The Sims 2 Command Line Parameters

The "command line parameter" refers to a set of options that are read right as you launch the program. You can find it by editing a shortcut to The Sims 2 (or any other program that you need command line parameters for.)

The programs in the Start Menu and Quick Launch bar are examples of shortcuts you might already have. You can change the command line parameters in one of those shortcuts if you like, or create a new one on your desktop.

To make a shortcut, browse to C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2\TSBin (or wherever else you installed the game to) and looking for "Sims2EP1.exe" or "Sims2EP4.exe" etc. Later episode numbers are the expansion packs you have installed. Find the most recent (highest numbered) one, and righd click and drag it to your desktop. You'll have options to Copy Here, Move Here, or Create Shortcut Here. Click Create Shortcut Here.

Now right click on your shortcut, wherever it is, and click Properties. On the Shortcut tab you'll see a Target box. It'll currently contain something like the following - "C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2\TSBin\Sims2EP4.exe" This is the command line that gets executed when the shortcut is opened. You can edit it by placing command line parameters after the target.

Here's how to launch The Sims 2 without sound (you might want to do this if your game doesn't start properly, in order to troubleshoot whether the sound is what's crashing the game.)
Change the contents of the Target box to "C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2\TSBin\Sims2EP4.exe" -nosound
You're launching the same command but now you're telling Windows that you want to launch it with the option -nosound. The options available for The Sims 2 are

* Full screen: -f
* Set screen resolution: -r[width]x[height] [example: -r1400x900]
* Windowed screen: -w
* Disable sound: -nosound

The name "command line parameter" comes from way back in DOS, where you would run commands by typign them. For example
dir
to list the contents of a directory