Tutorial: Modding with the Tdesc Builder (Patreon)

RECOMMENDED KNOWLEDGE:

-Basic understanding of using Sims 4 Studio

-Basic understanding of Sims 4 game mechanics

-Basic understanding of using context clues to process information

-Existing, if extremely basic, understanding of Sims 4 modding and/or XMLs

Preamble:

Sims 4 Modding is more accessible than ever thanks to the Tdesc Builder by Lot51. Using this tool and this tool alone, you can make basic tuning changes or full scale overhauls, and learn as you go thanks to an intricate and in-depth explanation of what features do, a simple to use toggle system, and a nearly complete library of The Sims 4's tuning files and systems at your fingertips.

This tutorial presumes an existing knowledge of the absolute bare basics of modding- opening Sims 4 Studio, creating empty packages, importing files, and editing XML files. Even that last one isn't necessarily important- the Tdesc Builder is intuitive enough that you might not be doing a lot of that, which is the point of this tutorial.

A lot of existing modding tutorials do not reference this tool at all, because it did not exist when they were created. This will be an overview of its basic features and how to use them. Combining this knowledge with other modding tutorials is up to you. If a tutorial tells you to make a buff, you can use this tool to help you. If it tells you how to make a trait, this tool will help you.

It is far more readable and navigable than Mod Constructor and gives you instant access to a majority of information you'd need to learn-from-doing and learn-from-example.

So let's go!

Using the Tdesc Tool's Functions

The main page has a lot going on. For now, focus on this part.

The bulk of the work you'll want to use the Tdesc Builder for is these top two buttons.

Open EA Tuning will bring up a search box that you can use to find any tuning from the game you want to modify. Open Local Tuning can be used to open downloaded or exported tuning, or your own package files.

This tutorial will use an example package. You can download it here. Download this package, and then click Open Local Tuning to open it in the tool.

When you open Local Tuning, it opens in the "Workspace". Click "Workspace" on the left side of the screen, and you'll see any tuning from the package you opened.

When you click on the tuning on the left side, it will load on the right. Give it a moment to pop in. You'll see a big long list of stuff, and an XML on the right side.

Take a moment to read the information on this image.

First off, we're going to do some basic XML editing. A lot of mods can be made by just changing existing information. This isn't a modding tutorial, though- it's a TDESC Builder tutorial.

Scroll along the left side until you find "Basic Extras". Clicking the arrow on the left pops it open and shows you what's inside. Click on the first "Buff". On the bottom right of the screen, the information inside is displayed. Click the ... on the right and choose "Focus in Editor" to make the XML Panel jump to the same information.

Expand this Buff until the entire panel is open. You can do this by clicking the arrows on the left, or by clicking on the buff in the XML panel. Clicking the buff on the right will open the entire menu on the left, to show you the entire chunk of tuning you're messing with.

Here's an overview of what some of the buttons do. Read the images carefully. Information can be found in them the same way you'll find information in the browser.

(Renaming is covered in the first image under "Take a moment to read the information on this image.")

Got all that? No? Then look at the images again. Like I said- some information is presented in them the same way you'll see it in the Tdesc builder. If you missed it, you'd miss similar information while modding. So be sure to read carefully, every time.

I think it's enough to get started learning and doing on your own. Follow the instructions below without me giving you direct guidance with images:

Open the example tuning package you downloaded. Now find it in the browser, and activate it. Once activated, scroll down to Basic Extras.

Under Basic extras, click the + to add another entry- below the existing entries, which say Buff, Loot, Loot, Buff. Click the dropdown that says "none" and select "buff". We're going to add another buff to this interaction.

Expand the panel down until you can see "Buff Type". Be sure to tick the checkbox on the right to make it green and included in the tuning. Now click the chain to select the buff you want to add.

In the "Search Reference" box, type "sad AND tragic". You can use operators like AND, OR, and NOT to limit your search results. Select the only buff that shows up when you search "sad AND tragic". Click the ... button and Focus in editor.

Do you see this?

If so, you did it right! You just did the equivalent of writing all of this, from <V t="buff">, all the way down to </V>.

Since this tutorial assumes you have a basic understanding of modding, I'm not going to go any deeper than that. This tutorial is for using the tool, not for making mods. The basic principles you just used are used for editing any and all information in this window, for anything you want to change, be it strings, icons, stats, buffs, etc.

For now, click Download Tuning and save your modified tuning somewhere. Open the tutorial package in Sims 4 Studio and import your modified tuning over the tuning in the package.

Now open the game, and test your mod. Have a sim sit at the edge of the pool. Are they now also terrified of a clown? Congrats! You made a mod using the Tdesc Builder.

Now go back to a fresh Tdesc window and Open EA tuning. Search for something- anything! And explore how it works. Even if you don't have a solid grasp on modding, browsing existing EA tuning and comparing it to how you know it works in-game, from playing, is enough to learn to do a lot of cool things.

My entire Werewolf Overhaul Suite was made merely by playing with the Tdesc builder and learning by watching and doing- along with some help from the Creator Musings discord when I didn't totally understand something.

If you're still getting freshly started, follow some existing tutorials, but use the Tdesc tool to make changes instead of any other programs or manual editing of tuning in Sims 4 Studio.

Oh, and be sure to delete your test file from your mods folder, unless you want all sims who sit by the pool to be upset by clowns.