The Sims 2
The GOAT. I will die on this hill.
Downloads >
Tutorials >
Stuff that has been helpful to me and maybe you too.
Lesya's Starter Pack Guide - a good place to start with stepping up your ts2 graphics & gameplay.
r/sims2help is super helpful with installation info and questions. Their wiki is a really good reference.
I have started using The Pooklet method to create sims in Body Shop, now that I found these randomizing generators.
Tools, Programs & Other Downloads
Mootilda's Hoodchecker - the neighborhood corruption detector. A must-have.
Mootilda's Sims2Pack Clean Installer - a better way to install downloaded lots: it allows you to see what cc has been packaged in, and opt out of installing it if you want. It will also retain the original file names, instead of renaming them with a bunch of random numbers or whatever. ALSO helpful for managing your download folder, checking for duplicates, etc.
meetme2theriver's clean neighborhood templates - avoid hood corruption from the start.