Answers:
Q Why
am I having trouble downloading?
A There
could be several reasons for download problems.
The most common problems are due
to server stress - the servers hosting the files
are just too busy. Try downloading
early in the morning or very late at night, or
at a time other than when you normally
download and see if that helps.
Downloading at a different time
of day is often all that you need to do to solve the problem.
Other suggestions: 1) Try switching
browsers. If you normally use IE try using
Netscape, and vice versa. If you
use AOL, try using IE or Netscape. This works for some people.
2) Try a download manager like
Download Accelerator or Gozilla. These are especially
helpful if you time out before
the download is complete, which sometimes happens with larger files.
3) If none of the above suggestions
work for you, and you are unable to download a file from
SimOutlets, please send an email
to me at #outletmgr# at yahoo.com.
Q Where
do I put the things I download?
A ReadMe
files are included in the zip files from SimOutlets. Please read these
files,
as they include the information
below, as well as additional information.
Most files are zipped. If they have
the extension .zip, then they are zipped files
and you'll need a zip utility to
unzip them. These are available for free at several
places online. A popular
one is availalbe at www.winzip.com You will need to click
on the file (or ctrl-click to highlight
multiple files) and extract them to the appropriate
folders in the game. Most zip programs
have very good help and tutorial information.
Files with .wll, .flr, or .iff
extensions are not zipped. These are the file extensions used
in The Sims. These files
can be put directly into the appropriate folders, with no unzipping required.
You will need to put the files in
the following folders:
Save any wall files in... \TheSims\Game Data\Walls
Save any floor files in... \TheSims\Game Data\Floors
Save any roof files in... \TheSims\Game Data\Roofs
Save house.iff file into... \TheSims\UserData\Houses
Save any object files (also .iff) into...
\TheSims\Downloads OR
\TheSims\GameData\UserObjects - this is the one
Maxis recommends for objects
Note about house downloads: If
you have the original version of TheSims
(without the expansion pack, Livin'
Large) then you will need to make a copy
of your current house.iff file
(whichever one you are replacing) and save that in a
different folder in case you want
to move it back later.
If you have Neighborhood Watch
or one of the other multi-neighborhood utilities,
then make sure you put the house.iff
file
into the correct neighborhood so
you do not replace a house you don't want to lose.
If you have Livin' Large, you need
to make sure you put the house.iff file into the
correct UserData folder - the UserData
folder numbers correspond to the neighborhood numbers.
(So if you want to download a house
to neighborhood number 4, you need to put the house in UserData4.)
Double-check to be sure you don't
replace a house you don't want to lose.
If you want to download a house
from Lot#7, for your neighborhood number 4,
then make sure that in neighborhood
4, you either have no house on Lot#7 or don't
want to keep the house on Lot#7,
because once the new file writes over it, you cannot get it back.
Q Do
you take submissions for your site?
A Yes,
we do take submissions now and then, if they meet certain requirements
and
if we like the items enough to
host them here at SimOutlets. If we are hiring regular
contributors/staff members, there
will be a note under Staff Openings in Management.
Q Do
you accept requests?
A
Yes, we accept requests if we feel we are capable of fulfilling them.
We welcome requests for houses,
art, & wallpapers.
Q What
if something I download from your site messes up my game?
A We
take no responsibility for any problems or damage caused by downloads
or advice from SimOutlets. While
we do our best to ensure that all advice and
suggestions are correct and that
all downloads are safe, anything you take from
this site you use AT YOUR OWN RISK.
If you have problems with something
you've downloaded from us, please
send us an email to let us know.
Q Is
there a list of what's available from SimOutlets?
A
Check out the Main Page.
Q Can
I take your things and put them on my site for download?
A No,
we ask that you do not take our things and post them on your own site
unless you get specific permission
from us via email.
There is more information on this
in the Notice from the
Manager in Management.
Q Can
I use your items in screenshots?
A We
have no right to tell you what you can and cannot use in your screenshots.
The photo album is part of the
game, and we offer our items for you to use in your
game. So of course you may include
our items in your screenshots!
Q Can
I use your items to decorate a house, then upload that house to the exchange
or to another sims site?
A Yes,
you may use anything from our site in your houses, whether for your personal
use, for uploading to the exchange,
or to offer for download on another sims-site.
We do not have a problem with that.
We would appreciate a credit and/or link to
the main page of SimOutlets, though,
and we ask that you do not alter our files in any
way. We'd also like for you to
include our original readme files. Also, this isn't a must,
but we love to see how others use
our things, so if you can take an extra minute to email
us to let us know that you've used
our things and where your house can be found,
we'd really appreciate it!
Q Can
I alter your things to make things of my own?
A Please
contact the individual creator of the item(s) you wish to alter for permission.
This is granted on a case by case
basis. Email addresses for staff members are located
in Management. It is not
considered proper etiquette to take someone's creation and
re-color it or slightly modify
it and then offer it for download elsewhere without permission.
If you wish to do this for use
in your own game, it is fine, but make sure you don't
later upload it to another site
as your work unless you first obtain permission from the creator.
Q Where
can I find a list of quality sims sites?
A For
starters, check out SimTours, here in SimOutlets, where you'll find
a list of links to sites I particularly
like. You can also find quality sites listed
in the Bookmarks section of the
N99
Forum. There are also sites which focus on providing links to various
sims-sites out there, so if you're
looking for a site or want to find new places to visit,
try Emberlefey's,
or The TS2 List,
both of which have extensive links listings.
QWhere
can I find cheat codes and/or strategy guides?
A
Visit SimTours, here in
SimOutlets.
QDo you
have banners so that I can link from my site to yours?
A
Yes, we have banners available in SimTours!
Thanks!
QWhat if
I have other questions, suggestions or comments relating to your site or
the game?
A
We have a both a guestbook and a forum, which the outlet manager checks
regularly.
If you have questions or suggestions,
please email me!
If you'd simply like to leave
a comment, leave a note in our guestbook.
