can rename folders for various script mods, because it messes with me to have them organized and then see this random name that doesn't fit the organization.
Hi Twisted! I hope you fine!🤗 I have a question. I remove all odd signs and spaces removed in my CC's names. Is it useful or is it a fantasy like merging? It was in a tutorial from a big site known to all. Really thank you for your help.
This has been my only issue with CurseForge app, it messed up my organization because I was just happily downloading mods without organizing like normal. Gonna take some time today to organize it but CurseForge is out since it's overly convenient and will lead to me having a folder like the first one you showed. Thanks for this video as I work to reorganize my mess!! 🥰
This is the video that helped me through my tool mod troubleshoot. It turns out that i wrongly unzip the file & drag wrong way into mods folder causing it not working. After watched this i solved the problem. 💃💃💃
Thank you for posting this. I love trying out new mods and CC but am constantly overwhelmed by figuring out where the broken mod/CC is after an update to the point that I end up deleting everything in my mods folder and starting over. I do have one question, if a zip file comes with a .package file and a TS4script file, will the mods work if I separate the files by placing the .package file in tuning mods and the TS4script file into a common scripts folder? Sorry if this is an obvious answer I am not as computer literate as I want to be.
Thank you for this. I thought that we can't make subfolders cause mods will not work. So we can organize like this basically anything except script files?
@@TwistedMexi Just to check, is it no longer true that we can't go deeper than 4 or 5 (forget the number) folders for non-script mods? (Because I've been holding off on some better organization for fear of breaking some things and ...yeah)
@@TwistedMexi thank you! I will avoid getting SUPER specific then (You know, Mods >> Buy >> Decor >> Outside Decor >> Plants >> Ivy >> Creator kind of nonsense)
Thank you, Twisted for you fab mods and help! I have over 2000 mods just to make the game playable - Lol. I write a notation in front of each folder. Example: Scripted mod - Better exceptions 2.0 1-2021. So when I Do the 50/50 I rename the old mod file "Mod problem file" and make new Mod file then pull first all cas into the New mod file run sims 4. If it runs through to mod window at start you know you are okay with cas. Then I do build mod files the same way. If they pass then I know tuning and scripted are bad. We it takes some time before those mods get updated. But scripted mods like the TOOL and Command Center. I check for updates and put in and test. The others - I look over the EA SIMS 4 Broken forum. In the end if its total CAS or Build issues. I wait for sims 4 studio update to run updates through them.
Thank you so much for showing me this tutorial. I'm not good with computers. My downfall was adding mods and not putting them in folders as you described. Before this I never played with mods. Was told the game is so much more playable with them, so I did. The last update made my game unplayable.. is that a word? So, now sadly I don't play with mods and I'm trying so hard to find the broken mod 🤯 yes, that's how I feel. I'll have to watch this video a few more times to make sure I get it right before I add mods again. Thank you again so much.. ❤
Ah thanks you, after being chaotic for long time i'v e redone my mod folder and came to something that is quite similar not as detailled, i only use creator specific folder for all that is mod but not CC where i use detailled type category that a little more risk but its cc so its rare there is trouble and its less work, one thing i love is icon files of the sims for almost all folder so its visually easy to find stuff too. But categorizing and having mods nicely separate have been game changer, for breakng and update as well
I did not know that about the in game mods list. I'm turning it off the next time I go into my game. For organizing I recently started putting the update version number on the folder next to the creator's name. As for organizing them like in this video, I don't think that's going to work for me, right now, but I'll keep it in mind when I go through my entire folder at the end of the year and start reorganizing everything. I love your BE mod. I just got a BE when I played earlier today and discovered that I needed to remove a mod. But what I have never been able to figure out is the tuning files section of BE. There's tons of things listed on there, but I can't find them when I go looking through my mods folder. (I can't enter Discord. I haven't been able to in over a year)
Thank you for this video and the better exceptions mod. I didn't know that script mods cannot be 2 folders deep. I might need to reorganize my mods folder. I have 2 questions: Is Better Build Buy ok to use for the Feb update? and How do I rerun the "patch day" scan manually?
Do you know if not having any spaces in your mod file names or any special characters other than an underscore or hyphen can decrease load time in the game? This tip has been floating around Simblr for a while and I'm wondering if there is any validity to it? After your debunking of the so-called benefits of merging files, I'm wondering if this is also a myth too?
My organization on my Sims2 CC folder is pretty smilar to the one you showed at the start, with folders with the name of the creators, but with 4 I got a smidge lazy and just kept the name of the creator on the file itself and separated my CC only by categories hah!
6:21 does it apply to older sims games, too? I remember reading that for The Sims 3, it does help to merge files but it was about objects, not mods, because of the way The Sims 3 struggles to read more than a certain amount of files in the mods folder.
As someone who has a beautifully organised Sims 2 mods folder (with wayyyy more files than my Sims 4 mods, due to the average filesize being smaller), it's with great embarassment that I've had to come to this video. My Sims 4 mods folder is a total mess, and I was too busy playing to ever bother sorting it. However, coming back to the game after a 6 month break, half heartedly updating the main mods I could think of... and the my simself somehow getting pregnant with twins when I wasn't playing her despite that not being possible in my old mod setup... Yep. Time to bite the bullet and organise this. Doing a Sims declutter so my unexpected Sim kids can have a good life, oh boy...
I have a question. Does anyone else name a folder "testing" inside their mods folder? I do this to separate new files I'm adding in with already tested/known-to-work mods & cc, until I start my game up and actually test play to make sure they show up and work as intended. Then if all is well, I go back and move them to whatever subfolder they belong in. Great video btw!
Thanks for the warning about merging. I've been tilting at that windmill almost as long as I've been playing the game. But people don't listen to some random dude regardless what facts he may present. Dumping stuff into a black box is just a very bad idea. But I do have to disagree about the organization tips to a degree. If you only have a few hundred items, you may be alright with folders for everything. But every folder you add is a dead-end street your system has to navigate to find the stuff. If you have 100 folders going 4-5 layers deep, you are hurting your load times significantly. And it isn't necessary. We have tools that can instantly locate any broken CC you find in-game or in CAS. And most of the game-breaking glitches I've seen haven't been obviously due to a specific CAS category. So being able to pull "Tops" out of the mods folder has never been helpful to me. After a lot of experimentation I have settled on a 4-folder system for my CC-- 1) "Dumpster". This is where everything goes when first downloaded. 2) "BatchFix". When I run the S4S batch fixes on the Dumpster folder I move everything here. 3) "TempWorking". I periodically move a handful of items from BatchFix to here. Then I open this folder in S4S to edit tags, remove swatches, etc. 4) "EditedCC". This is where everything goes once it's fully edited. But that's strictly for "ordinary" CC. Mods are segregated by function, rather than creator. Save for those mods that have special requirements or multiple parts. There are also separate folders for CC like presets, skin tones, and eyes. This is mainly because these either cause problems often or conflict with each other. So being able to see them all at once can help with diagnostics. It also helps prevent installing duplicates. I found that the standard advice became unmanageable past a few hundred items. Too many useless subfolders, too many layers to navigate. Our collection has grown to over 20,000 items. Sims 4 Tray Importer and some handy Powershell scripts make it trivial to manage. Even doing a 50/50 doesn't take that long. I've been running it this way for more than a year and haven't found a single reason to go back to the traditional way.
Can the mod folder be manually organized even when the mods are downloaded through Curseforge, or will that make it so the mods won't be "recognized" by Curseforge anymore? I'm thinking about automatic updates etc.
@@TwistedMexi Thank you for the reply. I might as well ask one more thing, when the Better Exception tries to open a page to show the report, it's just a white blank page, seems to open with Internet Explorer even though Chrome is my default browser. Do you have any quick tip on how to fix this?
It's a good idea but you can easily find broken cc with tray importer tho. Just use that cc to a sim and save it to gallery then look on the app, it should tell you which one that cc is
There's a million other problems that can happen that aren't cas related. The two tools can be used together but neither is a replacement for the other.
For some reason mods aren't recognised and therefore aren't available in game. For example - TOOL isn't working, nor will it show up in the "View custom content" tab in game. Would file organisation be the issue or I'm just doing something else all wrong with the install process. Thanks in advance 😁
Hi. Please clarify something for me. I am noticing that on your pc you have several subfolders inside the "MOD" folder. Does that mean that the "MOD" folder can only read sub folders of aesthetic mods like clothes or faces?
I'm kind of confused. I know script mods say they can only be one folder deep. I tried your method to test out Meaningful Stories mod and it didn't work. What am I doing wrong? I'm on a Mac - I don't know if that makes a difference.
This question may have been answered some where but I can't find it. How deep can each mod folder be? I see one folder inside another then a list of folders inside that one. Then you have a list of folders inside that one with creators A,B,C. etc. It appears to me that your Mods folder can hold three layers deep? Then how would it work if I had each creator in different folders inside the creator folder. Would that not be to much depth for the game to read?
It's controlled by your resource.cfg By default, package files can be up to 5 folders deep. As for mods with specific folder structures, those are all likely going to be a script mod, so you should follow the creator's specific instructions or my instructions for scripts for all of those.
I don't have many script mods. It is CC more so for me and a few Functional Objects. I sort my CC by Creator except Accessories- Hairstyles- they all go in one folder . I never knew I could have more them one folder in the base folder. Thank you for responding this is very helpful.
I apologize if this question is a silly question. I am new to modding, therefore I'm not completely familiar with what each file is. How would someone like me organize my files like this without mixing up files into the wrong sections? I would love to organize my files this way, it seems like the best way to minimize any trouble. As of right now my files are organized but I have many folders.
First, ou need the path :pc/documents/electronic Arts/sims4/mods Make sure all your downloading ends with .Packge or ts4.Script Best download only one thing at once. F.e. Only hairstyles and drag ewerthing in the subfile /mods/hairstyles open there the zip. Important scirpt files should not be in more than 2 subfolders. If you unsure put it directly in the mods folder to work. You also have pc/documents/electronic Arts/the sims 4/tray. In tray you install all the houses and sims. There isn't a packge file. Instead its a random long number often ending with .hhi/bpi/ dra all 4 files in this tray folder. I strongly recommend downloading the sims 4 tray importer. There you can read all the houses and also search for broken mods (if your game wouldn't start after modding) and it looks also for identicals. I hope I could helo.
@@converse0for0eva thank you so much for taking the time to reply with a detailed description! I do have the S4TI & you're right, it is a very helpful tool. I'll try what you described above, thanks again!
Just a quick suggestion, a lot of careers and traits have script files and can't be in the tuning folder. It might be something you want to do to edit your approach. (I was trying out your method and found that to be problematic)
@@TwistedMexi I know that basic ones don’t, but a lot of modders that create careers/traits have been making them so they require script files and I feel like a lot of people might not realize the difference since there’s a folder for careers and traits. That’s my only concern.
That depends on your Resource.cfg The default is five layers, but you can go up to ten layers by carefully editing this file in a text editor. There are instructions available on how to do this via google. (yt doesn’t like comment links)
@@TwistedMexi thanks guys. I think 5 is good. I'm one of those with literally 200 folders in my mods😒😒 lol. But I do it by creator and then un sorted. But lord know i need to do better 😂😂. Imma use the empty folders you made.
I dont have a crazy amount of mods and CC to worry about so i just organize them by the name of the mod or in my cc folder. Nothing is ever more than one folder deep.
1. Ideally nothing. It should just sit there. 2. Never delete it unless your mods are absolutely refusing to load, like you can't even see package mods in your game options mod list. 3. You shouldn't have multiple, if you do, delete all of the copies and leave just the "resource.cfg" one, or delete them all and let the game make a new one.
It kills me that this doesn't seem to work on mac, I can't seem to have any folders at all without the game just refusing to admit whatever is in them exists. I do this for literally everything else on my computer and it's so useful and satisfying, which makes it even worse to not be able to do this for Sims
This does work on Mac. Try deleting your resource.cfg, and remember script mods can only be one folder deep. Come to discord.twistedmexi.com if you still need help
@@TwistedMexi Thank you! I'll definitely go over my folder now, this has been bothering me for years so I must have just done it wrong the first time and just thought it didn't work at all. I couldn't be happier right now
I have been sorting my buildbuy folders it's taken me 3 days still haven't finished I started by names gave up then went back did it by item because I need to merge them I have much build items that Sims won't load just like this 😭😭😭
You don't need to merge them, you probably need to turn off the mods list that shows on the main menu, if you have a lot of mods the game will take hours to load that list. You can do turn it off in gameplay options
I would want to die if my mods folder just had everything thrown in there. 😂 I’m ridiculous. I have everything in folder AND I have spreadsheets listing all my mods by creator.
I don't understand, "don't put the mod in another folder, it has to be directly in mods" then "here is how to organise, NEVER just put directly in mods folder"
You are calling your one folder !Tuning Mods... thought it was best to not use "Mods" in name of the folder? I had all my tuning mods in different folders called MOD_name depending what they were for like MOD_Gardening ---- just changed them all to Tuning_name, e.g. Tuning_Gardening and will do the same with Script type Mod folders... just in case!
It's fine to just have the word "mods" in a folder name as long as it's not JUST "Mods" or variants like "Other Mods" etc. As long as the name of the folder makes it clear what's in there, then you can go with whatever naming scheme works for you for folders that contain mods from more than one creator.
That's not the point, the full phrase tuning mods clearly refers to specifically tuning mods only. It won't cause problems. We're talking about folders JUST called mods or mods with vague words that don't really mean anything. There's a difference. Your folders would be fine as you've described them
When you say not to rename the files, do you mean ANY files? I have both CC and mods alike that are labeled as rabdom numbers 😢 Apologies if I misunderstood 🫶
@@GabrielleHanna-h4u in that case I would put them in a named folder, but also whoever is releasing cc with those file names should stop and name them appropriately.
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Thanks everyone! 🧡
If you need help with any of my mods, please ask in my discord.
You can join for free at discord.TwistedMexi.com
It's just not practical to troubleshoot in youtube comments.
Thanks everyone.
Omg
I deadass thought the whole "no more than one folder deep" for script mods was counting the Mods folder itself
All my script mods have just been jangling around loose
I thought the same thing. Now it's time to re-organize.
I didn't know i could put my CAS multi files deep. my cas is all mixed up D:
Holy same
Same
This is the only thing I have to fix, thankfully. I also thought the mods folder counted. My mods folder is going to be so neat now!
I thought the "no more than one folder deep" applied to every mod type! I will definitely categorize my CAS and build/buy items with sub folders, then! 😍😍😍
i wish I would have known this in the beginning!!
An organised mod folder is a lifesaver on patch day! Each mod gets its own folder titled with the name of the creator and the name of the mod. That way, I know exactly which creators I need to check in with to see if their mods are still working, and I can just delete the entire contents of the folder and redownload if there's an update.
This is how I organize my Mods folder as well, and its made update day, SO MUCH easier! I'll never be able to go back to the days of throwing everything into the folder and "winging it"
XD XD
Honestly, having a folder for each separate creators CC, CAS and mods is so good I have done this for years and I will never looked back. So for instance, I have a folder named 'peacemaker build buy' in that folder all the build buy CC gets dropped in that folder, if I have a kitchen set from peacemaker those CC files are inside a subfolder named what the kitchen is, it is so much easier. I do the same with my CAS folder. All my mods, like mcccc are in their own folder, named what the mod is and dropped directly into the 'mods' folder so they are all on top. I have never had an issue with this system and it makes life so much easier to find something if it is broken. Checking back on the creators web pages for updates is always a good idea too.
This is amazingly organized, and I will never do it. I just don't have the patience. However, what I actually do is pretty helpful. I tend to download multiple things at a time, so I create a folder named with today's date. Always use the year first! Now, if I run into issues the next time I start playing I just go back and remove the most recent folder. I do separate out what I call real mods. These are anything that change the game configuration. These all get their own folder, and the folder name always starts with "real mods" so they are easy to find. Next time we get a patch or an update, anything marked real mods gets moved out until it's updated, or I can verify it still works. The level of organization is nowhere near as awesome as what you are doing, but it is very effective and I very rarely run into issues I can't solve very quickly. Another benefit, is when I decide it's time to get rid of some CC. I fire up Sims4Studio and start reviewing my oldest folders. Anything I don't like, gets deleted.
thanks for sharing, i think your method would work really well for me too!
Having to going through my large folder of CC during patch day was killing me. I made folders similar to how you laid it out. Honestly putting all my gameplay mods into one folder helped me so much! Being able to go through 100 mods v 2000 was so nice 😂
I know this is an old video but just wanted to say that it has been a lifesaver! I completely understand the importance of mod organization, as I have probably watched and tried at least 75% of ways from other videos and still get things messed up somehow! But this way almost combines all other ways I have tried and it truly works! I have been using the downloaded empty template and absolutely love it!!
Thank you so much for this, TwistedMexi! You are simply one of the best creators out here now (especially for users fairly new to using mods and/or CC)
This was awesome. I was always hesitant to sort by creator because I like my "sorting by objects" obsessive compulsiveness, but doing BOTH is even better.
This is amazing. I thought I had my mods folder organized pretty well, but this is brilliant! Thank you! :)
IKR!.... Me too!😂
I have my CC and Mods so crazy organized 😂😂😂🙈 I have learned it the hard why! Just SOOOOOO much easier to find my things and so on! 👏💖
I already do follow many of the guidelines from the video buuuut I do merge mods together by category. Making 50/50 harder than it should be. I'll try your approach today. Thanks for the video!
I've just started modding my Sims 4, Fallout 4 and Minecraft around the same time and it's a lot to learn so I really appreciate this.
Holy crap I had no idea the Mods folder wasn't the one folder deep! What a game-changer! I've been limiting myself to only a few key mods because clutter is such a nightmare. Now I can go download a bunch of mods! Hurray!
TY for the blank system .. I am not a huge cc user (anymore) but I def like my mod .. ready to go for the reorganization!
I really appreciate your work and time that you’re investing for us, for a better game!!!
I’m Alex, a thankful Patreon!
😘🤗
Interesting video! Thanks for the wisdom as always. I’ve subscribed for the longest time to the merged packages load faster than their unmerged counterparts myth so it’s interesting to hear that it is in fact a myth. (I bet it’s the placebo effect there lol.) in any event I’ve upgraded my hardware massively since I first adopted the practice so I think I can stop the pain in the ass that is unmerging and remerging very time I download new CC. (I have over 100k files so as you can imagine this gets annoying to do!)
Nice, opening every folder and just hovering the mouse over the Project Raven one...😄
Thank you SO much for this video and the blank folder template! I'm still pretty new to Sims 4 stuff, and I've been wondering how to organize my mods!
i didn't organize for a lonnnng time, but now having subdivisions for cc and gameplay mods is so helpful on patch day!!
This is a major help!!! It will not only save us time and effort and believe me I can relate to this, but it will also make it easier for BE to find the bad cc or bad mod. Not only that, but I didn't know that some of the things I was doing could destroy my mods. Thank you! Big time! And yes, I do already support you!!!
This is so smart! I will definitely organize my mod folder. ALL files are in just that one folder. Thank you!
I literally just sorted my mods after "mods - (creator)" before I watched this video 😂 ty now my game loads in 30sec as opposed to 5-10mins ❤️
This is such a helpful video. I already had my mods organised somewhat like this which is a lifesaver when updating them after a patch. I love your mods, thank you for your contribution to the community, highly appreciated!
Oh my goooosh this is life saver i have already organizes my mods folder somewhat but i'll do it this way from now on!
This saved my life. I had no idea script mods could only be one folder deep. I was pulling my hair out.
Thank you TM for putting this out. I will definitely use your system of organization. You rock!
Just did this after watching your video. Luckily, I don't use many mods (your Better Build/Buy and TOOL are amazing), and almost no CC, so it took me no time. Thanks for this!
This will take me time, but I think it well be time well spent. Thanks!
Good to know. I only just started playing The Sims last year and just started putting in CC and mods this month, so I am just starting organization. As such, I kind of thought that everything had to be one folder deep, not just script mods, so this is wonderful to hear. I have my own way of organizing, so I will stick with that, but I will take some hints from this on how to handle naming . . . also glad to see that I can rename folders for various script mods, because it messes with me to have them organized and then see this random name that doesn't fit the organization.
Hi Twisted! I hope you fine!🤗
I have a question. I remove all odd signs and spaces removed in my CC's names. Is it useful or is it a fantasy like merging? It was in a tutorial from a big site known to all. Really thank you for your help.
This has been my only issue with CurseForge app, it messed up my organization because I was just happily downloading mods without organizing like normal. Gonna take some time today to organize it but CurseForge is out since it's overly convenient and will lead to me having a folder like the first one you showed. Thanks for this video as I work to reorganize my mess!! 🥰
OMG! This was so helpful! Thanks for sharing!
This is the video that helped me through my tool mod troubleshoot. It turns out that i wrongly unzip the file & drag wrong way into mods folder causing it not working. After watched this i solved the problem. 💃💃💃
Thank you for posting this. I love trying out new mods and CC but am constantly overwhelmed by figuring out where the broken mod/CC is after an update to the point that I end up deleting everything in my mods folder and starting over.
I do have one question, if a zip file comes with a .package file and a TS4script file, will the mods work if I separate the files by placing the .package file in tuning mods and the TS4script file into a common scripts folder? Sorry if this is an obvious answer I am not as computer literate as I want to be.
Thank you for this. I thought that we can't make subfolders cause mods will not work. So we can organize like this basically anything except script files?
You can use a single subfolder for those, that's why we have to put the creator name on that folder at the root level.
@@TwistedMexi Just to check, is it no longer true that we can't go deeper than 4 or 5 (forget the number) folders for non-script mods? (Because I've been holding off on some better organization for fear of breaking some things and ...yeah)
@@faigler 5 is still the max by default. It's controlled by your resource.cfg file
@@TwistedMexi thank you! I will avoid getting SUPER specific then (You know, Mods >> Buy >> Decor >> Outside Decor >> Plants >> Ivy >> Creator kind of nonsense)
Thank you, Twisted for you fab mods and help!
I have over 2000 mods just to make the game playable - Lol. I write a notation in front of each folder. Example: Scripted mod - Better exceptions 2.0 1-2021. So when I Do the 50/50 I rename the old mod file "Mod problem file" and make new Mod file then pull first all cas into the New mod file run sims 4. If it runs through to mod window at start you know you are okay with cas. Then I do build mod files the same way. If they pass then I know tuning and scripted are bad. We it takes some time before those mods get updated. But scripted mods like the TOOL and Command Center. I check for updates and put in and test. The others - I look over the EA SIMS 4 Broken forum. In the end if its total CAS or Build issues. I wait for sims 4 studio update to run updates through them.
Thank you so much for showing me this tutorial. I'm not good with computers. My downfall was adding mods and not putting them in folders as you described. Before this I never played with mods. Was told the game is so much more playable with them, so I did. The last update made my game unplayable.. is that a word? So, now sadly I don't play with mods and I'm trying so hard to find the broken mod 🤯 yes, that's how I feel. I'll have to watch this video a few more times to make sure I get it right before I add mods again. Thank you again so much.. ❤
Ah thanks you, after being chaotic for long time i'v e redone my mod folder and came to something that is quite similar not as detailled, i only use creator specific folder for all that is mod but not CC where i use detailled type category that a little more risk but its cc so its rare there is trouble and its less work, one thing i love is icon files of the sims for almost all folder so its visually easy to find stuff too. But categorizing and having mods nicely separate have been game changer, for breakng and update as well
I did not know that about the in game mods list. I'm turning it off the next time I go into my game. For organizing I recently started putting the update version number on the folder next to the creator's name. As for organizing them like in this video, I don't think that's going to work for me, right now, but I'll keep it in mind when I go through my entire folder at the end of the year and start reorganizing everything.
I love your BE mod. I just got a BE when I played earlier today and discovered that I needed to remove a mod. But what I have never been able to figure out is the tuning files section of BE. There's tons of things listed on there, but I can't find them when I go looking through my mods folder. (I can't enter Discord. I haven't been able to in over a year)
So helpful with just the facts. Thank you
Hey there! quick question, does merging CC like clothes etc effect thier quailty?
Don't merge CC, for various other reasons.
Thank you for this video and the better exceptions mod. I didn't know that script mods cannot be 2 folders deep. I might need to reorganize my mods folder.
I have 2 questions:
Is Better Build Buy ok to use for the Feb update?
and
How do I rerun the "patch day" scan manually?
Do you know if not having any spaces in your mod file names or any special characters other than an underscore or hyphen can decrease load time in the game? This tip has been floating around Simblr for a while and I'm wondering if there is any validity to it? After your debunking of the so-called benefits of merging files, I'm wondering if this is also a myth too?
No it does not make a difference. Really the only thing that does is the mods startup list being turned on
@@TwistedMexi Thank you for telling me! 😁
That's why I use tray importer any broken or unwanted cc just create a household, locate and delete the cc
My organization on my Sims2 CC folder is pretty smilar to the one you showed at the start, with folders with the name of the creators, but with 4 I got a smidge lazy and just kept the name of the creator on the file itself and separated my CC only by categories hah!
6:21 does it apply to older sims games, too? I remember reading that for The Sims 3, it does help to merge files but it was about objects, not mods, because of the way The Sims 3 struggles to read more than a certain amount of files in the mods folder.
You're a lifesaver!
As someone who has a beautifully organised Sims 2 mods folder (with wayyyy more files than my Sims 4 mods, due to the average filesize being smaller), it's with great embarassment that I've had to come to this video. My Sims 4 mods folder is a total mess, and I was too busy playing to ever bother sorting it. However, coming back to the game after a 6 month break, half heartedly updating the main mods I could think of... and the my simself somehow getting pregnant with twins when I wasn't playing her despite that not being possible in my old mod setup... Yep. Time to bite the bullet and organise this. Doing a Sims declutter so my unexpected Sim kids can have a good life, oh boy...
I have a question. Does anyone else name a folder "testing" inside their mods folder? I do this to separate new files I'm adding in with already tested/known-to-work mods & cc, until I start my game up and actually test play to make sure they show up and work as intended. Then if all is well, I go back and move them to whatever subfolder they belong in. Great video btw!
Not a bad idea at all, as long you keep the one subfolder rule for script mods in mind.
@@TwistedMexi Thanks!
What can I do when in game mirror is in lamp sector etc? I can repair that?
Thanks for the warning about merging. I've been tilting at that windmill almost as long as I've been playing the game. But people don't listen to some random dude regardless what facts he may present. Dumping stuff into a black box is just a very bad idea.
But I do have to disagree about the organization tips to a degree. If you only have a few hundred items, you may be alright with folders for everything. But every folder you add is a dead-end street your system has to navigate to find the stuff. If you have 100 folders going 4-5 layers deep, you are hurting your load times significantly. And it isn't necessary. We have tools that can instantly locate any broken CC you find in-game or in CAS. And most of the game-breaking glitches I've seen haven't been obviously due to a specific CAS category. So being able to pull "Tops" out of the mods folder has never been helpful to me. After a lot of experimentation I have settled on a 4-folder system for my CC-- 1) "Dumpster". This is where everything goes when first downloaded. 2) "BatchFix". When I run the S4S batch fixes on the Dumpster folder I move everything here. 3) "TempWorking". I periodically move a handful of items from BatchFix to here. Then I open this folder in S4S to edit tags, remove swatches, etc. 4) "EditedCC". This is where everything goes once it's fully edited.
But that's strictly for "ordinary" CC. Mods are segregated by function, rather than creator. Save for those mods that have special requirements or multiple parts. There are also separate folders for CC like presets, skin tones, and eyes. This is mainly because these either cause problems often or conflict with each other. So being able to see them all at once can help with diagnostics. It also helps prevent installing duplicates.
I found that the standard advice became unmanageable past a few hundred items. Too many useless subfolders, too many layers to navigate. Our collection has grown to over 20,000 items. Sims 4 Tray Importer and some handy Powershell scripts make it trivial to manage. Even doing a 50/50 doesn't take that long. I've been running it this way for more than a year and haven't found a single reason to go back to the traditional way.
Can the mod folder be manually organized even when the mods are downloaded through Curseforge, or will that make it so the mods won't be "recognized" by Curseforge anymore? I'm thinking about automatic updates etc.
You can't mess with what curseforge installed, but any mods you installed yourself can be organized per usual
@@TwistedMexi Thank you for the reply. I might as well ask one more thing, when the Better Exception tries to open a page to show the report, it's just a white blank page, seems to open with Internet Explorer even though Chrome is my default browser. Do you have any quick tip on how to fix this?
It's a good idea but you can easily find broken cc with tray importer tho. Just use that cc to a sim and save it to gallery then look on the app, it should tell you which one that cc is
There's a million other problems that can happen that aren't cas related. The two tools can be used together but neither is a replacement for the other.
Any advise of downloading rooms?
For some reason mods aren't recognised and therefore aren't available in game. For example - TOOL isn't working, nor will it show up in the "View custom content" tab in game. Would file organisation be the issue or I'm just doing something else all wrong with the install process. Thanks in advance 😁
Hi. Please clarify something for me.
I am noticing that on your pc you have several subfolders inside the "MOD" folder.
Does that mean that the "MOD" folder can only read sub folders of aesthetic mods like clothes or faces?
No but as the video covers, having your cc dumped into your main mods folder is not a good idea. The point of the subfolders is organization
thanks for this!
Which mods go into the autonomy folder? Sorry I'm a little confused by that part.
There's mods that tweak what sims do on their own, like "less checking phone" as an example. This would go there
@@TwistedMexi Ah okay! Thank you!
I think I need to find all the CC and Mods again, if I have to organize it all
I'm kind of confused. I know script mods say they can only be one folder deep. I tried your method to test out Meaningful Stories mod and it didn't work. What am I doing wrong? I'm on a Mac - I don't know if that makes a difference.
This question may have been answered some where but I can't find it. How deep can each mod folder be? I see one folder inside another then a list of folders inside that one. Then you have a list of folders inside that one with creators A,B,C. etc. It appears to me that your Mods folder can hold three layers deep? Then how would it work if I had each creator in different folders inside the creator folder. Would that not be to much depth for the game to read?
It's controlled by your resource.cfg
By default, package files can be up to 5 folders deep.
As for mods with specific folder structures, those are all likely going to be a script mod, so you should follow the creator's specific instructions or my instructions for scripts for all of those.
I don't have many script mods. It is CC more so for me and a few Functional Objects. I sort my CC by Creator except Accessories- Hairstyles- they all go in one folder . I never knew I could have more them one folder in the base folder. Thank you for responding this is very helpful.
Hello, I have a question, maybe a little silly, but can I reorganize my whole Mods folder without risking problems in the game?
As long as you don't separate multifile game mods from each other.
I just organized my cc in folders by type and my mods by creator or in their own folder if they need frequent updating.
Would custom food go into tuning mods? Under core gameplay?
Yeah as long as there's not a script mod that goes with it. If they're part of the scco mod you should follow the instructions from the creator
I apologize if this question is a silly question. I am new to modding, therefore I'm not completely familiar with what each file is. How would someone like me organize my files like this without mixing up files into the wrong sections? I would love to organize my files this way, it seems like the best way to minimize any trouble. As of right now my files are organized but I have many folders.
First, ou need the path :pc/documents/electronic Arts/sims4/mods
Make sure all your downloading ends with .Packge or ts4.Script
Best download only one thing at once. F.e. Only hairstyles and drag ewerthing in the subfile /mods/hairstyles open there the zip.
Important scirpt files should not be in more than 2 subfolders. If you unsure put it directly in the mods folder to work.
You also have pc/documents/electronic Arts/the sims 4/tray. In tray you install all the houses and sims. There isn't a packge file. Instead its a random long number often ending with .hhi/bpi/ dra all 4 files in this tray folder. I strongly recommend downloading the sims 4 tray importer. There you can read all the houses and also search for broken mods (if your game wouldn't start after modding) and it looks also for identicals. I hope I could helo.
@@converse0for0eva thank you so much for taking the time to reply with a detailed description! I do have the S4TI & you're right, it is a very helpful tool. I'll try what you described above, thanks again!
Just a quick suggestion, a lot of careers and traits have script files and can't be in the tuning folder. It might be something you want to do to edit your approach. (I was trying out your method and found that to be problematic)
Basic careers and traits shouldn't have a script. The ones that do, technically fall under Script mods so you'd follow the steps outlined for that.
@@TwistedMexi I know that basic ones don’t, but a lot of modders that create careers/traits have been making them so they require script files and I feel like a lot of people might not realize the difference since there’s a folder for careers and traits. That’s my only concern.
Okay so now my question is how deep can you go with sub folders on non scripted items?
That depends on your Resource.cfg
The default is five layers, but you can go up to ten layers by carefully editing this file in a text editor. There are instructions available on how to do this via google. (yt doesn’t like comment links)
Yes what @itsmegamo said. If you edit your resource.cfg it can sometimes get replaced during a patch so remember you may need to reedit it.
@@TwistedMexi thanks guys. I think 5 is good. I'm one of those with literally 200 folders in my mods😒😒 lol. But I do it by creator and then un sorted. But lord know i need to do better 😂😂. Imma use the empty folders you made.
whoa I know cc mod users who fall down on their swords over merging files .. awesome info
Thank you 🙏🏾
I dont have a crazy amount of mods and CC to worry about so i just organize them by the name of the mod or in my cc folder. Nothing is ever more than one folder deep.
If I put my mods in any folder it doesn’t work for me. My Sims 3 mods folder is organized perfectly but this way just won’t work for me for sims 4 😢
Rules are the same for everyone, if you follow the things outlined in the video they'll work.
@@TwistedMexi I’m a try it again bc you never led me astray before but I have my doubts
i thought the cc wont work if its more than one subfolder deep (i read it somewhere), so thats why i never bothered organising it:(
Misconception, its only ts4script files that have to follow that rule
that folder at 0:29 shocks me, WHY leaving copies in and folders called "needs to be deleted" whaa 😭😭
What do you do with resource.cfg file when should you delete it what about when you have multiple?
1. Ideally nothing. It should just sit there.
2. Never delete it unless your mods are absolutely refusing to load, like you can't even see package mods in your game options mod list.
3. You shouldn't have multiple, if you do, delete all of the copies and leave just the "resource.cfg" one, or delete them all and let the game make a new one.
I tend to delete it when i clear cache i sometimes find extra copies in subfolders i will leave it be from now on thanks
It kills me that this doesn't seem to work on mac, I can't seem to have any folders at all without the game just refusing to admit whatever is in them exists. I do this for literally everything else on my computer and it's so useful and satisfying, which makes it even worse to not be able to do this for Sims
This does work on Mac. Try deleting your resource.cfg, and remember script mods can only be one folder deep. Come to discord.twistedmexi.com if you still need help
@@TwistedMexi Thank you! I'll definitely go over my folder now, this has been bothering me for years so I must have just done it wrong the first time and just thought it didn't work at all. I couldn't be happier right now
I have been sorting my buildbuy folders it's taken me 3 days still haven't finished I started by names gave up then went back did it by item because I need to merge them I have much build items that Sims won't load just like this 😭😭😭
You don't need to merge them, you probably need to turn off the mods list that shows on the main menu, if you have a lot of mods the game will take hours to load that list. You can do turn it off in gameplay options
i think im too far gone to be saved. i have 2000+ files in the mods folder
ill try i swear but im just so bad at it bc theres too much😭
Tray file importer/ mod manager 👍👍
thanks
I would want to die if my mods folder just had everything thrown in there. 😂 I’m ridiculous. I have everything in folder AND I have spreadsheets listing all my mods by creator.
I don't understand, "don't put the mod in another folder, it has to be directly in mods" then "here is how to organise, NEVER just put directly in mods folder"
Please listen to the video carefully, the instructions are for specific types of mods. Script mod files can only be ONE folder deep.
I HAVE LIKE 3K LOOSE MODS
Well, stop.
You are calling your one folder !Tuning Mods... thought it was best to not use "Mods" in name of the folder? I had all my tuning mods in different folders called MOD_name depending what they were for like MOD_Gardening ---- just changed them all to Tuning_name, e.g. Tuning_Gardening and will do the same with Script type Mod folders... just in case!
It's fine to just have the word "mods" in a folder name as long as it's not JUST "Mods" or variants like "Other Mods" etc. As long as the name of the folder makes it clear what's in there, then you can go with whatever naming scheme works for you for folders that contain mods from more than one creator.
That's not the point, the full phrase tuning mods clearly refers to specifically tuning mods only. It won't cause problems. We're talking about folders JUST called mods or mods with vague words that don't really mean anything. There's a difference. Your folders would be fine as you've described them
Thanks for the clarification!
When you say not to rename the files, do you mean ANY files? I have both CC and mods alike that are labeled as rabdom numbers 😢 Apologies if I misunderstood 🫶
@@GabrielleHanna-h4u in that case I would put them in a named folder, but also whoever is releasing cc with those file names should stop and name them appropriately.