#sims2rpc

[catbrokensims3]

So I finally got around to reinstalling Sims 2, and just so you all know, it's gotten wayyy easier to get it up and running than it used to be. Graphics Rules Maker just had an update last year, and Lazy Duchess came out with a launcher called Sims2RPC, so these days it's a snap.

It was actually easier than when I last did a Sims 3 reinstall.

Video tutorial if anyone needs one by the ever helpful @acottonsock is HERE.

Since it's abandonware and as far as I know not buyable new, the only place I can personally recommend to get it is Old Games Download, which is an archive of abandonware games. Oregon Trail 1.2 anyone? I know they have Sims 1, 2, and some of the console games.

Even though I still own the disc versions of the Stories games, I just downloaded Castaway Stories from there the other day because I couldn't immediately find a mod that would let me play it with no cd. It works fine, just need to do a little tweaking with the resolution. I picked the MediaFire option, but I think there was a also a choice to download via Mega and one other I can't remember.

FYI though, when I picked up the Ultimate Collection from them years ago, IKEA stuff didn't install with the rest of it so I had to download and install it separately. This was good while ago though, so they may have fixed it by now.

I don't want to talk about what happened to all of my original TS2 discs. Big sigh.

[lazyduchess]

With RPCLib or Sims2RPC, you can now choose to untie the personality points from a Sim's zodiac sign in CAS.

Personality points still change when you change the sign, just not the other way around - The best of both worlds in my opinion.

You can find the option in the Sims2RPC Settings App above the design tool cost:

Or in the RPCLib.cfg:

Sims2RPC should update automatically with auto-updates enabled, or you can run the updater.

If you use RPCLib standalone, redownload.

[pixeldolly]

Nice as they are, the enhanced lot imposters are making my game unstable again. 😑

I'm going to try the medium setting, but it this doesn't improve I may just have to live with the old, janky textures. Ugh, why, game,

WHY?

[lazyduchess]

The Sims2RPC Rebrand + Update

Update timeee

Under the cut, I’ll be going over the changes and additions that I’ve made in the latest update.

Launcher Update

To make it clear that RPC is more than just a Discord Rich Presence client now and that it is a completely customizable experience, I’ve made the default settings disable intrusive features such as Rich Presence or Borderless by default.

For most features you no longer need to modify text files. There is now a Sims2RPCSettings.exe application to easily tweak the launcher to your liking:

I will be adding more options to this app in the future.

This is the first thing a new user will see if they don’t have the Sims2EP9RPC.exe file in their TSBin already.

Sims2RPC now delegates the downloading of the No-CD executable to this new settings app, which means that it’s no longer necessary to manually launch Sims2RPC as administrator the first time as this prompts you automatically.

The Graphics tab also displays preview images when you choose a graphical option, so that you don’t have to guess what things will look like before going in-game and start messing around with imposters.

Hovering over items also displays (hopefully) helpful tooltips:

And, speaking of 4GB Patch, it now gets applied or unapplied every time you save your settings with this app. So you no longer have to delete your executable or do janky things to remove or add the 4GB patch into your game.

One-Click Installer

For people that are not tech savvy or just want to quickly set everything up, there’s now a small web installer that, in one click, automatically locates your M&G/UC folder and installs the latest version of Sims2RPC from the Github. It also prompts for shortcuts, so you don’t lose the location of the launcher.

In-Game Additions

Of course, the high quality lot imposters and Sim/Object shadows are now live:

You will need to regenerate lot imposters for them to show up like this, by the way.

An easy way to do that, is to go into Buy Mode, move an item somewhere random then back to its original spot and save. This should regenerate the imposter with the new resolution setting.

Enhanced imposters might cause crashes for some people, if this is the case try the Medium option instead.

And also, the new customizable Design Tool cost:

No more $15 recolors (Unless you want that, of course)

Hopefully this is a good start to making Sims2RPC a little bit more approachable!

I’ve updated the original posts at MTS and my Tumblr to reflect the new Sims2RPC :)

Existing RPC users don’t need to do anything, the program will update as usual, settings will carry over and they will get the new features.

[lazyduchess]

Higher resolution lot imposters + Sim/Object shadows in next Sims2RPC update, how bout that??!!

Makes them look less blurry indoors though, not sure how I feel about that?

[lazyduchess]

I added a reflective lot view ocean water option to the latest updates for Sims2RPC and RPCLib. Works without needing to place a pool anywhere on the lot.

Doesn’t require a water mod but it might be worth getting one as the default water is a little too artificially cyan tinted...

Ponds next? Hopefully?

[lazyduchess]

Soo... The lot imposter update has gained a bit of interest from people that don’t want to get Sims2RPC and wish for a way to get the mod separately.

So for those of you who choose not to use the launcher... Why is it?

I’m not trying to “gatekeep” my mods or force anyone to use it, but it allows me to more easily load this type of mod into the game, update them and offer features that would otherwise be convoluted to implement.

So if there’s a feature that’s in Sims2RPC and you want that feature in your game, why not get the launcher? That’s the whole point of it, and IMO it is pretty lightweight.

Whatever it is, you can send me feedback and I can try and improve the launcher to hopefully make it a better experience.

I will keep releasing the mods standalone though, of course!

[lazyduchess]

I’ve updated RPCLib and Sims2RPC with a new “Optimized” imposter setting I’ve been testing that seems to be a lot more stable, among other things.

Not strictly necessary, but I also recommend downloading the installer and repairing Sims2RPC with it, to update the updater, as it can’t update itself.