A Note on Pay Content: There is never any good excuse for any site to charge money for Sims 2 custom content, and it ill behoves players to support sites that indulge in this technically illegal practice. The making of Sims 2 custom content relies upon tools and content that is provided with the Sims 2 game, along with an End User License Agreement that we all electronically sign upon installation agreeing that we will not charge money for any content made with these tools -- and it is impossible to make the content without them.
On top of that, some very talented people within the Sims 2 community have provided, for free, tools to make the content, such as Quaxis's SimPE, CEP by Numenor and Wes_h's Unimesh for Milkshape.
It is arrogance in the extreme, as well as shaky legal ground, for any content maker to charge for content they've made using using these free tools.
For further information, visit modthesims2.com, this thread at the Sims 2 Community and Paysites Must Be Destroyed.
Note, here, that I'm not talking about donating to free sites if they have a bandwidth drive or similar -- and by this, I am not talking about sites who ask for "donations" for content that is not available should you not donate. This is, simply speaking, charging for content and calling it something else.
This also applies to "subscription" sites such as The Sims Resource. There is no excuse at all for TSR to charge for content, especially when you consider the other two largest community sites, Mod The Sims 2 and Insimenator (along with their adjunct adult sites), don't charge the end user a single red cent for any downloads. As Delphy from MTS2 says, there is simply no need to, not with today's site rates, and anyone who still honestly charges for "donation items" to "cover the costs of bandwidth" needs to look into better hosting.
Add to that the fact that TSR doesn't allow creators to delete, or set policies on, their own content, and you have what I would term some shady policies.
I am not saying, by the way, not to utilise the free items that paysites offer, at all. Many of these creators are very talented, and in an ideal world, they would switch their content to free (as they agreed to when they ticked the "I agree" box when they installed the game) and just ask for help with bandwidth if they need it. There is plenty out there.
And, really, with sites like Insim and MTS2 out there, if bandwidth is really an issue, why not save the money on the dot com, donate it to one of these sites instead, and just upload your content there?
Also, I believe that some paysite owners aren't aware that what they are doing isn't really kosher, simply because it's been so common, but it's also tempting to suggest that some paysite owners are actually trying to find a cash cow.
Talent or hard work isn't at issue here, by the way, but let's face it, for every bit of pay or "donation" content that asks you to fork out money for it, there are two or three similar free pieces on the web, notably at sites such as parsimonious.org, modthesims2.com, insimenator.net and similar sites. And, they are usually of much better quality. And many (if not most) paysites do not have a refunds policy if their content doesn't work. So, if a hair file has a gappy neck or breaks your game, or looks nothing like the highly photoshopped picture that advertised it *cough*Peggy*cough*, well, you've done your dough.
If you have $5 available for one piece of pay content, then why not put that towards these free sites instead and download to your heart's content?
So, if you've been paying for content thus far, unaware that sites shouldn't be charging for it, be aware that you don't have to. Don't buy anything. Check out the linked sites above first.
If, fully informed, you still choose to buy content, that's your prerogative. But, at least you're doing it with your eyes open now, if you weren't before. Mea culpa.
I am happy to give further information on this, but I won't debate the issue here. As I've mentioned, I work in the arts industry, and have a working knowledge of copyright and patents law as it pertains to different creative works in Australia, the US and Europe, including TS2's EULA. Feel free to take my word for it.
It should also be noted that, as a regular player within other gaming communities, I was staggered to find out that so many sites got away with his for so long (I could not imagine trying to charge for Age of Wonders or Neverwinter Nights content. Good grief, you'd be laughed out of the community!), and also amazed at how long this issue was stringently censored for (it still is at the official site).
Fortunately, the tide has turned and people who are against paysites now rightly outnumber those for them, and censorship is less of an issue.
Edit: And EA Games have now come out against pay sites and for the free sharing of pay files:
http://noukiesims2.net/filevaultantipaysite.htm
There is now no excuse, at all, to pay for any files.
Please, link this page for others.
Right, now that I've had my say on this issue, let's have a look at what's available for the story teller.
There is a wiki-like list list for Custom Content, here, kept by the MTS2 staff.
I use CC from all over the joint, but my favourite sites are:
Mod The Sims 2, and its adult counterpart, Sexy Sims2 (you must be 18 years or over to register and download from the adult site).
Parsimonious
Tarox Sims
Insimenator
I have never had problems with content downloaded from any of the above sites, thus far.
Specifically Helpful Content
- Ceiling Tiles - by jgwhiteus at MTS2
- Plants - check the sims 2 wiki
- Delphy's Download Organiser
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