I am addicted to collecting CC. And I bought the game just like a couple days ago... Does anyone else have this problem? How do you organize it? How do you keep yourself from downloading thousands and bloating your game?

I clean up my CC every once in while. Just think:

-Do I use this a lot?
-Is it helpful to me?
-Is it low on megabytes, etc?
-Is it of good quality?

If you answered "No" to most of these Qs, then you might want to delete it.

I was a CC addict when I played TS2, but now that I switched to TS3, I try to download only what I really need. Everything in TS3 in CASTable, so you can make one and the same thing look very different. Besides, now we are not able to delete content in TS3 ( i mean, in game). In TS2, I always deleted what I didn't need using the delete button in game, esp. some stupid recolors of good things. I know, it was a bad thing to do, but still...
In TS3, it is better to organise your content, and to keep it in separate folders and subfolders, with pictures attached. For example, I dowloaded some jeans for female sims a few days ago, but I didn't like them in game, so i found them in mods/packages/aas 1 and deleted.

Btw, now I spend much more time downloading and testing thingies than playing. It is typical of those who have just started playing, I think. Once you feel that you have enough of stuff for different categories (like building, furniture, clothes, etc) you'll stop downloading like mad (saying this from my experience with ts2).

I know many people are against the Launcher, but if a creator offers cc in sims3pack, I dl that. Then I can keep track of my stuff and delete.
I also have several folders and subfolders like the poster above. I have almost 2 gigs between my mods and downloads folders. So much stuff out there isn't the best quality. I'm VERY picky about clothing and hair. But after all is said and done, I love my cc and can't live without it.

EDIT: 1000 posts! Again......

Exactly, same here. (Not sure what that 'disagree' is about) I remember having about 6gb of stuff when I first got TS2. Now I have a much better and broader collection for TS3, which is only 825 mb. I still enjoy 'shopping' for TS3 CC, but now instead of downloading it instantly, I think about if I need it.

I also used to be a real CC junkie when I played Sims 2. Not anymore... well, not quite that much anyway. These days - if I have a choice - I only download CC in package form because it is easy to check through with Delphy's DashBoard and also quick to remove from game. I also have one subfolder for new CC and it works as a quarantine folder. If the CC is okay, I move them on to the other folders. One thing that keeps me from going overboard with downloading stuff is that - in my opinion - Sims 3 is more sensitive to CC than Sims 2, making it crash more easier. I'm sure someone disagrees with that.

I had loads the first time I played the Sims 3, but then I uninstalled it and stupidly deleted everything along with it including the CC. But this time I decided to be picky about what I downloaded. Also, I merge loads of packages in the same category using S3PE and make a dbc package file, so instead of all the individual items, I have a "Wardrobe" file, an "Objects" file and a "Hair" file. I the move all the files from the mods/packages folder to my external hard drive in appropriate folders. The game runs a lot smoother. I don't like putting mods and default replacements in the dbc packages, 'cause.. I like to change the defaults and there are updates on the mods..

My CC folder is very limited, I could even name all the CC installed in my game at this moment. What I do is:

- ask myself if the CC will give an element of something new to the game, if it's not just another pointless piece of CC because, really, how many modern, simple square dressers does the game need?
- if there's already a similar CC in my game, I compare those two and only the winner gets the place, the other one is deleted
- reconsider whether it can be replaced by something that's already made by EA
- consider the visibility. If the mesh is something small (like cute earrings), once I leave the CAS, I hardly ever zoom in enough to notice them.
- check the polycount if it's reasonable
- check other CC by the creator to see the history and the quality of all the stuff he/she has made, heavily photoshopped pictures should be a warning sign
- always read the comments, if available, to see if there's possibly something wrong with the file
- run the file through Delphy's Dashboard tool to make sure it's not corrupted
- delete everything without mercy if it's in the wrong category because it tells me that if the creator missed something so obvious, how many other mistakes are hidden in the CC?
- check the price if it's fairly realistic and check the values to avoid useless CC like an expensive bed that gives Sims the bad sleep moodlet
- rotate the object and zoom in and zoom out as far as possible to see if there's something wrong with the mesh
- try different patterns to see if it tiles properly
- playtest the object in a test neighbourhood to see if it works without any problem, save, exit the neighbourhood and enter again to make sure it doesn't crash my game or corrupt the lot

If the CC survives the test, it stays in my game for a month or two and if I don't use it during the time, I delete it anyway to avoid cluttering my CC folder. But I don't delete it completely. All the survivors of my test go into a special folder called "Sims3 Treasure Chest", just in case I might need them later.

Boring and pedantic, I know, but that's why I'm a data analyst and not a rockstar

I actually like a lot of the EA content so I find it pretty easy not to go mad! I tend to stick to content which 'matches' EA's and I generally only download CAS items. I've got about 1GB of CC atm.

I have subfolders in my Mods folder to keep similar categories together. I merge all CAS items (hair, makeup, accessories, clothes, etc.) into one .package file per item-type. I make sure each item has a detailed description: [age][gender] [description] - [creator][site]. This is helpful when wanting to delete something. For hair, I keep an image of each one I have with the exact same name as the .package file so that if I don't like one then I can easily identify it.

I love cc, mostly Maxis match but I try to use as little as possible.

So...
- No cc clothes/shoes (I think that I have enough variety with items already in game);
- two or three hair (I'm very picky, I don't like hair that "float" in air or too big, I hope you know what I mean );
- three or four patterns;
- Only decorative objects;
- a small amount of make up.

And that's all .

I totally ruined my TS1 game with CC so when TS2 came I didn't download anything at all.

I've been very vary with TS3 downloads, only really get lots without custom CC and store content. Have some custom items of high quality but I try to not get it out of hand so a clean up would be tricky (:

I also agree with el_flel, I quite like the store content and I like my CC to match all the existing items so not too hard for me to stay away. If I start getting more detailed items I feel like I have to overhaul the whole game with items of the same 'look' >.<

This is pretty much what I do, too. Yay for organization! The only difference is that I download all my CC into a folder that's completely separate from my Sims 3 folder, then organize and merge it from there. After that the merged files get moved into Mods\Packages.

Though, to be honest, I need a "merge" feature for my Sims 2 stuff more than I need it for my Sims 3 stuff! For some reason I have a lot of trouble finding Sims 3 stuff I'll actually use -- I think I'm over-picky. XD (It doesn't help that I'm rubbish at designing houses, I have no eye for furniture... otherwise I'd have a lot more "clutter" items!)






I agree completely! There's a few Sims 3 hair creators out there whose hairs would be GORGEOUS if they were just a little less poofy. Not to mention if the hair sat on the head properly instead of sitting too far up to be realistic -- so that the hair ends up looking like a bad wig that's been pushed back a bit. @_@; So annoying!
There's a lot of good hair creators too though. I think most of my Sims 3 CC folder is just hairs and mods. XD;;

With CC, I've always been a huge addict, though with Sims 2 I tried my best to keep my download folder small so that it wouldn't slow down the game (finding CC I was sick of and replacing it with other stuff), and with Sims 3 I actually started organizing my folder by creator name. Things are so much easier to find now, too bad I didn't do that sooner!

I love cc and download a lot of stuff. Periodically I clean out my game mods folder but I always keep the cc in a folder on my PC in case I want it later.

Granthes has a custom launcher with some mod management capability http://www.modthesims.info/d/408296 , and he's working on something with much more extensive mod management features: http://sims3.the-prof.net/2011/01/p...on-v2-launcher/ . Looking very promising, keep an eye on that

Like, every single response is from a veteran with a plan. This is why I've always love MTS so much. Think you're organized? There's always someone with an even better system. Think you have an obsession? Somebody built a whole neighborhood around that idea...

To the OP, we've all been there. Collecting CC is a fun game in itself. There's seemingly always a website out there with something you want that you just discovered just this minute. Like a never-ending easter-egg hunt. I never thought I'd say this but: Playing TS3 is actually a pretty fun diversion from shopping for CC. At the end of TS2 I don't think I could say that! A few good mods make all the difference. (hurry up AD85 and update!).

I use to collect alot of hack type CC, I was really into the whole extending gameplay and adding/reworking new featues in TS2. Not so much TS3 other than AM, it's all I need.

My Checklist
-How often do I use it?
-Will I notice it gone?
-Did I like using it?

This may not apply to you, but I typically looked at things this way. I NEVER have the problem on TS2 now with a good computer build, but back when I did have a slower computer I had to limit and use my CC wisely.

I'm also a CC addict... I feel like it's the same as being a compulsive shopper, without spending the money, so at least that's the good part! I recently just deleted a bunch which was good though, but I still have some things in my game which I've literally never used, but I'm unsure of how to find their file name so I can delete them...

I downloaded tons in Ts2, I could barely keep up with it let alone find things in catalogs. In TS3 I try to be more conservative. I also merge my CC every so often. I am thinking about deleting the CC file in starting fresh though.

* Little ot*

Sure, I totally agree with you.
.. and I want to add a thing.
We need more cc hair that works fine for slim sims and FAT sims... fat sims need love too :p

I've never thought I've had tons of custom content with The Sims 2 and with the The Sims 3 I haven't downloaded that much cc because there isn't much for my African/African American to make them look too good/realistic (in my opinion).

I just got a mac for christmas...so now as far as i know of the only way to use cc is by the launcher. So i went from 3 gigs of cc on my dell to 460 megabytes on my mac. I miss some of it...like my hairs and clothes for my women...but now I'm getting along fine. Most of my current cc is Fresh Prince's cars, which come in sims3packs. What i used to do was just dump EVERYTHING in my mods folder and start over, or take a couple of really important things out and delete everything else, then put them back. I usually did this when I was starting a new town.

I'm the exact opposite of most people, I hardly had any CC when playing TS2 because I liked the game's content a lot and I didn't need to add much to it. I find TS3's hairs to be atrocious and their skin and eyes are just as bad, their clothing is alright though. Oh and there's also the fact that TS3 is so borked that you can't survive without a couple of twallan's mods

So much of browsing for CC is like shopping in real life. For me, the immediate appeal always wins over my better judgement. So I end up either spending hundreds of dollars in RL, or downloading gb worth of CC. It's a vicious cycle. Speaking of which, I think it's about time I clean out my CC. Thanks for the reminder!