Did I break my game by accident or is this a common issue?

shakeninsane

So years and years ago, when using discs to play, I had this whole setup going on since I couldn't install sims anywhere except C:/, so I had this "ghost folder" on C:/ which directed the game to a SSD called F:/

I ended up re-installing my game many moons ago through Origin (Back when you got that one free stuff pack for doing so? High end or something, idk). From what I remember, Origin let me install everything on F:/. I've got the game there, the expansions, the mods/CC/screenshots and videos.

From what I know, the game should play from F:/ through Origin.

I was doing some cleaning on C:/ and noticed I still had the old EA folder there with the sims 3, so I deleted it (only to the trash bin)

I launch my game. I checked that all my expansions where active. I boot up. Now the game is like, oh you want it in like 860xwhatever size instead of full size. It resets these things when geforce updates and stuff so I didn't think too much of it. I just quit the game to do some checks. I can't boot a save with these settings cause it messes up the ages on the sims.

I open the game again. Now only the basegame is playing. I quit. None of the packs are active. I check them. Boot up again. They are active but the game is still not with my specs.

I quit.

I now see that all my CC is gone from the launcher as well.

Is this from deleting the EA game folder?

I un-deleted the game folder and the CC shows up in the launcher.. but why?

Can someone explain why the game needs to be at C:/ when all the stuff is on F:/ ??? I'm getting so annoyed cause I want to play it on my SSD. Not through a bunch of rings of fire in C:/.

I thought Origin let me install the game wherever? Will Steam let me do that and if so, can I DL the game off Steam with my Origin codes? (most packs I got as discs anyway)

matthewst10

Are you on Origin's 1.69 version of The Sims 3? This has happened to me several times--- Only the base game works and not of my CC shows up. I have the game installed an an external SSD. If this is not what you're talking about, I think you have to have the documents folder on your C: drive, unless you change something in the registry, but I am unfamiliar with that. I'm pretty sure that even if the game is installed on a different disk drive, the documents folder still needs to be on the same drive as your operating system.

shakeninsane

matthewst10 wrote: »

Are you on Origin's 1.69 version of The Sims 3? This has happened to me several times--- Only the base game works and not of my CC shows up. I have the game installed an an external SSD. If this is not what you're talking about, I think you have to have the documents folder on your C: drive, unless you change something in the registry, but I am unfamiliar with that. I'm pretty sure that even if the game is installed on a different disk drive, the documents folder still needs to be on the same drive as your operating system.

Seems all is fine when I put back the ea folder, but......i don't get WHY it has to be on C:/ when I want to play my game from F:/, ya know? I could have understood when I was using the discs, but even now it's like... why?

igazor

The TS3 user game folder (not the program installation) that contains player added content, our game saves, game options file, etc. needs to be in the Windows user Documents folder. But the Documents folder in its entirety does not need to stay on C. The game doesn't care on which physical drive the Documents folder resides but it cannot (without a trick to be mentioned below) be located elsewhere.

How to redirect the location of the Windows user Documents folder in its entirety:
https://www.dummies.com/computers/operating-systems/windows-10/how-to-change-the-location-of-user-folders-in-windows-10
(This is for Win 10, for Win 7/8.1 it's very similar; sorry for the "dummies" link but they provide some really good illustrations over there)

It would be a really good idea to have a backup of that game folder made first just in case the redirection process loses something along the way. And also check for unwanted new game folders spawning in OneDrive if OD is not totally disabled and uninstalled.

If Documents really needs to stay on C for some other reason, then symlinks could be used to redirect just the TS3 portion of it to a different drive. These are pretty fussy to work with though and I would shy away from this strategy unless it's really necessary.