I am hoping this is the place to put this ... I just bought a 2016 macbook pro 13,3 (released in October 2016 I believe). Same problems as everyone else, getting the "unknown error" message right after I click the sims app.
I bought the computer with the dedicated graphics card without checking if sims 3 would run on it .. stupid, I know ... but I also didn't know this was such an issue.
I have tried troubleshooting with all the tips above and nothing has worked.
Bootcamp was suggested to me by a friend but I wanted to post on here to see if the graphics card would still be a problem as I don't want to go through the work and have it not turn out.
I have thoroughly read this forum and it's solutions IN ADDITION to @Bluebellflora previous forum which involved changing the .sgr files. Sadly, still to no avail. I have purchased the "Sims 3 Starter pack" which upon launching still gives me a "Unknown error occurred". I've followed @corey_0414 's solution and I don't even have any of the expansions with my "Sims 3 Starter pack" not under "add-ons" or anywhere. Its just the base game. I've exhausted all the solutions I can find. I've bypassed the launcher, patched the game I've moved the SIM3 folder to my desktop. Now it won't even give me the error message. The Sims graphic will pop-up on my dock for about one second then will disappear.
I wish I could post photos on here. I have listed this same problem verbatim on EA (I cant post links here) That will help you visualize my status, please take a look.
I've read about every forum and watched every video I can find. I really do appreciate if anyone is able to help me. I've made sure I've sourced everything I can before posting this.
So for anyone (perhaps @igazor will come along) reading this, the post at answers.ea is the last comment on this page. Provided are computer specs as well as a screenshot of the bin contents where TS3w.exe lives.
@Youngduckho Have you done a complete uninstall? Sometimes the uninstaller that comes with the game doesn't remove all TS3 files, which can interfere with your attempt to play after you reinstall later.
How much free storage space do you have? It might not be the issue, but it's worth checking.
Your graphics card is probably not sufficient to run TS3's more demanding EPs; a new member just posted about problems trying to run Pets with the same card. The game did load, though, so the card alone may not be the problem. But it would be useful to know which packs you intend to play with, as trying to get, for example, Pets and Seasons running probably is close to a lost cause. I can't help with the .sgr files, but someone else may have some thoughts.
Several mac users recently have posted about the problems they've had running TS3 after an update to High Sierra. Computers that previously ran the game, sometimes under mild protest, suddenly refused to launch it at all. I haven't upgraded, so I haven't seen it firsthand, but perhaps the OS is even less willing to cooperate with the game than its immediate predecessors were. I have no solution to offer on that front, just a sneaking suspicion that the new OS is interfering with many would-be simmers in a way that has yet to reveal itself.
@puzzlezaddict thank you so much for your prompt response!
First, I have yet to do a full uninstall. Of course, I was waiting for that to be my last option. I'm assuming with a complete uninstall comes with having to re-edit my .sgr files and all the other nuances I've had to deal with thus far. No matter, I am determined to figure this out. I believe @BluebellFlora has a forum that explains how to do a complete uninstall.
Second, I have over 280GB of free storage.
Third, I am only trying to run the base game model or "Sim3 Starter Pack". This is also the only instance I have downloaded, no other DLC's, Mods, or anything of that nature.
Fourth, I have never played this game before, but I am/was an AVID fan of the first SIMS. So I am more than eager to explore this game. I downloaded the game roughly 10 hours ago, shamelessly looking for a solution ever since.
@Youngduckho It looks like the Sims 3 Starter Pack being sold on Origin comes with the Late Night EP and High-End Loft Stuff SP. Is this what you bought? Late Night is one of the packs known to cause an Unknown Error message. If you've downloaded it as well as the base game, the icon to launch it might not show up in your applications folder; this is the workaround to fix it, should you get that far. The other workaround (the one in the video embedded where you posted at answers.ea) would probably not be necessary, as Late Night is the newer pack, and therefore its files wouldn't have to be copied to any other destination.
If this is the first time you've tried to download TS3, then your issue obviously wouldn't be due to a previous incomplete uninstall. I honestly couldn't tell you anything about the .sgr files and whether they've been edited properly (or if they needed to be at all), which is why I tagged igazor in my previous post. Just because the game doesn't recognize a graphics card doesn't mean that an edit is necessary. My laptop just spits out a message at the main menu screen that the game doesn't like my card and then allows me to play.
I really hope that this can work for you. Even with your integrated card, you might well be able to run the base game plus LN and HELS, although perhaps on lower graphics settings. You wouldn't be the first to succeed on your particular computer. But again, High Sierra is causing more problems than its predecessors, and I'm not sure anyone has figured out how to address that.
One thing you should know, if you don't already, is that even the best macs can't run TS3 the way it was meant to be played. EA never made a version for macs and instead used a program called Cider to wrap around the PC version and translate it for mac OS. And Cider can only use 2 GB RAM at a time as opposed to the ~3.5 GB available on the Windows side. This is the biggest reason why I just Bootcamped my laptop; there was no way for me to play with the most demanding EPs otherwise. There are some techniques to try to stay under the RAM limit, but ultimately there's no way around the fact that TS3 for mac is just not going to perform at the same level as it would on Windows.
@Youngduckho I’ve just seen your post at AHQ and will also respond there. Hopefully @puzzlezaddict excellent advice has helped you but you also need to understand that if you have an unsupported Mac you may not be able to play at all. The operating system is definitely not supported, no version since macOS 10.8 Mountain Lion is.
You will only receive an error message about unsupported video cards if you have an AMD card in your Mac or you are playing in Windows. The issue with the Intel chips on a Mac is that the game doesn’t even see them as graphics hardware. And if your Mac has one of a few specific processors the problem is compounded. You really are better off boot camping your Mac and playing in Windows, the OS the game was written for.
There's really only a small number of things I can add here, and I'm afraid they aren't going to be extremely helpful.
-- Yes, the TS3 Starter Pack is the base game plus one EP and an SP. It is not the base game only. I don't know if it is possible to install the base game only from it and not the two packs when going through Origin for the install as it used to be with the disc bundles, it's not clear if this is what @Youngduckho has done.
-- The Mac in question does not have a TS3 supported graphics card/processor combo. There are some players, quite a few in fact, who can never get the game started on that one no matter what they do with sgr and other such files. If Bluebellflora does not have additional advice on how to get things going, then I would have to say no one does. Give her some time to respond to the HQ post, there are time zone differences in play.
-- The experience you are chasing down is (a) not going to be a great one for reasons already outlined, if it can ever work at all, and (b) when the next Mac operating system comes out probably in the fall, it is entirely likely that 32-bit application support will be dropped. That will probably mark the end of TS3 for Mac on all systems staying current with the OS if Apple goes through with that plan.
I really hate to say this because I love TS3 and I love Macs. But the pain involved here is just not worth the return, the game is a mess on Macs to begin with, and even if eventually successful (until the next OS upgrade), this scenario will be repeated with every EP the player tries to add. I'm sorry, but I would suggest asking for refund if no other system is available on which to play.
Edit: Well, of course @BluebellFlora snuck in ten minutes before me and I didn't notice. I need to type faster. But regardless, I would follow whatever advice she has to offer.
Thank you so much for all your help! Here are some updates in lieu of all the advice:
I have clean uninstalled and reinstalled the game, and patched it. Now I have the "unknown error has occurred" message pop back up.
I ONLY have the base model game. Again, I cannot post pictures here so I will do so on the EA forum. In my add-ons folder is only the uninstaller.
I have yet to re-do the .sgr files. I will.
Thanks again for all the help. I'm going to make this last effort.
Sadly to say, I'm exhausted from trying to figure this out. Boot camping my mac is just to much to do I feel. I'm not really considering that a viable option. :(
Ok I lied. I'm still constantly working on this. I've been doing some working with WineBottler and Wine.
These are wrappers (like cider) that allow you to run windows software on other OS's. I've used this before for several VST's for audio software and other DAW's.
My theory is that if I can prioritize Wine over Cider perhaps it may work. Judging that this is more of a processor and graphics card issue it may not matter. Either way this is my next plan of attack. Please share any an all insights you may have!
I don't really see how that could work. But installing the Windows version of the game rather than the already Cider wrapped executables to run under Wine? I only know of players who have gotten such a thing to work on Linux, plus or minus some things that just do not turn out well for them. If I had to vote, I would say that Bootcamp would still be the better option. But maybe the others here have further insight. On any such system, you would still be limited by that Intel Iris graphics chip and there will only be so far you can take it.
@Youngduckho I totally understand why Bootcamping your computer might be a distasteful option, but for me it worked out quite well. With somea lot of handholding from igazor, who besides being very knowledgeable on the subject is incredibly patient and thorough, I got everything set up as I wanted. Truthfully, if I understood better Windows and the way partitions are supposed to work, it wouldn't have been a big deal at all. I don't know if your computer would take to it as well as mine has, but at the very least it's a viable option to consider. And you wouldn't have to pay for a Windows 10 product key right away, so you'd have a chance to make sure the OS and game were running to your satisfaction before committing to it. If your graphics card turned out to be insufficient to meet your TS3 needs, you could undo the partition without too much trouble.
It's really too bad that there isn't a better solution for playing on your mac. I wish there were; TS3 is such a great game when it's behaving properly. There's a reason so many of us are still here, eight years after its release.
@puzzlezaddict - It wasn't that much handholding, you experienced a couple of minor issues with Win 10 that I didn't realize were so common as I am still running Win 7 on my end. So in that sense, it was a good learning exercise for me as well and you already had a viable workaround in place for the inability to mount the OS X file share on the Windows side before I even came along. That newer inconvenience is not directly related to gameplay anyway and I hope Apple finds a way to fix it going forward.
I think it's safe to say nine years since release now (close enough, anyway). There is indeed something about the although much derided over-extended game engine and all of the thoughtfulness that went into so many elements of the game that do function properly that manages to keep many of us engaged for so long.
It's really strange as I have both the Windows version and the regular Mac version of Sims 3 installed on my iMac. I updated to the latest version of the Mac OS and I've been happily playing Sims 3 on the Mac side with no error messages about not supporting a 32 bit app. Same with my Sims 2 from Aspyr (bought from the App Store). So I'm confused. Maybe it's because I run Parallels for Windows?
Second Star to the Right and Straight on 'til Morning.
It's really strange as I have both the Windows version and the regular Mac version of Sims 3 installed on my iMac. I updated to the latest version of the Mac OS and I've been happily playing Sims 3 on the Mac side with no error messages about not supporting a 32 bit app. Same with my Sims 2 from Aspyr (bought from the App Store). So I'm confused. Maybe it's because I run Parallels for Windows?
Not sure what Parallels would have to do with this, it's the actual Mac version of the games, and I suppose Origin although that should be more easily fixable by EA, that are predicted to cause heartburn for OS X. Not High Sierra, the next one (OS X 10.14, whatever it will be called). I don't think we will have more info on it until at least next month -- unless you have some sort of insider's beta version that we don't know about yet?
Nope. Nothing. I do not run the beta versions as I want to be able to still play. Hoping it still runs or EA has something nice planned for us Mac users. (Still dreams)
Second Star to the Right and Straight on 'til Morning.
Nope. Nothing. I do not run the beta versions as I want to be able to still play. Hoping it still runs or EA has something nice planned for us Mac users. (Still dreams)
Let me put it this way. If I were to receive a package in the mail that was labeled "something nice we planned for our Mac users" with EA as a return address, do you think I would eagerly open it right up or call the local k9 sniffing team in and prepare a tank full of water to immerse it in first? (The real answer is of course somewhere in between but sorry, history has proven that it's wise to be at least a bit skeptical of such surprises)
It's really strange as I have both the Windows version and the regular Mac version of Sims 3 installed on my iMac. I updated to the latest version of the Mac OS and I've been happily playing Sims 3 on the Mac side with no error messages about not supporting a 32 bit app. Same with my Sims 2 from Aspyr (bought from the App Store). So I'm confused. Maybe it's because I run Parallels for Windows?
I didn't get a warning for Sims 3 either but it is 100% 32-bit so will be affected when Apple implement this in the next OS. Odd that you didn't get it with Sims 2 though but as Igazor has said, nothing to do with Parallels.
I very much doubt Aspyr will have anything to do with remastering Sims 3, unless they were the 3rd party EA used to wrap using Cider? I received a message from them a few years ago where they confirmed that they had nothing to do with TS3 though so it is unlikely. I believe that EA would need to licence the game to them if they wanted to update it. And frankly who on earth uses Cider anymore? It was appalling 10 years ago and no-one uses it now. A native version of TS3 would be amazing though
Can anybody help me??? I've recently got a new MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) with MacOS High Sierra, I've downloaded the sims 3(as its one of favourites) but it won't work, I've seen a lot of this problem looking through forums and watching peoples videos etc. but I've never fully understood how to get it to work or even if it does work anymore, if anybody could explain how to get it to work that would be great, thanks!
Can anybody help me??? I've recently got a new MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) with MacOS High Sierra, I've downloaded the sims 3(as its one of favourites) but it won't work, I've seen a lot of this problem looking through forums and watching peoples videos etc. but I've never fully understood how to get it to work or even if it does work anymore, if anybody could explain how to get it to work that would be great, thanks!
The links on the first page of this very thread and Bluebellflora's blog provide all of the information we have on trying to get TS3 for Mac to run on the newest Macs and on High Sierra.
Historically, TS3 never ran on MacBook Airs and it was never intended to. Airs are designed to be streamlined and super lightweight, they aren't for playing graphics intensive games and forcing them to do so will cause them to overheat and burn out. Over time, what happened was that the newest Airs' processors and RAM kind of by accident caught up with the minimum strength required to run the TS3 base game and (if lucky enough) maybe one or two of the earliest EPs. But with the graphics chip you have, many cannot ever get the game started up even by following the instructions provided. It's just not compatible with the game. Some can get it going, but it's never going to be a really good TS3 experience for them.
You will see many of us talking about Bootcamping Windows onto our Macs and playing the Windows version of the game -- I've been playing that way on my iMac for years. But afraid that's not going to work well (or at all) on a MacBook Air because you would still have the integrated graphics chip holding you back, not enough drive space to devote to a Windows partition, and overheating issues.
Finally, will mention that if you intend to stay current with OS X, the next version due out in the Fall to succeed High Sierra, from the information we currently have on hand and possibly subject to change over the summer, will be the end of TS3 for Mac as it will not support 32-bit applications and there is no 64-bit version of TS3.
Sorry for all the bad news, but you really don't have a suitable laptop there on which to play this game even if you can get it running in some basic way.
Hello, fellow simmers :), I just bought The Sims 3 starter pack from the EA store, and install it but the first time i launched it "Unknown Error Occurred" text keep popping up. No matter if i launch it from Origin or Application.
Most of the solution I found on this site, youtube or other sites is the fix if i have the expansion pack installed, but in my case, I could not even launch the base game! This is so frustrating for me, as I keep looking and looking but could not find the right solution.
I have tried copying the sims game folder from "transgame" folder to the "Addons" folder, but still "Unknown Error Occurred" I have reinstalled the game so many times, but still "Unknown Error Occurred" " I have tried to download and installed High-end loft stuff and Late Night (In that order, the correct one) to see if installing expansion helps, but still "Unknown Error Occurred"
I have tried purging my Ram before running the game, but still "Unknown Error Occurred" I have tried changing the text on info.plist inside the contents folder, from S3Launcher.exe to TS3.exe, but still "Unknown Error Occurred" I have tried to download and install the SuperPatch, but still "Unknown Error Occurred"
I have reset the Origin using the app "ResetOrigin" (Got this solution from a live chat on EAHelp) but of course, still "Unknown Error Occurred"
I have no idea how to get past this dreaded, "Unknown Error Occurred" text message! I saved money to buy this game, but I can`t even play it for one minute.
Good people who know the solution, please tell me the correct one! Thank you in advance! And EA, if the sims 3 doesn't work for Mac, please don't bother selling it!
And here is my Mac specification:
-macOS High Sierra Version 10.13.4 -MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
@theagyas - Hi there. I'm afraid that your Mac is one with a processor/graphics chip combo that is among the most stubborn to get TS3 for Mac to recognize and get working. Those who can tend to follow the sgr file editing advice given by Bluebellflora both here and on her comprehensive blog that contains what I would say would be all everyone knows about TS3 and Macs. These are good places to start, but also have a look around her blog for further info and tips on playing the game, should you be able to get it running. https://bluebellflora.com/unknown-error-message-sims-3-base-game-only https://bluebellflora.com/fix-for-incompatible-graphics-for-the-sims-3-on-mac
There is also the option of Bootcamping Windows onto your Mac and playing the Windows version of TS3 instead. That's how I've been playing on my iMac for years. But that requires enough hard drive space to devote to both the MacOS and Windows partitions and the patience to manage two operating systems, plus you will still be held back on performance by not having an Nvidia or AMD dedicated graphics card on your system.
Some with the combo you have, though, will never be able to run the Mac version of the game. Your other recourse in that case would be to consider asking EA for a refund. Note that EA Customer Support doesn't live here, we are your fellow players on a community message board, so we're not the ones making the decision to continue selling TS3 for Mac or not.
Also note that if you intend to stay current with OS X, even if you are able to get the game running now, from all indications the next version of the OS beyond High Sierra that will come out in the fall (MacOS 10.14, it doesn't have a name yet) will drop all support for 32-bit applications. Therefore, again if staying current, that will be the end of TS3 for Mac entirely unless EA issues some kind of 64-bit fix for it which I'm afraid doesn't sound very likely, given the history here and how far out of development TS3 now is.
Comments
Processor: 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7
Graphics card: Radeon Pro 450 2 GB.
Memory: 16GB
I bought the computer with the dedicated graphics card without checking if sims 3 would run on it .. stupid, I know ... but I also didn't know this was such an issue.
I have tried troubleshooting with all the tips above and nothing has worked.
Bootcamp was suggested to me by a friend but I wanted to post on here to see if the graphics card would still be a problem as I don't want to go through the work and have it not turn out.
Any help would be appreciated!
I have thoroughly read this forum and it's solutions IN ADDITION to @Bluebellflora previous forum which involved changing the .sgr files. Sadly, still to no avail. I have purchased the "Sims 3 Starter pack" which upon launching still gives me a "Unknown error occurred". I've followed @corey_0414 's solution and I don't even have any of the expansions with my "Sims 3 Starter pack" not under "add-ons" or anywhere. Its just the base game. I've exhausted all the solutions I can find. I've bypassed the launcher, patched the game I've moved the SIM3 folder to my desktop. Now it won't even give me the error message. The Sims graphic will pop-up on my dock for about one second then will disappear.
I wish I could post photos on here. I have listed this same problem verbatim on EA (I cant post links here) That will help you visualize my status, please take a look.
VERY roughly this should get you there..
answers.ea.
The-Sims-Mac
CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-3-Unknown-Error-in-El-Capitan-Sierra-High
m-p/6778362#M12045
I've read about every forum and watched every video I can find. I really do appreciate if anyone is able to help me. I've made sure I've sourced everything I can before posting this.
Can someone please help me?!
btw I'm running macOS HighSierra
@Youngduckho Have you done a complete uninstall? Sometimes the uninstaller that comes with the game doesn't remove all TS3 files, which can interfere with your attempt to play after you reinstall later.
How much free storage space do you have? It might not be the issue, but it's worth checking.
Your graphics card is probably not sufficient to run TS3's more demanding EPs; a new member just posted about problems trying to run Pets with the same card. The game did load, though, so the card alone may not be the problem. But it would be useful to know which packs you intend to play with, as trying to get, for example, Pets and Seasons running probably is close to a lost cause. I can't help with the .sgr files, but someone else may have some thoughts.
Several mac users recently have posted about the problems they've had running TS3 after an update to High Sierra. Computers that previously ran the game, sometimes under mild protest, suddenly refused to launch it at all. I haven't upgraded, so I haven't seen it firsthand, but perhaps the OS is even less willing to cooperate with the game than its immediate predecessors were. I have no solution to offer on that front, just a sneaking suspicion that the new OS is interfering with many would-be simmers in a way that has yet to reveal itself.
First, I have yet to do a full uninstall. Of course, I was waiting for that to be my last option. I'm assuming with a complete uninstall comes with having to re-edit my .sgr files and all the other nuances I've had to deal with thus far. No matter, I am determined to figure this out. I believe @BluebellFlora has a forum that explains how to do a complete uninstall.
Second, I have over 280GB of free storage.
Third, I am only trying to run the base game model or "Sim3 Starter Pack". This is also the only instance I have downloaded, no other DLC's, Mods, or anything of that nature.
Fourth, I have never played this game before, but I am/was an AVID fan of the first SIMS. So I am more than eager to explore this game. I downloaded the game roughly 10 hours ago, shamelessly looking for a solution ever since.
If this is the first time you've tried to download TS3, then your issue obviously wouldn't be due to a previous incomplete uninstall. I honestly couldn't tell you anything about the .sgr files and whether they've been edited properly (or if they needed to be at all), which is why I tagged igazor in my previous post. Just because the game doesn't recognize a graphics card doesn't mean that an edit is necessary. My laptop just spits out a message at the main menu screen that the game doesn't like my card and then allows me to play.
I really hope that this can work for you. Even with your integrated card, you might well be able to run the base game plus LN and HELS, although perhaps on lower graphics settings. You wouldn't be the first to succeed on your particular computer. But again, High Sierra is causing more problems than its predecessors, and I'm not sure anyone has figured out how to address that.
One thing you should know, if you don't already, is that even the best macs can't run TS3 the way it was meant to be played. EA never made a version for macs and instead used a program called Cider to wrap around the PC version and translate it for mac OS. And Cider can only use 2 GB RAM at a time as opposed to the ~3.5 GB available on the Windows side. This is the biggest reason why I just Bootcamped my laptop; there was no way for me to play with the most demanding EPs otherwise. There are some techniques to try to stay under the RAM limit, but ultimately there's no way around the fact that TS3 for mac is just not going to perform at the same level as it would on Windows.
You will only receive an error message about unsupported video cards if you have an AMD card in your Mac or you are playing in Windows. The issue with the Intel chips on a Mac is that the game doesn’t even see them as graphics hardware. And if your Mac has one of a few specific processors the problem is compounded. You really are better off boot camping your Mac and playing in Windows, the OS the game was written for.
-- Yes, the TS3 Starter Pack is the base game plus one EP and an SP. It is not the base game only. I don't know if it is possible to install the base game only from it and not the two packs when going through Origin for the install as it used to be with the disc bundles, it's not clear if this is what @Youngduckho has done.
-- The Mac in question does not have a TS3 supported graphics card/processor combo. There are some players, quite a few in fact, who can never get the game started on that one no matter what they do with sgr and other such files. If Bluebellflora does not have additional advice on how to get things going, then I would have to say no one does. Give her some time to respond to the HQ post, there are time zone differences in play.
-- The experience you are chasing down is (a) not going to be a great one for reasons already outlined, if it can ever work at all, and (b) when the next Mac operating system comes out probably in the fall, it is entirely likely that 32-bit application support will be dropped. That will probably mark the end of TS3 for Mac on all systems staying current with the OS if Apple goes through with that plan.
I really hate to say this because I love TS3 and I love Macs. But the pain involved here is just not worth the return, the game is a mess on Macs to begin with, and even if eventually successful (until the next OS upgrade), this scenario will be repeated with every EP the player tries to add. I'm sorry, but I would suggest asking for refund if no other system is available on which to play.
Edit: Well, of course @BluebellFlora snuck in ten minutes before me and I didn't notice. I need to type faster. But regardless, I would follow whatever advice she has to offer.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
Thank you so much for all your help! Here are some updates in lieu of all the advice:
I have clean uninstalled and reinstalled the game, and patched it. Now I have the "unknown error has occurred" message pop back up.
I ONLY have the base model game. Again, I cannot post pictures here so I will do so on the EA forum. In my add-ons folder is only the uninstaller.
I have yet to re-do the .sgr files. I will.
Thanks again for all the help. I'm going to make this last effort.
Sadly to say, I'm exhausted from trying to figure this out. Boot camping my mac is just to much to do I feel. I'm not really considering that a viable option. :(
No change.
This is depressing.
I think it's officially safe to say that on "early 2015 13' retina Macbook pros running macOSx High Sierra" CANNOT run TS3.
Anyways, @igazor @BluebellFlora @puzzlezaddict thank you! Stressful, but a great learning experience!
Ok I lied. I'm still constantly working on this. I've been doing some working with WineBottler and Wine.
These are wrappers (like cider) that allow you to run windows software on other OS's. I've used this before for several VST's for audio software and other DAW's.
My theory is that if I can prioritize Wine over Cider perhaps it may work. Judging that this is more of a processor and graphics card issue it may not matter. Either way this is my next plan of attack. Please share any an all insights you may have!
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
It's really too bad that there isn't a better solution for playing on your mac. I wish there were; TS3 is such a great game when it's behaving properly. There's a reason so many of us are still here, eight years after its release.
I think it's safe to say nine years since release now (close enough, anyway). There is indeed something about the although much derided over-extended game engine and all of the thoughtfulness that went into so many elements of the game that do function properly that manages to keep many of us engaged for so long.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
I didn't get a warning for Sims 3 either but it is 100% 32-bit so will be affected when Apple implement this in the next OS. Odd that you didn't get it with Sims 2 though but as Igazor has said, nothing to do with Parallels.
I very much doubt Aspyr will have anything to do with remastering Sims 3, unless they were the 3rd party EA used to wrap using Cider? I received a message from them a few years ago where they confirmed that they had nothing to do with TS3 though so it is unlikely. I believe that EA would need to licence the game to them if they wanted to update it. And frankly who on earth uses Cider anymore? It was appalling 10 years ago and no-one uses it now. A native version of TS3 would be amazing though
Historically, TS3 never ran on MacBook Airs and it was never intended to. Airs are designed to be streamlined and super lightweight, they aren't for playing graphics intensive games and forcing them to do so will cause them to overheat and burn out. Over time, what happened was that the newest Airs' processors and RAM kind of by accident caught up with the minimum strength required to run the TS3 base game and (if lucky enough) maybe one or two of the earliest EPs. But with the graphics chip you have, many cannot ever get the game started up even by following the instructions provided. It's just not compatible with the game. Some can get it going, but it's never going to be a really good TS3 experience for them.
You will see many of us talking about Bootcamping Windows onto our Macs and playing the Windows version of the game -- I've been playing that way on my iMac for years. But afraid that's not going to work well (or at all) on a MacBook Air because you would still have the integrated graphics chip holding you back, not enough drive space to devote to a Windows partition, and overheating issues.
Finally, will mention that if you intend to stay current with OS X, the next version due out in the Fall to succeed High Sierra, from the information we currently have on hand and possibly subject to change over the summer, will be the end of TS3 for Mac as it will not support 32-bit applications and there is no 64-bit version of TS3.
Sorry for all the bad news, but you really don't have a suitable laptop there on which to play this game even if you can get it running in some basic way.
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Most of the solution I found on this site, youtube or other sites is the fix if i have the expansion pack installed, but in my case, I could not even launch the base game! This is so frustrating for me, as I keep looking and looking but could not find the right solution.
I have tried copying the sims game folder from "transgame" folder to the "Addons" folder, but still "Unknown Error Occurred"
I have reinstalled the game so many times, but still "Unknown Error Occurred" "
I have tried to download and installed High-end loft stuff and Late Night (In that order, the correct one) to see if installing expansion helps, but still "Unknown Error Occurred"
I have tried purging my Ram before running the game, but still "Unknown Error Occurred"
I have tried changing the text on info.plist inside the contents folder, from S3Launcher.exe to TS3.exe, but still "Unknown Error Occurred"
I have tried to download and install the SuperPatch, but still "Unknown Error Occurred"
I have reset the Origin using the app "ResetOrigin" (Got this solution from a live chat on EAHelp) but of course, still "Unknown Error Occurred"
I have no idea how to get past this dreaded, "Unknown Error Occurred" text message! I saved money to buy this game, but I can`t even play it for one minute.
Good people who know the solution, please tell me the correct one! Thank you in advance!
And EA, if the sims 3 doesn't work for Mac, please don't bother selling it!
And here is my Mac specification:
-macOS High Sierra Version 10.13.4
-MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
-Processor 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5
-Memory 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3
-Startup Disk: Macintosh HD
-Graphics: Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 Mb
-Serial Number: C17PH8J5FVH3
https://bluebellflora.com/unknown-error-message-sims-3-base-game-only
https://bluebellflora.com/fix-for-incompatible-graphics-for-the-sims-3-on-mac
There is also the option of Bootcamping Windows onto your Mac and playing the Windows version of TS3 instead. That's how I've been playing on my iMac for years. But that requires enough hard drive space to devote to both the MacOS and Windows partitions and the patience to manage two operating systems, plus you will still be held back on performance by not having an Nvidia or AMD dedicated graphics card on your system.
Some with the combo you have, though, will never be able to run the Mac version of the game. Your other recourse in that case would be to consider asking EA for a refund. Note that EA Customer Support doesn't live here, we are your fellow players on a community message board, so we're not the ones making the decision to continue selling TS3 for Mac or not.
Also note that if you intend to stay current with OS X, even if you are able to get the game running now, from all indications the next version of the OS beyond High Sierra that will come out in the fall (MacOS 10.14, it doesn't have a name yet) will drop all support for 32-bit applications. Therefore, again if staying current, that will be the end of TS3 for Mac entirely unless EA issues some kind of 64-bit fix for it which I'm afraid doesn't sound very likely, given the history here and how far out of development TS3 now is.
NRaas has moved!
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