Can Someone help me? I've been playing Sims for about 10 years. My Sims 3 is flickering on the top of the screen and its driving me Batty!! Can anyone help? I can give you specs, if needed. Just tell me what is needed. It's running on Windows 10!
@JSmith0225 - Yes, your specs would be a good place to start. In fact, if we could let's jump right in and get a full dxdiag report if we could as that would give us more of the complete picture. Also please tell us how many and which EPs you are running.
Part of the goal here will be to find out what changed in between when your game ran properly and when the flicker started. However, there is one relatively common thing that can cause this and that's the video cable becoming loose or going bad. Can that be checked on? (not really relevant if you are using a laptop and its built-in screen rather than an external monitor)
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Hi, I'm not a new member but I didn't want to post an entire thread for this. I was wondering if someone could take a look at this computer and tell me if you think it will run TS3 OK. I plan on running it on Origin with all the packs except maybe Pets, and I have most of the store stuff as well. I'm not an IT professional but I'm capable of changing graphics card settings and so forth as needed. It was my birthday this week and I got the OK to buy what I want. :-) I've been reading you guys talking about graphics cards and TS3 on here a lot and I'm just hesitating to get anything without asking an expert.
@LordOfTendons - If TS3 were the only game/use you had in mind for this computer, I would say it's about $1.600 more of a desktop than you actually need. The specs on that one could only have been dreamed of when the game was still in development and it has more of...well, of everything than you could ever use on it. All the extra RAM, processing power, and graphics card strength would really be going to waste on TS3. But if you have other much more demanding plans for it over time then that would be quite a different matter.
Or to put it another way and answer the question you really asked, yes that system will run TS3 as well as the game can ever be run.
You should plan to cap its fps for TS3 as soon as you install the game and before you begin to play as that graphics card will run wild on frame rates left unchecked and TS3 has no functional built-in fps limiter.
@LordOfTendons - If TS3 were the only game/use you had in mind for this computer, I would say it's about $1.600 more of a desktop than you actually need. The specs on that one could only have been dreamed of when the game was still in development and it has more of...well, of everything than you could ever use on it. All the extra RAM, processing power, and graphics card strength would really be going to waste on TS3. But if you have other much more demanding plans for it over time then that would be quite a different matter.
Or to put it another way and answer the question you really asked, yes that system will run TS3 as well as the game can ever be run.
You should plan to cap its fps for TS3 as soon as you install the game and before you begin to play as that graphics card will run wild on frame rates left unchecked and TS3 has no functional built-in fps limiter.
I'm going to cap the frame rate as soon as I get it. I figured it would be overkill but it's also for some 3D graphics software and Adobe stuff. When I get the itch for a new one in two years it will go to the office.
I really appreciate you and everyone on here posting the technical help. You guys make things easier for a lot of people even though they may never post anything.
Hiya so making the jump from TS4 back to 3! However I have lost my game packs. I have them all registered on sims 3.com is there anyway for me to get the product code from them??
@IceCream345 - When a game and its Expansion/Stuff Packs are registered on the sims3.com website, they should also become available to your account on Origin thus giving you the ability to install the Origin version of everything at no extra charge. The codes wouldn't be needed as they can only be used once each, to tie the product to your account (not to your computer). Is this not what you are seeing?
Hi! I got a new laptop and I am trying to get my game to recognize my graphics card. I've been following the guides and I am at the last step where I add my graphics card to GraphicRules.sgr. I don't know what to name my graphics card and I don't know where to put it. I have a Nivida GTX 1650. Thanks in advance!
Hello! I've downloaded again my Sims 3 game in a new pc, I didn't play the game since many years. But when I want to start playing, the launcher doesn't open neither the game. I have everything updated, I tried to "repair", "update the game", "run as admin", but nothing works.. does anynone know why this happens? I really wanted to play :( (and btw, I don't think the problem is about my pc specs, 'cause I never had a problem until now). Thanks in advance.
@Mojones19 - I can help you with that if you don't mind starting over with the two stock sgr files. I use a different, much simpler method than that which is shown on most of guides and the result is always the same as with the more complicated way. Let me know if you would like to proceed by starting over and I'll send a PM so we can get this taken care of that way.
@vaitiare - I'm afraid that you aren't giving us much information to go on there and not telling us your specs because you haven't had any problems until now (on a new computer?) isn't actually the best way to go. I suggest that you seek assistance on the TS3 board of Answers.HQ. The players and staff who help out there will want a full dxdiag report, which will provide not only specs but also device driver information and clues about missing required elements like the correct version of .NET which might need to be activated. It would also be helpful to tell them how many EPs you are running and which ones.
If textures are taking some time to load when sims arrive a new lot what could be causing that? weak graphics card or something else? I just wanna know the reason.
@vaitiare ... Have you Updated to the newest version of Origin?
I recently tried loading my games on an older computer to check on some things before retrieving some files for the new computer. The game would not open until I updated the Origin platform. It did not prompt me to update Origin, I just did so attempting to remedy the problem, and the game opened fine after that.
@Mareah - There can be many reasons for a delay in object rendering, sometimes multiple reasons at once. What have you actually got for a graphics card and processor, does your DeviceConfig.log show the 32 MB texture memory override (I can explain how to look for that once we know which card you have), the lots or world might be overly busy or ornate with too many objects like trees on them unless this happens the same everywhere including Sunset Valley, High Detail Lots within Game Options might be set too high (we usually recommend no higher than 2), and the most counter-intuitive of all is that frequently deleting the game's cache files which we often recommend for other reasons can actually make the slow renders worse on the next game session.
@igazor I am using an intel non dedicated card but i have a second one. It is Radeon HD 6470m, dont know if that one is good enough to run the game but i cant figure a way to make the game use it. I deleted the old Radeon app that came installed in my pc and tried installing a newer version but that missed up the lighting of my laptop, it went all bright and i could not decrease nor increase it so it was stuck at that level until i deleted it. Anyway, thanks for helping me figure out the reason, i was just curious to know what could have caused it and i actually dont play the game on this laptop anymore. But kinda curious, do you think the Radeon card would be good enough to play the game or at least better than the intel?
@Mareah - A 6470M is not really strong enough to carry the entire game. The heavier EPs (in order Pets, Seasons, IP, ITF) might be too much for it and it will stand to struggle on more than low to medium settings in Game Options. But with the base game and maybe a few of the earlier released EPs it should be capable of carrying a load better than a default Intel integrated chip can, plus what it can carry would cause the game to use less RAM than integrated -- or rather the game would have more RAM available to use on other things. But you would require a Radeon program/control panel of some kind, probably that would be Catalyst Control Center (CCC), to set TS3 up to use to the correct card on a dual system.
Its age will also be a factor, though. The card was released to market over 9 years ago. Components like these tend to degrade over time and with usage even if you can get past the software/control panel needed to set it up properly. So yes, assuming no heavy EPs, Game Options not too high, and the control panel issue addressed, you should be able to get somewhat reasonable performance out of it up to a point. Not sure to what extent the slow rendering can really be addressed, with the efforts required you might still have to settle for maybe a bit less slow.
My sims 3 crashes whenever i try to finish some actions (eating, sleeping). Dedicated gaming pc build.
i don't have many mods. essentially just the ones listed here https://www.fandomspot.com/sims3-best-mods/
i got rid of the children can which fixed my cooking issue but still experiencing game freezing. Any advice? (im willing to share my mod folder if you'd like considering i have like 15 mods in it)
@Phillip671 - That's odd, I've never had a moment's worth of trouble with the Children Can mod.
If you happen to have #4 on the list, I'm afraid it would be impossible to rule that out as causing problems. The mod is poorly programmed, reaches way further than it can really support, and despite what it says elsewhere on that page it is not at all compatible with many NRaas mods. It is also not removable in the sense that games have to be started over once their saves have been exposed to it.
How well does a new test game with no mods at all (or just NRaas mods) and the scriptcache cleared (deleted) run?
> @igazor said: > @Phillip671 - That's odd, I've never had a moment's worth of trouble with the Children Can mod. > > If you happen to have #4 on the list, I'm afraid it would be impossible to rule that out as causing problems. The mod is poorly programmed, reaches way further than it can really support, and despite what it says elsewhere on that page it is not at all compatible with many NRaas mods. It is also not removable in the sense that games have to be started over once their saves have been exposed to it. > > How well does a new test game with no mods at all (or just NRaas mods) and the scriptcache cleared (deleted) run?
@Phillip671 - If you add NRaas ErrorTrap to the mix, in addition to a bunch of added stability you may get script error logs instead of crashes that you can then bring to us at NRaas for interpretation. But if the game works fine without the mods and crashes with them, then all we can say right now is that at least one of your mods is probably causing it or is conflicting with one of the other ones.
hello! I have been having an issue since I installed the game on my new computer, where my sims seem to never be able to get any mail. They receive bills and can pay them, receive gems and metals as well, but besides that, whenever the "get mail" interaction is available, they go through with it and get out a package, but I don't receive anything. No notifications about letters or gifts, and there's also nothing on their inventories.
@juju-esmeralda - It sounds like it's not the case that your mailbox is broken since you can send/receive stuff anyway, but rather something the game can't identify yet is stuck in there. If you are using NRaas mods, there are things you can do with MasterController and DebugEnabler to examine and clear stuck items like that.
Otherwise, a different kind of lot reset might be required. Retreat to Edit Town, evict the entire household to the side of the map, copy the unoccupied lot down to the household bin, bulldoze, replace with a copy, and move everyone back in without having left the screen. Be prepared to quit without saving if for some reason this doesn't help or it makes things worse.
> @igazor said: > @Phillip671 - If you add NRaas ErrorTrap to the mix, in addition to a bunch of added stability you may get script error logs instead of crashes that you can then bring to us at NRaas for interpretation. But if the game works fine without the mods and crashes with them, then all we can say right now is that at least one of your mods is probably causing it or is conflicting with one of the other ones.
i downloaded it and was excited considering i stopped freezing much less frequently. infact, i managed to eat a meal and go to work/sleep, tasks that was usually hard to make it through.. but then i froze again while eating on a bathtub in my house...
Not sure how if this is the right file but here it is.
@Phillip671 - The assistance I can provide with ErrorTrap logs is limited because I am not a mod developer myself. That is why I said to bring the logs to us at NRaas, it's where our developer "lives." He has no presence on this forum.
But I can always try. The log you presented is indeed from ErrorTrap but is just a routine Correction Log. It's supposed to generate those, usually you will see one or two per game session plus one that is Dereferencing. These aren't really errors but ErrorTrap doing its routine cleanups as it is meant to. This one is a bit long and had a ton of fishbowls in it to get rid of (not really in-game fishbowls, but leftover data from those that must have been corrupt before the mod found them), but that's to be expected for the first few if you are playing an ongoing game save that has never seen ET before.
That doesn't tell us why your game is still freezing up. Do you have any other ErrorTrap logs to share that are not Correction or Dereferencing Logs?
Do you clear (delete) the five cache files on the top level of your TS3 user game folder in Documents on a regular basis and/or could you do so now?
You also might consider adding NRaas MasterController to the mix, a very useful mod that doesn't actually DO anything on its own like many of the others and just sits back waiting for the player to issue a MC command. The one in particular that might help here is on City Hall, NRaas > MC > Town > Reset Everything. This can take a good 5-10 minutes to run as it "resets" (rebuilds) every object, sim, and lot in the game from the ground up, based on the information that it has on them at the time. It's considered a good practice to run one every few sim weeks.
Many other suggestions are offered on this page, but if none of this seems to get you anywhere then we're going to have to start talking about the hardware specs of the computer on which you are running the game. http://www.nraas.net/community/TIPS-FOR-BETTER-GAME-PERFORMANCE
The store content in my game keeps dissapearing and idk why. It was fine the last time I played it and today, I download it then go to play and it's gone. I quit the game, go to the launcher, and none of it is installed even though I JUST installed it.
Comments
Thanks to ANYONE!! LOL
Part of the goal here will be to find out what changed in between when your game ran properly and when the flicker started. However, there is one relatively common thing that can cause this and that's the video cable becoming loose or going bad. Can that be checked on? (not really relevant if you are using a laptop and its built-in screen rather than an external monitor)
How to run a dxdiag: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information
How to share it: Send it up to Pastebin.com (the free version is fine) and provide a link to it here by breaking up the hyperlink with spaces or obvious text so that the forum doesn't complain that you are not allowed to post links with New Member status. Something like "pastebin(dot)com/ text"
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-and-games/new-dell-g5-gaming-desktop/spd/g-series-5000-desktop/gd5090g570s
Or to put it another way and answer the question you really asked, yes that system will run TS3 as well as the game can ever be run.
You should plan to cap its fps for TS3 as soon as you install the game and before you begin to play as that graphics card will run wild on frame rates left unchecked and TS3 has no functional built-in fps limiter.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
I'm going to cap the frame rate as soon as I get it. I figured it would be overkill but it's also for some 3D graphics software and Adobe stuff. When I get the itch for a new one in two years it will go to the office.
I really appreciate you and everyone on here posting the technical help. You guys make things easier for a lot of people even though they may never post anything.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
@vaitiare - I'm afraid that you aren't giving us much information to go on there and not telling us your specs because you haven't had any problems until now (on a new computer?) isn't actually the best way to go. I suggest that you seek assistance on the TS3 board of Answers.HQ. The players and staff who help out there will want a full dxdiag report, which will provide not only specs but also device driver information and clues about missing required elements like the correct version of .NET which might need to be activated. It would also be helpful to tell them how many EPs you are running and which ones.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information (this assumes Windows, if you are on a Mac then a different conversation will be required)
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
I recently tried loading my games on an older computer to check on some things before retrieving some files for the new computer. The game would not open until I updated the Origin platform. It did not prompt me to update Origin, I just did so attempting to remedy the problem, and the game opened fine after that.
.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
Its age will also be a factor, though. The card was released to market over 9 years ago. Components like these tend to degrade over time and with usage even if you can get past the software/control panel needed to set it up properly. So yes, assuming no heavy EPs, Game Options not too high, and the control panel issue addressed, you should be able to get somewhat reasonable performance out of it up to a point. Not sure to what extent the slow rendering can really be addressed, with the efforts required you might still have to settle for maybe a bit less slow.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
i don't have many mods. essentially just the ones listed here
https://www.fandomspot.com/sims3-best-mods/
i got rid of the children can which fixed my cooking issue but still experiencing game freezing. Any advice? (im willing to share my mod folder if you'd like considering i have like 15 mods in it)
If you happen to have #4 on the list, I'm afraid it would be impossible to rule that out as causing problems. The mod is poorly programmed, reaches way further than it can really support, and despite what it says elsewhere on that page it is not at all compatible with many NRaas mods. It is also not removable in the sense that games have to be started over once their saves have been exposed to it.
How well does a new test game with no mods at all (or just NRaas mods) and the scriptcache cleared (deleted) run?
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
> @Phillip671 - That's odd, I've never had a moment's worth of trouble with the Children Can mod.
>
> If you happen to have #4 on the list, I'm afraid it would be impossible to rule that out as causing problems. The mod is poorly programmed, reaches way further than it can really support, and despite what it says elsewhere on that page it is not at all compatible with many NRaas mods. It is also not removable in the sense that games have to be started over once their saves have been exposed to it.
>
> How well does a new test game with no mods at all (or just NRaas mods) and the scriptcache cleared (deleted) run?
i don't have #4.
a new game with no mods work just fine..
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
Can somebody help me?
Otherwise, a different kind of lot reset might be required. Retreat to Edit Town, evict the entire household to the side of the map, copy the unoccupied lot down to the household bin, bulldoze, replace with a copy, and move everyone back in without having left the screen. Be prepared to quit without saving if for some reason this doesn't help or it makes things worse.
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
> @Phillip671 - If you add NRaas ErrorTrap to the mix, in addition to a bunch of added stability you may get script error logs instead of crashes that you can then bring to us at NRaas for interpretation. But if the game works fine without the mods and crashes with them, then all we can say right now is that at least one of your mods is probably causing it or is conflicting with one of the other ones.
i downloaded it and was excited considering i stopped freezing much less frequently. infact, i managed to eat a meal and go to work/sleep, tasks that was usually hard to make it through.. but then i froze again while eating on a bathtub in my house...
Not sure how if this is the right file but here it is.
https://gofile.io/d/qnXNQY
thanks in advance :]]
But I can always try. The log you presented is indeed from ErrorTrap but is just a routine Correction Log. It's supposed to generate those, usually you will see one or two per game session plus one that is Dereferencing. These aren't really errors but ErrorTrap doing its routine cleanups as it is meant to. This one is a bit long and had a ton of fishbowls in it to get rid of (not really in-game fishbowls, but leftover data from those that must have been corrupt before the mod found them), but that's to be expected for the first few if you are playing an ongoing game save that has never seen ET before.
That doesn't tell us why your game is still freezing up. Do you have any other ErrorTrap logs to share that are not Correction or Dereferencing Logs?
Do you clear (delete) the five cache files on the top level of your TS3 user game folder in Documents on a regular basis and/or could you do so now?
You also might consider adding NRaas MasterController to the mix, a very useful mod that doesn't actually DO anything on its own like many of the others and just sits back waiting for the player to issue a MC command. The one in particular that might help here is on City Hall, NRaas > MC > Town > Reset Everything. This can take a good 5-10 minutes to run as it "resets" (rebuilds) every object, sim, and lot in the game from the ground up, based on the information that it has on them at the time. It's considered a good practice to run one every few sim weeks.
Many other suggestions are offered on this page, but if none of this seems to get you anywhere then we're going to have to start talking about the hardware specs of the computer on which you are running the game.
http://www.nraas.net/community/TIPS-FOR-BETTER-GAME-PERFORMANCE
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net