#ts2 tutorial

Another batch of recolors for "Sims Must Wash Hands" (NightLife EP), and a few for "Award For Excellence" (FreeTime EP)

📦Wall signs part 2

Download: SFS | BOX

I used Simlish fonts: Lengiza, Behemot, Noodle Caboodle

*This is for The Sims 2

Did you know you can modify your game files to start with custom lots in the lot bin? Did you know you can add your favorite lots to the program files and you'll never have to import them ever again? I sure didn't. Here's how.

Part 1: Freshen Up That Lot!

Locate the lot you want to freshen up. If it's in your Documents > LotCatalog, it'll be named something like cx_00000001.package. [Hint: you can use CleanInstaller to browse your LotCatalog with pictures!]

Clean it up using LotCleaner and LotCompressor (and Magic Wand, if you want). Here's a tutorial. Do NOT skip this step, or you risk contaminating future save files with old sim references.

Make it a spiffy new picture. Personally I like to lump my similar lots together with a similar title/street name. And I color-code using CatherineTCJD's color-coding format. If you want to match me, you can download my template psd here.

Open your lot in Simpe and replace that old preview. Click 'jpg/png image'. Right click the property > Replace. Change file format to 'all files' to see your image. Click either 'yes' or 'no' on the 'resource changed' popup (it doesn't matter--one updates the image preview immediately, the other doesn't). Click save.

Part 2: Relocation Time! *MAIN LOT BIN*

You cleaned up your lot, right? No sim references left? Don't skip this step or you risk messing up future hoods. Clean up that lot!

Select your lot file and rename it to the cx_00000000.package format. You can use any numbers but it must be in that format and have 8 digits. The number denotes the order so get creative with your categories. (ex: lots cx_00000100-150: modern houses / cx_00000200-250: beachy, etc.). You can use any bulk renamer to rename files in order without having to manually number each one.

Pick an Expansion for your files. Mansion and Garden comes first in the lot bin, Base Game last. The expansion you select will denote the location of your lots within the catalog. The file location is the same in every expansion, so you can even spread your lots around for max organization.

Move your cx_#.package lot file to Program Files > The Sims 2 > [expansion of your choice (ex. Nightlife)] > TSData > Res > UserData > LotCatalog. You will already see some files here. These are the maxis lots that fill the lot bin every new game. You can delete them if you really want to, or just change the extension to something else to make them go away. (Catherine has a backup if you need them back.)

Done! Now your custom lots will prefill the lot bin every time you generate a new The Sims 2 save file in your documents!

This will not pre-fill existing games. If you want to put your new clean lots into your current file, rename your main The Sims 2 save file (in your Documents folder) something else. Launch Sims 2 so it regenerates a clean copy. Create a new Hood, let the game load, and check out the LotCatalog. It will be now filled with your brand-new lots. Copy them over to your main file's LotCatalog. [Check your main LotCatalog in game to make sure you won't be deleting/overwriting anything you want to keep (make a backup just in case!) Check it again with CleanInstaller. Do not delete/overwrite occupied homes! And delete your old and crusty lots in game if you want to be extra safe.]

Part 3: Relocation Time... 2! *SPECIALTY LOT BIN*

You cleaned up your lot, right? No sim references left? Don't skip this step or you risk messing up future hoods. Clean up that lot.

We will now populate the second tab in the lot catalog, the Specialty lot bin that holds Hotels and Apartments. You can put whatever you want in here; it doesn't have to be hotels or apts. You can move lots from the main catalog to this one, if you want. These lots do not appear in the LotCatalog of your main save file, in case you try to look for them there later. They only exist in the program files.

Rename your files. Unlike the previous lots, you can name these lots anything you want, as long as it ends in _Permanent.package. stinky_Permanent.package is perfectly fine. Name it something descriptive.

Pick an Expansion for your files. You can put them in any Expansion folder, but personally I keep my apts in Apartment Life to stay organized.

Move your files. Take your stinky_Permanent.package and move it to Program Files > The Sims 2 > [expansion of your choice (ex. Nightlife)] > TSData > Res > LotTemplates. You'll see some other files here already. These are blank lots and hotels/apts (if you're in Apt Life or Bon Voyage). Don't touch the blank lots, but you can remove the hotels/apartments if you don't want them. (You can move them to the main lot bin by renaming the files to the cx_# format and moving to the location in part 2). You can open them in SimPe to check what they are, but Catherine has a visual list here.

Done! These lots will appear in the Specialty lot bin every time you boot up the game, even in your current saved game.

Have fun and enjoy organizing!

[PS: did you know you can not only delete or relocate existing bin lots, but replace them with better, and cooler lots by simply overwriting the existing cx_0000000 files in your UserData > LotCatalog folders? Catherine has a visual guide which file is which, if you want to reinvent them all. The lot bin is your oyster!]

How to build a walkout basement in The Sims 2 🌼

I didn't think of this when I was making the video, but if you use the flowers I used, sims won't be able to water them... so I recommend adding sprinklers!

You can also use the water inaccessible flowers fix, the perfect plants mod or custom flowers that don't need watering, like these & these

By popular demand (I saw two people asking) I thought I would throw together a quick guide to using the road editor tool in the newest version of SimPE! You'll see that this is a very easy tool to use, and best of all, goof-proof. If you do mess up (you probably will) it's very, very easy to correct.

Very, very, very important to make a backup of your hood before you ever do any tinkering in SimPE! I also recommend practicing on a test hood you don't actively play in to get a feel for it before you do anything to your main hoods.

We're starting with a vanilla Strangetown. I would recommend going in your game and taking a nice overhead screenshot of the hood like this first to look at for reference of where everything is situated the way that you're used to looking at it.

2. Open SimPE, go to Tools> Neighbourhood> Neighbourhood Browser and open the hood you're wanting to work on. If you're not so familiar with SimPE, opening your hood can take some time. Touch nothing until it's loaded!

3. Once it's all loaded, from the Resource Tree list pick Neighbourhood Terrain Geometry (NHTG). Then you'll see one file populate the Resource List - click that. Make sure on the bottom that you have Plugin View tab selected.

4. Now you should see this map of your hood pop up! There are different things you can toggle, I like to check the Show Lots box when I'm editing the roads. Then click the Road Editor button on the right.

5. To be able to see better, I've pulled this Plugin View window up a bit - it may rearrange the Resource List and Resource Tree windows a bit to accommodate. You can also press the Zoom 2x button to see closer, and then you'll have to use the scroll bars to move around the map and the road editor tool.

6. The road editing tools here will be placed down in the same orientation as the map. So the two parallel roads running through Strangetown from this perspective are the vertical straight road pieces (top row, second from left).

When you select a road tool, above it will indicate which tool you have selected.

Also - I recommend having Handle Stop Signs ticked.

7. Once you have the correct type of road selected for the spot you're working on, simply click on the map - it lays it down one tile at a time. If you miss a spot like shown here, just fill it in.

8. If you want to create an intersection, first delete the section of road where the intersection will go.

9. Then choose the type of junction for the intersection you're making, and add that piece in. You'll see a red circle appear (unsure if this is because it's an intersection or because you have handle stop signs selected, but I recommend you do have that selected either way).

10. Once you're done making all your changes, click Close Editor.

11. This is the part where you save your changes! First click Commit in the top right of the editor. Then, File> Save!

12. Load your game to check! Looks pretty good with all those new roads!

13. However, we have indeed made some mistakes! Which were absolutely for illustrative purposes and not truly an accident.

14. Never fear! Simply reload the hood in SimPE - I've deleted the spot where the T-junction should go and added one in, and deleted where the road just ended abruptly and added a proper end piece.

I have not experimented with what happens if you try to build a road through hood deco - if you have, please let us know in the comments how that went!

I also have barely touched the terrain editing tools, so that's outside the scope of this tutorial.

If you're wondering about how to do anything Sims 2 modding, the answer will probably be found in an old MTS thread from 2008

If it can't be found on MTS, find a modder to ask. We're around and know stuff

Take naps, get some food. Modding is brain work, let it recover.

Most zoomed in thumbnails in deco are from people cloning the fruit bowl and it's easy to fix. Just go into the CRES, go to ThumbnailExtension and delete that entry you see in there. Commit, fix integrity, save and recompressorize

When modifying the footprint, you can also go up instead of just on the x and y axis.

You can make columns higher than 3 stories. I did it twice, then somehow forgot how. Anyways, just clone the ones from my Prince of Persia conversions if you want 4 or 5 story columns. They work as intended and all.

Just clone your NH deco from custom. Everybody does it bc NH deco is unfindable via Object Workshop

Don't give your NH deco a long name when cloning because it gets added in front of the name of the one you cloned it from. It can get out of control very fast.

NH deco doesn't usually need its GUID changed when you clone it

You can fiddle around with where your NH deco can and cannot be placed and how it behaves on/in water

The real description of NH deco is in the text lists

You can texture reference basically anything with a TXMT including objects and NH deco. You can even combine it with repository for Ultimate Space Savings

If your object texture is white and covered in text, your texture name in your TXMT is misspelled or your TXTR has gone missing.

The Sims 2 sometimes handles 3D coordinates reversed. (-1 is 1, 2 is -2). It's relevant for slots, bones and TXMT's

Pixelhate's wonderful TXMT pdf's are wrong about one thing and that is texture animations. It's all about the UV maps

Some BHAVs primitives are 0-indexed, some aren't. 0 is either treated as the first number or non-existent oopsie error

Just screenshot your BHAV and annotate every node if you're not sure how it works

You can label your locals and params. There's a button in the BHAV editor to make labels. Use it to keep track of things

Don't check "university ready" when fixing integrity. It breaks custom animations for one.

Some of these deserve more explanation, but that requires energy and a file system that isn't malfunctioning. Enjoy!

I've got a new video!

Obviously I am preaching to the choir here amongst us ts2 cc addicts, but I have a new video out with all my tips for finding sims 2 custom content. There's ads on google for the superbowl and stuff because i filmed this months ago and editing took me forever bc for some reason i was like pleasantview sims should be looking at cc on their computers dfjkdfkjsdjk

Even if you know how to find sims 2 cc, maybe you will enjoy seeing Brandi Broke browse the sims resource while Dustin gets reprimanded by the police outside!

Things I cover include: - searching on google and getting rid of those ts3 and ts4 results - using google to search specific sites and more - how to use the wayback machine - how to find/download cc from deleted tumblrs

I also share some of my favorite older, harder-to-find sites for new sims 2 cc hunters. I hope you guys like it! watch it on youtube

I promised this tutorial a while ago and just started making my harbour for my current hood. I figured I may as well kill two birds with one stone, so here it is! This technique is completely modular, allowing you to create harbours of any length. As you can see, I've already done one of the lots, just to show you how they fit together. You will find yourself saving and exiting quite a lot with this method!

Requirements

LotAdjuster

A neighbourhood with accessible shoreline

Possibly some understanding of the 'boolprop constrainfloorelevation false' cheat

Important: I do not use beach lots for this method. I find this method gives me more control.

Step 1: Place Your Lot

Start with a lot that is 20 tiles deep. This gives enough room to create a stone harbour wall and dock area. This is preference, but I find any bigger looks dumb.

The lot should be 10 tiles wider than the harbour segment you ultimately want. For example, if you want a final harbour segment that is 40 tiles wide, start with a 50 tile wide lot. That is what I've done here.

Bring the water as close to the lot edge as possible. If necessary, use the cheat 'modifyNeighborhoodTerrain on'

The terrain should slope down naturally towards the water.

Step 2: Mark the Tiles to Remove

Measure 5 tiles in from each end of the lot.

These tiles will be removed later with LotAdjuster.

For a centre segment, mark 5 tiles on both ends.

For a left-end segment, mark 6 tiles on the left side.

For a right-end segment, mark 6 tiles on the right side.

Step 3: Build the Stone Harbour

Create a foundation within the remaining space. This can be as big as you want.

The foundation walls should extend flush (but not connect along the length) to any edge that will connect seamlessly to another lot.

I use Numenor's custom foundation walls, but you can achieve the same effect using standard walls with the cheat 'constrainFloorElevation false'. Just flatten the walls after placing them.

Cover the foundation with floor tiles of your choice, filling in that gap.

Important: Do not place walls along any edge that will connect to another harbour segment.

Step 4: Add the End Cap

At the opposite end of the harbour wall, add a small "cap" section. It will not stretch out as far as you want, but that's okay. Again, make it as big as you want.

This creates a natural transition point where stairs can lead down to the wooden docks.

Step 5: Build the Dock

Lay out the wooden dock below the stone harbour. Mine was a full story (16 steps) lower than the stone.

As before, don't place foundations flush against the lot edge. Use floor tiles to create the seamless connection instead. You will know it's correct if there's no stilt on the 6th tile from the edge.

Again, at this stage, don't worry if the dock isn't the exact width you want.

Save and exit the game.

Step 6: Extend the Lot

Open LotAdjuster and add 20 tiles to the back of the lot.

Do not change any other settings.

Step 7: Finish the Waterfront

Load the game, and then the lot again.

You now have what is effectively a custom beach lot. I usually add terrain paint to match my shoreline, otherwise the extended area remains grassy.

You can now adjust the dock to its final width. In my example, I created a dock that was 5 tiles wide.

Step 8: Plan the Dock and Bay Pattern

Decide how many docks and bays you want. Bays should be big enough to fit ships.

The harbour should always end on half a bay, so that adjoining lots complete the bay when placed together.

Do this before shrinking the lot. Once the lot has been reduced, you won't be able to place floor tiles on the very edge.

For my example:

Dock width: 5 tiles

Bay width: 10 tiles

This creates the pattern: 5 (half bay) - 5 (dock) - 10 (bay) - 5 (dock) - 5 (half bay)

I also made them 15 tiles long. You can do literally whatever size you want.

Save and exit once the layout is complete.

Step 9: Trim the Lot

Open LotAdjuster again and remove 5 tiles from both the left and right sides.

This is the step where you're most likely to run into problems. I certainly did while creating this tutorial!

If LotAdjuster throws an error, reload the lot and make sure there are no walls, fences, or foundations crossing the line where the new lot boundary will be.

When you reload the lot:

End pieces should have one side flush with the lot edge.

Centre pieces should be flush on both sides.

These flush edges allow the harbour sections to connect seamlessly.

Step 10: Repeat

Repeat the process for as many harbour segments as you need. If they don't line up, you can't just pick up the lot and move it. You have to use LotAdjuster to either move it left or right. I had to do so in this very tutorial.

The good thing is, you can use the original dock as a visual guide for widths! Also, make sure the wooden dock is on the same elevation across both lots.

For this example, I created a left and right segment and mirrored them, but you can continue adding centre sections indefinitely. I tend to add stairs in the very middle if I do that. You need a flight of stairs to get down to the harbour.

Finishing Touches

Once your harbour is assembled, decorate it however you like.

I usually place lots like warehouses, taverns, fishmongers, market stalls, or more on the stone harbour, and use neighbourhood deco ships (or this refurbished version of the Bon Voyage ship) in the bays. I also decorate the docks with crates, barrels, dead fish, etc. For some extra fun, add invisible fishing spots to the end of the docks!

The result is a fully modular harbour that can be expanded to fit any waterfront.

It's finally here, my tutorial for adding new terrain types to The Sims 2!

This was tricky to write so I hope I documented everything correctly!

You can also get the guide as a PDF (including tutorial files) at SFS.

(2026-03-06: I messed up and deleted the upload, I reuploaded it…)