what a pity. Are many people even still playing sims 2 here?

I am getting crashes almost every time I go into the game, always when loading a Lot. Always at the same point. I delete groups.cache, Thumbnails, Neighbourhood Manager, every time I am preparing to load the game. I check constantly for files=-in-the-wrong-places - sims2packs, rars, jpgs in downloads folders. I take out some or all of my downloads and then it MIGHT work - usually doesn't start working again after I have taken them ALL out. Then I start the long process of putting them back, a folder or so at a time. A week or so later I have my game almost working, I might find one item that I am suspicious of.
Then I visit a favourite site or add in some old downloads from my collection and off we go again. I never seem to get to play my game properly. Sigh.
I am careful - I use very few hacks and a small number of hacked objects but that doesn't seem to make a difference.

I'm so tired of this. IS there any way to see if a download is corrupt BEFORE I put it in my game? I really don't need this amount of frustration. I DO use the Compressorizor and I don't use Delphy's tool or SimCategorizor because I hear those can interfere with Compressorized CC.
I don't want to play with NO downloads, and I do enjoy playing with new downloads...

I have been trying to deliver a painting to France (opportunity) - found the guy I was sposed to take it t, talked to him 3 days straight.... no way could I give the painting to him.... eventually tried putting it up in the Art gallery, that doesn't work either, took my Sim home in defeat... any clues?

Does anyone know of a no-CD patch for my (completely legally bought) Sims 3 and WA (patched) - just simply to save wear and tear on my poor disk?

Mods if this is the wrong place to ask or the wrong thing to ask, apologies and  please let me know.... (sigh - so many forums so many rules).

I played the Contender family for two hours last night - married Carlos to a bimbo, long vacation (a week? Whatever the longest vacation is) - they had a lovely time. When I went to return home, the game crashed.
When I restarted the game they were apparently in their house again, so none of the Bon Voyage returning from home bits had happened - now every time i try to load the family, the game crashes - gets to 4 blue squares and then hangs.
Short of delete the family and play somewhere else, any suggestions? This is very frustrating.
I do have hacks and downloads but I check regularly, ran HCDU a couple of days ago - and as far as I know I have no hacks that have anything to do with BV as I rarely actually play the BV features.

I thought I had seen more meshes for the Bodybuilder girl, ages ago before Sims 3 - I assume sites have closed - all I can find now are the original, wonderful, Marvine's nude and the booted mesh. Does anyone know of any other meshes for them? I'm no mesher but I play with these Sims and would LOVE to make some clothing for them.

Hi all...
Looking for some clothes for my Huge BodyBuilder (Marvine and BeosBoxboy's meshes).
This guy is in the Military career and I haven't a thing for him to wear. While going to work in his PJs doesn't seem to phase him, it doesn't work in my story 
The only thing I found so far was Navy - sailors' uniforms. Which are very good but my Sim wants to be a SOLDIER! All suggestions gratefully received.

I am playing the Maxis Hoods again and they already have a lot of population.
I find I like the complexity of a lot of families on the go at once.
BUT:
Is there a maximum population size above which the game will break? I've had hoods break before and not really known why.
I don't do a lot of dangerous things - like download houses with families, or transfer them in from other hoods. But my Sims WILL keep on having kids 
And is this affected at all by having sub-neighbourhoods or is this an absolute value?

 

Hello everybody! So good to be here and hoping to be a bit more active on here than I was on the old site. Great to have one of my net "homes" which had been shoved on the back of a truck and towed away, rebuilt even better than before and with a big welcome mat outside.