Oh hi! Thank you, I'm glad you found the tutorials helpful! Ah, yes, I remember asking about them, and I was told they can be safely ignored as the errors have no effect on the game in anyway. I was reading other peoples comments about the 'errors', I think Gokur said it was some kind of debug he added to the program to deal with exceptions and he was going to work on another version to handle exceptions better - remember, this app is still in alpha, even though it works very well! On the MTS thread form this comment: https://modthesims.info/download.php?p=5885504#post5885504 someone said they could be fixed by opening the mod in S3oc and go into 'Tools>Fix Integrity>Save, but @echoweaver said that changes the content's ID so if you used it in the game already it would disappear. It would be best to do it on cc you downloaded and haven't used yet. After clearing out some old and unwanted mods, I only see them in one mod now (the SLAM Age mod). I just ignore them, and my cc and game still runs much smoother merged with S3mo! If you want more info on them you could message Gokur, but I'm not sure if or when he'll answer as he is working on mods for other games at the moment. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you any more than that, but I hope you found this info helpful. 🙂

Common problems why S3MO won’t run for you.

Updated post: 16th January 2023 - added ‘Cleanup Files and Folder Names’ (see at bottom of post)

There are some common problems that I’ve seen why S3MO won’t work for some people, not show all their cc/mods or cause crashes. These are problems that I didn’t make clear in my tutorial or even forsee would be a problem (my apologies!).

Nested Folders/Subfolders When adding your cc and mods to MO, you can only add them in single folders (if you want to have categories), NOT nested folders. So for example, you have a folder for ‘Rugs’. You add all your rugs to that folder, but you can’t have rugs in subfolders inside ‘Rugs’ such as Persian, Antique, Modern etc, as they won’t be seen. If you want those, ask Gokur, the creator - he does listen to requests! 

Store Updates

If you have any of the 5 large Store Updates (see screenshot below), do not add them to MO folders, you’re essentially trying to merge already merged files! The sizes of them (over 1GB!) are larger than the default limit size (1000MB=1GB) of MO merged files, so they will cause a crash. Even if you increased the limit size to 2000MB (2GB), you are still trying to merge the files together and they’ll still be larger. Keep them in Mods>Packages for them to work properly.

Resource.cfg Paths and Additional Lines for S3MO and CCMagic

The most common problem I see is regarding the resource.cfg file - if the resource.cfg settings in MO are not correctly typed or not have the additional lines added for your cc to be seen across multiple folders, then they won’t show up!

Make sure the format is consistent across the lines. The quotation marks “ are fine, they have no affect but make sure the ‘/’ and asterisks (*) are in the correct places like so: 

Priority 500 PackedFile "Packages/*.package" PackedFile "Packages/*/*.package" PackedFile "Packages/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Packages/*/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Packages/*/*/*/*/*.package"

Priority 1000 PackedFile "Overrides/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*/*/*/*.package" The default resource.cfg file should have these lines already and should be correct. If you don’t have a resource file in the Mods folder, download it from NonaSims or MTS. You must add additional lines to the resource file (via the apps settings) for other cc folders to show up.  If you’re using CCMagic, you must keep in mind MO wasn’t originally meant to be used WITH CCM so you have to configure the resource.cfg file to see cc in BOTH apps.  When using MO and CCM, your cc is now spread out over 4 different folders now under Mods:

When you open the Resource.cfg file in the Mods folder, Packages and Overrides will always be on the resource file. 

To add additional lines to have cc from MO and CCMagic (and any other folders you want), you must add them to MO and CCM settings, NOT the actual resource.cfg file. You add your edits in these spaces in Settings (Top is S3MO Settings and bottom is CCMagic Options):

The line to add to S3MO Resource.cfg settings is: Scan “G:/My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Mods/Cache/Config/” This must be added to S3MO settings  for it load CCMagic cc when the game is launched from S3MO. Make sure the drive letter corresponds to your EA Documents folder. The line(s) to add to CCMagic Resource.cfg options are:

Priority 495 PackedFile “ModBuilds/*.package” PackedFile “ModBuilds/*/*.package” PackedFile “ModBuilds/*/*/*.package” PackedFile “ModBuilds/*/*/*/*.package” PackedFile “ModBuilds/*/*/*/*/*.package” These must be added to CCMagic for it to load S3MO cc when the game is launched from CCMagic. Make sure the Priority number corresponds to the priority you set in S3MO if you changed it. (Really, only the first two lines are needed as S3MO doesn’t see nested folders beyond the first level folders, as I noted earlier, but to make sure CCMagic sees ALL cc in S3MO, I added them all and to keep the lines consistent with the others. CCMagic will pick up the merged files in the folders on first level in ModBuilds and ignore everything else)

Antivirus and Firewalls

Some antivirus and firewalls have been reported to block ‘s3mo.exe’ from running, including:

Make sure you add ‘s3mo.exe’ to the antivirus/firewall exceptions/allow list if you find it won’t run!

Cleanup Files and Folder Names

S3MO has been reported to crash while trying to read fullstops (.) in the folder names (Thanks to @xiasimla​ 👍🏾) Also symbols and spaces in the name are problematic too. You can use any bulk renaming software to rename file and folder names and remove spaces by adding an underscore (_) in the spaces and delete fullstops/periods and symbols such as: .\&\(\)\+\%\[\]\{\}\@\'\#\~\'\!\, Bulk Rename Utility is very good but I also recommend Advanced Renamer. I add these presets: 🔽

1: Remove pattern (symbols, fullstops, quotation marks etc) .\&\(\)\+\%\[\]\{\}\@\'\#\~\'\!\,

2: Replace (space with underscore)

Let me know if you need any more help regarding these points or if there are any other problems that might stop S3MO working for you, I’ll add it here for future reference. Also, let Gokur know too :)

See Original Tutorial here See how to use S3MO with Sims3packs here!

Sims 3 Mod Organizer - Sims3packs? 😲

I did not know that Sims 3 Mod Organizer can extract Sims3packs too! There are still a lot of content in S3Ps, we use apps to extract packages from them so they can be ‘de-bulked’ and be merged. S3MO can do this! 

I was told it’s a good idea to make another post about this rather than adding it to the already large tutorial I made (you’re right, @misspats3​ 😄)

Click Install and browse to the sim3pack file(s):

I added a new folder for the ‘Extracted S3Ps’. I can always move them around later, but for now they’re in one place and I can check their conflicts here too. You can do them individually or in batches!  (They’ll have the long number names, of course. They can be renamed later)

The new folder will appear at the bottom and the file(s) shown in the right panel. You can rename the folder and change its priority order.  To change the file name, you’d need to go into its folder on the hard drive and rename it there. 

(If done in bulk, extract their thumbnails with Thumbnail Extractor (or similar software) so you know what they are!) In the main window, ensure the folder is enabled by checking the box for them to be loaded (if testing them first before moving them). I know that Thumbnail Extractor also extracts sims3packs (and keeps the names!) but it’s always good to have an alternative and this is another way to extract sims3packs and keep the files together in one app. Very cool! Thanks, g0kur :)

See Original Tutorial here Common Problems why S3MO doesn’t work. 

Using the Sims 3 Mod Organizer by g0kur

Well, it’s no secret that I really like using g0kur's Sims 3 Mod Organizer! 😄

When I initially read the description of this I thought 'Is this a replacement of Delphy's Dashboard?' I realised it was more than that when I saw it not only finds conflicts between cc and mods but merges them too. Merge mods?! 😲  I really wanted to try this for myself.

This is my tutorial on to how to use it. This guide is for people who are not familiar or experienced with this tool playing other games. If you are, feel free to correct me where I’m wrong or offer any tips and tricks in the comments!

I also talk about how I use S3MO with CCMagic near the end. (I still have a lot of content in CCM that are in collection files, so I can’t give it up yet 😉)

You can download S3MO from HERE.

Disclaimers:

The zip file contains all the files needed. Extract the files to a folder where it will stay and won't be moved, and on a drive that has plenty of space. You'll be adding most - or all - of your content to it.

Run ‘s3mo.exe’ and enter the paths to the .exe you want S3MO to launch and the Documents>EA folder.  (Since 8th July S3MO has been updated to allow any executable to be selected to run instead of Sims 3 executables if you use other launchers)

In the window, click the gear icon for Settings

In Settings, you can change the executable of the game, location of the documents folder, set the size limit of the merged files of your content, change the priority of the merged files, edit the resource.cfg file from here (more on this later!) and check the boxes of the caches you want cleared when needed.

Close Settings back to the main window to start to add your cc and mods. You could click ‘Install’ to add single packages (browse to the packages you want to install)

If you have a lot of content and mods, then the best way to do it is to file your content in folders in the S3MO folder! Close the S3MO window and open the folder you unzipped. You’ll see 2 new folders, Mods and Profiles. Mods is where you add your packages. 

This is my old setup as an example (it’s been changed since)

Add your mods and cc to your folders.

(I would advise adding them in small batches because when you open S3MO, you might get an error dialog if it is trying to load them all at the same time on first load).

Open S3MO when you’re done, or after the first couple of batches to see your setup.

(Watch the log panel at the bottom as your folders load. Wait a few seconds until its finished. If you try doing anything else with S3MO while its loading you might get an error.)

The top panel will show your list of folders with your content/mods in them. Make sure you tick the boxes next to the folders to enable them. When you do, some flags will show up next to the folders with conflicted mods.  (G0kur and others helped me to understand what they mean)

(Don’t mind my simplified way of explaining this part! 😄)

 Thunder with + means this mod overwrites other mods on your setup.

Thunder - means other mods is overwriting this mod.

Thunder +- means this mod is partially overwritten by other mods and other parts of this mod are overwriting others.

The brown icon (not sure what that is) means there are mods in the same folder conflicting with each other. 

G0kur said ‘Just think bottom (high priority number) overwrites top (low priority number) and it will all make sense’. It does.😄

So, clicking on the folder ‘13′ which also highlights folders 11 and 9 (green folders), shows the mod (or mods) that will override mods in those other folders.  

The right panel shows mods that conflict with each other in the same folder.

When you double-click on a folder with a flag(s) next to it, or a mod on the right with a flag, another window shows which resources conflict with each other.

To resolve the conflicts, you could either:

The more you use it, the easier it will get! If you’re like me, you’ll enjoy clicking on the files and looking at the flags and seeing which XML or ITUN or whatever resource clash with each other. This is so much better than Dashboard in showing more detailed conflicts because it means you no longer have to chuck out a whole mod to use another one. 

When you have added all your cc and mods in your folders and resolved as many conflicts as you can (there may still be some, i.e from the same creator, they can be ignored), then you click Refresh and Build Merge to merge your content! 

(Any additions you make to your folders, you must click Refresh)

The merged files are in the ‘ModBuilds’ folder in the Documents folder 

Press Play to launch Sims 3! If successful, Sims 3 should run with all your cc and mods merged! And no crashes! 

You can set different profiles, e,g for testing, legacy games, whatever you want!

You can enable or disable any folder you want for each profile. 

Some of the icons on the toolbar:

Using S3MO with CCMagic

Until another tool supports collections (hint hint 😉) I’m still going to use CCMagic for some of my content. I use S3MO to merge content that are not tied to CCM or collections and so far, they’re working very well together. I made a request to g0kur to allow editing the resource.cfg file like CCM does. I edited CCM resource to load the collection folder to show my custom icons, but they wouldn’t load with S3MO. None of my CCM content loaded with S3MO either unless I edited the resource file every time I wanted to play. That was a a no-no. I got the annoying ‘Some objects could not be loaded...’ message when my game started 😄. Just, no.  G0kur kindly accepted my request! I edited the resource file to load everything I want in the settings, like so:

Scan "G:/My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Mods/Cache/Config/"

Priority 495 PackedFile "ModBuilds/*.package" PackedFile "ModBuilds/*/*.package" PackedFile "ModBuilds/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "ModBuilds/*/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "ModBuilds/*/*/*/*/*.package"

Priority 500 PackedFile ../Collections/User/*.package

Priority 500 PackedFile "Packages/*.package" PackedFile "Packages/*/*.package" PackedFile "Packages/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Packages/*/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Packages/*/*/*/*/*.package"

Priority 1000 PackedFile "Overrides/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Overrides/*/*/*/*/*.package"

As you can see, I added the line from CCM resource at the top to scan its config folder so all my CCMagic content will load. Or you could add these lines instead if you prefer:

Priority 500 PackedFile "Cache/*.package" PackedFile "Cache/*/*.package" PackedFile "Cache/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Cache/*/*/*/*.package" PackedFile "Cache/*/*/*/*/*.package"

Either way works. 

Launch the game with S3MO and hopefully ALL your content will load. 🤞🏾🙏🏾

Added 14th July: To have both apps ‘see’ each others cc, you must make sure any resource edits you make are the same in both settings. Copy and paste your edits in these spaces (not directly in the resource.cfg file):

Added 18th July:

If you have any of the 5 large Store Updates (see screenshot below), do not add them to MO folders, you're essentially trying to merge already merged files! The sizes of them (over 1GB!) are larger than the default limit size (1000MB=1GB) of MO merged files, so they will cause a crash. Even if you increased the limit size to 2000MB (2GB), you are still trying to merge the files together and they'll still be larger. Keep them in Mods>Packages for them to work properly.

I really recommend this tool! Not only does it help to organize your content, especially if you’re not using CCM, it finds conflicts that Dashboard misses. 

It merges large amounts of cc very well. If you’re not too attached to CCM or collections, you could easily move all your content to S3MO!  I can honestly say, since I’ve been been using S3MO, my game has been running so smoothly. It wasn’t particularly laggy in the first place, but there were pauses with Sims autonomy. I sorted out conflicts with the social data and idles XMLs and it has helped a lot with my Sims interactions with each other. I do give credit to S3MO for this, because I didn’t see these conflicts in Dashboard.

Saving the game is quicker and exiting the game is quick too. Some have said their loading times are shorter too. I noticed that with one of my older, larger save games, it was a pleasant surprise!

Extra notes:

I hope you find this tutorial helpful. If anyone has any questions, new ways of using S3MO or if I missed anything, let me know in the comments!  

See how to use S3MO with Sims3packs here! Common problems why S3MO doesn’t work.

G0kur added one of my requests! I’m so happy! 😃 This tool is a definite keeper for me, it’s fantastic. I can’t believe it’s not beta! heh - desiree-uk

  UPDATED 8th July 2022 - Sims 3 Mod Organizer

Changelog

v1.0.0-alpha.2 (08-07-2022):

Download from MTS!

A mod tool by g0kur

g0kur mod tool notes:

This tool is still in alpha so please backup your saves and mods before experimenting with it!

Requires .NET 6.0 Runtime

Inspired by Mod Organizer/Mod Organizer 2 for Bethesda games, I brought to you Mod Organizer for Sims 3. This is a tool intended to streamline modding. No more not knowing which packages are conflicting with each other, no more worrying about whether to put into packages folder or override folder, because this tool will show every single conflicts between every packages, and you decide which packages shall be the winner.

Current features:

Upcoming features:

This tool is still in development, currently missing features:

User Manual

How does this tool compares to other tools? -- The one and only tools that manages mod I know is CCMagic, which will probably never see an update again. I've used it for a long time and it's great but has multiple flaws, the biggest one being unable to manage conflicts. For one you will have to manually change the priority in many 'resource.cfg' EVERYTIME you rebuild. -- Now what if you don't know there are incompatibilities, funny things happen when you merge them, this is why some people had problems with CCMagic without actually knowing the cause. -- Most of the time mod authors will explicitly says their mods is not compatible with some other mods, but there are so many mods out there and you can't catch all incompatibilities. Delphy's dashboard tool helps to check conflict, but it can't tell all the conflicts, in my case it doesn't report texture incompatibilities. -- Next, this tool allows me to organize mods better because I get to place the packages into relevant folders. CCMagic dumps all the package into one single folder and you 'organize' them using the program, but you can't even change the order on its right panel. In reality they are still in one giant folder, so to organize my mods I have to keep a separate folder for all the downloads. --- I can easily inspect my mod setup with this tool because the mod setups are saved under text files called 'modlist.txt' inside the profiles folder. You can change the order or enable/disable mods by editing the text file. CCMagic store all the setup into a single binary file which is non-readable. I'm tired now so I'm just gonna end it here.

Download from Mod The Sims!