Rikerbabe - Rikerbabe - Tumblr Blog

⚠️ ADVISORY: Malicious Mods, Identity Theft, Malware, and You ⚠️

Hey, all! Not sure how many people will see this, but if you do, please reblog. This is a 'little' post regarding a potentially big problem affecting the Sims 4 community. If you download mods/CC at all (and yes I know CC is a type of mod), this applies to you.

TL;DR: For the sake of your personal info, identity, bank account, et cetera, please STOP downloading any mods/CC for the time being. Especially from the following sites: CurseForge, ModTheSims, The Sims Resource. It doesn't matter if you know the creator or not. Give it at least a week while we all figure out what's going on. If you must, I would recommend only downloading directly from a creator's Patreon (assuming they have one).

Other people have written at length about the mods in question, so I'll just share their posts below.

What's going on?

From the Sims 4 After Dark Discord server (a server you should join if you're not in it already):

⚠️If you downloaded any mod listed in the above post and played the game with them installed, this is the cleaner program Kuttoe (creator of the Home Regions and Townie Demographics mods) mentioned in their post: GitHub - overwolf/sims4-social-events-cleaner: Source files and exe release for a tool to clean up your machine if you have downloaded the "Social Events - Unlimited Time" Sims 4 mod ⚠️

Got confirmation from Kuttoe that as long as you didn't boot up the game with the malicious mods installed (or deleted them completely from your computer before playing the game), you *should* be fine. Still, I recommend that anyone who thinks they might have downloaded any of them run the cleaner program.

Here's an explanation from @anadius2 (reposted by Kuttoe) in the Sims 4 After Dark server (not providing a link to prevent brigading or spam, but you can DM me and I'll give you the link) about what the malware will do to your computer:

And a little dive into the back-end coding stuff for the more tech-savvy Simmers out there:

So, to recap:

Fake mods were uploaded to Curseforge, ModTheSims, and The Sims Resource

@msqsimsofficial had their account compromised on 2 of those sites (they are a victim of hacking, so do not send them hate!)

If downloaded, these malicious mods have the ability to steal very sensitive info (your passwords, credit card info if saved somewhere in your browser, data)

As of right now, antivirus software may not be able to detect the malware

Mac and Linux users seem to be safe; Windows users are the ones that could be affected

Why is this happening?

Unsure. Lots of theories are being made by people far more knowledgeable than me, but from the looks of things, could be crypto bullshit and/or an attempt to steal your data and sell it. This is very, very serious, and could wreck your life if said data/personal info falls into the wrong hands.

Identity Theft: What It Is, How to Prevent It, Warning Signs and Tips - NerdWallet

It's always a good idea to change passwords every couple of months or so, but if you think you've been affected, you also need to change your passwords for things like online banking, email and social media accounts, healthcare sites AFTER running the cleaner.

What now?

I want to talk about how we approach modding our games and downloading files in general.

Please STOP downloading mod file folders from people who did not create the specific mods. Period. This includes Sim dumps, building/lots with CC, mod folders promoted on YouTube, etc. This does not mean that anyone sharing them is doing so maliciously. In fact, I appreciate the amount of effort people put into compiling these resources! But unless you're super careful (and super knowledgeable), you run the risk of downloading malware like this on your computer. Make no mistake, the malicious files in question look like run-of-the-mill, everyday mods. Two of them were even posted from a trustworthy creator's actual account! The only way to know what they actually do is to peek into the code, and idk about you, but I don't know Python. So even after this issue is resolved, you really should only download files from the creators themselves.

But what about CC shopping?

Here's how I like to approach it: I stick to lookbooks and combing through the Patreons/accounts of creators who make items I like. If I see a Sim dump with CC that I'm interested, I try to reach out to the poster and ask where they got specific CC. If I can't do that, I see if it was shared via Drive, look at the individual files themselves, then head to the original CC creator's official download page and get it from the source.

That's all I have for you! Stay safe, and happy Simming! 🫶🏾

This is a must if you don't want your game to take *forever* to load (like mine does!)

Keeping Lag to a Minimum...

I was chatting about a few things I do to combat lag over on discord and realised I do quite a bit of maintenance to reduce lag/load times. I decided to write em all down and before I knew it, I had a big ol' list. Here's hoping it helps!

Save/File Tips:

Clear your caches (located in the same spot as your mod folder fyi) I usually delete the onlinethumbnailcache, avatarcache and localthumbcache caches every time I exit the game, the main one to delete regularly is the localthumbcache file, they're just temporary files but it can get pretty big after a while.. if you're having any mod issues, particularly ui ones, it's always worth deleting that to see if it helps.

Remove any saves you're not using from your saves folder, and keep an eye on save file sizes. In my experience, any saves over around 30-40mb start to get a bit laggy. Things that bump this size up are the amount of townies in game and the amount of lots/objects in the world.

Regarding the above point, I regularly bulldoze lots I don't need anymore, just to save the game from having to cope with extra shit to load in the background and reduce save file bloat.

Similarly, I delete a lot of unnecessary townies. Also, try to keep the amount of outfits on townies to a minimum, ain't no townie need four swimsuit outfits, the game will thank you..

If you have cheats enabled you can usually shift-click/delete object on things like random coffee cups or stray cupcakes sims foolishly drop around the world (or eat em.. whatever tickles ur pickle) just get rid!

Whilst we're keeping objects in game to a minimum.. I try to clear sims inventories now and then, including townies. You can do this via mccc even if you're not currently playing that household by heading to MC Cleaner -> Sell Sim Inventory/Sell Household Inventory. RANDOM LUMPS OF CLAY BEGONE!

Think of a save file like a lot.. the more objects in it, the laggier it gets! Try your best to remove anything or anyone unnecessary where you can.

Hit "Save As" instead of "Save" now and then - the more you overwrite a save, the more chance it has of going wonky, treat your game to a fresh one now and then and remove the old one from your saves folder (maybe don't delete it right away in case you wanna roll back, keep it somewhere safe).

If you can (although ik it can be a pain) set up a new/fresh save, you'd be surprised how bogged down old ones can get! For legacy players, it's usually best to do this whenever you have a small family to save yourself some pain, since you can just save the household and take em to a new save (you will lose sims inventories/household inventories/relationships with sims outside the household tho so beware! Pictures/other collectables can be saved to a lot however, and you can always cheat back relationship bits etc.. bit of a last resort but new saves are shiny and fast!)

Make sure your Screenshots/Video folders are empty - move em somewhere else, it works, trust me. If you have a lot of custom music installed try n' clear some of those out too.. the smaller that Sims 4 directory is, the better.

Delete any last exceptions/last crashes (same spot as your mod folder again) you don't need em unless you're planning to upload em somewhere for help.

Settings Etc:

If you get a bad lag spike, opening the main menu and/or saving can randomly stop this. If it doesn't, try exiting the game, clearing your localthumbcache and restarting.

Clearing all notifications from the game panel can also help.

If you can, close all other apps and background apps you don't need whilst playing, ts4 is super memory hungry so it can definitely help.

The GraphicsRules Override file by Simp4Sims can reduce lag/latency and make your game look a little better in the process!

Srslysims Simulation Lag Fix mod can help reduce lag too (if you've altered the game speed via mccc tho, don't use this unless you plan on resetting it to default).

If you aren't keen on, or barely use a pack, consider disabling it.

Not ideal, especially for those of us taking screenshots, but lowering the graphics settings whilst playing definitely helps.

If you use re/g-shade, consider switching it off whilst playing and only turn it on for screenshots.

A clean and tidy pc/laptop runs better in general. Remove anything you're not using/don't need anymore to free up space, remove temp files, clean up your folders now and again etc etc.. especially that dreaded mod folder, speaking of...

Managing Mods:

SORT OUT YOUR MODS FOLDER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.. skdsjdjs it doesn't have to be immaculate but at the very least try n' clear it out now n' then. Also try to separate your script mods/overrides from the rest, patch days don't need to be so stressful ;-;

Personally, I don't merge my mods; if something breaks it's much harder to pinpoint! It makes it easier to find/delete specific mods too.. and let's face it, there's usually one or two items in that set you could do without lmaooo.. also, don't think it helps much tbh! Yeah you could say the game doesn't have to work as hard to load merged files but that's debatable, it's still the same amount of items/polys at the end of the day ¯\(°_o)/¯

If you like merging files and/or see results from doing so, you can merge stuff you definitely know you're never getting rid of, especially CAS/BB stuff.. but steer clear of merging gameplay/script mods! If a merged file seems to be the culprit when using the 50/50 method, try unmerging it and 50/50ing it again! You might not need to get rid of everything if something's borked.

Bulk Rename Utility can be used to remove all spaces and special characters from your mod files, the game doesn't particularly like loading those so it'll thank you.

The Sims 4 Mod Manager is a great way to sort through your mods, you can easily see, move and delete files from here (not great for build/buy, poses etc as thumbnails are usually missing, but great for CAS stuff). An extra hint with this that I've noticed is that if any of my mods get renamed with [D1] at the beginning after looking through them via the mod manager, it means it's a duplicate file so you can get rid.

I also use the Sims 4 Tray Importer to help me sort through mods. Simply save a sim/lot with any cc you don't want and find it in the importer, you can then go through all the cc in the cc tab and delete/sort it (I also use this to sort cc if a bunch has the wrong tags etc, makes it easier to find in my folders by saving em to a lot or w/e - it also spots duplicates which is handy).

It's a ballache, but the 50/50 method is tried and tested if you're having issues.

I like to keep an abandoned cc folder tucked away somewhere, that way you can remove mods willy nilly without stressing about losing them. If you change your mind, you can always grab it back!

I Stand With Israel

Marvelous Designer…Are there any users out there?

Got the Marvelous Designer program up and running but I was wondering if there's anyone out there that uses it. Would like to establish a connection with those who use it for help, advice, etc. Have a few ideas but not sure about the way to go about them.

In Search Of...

Looking for a catwalk/runway for a few scenes in a story I’m working on.I’ve got the poses, dresses, etc now just need the place and I’m set. If anyone knows of one (or two, three, or more) please let me know!

Looking...

I’m trying to find a dressmaker’s shop (if one exists) with just about everything that a rising dressmaker would want and/or have.  I’m currently working on a story line and need one...Housebound at the moment from dental surgery

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah and may all your wishes come true this holidays season.

Same to You..

@bunlengthfrank... Just go away

my other late baby Boots...lost him in 2017...

My two late babies Honey on the left and Minnie on the right...miss them every day...

My mom’s late cat Isis...she passed in 2020 at almost 17 or 18 years old...

Yuck...

Has anyone on here ever took the Ozempic shots for Diabetes? It has done a MAJOR number on my stomach so much that if I eat ANYTHING I get nauseous...This has been going on for a month now. If anyone has taken it, how did you get over the nausea?

Searching...

Looking for either already built government buildings (Council chambers, Senate chambers, other general government buildings) *or* inspiration for the same.

I’m needing a pretty much full-blown capital city with all of the headaches, intrigues and conspiracies that a country would/could have.

My Tumblr page is up and (kinda) running...I’ll be tweaking it in the coming days and/or weeks...

https://patreon.com/user?u=57193901&utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

A work in progress...question though How and what kind of a roof can go on this??? Played around with a bunch of the roofs, but none of them looked correct, only a bunch of messes.

Ugh...

Food Poisoning is the WORST!! Trouble is, I don’t know what I ate that made me sick...

Roofs! Why are they SO hard?

Can anyone help? I’m trying to do several buildings but the flippin’ roofs either don’t line up or I can’t get them to look proper...and how in the HELL can’t I get a round roof to go on correctly???  I’ve seen all the beautifully done roofs and I can’t reproduce them to save my life...I don’t want my houses that I’m building to have a flat, boring roof...

From both sides of the fence...

I am writing this as both a creator (not published yet) and a patron of several creators. I don’t mind giving my $$ for CC, and I know how hard it is to create good CC.

The current thing by EA is that after a set period of time the CC is to be free to all. OK, I understand that.

The pet peeve that I and possibly users of CC  have is those that put their stuff behind PERMANENT PAYWALLS. That is what I think EA is talking about, not us who make stuff and not charge an arm and a leg for our CC.

My thing is that if there’s no middle ground to be found on this, it wouldn’t take EA long to come up with a way to block any CC that doesn’t come from them. Is that what our community would like to see? If that should EVER happen, then NO ONE will be happy.

EA can and is calling the shots on this (at the moment) and I just don’t want to see it all go down in flames. I’m not saying that either side ( the creators and/or EA) is in the right or wrong here. There should be clarification from EA first and then everyone can start either conforming or continuing on like none of this every happened.

I am one lone voice here and this is by no means the thought of everyone here on Tumblr or anywhere else. If anyone wants to complain about my post, feel free to do so. There are so many talented people here that I’m trying my best to learn from.

There’s 137 that I’m following here and I just have only 5 that follow me. I’m honored that those 137 have contributed not only to MY game but to so many others.

In Peace,

Kendall

High School Years...

So, what’s everyone’s thoughts? It looks interesting, but not sure if it would or would not be interesting since there’s so much that many have already done for that.

Jonathan Frakes...why? Just because....

Prep School Building Shell

The exterior and building shell for a prep school building. Mostly unfurnished. This is a project I couldn’t finish in anyway I liked, But I liked the building so much I thought I’d share and see what you all could come up with! Happy decorating. Early Access download until June 2nd.

DOWNLOAD 🏫 (patreon, early access)

The Royal House of San Lorenzo-Balboa turned 1 today!