|
|
|
Frequently
Asked Questions about
the Sims and the Mac
Solutions for Mac
|
| |
| Download and
installation on Mac |
|
|
| Troubleshooting
specific to Mac |
|
|
| Creation on
Mac |
|
|
| |
|
Download
and installation on Mac
|
| All your
objects are zipped, and I have a Mac! Can I download your stuff
anyway? |
|
Of course, yes! (I have a Mac myself)
You'll need only to drag the downloaded files on StuffIt
Expander,and then, it's exactly the same as for Windows.
So... if you don't know where to put the unzipped files because
you haven't read the Read-me, read the next chapter! ;)
|
| |
| Where do
I install the downloaded stuff? I don't have a "C:/"
folder like I see sometimes... |
If a Read-me doesn't dissuade to do so, you need
to install:
the skins (.cmx, .skn and .bmp) in the Sims/GameData/Skins folder,
the walls (.wll) in the Sims/GameData/Walls folder,
the floors (.flr) in the Sims/GameData/Floors folder,
the objects (.iff) in the Sims/Downloads folder.
If you need more explanations, have a look on the step
by step here.
|
|
|
|
Troubleshooting
specific to Mac
|
| Can
I download things from non-Mac sites? Some objects I have downloaded
don't work... |
Most of the time: yes. You can download objects,
walls, floors and roofs without any problem. But be sure to have
a suffix with 3 letters at the end of the file name:
your objects must end by .iff
the walls by .wll
the floors by .flr
the roofs by .bmp
If you have downloaded a file and that you see the name isn't
complete, then rename it to have the whole suffix. Some sites
like Colorized Sims or Simzilabim have very long name for their
objects files, so we need to rename them to have the .iff at the
end of each name. Sims-NameRectifier
can do that for you. =)
Be also sure that the objects you have downloaded doesn't require
an expansion that isn't available yet on Mac... You know we're
always a bit late! ;)
Now, for skins, the problem is a little bit different. In theory,
you can download them all, but in practical, you will have to
rename them all to make them running on Mac. But don't worry,
skins conversion for Mac is exactly the subject
of the next chapter of this FAQ. =)
|
| |
| I've
downloaded some skins from other web sites, and they don't run
on my Mac, why? How converting skins for Mac? |
|
Mac is limited to 31 characters for files names
(for Mac OS system older than OS X, but even if Mac OS X can
have long files names, the Sims doesn't support them), while
Windows 98 can support much more... So, sometimes, the names
are cut when you unzip them on your Mac, and the skins won't
work.
So does it mean we have no solution? Noooo!
We used to have a long process for converting the skins with
Simple Text, but now, we have a much easier tool: SkinShrinker.
Simply drag a .cmx file on Skin Shrinker, or a whole folder
full of skins that need to be renamed, and voilà: Skin
Shrinker has renamed the .cmx and the .bmp, and edited the .skn
and they will now work perfectly!
(Don't forget that every downloads from this
site have been already converted, so you don't need to do anything!
;)) |
| |
| Game
crashes related to Error 2 |
| Most of the time error 2 is related to memory
allocation for any program, not just The Sims. You may get this
message after downloading hundreds of items ;) To fix this locate
the game icon "The Sims" and get information (Command
+ I). Under "Memory", give it more memory. If you don't
have anymore to give, then the best option for you is to go out
and buy more memory. |
| |
| Game
crashes because it has tried to open too many files |
It's really frustrating when you have been waiting
for 20 minutes to load the game (it's long because you have tons
of downloads! ;)), and just when the game is about to be loaded,
the game crashes with a message saying: "The Sims can not continue
because it has tried to open too many files. Adding custom objects
and skins has probably contributed to this problem". Arghhh...
Mac OS is limited to open a certain number of files, and can't
handle always very well the tons of objects, skins and walls we
have.
There's a solution: .FAR. The .far are a file format that can
contain other files, like .iff, .wll, .cmx... To create .far,
you need FarMaker.
For objects, put the files you want to "farize"
in a folder, and then drag it on FarMaker icon, you'll get your
.far, install it where the folder used to be and remove the folder.
You can also create .far for skins or animations. Then,
create a folder with the files you need (.bmp, .skn, .cmx, but
be careful: don't put any folder in this folder!!!), "farize",
install your .far in the GameData/Skins folder, and remove the
old folder.
For walls and floors, the problem is a bit different though,
because if you put .far in the GameData/Walls or Floors folders,
the game won't see them, and so you won't have your walls and
floors in the game... But there's another solution: first, make
your .far as usual (put the files you want to "farize"
in a folder, drag it on FarMaker icon, and remove the orginal
folder). Then, create a folder "WallsAndFloors" in the
Sims/ExpansionPackShared folder, and install your .far in. |
| |
| Game
crashes due to other errors |
|
Most of the time, it's because you've installed
a bad skin. So, the first thing to do, is to go to your GameData/Skins
folder and see if something looks wrong.
To avoid such bad surprises, give a label to your files. When
you download some new ones (objects or skins), try them in your
game, and if you have no crash, give them a label too. In this
way, you'll find more easily the latest files you have installed,
and might find the guilty file more quickly.
If it's not an error due to some downloads, here's a suggestion
(and we can't guarantee this will work or not). Go to > Control
Panel > Extensions Manager. Save your current extension set
and give it a name. Then change the extension set to Mac OS
x.x Base (x.x == 8.6, 9.1, etc, the version of your OS). Reboot
your Mac. Alot of times errors just happen because of extension
conflicts. When you're done playing, reboot with your original
set that you saved.
If this doesn't work, well...you should try
contacting Aspyr.
They have the best support team you can dream of! They answer
quickly and precisely. Wow! :)
|
|
|
|
Creation
on Mac
|
| What
can I do for the Sims with a Mac? |
| Many things actually! You can create skins with
whatever graphism application (Photoshop,
Graphic
Converter...) and SimShow
for your previews, meshes with Meshwork
(the application is in its beta process). You can new objects
with IFF
Snooper. A tutorial of IFF Snooper can be found at Persimmon
Grove. |
|
|
|
| Donations |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
Newsletter |
|
Search |
| |
| |
| |
| Help
for Mac |
| |
| |
|
