Updates In The Works!

 Hello there, if you've been here for a little bit you might remember my "Make The Sims 4 Christian Friendly!" guide I posted. Since the announcment and the trailers that have been released concerning the "Enchanted by Nature" ("EbN" for short) expansion pack, I have seen the need for some updates to my guide. The cause of this is that outside of a few packs I forgot to include in the caution list, the EbN pack is introducing 2 pagan deities as NPC's linked to Fairy and Plantsim gameplay. Namely "Mother Nature" and the "Green Man". If Christian gameplay is something that is important to you as it is me, stay tuned for the updates. They will be on the original guide post, but I will be making a small post linking back to it. 

Have a wonderful day!

How To Install Custom Content in The Sims 4 (Guide)

Installing Custom Content (CC for short) and Mods in The Sims 4 can be challanging in the begining. From file formats you may not be familiar with to where the files are supposed to go, there is a lot to take in so I thought I would write a friendly guide. Whether you want just a few clothes or a mod heavy experience this should help you out.

For starters, this might be about 15% as difficult as it might seem. If you can update your computer and organize your pictures on it you should be able to do this. 

Also, just a reminder to make sure you have an up-to-date security software (even Windows Denfender works) just in case something has a hitch-hiker. Although to be honest I've downloaded  many hundreds of pieces of CC in my time and never gotten a virus or anything. However, better safe that sorry. 

The only piece of software we'll need to do this is a archive file extracter. This will convert archive files (.zip .rar etc...) into usable files. CC is usually put into archive files to both compress them (so they are smaller) and/or to include multiple files in an "envelope" if you will. The file extractor I love and use is called 7-zip ➤ Download Here. It's free, simple, and works amazingly well. You can also use WinRar (paid program) or many other things if you like. Whatever you're using you'll need to install it before we start.

Another thing we'll need to do is turn on file extensions in your windows explorer. I'm using Windows 11 so I'll show how to do that but it's similar on Windows 10. (I've shown how to do this below and I've linked a guide on how to do this in Windows 10 here.) Open file explorer and at the top there will be a toolbar. Once there click the "View" button. This will open a drop-down menu, hover over "Show" and this will pop out another menu. In the final menu make sure "File Name Extensions" is checked. If you already see file extensions it's turned on and you can skip this part. (Click on an image to enlarge it, you won't leave the page.)

Now the only thing left is to double check you have a "Mods" folder. This is simple and should only take a second. Open file explorer and go to your "Documents" folder. Then look for the folder "Electronic Arts" and open it. (The "Electronic Arts" folder will only appear after you have opened the game once. If it's not there open your game, close it and then it should be there.) Now, open "The Sims 4". Inside this folder look for the folder called "Mods". If you see it, open it. There should be a file named "Resource.cfg" DO NOT MOVE, RENAME, OR DELETE THIS! It tells the game to look for mods here. (Shown below.) If everything looks like it does below, you're all set.

If you want to organize your mods you can make some folders here now. Just keep in mind it's best to keep your mod organization simple as the game doesn't like to read more than one folder deep. For example "Mods > Clothes" but you wouldn't want to put more folders in "Clothes". If you aren't organizing then move on to to the next step. 

Now we're ready!

1. Find Your CC! There is a varitable ocean of Custom Content sites and even more creators. Most are free (sometimes with ads), some are paid, and some are from websites like Ko-fi and Patreon that use subscritions to fund their creations (sometimes they have free stuff too). You'll just need to look around. One thing to note is that whatever website you use READ THE WHOLE POST! Even if you just skim it, there are often additional details, unstructions, or required mods for things to work and it's important to read all that or there are some horrible things that can happen in your game. For the purpose of this tutorial we'll be using a trusted and amazing content site called "ModTheSims". If you're like me, this will be like a Sims shopping-mall for you. Once you've found your file, click the associated "Download" link and a file will be added to your "Downloads" folder on your PC. (Shown below) 

2. Extracting! - This is usually quick and easy. Depending on the size of the file and the power of your processor this can take less than a second (usually the case), or several minutes. To start, right click on your file. If you're using Windows 11 there is an additional pop up menu between right clicking, and the menu we want. (If you're on Windows 10 you don't need to worry about the extra menu, right clicking will get you straight there.) To arrive at the menu we want, after right clicking, click on "Show More Options". In the next menu hover over "7-zip", it will pop out a menu to the side. Click on "Extract Files". (Shown Below)

This will open a small window asking where you want to extract the files. There is a small button with 3 dots in it to the right of the file path bar. We want to click that button.

When you click this, it will open a window allowing you to explore through your files to where you want your download. 

After you click "ok" you'll go back to the window you were at before. Now the file path will be the files you selected.

Also, when you install more mods in the future you can click the small down arrow on the file path bar and select from a list of previous locations so you don't have to select it by hand everytime.

Click the "OK" button when you've finished choosing where to extract your mod. After this your mod will appear in the "Mods" folder or the folder you chose. Now you can delete the .zip file in your Downloads if you like. It's also usually a good idea to check the location of your mod to make sure its not in too many folders and that no pictures or text files are in there. They might have extra instructions or pictures can take up space on your hard-drive. Now that that's done, we can move on the the next step!

3. Tweaks & Test Runs! - Now start your game. When you first open the game, by default a window will appear showing the mods the game detects, if this doesn't happen we'll address that momentarily. (You can turn this off by unticking the box at the bottom of the window before closing it. However, it's good for knowing if your mods are working.) (Shown Below)

Once you are at the main menu, open settings. (It will be the 3 dots in the upper right-hand corner of the main-menu. Once you're in settings you're going to to the bottom of the menu and select "Other". In this section you'll find the options concerning custom content. 

Make sure "Enable Custom Content and Mods" is checked or no CC at all will work. "Script Mods" is needed for mods that change the scripts in the game.(A good example is a mod to make all sims put away books after reading, or to change interactions, etc.) Not all mods need this but if you plan to use mods that effect the game's functions you'll want to check it. I keep it checked because I like knowing that won't be an issue. 

Now the technical stuff is done, so all that's left is testing to make sure the mod is working. The mod I installed was extra recolors of the Tiny Living T-Shirt Dress. So lets head over to Create A Sim and see if it's showing up correctly.

Now that we're in CAS we can see the new swatches are showing up. They have the custom content badge which is good. (If something doesn't have it, as long as it works in the game it's fine.) We can also see they look nice on the sim, no texture glitches or weirdness going on. Now we have officially installed a mod in The Sims 4. Now let's go over some side thoughts to wrap up.

4. Closing Thoughts! - I know this process seems daunting, but I promise it will get easier with practice. Also, you can do this in batches so you aren't doing this for each and every mod you install. If something does glitch out or break your game don't panic. Usually things like that occur from outdated mods, badly coded ones, or conflicting mods. These things 98% of the time are because of a script mod so it's very unlikely that hair or clothing or furniture would cause any serious glitches. In the worst case scenario you can always take out everything in your "Mods" folder and put it back piece by piece or folder by folder and narrow down what was causing the issue. In any case the WORST a mod issue can do (as long as it isn't virus related) is corrupt your save. If this happens removing the offeding mod and starting a new game should fix the issue. If on the 0.01% chance it breaks your game even after removing it you'll have to reinstall. I will say, I've been playing Sims games since 2005 and I've never had to reinstall my game because of a mod. So with all that in mind you're now ready and able to install mods in The Sims 4 yourself. I hope this tutorial helps you out. 

P.S. The mod featured in this guide is my swatch pack for the Tiny Living T-Shirt Dress which is available on ModTheSims (MTS). You can find it on this website on the Custom Content page or on MTS by clicking here. Regardless, enjoy the tutorial and the mod. Have a blessed day!

How To Make The Sims 4 Christian Friendly! (Guide)

If you're anything like me, you like it when your gameplay aligns or at least is neutral to your real life beliefs. I am a christian and so I am most comfortable when paranormal activity and alternative lifestyles are at a minimum, or at the very least aren't dark and are family friendly. This took a lot of thought for me because TS4 mixes a lot of must-have content with some... less desirable content for how I like to play. Here are my tips, I hope they help you.

This guide mentions mods to install. If you don't know how to install mods I have a guide on how to do that. You can read that here.

1. Be Choosey with Packs!

The Sims 4 has a total of 43 dlcs (content packs sold seperately from the base game) as of now. It's no surprise that the player bases they appeal to is wide and varried. Not to mention the amount of packs available currently costs quite the pretty penny if you want to own them all. So here is a list of packs I would NOT buy if you want to have a more christian-friendly and/or family friendly experience.

• Life & Death Expansion Pack - This pack focuses heavily on death, reincarnation, the grim reaper, tarot cards and divination. Additionally there is an objective in the pack's gameplay to befriend a ghost to recive their "mark" which looks eerily like it is illuding to the mark of the beast. Plus the symbol is creepy. I included a photo below. 
  
  
  In my personal opinion, this pack does not lend to christian friendly gameplay at all. If you'd like a deeper dive into the pack's content there are numerous reviews on YouTube.
  
  
• Lovestruck Expansion Pack - This pack is devoted to romance of every orientation and intimate contact in numerous ways. A good way to think of it for me is a pack devoted to debauchery, but that might just be me. As with all of these packs if you want more information you can find numerous videos on YouTube and resources online as well. Because of the subject matter this pack is not something that caters to family or christian friendly gameplay.
  
  
• Paranormal Stuff Pack - This pack is entirely comprised of items to engage with the paranormal. A seaonce table, befriendable specters, hauntings and more. This pack is very immersive and extensive and given the subject matter it can effect gameplay a lot even when you're not actively using items. Going over to a friends house can result in your sim developing the "Medium" skill without you ever buying the items. This pack heavily encourages occult practices and makes simple gameplay a bit hazardous if you're trying to avoid it. There are also few items in it that make it worth getting otherwise.
  
  
• Crystal Creations Stuff Pack - This pack introduces jewelry crafting, which would be all fine and good had it left out the pagan practice of "charging" the jewelry in moonlight on a special altar so that wearing it produces various magical effects. The only reason to get this in my opinion, is that without charging in some of the jewelry could be nice for sims to wear and the Crystal Tree that grows jewels could be useful for collectors and such. You can take or leave it but it is tap-dancing on the boundary line.
  
  
• Goth Galore Kit - In addition to this pack being just a few items that don't really effect gameplay outside of dressing your sims, this pack's theme again caters to the gothic, paranormal vibe the game seems to be encouraging. Essentially, this pack isn't worth much, especially if you don't enjoy dressing your sims in skulls.
  
  
• Simtimates Kit - Essentially this is a miniscule pack of some fancy undies for your sims. Especially for those seeking some bedroom exercise. You can take or leave it, but I prefer to not have these items cluttering my Create A Sim.
  

2. Install MCCC (MC Command Center) Mod! ➤ Download Here

This is a very handy mod for controling your sims and their world with more depth and detail. Installing this mod will add "MC Command Center" and "MC Cheats" interactions on various objects in your game. It's a mod worth exploring and can make gameplay and story progression much more immersive.

After installing the mod, start up your game and head into any save. Once you're in click on the mail box and click the option "MC Cheats". This will bring up a menu of options related to the sim world and population setting for the save you're in. (This includes all the neighborhoods in the save file.) Within this menu scroll down to the very bottom and select the option that starts with "Sims". This will bring up another menu, select "Occult" in this on. This will give you the option to "Humanize All [Insert Occult Type Here]" If you want NO occults at all you'll have to repeat this process for every Occult type. After you've done this all of the occults in the save will be turned human. More can be made or spawned eventually but doing this occasionally (and I mean very occasionally) should make sure the only creatures your sim encounters are sims and animals... and maybe gnomes. You could also just opt out of getting the packs for Vampires, Werewolves and Spellcasters, I simply like many of the items in those packs and so I chose to disable the occults instead of the alternative.

3. Install Religion Mods! Downloads Linked - This step is entirely optional but if you'd like to have actual Christianity in your game there are some mods that can at least somewhat make that happen. The mod I use is the Spirituality Game Pack [Alpha] by SashaT1804 on ModTheSims. It adds religions as skills and various items and aspirations related to them. The only mod you'll need to make this one work is an XML Injector. The one I use and that's also recomended by the mod creator is by Scumbumbo ➤ Download Here.

4. Check the Settings! - As of time around the release of the High School Years expansion pack, gender orientation options were added to Create A Sim. You still have the basic Male/Female choice as always but now there is a button with 3 dots on it just under that option. If you click it, your advanced settings menu will pop up. By default all sims are attracted to neighter gender, exploring romantically, and willing to WooHoo with either gender. Unless you open the menu and change these settings any sims you make will have this "gender setup" to put it simply. So if you do not want any of your sims to have attractions or desires outside of heteronormative realms you'll need to double check these in CAS. 

If you have any children with your sims you may want to edit them in CAS with cheats when they age into Young Adults to make sure things stay the way you want them. To do this you'll need to be in full screen mode. The simplest way to do that is to press Alt and Enter on your keyboard and it will toggle fullscreen. Then to open the cheat bar you'll need to press Ctrl, Shift, and C. A white type box will appear on the top of your game screen. In that bar type "testingcheats true" exactly like that and press Enter. After that press Shift and left click on your sim and select "Edit In CAS". This will bring the sim you clicked on into full CAS where you can change everything about them. Once you're done just accept your changes like normal and you'll load back into your normal game. If you want to play without any cheats just open the cheat bar again and type "testingcheats false" and you'll be back to normal gameplay. 

I hope this helps you out if you're looking to make your gameplay a bit nicer on your beliefs. Take care, God bless, and happy simming.

Disclaimer - This article is not meant to be hateful, unkind, or bigoted in any fashion. If you own and use these packs without issue that is fine. I just don't enjoy that kind of gameplay and in the interest of making things easier for others like me I chose to post this publically. Your gameplay, beliefs, and/or lifestyle choices are your own and I respect that. Some of us simply chose differently.