Sims2 8GB RAM, but only 1024MB used by S2?

Happy New Year ~ ALL ya'll!
I'm not sure this is a "Graphic card" issue, but I'm gonna post it here anyway...

I'd really like my game to play with more than 2.86GB of CC *sigh*
My config log (attached) says I've got 1024MB memory; but - I've actually got 8 GB on my machine (see picture #2)
How do I get my game to use all of it? (I've already used the chili-pepper thing to set it to >2 GB ~ see picture #1)

Thank you! *cheers*
   
   

Attached File(s)

  CATHERINES-PC-config-log.zip (Size: 3.2 KB / Downloads: 699)

Your game is actually using 2G (although it says it's only using 1G).

You can increase this limit using the directions that Jessa did (http://digitalperversion.net/gardenofsha...c=21931.0)

Note - although the Wiki article that she links to is for Sims 3, you can do the same thing on the Sims 2 exe.

To be sure - I just now redid the DEP part of it. I'll restart my machine/run my game and check the logs in a minute...

BUT, I think I did all that already. CFF is the chili-pepper thing I mentioned above (and screencapped in picture #2)

Thanks Kiri ~ I just read that you are feeling a bit better. YAY!!! I hope you feel better for a good long time. 2017's gotta be better than 2016 (can't get much worse!) So, I hope that helps you too. Happy New Year

***************

OK - I restarted my PC and ran the game with 3.11 GB of CC in. It didn't crash. So, I'm gonna fire it up again with a bit more CC. Yes, this CC has been sorted/tested - it will run fine if put it in in batches; but will crash if I put it in all together. My config log still says I only have 1024MB of memory. I'd really like the config log memory number to reflect my 8GB RAM. Is there anything else I can try? Thanks! XOXO

Yeah, that's not going to say anything over 1024 I think... To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen it over 1024Mb although I have seen it over. I suspect 1024 is the upper limit that the config-log.txt lists.

I read this: config log earlier today - it says Memory: 2048MB... which is what got me to check my log and comment *sigh*

It crashed at 3.13GB. I'm trying again with 3.12...

Thanks for thinking with me

@CatherineTCJD

Are you sure that it's the amount of CC that is the problem? When it crashes, where is it crashing? And is it consistent or random?

I have what seems to be the exact same problem as CatherineTCJD, except it's capped at 11/11.1 GB CC... on a computer with 32 GBs of RAM. The game plays fine with any combination of my downloaded CC as long the downloads folder stays at about that size, but as soon as I introduce any significant amount of CC after about 41k-42k files/11-11.1 GB of CC, the game will (consistently) crash. Generally crashes opening the build/buy catalogs containing the "new" items that has pushed the size of the DL folder over what the game will allow, though sometimes it won't open any catalog before crashing. Switching out CC works, adding doesn't.

I've done the CFF explorer and the DEP. The game allowed this much CC with only 8 GBs of RAM, I thought upgrading to 32 GBs would help, but nope. I feel a bit spoiled complaining with my 11 GB cap compared to CatherineTCJD, but it's frustrated me for quite a while now. Is it acceptable to post this here? If not, I'm sorry, and thank you so much for all your graphics help, Kiri; following your instructions allowed me to enjoy the visuals of the game on a now 1 year old computer bought especially for playing TS2.

@AmyPond - It is frustrating! Yes it is *sigh*
...and Kiri is a great resource and fantastic help

@celebkiriedhel

Quote:Are you sure that it's the amount of CC that is the problem? When it crashes, where is it crashing? And is it consistent or random?

No, I'm not sure... It crashes when I go to the buy catalog and click on something. If I take out the latest batch of CC that I've added - it is fine/no crash. The CC that I'm trying to cram into my game is all stuff that I've used before - and used it all together on an older PC (but, that was 5 years ago!) Mostly, right now, it is ATS/Sandy's stuff that I'm trying to get back.

Another odd thing that I should prolly mention - though I don't think it is related - I got H&M a while ago, and when I tried to install it, it said it couldn't install. So, I've put it on the shelf for the next time I have to do a complete reinstall. But, I have had the "CC limit" problem since before that, I think.

I'm thinking now might be a good time for a reinstall?

@CatherineTCJD

Before you do a reinstall, do a test for me.

1. Create a clean game for testing. Just rename your normal game and let it generate a new hood.
2. Just put the new batch of downloads in. Ignore the fact that you've used them before - sometimes things can be corrupted, especially if they were out of the game for a while. I've had to redownload stuff because it was corrupt.
3. Go into your buy catalog and see if it crashes. If it does - then it's a corrupt CC issue - you'd be better off finding the piece of CC and re-downloading it to get a clean version of it.


@AmyPond
Hi Amy - generally I prefer to tackle these one on each thread - but in this case because it's not a graphics issue, it's ok for them to be on the same thread.


For both of you - what's your downloads hygiene like?

1. Do you only have package files and folders in your game. Everything in your The Sims 2 folder gets loaded into RAM regardless of whether it's a package or not. If you have a lot of text files, pictures, backup files, etc, etc, then that will limit your CC.

Decrudulator will determine this, and help you clean it up if not.

2. What are your file names like? Any special characters cause the game to use more space for loading a package which adds up. Seriously - just setting your game up with names that use alphabet, numerics, underline and dash can change things.

Bulk Rename can help you sort that out.

3. Have you compressorised your packages - There's a lot of blank space in the packages and they take up more RAM than they need. Texture heavy recolours won't reduce much - but your likely to get a lot of RAM back if you compressorise them.

Compressorise by djfade is the tool for this.

4. Have you bundled your packages where possible. There is actually a numeric limit on the number of downloads that you can have - it's not just MAC users who have this problem. PC users have a much higher limit, and it is affected by RAM, but it's still there. Starting with Hairs, which work bundled. Not everything bundles (because objects like to have unique identifiers)

Here's a post on how to bundle.

5. How many levels of folders do you have? Folders take up space in RAM as well. It's recommended that you stick to no more than 3 levels of folder hierarchy including the download folder. Some Downloads can also be stored outside the downloads folder. (eg. I have my buy/build/skin defaults outside the downloads folder).

6. How many duplicates do you have in game? Duplicates use up space without adding anything.

You can use Sims2pack Clean Installer to find duplicates, and remove them from the game.

All of these can affect how much CC you can have in RAM and remember that as well as your CC, you've got your game and all it's packages in RAM as well - so the older your hood is, the more packages and size your game will take up in RAM as well.

How many Hoods do you have in your game, how many characters and lots do you have?

Kiri, I'm generally good about making sure the DL folder is all packages and no text/image/whatever else files, with keeping the number of folders somewhat down, and any time I try to squeeze in another file or shift files in and out of the DL folder I run a check for duplicates, but I haven't compressorised or bundled. To be honest, doing those scares me a little - I have all my hacks in their own Very Special Folder, and I know where any and all Very Special Items with NPCs and the like are, but I still worry I'll compressorise or bundle something that shouldn't be. Of course, it's really no worse than backing up - downloads, neighborhoods, any and all files pertaining to TS2 if I want to.

I have what I'd consider a number of neighborhoods, but most of them are unpopulated and the few populated ones have a somewhat limited population - I use Pescado's townie and NPC hacks, so few? no? new townies/NPCs are automatically generated upon creating a hood. I also have Tarlias cleaned-out version of Pleasantview and possibly Strangetown, I got rid of most of the premade neighborhoods, and then I have Riverside and Widespot from MTS - I haven't added much in the way of subhoods to any of my main hoods, and I don't create my own townies.

I'll do backups, compressorise and bundle and then do some extensive testing with both downloads and number of neighborhoods and characters and get back to you. Thank you so much!

(Edit: I got curious and decided to check, and I've found that I have 695 characters across 17 neighborhoods. That's including several unpopulated ones, with the highest population in any neighborhood at 134 characters and a few hoods with only 2-10 sims. 695 across that many hoods isn't too bad, I think, but it's more than I thought I'd have, and I really could and should get rid of some hoods.)