Custom Content, Framework, and AwesomeMod Installation

• Where to Put Custom Content
• Framework: Get This Right or No CC
• AwesomeMod

You need the CC and Framework working right to get AwesomeMod to work.

Where to Put Custom Content

Since Ambitions, the place for CC has changed.  Go to Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 > Mods.

If you don't have a Mods folder in the Sims 3 folder, create one.

Inside that folder, you should have the following subfolders: Packages, DCCache.  If you don't have them, create them.

You can add other folders to this, but you will have to edit your framework (see below) if you want the content to show up in your game.

Framework: Get This Right or No CC

The framework is simply a file named "resource.cfg" with certain code in it.  It tells your game "Look in these folders for new toys!"  It's the only way custom content will show up, because without it your game doesn't know to look in those folders.

Because it tells your game to look in subfolders, it needs to be in the Mods folder but not in a subfolder.  You should put it in this:

Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 > Mods

Now, this is important, you will usually have to edit your resource.cfg file.  It doesn't come along ready and willing to fix your world by putting it in the right folder.  You need to open it and change the insides.

This is the resource.cfg file text I recommend for if you have all the expansions up to and including Late Night:

Priority 500
PackedFile DCCache/*.dbc
PackedFile Packages/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*/*/*.package

Priority 500
PackedFile DCCache/*.dbc
PackedFile DCCache/*/*.dbc
PackedFile DCCache/*/*/*.dbc
PackedFile DCCache/*/*/*/*.dbc

Priority 499
PackedFile Test/*.package
Priority 499
PackedFile Probation/*.package

Priority 495
PackedFile ModBuild*.package

Priority 900
PackedFile Awesome/*.package
PackedFile Awesome/*/*.package
PackedFile Awesome/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Awesome/*/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Awesome/*/*/*/*/*.package

Priority 700
DirectoryFiles Files/... autoupdate
PackedFile Packages/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Packages/*/*/*/*/*.package

This is what works for me.  (Gleaned from this post.)  If it does not work for you, I have some other things to tell you about resource.cfg that might help you troubleshoot.

When editing and saving resource.cfg, you must use Save As and select "All File Types" instead of .txt in the dropdown.  This way, you'll save it as a .cfg file.  This is important to know because Notepad defaults to save it as a .txt.  If you just hit Save or [Ctrl][s], it will save as resource.cfg.txt, which is a .txt file and NOT a .cfg file.  Thus you must make extra sure to save it as a .cfg.

Make sure that you don't have more folders than are included above -- if you do, you will need to add them to the resource.cfg file.  This resource.cfg code I've given you includes the following subfolders in the Mods folder: "Packages" and all subfolders, "DCCache" and all subfolders, "Awesome" and all subfolders, "Probation" folder, and "Test" folder.  Also includes the file and its variations "ModBuild."  If you don't have Awesome, Probation, Test, or ModBuild, you can remove those lines of code.  Or you can create different folders in Mods and change the names in resource.cfg to those.

See how it works?

Many issues with AwesomeMod not showing up have to do with the Framework not being correctly installed or edited.

AwesomeMod

Do try creating an "Awesome" folder in your Mods folder and putting the Awesomemod package in that.  The lines of the resource.cfg code I gave you under "Priority 900" (the ones with "PackedFile Awesome/*.package" and so on) will tell your game to look in that specific "Awesome" folder and use the hack within.  This worked for me when I couldn't make the game find AwesomeMod.

You will want the most recent version of AwesomeMod.  The three Mirror Downloads are the same file and are updated with the most recent version of AwesomeMod.  The replies in that post notify us of updates and changes, so you can see when the mod was last updated.

Always always always get the most recent version.  There are bug fixes and new features particularly in the updates after an expansion.  If you use an old version after patches and expansions, you are more likely to have problems.

Once you have everything (folders, mod, and framework) set up, load your main menu, hit [Ctrl][Shift][C], and enter the word "showconfig."  If anything pops up, AwesomeMod is installed.  If not, then crap.  I dunno what to do.