tfst How to Download Tutorial

How do I download and make the objects and skins show in the game?
The following is more of a downloading tutorial than a simple answer on how to download.  I not only try to cover 
HOW to download non-Maxis objects and skins from a fan site on the web, but also how to manually extract the files,
and how to get the objects and skins to successfully show in your The Sims game.  I will cover all of the files related 
to user created objects and skins, how to extract the files from a zip to the correct The Sims folder, and cover some 
troubleshooting strategies for a few typical downloading problems. These instructions are the same no matter which 
version of The Sims you play including The Sims Deluxe.
                                                                 
                                                                         
CONTENT
Click a Topic Below To Jump To It:
Programs
Explaining The Downloading Process
Finding The Folders For The Sims
Downloading From A Site (including a list of file types associated with user created objects and skins)
Houses, Downtown Lots, Vacation Lots
The READ ME Text File
Troubleshooting



Programs:
No matter what program the web master has used to compress files into a zip, you should be able to get the files into 
your game without any special software or tool.

There are now several programs  such as Sims Zi, The Sim File Maid, and Sim UnZip which can be found at The Sims 
Workshop that will automatically extract Sims' related files into the correct folder.  However, not all of these programs 
work the same, and I'm not sure if any are perfect.  I rather select where to donwload and extract my files myself.

If you want a software for extracting files, there are free versions on the Internet. Try searching About at
http://www.about.com for such software.

You DO NOT HAVE TO USE Microsoft WinZip.  I do not use WinZip and I have been able to download  and extract
files successfully from sites that use it.  If you do choose WinZip, buy the complete version (http://www.microsoft.com). 
The trial version is not complete and many users have problems with it.

For a long time I used PKZip Ware for Windows to condense and extract my files because it's a simple and well
organized tool. You can download a trial version at http://www.pkware.com.

However, when I lost my complete version of PKzip during a system recovery, I've was using a very simple zip
utility called Just Zip It. It is not only a simple tool, but it is complete and FREE. You can download it at
http://free-backup-software.net/ .

All new computers come with a utility to at least extract files. Usually, your program will convert the file to where it
can open. If this does not happen, see if there is a FREE version of the utility that was used to create the condensed
file, like WinRar for Rar files,and download it from the web.

Sometimes the server or web host will have it's own method to download files, from it's web sites. File Planet
is one such web host. The site will have a link to File Planet where you can sign up for an account (it's free)
and you will actually begin the downloading process from there.

Lastly, MacIntosh and some non-Microsoft browsers have their own download program. So, it's very important to read
any downloading instructions that the webmaster includes on their site or in a text file. However, do keep in mind
that many Mac players have problems with files that are made for Windows. Use the message board at the
official The Sims website created especially for Mac players for any help.

Explaining The Downloading Process:
What you are doing is bringing files from one file holder to a file holder designated in your hard drive by way of
the Internet. Since files for the game can be large, the web master will often use a zip generator to compress the
files or, to group several files together to be downloaded at one time. Once you have brought the zip file to your PC,
you must "unzip" or extract the individual files to your hard drive.

Sometimes files are not zipped, but ALL individual files MUST go into the correct folder in your PC or the
skins/objects will not show in the game.

Keep in mind, that sometimes a zip is "self-extracting", meaning all files  will automatically go into the correct 
folder after you double click on the zip.  An example of this is any download from the official The Sims 
object/skin by Maxis. 

Check the Download Troubleshooting section for alternative methods to extracting files.

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Finding The Folders For The Sims:
The folders you are most concerned with are: Downloads, User Data, Objects and Game Data, and ExpansionShared
 folders. Inside the Game Data folder are the Floors,  Walls, and Roofs folder.  Inside the User Data folder is the House 
folder.

If you do not know how to find these folders in your hard drive, read the following (otherwise you can skip this 
section):

On your desk top, you should have a "My Computer" icon. When you double click this icon (or right click, then click 
"open"), you will see the contents of your computer. When you click another icon, you enter into a new area of your 
hard drive. Opening a folder will open up more folders until you reach the files associated with the program, 
software or peripheral.

To  get to The Sims main folder, double click the folders following this path: The icon marked C: is your hard drive, 
double click to continue. The folders  are always in alphabetical order, unless you arrange them in  differently.      
Locate and open the Program File folder, then the Maxis folder, and finally The Sims folder.

In a linear format, the path you just took looks like this:

C:/ProgramFiles/Maxis/TheSims


Inside The Sims folder are several program files and folders that you will never need to touch. The Downloads, 
Game Data and User Data folders can be seen from this location.  The Floors, Objects, Roofs and Walls folders are 
in the Game Data folder. Houses are in each User Data folder.

So, if you were extracting a floor file, you would follow this path to get to the correct folder:

C:/ProgramFiles/Maxis/TheSims/GameData/Floors


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Downloading From A Site:
Now that you know where the folders are, let's do a basic download.

Before you begin, you must decide  where you will send the zip file from the website to your PC. Some people send 
all files to their desktop.

I have created a folder where  I send all files when downloading. This makes it very easy to find any and all files I've
downloaded from the web.  Which ever you decide, it is important to be consistent so  that you are not hunting for 
the new files. (see Download Troubleshooting)

Scenario: You are visiting a  The Sims fan site and you find an object or skin that you really like and you want to 
download it. Right now you have NO download accelerator or any  other special tool to help you. You do have a 
special named folder in your  hard drive for all downloads.

1. Look for any special downloading instructions by the web master.
2. Click the word, image or icon as indicated by the web master (a little gloved hand should appear to let you know 
that there is a link---remember, you are linking to the object or skin file).
3. A window will appear.  This window can vary, however, you will be prompted to select what you would like to do.  
Select "Save This File To Disk", or something similar, and click "OK" .

4. Select "Browse" and open folders  until you find the folder you want to send the zip file to save it in your hard 
drive, or save on your desk top. Select "Save" or "Begin".

Then the downloading process  begins.

5. There will be some sort of  indication that the downloading is in progress: either a progression bar, or an envelope
that sends pages to another envelope, or something similar. You can minimize this window while the download 
process is occurring. How long this takes depends on the size of the file (so you may have a long wait). Keep in mind 
that downloading can slow up other things on your PC, but it doesn't mean you can not do other things during
the download process.

Note: Usually, you can queue up three downloads at one time. If you have a downloading accelerator program, you 
can add many downloads to the queue at once, instead of waiting for one to finish before you can add another. 

The downloading is complete.   Now, go to "My Computer" and open the folders in your hard drive  until you find 
the folder where you sent the zip file, or look for it on your desk top. 

7. Double click the zip file.  The zip file will open and you should see the individual files. The files will have an 
original name, maybe a number, and a file type indicated in the prefix or suffix of the file name. This is a listing of 
the type of files you will see for The Sims:

        .iff files are object and lot  files.    Example: tfstangel.iff or House01.iff
        .bmp files are image files to a skin.   Example: B002FAFitlgt_angel.bmp
        .cmx files are part of the mesh files to a skin.  Example: B002FAfitlgt_angel.cmx
        xskin (may or may not have  .skn in it's suffix) are part of the mesh files to a skin. Example:  xskin-B002FAfitlgt_
        angel.skn
        .flr files are floor files.   Example: angel.flr
        .wll files are wall files.   Example: angel.wll
        .rf files are roof files.   Example: angel.rf

8. Find and select "Extract".  DO NOT extract the files with the game running or the new downloads will not appear 
until you next load the game.  

Select "Browse" to search your hard drive until you find the appropriate folder for the type of file(s) contained in the 
zip, then click "Ok".  Example: if you are extracting files related to skins, you would browse using the following path:

C:/ProgramFiles/Maxis/TheSims/GameData/Skins

 Note: If the zip file contains a variety of files (i.e., walls, floors and objects files), highlight each file individually and 
extract to the correct folder.  This isn't necessary if all the files are the same or for self-extracting zips.

If you selected the correct  folder to extract to, your new object, floor, wall, roof or skin will now be in the game. 
If not, go to Download Troubleshooting for some hints and strategies on how to correct any problems.

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Houses, Downtown Lots, Vacation Lots, Superstar Lots and Makin' Magic Lots:
Lots are a little tricky.  Be sure to check the web site for any separate zip files containing the floors, walls and 
objects for the house or other lots. In addition, the zip file for the lot itself may contain wall, floor or object files. 
You must extract  these files FIRST in order for the floors, walls and objects  to be in the game and show up IN the 
house.

Keep in mind that lots  1-10 and 50-80 (for Unleashed players only) are house lots, lots 21-30 are Downtown Lots,  lots 
40-48 are Vacation lots, 81-89 are Superstar lots, and 90-98 are Makin' Magic lots. Extract the lot following one of the 
paths below.

If you are a SINGLE NEIGHBORHOOD  player, follow the path below:

C:/ProgramFiles/Maxis/TheSims/UserData/Houses

If you are a MULTIPLE NEIGHBORHOOD player, you must first choose the neighborhood where you want the lot.
Each User Data folder represents a neighborhood.  User Data is neighborhood 1, User Data2 is neighborhood 2, etc.
Then follow this path:

C:/ProgramFiles/Maxis/TheSims/UserData(number of neighborhood)/Houses.

In other words, let's say I'm downloading a Vacation lot for lot 42. I want to place this lot in Neighborhood #5. I will 
follow this path:

C://ProgramFile/Maxis/TheSims/UserData5/Houses.

Note: For instructions on how to download and extract a house to the game and move your Sims in WITHOUT
spending their simoleons, click HERE to jump to that FAQ answer.


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The READ ME Text File :
There may or may not be a text file from the web master/creator inside the zip. If there is, double clicking it in the
zip will open the file so that you can read it. Text files contain various information from simply stating the fan site
from which the zip originated, to special extracting information, to special messages from the web master. It's
important to keep these files because important information, like the web master's amyl address, can be in this text
for future reference.

Note: Often a web master is not aware that they should give their text file a unique name so that it will not over write
another Read Me text. You can rename the text: Extract the text to a folder outside of The Sims, rename it, then
move it to the same folder as the file or to another designated folder.

Troubleshooting:

Problem: I double clicked the download, but nothing happened.
a. It could be that there is something wrong with the zip file link. If you do not see a little gloved hand when you
hover over the download, the link is probably broken. Contact the web master.

b. Try right clicking on the download and select "save target as" and continue the downloading process as above.

c. If you have a download accelerator, you may have to disable it. After opening the program, right click on the icon
in your task bar and disable the clicks.

d. If you are using the trial version of WinZip, that's the problem. The trial version of WinZip is not very reliable.
Disable WinZip and try downloading without it.

Problem: When I open the zip file, I don't see an "Extract" feature.
Do you still see one or more file type as described above under "Downloading from a site"? Then you can move
the file(s) to the correct folder manually by selecting it, then "Cut" the file from the that folder and "Paste" it into
the correct Maxis/TheSims folder.

Problem: The download took me to File Planet. I don't want to join File Planet, but I want the download.
a. Registering with File Planet is free, but they will send you advertisements and updates via emails. If you
don't want the advertisements coming to a regular email address, I suggest giving them an alternate address.
File Planet is a very large free downloads server, and that's why many Sim webmasters choose to use them
to hold their files.

Problem: I can't get the object/skin to show up in the game.
If it's an object:
a Re-extract the object to the Object folder. If it still does not show in the game, contact the web
master. It could be that there is something wrong with one of the object's flag categories. This can be fixed using
Paladin's Sim Categorizer.

b. It may be that you are not downloading a zip file but the .iff file itself. Highlight the download file and select
CUT, then PASTE the file into the correct folder; OR, re-download the file and send it directly to the correct folder.

c. It may be that the object has the same ID as another object already in your game. You can use the Object
ID (http://www.antp.be/sims ) to find any objects with duplicate ID numbers. If the object in question has the
same ID as another object, remove the object from the folder and contact the web master.

d. It may be that the user created object was originally cloned from a Maxis object that came with an Expansion
Pack, but you don't have that Expansion Pack installed. You can identify which object the new object was cloned
from by using Paladin's Sim Categorizer. Once you identify the object, remove it from your Downloads folder.

e. If you are using Microsoft Windows XP, that may be the problem. Windows XP is not compatible with the
original The Sims game, nor with any Expansion pack before Sims Unleashed. You may have to return The
Sims (and any expansion packsup to and including Hot Date if you have one) to a store that allows trade-ins
and get credit towards Sim Deluxe, Sims Double Deluxe or Sims Mega Deluxe which IS compatible with
Windows XP and has compatible versions of Livin' Large, House Party, and Hot Date (only Mega Deluxe has
compatible versions of all three expansion packs, the other two have only Livin' Large or Livin' Large and
House Party). In the U.S., Game Stop DOES accept old games for trade, and there may be other used
bookstores who will also. If you cannot find a store that allows trade-ins, then you will need to make a
decision how important it is to you to play The Sims.

Before you uninstall your game, be sure to follow these instructions HERE so that you do not loose any of
your families or user created objects/walls/floors/skins.

Then uninstall your game completely and use Sims Eraser to be sure it's completely out of your register.
Install the Deluxe version that you bought and any addiontional Expansion Packs following the installation
instructions. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! If you do not follow the intructions, your game STILL may not run
properly.

If buying Sim Deluxe is not an option, you can remove all of the objects in your Downloads folder including any
objects from the official Maxis The Sims site, and place them back one at a time, running the game to see if they
show. I know that this is an EXTREMELY tedious task, and you will not be able to play some favorite object
that will not show in the game, but since Windows XP is so new, there is no other way to know for sure which
objects are compatible with Windows XP and which are not. Hopefully, soon, Maxis, Microsoft or us game \
players will have a better grip on how XP is affecting the game to be able to better take care of the problems.

If it's a skin:
a. Use The Sims File Cop. You can download The Sims File Cop at The Sims Workshop.
The File Cop will pull some bad skin files and put them into a separate folder inside the File Cop folder.

Bitmap files that are NOT in 256 bitmap color (or 8 bit color) will NOT show in the game. The File Cop will pull them,
and you can fix these easily with any Paint program by simply opening the bitmap file, then SAVE AS a 256 bitmap
color (in Paint Shop Pro, you will select "Colors", then "Decrease Color Depth", and "256 Colors". Then SAVE the
bitmap).

Internal and external problems with the cmx and xskin files (often it's in the file name itself) will cause a skin to
not show in the game. The File Cop will only pull the cmx file, but the problem may be in the xskin file. Whenever
the File Cop pulls these files, contact the site web master. If the web master insist that there is nothing wrong with
the files because the skin shows in their game, contact me. This webmaster is not aware that any newly edited
skin may still show in their game because they have the ORIGINAL files. I will be happy to take a look at the files and
fix them for you.

Note: File names for skin files must follow a certain format or they WILL NOT show in all games. Often, when a
Sim crafter is creating a unique name, they do not follow the format. You can rename the cmx and xskin files
yourself. If you want to learn how to fix a cmx and xskin file, read my cmx editing tutorial.

b. Sometimes, and I don't know why, the mesh files do not connect to the game even though they are in the Skin
folder. You can use Sim Show to export the files into the game. For instructions on using Sim Show for this
purpose, read my cmx editing tutorial. If this does not work, contact the web master.

c. Certain file condenser (zips) programs will automatically create a separate folder with the files in them. To check
for this, look inside of the Skins folder for another folder with the skin's name. If so, remove these files and place them
into the Skins folder. Skins will not show in the game if the files are NOT in the Skins folder!!

d. If you have Windows XP, see the answer on this subject above under "If it's an object".

If it's a floor, wall or roof file:
It could be the file is not in 256 color or is not in the correct folder. Since these files are so small and simple they
rarely become corrupted, so this is almost always the problem.

You can not open wall or floor files, but you can view the bitmap to correct any color problems by using The Sims
HomeCrafter. This is the tool that takes a bitmap, converts it into a floor or wall file, and export it to the game. You
can download it at The Sims Workshop.

1. After loading HomeCrafter, browse until you find the Floor or Wall folder. Find the file by it's name, then open it in
HomeCrafter.

2. Using the Print Screen function on your key board, paste the image into your Paint program. Change
the image to 256 color and save it into the HomeCrafter files.

3. Open the new bitmap in HomeCrafter, edit it's description, and export it to the game. When prompted to overwrite
the file, select "yes".

Since a roof file is a simple bitmap, it can be open in a Paint program. After browsing to find the file in the Roof
folder, open it and save it as a 256 color.

This is the end of this tutorial. Don't hesitate to contact me with any further problems with downloading or look for
help at The FantaSim message board. :-)