HQ Mod for The Sims 4™

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Introducing the HQ Mod

For several years there has been a HQ Mod developed for The Sims 4™ game. But unlike the predecessor for the older The Sims 3™ game, it requires a little bit more to get it to work.

In the following sections, I will begin to describe what is required and give you the URL links where you can download all of the required files in order to make your game HQ Mod ready.

But first of all we need to cover a few things so that you can be sure that you want to go HQ. You can skip to the following sections if you feel that you don't need to know the information of some sections because you are determined to go HQ and just want to get going. All sections will have headlines.

Section 1
What is HQ Mod and why should I go with it?

HQ Mod makes a way for Sim CAS items such as genetics (skin tones; skin textures; hair; eyes; eyebrows; teeth); makeup; tattoo; clothing; shoes; accessories to use graphics that are double the standard resolution. Imagine if we saw a much crisper, sharper and more detailed fabric texture on clothing. This is what HQ Mod can offer.

But it can offer this in two ways:

1. Enable existing Base Game; EP; FP; GP and SP textures for HQ Mod compatibility.
2. With HQ Mod compatible Custom Content: Alpha CC (realistic looking) and Maxis Match.

Custom Content Creators will often inform if their CAS content is HQ Mod compatible. The better ones will provide a lot of information so that you know what they have changed in making a Recolor; Retexure or a completely new texture for their CC creation.

As already mentioned, HQ Mod content has had it's texture doubled in resolution. I won't bury you in too much detail about what components of a CAS item has been changed. But basically a HQ Mod compatible content uses a texture size of 2048x4096. EA Maxis standard is half of that at 1024x2048.

So you can begin to imagine how much detail can be revealed having double the resolution in the graphics of each CAS item.

The answer of why you should go HQ Mod is then up to you.

Section 2
What about my computer? Can it handle HQ Mod?

Aside from the basics system requirements outlined by EA Maxis and assuming your system exceeds those specifications for The Sims 4™ game, then you really only need to consider a few other things.

The Sims 4™ was released at a time when 32-bit Windows™ was still being built into new computer systems, so it was launched as a 32-bit application software. But 64-bit Windows™ Operating Systems had been around for quite some time and it would only be a matter of time before all new computers running Windows™ would be 64-bit. And that is the case today as most new PC being built come standard with 64-bit Windows™.

In brief, 64-bit Windows™ allows games and applications to do a number of things better and faster, but most notably it allows full access to the entire amount of RAM found in computers built with over 4GB RAM (typically 8GB and 16GB systems).

So that is where we are at today. It's hard to find anything that has 32-bit Windows™ and even if you did find something, it's bargain-basement low-end stuff that is not powerful enough for gaming and does not meet the system requirements published by EA Maxis.

Presuming you have 64-bit Windows™ then you should also have the 64-bit version of The Sims 4™ installed on your computer system. You should check that first before proceeding any further.

If all is well in your world and you have 64-bit version of The Sims™ and you have the typical 8GB RAM or more then you're good to go with HQ Mod. Again, presuming that you have met or exceeded the system requirements for the game in all other areas such as CPU and Video.

Section 3
What about all my old Custom Content? Can I still use it?

HQ Mod compatible Custom Content is ready and can immediately be used in a HQ Mod game or a standard game. It works in either game.

Any Custom Content that has no specific description by the Creator and is not HQ Mod compatible will not be able to be used unless it is first converted and made compatible. CC like this will often make the entire Sim turn into a black silhouette or a uniform flesh color. It doesn't break the rest of the game for choices in CAS, but that particular piece of CAS item does not work and you have to choose something else.

So you're left with a choice. In 2020, the marketplace for CC has shifted dramatically in favor of Creators of CC making their CAS content HQ Mod compatible. Simply, it's better and it is backwardly compatible for players who have not gone to the HQ Mod game. And every day, more and more Creators are making the move considering that less and less Sims gamer are stuck on the legacy 32-bit version of the game.

You could write-off all the CC that you have.

Or you could go through a lengthy process of eliminating the ones that don't work and keep the ones that do.

Or you could even try your hand at converting the ones that don't work with a very clever and easy DIY tool designed to convert Non-HQ to HQ. This tool would allow you to keep the "must-have" CC that you cannot let go of.
But converting Non-HQ to HQ has it's limitations. The tool can only upscale a 1024x2048 image up to a 2048x4096 image. And the original image is subject to the quality that the Creator had used. What that means for you: Some Non-HQ CC will convert poorly whereas other Non-HQ CC will convert very well. In either case, the tool can only upscale the quality of the original images used in the CC. I'll talk more about this tool later.

But the choice is yours. Bear in mind, that there is so much HQ Mod content out there now. On TSR (The Sims Resource); Patreon; Tumblr and all over the world. And it's not hard to find HQ Mod CC anymore.

Section 4
Okay, I want the HQ Mod! What do I need to do?

You will need to do a few things:

1. Edit a game configuration file with a simple text editor such as Windows Notepad™.
2. Download several files into your Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Mods Folder.
3. Change some settings in the game.
   

Section 4.1 Edit the GraphicsRule.sgr file

Please follow the following steps precisely and in order:

1. Go to your installation directory (where the game has been installed). Typically it is found here: C:\Program Files (x86)\The Sims 4\Game\Bin
2. Find the file: GraphicsRules.sgr and make a copy of the file and save it with a new name (suggestion: GraphicsRulesBackup.sgr).
   
3. Open the original file with Windows Notepad™.
   In most cases, you will have to teach Windows™ that this .sgr file type can be opened with Notepad™. To do that, you can right-click on the GraphicsRules file and select the option "Open with..." After a short wait, a window will open asking you to answer how you would like to open the file. You should navigate that window and scroll until you find the Notepad™ program. You can optionally place a tick in the check box to always open .sgr files with Notepad™ if you want. Click OK when ready.
4. A new Notepad™ window will now open and you will see a document that has many lines of instructions designed to configure the game to run on your computer. You need to scroll down until you find the following section:
   
   
   
   
   
5. Now you must edit the text to be the same as the highlighted changes in the image below.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Save the GraphicsRules.sgr file

Section 4.2 Download the HQ Mod textures

Over the years there have been a few people who have gone to all the effort to convert all the Base Game and packs so that the textures for all the CAS content is HQ Mod compatible.

1) All of the files for download must be placed in your Mods folder.

2) I highly recommend that you create sub-folders for each pack to make them easier to find when auditing your Mods folder.

3) Existing HQ Mod files: With all the changes in the way content is created and handled by the game, it is my best recommendation to all existing HQ Mod users to consider backing up all their current HQ Mod files and then replacing them in the Mods Folder with the newer versions created by Remus Sirion and PW Creations, found on the Download Link below. Test your game extensively in CAS without any Custom Content added and check if you're satisfied that all EA Maxis content has been covered.
I have tested and reported my findings to Remus Sirion.

5th August 2022 Update:

Remus Sirion and PW Creations have collaborated to redo all of the game content i.e Base Game + all packs. It's incredibly painstaking and lengthy work and they deserve all the respect and support.

The Sims 4™ Base Game + Packs

Website: Remus Sirion - Tumblr + PW Creations - Tumblr
Download: One Drive

My Testing:
I've removed all of my previous HQ Mod files that I had and now I am only using the files from Remus Sirion and PW Creations. Remus Sirions says there is some things missing in Pets and Werewolf fur, but I have yet to quantify how that impacts the game.

Your Mods Folder:

Example of an organized Mods Folder.

You are now ready for the final stage of your setup for HQ Mod.

Section 4.3 In-game Settings

Launch your The Sims 4™ game.

Go to Menu - Game Options - Graphics.

Change your settings as shown in the picture below. Most notably, you must have the graphic setting for Sims on Very High.

You must click "Apply Changes" and restart your game for the changes to have full effect.

But that's it. You're now ready and enabled for HQ.

Section 5
How do I maintain my HQ Mod?

Not much to do, but you should be mindful of a few things. 

EA Patch Updates
They can be as much a pain as they can be a relief, in general. Of course we don't live in a perfect world so sometimes patches can harm our game (HQ or non-HQ).

So be diligent to always keep a backup copy of your GraphicsRules.sgr file. Earlier in Section 1, we made a backup of the standard EA GraphicsRules.sgr file.

You should also make a backup of the HQ Mod version. I suggest that you name it GraphicsRules HQ.sgr

You can still save this in the same folder as the other version of this file.

Now when EA launches a new Patch, you should always allow the patch to rewrite a new GraphicsRules.sgr file. To be honest, you cannot stop it. But after the Patch has finished, you can always archive the new file and restore your backup HQ version.

The final word....

Sometimes it is hard to let go of CC that is hard to replace on your Sim. It's like a favorite hairstyle or a favorite outfit.

So earlier on in Section 3, I mentioned a really simple tool to convert your old Non-HQ CC into HQ. So here it is:

CmarNYC - HQ Texture Convertor

I won't go into great detail on how to use this tool. But I did find it simple and self-explanatory. But if you look at it and have no clue what all the settings are, then I suggest to not tamper with the default settings of the tool. They are fine as they are.

But try converting one or two CC at a time by isolating them in a folder all of their own and converting them.

Put the new HQ CC into your Mods folder and delete the old Non-HQ versions.

Go to your HQ game and see if they're now showing up in CAS.

Bookmark this webpage!

That's it for now! Be sure to bookmark this webpage as a reference in the future. Why? Because I use my The Sims 4™ game in a full-time HQ Mod version on 4K UHD Monitors and I follow whatever changes that occur with EA Patch updates. In particular those ones that have an impact on HQ Mod. Any news of changes will be tracked and solutions posted here.