Spirited Sims










Tutorials
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The Sims 1
Sims 1 FAR Files

Simply put, a FAR file is a special ZIP file for the Sims.

Each object requires one .IFF file. But, if a set of items is made--like a room set--it's easier to pack all the object files together into one file. This allows the game to load faster, since it only has one file to read, and not 10!

Now, you might be asking yourself, "Why is a ZIP file ZIPPED?" Simple. FAR files are not usually recognized by a computer as a valid object to download. It has no problems with ZIP files, however.

Once downloaded, extract the FAR file into your Program Files > Maxis > The Sims > Downloads folder within a new folder. You can name the folder whatever you want--I prefer using the site I downloaded from as the name.

(Maxis FAR files, however, have their own special places in the game. I wouldn't move them.)

If you would like to make your own FAR files, your best bet would be to get a FAR creating program like FAR Out, located at Paladin's Place.

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The Sims 2
Sims 2 Floor Tutorial

They're bigger and better--and more fun to make.

Programs you will need:

HomeCrafter Plus--this is essential for creating floors. You can get it here.
Any Paint Program--Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop--or even Windows Paint will work.
PSP free trial can be downloaded here.
Photoshop free trial can be downloaded here.

This Tutorial is written for both PSP and Paint.
Step 1--Getting the Tile: Go hunting for a floor tile on the internet. I did an image search for "floor tiles" in Google, and found this:


Step 2--Reshaping/Cropping: That's not exactly what we're looking for is it? That's a rectangle, and a square is needed. So, I got my handy-dandy crop tool, and using the mortar as a base, cropped it to a 3x3 square:

I chose 3x3 because of the original height. 2x2 could be used as well. The choice is always yours.

You can achieve this in Paint using the selection tool, then Copy, File > New File, then Paste.

Step 3--Resizing: Check the size of the new image. In Paint Shop Pro, you look under Image > Image Information. In Paint, look under Image > Attributes. If you did the crop right, the tile is now 233 x 233 pixels. But--it's still not enough. You have to resize your image to 256 x 256 pixels. In Paint Shop Pro, go Image > Resize > Pixel Size. If you got the first image perfectly squared, leave "Maintain Ratio" checked. If not, then leave it unchecked, but make sure that the width and height boxes at top both have 256 in them.

In Paint, resizing is done through Image > Stretch/Skew. This procedure uses percentages only--unlike PSP--so you have to use a little math to get what you need. If you were lucky, and got the square 233 x 233, then all you have to do is make the image 23 pixels wider and higher. And that amount is 10 percent of 233. There is no guarantee that all your images will work out this easily. You may have to experiment. So, go into Paint > Image > Stretch/Skew and under Stretch put 110 in both the Horizontal and Vertical boxes. You can't just put 10 in those boxes because then that makes the image 10% the size of the original. So the formula is: Original + Percent Needed = New Size {100%(233px) + 10%(23px) = 256 pixels}. Leave Skew alone. Click OK and there's your new image.

Keep this image open.


If you don't want to go through all that hassle, or are having trouble, feel free to copy the above image.

Step 4--Work Area and the "Secret": Now, the next two steps solve the problem of those blurry pictures we see in Sims 2 when choosing the tile and reading the description. I found this out through trial and error. The result is shown at the end of this tutorial.
HomeCrafter Plus has a Template marked 256x256. However, according to the readme file:
"* Flooring -- BMPs should be in 24 or 32 bit color. The dimensions for floor tiles should be square in proportion, and in powers of 2. For example, 256x256, or 512x512." In my Opinion, 512 x 512 gives the best results. Again, this is up to you. Just remember the tile has to be square.

In PSP, make a new image 512 x 512. You can leave the field transparent, but I found it easier to have a background color. ALWAYS choose a color that's different than the mortar so you can complete the next step. This will be the image finally used in HomeCrafter Plus.

In Paint, copy your image first before doing this next step. Then change your background color. Remember to choose one that is different than the tile mortar. Right click on a color at the bottom and you'll have a new background color. Go into Image > Attributes and type in 512 in both the Width and Height boxes. Click OK and notice the field expand. Once again, I chose black as my new BG and this was the result:


The next step's going to be easy now!

Step 5--Making the Tile: In PSP, copy your 256 x 256 image and paste it into your 512 x 512 image. You can choose either "Paste as New Selection" or "Paste as New Layer," but I like "Selection" because you get all those "ants" and can line up the images:


Remember how I told you to copy your image before expanding the field in Paint? Well, you can start Pasting now. Your first copy will overlap the image already there and will look like this:

This is normal, and each copy will begin there.

For each program, Paste the new Selection and move it into position until your image looks like this:


The above image has been resized for the purpose of this tutorial. The original image is 512 x 512.


Step 6--Saving: Now all the images in this tutorial are .jpg format. This is only for the purpose of this tutorial. In order for the image to work in HomeCrafter Plus, the image MUST be saved as a 24-bit or 32-bit .bmp. This version gives you better image quality.

PSP: Make sure that the color box in the upper right is looking like a rainbow, then File > Save As and Choose "Windows or OS/2 Bitmap".

Paint: File > Save As and Choose "24-bit Bitmap".

Save into: My Documents > EA Games > Projects > HomeCrafter Plus > Floors.

Then fire up HomeCrafter Plus, and make your tile what you want. I made mine a 1x1 in the Tile category with a marble sound. And this is how it looks in-game:



I hope this Tutorial helped. If you have any questions, contact me at cabinet@spiritedsims.com.




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