Hacks - what they are and what they do

[april]

This isn`t really a tutorial, but it gives you basic information about hacks. This was originally from my forum (and it`s mine too), but I re-posted it here :]

What is a hack? A general definition of a hack is something that modifies a device/program to use it in a way that is different than originally intended. In Sims 2, hack is something that changes game behaviour in any way. Are they harmful? There were many reports of hacks messing up your game, but it depends on what kind of hack it is. Animation hacks are hacks which are full of interactions/actions for your Sims. They are usually installed as an object. The risk of messing your game completely is pretty low. Object hacks are hacks that are installed in a particular game object, usually custom game objects. This doesn't really mess up your whole game. Global hacks changes the game behaviour. This is the most risky kind of hack, because it can overwrite files that shouldn't be overwritten. Why do hacks mess your game up? They can modify and/or overwrite game files that aren't supposed to be modified/overwritten. Some hacks are harmful, but they sometimes conflict with other hacks, which tends to mess your game up. How do you realise that there are hacks installed in your game? If you have Sims2Pack Clean Installer, then it's easy to detect hacks. Objects highlighted in red are objects with hacks in them. Global hacks cannot be detected. So is it safe to download hacks? Again, it depends on what hack it is. But usually, it is safe, but when you do one mistake with those hacks, then you're game is messed up completely. Please note That I didn't make this tutorial to discourage you from downloading hacks. You can download them, just make sure that you are considering the risks.