I am mainly a forum lurker, but I must today, take the time to thank you, amjoie, for your very, very helpful and informative post.
I haven't decided if I'll buy Sims4, but I may, instead, do a complete restart of Sims3, with a fresh, clean 'My Docs' folder, re-download store content and start a whole new adventure with all new sims.
I found out that if you have the "don't bug me" in your content patch folder, you can delete it and then start your launcher and you will get the message for the store patch. Click yes and it will then switch over to your downloads area and install all seven. After it finishes, close your launcher and go to your content patch folder and inside the downloads folder will then be all seven patches. I tried it and it worked.
Thank you so much, amjoie, for all this info. I've been waiting for something like this so I can make a proper backup of my Sims 3. I just hope I am savvy enough to do it properly!
I intend to burn it on Discs so it will last. I still have my Sims 2 stuff because I burned it on a disc - but this is more complicated than that ever was.
Thank you so much, amjoie, for all this info. I've been waiting for something like this so I can make a proper backup of my Sims 3. I just hope I am savvy enough to do it properly!
I intend to burn it on Discs so it will last. I still have my Sims 2 stuff because I burned it on a disc - but this is more complicated than that ever was.
Wish me luck!
I'm so pleased that simmers are finding my thread useful. I enjoyed putting it together, but I enjoy knowing people are finding it helpful, even more.
I do recommend burning store content and backups to DVDs. I do this, myself. But I have had DVDs fail, after a few years of normal backup use. And that is why I also save my backups to an external drive, thumb drives, and then keep a backup on my internal drive. Some people might even wish to consider backing up to secure online storage. That is what I mean by redundant backups, on different media.
No one knows where technology will lead us, and it is possible that DVDs and thumb drives will go the way of floppies. With really important data, it pays to spread it around, and hopefully one of the backup media types will survive long enough to prove useful, when needed.
thank you ... need to read this slowly.. a day with out heat wave... then I might have questions
going to put a link to your thread in my question thread... both for my own refrence... but also for others sake
I had made a link in your thread, earlier, but it was in a location easy to miss. So I thank you for linking it again, where it can be more easily seen.
thank you ... need to read this slowly.. a day with out heat wave... then I might have questions
going to put a link to your thread in my question thread... both for my own refrence... but also for others sake
I had made a link in your thread, earlier, but it was in a location easy to miss. So I thank you for linking it again, where it can be more easily seen.
when the heat is over.. I make alink colection in the first post...
it be brilliant if 1 guide thread could get stickied...
edit love your siggy
edit2, a surgestion (that might make it easier for me) ad healines in your posts on page 1 so you relativly easy can figure out what post you need to understand.... I know that would help me.
thank you ... need to read this slowly.. a day with out heat wave... then I might have questions
going to put a link to your thread in my question thread... both for my own refrence... but also for others sake
I had made a link in your thread, earlier, but it was in a location easy to miss. So I thank you for linking it again, where it can be more easily seen.
when the heat is over.. I make alink colection in the first post...
it be brilliant if 1 guide thread could get stickied...
edit love your siggy
edit2, a surgestion (that might make it easier for me) ad healines in your posts on page 1 so you relativly easy can figure out what post you need to understand.... I know that would help me.
You've made an excellent suggestion, and I have given each post a title in larger, bold print. That should make it easier for you to find the links to the superpatch and store patches, and to reference a post where you have a question.
thank you ... need to read this slowly.. a day with out heat wave... then I might have questions
going to put a link to your thread in my question thread... both for my own refrence... but also for others sake
I had made a link in your thread, earlier, but it was in a location easy to miss. So I thank you for linking it again, where it can be more easily seen.
when the heat is over.. I make alink colection in the first post...
it be brilliant if 1 guide thread could get stickied...
edit love your siggy
edit2, a surgestion (that might make it easier for me) ad healines in your posts on page 1 so you relativly easy can figure out what post you need to understand.... I know that would help me.
You've made an excellent suggestion, and I have given each post a title in larger, bold print. That should make it easier for you to find the links to the superpatch and store patches, and to reference a post where you have a question.
thank you
now it be like asking into chapthers in a book
I hope they sticky your thread.... I think it will be good to have a guide in the top
thank you ... need to read this slowly.. a day with out heat wave... then I might have questions
going to put a link to your thread in my question thread... both for my own refrence... but also for others sake
I had made a link in your thread, earlier, but it was in a location easy to miss. So I thank you for linking it again, where it can be more easily seen.
when the heat is over.. I make alink colection in the first post...
it be brilliant if 1 guide thread could get stickied...
edit love your siggy
edit2, a surgestion (that might make it easier for me) ad healines in your posts on page 1 so you relativly easy can figure out what post you need to understand.... I know that would help me.
You've made an excellent suggestion, and I have given each post a title in larger, bold print. That should make it easier for you to find the links to the superpatch and store patches, and to reference a post where you have a question.
thank you
now it be like asking into chapthers in a book
I hope they sticky your thread.... I think it will be good to have a guide in the top
I don't think they sticky regular threads, from regular people posting. I guess people just have to bookmark threads they find useful.
But I would recommend doing a "save as" and then choosing "web page, complete" (NOT just as an html) as the format for saving each page of a thread you wish to keep. That will give you a folder with all the pictures in it, and also an html page you can click to open the thread in your own browser, offline. Or, if you have the option available, you can print a page, using the "save as a PDF" option. Or, you can save to a word document, but you may have to save all the pictures separately and then insert them where they belong among the text in the word document.
No matter which method you use, try to save the threads that are important to you, because we don't know how long they will still be available.
I did want to ask why deleting the World Caches was bad though? I was given to understand (some time ago) that it was good to delete them. So now I am confused.
Amjoie,
Thank you for this great guide! It is so useful, and we should keep it bumped regularly.
I have a question. I already keep a nice download file using HollownessDevours guide to Own the Store. I don't understand your part about the folder "Install First" items. I have been looking around, and can't find more info on this. Can you point me in the right direction on these items? Are they just the items with added textures? I install all my full sets, and then single non-set items, then the itmes from sets I haven't completed, so as to have no overlap.
I have so much stuff in game now, I sometimes wonder if its all there! I don't want to miss anything! So please let me know about these items that should be installed separately first.
I do very little to look after my files as I'm not that technical and can't be bothered TBH (ironic since my husband is a techie) but this will be extremely helpful and I almost feel I should do it cos you've put so much time and effort into it.
I did want to ask why deleting the World Caches was bad though? I was given to understand (some time ago) that it was good to delete them. So now I am confused.
Well, that used to work, but the game has changed. Each patch has given us new rules, it seems. Sigh.
I had a save I tried to transfer from an old game to a factory reset game with a newly installed DCCache/DCBackup of all my store things, including worlds. The old save would not open.
Since I still had the complete old game, I substituted the old world files from InstalledWorlds and the save still didn't open. But once I added both the old InstalledWorlds file and the old world files from the WorldCaches, the old save opened.
This may be an odd circumstance, rather than the rule. Or it may now be how things will always work, now. I cannot say. But I can tell you, for a fact, that the old world files in both WorldCaches and InstalledWorlds are needed for some old saves, because of my experience. So, when I keep a save of a store world, I also include both the WorldCaches and InstalledWorlds files.
Amjoie,
Thank you for this great guide! It is so useful, and we should keep it bumped regularly.
I have a question. I already keep a nice download file using HollownessDevours guide to Own the Store. I don't understand your part about the folder "Install First" items. I have been looking around, and can't find more info on this. Can you point me in the right direction on these items? Are they just the items with added textures? I install all my full sets, and then single non-set items, then the itmes from sets I haven't completed, so as to have no overlap.
I have so much stuff in game now, I sometimes wonder if its all there! I don't want to miss anything! So please let me know about these items that should be installed separately first.
Anyway, thanks again!
The "install first" items are two objects with two textures that will not show up in your game if they are only installed with the set they are supposed to come with, because the textures are missing in the set (but present in the objects downloaded individually). So, you have to download and and install those two items separately, in order for the textures to show up. Otherwise you get blank icons, where the textures are supposed to be.
And the separately downloaded objects with the textures have to be installed BEFORE the set they came with, or the textures will not be recognized, because the Launcher will just say they have already been installed the set (when they weren't). So I install those two objects first, to make sure the textures will be recognized in my game.
I'll get you pics of the two items, once the store pages stop acting wonky. Stand by, for an edit in this reply, with the two pics.
edit: Here are the pics. I'll add them to the first page in a minute, also.
Or this chair would work, too, because it has the same textures included:
This is incredible! The time it must have taken you... :shock:
I shall copy all for easy access, and chew through it calmly next week end. This will be such a help for lots of people! Thank you!!!
I did want to ask why deleting the World Caches was bad though? I was given to understand (some time ago) that it was good to delete them. So now I am confused.
Well, that used to work, but the game has changed. Each patch has given us new rules, it seems. Sigh.
I had a save I tried to transfer from an old game to a factory reset game with a newly installed DCCache/DCBackup of all my store things, including worlds. The old save would not open.
Since I still had the complete old game, I substituted the old world files from InstalledWorlds and the save still didn't open. But once I added both the old InstalledWorlds file and the old world files from the WorldCaches, the old save opened.
This may be an odd circumstance, rather than the rule. Or it may now be how things will always work, now. I cannot say. But I can tell you, for a fact, that the old world files in both WorldCaches and InstalledWorlds are needed for some old saves, because of my experience. So, when I keep a save of a store world, I also include both the WorldCaches and InstalledWorlds files.
I do delete the World Caches and havn't seen any problems....
on the other hand when I forget it I don't se problems either (like I did before) so I might go to a delete them if problems strategy....
I did want to ask why deleting the World Caches was bad though? I was given to understand (some time ago) that it was good to delete them. So now I am confused.
Well, that used to work, but the game has changed. Each patch has given us new rules, it seems. Sigh.
...
This may be an odd circumstance, rather than the rule. Or it may now be how things will always work, now. I cannot say. But I can tell you, for a fact, that the old world files in both WorldCaches and InstalledWorlds are needed for some old saves, because of my experience. So, when I keep a save of a store world, I also include both the WorldCaches and InstalledWorlds files.
I see, thank you for explaining! You are always so helpful.
I do delete the World Caches and havn't seen any problems....
on the other hand when I forget it I don't se problems either (like I did before) so I might go to a delete them if problems strategy....
it is very confusing that it changes all the time
I think I will adopt this strategy, as well. I have definitely had saves in the past that improved a lot when I deleted the caches, so I've been deleting the world caches every play session, along with the standard five. But you are right, I have not seen problems (in general) like before, either.
This is not directly related but I figured I'd ask while I was thinking of it. Does anyone know what it means when the family photo for your save game is blank, even though you have a family?
This is not directly related but I figured I'd ask while I was thinking of it. Does anyone know what it means when the family photo for your save game is blank, even though you have a family?
Well, it shouldn't be happening, and might be an indication the save is getting old in the tooth. But it may be nothing more than a thumbnail issue. Backup your game, first. And then try sliding the Thumbnail folder to your desktop. This will force the game to re-create all new thumbnails for everything. It will take a while for the game to redo them all, so the first time you open the buy/build you will get a pause while it does.
If that doesn't work, then go to the "choose a new family" button and click on it. Choose your same family over again. That will also force a new thumbnail for the family. But doing it that way will cause you to lose your wants and etc, so is not the preferred method. It will likely work, however.
If that doesn't work, then you should consider saving the family to your Library bin, both only as a family and also as a family inside their house. Then try placing them in a new world, both as the family by itself into a different home and also the family inside their home, to see if they show up in that world with a thumbnail one way or the other. If they do, both ways, then you know the family itself is fine, and it is something about the old save.
If they don't, then in that new save, try splitting up the family, moving out just one family member, saving that family member to the Library bin, and then moving them back into the family, immediately. That should cause the game to rethink the family thumbnail. If that works in the new save, then try doing the same thing in the old save. If it doesn't work, then save each family member to the Library bin, individually, and try placing them individually into a new home, merging as you go, until you have the whole family re-merged into a new home. If the thumbnail works, then, try moving the whole merged family back into the old house, and see if you still get the family thumbnail. If you do, then try doing the same thing in your old save, and see if that works.
NOTE: If you have plumbots in your family, before trying anything that involves splitting families, have the plumbot remove all trait chips and store the trait chips in a WA chest. If you do not, the bots might lose their trait chips when the family is split up, depending on how it was split.
Alternately, in your old save, you could try evicting the family while in edit mode (save the blank house to the Library bin, while it's empty), and then putting them immediately back into their home. Or you could try, while in edit mode, moving the family home (with the family in it) to another lot and then back again to the same lot they were in, before. Both of those things should kick up a new thumbnail.
If none of those things work, then try a "save as" of the save, and open the new saved version of your game. That might force the game to rethink the save, and generate a new thumbnail.
If nothing above works, then I would conclude the problem is deeper than a thumbnail issue, and you need to consider the possibility that you should try playing your family in a new save in a fresh world, because the old save is likely already on the long slide toward its demise.
I did want to ask why deleting the World Caches was bad though? I was given to understand (some time ago) that it was good to delete them. So now I am confused.
Well, that used to work, but the game has changed. Each patch has given us new rules, it seems. Sigh.
...
This may be an odd circumstance, rather than the rule. Or it may now be how things will always work, now. I cannot say. But I can tell you, for a fact, that the old world files in both WorldCaches and InstalledWorlds are needed for some old saves, because of my experience. So, when I keep a save of a store world, I also include both the WorldCaches and InstalledWorlds files.
I see, thank you for explaining! You are always so helpful.
I do delete the World Caches and havn't seen any problems....
on the other hand when I forget it I don't se problems either (like I did before) so I might go to a delete them if problems strategy....
it is very confusing that it changes all the time
I think I will adopt this strategy, as well. I have definitely had saves in the past that improved a lot when I deleted the caches, so I've been deleting the world caches every play session, along with the standard five. But you are right, I have not seen problems (in general) like before, either.
I'm going to tell you a little secret. I have never deleted ANY caches. I heard people talking about how it was absolutely necessary, but I never had a problem, so I never deleted them. My game has always run just fine, on the same old caches that it started with, and all has been well, all these years that I have played my game.
I have concluded that the reason I don't have many of the problems other people have is that I play with story progression turned off, I play with aging turned off, and I use awesome mod to depopulate a world before I start playing the world. Then I add a minimum of my own sims to populate the world, and play sparsely populated worlds, with a minimum of NPCs.
I think that means I have a healthy world, and all the caches stay "young" rather than being enmeshed in ever greater overflow of data, each game session. A lean, mean game just runs better, all the way around.
But for some people, story progression is what makes the game interesting. So they should play with it on. And some people like the world aging around them, so they should leave aging on. Some people are only happy in heavily populated worlds. Everyone has to make their own choices about how to play their game.
So, if deleting caches helps with the way you play your game, well, then do it.
But, from my perspective, if the only way you can get your game to play properly is to delete the caches before every play session, then your world isn't healthy. And I would start asking myself WHY the world isn't healthy. What is corrupting those caches, and why is it happening?
I would be troubleshooting my world to see which cache is persistently corrupting, by throwing only one away at a time until I found the stinker(s). Then I would play with and without mods, to see if the corruption is still occurring, mod-free. In short, I wouldn't accept corrupted caches as something "normal" for the game. From my experience, it isn't normal for caches to corrupt like that.
Comments
I haven't decided if I'll buy Sims4, but I may, instead, do a complete restart of Sims3, with a fresh, clean 'My Docs' folder, re-download store content and start a whole new adventure with all new sims.
Thank you again.
I intend to burn it on Discs so it will last. I still have my Sims 2 stuff because I burned it on a disc - but this is more complicated than that ever was.
Wish me luck!
I'm so pleased that simmers are finding my thread useful. I enjoyed putting it together, but I enjoy knowing people are finding it helpful, even more.
I do recommend burning store content and backups to DVDs. I do this, myself. But I have had DVDs fail, after a few years of normal backup use. And that is why I also save my backups to an external drive, thumb drives, and then keep a backup on my internal drive. Some people might even wish to consider backing up to secure online storage. That is what I mean by redundant backups, on different media.
No one knows where technology will lead us, and it is possible that DVDs and thumb drives will go the way of floppies. With really important data, it pays to spread it around, and hopefully one of the backup media types will survive long enough to prove useful, when needed.
thank you ... need to read this slowly.. a day with out heat wave... then I might have questions
going to put a link to your thread in my question thread... both for my own refrence... but also for others sake
I had made a link in your thread, earlier, but it was in a location easy to miss. So I thank you for linking it again, where it can be more easily seen.
when the heat is over.. I make alink colection in the first post...
it be brilliant if 1 guide thread could get stickied...
edit love your siggy
edit2, a surgestion (that might make it easier for me) ad healines in your posts on page 1 so you relativly easy can figure out what post you need to understand.... I know that would help me.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
http://tinyurl.com/rosemow
My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
You've made an excellent suggestion, and I have given each post a title in larger, bold print. That should make it easier for you to find the links to the superpatch and store patches, and to reference a post where you have a question.
thank you
now it be like asking into chapthers in a book
I hope they sticky your thread.... I think it will be good to have a guide in the top
I don't think they sticky regular threads, from regular people posting. I guess people just have to bookmark threads they find useful.
But I would recommend doing a "save as" and then choosing "web page, complete" (NOT just as an html) as the format for saving each page of a thread you wish to keep. That will give you a folder with all the pictures in it, and also an html page you can click to open the thread in your own browser, offline. Or, if you have the option available, you can print a page, using the "save as a PDF" option. Or, you can save to a word document, but you may have to save all the pictures separately and then insert them where they belong among the text in the word document.
No matter which method you use, try to save the threads that are important to you, because we don't know how long they will still be available.
and they do some times sticky helpfull threads made by the comunity... so we could try and ask them to sticky this.
both Smashes guide to cash cards and the Landing Pad and the birthday thread is player created.... and I know there are more
I did want to ask why deleting the World Caches was bad though? I was given to understand (some time ago) that it was good to delete them. So now I am confused.
Thank you for this great guide! It is so useful, and we should keep it bumped regularly.
I have a question. I already keep a nice download file using HollownessDevours guide to Own the Store. I don't understand your part about the folder "Install First" items. I have been looking around, and can't find more info on this. Can you point me in the right direction on these items? Are they just the items with added textures? I install all my full sets, and then single non-set items, then the itmes from sets I haven't completed, so as to have no overlap.
I have so much stuff in game now, I sometimes wonder if its all there! I don't want to miss anything! So please let me know about these items that should be installed separately first.
Anyway, thanks again!
I do very little to look after my files as I'm not that technical and can't be bothered TBH (ironic since my husband is a techie) but this will be extremely helpful and I almost feel I should do it cos you've put so much time and effort into it.
Eternally grateful
Hx
Well, that used to work, but the game has changed. Each patch has given us new rules, it seems. Sigh.
I had a save I tried to transfer from an old game to a factory reset game with a newly installed DCCache/DCBackup of all my store things, including worlds. The old save would not open.
Since I still had the complete old game, I substituted the old world files from InstalledWorlds and the save still didn't open. But once I added both the old InstalledWorlds file and the old world files from the WorldCaches, the old save opened.
This may be an odd circumstance, rather than the rule. Or it may now be how things will always work, now. I cannot say. But I can tell you, for a fact, that the old world files in both WorldCaches and InstalledWorlds are needed for some old saves, because of my experience. So, when I keep a save of a store world, I also include both the WorldCaches and InstalledWorlds files.
The "install first" items are two objects with two textures that will not show up in your game if they are only installed with the set they are supposed to come with, because the textures are missing in the set (but present in the objects downloaded individually). So, you have to download and and install those two items separately, in order for the textures to show up. Otherwise you get blank icons, where the textures are supposed to be.
And the separately downloaded objects with the textures have to be installed BEFORE the set they came with, or the textures will not be recognized, because the Launcher will just say they have already been installed the set (when they weren't). So I install those two objects first, to make sure the textures will be recognized in my game.
I'll get you pics of the two items, once the store pages stop acting wonky. Stand by, for an edit in this reply, with the two pics.
edit: Here are the pics. I'll add them to the first page in a minute, also.
Or this chair would work, too, because it has the same textures included:
I shall copy all for easy access, and chew through it calmly next week end. This will be such a help for lots of people! Thank you!!!
I do delete the World Caches and havn't seen any problems....
on the other hand when I forget it I don't se problems either (like I did before) so I might go to a delete them if problems strategy....
it is very confusing that it changes all the time
I see, thank you for explaining! You are always so helpful.
I think I will adopt this strategy, as well. I have definitely had saves in the past that improved a lot when I deleted the caches, so I've been deleting the world caches every play session, along with the standard five. But you are right, I have not seen problems (in general) like before, either.
Well, it shouldn't be happening, and might be an indication the save is getting old in the tooth. But it may be nothing more than a thumbnail issue. Backup your game, first. And then try sliding the Thumbnail folder to your desktop. This will force the game to re-create all new thumbnails for everything. It will take a while for the game to redo them all, so the first time you open the buy/build you will get a pause while it does.
If that doesn't work, then go to the "choose a new family" button and click on it. Choose your same family over again. That will also force a new thumbnail for the family. But doing it that way will cause you to lose your wants and etc, so is not the preferred method. It will likely work, however.
If that doesn't work, then you should consider saving the family to your Library bin, both only as a family and also as a family inside their house. Then try placing them in a new world, both as the family by itself into a different home and also the family inside their home, to see if they show up in that world with a thumbnail one way or the other. If they do, both ways, then you know the family itself is fine, and it is something about the old save.
If they don't, then in that new save, try splitting up the family, moving out just one family member, saving that family member to the Library bin, and then moving them back into the family, immediately. That should cause the game to rethink the family thumbnail. If that works in the new save, then try doing the same thing in the old save. If it doesn't work, then save each family member to the Library bin, individually, and try placing them individually into a new home, merging as you go, until you have the whole family re-merged into a new home. If the thumbnail works, then, try moving the whole merged family back into the old house, and see if you still get the family thumbnail. If you do, then try doing the same thing in your old save, and see if that works.
NOTE: If you have plumbots in your family, before trying anything that involves splitting families, have the plumbot remove all trait chips and store the trait chips in a WA chest. If you do not, the bots might lose their trait chips when the family is split up, depending on how it was split.
Alternately, in your old save, you could try evicting the family while in edit mode (save the blank house to the Library bin, while it's empty), and then putting them immediately back into their home. Or you could try, while in edit mode, moving the family home (with the family in it) to another lot and then back again to the same lot they were in, before. Both of those things should kick up a new thumbnail.
If none of those things work, then try a "save as" of the save, and open the new saved version of your game. That might force the game to rethink the save, and generate a new thumbnail.
If nothing above works, then I would conclude the problem is deeper than a thumbnail issue, and you need to consider the possibility that you should try playing your family in a new save in a fresh world, because the old save is likely already on the long slide toward its demise.
I'm going to tell you a little secret. I have never deleted ANY caches. I heard people talking about how it was absolutely necessary, but I never had a problem, so I never deleted them. My game has always run just fine, on the same old caches that it started with, and all has been well, all these years that I have played my game.
I have concluded that the reason I don't have many of the problems other people have is that I play with story progression turned off, I play with aging turned off, and I use awesome mod to depopulate a world before I start playing the world. Then I add a minimum of my own sims to populate the world, and play sparsely populated worlds, with a minimum of NPCs.
I think that means I have a healthy world, and all the caches stay "young" rather than being enmeshed in ever greater overflow of data, each game session. A lean, mean game just runs better, all the way around.
But for some people, story progression is what makes the game interesting. So they should play with it on. And some people like the world aging around them, so they should leave aging on. Some people are only happy in heavily populated worlds. Everyone has to make their own choices about how to play their game.
So, if deleting caches helps with the way you play your game, well, then do it.
But, from my perspective, if the only way you can get your game to play properly is to delete the caches before every play session, then your world isn't healthy. And I would start asking myself WHY the world isn't healthy. What is corrupting those caches, and why is it happening?
I would be troubleshooting my world to see which cache is persistently corrupting, by throwing only one away at a time until I found the stinker(s). Then I would play with and without mods, to see if the corruption is still occurring, mod-free. In short, I wouldn't accept corrupted caches as something "normal" for the game. From my experience, it isn't normal for caches to corrupt like that.