Merging mods to increase Performance!
Alicelove:
Just wanted to let people know, in case there are any idiots (like me) reading who want to remove files from their merged package and don't have a backup. (I know, I know, but it's also useful for people who don't feel like re-merging just to remove a couple files they don't want anymore, as it's significantly faster.) I just successfully used Sims 3 Package Explorer to re-save my patterns package without 14 files I didn't want. It was incredibly easy, and rather self-explanatory. The entire process took me about five minutes (or less, once I figured it out).
Unfortunately, this only works this easily with patterns. My other merged packages were way too hard (for me) to sort through, though someone more awesome than me (ha!) may figure it out. Nevertheless, it's a good starting point.
Tutorial for the Non-Awesome (Like Me)
1. Obviously, backup the file you're messing around in.
2. Start the Package Explorer and open the package you want to edit.
3. You will see a list of files and a preview window. You can identify individual objects/patterns, etc. in several ways, but the easiest for me was by image (because, y'know, then I knew what I was looking at). It is easiest to pick out individual items if you do NOT sort the list - leave it the way it is.
4. Under the drop-down menu in the preview window, choose "image".
5. Click an Icon, any Icon (you'll see them identified under "type").
6. You will notice that immediately before or after the icon in the list, there will be three other files which share either the same full Id, or the same first 10 characters of the Id as the Icon. This is the rest of the file that makes up the item (obviously).
7. Select (highlight) all items you want to keep (which, depending on how many packages you have, may take a while). This means all four files of each item.
8. With your items selected, go to "Edit->Copy".
9. Click the "create new package" button (it's the little sheet of paper in the left-hand corner, just like MS Word).
10. Go to "Edit->Paste".
11. Save your new package and test it out in-game to make sure you've removed/saved all you intended.
That's it. It's that simple. Again though, this only worked because my patterns were in a merged package by themselves and were kind enough to be sorted for me. If anyone has improvements on this technique for other types of content, have at it!
Edit: Fixed some minor spelling and grammar errors (including a very irritating "to" that should have been a "too"), because I wrote this at 3am.
Sigmund:
Thanks for the directions. I actually just downloaded some messed up patterns, and stupidly merged them without testing, so that'll be helpful.
Freezerburn:
What about decrapifying? When should I need to decrapify the stuffs? Do I need to do it after repackaging them?
EDIT: What is the number of about 200 Mb packages I can have before my game started to lag?
ShortyBoo:
Quote from: Freezerburn on 2010 July 19, 07:31:22
What about decrapifying? When should I need to decrapify the stuffs? Do I need to do it after repackaging them?
EDIT: What is the number of about 200 Mb packages I can have before my game started to lag?
Right now I have over 100 .packages in my game. While most are merged, there are several that aren't (like my mods) and the ones that are merged, I do by category, so that's the reason for the large number of merged packages. But my game doesn't lag with them all in there. It loads up to the save game select screen in less than a minute and the game all runs really smooth with no lag and everything loads fast. I don't know about decrapifying stuff since I never bother with any of that. I don't touch Sims3Pack files, unless I'm extracting them to .package, so there's never been any need for it.
Anach:
Quote from: Freezerburn on 2010 July 19, 07:31:22
What about decrapifying? When should I need to decrapify the stuffs? Do I need to do it after repackaging them?
EDIT: What is the number of about 200 Mb packages I can have before my game started to lag?
Decrapify is a personal preference, much like your brand of toothpaste. Read up one what it does and decide whether you want to do it.
I try to keep the packages under 100, but lag is a gradual thing, not something that jumps on you if you hit 101 packages. I've not noticed any difference between 10 packages or 80 packages. Originally I had about 700, which halved my FPS.
Keep in mind, that 200MB is only a sensible limit on file size for reducing merging times and RAM use for creating those large packages. The largest .package used by the game is around 1.9Gb, but creating that in S3PE would take a lot of time and memory.
Essentially, there are no hard rules, just what works for you.
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