Insimenator.org

Okay, this might be a *dur* kinda question, but I need a little insight on this:

Every time I download a lot and install it via Clean Installer, I look through the list, and if everything is good to go, I leave everything checked. Then, when I look in my Downloads folder, I see a gazillion files that were packaged with the lot, which defeats my effort to try and keep my Downloads folder as neat as possible. Is this normal, like this is what happens to everyone when they install lots this way? Also, if it is, what should I do to organize all those files? I was thinking about simply creating a lots subfolder and putting the CC that came along with them in there. Help. What is your method to avoid this, assuming that this is normal...

Thanks.

Installing a lot not only puts that new house in your neighborhood, but all the CC and recolors attached to any objects in the house.  Rather than using the orginal name, it's all renamed to a hexadecimal name.  So if a Maxis chair is in the house and the creator has 20 recolors of it, you will now have 20 recolors of it, plus whatever recolors you may have had.  Some of those may be dups too.

After installing, use CI to scan the Downloads folder then weed out duplicates and put organization back into your folders.

The creator could weed out all of those recolors before uploading the file.  After packaging the lot, open it with CI, uncheck things that weren't used but simply recolors of what was used and then save it to a new file.  Open up that file, and it's the reduced package with just what's needed.

Thanks for the tip. So after doing what you suggested, you think my lot subfolders idea is a good one? I just wanna keep individual lot CC together and out of the way.

Subfolders or putting the CC and recolors in where you normally keep them is completely up to you.  It should be all about how you want your CC organization to be.

I never install a downloaded lot with the Clean Installer, without unchecking all the objects added to it (unless I want them). I want only the house, not the furniture and the surroundings. Not even the walls and the floors. Windows and doors - only if they are original Maxis-made.

So, I make a subfolder in my Packaged Lots folder, and install it there. Thus I can delete it whenever I want.

After looking, I don't seem to have a PackagedLots folder. Is it user-created?

You can create it or package a lot, which then creates it.

Okay, thanks for help.

The name of the folder is Packaged[space] Lots (case sensitive) -
Packaged Lots

and not as you have written it (PackagedLots). :)

The best is to package some of your houses (hood view, click  on the  house -> click on asteriks (*) -> package lot to a file), and you will get a message that it is saved in this folder. You can delete after that your house.

Ah, I see. Unlike you though, I like to keep some of the CC if I think it's worth having, I do use DDO to get rid of duplicates though. I wonder, using your method, does that pack up the CC I installed too, so then maybe I can take the lot CC out of my downloads folder? Hope I don't sound too confusing. Admittedly, I make stuff harder than it should be sometimes o_O.