I had this exact same problem! It happened as soon as I had installed the latest update. I have never had a problem like it before. But I have managed to fix it!
It was quite time consuming but definitely worth it to get all my CC hair working again, as the game for me is un-enjoyable without it. The hair in game is so awful!
Anyway to fix the problem I first uninstalled all the CC hair files in my game, from both the mods folder and the launcher. I then went into my game and changed each sim with CC hair, giving them hair which came with the base game. When I did this there was only one household which would not let me change my sims appearance when clicking on the mirror. They had become kind of stuck. Both sims had CC hair which I downloaded from XM Sims. I had to delete this household!
After this I downloaded and re-installed all of my CC hair and it worked, and is still working fine! Some of my downloads from XM sims still show up bald in the icon in create-a-sim, but when you click on it the hair loads and it appears just fine when in game.
Hope this helps someone!!!
Oh, and by the way I am running sims on a MacBook Pro laptop with Snowleopard.
I am so soooo happy that it isnt only just me, same here with the Snow Leopard Macbook Pro, it goes away then comes back, ive reinstalled the game like 3 times now because i thought it was me mucking it up with the amount of cc. Now i just get stuff from ModTheSims and Peggyzone and LianaSims.
I hope theres like a patch or something coming soon ITS SO FRUSTRATINNNNNG
:evil:
and the annoying thing is it only happens with the hair, and btw TSR content seems to muck up with all their sims3pack files so i wouldnt bother. :?
I have TSR hair that works fine. Mostly it's cloned from the base game hair and just altered a bit.
Hair with 'converted from Sims 2' type meshes doesn't work for me, though. Half the time it shows just fine, other times my Sims are bald.
This is true for both Sims3Pack and .package file hairs, and only with meshes that are coverted from Sims 2, not with meshes that are converted from the Sims 3 base game.
All the files I have from TSR work just fine, so I don't know what made you say they 'muck up all their sims3pack files' - unless you were just talking about the hairs, of course... (I only have objects and patterns - but I do have over 100 files, and they all work.)
I've tried everything, and have literally spent most of the past few days trying to solve this problem. I tried everything suggested, and nothing works.
I'm giving up. I can't play without custom hair, I hate the hair that comes with the game... blah. I've already wasted too much time just trying to fix the problem.
I guess I will just wait a few months and hope that a new patch will fix the problem.
They fixed the first problem with World Adventures. CC hair worked without issue on the Mac. High-End Loft Stuff broke it again.
There really is no "fix" for us until they fix whatever they broke on their end. Shake a chicken foot at your computer. Delete your desktop background. Uninstall your game and reinstall. Delete most of your CC hair. All of it works, none of it works. The point is, don't do any of that
Just quit out and restart until the hair works. That's it. Sometimes it'll take all day. Sometimes it'll take a couple of tries, and sometimes it'll work right off. With absolutely no changes to anything on your computer. No deleting of the cache, no redownloading your CC hair.
Quit and restart till it works. It will work eventually. And hope EA fixes what they broke with HELS
I just wanted to say, I have this error as well, and I've had it for a while now. I find it hard to play without my CC hairs but what I do when it doesn't seem to go away is give them base hairstyles that I can stand, and then play with those for a bit, save and usually the next time I load I get the CC hair working again. Other things I've tried include deleting the cache files, emptying the trash so there is no trace of them left, and restarting the computer, not just the game. That is my "when all else fails" solution. Restart the computer, take out the disc, pop it back in, delete cache, and then load the game. It usually works.
It is very tedious though and I do wish they would fix the issue once and for all.
It really is strange how absolutely NOTHING seems to consistently fix this problem. Every time I think I've figured out how to fix it (restart the computer...no, delete the cache files...no, change the graphic settings!) the solution will fail to work the next time I have bald sims.
NOBODY on this forum or any other (including MTS) seems to know what the actual problem is. I really hope there will be at least one knowledgeable mac developer out there who can eventually figure it out because the people at EA obviously have their hands full with all the other crappy issues in this buggy, shoddy game.
I've had a few problems similar to the hair issue with certain objects that involve animations - such as clocks with moving hands.
So the lastest and best guess some of the tool creators have is that it has something to do with animations - since the wonky hairs are invariably converted from Sims 2 where the hair has animation.
I think that this may be one of the reasons why the EA hair doesn't animate like the TS2 hair.
That makes sense. Whenever I am having the hair issue, I will simultaneously have problems with certain custom clothing meshes. Parts of the meshes, like in the waist and forearm area...maybe the animated parts?...are just invisible.
Okay, I think I have a system that is working out for me. It has worked about three times now and I haven't had a bald head yet. Here's what I do.
First, download a lot of peggy zone hair. Put that in the package folder and get rid of the cache and play.
Then close game after hair works...if it doesn't work just go in a corner and cry cause the rest won't work for you either...try again later.
Second, put on some xm sims hair and put them in the package folder and get rid of the cache. Play and pray that it works. If it works then close out. Time for the biggy!
Here is what I did, download some items and some hair that you can find in Missbonbon's hair from my sims blog and that will give you some hairs that are pretty nice but are supposed to be pay site items. Put those in the game all together. More than five would do the trick I believe. Then get rid of your cache and load the game. It should work once again.
if everything has worded thus far you just repeat the third step every time you play the game. I am gonna go and try it again tonight. I have been following this system for a few days and it has been working and I did the last step today and it worked. I just want to see if I can add some more and have it work again. If it does I have officially fixed my hair problem until the game starts being stupid again. If it doesn't work I shall go in a corner and cry then throw my mac book across the room.
i did all your steps and it worked for me but when u say repeat the third step do you mean downloading and installing NEW cc each time i play or do u mean just deleting the cache each time i play?
I opened the game up yesterday and my hair was bald. I then took the hair off my sim and replaced it with hair that g=came with the game.
Then i closed the game, opened the programs folder and took all the hair out and put it on my desktop, then i put it all back in.
After that i left the game off for about 15 minutes, started it again and all the hair was back!
I havent tried it again today but i'll tell you guys if it worked!
There's no need to move files around. This has been tested time and again by various Mac users, and the difficulty with this glitch is that it is random. It doesn't happen every time you open the game.
So the "solution" for now is to just quit and try again until the hair shows, and then try to play as long as possible without having to re-start...
Okay, I think I have a system that is working out for me. It has worked about three times now and I haven't had a bald head yet. Here's what I do.
First, download a lot of peggy zone hair. Put that in the package folder and get rid of the cache and play.
Then close game after hair works...if it doesn't work just go in a corner and cry cause the rest won't work for you either...try again later.
Second, put on some xm sims hair and put them in the package folder and get rid of the cache. Play and pray that it works. If it works then close out. Time for the biggy!
Here is what I did, download some items and some hair that you can find in Missbonbon's hair from my sims blog and that will give you some hairs that are pretty nice but are supposed to be pay site items. Put those in the game all together. More than five would do the trick I believe. Then get rid of your cache and load the game. It should work once again.
if everything has worded thus far you just repeat the third step every time you play the game. I am gonna go and try it again tonight. I have been following this system for a few days and it has been working and I did the last step today and it worked. I just want to see if I can add some more and have it work again. If it does I have officially fixed my hair problem until the game starts being stupid again. If it doesn't work I shall go in a corner and cry then throw my mac book across the room.
i did all your steps and it worked for me but when u say repeat the third step do you mean downloading and installing NEW cc each time i play or do u mean just deleting the cache each time i play?
sadly, you would have to delete the cache and download new hair each time you play. That is why this plan doesn't work out too great. I really hope there is a fix that comes out soon...
I have the same problem... I have tried EVERYTHING and nothing fixes it. I've spent hours on this problem and nothing seems to work and I've looked through countless forums for answers.
Honestly, why doesn't EA realize this problem yet that has been going on for a year (as it appears since this forum was started in 2009...) For me, the game is 50x more fun with custom hair and I barely want to play it when all my sims become bald and I have to switch them to regular hairstyles.
Here is what I've tried that DOESN'T work:
1. Switching all graphics sliders to high
2. Switching all graphics sliders to low
3. Reinstalling the game
4. Reinstalling all downloads
5. Emptying cache
6. Installing hairs one at a time to test
7. Installing newest patches
8. Restarting the computer
9. Relaunching game
10. Reinserting disk
11. Resetting internet browser
12. Using different websites to get hair
13. Changing method of download
14. Recreating same method of opening game as when hair worked
15. Installing software updates
EA is aware of the problem that *cc hair made with a third party program* is not working properly.
In fact, *animated meshes made with a third party program* aren't working properly.
The biggest problem is that the people who made the third party program can't get it to work for the Mac.
Getting third-party cc to work will never be a top-priority for EA.
The fact that it works for PC and not for Mac is not EA's doing. It's because the people who make this stuff are on a PC. There aren't even any creation programs out there that work on a Mac.
Honestly, people, when are you all going to realise that making third party cc work is NOT in any way EA's responsibility!
Yes it isnt EAs responsibility... BUT they should know that simmers like to add more and better content to their game and when us mac users cant use it... well i might just stop playing the game and go back to TS2 because it bothers me so much.
anyway one thing ive realized that fixes it is, i start up my game and go to a lot to realize the hair isnt working, quit the game, go to the exchange and download a sim with custom hair, install it and remove the doll of course then go back into the game and it worked.
I dont know why but it works every time... and even when i first got custom hair i got it from the exchange and the hair was working fine until the next time i opened the game and thats when i download more... you get the point
My suspicion is still that the fault is with the third party tool. In which case there's just nothing EA can do to fix it.
Even Sims3Pack custom content hair doesn't always work. And store hair always works on my Mac. Sims3Pack hair made from EA Sims 3 meshes also always works.
So I think the tool that EA uses to make their hair works for Mac, and the tool that third parties use doesn't - at the very least it's iffy.
Since the people who make third party tools are not interested in making them for Mac, there are no creators who work on a Mac... (I wish there was a tool for me to make my own stuff, like I do in Sims 1).
Whether or not the problem is caused by a third party program, I still believe the fault lies with EA. Why? Because I would be perfectly happy not using custom hair at all if the hair that came with the base game wasn't so PAINFULLY WORTHLESS AND UGLY.
So ugly, in fact, that many people in this thread and others feel like the game isn't worth playing without custom hair.
I'm not one of those people who wants my sims to look like movie stars either. I would be entirely satisfied if the Sims 3 hair was even as nice as the hair in the Sims 2 base game.
Before the game was released, EA loved to advertise that the customization of your sims' appearance would be so flexible, you could "create sims that look like you or your friends!"
Uh, no, I can't create a sim that looks like me because there's no option to have CURLY HAIR.
Seriously, if EA was willing to make the content I paid for at least somewhat appealing, I'd have no reason to seek out third party content.
My custom hair isn't working either.
Help?
And you say that it affects people with Macs,
But I have a PC and it doesn't work.
I use Safari though.
Argh.
My custom hair isn't working either.
Help?
And you say that it affects people with Macs,
But I have a PC and it doesn't work.
I use Safari though.
Argh.
Turning off all background programs like Safari, iTunes, etc. and NOT minimizing the game while it loads (basically, make your computer 'focus' on the game instead of multi-tasking) seems to make hair work more often. It's not successful every time though- but I've noticed a difference.
EA is aware of the problem that *cc hair made with a third party program* is not working properly.
In fact, *animated meshes made with a third party program* aren't working properly.
The biggest problem is that the people who made the third party program can't get it to work for the Mac.
Getting third-party cc to work will never be a top-priority for EA.
The fact that it works for PC and not for Mac is not EA's doing. It's because the people who make this stuff are on a PC. There aren't even any creation programs out there that work on a Mac.
Honestly, people, when are you all going to realise that making third party cc work is NOT in any way EA's responsibility!
this isn't just a Mac issue. i use a PC and my custom content is not working.
additionally, EA is aware and in fact encourages 3rd parties to create custom content. while it is not content EA has made, they know it is important to their customers. this in itself makes this issue EA's responsibility.
Comments
It was quite time consuming but definitely worth it to get all my CC hair working again, as the game for me is un-enjoyable without it. The hair in game is so awful!
Anyway to fix the problem I first uninstalled all the CC hair files in my game, from both the mods folder and the launcher. I then went into my game and changed each sim with CC hair, giving them hair which came with the base game. When I did this there was only one household which would not let me change my sims appearance when clicking on the mirror. They had become kind of stuck. Both sims had CC hair which I downloaded from XM Sims. I had to delete this household!
After this I downloaded and re-installed all of my CC hair and it worked, and is still working fine! Some of my downloads from XM sims still show up bald in the icon in create-a-sim, but when you click on it the hair loads and it appears just fine when in game.
Hope this helps someone!!!
Oh, and by the way I am running sims on a MacBook Pro laptop with Snowleopard.
I hope theres like a patch or something coming soon ITS SO FRUSTRATINNNNNG
:evil:
and the annoying thing is it only happens with the hair, and btw TSR content seems to muck up with all their sims3pack files so i wouldnt bother. :?
Hair with 'converted from Sims 2' type meshes doesn't work for me, though. Half the time it shows just fine, other times my Sims are bald.
This is true for both Sims3Pack and .package file hairs, and only with meshes that are coverted from Sims 2, not with meshes that are converted from the Sims 3 base game.
All the files I have from TSR work just fine, so I don't know what made you say they 'muck up all their sims3pack files' - unless you were just talking about the hairs, of course... (I only have objects and patterns - but I do have over 100 files, and they all work.)
I'm giving up. I can't play without custom hair, I hate the hair that comes with the game... blah. I've already wasted too much time just trying to fix the problem.
I guess I will just wait a few months and hope that a new patch will fix the problem.
ugh.
There really is no "fix" for us until they fix whatever they broke on their end. Shake a chicken foot at your computer. Delete your desktop background. Uninstall your game and reinstall. Delete most of your CC hair. All of it works, none of it works. The point is, don't do any of that
Just quit out and restart until the hair works. That's it. Sometimes it'll take all day. Sometimes it'll take a couple of tries, and sometimes it'll work right off. With absolutely no changes to anything on your computer. No deleting of the cache, no redownloading your CC hair.
Quit and restart till it works. It will work eventually. And hope EA fixes what they broke with HELS
It is very tedious though and I do wish they would fix the issue once and for all.
NOBODY on this forum or any other (including MTS) seems to know what the actual problem is. I really hope there will be at least one knowledgeable mac developer out there who can eventually figure it out because the people at EA obviously have their hands full with all the other crappy issues in this buggy, shoddy game.
So the lastest and best guess some of the tool creators have is that it has something to do with animations - since the wonky hairs are invariably converted from Sims 2 where the hair has animation.
I think that this may be one of the reasons why the EA hair doesn't animate like the TS2 hair.
i did all your steps and it worked for me but when u say repeat the third step do you mean downloading and installing NEW cc each time i play or do u mean just deleting the cache each time i play?
I opened the game up yesterday and my hair was bald. I then took the hair off my sim and replaced it with hair that g=came with the game.
Then i closed the game, opened the programs folder and took all the hair out and put it on my desktop, then i put it all back in.
After that i left the game off for about 15 minutes, started it again and all the hair was back!
I havent tried it again today but i'll tell you guys if it worked!
So the "solution" for now is to just quit and try again until the hair shows, and then try to play as long as possible without having to re-start...
Honestly, why doesn't EA realize this problem yet that has been going on for a year (as it appears since this forum was started in 2009...) For me, the game is 50x more fun with custom hair and I barely want to play it when all my sims become bald and I have to switch them to regular hairstyles.
Here is what I've tried that DOESN'T work:
1. Switching all graphics sliders to high
2. Switching all graphics sliders to low
3. Reinstalling the game
4. Reinstalling all downloads
5. Emptying cache
6. Installing hairs one at a time to test
7. Installing newest patches
8. Restarting the computer
9. Relaunching game
10. Reinserting disk
11. Resetting internet browser
12. Using different websites to get hair
13. Changing method of download
14. Recreating same method of opening game as when hair worked
15. Installing software updates
I don't what else to try. EA please fix this!
In fact, *animated meshes made with a third party program* aren't working properly.
The biggest problem is that the people who made the third party program can't get it to work for the Mac.
Getting third-party cc to work will never be a top-priority for EA.
The fact that it works for PC and not for Mac is not EA's doing. It's because the people who make this stuff are on a PC. There aren't even any creation programs out there that work on a Mac.
Honestly, people, when are you all going to realise that making third party cc work is NOT in any way EA's responsibility!
anyway one thing ive realized that fixes it is, i start up my game and go to a lot to realize the hair isnt working, quit the game, go to the exchange and download a sim with custom hair, install it and remove the doll of course then go back into the game and it worked.
I dont know why but it works every time... and even when i first got custom hair i got it from the exchange and the hair was working fine until the next time i opened the game and thats when i download more... you get the point
Even Sims3Pack custom content hair doesn't always work. And store hair always works on my Mac. Sims3Pack hair made from EA Sims 3 meshes also always works.
So I think the tool that EA uses to make their hair works for Mac, and the tool that third parties use doesn't - at the very least it's iffy.
Since the people who make third party tools are not interested in making them for Mac, there are no creators who work on a Mac... (I wish there was a tool for me to make my own stuff, like I do in Sims 1).
So ugly, in fact, that many people in this thread and others feel like the game isn't worth playing without custom hair.
I'm not one of those people who wants my sims to look like movie stars either. I would be entirely satisfied if the Sims 3 hair was even as nice as the hair in the Sims 2 base game.
Before the game was released, EA loved to advertise that the customization of your sims' appearance would be so flexible, you could "create sims that look like you or your friends!"
Uh, no, I can't create a sim that looks like me because there's no option to have CURLY HAIR.
Seriously, if EA was willing to make the content I paid for at least somewhat appealing, I'd have no reason to seek out third party content.
Help?
And you say that it affects people with Macs,
But I have a PC and it doesn't work.
I use Safari though.
Argh.
is it bald?
this isn't just a Mac issue. i use a PC and my custom content is not working.
additionally, EA is aware and in fact encourages 3rd parties to create custom content. while it is not content EA has made, they know it is important to their customers. this in itself makes this issue EA's responsibility.