Stop Sims 2 Purple Soup or Pink Flashing Crashes on Windows 10 and Modern Hardware with DXVK

🏑 LONG LIVE THE SIMS 2 πŸ¦™ Β  Β 

NOTE FROM AUTHOR, @crazysim, (2021-12-12): I am no longer updating this guide and I have stepped away from the community and this guide. Please visit Sims forums and communities such as ModTheSims or /r/sims2help for help. DXVK seems to have been generally accepted as a last resort and if you're reading this you're probably in a pretty bad way but maybe DXVK and this guide will work and hopefully it will. I wish you the best of luck.

2022-08-06: It seems that this guide/setup/TS2 distribution is well maintained and supported and the author is very involved. I would suggest going through this channel. I can't say I've used them though: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UT0HX3cO4xLft2KozGypU_N7ZcGQVr-54QD9asFsx5U/editΒ 

Something not clear? Please comment on Mod the sims or visit https://www.reddit.com/r/sims2help/Β .

Mod The Sims ThreadΒ Reddit PostΒ Leefish Thread

πŸ“£ Hey! This guide was originally written when the tool used was called D9VK. It was merged into DXVK. If there are any references elsewhere online to it, please substitute DXVK for D9VK wherever you see it.

Videos

These come in all sorts of shapes, quality, and sizes.

However, be aware they will not have the latest updates and errata. This guide will always have the latest updates and fixes. But if you want to see how it is done, these videos are pretty representative of that. Just remember the developers and power users grit their teeth a bit at them 😬.

🎞️ XUrbanSimsX's Video  

  • DO NOT COPY dxgi.dll like in the video
  • Calls tool D9VK; now called DXVK
  • Shadows are fixed by DXVK. No need to disable or use mods to fix.
  • Only covers Origin Install; does not show disc or πŸ€” installs which need folder permission fixes.
  • Force Texture Memory settings kinda odd.

🎞️ Hammyx's Video (Spanish)

  • Follows the guide ok...
  • Disregards Video Card driver update advice.Β UPDATE THESE THINGS.
  • Calls tool D9VK; now called DXVK
  • Only covers Origin Install; does not show disc or πŸ€” installs which need folder permission fixes.

IntroductionDXVK (Direct3D [X] to Vulkan) is an open-source software that turns an existing application's DirectX rendering calls into Vulkan rendering calls. Vulkan is a modern open-source graphics API that is actively supported by modern graphics cards and operating systems vendors. While the DXVK's Direct3D9 renderer was originally made for use by Linux users wishing to run DirectX 9 games on Linux experiencing issues with an older implementation of DirectX 9, DXVK is also compatible with Windows. So, for our case for The Sims 2, Microsoft DirectX 9 also has issues. DXVK can help.

Throwing out Microsoft's DirectX 9 implementation for DXVK's DirectX 9 implementation with its Video memory limit emulation in running The Sims 2 is extremely effective at avoiding purple soup, crashes, and other rendering errors on modern hardware and software without harmful system-wide tweaks from past approaches on Windows.

Examples of modern hardware and software include Windows 10 1803+, video cards with more than 2GB of VRAM such as the RTXΒ 2080, Vulkan support, and etc. These did not exist when the Sims 2 came out, were a glimmer in 2010, and now have been on sale at Costco for some years.

This approach to this issue is new. There will be bugs. There will be misconfiguration and you might not even know. The performance profile will be different. Heavily modded games unfortunately tend to have issues. But in the end, graphically stock The Sims 2 + DXVK's stability is unmatched by past approaches.

Screenshots of "Crashes and Purple Soup" courtesy of s4rts4 on modthesims.info

"Purple Soup" (or "Pink Flashing") occurs when The Sims 2 fails to upload and display textures, models, poses, and other assets to the system hardware. The Sims 2 replaces them with flashing purple textures, T-poses, and so on. Eventually, The Sims 2 soon crashes after this "purple soup" creeps in. Previous solution approaches seem to indicate some relief can be had by messing around with Windows's memory allocation behavior.Β With DXVK, this kind of harmful performance for compatibility tweaking is no longer necessary as D9VK can and will emulate a maximum of 2GB of VRAM for The Sims 2Β in its emulation of DirectX 9.

Here is a screenshot of The Sims 2 with D9VK (predecessor to DXVK's DirectX9 implementation) Β on Windows 10 1903 on an Nvidia RTXΒ 2080 in Belladonna Cove with the highest settings looking upon a complex apartment lot. It's running at a very stable 144FPS and crashes or "Pink Flashing" are nowhere to be seen.

If you suffer from "Purple Soup" or "Pink Flashing", consider giving this approach a try if you have the supported hardware and software. There are no system-wide hacks required and you should turn them off and any other global tweaks done from previous approaches such as the "Memory Allocation Fix".

Changelog

  • 2020-05-31
  • Removed Reddit/Discord mention of contact. Just use the MTS thread or Twitter.
  • 2020-05-30
  • Updated Sims Network Discord Link
  • Removed some pointers to Discord. The existing Sims Discords have heavily locked down.
  • 2020-05-07
  • Added disabling audio devices to troubleshooting
  • 2020-05-01
  • Graphics Rule Maker 2.0 was released
  • Be more clear about SNW vs Urbz Discord
  • 2020-04-25
  • Note that users trying the test version of Graphics Rule Maker should try it with AND without DXVK.
  • 2020-04-19
  • Added more explicit call to action for testers to alpha Graphics Rule Maker Discord.
  • 2020-04-14
  • Followed up on some of the failure cases. Abby/1testlacourt/Jez brought to my attention the alternate method. This method alone failed, but the alternate can work with or without it to make things work again.
  • Changed Discord room to The Urbz as PleasantSims Discord is shutting down.
  • 2020-04-12
  • A test version of Graphics Rule Maker has been posted for feedback that sets up an alternate method to get The Sims 2 working on modern systems. This method can be combined with DXVK for higher frame rates and more CC as well. The link to this is in the Debug/Troubleshooting section.
  • Fix small issue in dxvk.conf guirance to newer format
  • 2020-03-28
  • Elaborated a bit more on when Windowed Mode is required.
  • 2020-03-23
  • Elaborated a bit on when Windowed Mode is required.
  • 2020-03-21
  • Added COVID-19 stuff to Stance on Pirated Copies. Now's not a good time to make good on having a physical copy of the game. But please make sure you're good on it after the pandemic.
  • 2020-03-09
  • Added Tweet to @GOGcomΒ and make sure to note this guide and DXVK.
  • 2020-03-02
  • Advise Intel Users use DXVK 1.5.2 for now. Regression in later versions.
  • ApparentlyΒ DXVK changed its units for the maxAvailableMemory setting to Mb. Changed dxvk.conf files to new units.
  • 2020-03-01
  • Add "Run as Admin" as something to try in troubleshooting steps.
  • 2020-02-27
  • Light instructions on getting "Everyone" in the security dialog list.
  • Light instructions on resetting cache.
  • 2020-02-26
  • Note a screenshot of the TSBin folder is really useful to help others troubleshoot
  • 2020-02-23
  • Denormalize Disc and Hmm user install markers
  • 2020-01-19
  • Added some guidance on what to do if no neighborhoods show up on a new game.
  • 2020-01-15
  • Added redandvidya to credits.
  • Specify that Windowed Mode is a requirement for the current version of DXVK.
  • 2020-01-10
  • Note that users facing DirectX 9.0c adapters not found issue who tend to be users on laptops with multiple graphic cards might want to try Windowed mode.
  • Updated introduction with regards to heavily graphically modded games. It's not great.
  • 2020-01-08
  • DXVK 1.5.1 fixed Sims 2 launch issue. Reverting revert.
  • 2020-01-08
  • Added shortcut with windowed mode picture example
  • 2020-01-04
  • Noted that edge scrolling users should learn how to use right click and drag. It's muchΒ faster.
  • 2019-12-30
  • Added new line of failures related to DirectX 9.0c adapters not found on Intel-only systems. Currently unknown resolution.
  • 2019-12-22
  • Added Stance on Pirated Copies and preference for Ultimate Collection to guide.
  • 2019-12-20
  • Cleaned up some links on top
  • 2019-12-17
  • D9VK has been merged into DXVK. Updated the guide in many, many places to reflect that. Users looking for the tool should go to the latest releases for DXVK and NOT D9VK for the latest fixes and updates.
  • Tweaked video listing above
  • Added a tag line to the title.
  • Unfortunately the merged DXVK doesn't work with Sims 2. The releases link has been reverted to D9VK temporarily.
  • 2019-12-16
  • Small tweak to "mention" "@crazysim#7797" username in text for reaching out for help.
  • Noted the Stories games are added now. However, they are less likely to go pink. They do benefit from being an alternate Nvidia shadow fix though!
  • Added entries to the Trophy Case and Failure Cardboard box for heavy CC users. Notably, dual-booting Linux only for sims 2 with heavy CC is a workaround.
  • 2019-12-13
  • Elaborate Intel Driver Install procedure over pre-installed drivers.
  • 2019-12-09
  • Rearranged Debug/Troubleshooting Section a bit. Razer Cortex issue moved up.
  • 2019-12-01
  • "πŸ€”" users should follow the πŸ’ΏDisc instructions.
  • Added mention of the Linux option if pink and purple flashing persists and a referral to Tannis Root if interested.
  • Simplify GOG callout
  • 2019-11-23
  • Noted issue with fullscreenizer's Full screen not allowing edge scrolling to work.
  • Added additional possible workaround by using Windows 10's native multi-desktop feature as an Alt-Tab alternative. Thanks to cataplasiaΒ from the MTS forums for the suggestion.Β 
  • Added Razer Cortex issue as reported by cataplasia.Β 
  • 2019-11-05
  • Added Hammyx's video to beginning as her video is in Spanish
  • 2019-11-01
  • Lowered Force Texture Memory recommendation for 4GB cards and up to 1700Mb.
  • 2019-10-29
  • Remove vestigial Errata section. Stuff goes into the instructions, stat.
  • Added notice for OBS hitch-free recording to instructions.
  • 2019-10-27
  • Added warning to not copy dxgi.dll since a popular video on this guide included copying it.
  • 2019-10-26
  • Oops, I meant to put the line at 4GB of VRAM for suggested values and not 3GB.
  • 2019-10-24
  • Tweaked guide a bit on copying instruction of d3d9.dll
  • Added suggested values for Force Texture Memory
  • 2019-10-23
  • Added path example for Origin users on where Sims 2's EXE is.
  • 2019-10-19
  • Added a "step" to shout out to GOG and try to campaign them to offer Sims 2 like SimCity 4 someday.
  • 2019-10-18
  • Added in-game video recording to known issues. Most likely a won't fix due to OBS being much better and available but still noted.
  • 2019-10-15
  • Added end reminder to remove the "Memory Allocation Fix" as that destroys Windows 10 OS performance caching and is no longer needed with D9VK.
  • 2019-10-13
  • Added additional instructions for the ditch that disc-based install users can get into due to UAC Virtualization file redirection occuring on D9VK files and not preemptively granting "Everyone" full control to the TSBin folder. Thanks to JasminiΒ from MTS for help troubleshooting the issue.
  • 2019-10-11
  • Moved disc-based install warning to Setup with regards to lack of permissions to write to the TSBin folder and Windows lying about copying the DLL.
  • 2019-10-08
  • 4GB patch should just always be applied. It's ok to apply it multiple times.
  • 2019-10-07
  • Removed dxgi.dll install instructions. It was required for Linux but not required for Windows and was erroneously added, causing issues.
  • Added workaround for no alt-tab full screen issue with Fullscreenizer and Windowed Mode
  • 2019-10-06
  • Added Backup Save Instructions, just in case
  • Really, really emphasized having the latest graphics card drivers
  • 2019-10-05
  • Added what is D9VK to the introduction
  • Errata for Shadows in Nvidia
  • XUrbanSimsX's VideoΒ was released
  • ?, running around πŸ§ͺtesting on Test Subjects from MTS/Reddit
  • And before
  • Wrote initial guide

Non-DXVK Compatibility solution with Graphics Rule Maker 2.0 (disableTexMemEstimateAdjustment)

Before using DXVK and proceeding with this guide, if you're trying to address these issues, please try the 2.0 version of Graphics Rules Maker that contains the "disableTexMemEstimateAdjustment" option implemented first. Their Discord can be found here:

https://www.simsnetwork.com/tools/graphics-rules-maker

Sims Network / Graphics Rule Maker's Discord:

https://simsnetwork.com/discordΒ 

For basic compatibility on newer Windows 10 systems, this is the preferred way forward as it is less hassle and is automated. If that's all you seek, the newer Graphics Rules Maker 2.0 might be all you need.

Please provide feedback in their Discord channel. This channel isn't the main one for Sims 2 on DXVK support though.

If you're testing this, make sure to try it without DXVKΒ (no d3d9.dll) first!

The future of this DXVK approach will probably be still used for users seeking higher stable frame rates on higher end graphic cards without much CC.

Pre-validation and Requirements

Make sure you meet the validation and requirements!

  1. Make sure you have a graphics card that supports Vulkan.
  1. The latest graphics card drivers installed for your graphics card. See the links below.
  • 🚨Please be running the latest graphics card drivers DIRECTLYΒ from the graphics card manufacturer before proceeding.🚨
  • Pre-installed out of the box Windows 10 drivers ABSOLUTELY DO NOT COUNT. Nor does using the Update Driver button in Device Manager. THOSE DRIVERS ARE NOT THE LATEST DRIVERS.
  • (NVIDIA) Install and Use latest Game Ready Drivers or Geforce Experience
  • The more privacy conscious or those wishing not to be always running Geforce Experience for performance reasons should instead install the latest Game ReadyΒ drivers.
  • Geforce Experience Managed Updates including graphics card auto-detection
  • (AMD) Install and Use the latest AMD Radeon Drivers
  • Select the Optional Driver
  • (Intel) Install and use the latest Intel Drivers.
  • If the drivers were installed automatically or provided by your computer manufacturer, you need to download the driver, disconnect from the internet, uninstall the driver through Device Manager (cutting the internet prevents automatic reinstallation from Windows), and then install the downloaded driver.
  1. Make sure you have the required software that supports Vulkan
  • Download and run this tool to test if Vulkan works. It should say some sort of success.
  • Β 
  • 🚨 DO NOT PROCEED IF THE VULKAN TEST WAS NOT A SUCCESS🚨 
  • This does not guarantee you have the latest graphics card drivers. Please make sure of that!

Hazards and Precautions

  • πŸ‘·Backup your "Documents\EA Games\<Some Sims 2 Game Name>" folder. If things go wrong, you may need to restore this during Uninstall.

Setup

  1. Did you go through the Pre-validation and RequirementsΒ section? If not, you're not going to have a good time! Pay serious attention to the graphics card driver section.
  2. Have The Sims 2 installed. ✴️Origin, πŸ’ΏDiscs, πŸ€”Etc.
  1. "πŸ€”" users should follow the πŸ’ΏDiscs instructions.
  2. This guide works very well with Ultimate Collection. The singular Ultimate Collection also installs very well on Windows 10 compared to cobbling piles of expansion packs installations together. If you aren't running Ultimate Collection, please see my Stance on Pirated Copies.
  3. Apply the 4GB Large Memory Aware Patch
  1. https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371
  2. It may be optional but is strongly recommended for reasons unrelated to this issue.
  1. Download the latest release "tar.gz" from https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk/releases
  1. Look under "Assets".
  2. It is usually something like "dxvk-#.##.tar.gz"
  3. Should be 1.5.3 and up
  1. Extract the "tar.gz" with something (e.g. 7zip or WinRAR, if you paid for it) and locate the "d3d9.dll" DLL in the "x32" folder.
  1. ⚠️The Sims 2 is a 32-bit game and needs the 32-bit (x32) DLL, even on 64-bit Windows! Do not use the DLL from the x64 folder.
  1. You need to use the 32-bit DLL with the 32-bit game that is running on 64-bit Windows. 64-bit Windows can run 32-bit applications, including Sims 2.
  1. 7zip's interface is less than stellar and you may need to extract the tar archive again after the un-gzip.
  1. Locate the The Sims 2 .exe that you will be using. For Ultimate Collection, it will be Sims2EP9.exe.
  1. ⚠️ Ensure your Sims 2 EXE is not running under any sort of Windows Compatibility mode! DXVK is not compatible with Windows Compatibility modes.
  2. ✴️Origin users who've installed to the default drive and folder will have their Sims 2 EXE at this path
  1. C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\TSBin
  1. Copy "d3d9.dll" to the same folder (TSBin) as The Sims 2's .exe.
  1. 🚨DO NOT COPY dxgi.dll! Earlier versions of this guide copied DXGI.DLL and 🎞️ XUrbanSimsX's Video included that. It was not necessary and it may break your game until it is removed.
  2. (πŸ’ΏDisc and "πŸ€”" installs only) ⚠️There is an issue with this step for πŸ’ΏDisc and "πŸ€”" installs, particularly in this area where you copy the DLLs to the TSBin folder and permissions. Grant "Everyone" full control to the TSBin Folder before copying. Otherwise, Windows may lie (πŸ€₯) about copying the Β d3d9.dll file to the folder. You'll know you haven't done this if the d3d9.dll file looks like it is there but no log file or cache files are generated.
  1. If "Everyone" doesn't appear, press "Edit" and then "Add" then type in "Everyone", press OK, and "Everyone" should appear as an option you can edit the permissions on.
  2. The permission of the TSBin folder should look like this after granting "Everyone" Full control permissions:
  1. If you did not grant "Everyone" access, DXVK really might not work and/or crash.
  2. ⚠️If you had launched the game before granting "Everyone" access and after copying the DLL, you will be in a ditch. Get out of the ditch by deleting the "%localappdata%\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\EA GAMES" folder. You can get there by putting that path into Windows File Explorer's address bar.
  1. ✴️Origin installs of Ultimate Collection are already OK. ✴️Origin already makes the TSBin folder writable to Everyone and Windows won't lie about copying to the folder.
  1. Have Graphics Rule Maker installed
  1. https://www.simsnetwork.com/tools/graphics-rules-maker
  1. Use Graphics Rule Maker to "Force Texture Memory" to at least 128Mb
  1. Suggested Values
  1. Nvidia
  1. 4GB of VRAM and lower cards (e.g. GTX 1060 3GB SKU)
  1. 1000Mb
  1. You may also need to copy this additional dxvk.conf file into the TSBin folder to make DXVK emulate 1GB of max VRAM for the game to boot and not crash.
  1. DXVK 1.5.3 and up only: Β https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ayc2b-sU25UkG069EQG35nAKfAXJsC32Β 
  1. Cards with more than 4GB of VRAM
  1. 1700Mb
  1. AMD
  1. Β 4GB of VRAM and lower cards
  1. 1000Mb
  1. You may also need to copy this additional dxvk.conf file into the TSBin folder to make DXVK emulate 1GB of max VRAM for the game to boot and not crash.
  1. DXVK 1.5.3 and up only: Β https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ayc2b-sU25UkG069EQG35nAKfAXJsC32Β 
  1. Cards with more than 4GB of VRAM
  1. 1700Mb
  1. Intel
  1. It is hard to describe the actual dedicated VRAM Intel "cards" use so empirically adjust up.
  1. 128Mb
  1. DO NOT SET "Force Texture Memory" Β HIGHER THAN 2000MB as that is beyond DXVK's max VRAM emulation and a crash will occur.
  2. There is no need to "Disable Sim Shadows" on Nvidia cards as the black shadow box bug on Nvidia is addressed in DXVK's DirectX 9 implementation. However, in undisabling it, please remember to remove existing "shadow fix" mods if installed which can cause weird behavior such as white shadows. 🎞️ XUrbanSimsX's Video version of this guide disabled Shadows but that is not necessary. If it is necessary for your setup, disable away!
  3. Without "Force Texture Memory", the game thinks it only has 32Mb of VRAM and will disable settings for resolution and anti-aliasing. This is a known issue on Windows 10 Microsoft DirectX 9 and DXVK.
  4. Alternatively without Graphics Rule Maker, add "seti textureMemory 128" (or higher or some other value) to around line 68 of "Graphics Rules.sgr".
  5. If the last lines of "Sims2EP9_d3d9.log" after a crash have "VK_ERROR_DEVICE_LOST", put the contents "d3d9.maxAvailableMemory = 1024" into a "dxvk.conf" file in the TSBin folder and adjust Graphics Rules Maker to use less than 1000 MB of Forced Texture Memory. This seems to be necessary on lower end cards with 4GB or less video RAM.
  1. I've premade this "dxvk.conf" file here so you don't need to make it. Just download it and put it into the TSBin folder if you need it.
  1. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ayc2b-sU25UkG069EQG35nAKfAXJsC32Β 
  1. If you still get purple textures, keep adjusting "Force Texture Memory" lower in 256MB intervals.
  2. DXVK by default identifies to The Sims 2 as an Nvidia Geforce 7800 GTX, the highest end card in the default graphics card database of The Sims 2.Β Even on Intel. Even on AMD. Even on Nvidia. The graphics card database related functions of Graphics Rule Maker are not relevant in a DXVK-using Sims 2 setup.
  1. DXVK's DX9's Full screen mode currently has a hard to solve for all games issue where the Alt-Tab or Windows Key is not working. The work to make Alt-Tab or Windows Key work was punted. Add "-w" to a shortcut to the Sims 2 EXE (not the launcher in πŸ’ΏDisc installs) or advanced launch options in ✴️Origin to launch the game in Windowed mode. Use Fullscreenizer (http://runtimeterror.com/tools/fullscreenizer/) to make the Sims 2 Window full screen when Sims 2 is in a window is running.
  1. 🚨DXVK is currently (2020-01-15) broken for full-screen mode. It will crash if you do not set up Windowed mode.
  2. (🎬Video Producers) OBS users need to use "Window Capture" to capture the game. Additionally, the borderless fullscreen mode described is needed to get hitch-free recording and native+DXVK's full screen will have hitches.
  3. Example of Shortcut targeting Sims2EP9.exe with -w appended to the end:
  1. Origin Launch in Windowed Mode Instructions
  1. https://answers.ea.com/t5/Other-The-Sims-Games/Playing-the-sims-2-in-windowed-mode/m-p/5384600/highlight/true#M12077
  1. If you have dual graphics cards such as an integrated graphics card (like Intel) and discrete card (like Nvidia or AMD), you will likely need Windowed mode to avoid the "No DirectX9 Adapter Detected" bug. This might also be something to try if you experience flickering.
  1. You may also need to add Sims2EP9.exe or similar EXE to this screen in Windows 10's settings and set it to run on the high performance card.
  1. 😞 Edge scrolling does not work with fullscreenizer's Full Screen mode. Unfortunately, edge scrolling users must pick between either working alt-tab or working edge-scrolling.
  1. With native DXVK DX9 fullscreen, it is possible to use the native Windows 10 multi-desktop feature. Press Windows key + tab and then "New Desktop" at the top of the overlay that comes up. This'll bring you to a whole new desktop. Just press Windows key + tab again to select the desktop with Sims on and you'll return to the game. You may want to launch the game from a dedicated Desktop with no other applications before using this workaround. This isn't Alt-Tab but it's a working workaround.
  2. Edge scrolling users should try to adjust and learn how to use right click and drag scrolling. It's much faster on today's larger screens since the edges are so much farther away.
  1. 🍦Enjoy!
  1. Still having issues? Please see the Debug/Troubleshooting section!
  1. If it works, feel free to add an entry in the Success Trophy Case. And maybe check out the "Tweaks that are actually useful" section.Β Also, if this is working, remove the "Memory Allocation Fix" if you've implemented that as it destroys OS performance caching.
  2. Help campaign for GOG to sell Sims 2 now that DXVK is available to support modern systems!
  1. Tweet to @GOGcomΒ and make sure to note this guide and DXVK being available.
  2. Vote here https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/the_sims_2

Uninstall

If The Sims 2 fails to launch or has some other showstopper issue, do this in the meantime. However, make sure you report the log file as mentioned in the Debug/Troubleshooting section. Otherwise, there's not much of a chance of fixing the issue that caused your problem.

Β 

  1. Delete the "d3d9.dll" (and "dxgi.dll" if you were following an older version of this guide) that were copied to the same folder as The Sims 2's .exe.
  1. There may be other residual files like logs or caches but they will have no effect without the DLLs. You can let them be. Or delete them.
  1. If you still have issues without the DLLs, restore the backup of your neighborhoods made in Hazards and Precautions.

Debug/Troubleshooting

There can and will be bugs. Or known incompatibilities. To debug, we'll need logs! Here's some additional errata.

  • Clear The Sims 2's caches.
  • These are usually "Accessory.cache" and "Groups.cache" in The Sims 2 save folder.
  • Attach a SCREENSHOT of the TSBin folder
  • It is worth a couple thousand words.
  • Attach Log Files wherever you are seeking help
  • A "Sims2EP9_d3d9.log" or "Sims2EP9_d3d9" text fileΒ will be created in the same folder as The Sims 2 .exe you are using. Please remember to attach it or post it somewhere and link it in case of issues.
  • Remove "dxgi.dll"
  • Earlier versions of this guide and XUrbanSimX's video added it. However, while possibly inert, it may cause issues and the file turned out to be not required. Please remove it to minimize the chance of breakage.
  • Disable Razer CortexΒ if you have it installed and running
  • If you have issues with DirectX 9.0c adapters not foundΒ and you are on a system such as a laptop with multiple graphic cards, make sure you try using WINDOWED mode.
  • Still have purple and pink flashing AND you're using the DXVK in this guide?Β Some users have had much success dual booting Linux and running Sims 2 with their super-heavyΒ CC saves in Linux with no purple or pink flashing while Windows continues to have purple and pink flashing even with DXVK. This is a much larger ask than dropping in some DLL and making sure the permissions are right. If you're still having purple and pink flashing and have A LOT OF CC and are using DXVK on Windows and you're interested in (or "are willing to accept and undertake") a more involved workaround involving installing Linux alongside Windows, hit up "@Tannis Root#9720" on Discord. However, look at the next entry first.
  • There's now a test version of Graphics Rule Maker that enables the "disable the Texture Memory Estimate Adjustment" option that abby/1teslacourt/Jez brought to my attention as discovered by Episims. I think Episims threw stuff at the wall and only the second option is actually relevant. Using this should allow modern video cards to work on Windows 10 and for more CC. All without DXVK.Β Speaking of DXVK, users who want to continue using it can still use it for higher frame rates and using this option allows more CC with DXVK at a higher memory limit as well.
  • I haven't had a chance to try it yet and it might be Nvidia-only at the moment. The GRM developer would like some feedback on that new functionality. The build and their feedback channel is posted on their Discord: https://discord.gg/TmUmx6UΒ 
  • Users who want more CC with DXVK along with this option should also place in a dxvk.conf file like this one but modified to be "4096" and also increase the forced texture memory in graphics rule maker.
  • Don't forget to mentionΒ what hardware you're running and what Windows version you're using.
  • Newer versions of DXVK may fix graphical glitches or crashes.Β Please ensure you're running the latest released version of DXVK.
  • No neighborhoods after starting the game? On a new save? You may have started the game in its crashy form (e.g. the game crashed during the "Creating..." screen before loading a neighborhood"). Delete the "Documents\EA Games\<somes sims 2 name>" folder and let the game regenerate the neighborhoods.
  • Purple Screen and nothing more?
  • Right click on the EXE and try "Run as Admin". This may be needed for "πŸ€”" installs which might have some file permission issues.
  • Crashing around the loading screen? Like around 50 to 60% still?
  • Try disabling all audio devices. And see if that works.
  • But what to do after this, IDK. Maybe pick up a USB speaker or something? The conclusion is your existing audio setup is messed up.
  • If this was the first run, you may also need to delete your Sims 2 save folder since this crash happens around the loading screen where the initial save was generated and a corrupt initial save might be generated.
  • If the last lines of "Sims2EP9_d3d9.log" have "VK_ERROR_DEVICE_LOST", put the contents "d3d9.maxAvailableMemory = 1024" into a "dxvk.conf" file in the TSBin folder and adjust Graphics Rules Maker to use less than 1000 MB of Forced Texture Memory. This seems to be necessary useful on lower end cards.
  • I've premade this "dxvk.conf" file so you don't need to make it. Just download it and put it into the TSBin folder if you need it.

Success Trophy Case

Leave a comment on a thread or even this Google Document itself if this stuff works for you!

The real 🀾MVP of this whole effort is 🐸Joshua Ashton (@npc_josh), whose expertise and knowledge of DirectX 9, Vulkan, and programming ability to develop translators such as D9VK made this all possible. The Sims 2 is one of many games helped by D9VK's DirectX 9 to run on modern systems. The Sims 2 is also definitely one of the most notorious to support considering how relentlessly terrible the rendering engine is towards notions of "standards" or sane graphics programming. And the many years without a solid fix approach has led to the rise of quite a number of rituals and witchcraft with dubious effectiveness to pervade the Sims 2 community. Trying to interact with the witches and wizards of the community has been strenuous to put it lightly. Without 🐸Josh, a stable and enjoyable Sims 2 experience on modern systems and hardware and this guide simply wouldn't exist. Thanks 🐸Josh!

Also, thank Tannis Root (/u/citrusalex and citrusalex on Twitch) and redandvidya for frogging Josh (😁) for The Sims 2 support in D9VK. Tannis Root and redandvidya are Linux users who were interested in getting support for The Sims 2 with D9VK to run The Sims 2 on Linux and did a lot of the grunt work in testing and reporting issues over many months with 🐸Josh. As a by-product, the work to make The Sims 2 + D9VK run on Linux since a suitable Microsoft DirectX is not available on that platform made it possible for usage of The Sims 2 + D9VK on Windows 10 with this level of hardware since in a way a suitable Microsoft DirectX 9 implementation wasn't available as well.

Who can forget doitsujinΒ who implemented the DXVK framework that D9VK was originally based on and used as a framework to provide Vulkan rendering functionality. Without DXVK, D9VK would have had to start from scratch. The DirectX9 functionality of DXVK previously called D9VK stands upon the shoulders of DXVK.

Last but not least, a ridiculous thing here is that Valve CorporationΒ of Steam/Half-Life/Counter-Strike/DOTA2/Portal fame is funding a lot of the DXVK/D9VK work including developer salaries. Β DXVK/D9VK is an investment in getting games old and new running on more platforms such as Linux and maybe even newer Windows if it came to that. It's a war of the app stores on the PC these days. Think of Valve and Steam! Would EA and Origin have done the same? πŸ”₯

  • Me! crazysim (@crazysim): Nvidia RTXΒ 2080, Windows 10 1903, 32GB of RAM, Ryzen 2700.
  • Went from purple soup to rock-solid gameplay
  • Wrote this guide.
  • Went from light purple soup to hey let's stress test this thing lol. wut.
  • Decided to go and stress test the darn thing! Before leaving for work! WTF.
  • "I'm eager to throw in my old neighbourhood and do some serious play testing, but this seems to be a viable solution for everyone and anyone who doesn't want to downgrade to earlier windows or install windows 7 to another drive for dualbooting."
  • User noted some issues with the graphics card database in his post due to use of an AMD card.
  • This issue was resolved in later D9VK versions that default identifying video card information to an Nvidia Geforce 7800 GTX.
  • Struggled with early versions as an early adopter. Correctly tuned a value together and sent value upstream to be embedded in future releases. Now OK!
  • "Game loads into a neighborhood and even lots successfully now! The game does seem to freeze a little bit for a few seconds on loading screens but gameplay actually seems to be smoother than I remember. Like larger more detailed lots don't lag nearly as much as they ever used to and the game feels like it runs smoother."
  • "EDIT: It does! I had tried all the other fixes (4GB patch, graphics rules, etc) and still got the purple flashing and occasional crashes. But i just tested this fix and it works perfectly πŸ‘ŒπŸ»"
  • "Oh! I had no idea you wrote this! In that case, thanks! alot! You're a lifesaver! I recommend TS2 to everyone as often as I can, but I couldn't properly play it myself. Now I can!"
  • "This worked on my build! Thanks!!! I was upset at the fact that I might never be able to play this game again. Then I tried your guide and it works 100%, no crashing at all what so ever! Thanks!! :-)"
  • https://gist.github.com/nelsonjchen/f89c9b604248de25c92cdb6859fcdb0f
  • "The game performs much much better now. It only crashed or showed pink flashes in understandable circumstancesΒ (When I installed my heavily modded game and some of my heaviest CC filled lots, of course they eat up a lot of texture memory, I'd have the same problem back on my old computers too.)Β Thanks a lot for your help! I'm happy that finally something actually does help eliminate the pink flashing problem!"
  • Also in Failure Cardboard Box due to unbolded text
  • This worked for me. Thanks :)
  • Got stuck by using the 64-bit DLLs on The Sims 2. Discovered wrong DLL choice when looking for D9VK log and not seeing the log.
  • Added notice about 32-bit DLL still needed on 64-bit OS to Guide because of this. One of many guide changes written in blood.
  • "Mistake on my part. I went to get the d9vk log and it was missing. I realized I had picked the 64-bit binaries, thinking that was for the OS, not the game. Replaced with the 32-bit versions, and it works! Thanks!"
  • "This works, thank you very much. I tried everything. Nothing worked until this."
  • "Oh my god you're amazing.

I finally got the time to check it out, and my game is playable again! Thank you so much for commenting on my other thread and making me aware of this. I really appreciate it!"

  • "Wow, thank you. It seems to have worked for me.Β I still get the occasional pink texture in buy mode, but that's it.
  • Also in Failure Cardboard Box due to unbolded text
  • Suggested clearing cache - clearing the caches worked
  • "Hi there,
    first of all, thank you for the turtorial and thanks to Joshua Ashton for creating d9vk in the first place.
    I too have a GTX 1070 and had problems with the flashing pink. After adding the d9vk files (along with all the other fixes such as graphic rules, 4GB patch,...), the empty and unmoded game loaded fine without pink flashing. A modern, low CC game loaded fine too.    Β However, my quite large medieval game with about 6 GB of CC still shows some pink flashing. Sometimes I can load the neighborhood without pink flashing, but then I enter a lot and there is pink flashing - or there is none and I enter another lot where the flashing shows up again. The neighborhood is quite large and has 167 lots, as well as 805 character files. without d9vk, most of the time it was not loading at all, but just crashed or I could only load it with useshaders off, but even then there was some pink flashing.
    So I'd say, the current state is an improvement and about the same as my old laptop.Β However I feel a bit sad, because my new laptop has 8GB of graphic memory and would love for Sims 2 to actually use that much - or at least more than 2 GB.
    edit to say that 1792 MB in my graphic memory file does seem to be the sweet spot for me atm - still got pink flashing, but less than with other forced graphic memory entries."
  • Also in Failure Cardboard Box due to unbolded text
  • Suggested clearing cache
  • "the flashy purple graphics and crashing.. now it runs perfect!"
  • "I finally fixed the crashing! And it was good for SO long & all of a sudden I have pink flashing 😭 I’ll try anything"
  • Video says it all.
  • Holy shit, a Titan XP!
  • Updated the old gaming rig from ~2012 to a brand new card!
  • New card that's definitely very new. Complete failure to start at all. Interesting.
  • "Well, a little more searching and trying the updated installation instructions coming with the latest version of d9vk (0.22) allowed me to play the game again! (On windows: don't copy the dxgi.dll, which is now part of the installation instructions)"
  • Reittis on EA TS2 forums and reddit, /u/Datis95. Β 

- AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, AM4, 3.7 GHz, 8-core

- Corsair 32GB (2x16GB) Vengeance LPX Red, DDR4 2666MHz, CL16, 1.2V

- Corsair 750W RM750x (2018), power, 80 Plus Gold

- Corsair Carbide 330R Titanium Edition, ATX -miditocase

- ASRock X470 Master SLI, ATX-motherboard

- Sapphire RX Vega 64 NITRO+ graphics card, 8GB HBM2

- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

- Asus 27" MG279Q IPS-monitor WQHD, 144Hz, Freesync, pivot, DP/mDP/2xHDMI/USB 3.0 https://www.reddit.com/r/thesims/comments/d6852h/stop_sims_2_purple_soup_crashes_on_windows_10_and/f3u4ctm/Β 

  • "OMG Its working now after years of trying! Thanks a lot! I hope the upcoming Windows 10 feature updates won't break the game again."
  • "Followed the instructions from head to toe. My PC has Windows 10 Pro May Update, 16 GB of RAM and Nvidia Geforce 2060 Super 8 GB and no pink flashing nor crashes after this. It's worth a try!"
  • Had some pink flashing still even after installing, but the caches eventually evicted and they went away.
  • Made a video for the Spanish speaking world. Time code goes to D9VK section.
  • This fixed all my issues. Sims 2 booted up with no problems (or the hideous lag I was getting where it'd eat up all my VRAM and RAM before launching)! Β I'm overjoyed to be able to play this game again!
  • Followed instructions as written, used Graphics Rules Maker
  • Logged in, Sim shadows looked like water; did some hunting, removed "simNopke-simShadowFix", shadows are now normal
  • Let a large tacky lot with lots of mirrors and water and 8 family members run on its own while I went to lunch
  • No crashes, no pink.
  • Abby/1testlacourt/Jez - PleasantSims Discord/Urbz Discord
  • Lots of pink flashing even with D9VK on Windows
  • Had to Dual boot Linux for Sims 2 with heavy CC to work.
  • Entry also in Failure Cardboard Box
  • Had to revert to Windows 7. Probably for disk space/usability reasons
  • Eventually brought to the author's attention the alternate "DisableTextureMemoryAdjustment" option some other Tumblr user (episims) found as an alternative to this guide. See Debug/Troubleshoothing section. This allows more CC and non-DXVK to work too apparently on Windows 10.
  • Game could not start with stock rendering.

Failure Cardboard Box (in some basement like X-Files)

Unfortunately, this might not work for everyone, be it some issue with D9VK or some other unknown technical issue. The theme seems to be heavier modifications. Another theme is Intel HD graphics being an unsuitable card even with DXVK enabled.

  • DXVK was updated.
  • Latest Nvidia Drivers.
  • Installation of Sims 2 is notably modded with something called Pineapple mod and its prerequisites
  • First Logs back
  • Bizzare since user's card has 3GB of Vram
  • Not sure how this came to be
  • Set lower VRAM limit emulation
  • "d3d9.maxAvailableMemory = 1435973836"
  • Game did boot.
  • Horrific Purple Soup present, possibly more than Microsoft DX9
  • Tried Graphics Rules Maker set to Force Texture Memory at 1024Mb
  • No Change
  • Stuttery
  • Pink Flashing/ Purple Soup still present
  • Second Logs
  • Current Outlook/Plans
  • Looking to downgrade to Windows 7.
  • "The game performs much much better now. It only crashed or showed pink flashes in understandable circumstances (When I installed my heavily modded game and some of my heaviest CC filled lots, of course they eat up a lot of texture memory, I'd have the same problem back on my old computers too.)Β Thanks a lot for your help! I'm happy that finally something actually does help eliminate the pink flashing problem!"
  • Hi there,
    first of all, thank you for the turtorial and thanks to Joshua Ashton for creating d9vk in the first place.
    I too have a GTX 1070 and had problems with the flashing pink. After adding the d9vk files (along with all the other fixes such as graphic rules, 4GB patch,...), the empty and unmoded game loaded fine without pink flashing. A modern, low CC game loaded fine too. However, my quite large medieval game with about 6 GB of CC still shows some pink flashing.     Sometimes I can load the neighborhood without pink flashing, but then I enter a lot and there is pink flashing - or there is none and I enter another lot where the flashing shows up again. The neighborhood is quite large and has 167 lots, as well as 805 character files. without d9vk, most of the time it was not loading at all, but just crashed or I could only load it with useshaders off, but even then there was some pink flashing.
    So I'd say, the current state is an improvement and about the same as my old laptop.Β However I feel a bit sad, because my new laptop has 8GB of graphic memory and would love for Sims 2 to actually use that much - or at least more than 2 GB.
    edit to say that 1792 MB in my graphic memory file does seem to be the sweet spot for me atm - still got pink flashing, but less than with other forced graphic memory entries.
  • While also present in the Success Trophy Case, CC-packed save didn't do so well
  • Abby/1testlacourt/Jez - PleasantSims Discord/Urbz Discord
  • Lots of pink flashing even with D9VK on Windows
  • Had to Dual boot Linux for Sims 2 with heavy CC to work.
  • Entry also in Trophy Case
  • Eventually reverted back to Windows 7.
  • Eventually brought to the author's attention the alternate "DisableTextureMemoryAdjustment" option some other Tumblr user (episims) found as an alternative to this guide. See Debug/Troubleshooting section. This allows more CC and non-DXVK to work too apparently on Windows 10.
  • Adobito#5614 on PleasantSims Discord
  • Got stuck with DirectX 9.0c Card not found error
  • Did update Intel Card Driver
  • Still no luck.

Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β 

Known Issues

The Sims 2 on D9VK is very playable but there are some known issues.

DirectX 9 was a notoriously badly documented API. The Sims 2 is a major offender in using undocumented aspects of DirectX 9. Great combination! πŸ’£

  • Currently Unreported to D9VK (TODO with debug info collection and confirmation)
  • The Sims 2 had spinoff games such as Life Stories, Pet Stories, Castaway Stories which also run on the same engine. No known or recorded attempts to run them yet and their EXE names are not pre-configured in D9VK to limit VRAM or fake video card identification or any other required tweaks. For testing, adding a dxvk.conf will be needed. If you know the EXE names, it would be nice for the D9VK project to get EXE names for those. So please comment.
  • Not able to Alt-Tab or WinKey in full screen mode away from the game with D9VK
  • Workaround: Use Windowed Mode
  • Fullscreenizer works
  • Unlikely to be fixed. No way to fix it for all games and some games not really fixable.
  • Works in Microsoft DX9
  • In-game video recording might not work
  • Need to confirm if working in DX9
  • Would D9VK even try to fix this? Just use OBS.
  • The quality was meh in 2005 and probably unacceptable for 2019
  • TS4 has video recording too and its quality is also crap for 2019.
  • Resolution Changing is buggy and causes the graphics card driver to crash.
  • Working on Iris Plus Graphics 655 on Windows 10 1903
  • Working on Nvidia RTX 2080 on Windows 10 1903
  • Isometric (?) view button in Buy Mode is wonky. Not actually sure if Isometric in Microsoft DX9. Documentation on the internet on this feature is nonexistent. Was the feature introduced in some expansion pack? Need to confirm. Or is this just ceiling view for Apartment Life?
  • In-Game Camera from the Painting Easel or other camera-like objects does not center viewfinder in viewport. Need to document Microsoft DX9 behavior. Positioning is awkward, but usable. Probably noticeably annoying for some Legacy runs.
  • Ceiling borders start appearing earlier than expected at different view heights causing a graphical obstruction. Not sure if it happens in Microsoft DX9. Need to compare and confirm. Toggle ceiling visibility as a workaround.
  • "warn: Β D3D9DeviceEx::QueryInterface: Unknown interface query
  • warn: Β 580ca87e-1d3c-4d54-991d-b7d3e3c298ce"
  • Spamed the logs.
  • Addressed in release of D9VK 0.22
  • Photo booth object causes weird fleeting temporary square rectangle artifacts when taking a picture.
  • Happens on Microsoft DX9
  • The Sims 2 had spinoff games such as Life Stories, Pet Stories, Castaway Stories which also run on the same engine. No known or recorded attempts to run them yet and their EXE names are not pre-configured in D9VK to limit VRAM or fake video card identification or any other required tweaks. For testing, adding a dxvk.conf will be needed. If you know the EXE names, it would be nice for the D9VK project to get EXE names for those. So please comment.
  • Added and validated.
  • But oddly enough, these games run just fine without any workarounds.Looking at the config files, maybe Aspyr sanely did these games?

Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β 

  • Reported
  • GitHub tracker. Some selected issues below.
  • For better or worse, D9VK faithfully emulates the black rectangle shadow bug on present Nvidia drivers.
  • Uncertain
  • D9VK by default identifies the video card to the game as an Nvidia card. It does not force a card ID. What would the game see as the graphics card with an AMD or Intel card? An Nvidia R9 Fury?! Nvidia UHD Graphics 720?! Should D9VK just be forced to emulate an Nvidia 7800 card? This may also break some assumptions with the Graphics Rules Maker tool.
  • An Intel Kaby Lake UHD 620 > 7800 GT!
  • D9VK now identifies to the game as an Nvidia Geforce 7800 GTX
  • D9VK and Microsoft DirectX 9
  • The Sims 2 reports in its own "Config" log that the card has 32MB of Texture Memory. This results in anti-aliasing options being disabled. Workaround is to edit Graphic Rules.sgr to disable anti-Anti Aliasing logic for low texture memory.
  • For reference, Graphics Rule Maker will add around line 68 of "Graphics Rules.sgr" the line "seti textureMemory 128" to get around this issue and get around the rest of the logic in the rules.
  • Speculative
  • Whew, I spent way too much time on this. I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out why Sims 2 keeps reporting 32MB of Texture Memory in the config log, causing 800x600, no anti-aliasing, and so on, and seeing if there's any way to fix that in D9VK or something. I was super interested in getting rid of the Graphics Rule Maker step in the guide. It's still very inconclusive and beyond my expertise but here it goes. In summary, I think it's a fallback after failing to get the reported Texture Memory from the "DxDiag.DxDiagProvider" COM object. I think Sims 2 tries to get it, and somehow fails to interact with the object, and then does that stupid thing of ballooning texture usage until error to get a measurement of Texture Memory. I found some example code online that seem to "screen scrape" the string with DxDiag.DxDiagProvider but it doesn't mean that's how Sims 2 does it (https://www.pascalgamedevelopment.com/showthread.php?1797-Determine-amount-of-video-ram-in-a-GFX-card&s=e39185d42df779988e7ab2da5a48667d ) but it is at least from the same era. Β It's inconclusive because I can't get API Monitor to monitor COM objects so I don't know how Sims2EP9.exe is using this. Anyway, if this hypothesis is true, it looks to be outside of d3d9.dll so I doubt D9VK can do anything about this.
  • D9VK's problem, but doubtful if anything can be done about it due to D9VK's nature.
  • Initial loads of lots, neighborhoods, and other assets will stutter for a brief period of time as D9VK translates DirectX shaders to Vulkan's. The translation result is cached though and the next load will use the cache and not have to translate as much. It will still stutterΒ for a bit even with state cache, but it only occurs for a few seconds on lot load so it’s not critical. This actually turned out to be a bug, should be fixed with very latest master.
  • Fix in released version now
  • We're also in an era where newer games pre-compile shaders so we're also spoiled by new graphics pipelines no longer needing compilation on-demand. Technically a problem for the DXVK folks but business as usual for D9VK and Microsoft DirectX 9.
  • Actually not D9VK's problem
  • FRAPS cannot record The Sims 2 + D9VK. FRAPS does not support Vulkan. Please use OBS or the Game Bar to do recordings.

Tweaks and Witchcraft that does nothing

Tweaking these will not help. Please do not go down these paths about this issue. Unfortunately, some Sims forum users are misinformed.

  • Chipset Drivers

Tweaks that are actually useful

  • To unlock FPS and increase the performance quite a bit, create a dxvk.confΒ file in the same directory as the game’s EXE, paste d3d9.presentInterval = 0 into it and save.

Stance on Pirated Copies

  • The Sims 2 is no longer sold by EA.
  • The Sims 2 in its post-support state is currently not sold from Steam, Origin, or GOG (unlike SimCity 4)
  • The Sims 2 currently appears on archive.org without a DMCA takedown.
  • There was precedent for Origin support providing full Ultimate Collection if you provide proof of having any disc version. Even just the base game. This program ended primarily due to the crashes which this guide addresses.
  • Ultimate Collection is the easiest to support as dealing with one installer from one disc is far easier than dealing with multiple, especially for older software. The Sims 2 and its numerous expansion packs have an especially messy disk layout that can be extremely hard to troubleshoot. If you physically have disparate expansion packs and are having issues, please consider using a known-good pirated copy of Ultimate Collection as installer success is much increased.
  • Ultimate Collection has all the patches from Maxis applied.
  • Disc drives are much more rare if not outright not available nowadays. The Origin version does not require a disc drive.

That said, I'm OK with pirated copies if you possess a disc copy of Sims 2 that would have satisfied Origin support with a legitimate installation key. I will even go so far as to link to one known good source: https://oldgamesdownload.com/the-sims-2-ultimate-collection/Β . If the disc copy goes out of your possession, then you should delete your pirated copy installation.

Should a disc copy become very expensive to purchase on eBay, then outright piracy is fine. But it's not. It's very cheap there for a legitimate version.

NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sending physical things through the mail isn't the best use of society's resources and causes undue risk to people from end to end. Please just promise to get a copy after the pandemic is over. Β 

This is how the author of this guide feels. This view is not to be considered endorsed by any forums that link to this guide.

If you're not comfortable with this, please help campaign for GOG to sell Sims 2 now that DXVK is available to support modern systems!Β Tweet to @GOGcomΒ and make sure to note this guide and DXVK. Vote and comment here: https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/the_sims_2.

References