I use this one by Spookymuffin. The installation is quite simple. In order to get a more comfortable and brighter lighting, you can install a lighting mod. Maxis original lighting can be strange and not so decent sometimes.

But usually this step prevents all the graphics glitches (like strange stripes all over, pink flashing and so on). The newer your computer is, the laggier your game could be. I would really recommend to start with downloading Graphics Rules Maker. Some new graphic cards simply can’t be recognised by the game as the Sims 2 is a pretty old game. Before actually downloading a bunch of custom content or even opening your game, you must do some important steps. Let’s imagine that you’ve just installed your Sims 2 game and sitting next to the monitor blankly staring and having no idea where to start. WARNING: English is not my native language, so I’m sorry for possible grammar and spelling mistakes. So, if you’re new for the world of the Sims 2 and want to know how to improve your gameplay pictures, this “Starter pack” guide is what you need! All the info with links and screenshots is under the cut! In general, I just gathered all the basic information about my musthave mods/defaults/cheats/photoshop editing/creating hood/downloading CC and more and more. I decided to make a guide for new ts2 players that will help to answer all such questions. I got a couple of asks like “How to make my game look beautiful? I’m new to the Sims 2, any tips? Why is your game so bright? The grass so green? The water so reflective?” and so on.

Sims 2 essential mods