Merging CC Packages

[hdiddy]

I know there is probably a lot of debate around whether to merge or not to merge CC, but I am going to say I am firmly on the merging side.  I guess you can call me a CC addict and just download all sorts of CC that I like, which has ultimately but the size of my mod folder at over 30GB.  That said when I didn't have the CC Merged it was basically an 10 minute load time for the game.  Which IMO is insane.

 

That said I decided to do some organizing.  And merged the majority of my thousands of package files into under 100.  The key for me was having a method that will allow me to change things up later.

 

1) I merged all my CC from specific authors into merged Author packages...ie (Myobi, E404P, Lynx, etc. etc.).  This allows me to simply update an authors package when the release new CC.

2) I only put CC like clothes, objects, makeup, in merged package files, any mods, animations, or things that tend to break on updates I did not merge

 

In the end my 10 minute load time went to less than 2 minutes with over 30GB of CC.

 

Below is what my mod folder looks like for those interested

 

[Ascend the Apprenticeship]

is there any negatives to merging packages?

[Afro68]

On 5/25/2020 at 4:44 PM, Ascend the Apprenticeship said:

is there any negatives to merging packages?

As a CC hoarder like me, You can easily end up with doubles once they are merged. What I do is keep copies of the CC I've merged in another HDD location unmerged, it's also good practice to back up your Sims 4 Documents folder in case of emergency too. When I get new CC for that category I drop it in the unmerged location to see if I have a double. Once I see I don't have a double I then add it to the merged folder as single unmerged CC until I get enough CC in that category to merge again. There are restrictions on how much you can merge at a time and depending on how much CC you will have a few merged CC files. For example, In my Accessories CC I have files called AccMerge1, Accmerge2, etc. Once you start the process you'll see for yourself and it's personal preference on how to do it. Things I wouldn't merge is animations, skins, or any mod that needs a script file. I only merge accessories, clothes/shoes, hairs, makeup and furniture/objects. I haven't merged lately as I'm outta control and getting my CC under control over 200gigs(I need help I know).

[Ascend the Apprenticeship]

@TheAfr0Samurai Holy heck how long does it take your game to load!!??? (also thank you for the information!)

[Afro68]

15 hours ago, Ascend the Apprenticeship said:

@TheAfr0Samurai Holy heck how long does it take your game to load!!??? (also thank you for the information!)

It's not too bad unmerged about maybe ten minutes but that doesn't bother me too much as Sims 3 load times were awful. Also, I have a Death Star level gaming PC and my OS and games are all on m.2 drives. Keep in mind that custom houses really jumped my totals up, as they can easily be 500mb and up depending on the creator. Once I clean my game up and move my PC to a new case, I'll go back to merging again and any other questions just shoot. Also, even though you will see in some merging videos that you can do up to 300 items at once to merge( at least that what it was last time I did it) not always the case. It also depends on the size of the CC you're merging. For instance, custom hairs, S4S will most likely give you an error if you try to merge 300 hairs. For me I kept my merges to about 100 at a time but maybe they've updated S4S and it won't be an issue. I'm not 100% on that.

[JJ954]

PC noob here... Is merging just putting the files in folders or is it something extra? Most of my CC is in folders and my load time is still crazy slow so i'm guessing its the latter.

 

I know its probably a stupid question. 

[Afro68]

16 hours ago, JJ954 said:

PC noob here... Is merging just putting the files in folders or is it something extra? Most of my CC is in folders and my load time is still crazy slow so i'm guessing its the latter.

 

I know its probably a stupid question. 

There's no stupid question, don't go there. If you don't know you don't know....?? You will need to download Sims 4 Studio if you don't have it already which will require you register on their forum. If you don't have it you should even if you don't merge your CC as it's a powerful tool for anyone who plays Sims to have. It's good that you stated your CC is in folders, it's best to almost be maniacal in keeping your CC as organized as possible so it's easier to find conflicts or broken CC.  You are going to merge the CC in your folders but keep your folder structure.  Go back and read a previous post of mine in this thread on how I think you should go about merging. Also if you don't have it put Sims 4 Tray Importer on your machine too. Helps in finding broken outfits too. For a tutorial on merging check out this video:

 

 

[bloodconfetti]

Since you seem practiced in the art of merging, and I cannot locate this answer anywhere else: Say a creator was kind and went ahead and merged their packages into one for you. Can you then merge that merged package with other packages without hurting the files?

 

If not, is there a way to tell which packages are *merged* packages?

 

Also - sorry, you just seem like you know how certain things work - how are you able to tell which of your animations break? You mentioned them getting disturbed by updates; I wasn't really aware there were issues with animations. I don't think I've ever noticed a broken one if I've ever had one...

 

Thank you, if you have the time and energy to respond. Thank you, even if you don't.

[ArchSkylar]

Here's mine. I merged all the mods into 1 folder, no subfolder either. It's works fine for me until now.

 

[Iceberg6533]

This is great and the video helped. My load time was getting slow and I have nowhere near the mods you do. Will this help with the in game slowdown from having CAS CC mods on player sims like clothing or skin overlays? OR Is it just my crap ass graphics card causing that?

 

[bloodconfetti]

13 hours ago, Iceberg6533 said:

This is great and the video helped. My load time was getting slow and I have nowhere near the mods you do. Will this help with the in game slowdown from having CAS CC mods on player sims like clothing or skin overlays? OR Is it just my crap ass graphics card causing that?

 

Merging CC, I believe, usually only helps with load time, and nothing else.

[Iceberg6533]

Thank you, I figured it was my gear but one can always hope!

[ArchSkylar]

On 12/23/2020 at 2:56 PM, Iceberg6533 said:

This is great and the video helped. My load time was getting slow and I have nowhere near the mods you do. Will this help with the in game slowdown from having CAS CC mods on player sims like clothing or skin overlays? OR Is it just my crap ass graphics card causing that?

 

Sometimes it can prevent you from having doubled mods.

Actually it makes my load time a little faster. I have Core I3, 4GB RAM, and Intel HD Family Graphic Card which isn't recommended anymore to play the latest Sims 4. But somehow i made it to playable even with 800++ mods.

[Iceberg6533]

Mine is a little better but its just a cheap laptop. It plays as long as I don't want to many bells and whistles added to my game. WW + animations + stuff, WP, drugs, gangs, and a few CAS items is about all it will allow me. I'm going to try and merge my CAS stuff and see if it helps. Thanks for the input and the tutorial. I hope everyone has a safe holiday.

 

[SouthernGorilla]

In case anyone is curious, I did actually merge my animations. I put the unmerged originals in a safe spot, just in case. But 1,500 clips from seven or eight different authors are working beautifully as a single package.

 

One caution about merging... make sure the CC is all set right before you merge. I had some pieces that were flagged wrong in CAS. Tried fixing them in S4S but it treated all the pieces like swatches for one big file.I would seriously only recommend merging similar items. Hairs with hairs, dresses with dresses, and so on. That makes it less likely you'll get a pair of cowboy boots tagged as swimwear. 

[Oops19]

One should really make this a sticky thread!

 

I merged 20 GB in 10 files and the game starts fast again.

[Scorpio]

I only merge cc if/when I have more than 20 items in a category.

Hairstyles, Makeup, & Clothing.

 

Must keep backups of un-merged cc to check before downloading more of the same cc or it's easy to get duplicates.

Not a good idea to merge scripts.

[Oops19]

I have script mods in a few folders. As they update often it makes sense to keep these ~100 files as-is.

 

I manage everything on NAS so it's quite easy to merge the items and use only merged packs in game. I add new CC directly to the game so I may remove it or merge it later.