I get asked quite a few questions about The Sims 2 such as where I get my custom content, how to make shorts, where to get The Sims 2 and how to optimise it for Windows so I thought I would make a blog post answering all of these questions with links to sites that will help.
The Sims 2
Although I have all of the disks, I was one of the lucky ones who was able to get the downloadable game for free from EA many moons ago via Origin. Unfortunately, they are not giving away copies any more. There is an old petition on Change .org if you would like to sign it.
If you are on a Mac, The Sims 2 Super Collection can be purchased from the Apple Store with most of the expansion packs and stuff packs. I do believe that it doesn't have Apartment Life which was the last EP for The Sims 2 unfortunately as EA only made it for Windows. This EP not only had apartments but witches too.
However, if you are on Windows, Reddit has a great post which will help.
In order to run the game on Windows, Pleasantsims has all the instructions on her blog which I found to be extremely helpful.
Custom Content
I usually get custom content from Tumblr and my favourite creator, especially for clothing and hair, is GoatsKickin'.
During The Sims 2 days, we had a store and all of the items have now been uploaded here.
I just recently found these really colourful items from Linacheries which I haven't downloaded yet but thought they were worth a mention.
For furniture, I really like Padre over at The Sims Resource. He also creates items for The Sims 4.
If you are into building in The Sims 2, Mod the Sims have a great selection of build items either recolours or new meshes. My favourite is Honeywells build set.
Don't forget to check out BuggyBooz here on Blogger - they have made some awesome items for the home and garden.
If you would like Sims 4 items in your Sims 2 game, there is a database where creators have converted them. I actually look forward to when Maxis/EA release kits, stuff packs and EP's for The Sims 4 as a short while later they will be converted to The Sims 2!
Also, I build lots for downloading and you can see videos of my speed builds over on my YouTube channel together with the download links.
Recording Gameplay
To record my gameplay of The Sims 2, I use OBS which is a free recording programme.
The version I have is 27.0.1 so you may need to scroll down the page to get it. I find that any newer version will not record The Sims 2 as it's an old game.
Making Shorts
When I first started making shorts, I would chop my video up with my video editor into little videos and upload each one to Adobe Express which is a free online tool.
You can also remove the background from your pictures by going to the little dropdown above entitled "quick actions" (you may need to wait a little while for it to load properly) and upload your image. This is great for creating thumbnails for long-form videos if you are on YouTube.
I have now learned to make shorts in my video editor by watching tutorials on YouTube. The video editor that I use is NCH Video Pad Video Editor which isn't a free programme but was just a one-time payment.
I hope the above helps and yes, I know I should update this blog a little more often...
Dag Dag!
- Minicart (Jules)
