View source for Tutorial:TS3 How to Check Mod Compatibility

=== Is it an object, a tuning mod, a scripting mod, or a core mod? ===

Read the mod author's description carefully for the mod you're downloading to determine what type it is.

==== Object ====

With the notable exception of when EA changes a format, such as they did with the animation rigging for the Pets 1.26 patch, objects are almost always compatible with a new version.  On the other hand, if that object mentions "custom interactions" or something like that, you should actually treat it as a scripting mod.

'''Fair warning''': If the mod you are downloading pre-dates the 1.26 patch on ''and'' it is an interactive non-decor item that sims can perform animations with, its compatibility is suspect.  Read the object compatibility tutorial below to determine if this is the case.  Fortunately [[Tutorial:Fixing Object RIGs for Patch 1.26|there is a handy tutorial]] if this problem affects you.  You may also attempt to employ the [[RigFix]] application.

==== Tuning ====

EA had a lot of foresight when it came to a streamlined development process: the programmers would create code that was suitable for a wide variety of generic circumstances, and the designers would then "tune" the programming code using special "tuning" files.  In this way, the designers did not need to change the program code to introduce their changes, and the programmers did not have to spend hours on end "rebuilding" the program every time a simple change was introduced.  Thus, the programmers are responsible for making it ''work'', while the designers are responsible for making it ''fun'' and ''consistent''.  Unfortunately, at times the Sims Studio designers have some... esoteric ideas... on what constitutes fun gameplay, meaning that the mod community can thrive on providing better tunings to suit a variety of gameplay tastes and styles.

Most simple [[tuning mod]]s are already going to be compatible with a new EA patch, because the tuning files in the original gameplay data will not usually be changed from one patch to the next.  There are certain tunings that EA ''does'' alter frequently (such as "Bars" and "Plants"), but these are few and far between.

Tuning mods include such things as "less autonomous" or "no autonomous" interaction mods; changing the hours of rabbitholes; localizing, adding, or editing text ("strings") in the game, and likewise.  In general, the mod author will usually mention it is a tuning mod.

Complex tuning mods are less certain, but everything you need to know is explained later.

'''Fair warning''': Tuning mods will almost never break your game, but you never know.

==== Scripting ====

Scripting mods, sometimes called "[[pure scripting mod]]s", use special programming voodoo to add their functions to the game without overwriting anything.  While the ability to introduce this code could be seen as a bug in the software, EA has thankfully been particularly permissive and cooperative with this, no doubt because a massive proportion of their sales are driven by the modding and custom content community.

The compatibility of scripting mods is a mixed bag.  Pure scripting mods, in general, are more likely to be compatible, but if a pure scripting mod attempts to affect EA code that has changed, then it may work sporadically, may work only with a limited subset of features, or may not work at all.

'''Fair warning''': Removing a scripting mod while it is running can have deleterious effects on your savegame's health.  Mods such as [[Awesome]] or [[ErrorTrap]] can however catch these errors and prevent them from breaking your game.

==== Core ====

[[Core mod]]s were the "old fashioned" method of modding prior to pure scripting mods.  When it was discovered that The Sims 3 used C# (C-Sharp) modules embedded into the game, the only way to edit the game originally was to overwrite one of the few available modules to add the code desired, until a method was discovered to introduce new scripts by piggy-backing off of another feature.

Sometimes, unfortunately, the only way to introduce a feature even now is to use a core mod; some features are buried so deeply in the EA modules that they are impossible to manipulate without overwriting the module entirely.

'''Fair warning''': Core mods are ''always'' compatible with only a single base-game version, and unless they specifically mention otherwise, are likely to be incompatible with each other.  In the extremely rare event that EA releases a patch that changes almost nothing, there is a remote possibility it will work.  Otherwise, you should wait until your core mods are updated prior to installing the next patch.