I'm so sorry to hear about your saves.
No one but other sim players can understand the strong attachments we form with our sims and the work we put into them. I know how you feel about not being able to go back there and do a lot of it all over again. If you do, I like your idea of saving yourself the anguish and just age them up and add their final traits.
Once you started having problems with your game, things seemed to just pile up and now this. Well, it's never easy to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and continue on, but sometimes our game doesn't leave us a choice. I look forward to any updates on this. Good luck sorting it all out. Did you ever find your sim self?
I've found more recent save files with more of the family members and older. Unfortunately, I can't get the game to run. *ugh* Uninstalled everything again. Ran a utility to clean out the Windows Registry, which turned out to have a lot of leftover entries. So, cleaned up registry and I'm trying to reinstall again. After I get the game back in I'm gonna manually reinstall the store content. I know, a long process, but it may be worth it. At least I have the files on my PC and don't have to download them one by one. Okay, back into the fire.
Oh, it gets better. After spending an entire day trying multiple uninstalls/re-installs, Registry scrubs (automated and manual) I've decided to resort to the ultimate sacrifice. A total wipe of my system. Not a BIG deal since 90% of what I do is Sims related, so it is my priority with maintaining my system. It's okay. There were some other housekeeping items I wanted to do anyway.
So, running a full backup of my Docs folders (crap, forgot to grab stuff from my Downloads) then run the system reset command. WooHoo. All this fun and it isn't even the weekend!
@Jude525: I've found that it's a good idea to make a copy elsewhere (on a second drive, if you've got one) of a clean install of Sims 3; that is, an install of Sims 3 before you add any store items or CC to it, but have all of your EPs and SPs installed. Then do another backup copy of Sims 3 after installing all your store items, but before installing any CC. Then put a text file in each of those Sims 3 folders stating what that install of the Sims 3 is for, so you know which one you need to re-copy back if your regular Sims 3 install gets corrupted.
Doing this can save you an awful lot of time and hassle later, and it doesn't really take that much time to copy them over. Well, maybe it does, but it takes less time than doing a complete reinstall. I usually start the copy process, then go to dinner or something. And as I said, copying them to another (either internal or external) hard drive is a good idea, in case it's your hard drive itself that decide to crash and burn.
Backing up your saves onto that drive goes without saying. I personally have a 4TB drive I use solely for my Sims 3 backups; if my main hard drive does a crash and burn, or if a game save gets corrupted, the most I will ever lose is a day of gaming/building. Of course, if the backup drive does a crash and burn, I'm lost...
I used to work for a software backup company. It shows.
Edit: Oh, I forgot the whole reason I came here in the first place - to comment on your lots! Duh! I really like your work, although I think my absolute favorite is the wedding venue. I wouldn't have thought to use those roof pieces for something like this, but it's really lovely.
@MiaSkywalker First, thanks for the compliments. Hydrangea Hedge is my favorite build. I had a lot of fun creating it.
Second, apparently I'd almost gotten there. I had those game backups that I'd forgotten about. And I keep a copy of store content in a separate folder to avoid downloading it again. But since my problem came when the Launcher started behaving erratically I'm not sure it had anything to do with user files. So, I thought, bite the bullet and do a reinstall. My one clear mistake was that I forgot to back up my current saves before starting that and lost my current game. (But, then, maybe it was user files and a quick swap out with a backup might have cleared it all up.)
From what I've been able to learn on the web, the problem is with how The Sims 3 uninstalls. Or, more accurately, doesn't. It leaves bits and pieces all over the registry that get in the way of a new installation. I'd always known this on some level because over the course of 3 different installations my computer has only asked for my game codes once. So I knew they were buried in there somewhere.
Anyway, what's done is done. Or, not done, as the case may be. I've completely backed up what is on my PC, Sims and not Sims. Tomorrow I wipe my system and reinstall everything. This is not entirely a bad thing. Because my primary drive is relatively small I re-route all non-Windows and non-Sim software installations to the secondary drive, which is slower. I wasn't fully familiar with how to do this when I first got my system and things were kind of messy. This gives me a chance to make a much cleaner setup. Once I have Windows updated and The Sims 3 installed and running I will run a full system image backup. Then if this ever happens again I can revert the system to a state where I know The Sims worked.
Everything else is both secondary and easier to install. Although, it would probably be nice if I could get Photoshop reinstalled before my online class at 2 tomorrow afternoon, I don't think that will happen. But that's okay, I'll just review the class afterwards. We aren't expected to have the program open during the lecture anyway. I just do it to help things stick.
Your lots are beautiful.I assume(judging from past posts) that you use custom content right? I'm not a CC user, so I wanted to ask before I download, either way, left recommendations on all of them.
Your lots are beautiful.I assume(judging from past posts) that you use custom content right? I'm not a CC user, so I wanted to ask before I download, either way, left recommendations on all of them.
I don't think he does. On the first page he says he doesn't, and I haven't seen anything in the screen shots that isn't available through an EP, SP or store content.
You can always check a download with CCCleaner before installing it, to make sure it doesn't have any. You always should; sometimes someone will think they aren't using CC, when they are. Which is why everyone also needs to check their OWN exports before uploading.
@Springfairy556 Thank you for the compliments. No, as of now, none of my shared builds have CC. I mentioned it in the beginning just because there is one piece that I use often in my own builds that I may begin including at some point. But I will make that very clear at the beginning of the post for any build that includes it.
And I strongly suggest you follow @MiaSkywalker's advice. If you look over the past two pages of this thread you'll see the trouble I've had cleaning a hidden piece of CC out of both my system and my posted builds. This happened because I had not heeded the advice that I had read so many times in these threads. I don't know if she and I are simply using different names, but what I now use is a program called Sims3PackCleaner.exe. Also known as Custard (I still don't know why.) It can be downloaded at Mod The Sims here. It is a stand alone program that does not actually install into your Windows system.
Whenever you want to install any non EA content, even from the EA Sims 3 Exchange, run it through this program first. The simple instructions are on the download page at MTS.
Whew, that was a lot to say thanks. But I want you to feel assured that it is safe to download and enjoy my stuff. But after what has happened this past week, I am being a bit overprotective of my fans.
CUSTARD is reportedly both an acronym ("Clean Up Sims3packs - Totally Amazing Rubbish Detection" and a few other variations on that theme) and a pun on the word custard -- it's used to clean up your "puddings."
So, I've reloaded my system. The re-install of Sims 3 is moving along. But, I lost my Katy Perry Sweat Treats code. As I'm typing this I remembered that I still have my Mac, which I really should have sold by now! With it I can install it through Origin and extract my code there. If I don't actually have it displayed on screen when I reinstall it there.
Ok, so my game is up and running. Just waiting on a new install disc I ordered for $5 from eBay to replace my scratched Island Paradise EP disc. I could have made one from the Mac if I'd been thinking more quickly, but might as well wait for the real thing now that it's paid for.
The best news is that I found yet another save game folder and my family is intact. I only lost game time played since I focused on World Adventures. Nothing else. *whew* All adult children are intact and playable. I've tested and the save game file is NOT infected with the Arezza counter!!!
@Springfairy556, I don't know what made me look at your Wishlist, since I don't currently have points to gift with, but I did. I will warn you that the lots I've posted so far use a TON of store content!! But if you like any of them and would like a stripped down version, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Some would be relatively easy. A base game version of the Bachini Brothers Bakery already exists, although it got lost in my recent effort to clean out a bug in my shared lots. I'm in the process of finding a copy so that I can put it back up.
To be honest, I would only build with limitations at someone's request. I own everything EA issued and enjoy having that variety when I build. But, I also enjoy building something that someone has asked for and knowing that they will be using it in their game. I was thrilled to see how much @funkeeferret used the bakery almost as soon as I'd posted it for her.
This started as part of the prior post, but I think it deserves its own post.
I can't believe how many of you have already downloaded the cleaned files from the exchange! It is such a cool feeling to know that I have real fans who value my work. I was telling my sister about how I am sharing my creations and such and her reaction was so flat. She essentially said that it didn't have much value in my life. That it is just time spent alone.
I tried to explain how it did have value. I enjoy the time I spend creating. Using my imagination. In all the years of crafting real objects, I've had limited appreciation beyond a few comments, sincere though they be. I rarely succeed at selling my work. So it sits in boxes. I am thrilled to know that other people are taking my Sims creations and including them in their own game time. Seeing and interacting in my little bit of false reality. Here, my art is seen, shared and utilized. And I do consider it art. Luckily I do have a couple friends who understand and agree.
Thank you all again for the attention, comments and appreciation. And especially for using these little bits of pseudo-reality that I have spawned. It's knowing that at any given moment someone could be "walking" in one of my parks, "drinking" in one of my bars, or sleeping in the house I grew up in that makes me feel appreciated as an artist and creator.
Ok, so my game is up and running. Just waiting on a new install disc I ordered for $5 from eBay to replace my scratched Island Paradise EP disc. I could have made one from the Mac if I'd been thinking more quickly, but might as well wait for the real thing now that it's paid for.
The best news is that I found yet another save game folder and my family is intact. I only lost game time played since I focused on World Adventures. Nothing else. *whew* All adult children are intact and playable. I've tested and the save game file is NOT infected with the Arezza counter!!!
@Springfairy556, I don't know what made me look at your Wishlist, since I don't currently have points to gift with, but I did. I will warn you that the lots I've posted so far use a TON of store content!! But if you like any of them and would like a stripped down version, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Some would be relatively easy. A base game version of the Bachini Brothers Bakery already exists, although it got lost in my recent effort to clean out a bug in my shared lots. I'm in the process of finding a copy so that I can put it back up.
To be honest, I would only build with limitations at someone's request. I own everything EA issued and enjoy having that variety when I build. But, I also enjoy building something that someone has asked for and knowing that they will be using it in their game. I was thrilled to see how much @funkeeferret used the bakery almost as soon as I'd posted it for her.
Oh no worries, don't judge by my wishlist, I own almost the entire store.The only thing I don't own is Katy Perry Sweet treats, since they retired it lol.
Really? You can't get it through Origin or Steam? I know it's available for insane amounts on eBay. That's too bad. I know a lot of people HATE it. And, if you look at the screen shots of stuff built with only that set I can see why. But the individual pieces are adorable when used in the proper settings. Except the clothes. I really think those are unnecessary. But, then, I'm sure there are others......
@Jude525, you'll like this. Since I now have the awesome Delicious bakery, I wanted to decorate your bakery the way you did, with the Delicious bakery items. So I had one window open on the computer with your bakery pics and kept switching from the computer to the game, but then I decided to make a diagram to see where you put the items. Yes, I'm bakery obsessed!!! But I didn't get very far before I became sidetracked in real life. My Sims still hang out at Bachini Bakery and I love watching to see what will happen. So I have two bakeries in the game now. I might add a third, but not before I put bakeries in the other towns I play.
I already had one game play issue with the baked goods which was kind of funny. As soon as I got the baking stove, I put my 5 star chef to work baking at home. Her roommate, also a 10 in cooking, helped. They had quite a few goodies built up, which I put in their inventory. *sigh* The next thing I know, Jack Bunch is throwing a party and we are invited. I'm an absolute sucker for any party, even the lame ones. So my girls went to the party, even though Jack never even bothered to come home. After the party, which was definitely terrible - no food, no fun, Jack and Judy spent the whole time playing ball in the yard. Then when we arrived back home... yes, all the bakery had gone bad. It's really all Jack's fault for having the party in the first place. So I do know what I did wrong. No more bakery in the inventory for several hours while we attend dud parties.
LOL, as I've said before, I am thrilled that you are enjoying the bakery so much. If you are going to bake at home, the one rule is not to put the food into the Sims' inventory until just before they walk out the door to go to work. Before that, leave it in the home fridge. (For any grammar police: I get a point for correcting that sentence. Originally I had split my infinitive with "to not put." But after 9 years of Catholic school I just couldn't leave it once I'd noticed it. I find myself constantly editing my posts to correct grammar and punctuation.)
CUSTARD is reportedly both an acronym ("Clean Up Sims3packs - Totally Amazing Rubbish Detection" and a few other variations on that theme) and a pun on the word custard -- it's used to clean up your "puddings."
Haha! I just looked at my (always open) Cleaner program, and at the top it says: "Clean Up Sims3packs Today! Also raises dead?" Which works out to "CUSTARD".
I had always wondered why it was called Custard, and I had always wondered why they mentioned raising the dead in the title bar, but I figured the last part was just because they're poking fun at it doing only one thing (not everything), yet still being so useful. Now I know!
@Jude252: Yeah, it's the same program. I always think of it as CC Cleaner, because that's what it does, and when it was originally posted on MTS, I believe that was how it was listed. (Also, "Cleaner" is in the actual file name.) There have been occasions when I've downloaded something that I REALLY liked, found it had one or two pieces of CC in it, and just used Cleaner to get rid of them so I could use the actual download. Usually in the case of a build where I liked the shell immensely, but if one or two pieces of inside deco got removed, I wouldn't care.
Really? You can't get it through Origin or Steam? I know it's available for insane amounts on eBay. That's too bad. I know a lot of people HATE it. And, if you look at the screen shots of stuff built with only that set I can see why. But the individual pieces are adorable when used in the proper settings. Except the clothes. I really think those are unnecessary. But, then, I'm sure there are others......
There are actually a few clothing pieces that are pretty nice: A plain, long sheath gown, and a little tank-and-shorts set that you can use in Athletic. I think those might be the only items I care about. At some point I think I'm going to get the mod from MTS that allows you to set up what items you don't want CAS to ever show, and then block out those horrendous hairdos. And those pieces with the giant pieces of candy on your Sim's... well, you know.
Many of the housing items can actually be kind of useful, particularly when recolored. Even not recolored, some of them are fun to use in theme parks.
But no, because it was dependent upon a contract they had with Katy Perry, when the contract expired, it wasn't renewed, so the SP couldn't be sold anymore. That's why it sells for horrendous prices, but even so, you're risking that the one you buy hasn't already had the serial number used. (Which would make it useless, since that's all that matters.)
I had been waiting for it to go on sale (which it never did), and then when it stopped selling, I was lucky enough to find a seller on Amazon who had no clue about what it was then worth, and got it for $15. No way would I pay current prices for it. I still don't think I'd have bought it, if it weren't that I saw several lots on the Exchange that I REALLY liked, that used that SP in interesting ways. (Theme parks, mostly, and a bakery.)
Anyone wanting it now... good luck getting it for a reasonable price.
I think it's my bakery that is the first thing I've used anything from Sweat Treats from so far. The candy jars are perfect. But I definitely plan to use stuff for a park in the future.
@nirvanatje, Thank you very much. I started slowly and built up my skills over years. (Pun intended!) If you are already building, I'd love to share build stories and tips. Since starting this thread I've started chatting with a few other builders. Something I've never done in all those previous years. And it's fun.
WOW amazing work i love how everyone has such a large creativity i too hope i can build something amazing but i doubt i'd ever get to your level but wow love seeing all these amazing builds!
Comments
No one but other sim players can understand the strong attachments we form with our sims and the work we put into them. I know how you feel about not being able to go back there and do a lot of it all over again. If you do, I like your idea of saving yourself the anguish and just age them up and add their final traits.
Once you started having problems with your game, things seemed to just pile up and now this. Well, it's never easy to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and continue on, but sometimes our game doesn't leave us a choice. I look forward to any updates on this. Good luck sorting it all out. Did you ever find your sim self?
My Top Five
My Thank You Thread
My Studio
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
*Trials and tribulations of a dedicated Sims 3 player*
or
*What we will go through to continue to play our beloved Sims 3*
So, running a full backup of my Docs folders (crap, forgot to grab stuff from my Downloads) then run the system reset command. WooHoo. All this fun and it isn't even the weekend!
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
Doing this can save you an awful lot of time and hassle later, and it doesn't really take that much time to copy them over. Well, maybe it does, but it takes less time than doing a complete reinstall.
Backing up your saves onto that drive goes without saying. I personally have a 4TB drive I use solely for my Sims 3 backups; if my main hard drive does a crash and burn, or if a game save gets corrupted, the most I will ever lose is a day of gaming/building. Of course, if the backup drive does a crash and burn, I'm lost...
I used to work for a software backup company. It shows.
Edit: Oh, I forgot the whole reason I came here in the first place - to comment on your lots! Duh!
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
Second, apparently I'd almost gotten there. I had those game backups that I'd forgotten about. And I keep a copy of store content in a separate folder to avoid downloading it again. But since my problem came when the Launcher started behaving erratically I'm not sure it had anything to do with user files. So, I thought, bite the bullet and do a reinstall. My one clear mistake was that I forgot to back up my current saves before starting that and lost my current game. (But, then, maybe it was user files and a quick swap out with a backup might have cleared it all up.)
From what I've been able to learn on the web, the problem is with how The Sims 3 uninstalls. Or, more accurately, doesn't. It leaves bits and pieces all over the registry that get in the way of a new installation. I'd always known this on some level because over the course of 3 different installations my computer has only asked for my game codes once. So I knew they were buried in there somewhere.
Anyway, what's done is done. Or, not done, as the case may be. I've completely backed up what is on my PC, Sims and not Sims. Tomorrow I wipe my system and reinstall everything. This is not entirely a bad thing. Because my primary drive is relatively small I re-route all non-Windows and non-Sim software installations to the secondary drive, which is slower. I wasn't fully familiar with how to do this when I first got my system and things were kind of messy. This gives me a chance to make a much cleaner setup. Once I have Windows updated and The Sims 3 installed and running I will run a full system image backup. Then if this ever happens again I can revert the system to a state where I know The Sims worked.
Everything else is both secondary and easier to install. Although, it would probably be nice if I could get Photoshop reinstalled before my online class at 2 tomorrow afternoon, I don't think that will happen. But that's okay, I'll just review the class afterwards. We aren't expected to have the program open during the lecture anyway. I just do it to help things stick.
Well, bedtime. I have a busy day tomorrow.
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
You can always check a download with CCCleaner before installing it, to make sure it doesn't have any. You always should; sometimes someone will think they aren't using CC, when they are. Which is why everyone also needs to check their OWN exports before uploading.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
And I strongly suggest you follow @MiaSkywalker's advice. If you look over the past two pages of this thread you'll see the trouble I've had cleaning a hidden piece of CC out of both my system and my posted builds. This happened because I had not heeded the advice that I had read so many times in these threads. I don't know if she and I are simply using different names, but what I now use is a program called Sims3PackCleaner.exe. Also known as Custard (I still don't know why.) It can be downloaded at Mod The Sims here. It is a stand alone program that does not actually install into your Windows system.
Whenever you want to install any non EA content, even from the EA Sims 3 Exchange, run it through this program first. The simple instructions are on the download page at MTS.
Whew, that was a lot to say thanks. But I want you to feel assured that it is safe to download and enjoy my stuff.
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
NRaas has moved!
Our new site is at http://nraas.net
So, I've reloaded my system. The re-install of Sims 3 is moving along. But, I lost my Katy Perry Sweat Treats code. As I'm typing this I remembered that I still have my Mac, which I really should have sold by now! With it I can install it through Origin and extract my code there. If I don't actually have it displayed on screen when I reinstall it there.
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
igazor, love the acronym.
The best news is that I found yet another save game folder and my family is intact. I only lost game time played since I focused on World Adventures. Nothing else. *whew* All adult children are intact and playable. I've tested and the save game file is NOT infected with the Arezza counter!!!
@Springfairy556, I don't know what made me look at your Wishlist, since I don't currently have points to gift with, but I did. I will warn you that the lots I've posted so far use a TON of store content!! But if you like any of them and would like a stripped down version, let me know and I'll see what I can do. Some would be relatively easy. A base game version of the Bachini Brothers Bakery already exists, although it got lost in my recent effort to clean out a bug in my shared lots. I'm in the process of finding a copy so that I can put it back up.
To be honest, I would only build with limitations at someone's request. I own everything EA issued and enjoy having that variety when I build. But, I also enjoy building something that someone has asked for and knowing that they will be using it in their game. I was thrilled to see how much @funkeeferret used the bakery almost as soon as I'd posted it for her.
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
I can't believe how many of you have already downloaded the cleaned files from the exchange! It is such a cool feeling to know that I have real fans who value my work. I was telling my sister about how I am sharing my creations and such and her reaction was so flat. She essentially said that it didn't have much value in my life. That it is just time spent alone.
I tried to explain how it did have value. I enjoy the time I spend creating. Using my imagination. In all the years of crafting real objects, I've had limited appreciation beyond a few comments, sincere though they be. I rarely succeed at selling my work. So it sits in boxes. I am thrilled to know that other people are taking my Sims creations and including them in their own game time. Seeing and interacting in my little bit of false reality. Here, my art is seen, shared and utilized. And I do consider it art. Luckily I do have a couple friends who understand and agree.
Thank you all again for the attention, comments and appreciation. And especially for using these little bits of pseudo-reality that I have spawned. It's knowing that at any given moment someone could be "walking" in one of my parks, "drinking" in one of my bars, or sleeping in the house I grew up in that makes me feel appreciated as an artist and creator.
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
Oh no worries, don't judge by my wishlist, I own almost the entire store.The only thing I don't own is Katy Perry Sweet treats, since they retired it lol.
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
I already had one game play issue with the baked goods which was kind of funny. As soon as I got the baking stove, I put my 5 star chef to work baking at home. Her roommate, also a 10 in cooking, helped. They had quite a few goodies built up, which I put in their inventory. *sigh* The next thing I know, Jack Bunch is throwing a party and we are invited. I'm an absolute sucker for any party, even the lame ones. So my girls went to the party, even though Jack never even bothered to come home. After the party, which was definitely terrible - no food, no fun, Jack and Judy spent the whole time playing ball in the yard. Then when we arrived back home... yes, all the bakery had gone bad.
My Top Five
My Thank You Thread
My Studio
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
I had always wondered why it was called Custard, and I had always wondered why they mentioned raising the dead in the title bar, but I figured the last part was just because they're poking fun at it doing only one thing (not everything), yet still being so useful. Now I know!
@Jude252: Yeah, it's the same program. I always think of it as CC Cleaner, because that's what it does, and when it was originally posted on MTS, I believe that was how it was listed. (Also, "Cleaner" is in the actual file name.) There have been occasions when I've downloaded something that I REALLY liked, found it had one or two pieces of CC in it, and just used Cleaner to get rid of them so I could use the actual download. Usually in the case of a build where I liked the shell immensely, but if one or two pieces of inside deco got removed, I wouldn't care.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
Many of the housing items can actually be kind of useful, particularly when recolored. Even not recolored, some of them are fun to use in theme parks.
But no, because it was dependent upon a contract they had with Katy Perry, when the contract expired, it wasn't renewed, so the SP couldn't be sold anymore. That's why it sells for horrendous prices, but even so, you're risking that the one you buy hasn't already had the serial number used. (Which would make it useless, since that's all that matters.)
I had been waiting for it to go on sale (which it never did), and then when it stopped selling, I was lucky enough to find a seller on Amazon who had no clue about what it was then worth, and got it for $15. No way would I pay current prices for it.
Anyone wanting it now... good luck getting it for a reasonable price.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
I own the store as of 1+7/17/17
My Studio
My build thread in the Creative Corner
The back up advise is awesome too.