Tutorial - Combining Packages to Ease Lag and Load Time

[aikea_guinea]

I originally put this tutorial together for century_eyes, but I thought I'd go ahead and repost it here in case anyone else could get some use out of it.

If you primarily use package files for your custom content and have noticed increased load times and/or lag in your game, follow this tutorial to combine your CC into fewer, larger packages to fix the problem.



Open S3PE and choose 'New.'


Right-click in the big empty white area and select '(EXPERIMENTAL) As dbc...'


Select the files you want to combine and let S3PE do its thing. This may take a loooooong time; don't panic and just let it keep working.


You'll probably get this popup. Hit 'OK.'

[IMAGE REMOVED TO EASE CONFUSION]
Arrange the innards by instance number, select all the XML files with an instance number of 0000000000000, and delete them. (Note: There's a checkbox at the bottom of the S3PE window that says "Sort" - you have to check that box before you can arrange by instance.)
This step is outdated. S3PE automatically deletes the XML files that need to be deleted. Don't touch the others.

Repeat steps 2 through 5 as needed, then save your file. This may also take ages to finish, so just let it run. This new package is the only thing you'll need in your downloads folder for all your CC to show up, so remove the uncombined packages. I keep my uncombined files separate in case there are things I want to get rid of later on.


You can combine combined packages, and it's ok to add more things to your combined packages at a later date.

I'd suggest instead of making one huge package of all your CC to have four or five, only because when I tried to make a single package things started to blow up. I've got Objects, CAS (hair, clothes, makeup), Patterns, and my own crap as their own packages.

I've not combined Default Replacements (never sure if I'll switch those out or something), my hacks, and AM/story progression.

Very easy, and holy shit it makes a huge difference. My game now loads as quickly as it did before I had any CC in it, and no longer lags at all.

This is the original thread on MATY.

Anach has offered up this additional information, which is very useful:

1. If you have a merged a mod and wish to update it with a newer version, you will need to re-merge the entire package, or you will usually experience game breakages.

2. The game imposes a limit of 200MB on its own merged packages (dbc), however a package can be anysize, and the only limitation is processing time (larger takes longer) and filesystem limits.

3. Try to keep your total number of mod packages under 100.

4. You can also remove ICON type files (junk files used by sims3pack) and "THUM" (thumbnails) if you wish the game to generate its own thumbnails rather than use the ones provided in the package.

More Useful Information from darlas_mom:

"When I tried this, I ended up getting the scary-as-hell "Service initialization failed (0x065d0274)" error and had to uninstall and reinstall.

It turned out a piece of CC I'd installed that day right before doing this was bad (because the game still didn't work until I removed it, cleared my cache files again and then rebooted), but I'm still scared to try this again...uninstalling and reinstalling takes me forever because then I have to download 500+ MB of patches all over again. :-/

Just wanted to make you and others aware of this possibility, so that if it happens to anyone else, they don't panic."

In other words, make sure you don't have any corrupted CC before attempting this.

For anyone getting the 'Materials Materializing' error:

"I have some extra info that might help people who run into the "materials materializing" error. It seems that it occurs when patterns are combined with other items. And also if CAP patterns are turned into package files. So combine patterns just with other patterns, and leave CAP patterns sims3pack. I delete CAP files as fast as i can because they have brought me only troubles."

(Thanks for reminding me about this, Jolanda.)

__________________________________________________
(Originally figured out by someone Anach on MATY.)

Comments

[jill_the_ripper]

I just learned about this too and merged everything recently. Seriously, it works! I combine it with Delphy's multipack extractor to turn everything into .package files.

I've noticed recently that the file size doesn't change if you install something through the launcher and then uninstall it. Talk about bloating the game!

It also amazes me what we go through to play a game sometimes. lol

[aikea_guinea]

Isn't it crazy what a huge difference it makes?! I was getting close to TS2 load times before I did this, and now it loads in 2-3 minutes total.

"It also amazes me what we go through to play a game sometimes. lol"

I was seriously thinking that when I was making this tutorial! Ha!

[angel77]

Awesome! I will have to give this a go, the load time is a pain in the ass. Thank you so much for this :D.

[aikea_guinea]

You're very welcome! Let me know if you have any questions. :)

[jesslove]

This is a really cool idea! :D

[aikea_guinea]

It seems crazy that it works, but it does!

[steerpike]

Oooh, good tutorial.

I started doing this a while back but got lazy and fell out of the habit, and then my game went tits up, and searching for all the individual package files was a bloody nonsense.

ETA: You managed to get hair working with this? I always got very patchy results when I tried that, with some hairs just refusing to show up.

[aikea_guinea]

What I've been doing is downloading and putting the file in the game to see if I like it/if it fucks things up before adding it to the combined package.

I've had this work for getting other things to show up that hadn't previously (furniture and clothes), but I sort of snapped a bit ago and deleted all my hairs and started from scratch. Not sure if it would work or not, truthfully.

[nea200pl]

Thank you very much for this! I combined everything and it really makes difference.

I have one question - if apart from XMLs I have KEY files with 0000000000000 instance is it safe to delete them?

[aikea_guinea]

I honestly don't know; I don't think I've ever come across it, personally. I suppose you could make a backup of your combined file, delete the KEYs, and see if anything seems broken.

Someone

[sharp-one.livejournal.com]

Additional details by "Someone (Anach) on MATY" - Original discussion:
http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,17746.0.html

1. If you have a merged a mod and wish to update it with a newer version, you will need to re-merge the entire package, or you will usually experience game breakages.

2. The game imposes a limit of 200MB on its own merged packages (dbc), however a package can be anysize, and the only limitation is processing time (larger takes longer) and filesystem limits.

3. Try to keep your total number of mod packages under 100.

- Anach

Re: Someone

[sharp-one.livejournal.com]

oops, forgot another handy tip.

4. You can also remove ICON type files (junk files used by sims3pack) and "THUM" (thumbnails) if you wish the game to generate its own thumbnails rather than use the ones provided in the package.

[juushika.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this! It's good to have a second set of instructions for that extra bit of helpful clarity, and seeing this posted was the final reminder I needed to combine packages of my own. It does make a significant difference.

[sharp-one.livejournal.com]

Certainly very handy to have a nice clear tutorial with pictures. I'm surprised it took so long for someone to do it :)

[sharp-one.livejournal.com]

I have linked this post in the original MATY thread.

[rainne]

How do you get it to arrange by instance? I click on the top line, the way you do to sort files in Windows, but nothing happens. :(

[rainne]

Never mind - I worked it out for myself. And it works perfectly!

For anyone having the same problem as me: There's a checkbox at the bottom of the SimPE window that says "Sort" - you have to check that box before you can arrange by instance.

[chaosraven]

What's the difference between using the DBC import or the package import? Do you know?

[aikea_guinea]

I'm not sure of the technical difference, truth be told. You could probably find more information about it over on MTS where S3PE is uploaded.

[fadeintoyou]

This sounds like something I need to do but I'm feeling a bit intimidated. If I combine just the package files (which I have more of) and leave the simstore sims3packs as they are... will it still load faster? I don't want to extract everything in fear it'll bork up all my rooms because I spent such a long time on some of them =/

My apologies for being all noobish...

[aikea_guinea]

This is only for combining packages, so yes. :)

[converted_blood]

Hello, sometimes during this process I get an error:

http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae238/deboraym/error.jpg?t=1280469844

Do you know what that means?
Thanks a bunch!
I love the tutorial... it's very useful! :)

[aikea_guinea]

Can't say I've come across that, personally. Probably best to ask about it on MATY.

Mac?

[boys-love-boys.livejournal.com]

Does anyone know how to make this work on a Mac? I'm seriously lost, but my game is horridly slow and I don't know what to do....

Re: Mac?

[bastardsofthesea]

http://www.mactasticsims3.com/tutorials/monorunner

[supadupageekygirl]

When you "mod packages under 100" does that mean only combine that number of files in the big package. I went with roughly 500 packages is that so bad?

[(Anonymous)]

ok, I have 2 questions.
1. is it possible to delete some custom content that has already been combined?
2. what I'm getting from this is game lagging/taking forever to load is not because of the large size of the mods folder, but just the number of mods you have, am I right?

[aikea_guinea]

1. Not that I know of. I tend to keep new downloads uncombined for a bit so I can decide if I really like them enough to keep.

2. Pretty much, yes.

[(Anonymous)]

is it possible to combine the package files that are in DCBackup?
do you really need those file btw? iam really noob on this so..

[aikea_guinea]

Not a clue. You should probably ask over on MATY.

[(Anonymous)]

I am having a problem combining combined packages I already made. I have 11 clothes packages and I want to make them one file but it keeps giving me an error. What are the steps exactly on doing this? you say it doesn't matter how big each package is... may there be a limit problem? When I tried adding (importing) a package into an already open package it is not having the right count. The count is how many files are in each package right?

[aikea_guinea]

What error? It'd probably be best to ask about errors over on MATY.

Guest

[(Anonymous)]

I don't have any XML files, none of them have visible tags o.o

Re: Guest

[aikea_guinea]

There's a checkbox at the very bottom of S3PE that will enable you to view tags. :)

[maiamorgan]

I'm late to the party, but I wanted to thank you for posting this. Of course, it only feeds my CC addiction. :)

Thank You

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, I tried to register at MATY to say thank you as well, but apparently I look like a spammer? Lol. ANYWAY, thank you so much for this tutorial, my game is actually playable again, and I can put my graphics on the best setting without the game lagging like crazy.

[(Anonymous)]

This is a really dumb question, but after I merge my packages the individual packages still show up. Do I delete them and just keep the merged package?

Thanks

[aikea_guinea]

Yes.

[(Anonymous)]

I tried this on 2 gigs of sims 3 hair(and other files) and it's packaged them great. The issue is, it also seems to be making a copy of something somewhere(which I can't find) and I'm suddenly looking at 981MB of space on my hard drive when I had over 40GB open when I started.

I'm deleting the individual files from my folders AND the recycle bin as I go along. Any idea what the problem is and how to fix it?

[aikea_guinea]

Interestingly enough, I was just reading about this today. See thread here.

:)

Packager

[(Anonymous)]

I get this every file I have to literally sit her and click it for each one.

Some resource names may not be displayed.

Error reading _KEY 0166038C:00000001:0000000000E5F018
Front-end Distribution: 10-1104-1243
Library Distribution: 10-1104-1243
Source: mscorlib
Assembly: mscorlib, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089
Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation.
at System.RuntimeMethodHandle._InvokeConstructor(Object[] args, SignatureStruct& signature, IntPtr declaringType)

at System.RuntimeMethodHandle.InvokeConstructor(Object[] args, SignatureStruct signature, RuntimeTypeHandle declaringType)

at System.Reflection.RuntimeConstructorInfo.Invoke(BindingFlags invokeAttr, Binder binder, Object[] parameters, CultureInfo culture)

at s3pi.WrapperDealer.WrapperDealer.WrapperForType(String type, Int32 APIversion, Stream s)

at s3pi.WrapperDealer.WrapperDealer.GetResource(Int32 APIversion, IPackage pkg, IResourceIndexEntry rie, Boolean AlwaysDefault)

at s3pi.WrapperDealer.WrapperDealer.GetResource(Int32 APIversion, IPackage pkg, IResourceIndexEntry rie)

at S3PIDemoFE.BrowserWidget.CreateNameMap()
-----
Source: mscorlib
Assembly: mscorlib, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089
An item with the same key has already been added.
at System.ThrowHelper.ThrowArgumentException(ExceptionResource resource)

at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.Insert(TKey key, TValue value, Boolean add)

at NameMapResource.NameMapResource.Parse(Stream s)

at NameMapResource.NameMapResource..ctor(Int32 APIversion, Stream s)
-----

What can I do?

Re: Packager

[gelydh]

Two questions: One, do you get this error when you save? And two, are you attempting this on a 64-bit version of Windows? Because I was having issues saving when I tried importing files when the .package was getting huge, and switching to the 64-bit version of s3pe completely solved my problems.

The 64-bit version can be found here. Hope that helps!

Hannah

[(Anonymous)]

NOt sure how to know if I am running a 64 either. Sorry I'm slow I know.

Hollywood Sims

[(Anonymous)]

When I combined each package into different subdivisions (makeup, hair, objects) . Some or all of my CC didn't show up at all... and I am SOO mad..!!