Keeping Lag To A Minimum...

Keeping Lag to a Minimum...

I was chatting about a few things I do to combat lag over on discord and realised I do quite a bit of maintenance to reduce lag/load times. I decided to write em all down and before I knew it, I had a big ol' list. Here's hoping it helps!

Save/File Tips:

Clear your caches (located in the same spot as your mod folder fyi) I usually delete the onlinethumbnailcache, avatarcache and localthumbcache caches every time I exit the game, the main one to delete regularly is the localthumbcache file, they're just temporary files but it can get pretty big after a while.. if you're having any mod issues, particularly ui ones, it's always worth deleting that to see if it helps.

Remove any saves you're not using from your saves folder, and keep an eye on save file sizes. In my experience, any saves over around 30-40mb start to get a bit laggy. Things that bump this size up are the amount of townies in game and the amount of lots/objects in the world.

Regarding the above point, I regularly bulldoze lots I don't need anymore, just to save the game from having to cope with extra shit to load in the background and reduce save file bloat.

Similarly, I delete a lot of unnecessary townies. Also, try to keep the amount of outfits on townies to a minimum, ain't no townie need four swimsuit outfits, the game will thank you..

If you have cheats enabled you can usually shift-click/delete object on things like random coffee cups or stray cupcakes sims foolishly drop around the world (or eat em.. whatever tickles ur pickle) just get rid!

Whilst we're keeping objects in game to a minimum.. I try to clear sims inventories now and then, including townies. You can do this via mccc even if you're not currently playing that household by heading to MC Cleaner -> Sell Sim Inventory/Sell Household Inventory. RANDOM LUMPS OF CLAY BEGONE!

Think of a save file like a lot.. the more objects in it, the laggier it gets! Try your best to remove anything or anyone unnecessary where you can.

Hit "Save As" instead of "Save" now and then - the more you overwrite a save, the more chance it has of going wonky, treat your game to a fresh one now and then and remove the old one from your saves folder (maybe don't delete it right away in case you wanna roll back, keep it somewhere safe).

If you can (although ik it can be a pain) set up a new/fresh save, you'd be surprised how bogged down old ones can get! For legacy players, it's usually best to do this whenever you have a small family to save yourself some pain, since you can just save the household and take em to a new save (you will lose sims inventories/household inventories/relationships with sims outside the household tho so beware! Pictures/other collectables can be saved to a lot however, and you can always cheat back relationship bits etc.. bit of a last resort but new saves are shiny and fast!)

Make sure your Screenshots/Video folders are empty - move em somewhere else, it works, trust me. If you have a lot of custom music installed try n' clear some of those out too.. the smaller that Sims 4 directory is, the better.

Delete any last exceptions/last crashes (same spot as your mod folder again) you don't need em unless you're planning to upload em somewhere for help.

Settings Etc:

If you get a bad lag spike, opening the main menu and/or saving can randomly stop this. If it doesn't, try exiting the game, clearing your localthumbcache and restarting.

Clearing all notifications from the game panel can also help.

If you can, close all other apps and background apps you don't need whilst playing, ts4 is super memory hungry so it can definitely help.

The GraphicsRules Override file by Simp4Sims can reduce lag/latency and make your game look a little better in the process!

Srslysims Simulation Lag Fix mod can help reduce lag too (if you've altered the game speed via mccc tho, don't use this unless you plan on resetting it to default).

If you aren't keen on, or barely use a pack, consider disabling it.

Not ideal, especially for those of us taking screenshots, but lowering the graphics settings whilst playing definitely helps.

If you use re/g-shade, consider switching it off whilst playing and only turn it on for screenshots.

A clean and tidy pc/laptop runs better in general. Remove anything you're not using/don't need anymore to free up space, remove temp files, clean up your folders now and again etc etc.. especially that dreaded mod folder, speaking of...

Managing Mods:

SORT OUT YOUR MODS FOLDER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.. skdsjdjs it doesn't have to be immaculate but at the very least try n' clear it out now n' then. Also try to separate your script mods/overrides from the rest, patch days don't need to be so stressful ;-;

Personally, I don't merge my mods; if something breaks it's much harder to pinpoint! It makes it easier to find/delete specific mods too.. and let's face it, there's usually one or two items in that set you could do without lmaooo.. also, don't think it helps much tbh! Yeah you could say the game doesn't have to work as hard to load merged files but that's debatable, it's still the same amount of items/polys at the end of the day ¯\(°_o)/¯

If you like merging files and/or see results from doing so, you can merge stuff you definitely know you're never getting rid of, especially CAS/BB stuff.. but steer clear of merging gameplay/script mods! If a merged file seems to be the culprit when using the 50/50 method, try unmerging it and 50/50ing it again! You might not need to get rid of everything if something's borked.

Bulk Rename Utility can be used to remove all spaces and special characters from your mod files, the game doesn't particularly like loading those so it'll thank you.

The Sims 4 Mod Manager is a great way to sort through your mods, you can easily see, move and delete files from here (not great for build/buy, poses etc as thumbnails are usually missing, but great for CAS stuff). An extra hint with this that I've noticed is that if any of my mods get renamed with [D1] at the beginning after looking through them via the mod manager, it means it's a duplicate file so you can get rid.

I also use the Sims 4 Tray Importer to help me sort through mods. Simply save a sim/lot with any cc you don't want and find it in the importer, you can then go through all the cc in the cc tab and delete/sort it (I also use this to sort cc if a bunch has the wrong tags etc, makes it easier to find in my folders by saving em to a lot or w/e - it also spots duplicates which is handy).

It's a ballache, but the 50/50 method is tried and tested if you're having issues.

I like to keep an abandoned cc folder tucked away somewhere, that way you can remove mods willy nilly without stressing about losing them. If you change your mind, you can always grab it back!

@moonfairesims Maxis but Better Eyes Edit

UPDATE 4/2/2025: Added a v2 version with smaller irises (which is what I personally prefer to use) - the alien version is also edited to match the rest of the eyes so there's also a package for the alien version in v2 as well.

(New CC from me in the year of our Lord 2025? *shock and horror*)

I saw this new eyeset from @moonfairesims which is essentially a refreshed take on the Maxis eyes and fell in love with them when I checked them in-game, but wanted some color adjustments and a new sclera so here it is.

I made the hazel eyes a little more brown, the green eyes a little more yellowish, and the dark blue just a smidge darker.

Sclera is a blend of the original sclera the eyes came with, plus a more animation-friendly version of the old Pooklet sclera that I used on my older eye sets

The Dark Brown and Hazel eyes use the same packages as the original versions (so same genetic values, 1.5 for hazel, 0.8 for Dark Brown).

The alien eyes you can get from moonfairesims's original post, just added to the preview for comparison.

DOWNLOAD (SFS)

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grimattic

1 year ago

needed these ty #reblog

Pt. 2 Sims Storytelling Resources

updated October 2022, original can be found here

Howdy again! My original resource post was a smash hit, so I've decided to come back with a new post. To share newer and previously unmentioned poses, creators, and resources. Consider this one of my simblreen treats.

POSES

@rebouks

Dozens of versatile and specific storytelling poses. Honorary mentions, her emotions pose packs are a must have.

@rethdis-love

A lot of group and single poses! My favorites are here, here, and here.

@simmerianne93

Whole bunch of solo, conversation, and group poses! Including fantasy poses!

@psychicpeanutkitty

Simple storytelling and couple poses! and some build-buy!

@thedevilliers

Great versatile poses! Many solo, double, group, and baby/child poses!

@siimplysims

Great poses especially for kiddos!

@aoihana2510

All sorts of poses, especially couple! my favorite must have is here

by Moc

Recently? deactivated (if they moved lmk) their poses are crucial for me! single, couple, kids and tots. they've got it all

@sionkanzaki-sims

Few couple and solo poses! my favorite is the school pose.

@sim-plyreality

Bunch of couple and baby poses! here's a couple sad single poses i love, and an adorable parent and children one!

Mari L

Their walking and sitting poses are great! They've got several great couple poses too!

@justalittlecatus

Bunch of poses, including some eating poses!

ANIMATIONS

@crispy-cucumber-ass

Solo and group poses and animations! Here's a group of favorites.

Sovasims

Many animations! Some of my favorites here, here and here.

Martlet

Most of their poses are exclusive, but these two public ones are great. Found here and here!

CAS

Blo0d and stuff

1* 2 3 4 5* 6 7 8

*tsr

@moonpres-sims has tons of scars and such, and makeup.

selfless plug, check out my s3lf harm scars here

I can't tell you what to do but… please add a variety of characters, your characters don't need to be all be the same. Adding a variety of characters makes stories more enjoyable. Don't be weird about them, avoid stereotypes.

Here's just some cas cc, be sure to look at the other content from these creators and from elsewhere.

warning tsr- players wonderland has TONS of great presets

Fat sims

cc list, another cc list

Elderly/Middle-aged sim cc

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

For your disabled sims here is a wonderful masterpost

Black sims cc

one maxis match hair list, savvy-sweet is now shea buttyr

some lips

1 2* 3*

lighter palms

POC sims broadly

favorite hook noses

monolids

1 2* 3* 4

@ts4-cultural-cc has tons of different cultural cc

mooncatcher has a lot of cultural as well as disability and different body stuff cc

LGBT sims

@gncc has a bunch of gender non-conforming cc stuff!

chest binder accessory binder

masc top surgery scars

1 2 3

femme top surgery scar

MISC

@rosewritingprompts - my favorite writing prompt tumblr for dialogue and writing ideas

Power Thesaurus - my favorite online thesaurus, find those fun fancy words!

Be sure to think about your characters dynamics, their individual dynamic and their relationships! Here's a few simple articles and blog posts. 1, 2 , 3, 4.

Recommended previously in a reblog by the lovely @xldkx, make sure your font is readable. I would also highly recommend a legible transcript. Make your story as accessible as possible! The little effort it takes can mean many more people will be able to read and love your story.

Also, 'shot, reverse shot.' Little demonstrative video here. It's used in nearly all media with dialogue. It can make the emotions of the scene shine through more.

good tip... Clutter the hell out of your scenes, with accordance to characters and setting. Most people have some clutter, a little mess adds to your setting significantly. Take the time to really build your setting.

Here's a little character building article. There's many more out there.

Most importantly!!!!!! Have fun, grow with your writing and characters. Make it a fun hobby, not a chore or job.

I greatly appreciate any added resources in comments or reblogs!!! :)

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grimattic

1 year ago

this looks so fun omg

HERE IS A BRAND NEW UPDATED VERSION OF MY SWEETEST BERRY LEGACY CHALLENGE!

*if you were previously playing from the old graphics some of the generations have changed*

tag me on here or instagram @/clumsy.romantic, or use the hashtag sweetestberrylegacy, if you decide to play this! i love seeing others play my legacies <33

my just desserts graphics will be updated soon too!

safety links for downloading cc

as someone who dls a lot of cc from a lot of places, i’ve had to take a LOT of precaution when it comes to safety online for those pesky short links that infect ur computer with random garbage. here are the extensions i personally use to bypass most shitty linkage

disclaimer: please don’t come to me and tell me im taking money from creators by using these extensions. if you want to click on adfly links, go ahead! this is just for the people who don’t. also, don’t take these links as a get out of jail free card for online safety. people are crafty. use common sense to avoid getting a virus. this will just lower your chances of getting a virus, or just save you some annoyance.

adblock plus- p much the most popular extension out there. i use it on all sites even outside of cc downloading. sadly a lot of sites are taking action against adblock, adding counters to their links, or even keeping you from accessing the site at all. it’s easy to disable the extension for single sites though, or you can just leave the site altogether. still, adblock is incredibly useful!

the rest of these extensions are for the google chrome webstore. im sure there are similar extensions for whatever browser you use though. just check your browser’s webstore and im sure you’ll find similar, or you could just switch to google chrome

ad(fly) skipper - bypasses adfly’s counter and takes you straight to your download

short.est skipper - same deal as the last one, and currently my most useful extension, since a lot of creators are using short.est instead of ad.fly lately. short.est is annoying because it has a lot of different redirect urls it can take you to with different domains, but the devs of the extension were good about blocking most, if not all, of the domains short.est uses so it’ll skip it no matter what.

tsr ad skipper - bypasses tsr’s countdown. it’s not necessarily a safety extension, just saves you time and keeps tsr from being more annoying than it has to be.

if you have more feel free to reblog and add them. enjoy ur cc hunting!

8K notes View Post

grimattic

6 months ago

SourLemonSimblr male eyebrows set

DOWNLOAD

buy me a coffee ☕

eyebrows 54-59

4k texture

sims3!!!!!

4K notes View Post

grimattic

11 months ago

Jill and Johnny HOUSE 💜

Omgg hii did my first sims fanart (hope no one did that meme before 🫣)

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grimattic

3 months ago

(Mod) Functional Arcade Machines (GT Req.)

(Mod) Functional Arcade Machines (GT Req.)

Hello, I have updated SrslySims Arcade Machine, recolored it, and upgraded it a bit to work with multiple games from Basegame and City Living 笙･

More pictures and download below~

Keep reading

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grimattic

1 month ago

Willow Creek Recreation Center

The lot was built as part of the "Recreation Center in Every City" project from #SimsLab Kindergarten, laundry, computer club, cafe, gym and mini junk shop

lot type: Recreation Center lot size: 40х30

DOWNLOAD (SFS) My galery ID: Yellowduck3

Only NO CC building

Use bb.moveobjects add the files to your “Tray” folder

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grimattic

1 year ago

omg in love. i love this type of challenging gameplay

Reclaimed Roots, A Legacy Challenge.

One fateful day, as you flip the pages in the local newspaper, your eyes fall upon an advertisement for an affordable farm on the outskirts of town. This farm had fallen into disrepair, abandoned and forgotten by its previous owners, who had inherited the farm but chose to not take care of it. Despite its rundown state, a flicker of hope ignited within your heart. Your dream of owning a small farm to raise your future family may become a reality!

You call the owner’s of the property and they start asking for more money. This went from being an affordable farm to a pricey one! You decide to take a leap of faith and go for it. Packing your belongings immediately and setting out for the neglected farms of your dream. When you arrive, you see just how neglected the farm truly is. You find a weathered farmhouse, its paint peeling and windows cracked, surrounded by overgrown fields and rotten fences. But you see beauty hidden underneath it all.

You see a vision of what this farm could be. A fresh coat of paint, rescued animals, beautiful old oak trees flourishing, children riding their bikes and fishing in the pound. This is where you want your new life you begin.

Required Packs: For Gameplay: Cottage Living, Cats and Dogs, and a pack that allows yard sales. House is made with a bunch of packs but is mostly just all clutter! Main items are from the gameplay packs.

Rules: Aspiration must be country caretaker Start with $500 Place @simsyworld’s lot from the gallery called "Abandoned Farm" hashtag #reclaimedroots or #reclaimedrootslegacy Each generation must live on the family farm. This may call for an extension of the house, a second floor, or a basement. If your sim has more than one kid, they can move out. But the sim you decide to cary on the legacy must live on the farm. Your house has no wifi, so no computers or gaming consoles. A TV can be bought after you fix up the house. Your sim cannot have a job. Make money by yard sales or odd jobs. Your sim’s teenager sim’s can have a part-time job but they must still help out on the farm Wake up by 6:30am every day to take care of the animals (can take a nap after animals have been cared for) Cannot use “the hand of god” (selling in inventory) UNLESS there is more than 20 in a stack of crops. All other items must be sold during a yard sale. Have a yard sale at least once a week, every Sunday. If it is raining you can skip the yard sale. Sell anything you collect, baked goods, rocks, ect.

Generation One

Name the farm after your last name

Clean the house, buy a new mailbox, pick the weeds, and apply a fresh coat of paint to the house.

Find a stray cat to be your farm cat. This cat likes to live outdoors, so place a bed and food outside. If you get a full relationship with the cat, it can live indoors.

Buy 6 chickens and name each one.

Build a relationship with each animal before getting a new one

Enter a Finchwick Fair competition

Befriend the animals and complete the country caretaker Aspiration

Reach level 10 for Farming, Fishing, Cooking

Fall in love with a local farmer

Get married and have a ceremony on the farm

Have 1-2 children

When your first child is born, rescue a puppy that will become best friends with your child

When each sim ages up to a child, you must buy them a bike as a birthday present so your sim’s child can go on adventures.

Teach your children how to fish, cook, and garden

Generation Two

You grow up loving the farm and craving the taste of fresh produce. You watched your parents sell produce and baked goods every Sunday morning and thought it would be a great idea to go bigger! You decide to work towards your goal of making your name in town a staple by opening a store named after your family!

Have the Freelance Botanist Aspiration

Paint the house a new color since after all these years it needs a fresh coat.

Buy your family their first computer now that you have wifi

Reach level 10 for Cooking, Baking, Charisma

Find a stray dog to adopt into the family

Enter a Finchwick Fair competition

Fall in love, get married, and divorced. This relationship didn’t work out.

Own a bakery, store, or restaurant that focuses on the idea of selling food or produce that is fresh. You do not have to have yard sales after you build a store.

Become good friends with at least 20 sims outside of your household.

A local baby/child was dropped off at the fire station. You decide to adopt this sim to live on the family farm!

Build max relationship with your sim’s child.

Teach your sim’s child how to garden, cook, and fish.

Fall in love and get married

Have family dinner all together on Friday nights including your sim’s siblings who moved out

Generation Three

You were adopted into the most loving family. You fell more into the creative side of life. Always drawing, painting, doing arts and crafts. When you got older you fell in love with the relaxation of making floral arrangements.

Have the Painter Extraordinaire Aspiration

Reach level 10 for Floral Arrangements, Painting, Gardening

Make 3 masterpiece paintings

Befriend all the animals on the farm with max relationship

Inherit the family business and turn it into a floral arraignment store. You can also sell your paintings here.

Have 5 maxed relationship friends who you always hang out with

Enter a Finchwick Fair competition

Fall in love with 1 of the 5 friends.

Have family dinner’s on Friday nights and friend dinner’s on Monday night

Find a stray cat to adopt. This cat is obsessed with you and follows you to work at the floral arrangement store.

Marry your best friend and have a ceremony. Invite all of your friends and family

Have as many children as you feel is right.

Do homework with your sim’s children every night

Looking for a Discord server for simmers? Check out our 920+ member server called SimsyWorld! We host weekly challenges and giveaways if you're interested! Click HERE to join!