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    How to post in the technical forum - A little guide (incl. links to issues)

    «13
    crinrictcrinrict Posts: 18,771 Member
    in The Sims 3 Help & Technical Discussion
    EA has a new place for people in need. It's for all EA games (including Sims 2) and it has some great new features and no LIAM.

    Come on over and join at http://answers.ea.com/

    The tips below still stand.

    blueRuler.jpg

    Please do not post game-related questions in here. They won't be answered. Make your own thread, following the tips below.

    Only write in this thread if you have threads I should add or if you think I should add something to it.

    blueRuler.jpg

    I'm spending a lot of time in the technical section trying to help people out. I find myself having to get back to people a lot to ask more questions or post the same stuff over and over. This is frustrating for me and the person that needs help cause the thread is bound to get lost in the depth of the forum and because of that, after an initial helping attempt, the thread ceases to get more posts unless the user is actually online the same time I am.

    I know that the search function is a pain and you usually find only very old posts but there are so many people with the same issues, that it you are bound to find your issue on the first three pages of this forum. Also, Google search is a lot better. Use Google to find threads in this forum, not the board search.

    Speaking only for me, if I feel a person has already tried and looked around, I'm much more inclined to help than if they want spoon feeding the info that is already there.

    So here are a few guidelines that would make the life of helpers and help-seeking people a lot easier.

    1. Go through the first 3 pages of this forum to see, if anyone posted the same or a similar issue. If so, try the answers given there which means: READ all posts before making your statement. You can then either add to that thread or make a new one if you feel your issue is slightly different. Include info that you've already read and tried the suggestions in the other thread.

    2. Check the most common sources like EA Help Center, The MTS Sim Wiki, Carl's Sims 3 Guide or my blog for answers.

    3. Don't necromance old threads. This means, don't post in threads that are older than half a year. Start a new thread with your issue. That's better. Only exception is threads that have gotten continuous posting ever since it was created.

    4. If you start a thread on an issue, make sure you bookmark it (bottom of a thread, little heart with the link: Bookmark it next to it) and only use that thread. Do not make multiple threads on the same issue. For any helping person it's a lot easier if they have all the info in one thread. Be aware that bumping is not a thing that EA likes. Make sure to only bump once in a while and if you do, try adding extra info and not writing the actual word.

    5. Describe your issue in detail but don't make the post too long. If you have error messages, post them and don't just write: I got an error. Include as much info as you see necessary and describe what you already tried (saying I tried everything is also not very helpful. Everything can include any number of things). It's always good to include a note about any changes you made when your problem started.

    6. Don't use text language. Be courteous to who ever would like to help you and make full sentences. Use punctuation and paragraphs. It makes your post a lot more readable and especially for us foreign users, that helps a lot.

    7. The title of your thread should reflect your issue. I need help does not tell me what is wrong and might get skipped over. Everyone needs help here. Also don't use CAPS.

    8. If your issue is graphic, sound or computer related, make sure to include your DxDiag (instructions in post N°2). ALWAYS post your OS. Especially if you are on a Mac.

    9. Include information about your patch level (the base game patch is important) and the EPs you have. To find out your base game version, open your launcher and hover over the little base game icon in the lower left part of the launcher. The number looks like this 1.xx. Also state if you are using Mods and/or custom content (including patterns) and which neighborhood you're playing (custom or EA)

    10. If your issue gets solved, let us know. If you found a solution somewhere else, post about it. People with the same issue will be glad to know. Also put a solved in your title so helpers know that they no longer need to look at that thread. You can edit the title of your thread by editing the first post and simply changing the title.

    11. Please don't rant in your post. I get that you are upset but the people helping here have no association with EA and reading posts that consist of angry smilies and cursing usually make me skip those posts. Don't know about the other helpers but describing your issue in a calm and informative matter goes a long way.


    If anyone has something to add, please let me know and I'll add it to this thread. Also let me know, if I should add any threads to the third post (only technical please)
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