Do you not get the tmp files if you bypass the launcher ?
Hi Crin! Correct. I deleted all the TMP files, and bypass the Launcher and they are not regenerated. If I forget to bypass the Launcher when loading my game, all the DCCache TMP files are back again. Deleting the folder is not an option for extended game play. This is a result of the 1.55 patch.
Thank you so much for the info!
I *just* saw that my DCCache folder had gone from around 2GB to a whopping 5GB and I was TOO P****D!
PIECE OF CRAP LAUNCHER: you irritate me, and you always have. WHY are you so difficult to use? :roll:
Thank goodness I've been bypassing that thing since practically '09!
Bypassing the launcher let's me play, but I now have no way to install .sims3pack files
If you have to install some content, use the Launcher. The same thing goes with removing content from your game. Then close your Launcher and go to your DCCache folder and delete the newly generated .TMP files again. Then start your game with the shortcut .EXE, bypassing the Launcher.
If you have to install some content, use the Launcher. The same thing goes with removing content from your game. Then close your Launcher and go to your DCCache folder and delete the newly generated .TMP files again. Then start your game with the shortcut .EXE, bypassing the Launcher.
What if your launcher won't work? Then there is no way to install sims3pack files. My launcher when it finally does come up says error with startup Check log. I am so annoyed right now!
Thank you so much for the tips! I too have the TMP file issue and it takes forever for the launcher to - well - launch. Then when I start the game I get the black screen before it finally starts to load. I can't wait to try the tips you have provided and will let you know if it makes a difference for me. Fingers and toes crossed.
Okay - so gave it a go. Launched from the TS3W shortcut bypassing the launcher so no tmp files were created. Game seemed to load faster although I still started out with a black screen for about a minute. So the good news is I can bypass the launcher and start up much quicker. FYI - When I remove the DCCACHE files- the launcher starts up immediately. Put them back - forever...So I will be using the shortcut.
Now for the not so good news. Game play did not improve. It is still laggy with occasional freezes that fortunately do recover. And my sims still take forever to change clothes. (I own all EPs and SPs plus most of the store) None of these things were an issue prior to installing the patch and Paradise Island.
This is what just happened: I sent my sim to a party and when she got there, I queued her to go inside and greet one of the guests. Well she just stood outside until I realized she needed to change into the appropriate attire. Ugh. So I paused and un-paused the game for at least 2-3 minutes until she finally changed and went inside. Once inside, I again gave her the action to greet other guests. She walked over to one of them but never did anything. Then I noticed all of the guests were just standing and staring which is when I realized they too needed to change into formal wear. I wanted to scream. Once again I had to pause the game to allow them to 'catch up'. Another couple of minutes. When I un-paused they all spun into formal wear at the same time. (That was actually kind of funny in a sad way) By the time I had this all sorted out the party was over. This is SOOOO irritating. I am not sure what will help with these issues short of solving the problems with the dlc and tmp files plus fixing the routing issues in PI.
Thanks so much for the suggestion. At least starting my game isn't so frustrating right now. Just playing it. :roll:
Thank you so much for this info. I had the duplicate tmp. files in the DCCache and the launcher was taking forever to load, well atleast 5min or so and it would stay greyed out for a bit as well. I have about 4gb of store content.
After deleting the tmp files and using the shortcut instead of the launcher Im able to get in game much faster and the tmp files have not been recreated. It could just be me but I feel like my game loads much faster I get a black screen at first but its only for a few seconds instead of a min. or two like before.
I have deleted all temp files in my DCCache folder after reading this thread. Thank you Crin.
I own the entire store minus about 10 outfits along with all worlds, EP's and SP's. Currently my DCCache file is 6.28 GB and my Download folder contains 7.43 GB full of goodies. Before I deleted the temp files my DCCache file was at 11.8 GB - whoa!
I have very little 3rd party content, 96.6 MB to be exact. Just a few mods and some patterns.
I start my game using the TS3W.exe shortcut as I don't have a TS3.exe. Not much lag time when loading the game but when I enter CAS I can take a nap while it loads and several cat naps while I wait for the outfit/items I choose to appear on my Sim.
Please feel free to add me on Origin. My username is mtglady
Debsilva - if you are using Twallans MasterController you can solve your CAS loading issues. Go to the settings and click on CAS. Then choose the option to show in compact form. It reduces the load time to seconds.
Deleting the TMP files and bypassing the launcher didn't work for me. The game still crashes from CAS when loading clothing thumbnails. Tomorrow I will try MasterController's "collapse outfits" option and see if that fixes it. *fingers crossed*
Deleting the TMP files and bypassing the launcher didn't work for me. The game still crashes from CAS when loading clothing thumbnails. Tomorrow I will try MasterController's "collapse outfits" option and see if that fixes it. *fingers crossed*
If it doesn't work EA has some 'splainin' to do.
MC did not collapse outfits when I set them to "TRUE", so I don't know if it would help or not had it worked. I also tried some gameplay for the first time and noticed that it freezes every second or 2 (not exaggerating, so very frustrating), so the game is very much so unplayable at the moment. Is there a way to get it patched to 1.50 instead of 1.55 if this is on a new hard drive without backups? Everything seemed to load so much faster at patch level 1.50.
Also, I don't get why I'm having trouble on the new hard drive. I had the game patched to 1.55 before the old hard drive stopped working (Windows could not load, and system restores failed.), and the only noticeable difference was a longer load time. I had no trouble using CAS and the game did not lag like this. I was playing Dragon Valley then and now I'm trying Sunlit Tides. Is Sunlit Tides so borked with routing issues that it starts freezing less than a minute into the game? I'll try another neighborhood later, see if that helps any but doubt it.
My DCCache folder is 3.59GB without the .tmp files. My computer has 4GB DDR3 RAM.
For me the issue is space. I have an SSD and the .TMP files are HUGE! I wish I could just delete them but every time they are regenerated by the launcher would lower the lifespan of the drive.
I'm tempted to fill the drive with stuff I want and see what happens when there is no space for these TMP files.
I wish there as an option to turn off the temp files, to those that need them can use them and those that don't don't have to.
Also how do the people posting here afford all the store content. there is $1,000s of dollars worth of stuff.
I agree, how in the heck can people afford pretty much ALL the store stuff. Blows my mind.
I have lots of CC so my DCCache latest number is dcdb63.dbc and growing. Double that with the .tmp files. I wish there was a way to group the .dbc files in order to reduce the number of them.
As soon as I temporarily remove some .dbc's to desktop, the launcher opens in seconds. When all installed it takes close to 5 minutes and I have a very fast high capacity computer. Some day I will attempt a clean up of rarely used CC.
As for Master Controller with an option to compact? Wow, interesting. I may try. Thank you for that information.
I agree, how in the heck can people afford pretty much ALL the store stuff. Blows my mind.
Lindalu and Teasim2 - I don't know about anyone else, but I am retired and own my home free and clear. I also have very little debt. Sims is my hobby so I set aside $$ each month to support this hobby. That is how I now own all EP's/SP's and the entire store to date. I would have had to work a third job if the Sims would have been available when I was younger.
And back to the subject - I have to remember to clean the TMP files out each time after using the launcher. I sure hope they find a fix for the TMP files soon.
Note: MC didn't work for me but wish it did.
Please feel free to add me on Origin. My username is mtglady
Okay I'm on a PC and still hanging on the black screen bypassing the launcher didn't work for me neither did uninstalling Island Paradise deleting the Downloadedsims.index file from the Saved Sims folder also didn't work. I have in my DCBackup only 28 files then in my DCCache I have only 7 files none of them are .temp files and I do have CC. Is there anything I can try next..EA has given me one huge headache.
crinrict i tried deleting all of the .tmp files and bypassing the launcher but i still get the black screen and i tried waiting for the black screen to go away but it won't even after 20-ish hours all my software is up to date so i believe at least the graphics and such bc i just downloaded new ones the other day but urgh is there a way to just reinstall 1.50 as my latest update?????????
Try deleting downloadedsims.index from the savedSims folder (it recreates)
I was having so much trouble and this worked! Thanks a lot!!
I have been having trouble since Patch 1.55 and Island paradise. I have tried everything on the crashing checklist twice. I was able to play for a short time without my store content. It crashes when its 99% loaded. Maybe my system is just too old? XP, geforce 550 ti, 3.25gb
I thought I'd also weigh in in case my experience helps anyone. I recently purchased a new comp with Windows 8.1 already pre-installed. Because of all of the issues we had running TS3 on both Windows Vista & 7, I decided to do a LOT of research to understand what settings I should alter for the TS3 to work best on W8.1, and also what "regular maintenance" actions I should take to keep my game running smoothly. It seems ridiculous that I'd even need to do all that, but it's a reality not only with TS3 but a LOT of EA's PC games.
Some things to take into consideration before I go on. I did research and purchased an off-name (non-namebrand) gaming rig. While my main needs for this system revolve around school, I also wanted it to be able to function at maximum level for almost anything I could throw at it. In addition to school, I also work from home and do a lot of web & graphic design. A gaming rig, if it can handle the highest settings for most games, should also be able to handle any graphic design software I throw at it. That being said, my system has 16GB of RAM (expandable up to 32GB), a heavy-duty graphics card and a TB of hard drive space.
That being said, here is my experience. Regardless of these fixes, TS3 doesn't seem to perform well unless you have a significant amount of RAM available for the game to access and unless you tweak your Windows settings to use and maximize that RAM. It also doesn't seem to perform well unless you DO NOT use the launcher AND perform regular game maintenance.
I experimented with removing the TMP files in the DCCACHE folder on both this new system (a desktop) and 2 older systems (both laptops, one Vista w/ 3GB of RAM and one Win 7 w/ 4GB of RAM. Also, I use cc from tsr.com in my games on all 3 systems, and LOT of it. In all 3 cases here is what I experienced. When you delete these files it does not seem to remove any of your installed cc from the game. However, they WILL regenerate when you open the launcher. It doesn't matter if you use the launcher only to install new cc or to actually launch the game. If you open the launcher for ANY reason, these files regenerate. So if you use the launcher to install cc from any source, you'll need to go back into your EA folder and delete the TMP files that have regenerated BEFORE launching the game either from the launcher or directly from the exe.
The other thing I noticed is that this action alone doesn't help to solve sluggish loading issues. What works best for me is doing this in combination with other maintenance. 2 of the biggest causes (for me) of sluggish loading were leaving things in the Downloads folder after installing (once cc is installed and you've verified installation, you DO NOT need to keep the downloads in the Downloads folder). If you want to back up your downloads that's fine, just do so somewhere else outside of the Downloads folder. The second huge cause of sluggish loading is the Featured Items folder. It ****** me off to NO END that this is now a regular part of the game. If and when I chose to purchase and install cc, I do so as a separate process rather than doing so in-game. It's not that I care to criticize EA for their merchandising and monetization efforts...after all ALL games do this in some way. What bothers me is that EA PC games are known for their constant bugs, and EA has not yet found a way to do this that doesn't hog a lot of RAM or that doesn't loading or performance issues. They take the choice of better performance out of the hands of players in favor of their own needs to make more money. There IS a way around this though, and it has dramatically decreased my loading time and in-game lag (particularly in CAS). EVERYTHING in the Featured Items folder can be deleted. It's not necessary for the game to run. The only problem is, if you are someone who does purchase cc in-game, deleting the thumbnails in the Featured Items folder means those thumbnails won't show in CAS or buy/build mode. But if you don't purchase cc in-game, then those thumbnails serve no purpose and therefore aren't needed. However, if you delete them one time and then play your game, they will regenerate. For the sake of maintenance, you'll need to delete them before each playing session or else change the write permissions of the folder so that writing isn't allowed. Then they won't regenerate regardless. I have opted for this option and it hasn't caused any problems with performance. In fact, it has seriously improved both load time and performance and significantly reduced lag time in CAS.
So recommendations for faster loading (regardless of the kind of system you have):
Purchase & install cc outside of the game
Turn off store settings in-game where possible
Delete TMP files in DCCACHE folder after each instance of opening the launcher
Delete items from "Downloads" section after installing through the launcher
Delete EVERYTHING from the Featured Items folder in the EA / TS3 folder setup
For best results, adjust write permissions to deny writing in the Featured Items folder
Launch game directly from the base game or latest expansion exe file when possible
Delete the following files before each playing session:
- CasPartCache.package
- compositorCache.package
- scriptCache.package
- simCompositorCache.package
- socialCache.package
I know a lot of this stuff has been covered on different forums and wikis across the Web, but it seems that you need to do ALL of them all the time for best results. Just deleting the TMP files in DCCache will not completely resolve slow loading issues. Better to do them all from the start then to try and cherry-pick and get confused on which ones you have or haven't done so that you can better identify the source of performance or lag issues that come up.
And last but not least, is the reality of running TS3 on any Windows machine. Despite the system requirements listed for each game / EP / SP, the nature of TS3 is that most people will at some point want to add more or different content. The reasons differ, and some will argue that it isn't necessary and that the people who install cc and mods bring their performance troubles on themselves. I guess that could be true, but well...it's amazing to me that regular people not employed by EA can create larger variety and more realistic looking styles even though they don't get paid to do so. If EA bothered to understand why people go looking for cc and update their own styles accordingly (and improve overall performance), their really wouldn't be a need for cc or mods offered outside of the official store (end rant).
The main thing to understand, though, is that for many TS3 isn't as fun or interesting if you can't install better looking content and different items that make the environment more realistic. Knowing that, it's safe to assume that a large number of players will at some point install cc or mods that come from sites other than the official store. If you are a person that does this, then you need to realize that the normal system requirements don't apply to you. You WILL need HIGHER requirements in order for your game to function at the optimal level. In my experience, having just 4GB of RAM and / or a mediocre graphics card won't cut it if you plan to purchase every single EP / SP and also add additional cc (from the store or other sources). You'll need MUCH more RAM and hard drive space, you'll need to adjust your Large Address Aware and DEP settings for EACH new EP / SP exe file AND the launcher, and you'll need to perform the above maintenance before each new playing session to minimize stress on your system. So keep that in mind as you encounter slow loading, lag, error code and crash to desktop issues. Those with older systems or systems with 4GB or less of RAM are more likely to experience these issues, as are people who don't do the regular maintenance and who use the launcher to launch the game (which, by the way, hogs RAM separate from the actual game application in the background).
Believe me, I've gone through it ALL with TS3 and have reached out to EA more times than I care to count. They only things that have really helped me get to a point where TS3 is playable for extended periods of time with minimal lag are purchasing a higher-end system with enough RAM and hard drive space to support the base game AND future EPs / SPs, cc and mods, changing LAA & DEP settings for the launcher file, base game exe and ALL EP / SP exe files, bypassing the launcher to load the game and performing the regular maintenance recommended above. My game is playable with almost no lag and for hours on end. I even left the game loaded ALL day yesterday with no lag or crashing to the desktop.
It sucks though, I know it's not possible for everyone who wants to play TS3 to get new gaming rigs despite the fact that this seems to help game performance the most. So the only recommendation I can make in that case is to explore whether you can at least add RAM to your current system. That can help in a lot of cases. If you have between 3 and 4 GB of RAM currently, see if you can expand at all. 4GB is better than nothing, but if you like to play with a lot of cc, mods and EPs / SPs you really do need more for completely uninterrupted play. If you can't expand your RAM and you can't get a new comp entirely, you may need to limit the number of EPs / SPs you purchase or the amount of cc you install, and you'll need to perform the recommended maintenance religiously. That may or may not help. Ultimately, it would be helpful if EA changed its system requirements to reflect exactly how demanding the game (and current / future EPs / SPs and cc) can be on a system. For example, if they set them needed RAM at 3 or 4 GB, it would let players know whether they might encounter performance issues better than their current recommendation of 1.5 to 2 GB of RAM.
Sorry for the long post. I just figured I'd share what I've experienced on 3 different systems with 3 different versions of Windows and doing vs. not doing certain maintenance actions. Hope it helps someone! If anyone would like personal help troubleshooting their issues, feel free to contact me. I can't guarantee that my input or suggestions will help and I'm not an employee of EA or this site, but I've gone through just about every error and performance issue that's been reported and some fixes have helped a lot. I don't take credit for the fixes themselves either. I just feel it's important to pass along useful info it if can help! I know what it's like to have a generations of sims you can't play without a crash or save error...
Comments
My DCCache has only Store Content: 2,97GB.
Thank you so much for the info!
I *just* saw that my DCCache folder had gone from around 2GB to a whopping 5GB and I was TOO P****D!
PIECE OF CRAP LAUNCHER: you irritate me, and you always have. WHY are you so difficult to use? :roll:
Thank goodness I've been bypassing that thing since practically '09!
If you have to install some content, use the Launcher. The same thing goes with removing content from your game. Then close your Launcher and go to your DCCache folder and delete the newly generated .TMP files again. Then start your game with the shortcut .EXE, bypassing the Launcher.
What if your launcher won't work? Then there is no way to install sims3pack files. My launcher when it finally does come up says error with startup Check log. I am so annoyed right now!
Now for the not so good news.
This is what just happened: I sent my sim to a party and when she got there, I queued her to go inside and greet one of the guests. Well she just stood outside until I realized she needed to change into the appropriate attire. Ugh. So I paused and un-paused the game for at least 2-3 minutes until she finally changed and went inside. Once inside, I again gave her the action to greet other guests. She walked over to one of them but never did anything. Then I noticed all of the guests were just standing and staring which is when I realized they too needed to change into formal wear. I wanted to scream. Once again I had to pause the game to allow them to 'catch up'. Another couple of minutes. When I un-paused they all spun into formal wear at the same time. (That was actually kind of funny in a sad way) By the time I had this all sorted out the party was over. This is SOOOO irritating. I am not sure what will help with these issues short of solving the problems with the dlc and tmp files plus fixing the routing issues in PI.
Thanks so much for the suggestion.
Thank you so much for this info. I had the duplicate tmp. files in the DCCache and the launcher was taking forever to load, well atleast 5min or so and it would stay greyed out for a bit as well. I have about 4gb of store content.
After deleting the tmp files and using the shortcut instead of the launcher Im able to get in game much faster and the tmp files have not been recreated. It could just be me but I feel like my game loads much faster I get a black screen at first but its only for a few seconds instead of a min. or two like before.
Ive also not noticed any missing content.
Thanks Crin, I love your help blog.
I have deleted all temp files in my DCCache folder after reading this thread. Thank you Crin.
I own the entire store minus about 10 outfits along with all worlds, EP's and SP's. Currently my DCCache file is 6.28 GB and my Download folder contains 7.43 GB full of goodies. Before I deleted the temp files my DCCache file was at 11.8 GB - whoa!
I have very little 3rd party content, 96.6 MB to be exact. Just a few mods and some patterns.
I start my game using the TS3W.exe shortcut as I don't have a TS3.exe. Not much lag time when loading the game but when I enter CAS I can take a nap while it loads and several cat naps while I wait for the outfit/items I choose to appear on my Sim.
If it doesn't work EA has some 'splainin' to do.
MC did not collapse outfits when I set them to "TRUE", so I don't know if it would help or not had it worked. I also tried some gameplay for the first time and noticed that it freezes every second or 2 (not exaggerating, so very frustrating), so the game is very much so unplayable at the moment. Is there a way to get it patched to 1.50 instead of 1.55 if this is on a new hard drive without backups? Everything seemed to load so much faster at patch level 1.50.
Also, I don't get why I'm having trouble on the new hard drive. I had the game patched to 1.55 before the old hard drive stopped working (Windows could not load, and system restores failed.), and the only noticeable difference was a longer load time. I had no trouble using CAS and the game did not lag like this. I was playing Dragon Valley then and now I'm trying Sunlit Tides. Is Sunlit Tides so borked with routing issues that it starts freezing less than a minute into the game? I'll try another neighborhood later, see if that helps any but doubt it.
My DCCache folder is 3.59GB without the .tmp files. My computer has 4GB DDR3 RAM.
I'm tempted to fill the drive with stuff I want and see what happens when there is no space for these TMP files.
I wish there as an option to turn off the temp files, to those that need them can use them and those that don't don't have to.
Also how do the people posting here afford all the store content. there is $1,000s of dollars worth of stuff.
I have lots of CC so my DCCache latest number is dcdb63.dbc and growing. Double that with the .tmp files. I wish there was a way to group the .dbc files in order to reduce the number of them.
As soon as I temporarily remove some .dbc's to desktop, the launcher opens in seconds. When all installed it takes close to 5 minutes and I have a very fast high capacity computer. Some day I will attempt a clean up of rarely used CC.
As for Master Controller with an option to compact? Wow, interesting. I may try. Thank you for that information.
Lindalu and Teasim2 - I don't know about anyone else, but I am retired and own my home free and clear. I also have very little debt. Sims is my hobby so I set aside $$ each month to support this hobby. That is how I now own all EP's/SP's and the entire store to date. I would have had to work a third job if the Sims would have been available when I was younger.
And back to the subject - I have to remember to clean the TMP files out each time after using the launcher. I sure hope they find a fix for the TMP files soon.
Note: MC didn't work for me but wish it did.
Some things to take into consideration before I go on. I did research and purchased an off-name (non-namebrand) gaming rig. While my main needs for this system revolve around school, I also wanted it to be able to function at maximum level for almost anything I could throw at it. In addition to school, I also work from home and do a lot of web & graphic design. A gaming rig, if it can handle the highest settings for most games, should also be able to handle any graphic design software I throw at it. That being said, my system has 16GB of RAM (expandable up to 32GB), a heavy-duty graphics card and a TB of hard drive space.
That being said, here is my experience. Regardless of these fixes, TS3 doesn't seem to perform well unless you have a significant amount of RAM available for the game to access and unless you tweak your Windows settings to use and maximize that RAM. It also doesn't seem to perform well unless you DO NOT use the launcher AND perform regular game maintenance.
I experimented with removing the TMP files in the DCCACHE folder on both this new system (a desktop) and 2 older systems (both laptops, one Vista w/ 3GB of RAM and one Win 7 w/ 4GB of RAM. Also, I use cc from tsr.com in my games on all 3 systems, and LOT of it. In all 3 cases here is what I experienced. When you delete these files it does not seem to remove any of your installed cc from the game. However, they WILL regenerate when you open the launcher. It doesn't matter if you use the launcher only to install new cc or to actually launch the game. If you open the launcher for ANY reason, these files regenerate. So if you use the launcher to install cc from any source, you'll need to go back into your EA folder and delete the TMP files that have regenerated BEFORE launching the game either from the launcher or directly from the exe.
The other thing I noticed is that this action alone doesn't help to solve sluggish loading issues. What works best for me is doing this in combination with other maintenance. 2 of the biggest causes (for me) of sluggish loading were leaving things in the Downloads folder after installing (once cc is installed and you've verified installation, you DO NOT need to keep the downloads in the Downloads folder). If you want to back up your downloads that's fine, just do so somewhere else outside of the Downloads folder. The second huge cause of sluggish loading is the Featured Items folder. It ****** me off to NO END that this is now a regular part of the game. If and when I chose to purchase and install cc, I do so as a separate process rather than doing so in-game. It's not that I care to criticize EA for their merchandising and monetization efforts...after all ALL games do this in some way. What bothers me is that EA PC games are known for their constant bugs, and EA has not yet found a way to do this that doesn't hog a lot of RAM or that doesn't loading or performance issues. They take the choice of better performance out of the hands of players in favor of their own needs to make more money. There IS a way around this though, and it has dramatically decreased my loading time and in-game lag (particularly in CAS). EVERYTHING in the Featured Items folder can be deleted. It's not necessary for the game to run. The only problem is, if you are someone who does purchase cc in-game, deleting the thumbnails in the Featured Items folder means those thumbnails won't show in CAS or buy/build mode. But if you don't purchase cc in-game, then those thumbnails serve no purpose and therefore aren't needed. However, if you delete them one time and then play your game, they will regenerate. For the sake of maintenance, you'll need to delete them before each playing session or else change the write permissions of the folder so that writing isn't allowed. Then they won't regenerate regardless. I have opted for this option and it hasn't caused any problems with performance. In fact, it has seriously improved both load time and performance and significantly reduced lag time in CAS.
So recommendations for faster loading (regardless of the kind of system you have):
Purchase & install cc outside of the game
Turn off store settings in-game where possible
Delete TMP files in DCCACHE folder after each instance of opening the launcher
Delete items from "Downloads" section after installing through the launcher
Delete EVERYTHING from the Featured Items folder in the EA / TS3 folder setup
For best results, adjust write permissions to deny writing in the Featured Items folder
Launch game directly from the base game or latest expansion exe file when possible
Delete the following files before each playing session:
- CasPartCache.package
- compositorCache.package
- scriptCache.package
- simCompositorCache.package
- socialCache.package
I know a lot of this stuff has been covered on different forums and wikis across the Web, but it seems that you need to do ALL of them all the time for best results. Just deleting the TMP files in DCCache will not completely resolve slow loading issues. Better to do them all from the start then to try and cherry-pick and get confused on which ones you have or haven't done so that you can better identify the source of performance or lag issues that come up.
And last but not least, is the reality of running TS3 on any Windows machine. Despite the system requirements listed for each game / EP / SP, the nature of TS3 is that most people will at some point want to add more or different content. The reasons differ, and some will argue that it isn't necessary and that the people who install cc and mods bring their performance troubles on themselves. I guess that could be true, but well...it's amazing to me that regular people not employed by EA can create larger variety and more realistic looking styles even though they don't get paid to do so. If EA bothered to understand why people go looking for cc and update their own styles accordingly (and improve overall performance), their really wouldn't be a need for cc or mods offered outside of the official store (end rant).
The main thing to understand, though, is that for many TS3 isn't as fun or interesting if you can't install better looking content and different items that make the environment more realistic. Knowing that, it's safe to assume that a large number of players will at some point install cc or mods that come from sites other than the official store. If you are a person that does this, then you need to realize that the normal system requirements don't apply to you. You WILL need HIGHER requirements in order for your game to function at the optimal level. In my experience, having just 4GB of RAM and / or a mediocre graphics card won't cut it if you plan to purchase every single EP / SP and also add additional cc (from the store or other sources). You'll need MUCH more RAM and hard drive space, you'll need to adjust your Large Address Aware and DEP settings for EACH new EP / SP exe file AND the launcher, and you'll need to perform the above maintenance before each new playing session to minimize stress on your system. So keep that in mind as you encounter slow loading, lag, error code and crash to desktop issues. Those with older systems or systems with 4GB or less of RAM are more likely to experience these issues, as are people who don't do the regular maintenance and who use the launcher to launch the game (which, by the way, hogs RAM separate from the actual game application in the background).
Believe me, I've gone through it ALL with TS3 and have reached out to EA more times than I care to count. They only things that have really helped me get to a point where TS3 is playable for extended periods of time with minimal lag are purchasing a higher-end system with enough RAM and hard drive space to support the base game AND future EPs / SPs, cc and mods, changing LAA & DEP settings for the launcher file, base game exe and ALL EP / SP exe files, bypassing the launcher to load the game and performing the regular maintenance recommended above. My game is playable with almost no lag and for hours on end. I even left the game loaded ALL day yesterday with no lag or crashing to the desktop.
It sucks though, I know it's not possible for everyone who wants to play TS3 to get new gaming rigs despite the fact that this seems to help game performance the most. So the only recommendation I can make in that case is to explore whether you can at least add RAM to your current system. That can help in a lot of cases. If you have between 3 and 4 GB of RAM currently, see if you can expand at all. 4GB is better than nothing, but if you like to play with a lot of cc, mods and EPs / SPs you really do need more for completely uninterrupted play. If you can't expand your RAM and you can't get a new comp entirely, you may need to limit the number of EPs / SPs you purchase or the amount of cc you install, and you'll need to perform the recommended maintenance religiously. That may or may not help. Ultimately, it would be helpful if EA changed its system requirements to reflect exactly how demanding the game (and current / future EPs / SPs and cc) can be on a system. For example, if they set them needed RAM at 3 or 4 GB, it would let players know whether they might encounter performance issues better than their current recommendation of 1.5 to 2 GB of RAM.
Sorry for the long post. I just figured I'd share what I've experienced on 3 different systems with 3 different versions of Windows and doing vs. not doing certain maintenance actions. Hope it helps someone! If anyone would like personal help troubleshooting their issues, feel free to contact me. I can't guarantee that my input or suggestions will help and I'm not an employee of EA or this site, but I've gone through just about every error and performance issue that's been reported and some fixes have helped a lot. I don't take credit for the fixes themselves either. I just feel it's important to pass along useful info it if can help! I know what it's like to have a generations of sims you can't play without a crash or save error...