> @igazor said: > @JBeil - Have you tried what was suggested with regard to running the game without the Steam client involved at all? And disabling Win 10's Game Bar and Game Mode (many older games just do not get along with these features)?
I've been running directly from TSW3.exe all this time, just tried without Game Mode, no change, even after a fresh install.
@JBeil - Well, that's unexpected and I am sure annoying. But if you stay with us, I bet we can get this solved or at least find the cause. You mentioned Nvidia Catalyst Control prior. That's a mismatch in terms, Catalyst Control is for AMD graphics cards, not Nvidia. What kind of graphics card do you have?
@puzzlezaddict I don’t understand how I upload the dxdiag to pastebin.com. Shall I copy the text and paste it under «New Paste»? Do I need to make an account first? How do I share it afterwards?
Yes, what is being asked for is a New Paste. The free version of Pastebin's service is fine, no account creation is needed.
Once you get the link. you will need to pad it with some spaces or disguise it like this so you can put it into a message reply here:
www(dot)pastebin(dot)com/ (some codes)
@JBeil - The driver for your Nvidia card is from 2017 (?!) and I believe your Win 10 build is newer than that, I would think that the drivers really need an update by now. A good place to go for those would be Acer, the computer's manufacturer.
You have dual graphics and will also want to make sure, using the Nvidia Control Panel and a profile for TS3w.exe (with the "w" as this is a Patch 1/67/Steam install) that the game is using the correct, high performance card and not the Intel. Does your DeviceConfig.log, in your TS3 user game folder in Documents, indicate which card is being used?
Once confirmed that the game is using the Nvidia card, you will want to check your frame rates in-game using the fps on cheat code to make sure that they aren't running wildly high over the refresh rate of your monitor, or 60 fps for 60 Hz. Vertical sync and triple buffering, again through the Nvidia Control Panel on a profile for TS3w.exe, might help to lock the fps in but only in full screen mode. There are other tools we can recommend if this is not happening, some cards and systems can be more stubborn about this than others.
Whatever else GeForce might be doing, it may be getting in the way. If you have used it to optimize or control the game n any way, that should be undone. I don't have an Nvidia card on my end, mine are all AMD, so I'll have to ask if others here with more Nvidia experience see anything else in the dxdiag or have any further suggestions.
Log file lists the Geforce adapter - the 'zero' graphics card is just the onboard GPU from the motherboard.
FPS seems to be running between 130-200 fps, at the higher end of that during active play. Why would this stop the game from accepting clicks while focused or maximised?
Log file lists the Geforce adapter - the 'zero' graphics card is just the onboard GPU from the motherboard.
FPS seems to be running between 130-200 fps, at the higher end of that during active play. Why would this stop the game from accepting clicks while focused or maximised?
To be perfectly honest, I have no idea. But allowing a card to deliver consistent fps rates over that which your monitor can possibly interpret is a form of digital noise and will lead to other more familiar issues like graphics glitches, lag, screen tears, poor overall performance, crashes, and can ultimately damage the card and the system board on which it is installed by making it work too hard for no reason. The fps rates really do need to be addressed regardless as to whether they are the direct source of the click-input issues and we can't really rule this out as a potential cause until they are locked in properly. If you have a 60 Hz monitor, the upper limit on fps should be no higher than 60 fps. If you have a 144 Hz monitor, then 144 fps (although lower is okay too). And so on for other refresh rates.
The underlying reason why this is so significant for TS3 in particular is that unlike more modern games, TS3 has no functional built-in fps limiter. Even TS4 has one.
Guess it could be a coincidence, but I'm starting to not understand why players on Acer systems are suddenly reporting game-breaking issues and pushing back on the strong suggestions to fix the fps rates, also GeForce Experience keeps getting mentioned when it is known that certain of its features cause issues with older games. But for now we have to keep providing the same advice because it does work for most other players and we aren't aware of any Acer-specific problems that would be preventing the game from performing more like it should.
Hi I’m new here. But I have a crazy question. I previously had sims 3 through origin. I couldn’t play this version anymore so I got Sims 3 Complete Edition. I did not uninstall the previous game because I thought they would be somehow attached and I’d lose my families. Basically, since I have double the folders for each game, I don’t know where to put my mods/cc and framework setup folders. Don’t know if this is an easy fix or even common knowledge but the complete version is not in a folder titled Electronic Arts. The complete version I got is under just The Sims 3 Complete Edition. Every instruction I can find for the framework setup says in the Electronic Arts folder, NOT just the game title. Hopefully someone can help me because I am just so confused. Thanks in advance 😀
@Fruity_pebbles19 - Uh-oh. I'm afraid there is no legitimate product called The Sims 3 Complete Edition or anything similar. What you acquired would be a pirated version of the game packaged up into a single item and offered for sale by unauthorized parties. Pirated games can generally not be patched up to current patch levels (if they are left behind on 1.63 or something prior like that) and many of them cannot be modded. Nor can they be supported, especially on a forum run by EA. Hope it wasn't too expensive, but maybe depending on wherever or however you purchased it, you can ask for a refund as you were sold a product that is not what it might have claimed to be?
Perhaps as a different conversation we can talk about why your Origin install is no longer working for you and what can be done to help fix that.
@JBeil Just to piggyback off of what igazor said, you really do need to update your GPU drivers. Your dxdiag lists one crash of an .exe related to the Nvidia Control Panel, and two of the Sims 3 crashes are likely related to the GPU driver as well. This may or may not be related to the issue with clicking, but it should be addressed either way.
Unfortunately, Acer doesn't offer newer drivers for either the Intel chip or the Nvidia card—you have the most recent versions of both. But you can download updated ones from Intel and Nvidia. Start with the Intel driver. This is the latest stable driver (not the newer beta) from Intel:
Run the installer as an admin, as in, right-click on the download and select "Run as administrator." Do not install the driver through GeForce Experience: there's an issue with the Nvidia Control Panel disappearing, often when GFE handles the install process. Select "perform a clean installation," and install ONLY the driver and the PHYSX software, plus anything else that can't be deselected. If you want GFE or another feature, you can add it later, but it's better to test first with the minimum number of components.
Restart your computer again, right-click on the desktop, and select the Nvidia Control Panel. (If it's not there, you can install it through the Microsoft store.) Select Manage 3D Settings, then Program Settings, find TS3W.exe (with the W) on the list of programs or add it, set vertical sync and triple buffering to On, click Apply, and close the CP. Then launch Sims 3 and test both the clicking and the framerates. Use fullscreen mode for now; you can switch to windowed mode later.
Log file lists the Geforce adapter - the 'zero' graphics card is just the onboard GPU from the motherboard.
FPS seems to be running between 130-200 fps, at the higher end of that during active play. Why would this stop the game from accepting clicks while focused or maximised?
To be perfectly honest, I have no idea. But allowing a card to deliver consistent fps rates over that which your monitor can possibly interpret is a form of digital noise and will lead to other more familiar issues like graphics glitches, lag, screen tears, poor overall performance, crashes, and can ultimately damage the card and the system board on which it is installed by making it work too hard for no reason. The fps rates really do need to be addressed regardless as to whether they are the direct source of the click-input issues and we can't really rule this out as a potential cause until they are locked in properly. If you have a 60 Hz monitor, the upper limit on fps should be no higher than 60 fps. If you have a 144 Hz monitor, then 144 fps (although lower is okay too). And so on for other refresh rates.
The underlying reason why this is so significant for TS3 in particular is that unlike more modern games, TS3 has no functional built-in fps limiter. Even TS4 has one.
Guess it could be a coincidence, but I'm starting to not understand why players on Acer systems are suddenly reporting game-breaking issues and pushing back on the strong suggestions to fix the fps rates, also GeForce Experience keeps getting mentioned when it is known that certain of its features cause issues with older games. But for now we have to keep providing the same advice because it does work for most other players and we aren't aware of any Acer-specific problems that would be preventing the game from performing more like it should.
I have an Acer Predator and have had issues with TS3 for months and have posted here, Origin's forum, as well as using the Help Chat function, and getting assistance is pretty difficult to none. My fps also waivers between 140-200 (144 monitor), which seems to be lower than what some of the other people are experiencing. I also did the limiting on the Nvidia control panel, as well as the other designations you told someone else to do and now the game crashes. It runs slightly better as far as lags but right now I've been in "Edit Town" quite a bit and most of the time (since I've made those changes), the game crashes to desktop when I exit to the NH view to save. Before making those changes, I got lags that were progressively worse the longer I played in Build or CAS but it rarely crashed.
The game has been laggy since I purchased the PC, even though it is/was literally the same game from my 12 year old Vista that didn't lag much. I've created a new game file, as well as playing saves from the old PC. I've seen posts of people with Acers having problems but it didn't seem they were ever solved on these various forums.
I also run into a problem every time I start the game because Origin pops up with a screen saying I need to update or play without updating. Old game....there is no update. Duh. I've even clicked on the update option but it literally does nothing. So I click Play Without Updating and I can get into the game. It's an annoyance more than anything but it would be really great if it didn't do it! It's been going on for a few months and Origin has been updated several times (of course). And because there are problems with Origin, I've also done the "hard"uninstall at least once a month. The only thing I've yet to do is completely uninstall TS3. This last update caused pretty much all of the old free games from Origin to say they need updating only to click the button, have all of my information and progress disappear and then having it still say to update. SMH
Anyway, just coming in as another Acer user to see if there are similarities that might make it easier to pinpoint why we're having problems.
I've installed an FPS limiter set to 60 from nexusmods, included below.
It seems to have solved the issue, so the key problem was apparently the excessive frame rate TS3 was running at. I'm also going to update my drivers, but if anyone else has the issue of their game not registering clicks, consider installing this FPS limiter in your /Game/Bin folder.
And yes, a third (or would that be fourth?) party FPS limiter is one way to go, but our standard recommendation remains vertical sync/triple buffering through the Nvidia Control Panel and then Nvidia Inspector for when the NCP needs a bit more help to cap things or for when windowed mode is required, but I don't think we managed to get to that secondary helper phase yet. There are also trusted alternatives like RivaTuner and MSI Afterburner for those who require them and equivalents available for AMD cards. But really at the end of the day it doesn't matter so much which particular tools are used to get those fps rates capped properly as long as they are successful in doing so and the game's performance improves or it just plain works where it might not have before. Hopefully you can soon get back to enjoying your game again now.
I have to wonder if Acer is including some kind of emergency but seemingly arbitrary 200 fps cap for dedicated cards within its BIOS on certain models or something like that since that number keeps getting mentioned. If so, that's not enough of a cap for TS3 to keep things in sync for those on less than 200 Hz monitors which is probably mostly everyone, but it is likely more intended to help prevent GPUs from working so hard for no reason to the extent that they burn out as can easily be the case with higher end cards on programs/games that do not provide this protection themselves. But that's just a theory, I have no real evidence of this, and it's maybe better left for another day to explore.
For those following along here or coming across this discussion later on, the allegation from a player above that assistance with this game is too difficult to come by is unfounded at this time. A few of us who enjoy helping our fellow players are still here and on a number of other support sites; we're not going anywhere. Not going to comment on what can be the varying quality of EA Tech Support, that of course we mere mortals have no control over. But when a player childishly treats us as if we were absolute garbage and likes to hurl personal insults at us for their own amusement, I'm afraid that we do tend to ignore their subsequent requests for help so it may only seem like no one is really listening at times.
@igazor, thank you for the new thread that you went and created. I just changed my "new member" introduction that I post over on the Activity page but I didn't see the new thread when I had posted for it today...
Comments
> @JBeil - Have you tried what was suggested with regard to running the game without the Steam client involved at all? And disabling Win 10's Game Bar and Game Mode (many older games just do not get along with these features)?
I've been running directly from TSW3.exe all this time, just tried without Game Mode, no change, even after a fresh install.
Have we asked for a dxdiag yet? If not, please run one if you could, send it up to Pastebin.com (the free version is fine, no account creation needed), and provide a link to it broken up with some spaces so we can read it.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
Once you get the link. you will need to pad it with some spaces or disguise it like this so you can put it into a message reply here:
www(dot)pastebin(dot)com/ (some codes)
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
https://pastebin.com/XPUHjwzg
You have dual graphics and will also want to make sure, using the Nvidia Control Panel and a profile for TS3w.exe (with the "w" as this is a Patch 1/67/Steam install) that the game is using the correct, high performance card and not the Intel. Does your DeviceConfig.log, in your TS3 user game folder in Documents, indicate which card is being used?
Once confirmed that the game is using the Nvidia card, you will want to check your frame rates in-game using the fps on cheat code to make sure that they aren't running wildly high over the refresh rate of your monitor, or 60 fps for 60 Hz. Vertical sync and triple buffering, again through the Nvidia Control Panel on a profile for TS3w.exe, might help to lock the fps in but only in full screen mode. There are other tools we can recommend if this is not happening, some cards and systems can be more stubborn about this than others.
Whatever else GeForce might be doing, it may be getting in the way. If you have used it to optimize or control the game n any way, that should be undone. I don't have an Nvidia card on my end, mine are all AMD, so I'll have to ask if others here with more Nvidia experience see anything else in the dxdiag or have any further suggestions.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
FPS seems to be running between 130-200 fps, at the higher end of that during active play. Why would this stop the game from accepting clicks while focused or maximised?
The underlying reason why this is so significant for TS3 in particular is that unlike more modern games, TS3 has no functional built-in fps limiter. Even TS4 has one.
Guess it could be a coincidence, but I'm starting to not understand why players on Acer systems are suddenly reporting game-breaking issues and pushing back on the strong suggestions to fix the fps rates, also GeForce Experience keeps getting mentioned when it is known that certain of its features cause issues with older games. But for now we have to keep providing the same advice because it does work for most other players and we aren't aware of any Acer-specific problems that would be preventing the game from performing more like it should.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
Perhaps as a different conversation we can talk about why your Origin install is no longer working for you and what can be done to help fix that.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
Unfortunately, Acer doesn't offer newer drivers for either the Intel chip or the Nvidia card—you have the most recent versions of both. But you can download updated ones from Intel and Nvidia. Start with the Intel driver. This is the latest stable driver (not the newer beta) from Intel:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/29557/Intel-Graphics-Windows-10-DCH-Drivers?product=134876
Restart your computer and download the newest Nvidia driver:
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/159424/en-us
Run the installer as an admin, as in, right-click on the download and select "Run as administrator." Do not install the driver through GeForce Experience: there's an issue with the Nvidia Control Panel disappearing, often when GFE handles the install process. Select "perform a clean installation," and install ONLY the driver and the PHYSX software, plus anything else that can't be deselected. If you want GFE or another feature, you can add it later, but it's better to test first with the minimum number of components.
Restart your computer again, right-click on the desktop, and select the Nvidia Control Panel. (If it's not there, you can install it through the Microsoft store.) Select Manage 3D Settings, then Program Settings, find TS3W.exe (with the W) on the list of programs or add it, set vertical sync and triple buffering to On, click Apply, and close the CP. Then launch Sims 3 and test both the clicking and the framerates. Use fullscreen mode for now; you can switch to windowed mode later.
I have an Acer Predator and have had issues with TS3 for months and have posted here, Origin's forum, as well as using the Help Chat function, and getting assistance is pretty difficult to none. My fps also waivers between 140-200 (144 monitor), which seems to be lower than what some of the other people are experiencing. I also did the limiting on the Nvidia control panel, as well as the other designations you told someone else to do and now the game crashes. It runs slightly better as far as lags but right now I've been in "Edit Town" quite a bit and most of the time (since I've made those changes), the game crashes to desktop when I exit to the NH view to save. Before making those changes, I got lags that were progressively worse the longer I played in Build or CAS but it rarely crashed.
The game has been laggy since I purchased the PC, even though it is/was literally the same game from my 12 year old Vista that didn't lag much. I've created a new game file, as well as playing saves from the old PC. I've seen posts of people with Acers having problems but it didn't seem they were ever solved on these various forums.
I also run into a problem every time I start the game because Origin pops up with a screen saying I need to update or play without updating. Old game....there is no update. Duh. I've even clicked on the update option but it literally does nothing. So I click Play Without Updating and I can get into the game. It's an annoyance more than anything but it would be really great if it didn't do it! It's been going on for a few months and Origin has been updated several times (of course). And because there are problems with Origin, I've also done the "hard"uninstall at least once a month. The only thing I've yet to do is completely uninstall TS3. This last update caused pretty much all of the old free games from Origin to say they need updating only to click the button, have all of my information and progress disappear and then having it still say to update. SMH
Anyway, just coming in as another Acer user to see if there are similarities that might make it easier to pinpoint why we're having problems.
It seems to have solved the issue, so the key problem was apparently the excessive frame rate TS3 was running at. I'm also going to update my drivers, but if anyone else has the issue of their game not registering clicks, consider installing this FPS limiter in your /Game/Bin folder.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/34?tab=files&file_id=54
And yes, a third (or would that be fourth?) party FPS limiter is one way to go, but our standard recommendation remains vertical sync/triple buffering through the Nvidia Control Panel and then Nvidia Inspector for when the NCP needs a bit more help to cap things or for when windowed mode is required, but I don't think we managed to get to that secondary helper phase yet. There are also trusted alternatives like RivaTuner and MSI Afterburner for those who require them and equivalents available for AMD cards. But really at the end of the day it doesn't matter so much which particular tools are used to get those fps rates capped properly as long as they are successful in doing so and the game's performance improves or it just plain works where it might not have before. Hopefully you can soon get back to enjoying your game again now.
I have to wonder if Acer is including some kind of emergency but seemingly arbitrary 200 fps cap for dedicated cards within its BIOS on certain models or something like that since that number keeps getting mentioned. If so, that's not enough of a cap for TS3 to keep things in sync for those on less than 200 Hz monitors which is probably mostly everyone, but it is likely more intended to help prevent GPUs from working so hard for no reason to the extent that they burn out as can easily be the case with higher end cards on programs/games that do not provide this protection themselves. But that's just a theory, I have no real evidence of this, and it's maybe better left for another day to explore.
For those following along here or coming across this discussion later on, the allegation from a player above that assistance with this game is too difficult to come by is unfounded at this time. A few of us who enjoy helping our fellow players are still here and on a number of other support sites; we're not going anywhere. Not going to comment on what can be the varying quality of EA Tech Support, that of course we mere mortals have no control over. But when a player childishly treats us as if we were absolute garbage and likes to hurl personal insults at us for their own amusement, I'm afraid that we do tend to ignore their subsequent requests for help so it may only seem like no one is really listening at times.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/976212/thread-for-new-members-to-post-their-sims-3-game-issues-2020-version#latest
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
@igazor, thank you for the new thread that you went and created. I just changed my "new member" introduction that I post over on the Activity page but I didn't see the new thread when I had posted for it today...
http://store.thesims3.com/myWishlist.html?persona=lisasc360
My stories on this site:
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/991317/my-sims-stories/p1?new=1