Perserving Homes

[Monkeyman89693]

So, I want to start over my Sims 2 game so I can add a bit more excitement (and organization) to my game. I could care less about my characters. I know that sounds mean, but I can always rebuild what I had, that's the fun. But I have just a few quick problems. I have a house that I built. I poured my soul into making this house and it is the pride and joy of my entire game. Is there a way I can preserve this home and wipe out the rest of my data, then add it back as if nothing ever happened? Also, I would like to "wipe" my game without actually going in and uninstalling all of my expansions packs and then reinstalling. Is there any way I can wipe the game back to as if I had reinstalled it, without going through the hassle?

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you for your time

[gali]

If you build a house, that you want to keep for next usage, you have to package this house to a file:
The house has to be empty (you can pull out the sims to the family bin for a while).
From the neighbourhood view, click on the house, then choose the asteriks (*), then choose "package to a file".
The house will be saved as it is, in a folder (that is built by the game only for this purpose) named "PackagedLots".
If you want this house to appear in your house bin, you have to enter the PackagedLots folder, and install it.

I use only one chosen house for all my sims, and it is packaged to a file.

Before any reinstalling, or wipping the game, you have to save (critical) these folders: Downloads, SavedSims, PackagedLots, Neighbourhoods, Collections, and Terrains. Usually, I copy and paste the *whole TS2 folder* which is in My Documents,  in my D driver, just in case.

[Monkeyman89693]

Okay, is there anyway I can keep the house furnished? Because that is a lot of work to re-furnish. If I'm not mistaken. I have seen already furnished houses for download on MTS2. How would I go about packaging it that way

Also, I do not want to keep any data but the house. How do I wipe it without uninstalling and then reinstalling?

[gali]

Of Course! I keep my house full furnished - but the price is very high (about 300,000$, lol). Same with downloaded and redecorated houses - package them to files. When you are in the PackagedLots folder - change their names, to remind yourself that they are yours.

You finish to furnish the house, go to neighbourhoods view, and package it to a file. It will be saved with all the furniture.

By the way, I do it in my colleges (redecorate some dorm, package it to a file, and use it for all my students), in Downtown (I like the 50's coffee and the bowling com), and in my BV houses (choose a house, redecorate it, and then use it for all my sims).

When I open a new neighbourhood, I enter the PackagedLots folder, and install all my chosen houses. I am quite lazy....

About the second question, I am not sure what you mean. If your intention is to delete all original houses, and to keep only your houses - Package all the originals to files, make a sub-folder in PackagedLots, and drag them there. Name the sub-folder - "originals". Any time you want an original house - just install it from there. Now you can buldoze all the originals.

[megativity13]

If you have sims living on the lot and you want to keep your house furnished,
you'll need the stay things shrub from SimLogical
http://www.simlogical.com/sl/Sims2Pages/Sims2_MovingHouse.htm
Drop it in your downloads folder.
Place it on your lot and click on it.  
Select the option you want to use from the pie menu.
Then you can go into neighborhood view, move your sims to the family bin
and package the lot and it should be packaged as furnished.

Once you have packaged the lot, quit the game.  Go to
C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR USER NAME\My Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\PackagedLots
and pull the packaged lot out of that folder and place it somewhere safe.
Now you'll have it to install as many times as you want.
This is a very important step- you don't want it to be accidentally lost or
overwritten.

I also suggest what gali said above- back everything up then you'll have it
just in case.

To get a fresh game without uninstalling/reinstalling-
Go into
C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR USER NAME\My Documents\EA Games
and pull out your Sims2 folder (if you have the space, place it on your
desktop and voila! instant back up.)
When you run the game, it will create a brand spanking new Sims2 folder for you, with the default neighborhoods/families/houses

Once you start up your game, go into your game options and enable custom
content.  Quit the game and then you can install your house and at this point
you can install the custom content/downloads that you want to keep.  

If you really don't care about your Saved Sims/Neighborhoods/Collections and
terrains- you can just delete those from your back up copy.

[Monkeyman89693]

Okay, I have backed up my house. JUST to make sure. All I need to do is get rid of my entire Sims 2 folder and next time I run my game, it will create a new, default one?

Thanks for your help and continued patience

[gali]

NOOOOOO!!!  Don't do it! ...

I understand that you want clean and original neighbourhoods.  So, drag your Neighbourhoods folder (in My Documents) to your desktop, and copy/paste from:

C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2\TSData\Res\UserData

The Neighbourhoods folder. It will give you hoods 001 (Pleasantview), 002 (Strange Town), and 003 (VeronaVille) in their original status.

The game will recreate the original hoods for all the EPs that are installed.

If you delete all your Sim2 folder, you will have to install all the game from the beginning.

[ancienthighway]

1.  If you just drag your Neighborhoods folder to the desktop, you don't have to copy them from the UserData.  I thought that at one time also, but have during my testing of AL just started the game up without a Neighborhood folder and it puts the appropriate ones back into the game.

2.  If there is no TS2 folder in the My Documents path, the game, once you start it will recreate the default folders and contents.  There is no need to reinstall.  I've done this recently also.

[gali]

Phew! Good to know, Ancient! Thanks, I got freaked....

Are you sure it will recreate the defaults again? Thanks for the info.

[ancienthighway]

The only reason it wouldn't is if you went to copy data from UserData\Neighborhoods, and instead moved it so the defaults were no longer there.

If you are using cleaned up and or empty neighborhoods, they will be in that folder and will be created instead of the Maxis defaults.

The Megahood, if used would have to be installed iaw HP's instructions.