Store Issues - Searching and Purchasing Problems

Symb10sis

I know that the Store basically went down (on and off) for a couple of days and is still not *quite* right sometimes (there's even a thread about it here: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/931794/why-is-the-store-not-working-properly#latest).

However, my issues have been going on for a bit longer (a month or so I think) and I'm wondering if anyone else is encountering these problems with the Store:

1. I'm basically unable to search the Store for items anymore. If I enter more than one word into the search box, I get "No records found. Please refine your search." For example, I can search for "Live," which brings up 496 results. But if I type another word or choose either of the two recommended drop-down search options ("He's a Live Wire Radio" and "Live, Laugh, Love"), I get the aforementioned "No records found..." Same with anything else, whether typed or chosen from the Store's list. In short, I can only ever search for one word at a time, which is highly frustrating.

2. I'm also sometimes having issues purchasing/downloading items now. This one is more sporadic. It began around the same time as the above issue. I signed on just in time to see that the current Daily Deal was the "Enchanted Bundle of Dark Dealings." Thanks to CYS, it was free for me (I owned everything but "Lady Ravendancer Goth's Book o' Spells"), so I tried to purchase the Deal. The standard loading screen popped up...and stayed there. Given that there were less than 10 minutes remaining on the Deal, I eventually refreshed the page, tried again and it thankfully worked before the clock ran out.

However (and this is just weird), upon downloading that item, all of my Store downloads prior to that one in my Launcher (most of which I hadn’t installed yet because I ended up with a lot of content thanks to DD's/CYS) turned into little brown boxes rather than proper thumbnails of the items. Oddly enough, CC remained unaffected. Subsequent downloads/purchases all show their thumbnails correctly, but I plan on creating a new Sims 3 directory (I have multiple back-ups as well) and re-downloading my content before I install anything else (I always take the "Better safe than sorry route" when it comes to this game ).
Since that time, multiple (not sure how many exactly) other attempted purchases have done the same thing. They've all eventually worked (and didn't re-mess up anything in my launcher), but it's gotten frustrating as well.

Prior to this time, I'd never had a single issue searching for or buying anything (and I own quite a bit of the Store). I thought/hoped it would get fixed, but here I am posting instead.

I nearly always use Firefox, but these issues are present in both Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer (the search one for IE anyway, I've never downloaded using it) as well.

Anyway, I just wanted to post and see if anyone else was having these issues or if I was all alone. If I'm alone, then I have no idea what's going on.

Thanks for reading!

funkeeferret

I can't comment on your other issues, but yes, I have the same problem you do in your # 1 issue... the store search. Basically, it's plummed up. The only thing that has helped me in a very small way, is to do the search with one word, like you mentioned, then google the name/phrase of the item that the plum search comes up with, and then at least with a link to the item, I might know where, in the store, to find it and/or what set it might be part of. I'm not sure if this helps you at all or if I'm explaining it right, but thought I'd mention it. It's a ridiculous way to do things, but that's TS3 for you.

Symb10sis

@funkeeferret Sorry to hear that you're experiencing the same issue. I guess I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I find it odd that more people haven't chimed in though, either to say "Yup, same problem!" or even "Nope, works fine for me!" I'd think it would either effect everyone or no one, but who knows sometimes when it comes to the Store site. Maybe there's another thread devoted to it (I'd think people would be raising heck over this), but I couldn't find one before I started this one.

The Store Search always used to work for me, then a month (or so) ago, it got all plummed up. I thought it'd be fixed quick, but nope. I don't understand how a site that's been around for this long and isn't exactly being updated anymore has all of these issues that crop up.

Good idea on Googling! Most items Googled come up with The Sims 3 Store as the first result, so that's a possible (though frustrating as heck) workaround (that shouldn't be necessary to find things I've paid in advance for).

I hope this doesn't last forever.

Thanks for the reply!

funkeeferret

It looks like we have slightly similar TS3 situations, @Symb10sis. I, too, started playing years back, then took a 5 year, hiatus, lol. Basically, you and I, and many others, are late to the party. We were there briefly for the hey day but then we were gone. Now we are back, lol. A lot of these TS3 threads are slow moving and sometimes it's sad with all the dead links, photos that are long deleted or plummed up by photobucket. Thank heavens for the people that keep these threads alive and whose interest and dedication hasn't waned. I'm so grateful they are here. They still make this place worth visiting. They still make it lots of fun.
Hmmm... didn't mean to have gotten off on such a serious note here, lol.

sirguylittle

I don't really use search much as I never know what I am looking for and just like to browse by category,etc lol.
When I do use the search to find something that I know the name of I do notice that I also can only use a single word, but to use the example by @Symb10sis in point 1 if you get a drop down selection and you want to look at one of them, say Live, Laugh, Love, you need to click actually on the arrow on the right of the drop down entry to go to the store page for that item, like this:

funkeeferret

@sirguylittle, lol, such a simple thing. The arrow. A teeny tiny little arrow to click on.
Search works for me now. I thought I clicked on everything I could have clicked on before, when I was having trouble, but who knows. Thank you! I hope it works for @Symb10sis too and that he may feel as silly as I do now.

TreyNutz

1. I use Google to find Store content. I do a Google search with "Sims 3 Store" then whatever I'm looking for. That's been much more effective for me than to use the Store's search function.

Symb10sis

@funkeeferret I’m glad to meet another person who’s come back after a long sojourn away from The Sims 3! I hope your re-entry into this world has been as wonderful as mine has. I hope to see more of us as time goes on!

I honestly never expected to play this game again, but I bought a new PC back in June, realized that I owned zero PC games and decided to try it out for kicks. Little did I know how much I was going to fall in love with it again.

Like yourself, I've been deeply saddened by all the dead links, the zillions of photos I’ll never get to see (what the plum is wrong with Photobucket?!?), etc…

However, and also like you, I’m also incredibly grateful (and forever indebted to) all the awesome folks who are still here keeping this place alive! I plan on being one of them, in so much as I'm able.

Long Live The Sims 3! Until they make a decent new Sims game, that is…I contemplated buying The Sims 4 during one of these recent sales (Origin seems to be almost demanding that I buy it, even now - the prices keep going down), but then I watch videos of it, get sad, then look at everything I have for The Sims 3 again and my sadness melts away.

I’m honestly surprised that this forum isn’t positively bustling with activity, given how lackluster The Sims 4 turned out to be (IMHO). I know that many people do love TS4, so that’s part of it, but I have a sad feeling that many people just played The Sims 3 for so long that they grew bored and are off playing non-Sims games. Hopefully they'll come back one day as well!

Perhaps in some ways our hiatus’ were a good thing. We get to come back and enjoy the game in its entirety (minus all the heyday stuff, of course) now with a fresh start! I’m personally utterly overwhelmed at the amount of expansions and content I’ve been able to collect these past months and look forward to what I hope will be many years of happy Simming and communicating with all the fine people here (until they get tired of my overly-long posts and boot me out ).

Wow. Now I’ve gone off on a serious note here, lol.


@sirguylittle Thanks for the tip and the handy screenshots! I tried it and it worked for me!

The thing that just boggles my mind to no end, however, is that I had none of these problems prior to about a month before I started this thread. I started playing The Sims 3 and using the Store again back in July (or so) and never had a single issue with searching. I never had to click the arrow (I just used my keyboard down arrow) and I could've sworn that I could type multiple words without issue.

I feel both silly, as @funkeeferret said, yet also deeply perplexed.

Now I don’t know if something got messed up, if I was just lucky for a time, or if I just dreamt it all…

Whichever way happened, thanks again!


@TreyNutz Yes, Google can be a handy friend indeed. It’s just sad to have to use that when a site supposedly has its own built-in search function.

I’m still working on a proper reply to you (and everyone else) in my Origin Sale thread, but I’ve been ill recently and just haven't really been doing anything, sorry.

In fact (and sorry to go way off-topic and into super-serious land here, but I've needed to get this off my chest for awhile now), I was so out of it shortly after Christmas one day that I missed out on getting Lunar Lakes combined with a couple of other sets for 30% off through MMAO. I stupidly clicked “Make Another Offer” before even contemplating it fully. I’ve been hating myself ever since. I keep going over and over what I was thinking in that moment and can’t for the life of me figure it out. The Offer even came with two sets that would have helped me with multiple other CYS cascades (one of which never goes on DD). It essentially boiled down to Lunar Lakes plus five other complete(d) sets for around 3,300 Simpoints, which I doubt I’ll ever see again in my lifetime. The Sim Gods smiled down upon me and I turned my back on them.

To try to compensate (I guess, I’m still not totally here mentally), I impulse-bought Aurora Skies (standard, of course) today when it popped up for 21% off (which seems about average for worlds through MMAO). It was at the bottom on my list for worlds, but it was the first semi-decent MMAO I'd seen since the LL one. I thought I’d feel at least some redemption after my extreme goof with Lunar Lakes.

Sadly, I was wrong and still hate myself for passing on that Lunar Lakes deal. Some day. Hopefully soon.


HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
I wish you all the best year imaginable!