Ignorant AND inept...Ouch!

Vgrace573 · June 2019

This is how CAW makes me feel. Won't bore you to death with the whole, soo sad story, just ask a few pertinent questions, if I may.

1) CAW won't open anymore. (Not that I ever accomplished much anyway). It doesn't crash or create any report, it simply flashes the opening screen for approx 2 seconds then quits. (Yes the versions match and I'm on pc and the system can handle my game with very little lag or crashing.) No one at EA or forums help knew why. igazor sent me here. In one thread the wonderful rflong7 mentioned in passing that her caw wouldn't work if there was too much store content in her game files. Can't seem to find that thread again. Nor do I know if that's the issue but I'm willing to try! So how does one eliminate these without uninstalling everything? Mods are easy, just remove the folder, but which folder or files? Is it dccache and perhaps collections? Or do prolific world builders use two different computers, one with extra stuff and one without?

2) Keeping lots level. More often than not when placing pre-built lots in any world there is an elevation(?) issue. Either the entire lot is sunk half a square or so from the edge or the edges match but the lot is raise or lowered around any objects on the lot, including buildings, mailboxes, plants, whatever. Flatten lot doesn't fix this, nor level terrain. Moving stuff around while leveling works but of course one can't just pick up a house, level around it then plunk it back down. (Right?)

Many custom worlds have lots there were created elsewhere and this issue doesn't seem to exist. Yet when I place a house or lot, (in-game not in caw) everything goes wonky. Heavy sigh.

Any takers on helping me feel a bit less inept?

Hidehi · June 2019

Hi @Vgrace573

,

I used to have to start CAW by right clicking on my shortcut and choosing 'run as administrator'. You'll just have to try it ... it may or may not work.

Especially EIG is prone to crash if you have too much store content. I always have to swap the DCCache folder ... I use one for CAW and one for general play ... but if this works to get CAW started in the first place I'm not sure.

If you take out the DCCache folder that is in your game now and 'park' it on your desktop and then start the game a new folder should be generated that has no store stuff in it. Try if CAW works now, then you could slowly add store stuff as and when you need it until you find you are starting to get problems again, if it doesn't work you still have your original folder that you can put back without having lost any store items ... other than that I would not know what else to try.

I hope you can get it sorted. Happy Simming!

ciane · June 2019

I'm not a CAW builder, so I can't help so much there.
What I do know is where store content is put in your Sims 3 folder, so...
dcCache folder... YES! You can simply move that folder out like you do with your Mods. ALL your store content is installed there. It also goes into the InstalledWorlds folder and of course the WorldCaches folder. Your library files include any venues as well.
All folders can be moved out and replaced later.

BUT... you can simply rename the sims 3 folder and launch the game to have a brand new sims 3 folder minus anything you have added to it.

That's what I do all the time.

Vgrace573 · June 2019

@Hidehi, @ciane thanks so much for chiming in. It astonishes me how long we've been continuing to play and LEARN not to mention new player created content being generated. Also how friendly and generous forum members are with time and knowledge. Wow!

Run as admin doesn't work but I'll sure try out the other suggestions.

Thanks again

Bettyboop55 · June 2019

If I can chip in with a couple of things. Once you have sorted out a DCCache with the level of store content in that you need for your project be very careful not to open your CAW file with the wrong DCCache in place. I did this once, after a reinstall and I had missing items from my current version of my CAW file. Fortunately I had a backup copy on an EHD.

Secondly Rflong has a fantastic tutorial on levelling terrain. Often the terrain looks flat but it isn't. I would send you a link but I am on my tablet. If you Google it, it should turn up.

Good luck in getting CAW working again. It will be lovely to see how you progress on your project.

Betty

Vgrace573 · June 2019

@Bettyboop55, thanks and feel free to chip-in any time! I've seen some of your work on the threads and its great! Unfortunately none of this is working to get caw running. Honestly I'm lousy anyway, but would like to keep trying. Oh well.

The terrain problems I was referring to are not within caw but during actual gameplay. Place a house on an empty lots and the terrain goes wonky. I've got some great builds from the exchange but the sharp rise or fall around the edges of the lot and objects is a pain sometimes. It doesn't always happen of course but it'd be nice to have a fix for when it does.

ciane · June 2019

I remember reading about that lot depth problem. I THINK it is caused by the builder choosing "flatten terrain" to level a lot. Any way, here's a link to Crinrict's suggestion for a fix: https://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/06/bug-imported-house-raiseslowers-the-terrain.html

The cheat you type in:
SetImportedTerrainOffset (value)

(value) Is a positive or negative number depending on whether the lot created a hole or a mountain.

After you placed the lot, check if the elevation is level before pressing ok. If not, cancel and change the value you put in. Positive numbers raise the lot and negative numbers lower the lot. You can even use decimal values for fine tuning.

Vgrace573 · June 2019

Many thanks @ciane

tammyjo329 · June 2019

It may also be as simple as deleting your cache files. When I start having issues with CAW it is usually the cache files. This includes emptying the world cache folder as well in both sims 3 and create-a-world.

Vgrace573 · June 2019

Hi @tammyjo329 I moved the entire s3 folder from the ea file and let the launcher generate a new one. In this file there is no world cache, it doesn't even show installed worlds. The only worlds in caw are the sunset valley and riverview lite that it comes with. I did try pulling those to no avail, with and without "run as admin". Appreciate your response very much. Have a super day!

Vgrace573 · June 2019

I've been wondering about this...some of my ep's are disk, some downloaded. It appears that I can download all of them as they are registered but it takes so long that I just used the disks I have. Any chance that this discepency in installation could be causing my problem? How does one isolate a specific ep? There are per request builders out there who only use the ep's and sp's requested. So there must be a way to do it.

Anybody have a clue?

Bettyboop55 · June 2019

You may remember a few years back EA said it would no longer support all disk installations. I think you should check with @igazor because I think at that point mixed disk and digital download installations via Origin became redundant. I wonder if you have accidentally updated to v 1.69 because Origin will try to force that version on you.

As for using specific EPs or SPs you can use the filter in build/buy mode or uninstall the packs you don't want. No doubt you could try using DCCaches with different packs installed but that seems unnecessarily complex to me.

Finally I'm sorry you are still having problems. I expect you have already tried uninstalling and reinstalling CAW. The TS3 website can be very temperamental and a fresh download might be the solution.

Vgrace573 · June 2019

Thanks @Bettyboop55. Yes, I've been on .69 for years and yes I've reinstalled the thing a few times most recently a few days back. I noticed a folder, not in the documents path, rather in the program files path that has a few separate folders for ep5, ep10 (just for instance) and thought about pulling those as I believe they are the disk ep's. Then I remembered Mr Murphy and his law and decided not to even LOOK at them hard!!

Oh well. I'm terrible at it anyway. Think I'll jump back into a book for awhile. Have a wonderful weekend and if the Fourth is a holiday for you (heck, even if it isn't) enjoy it!

Bettyboop55 · June 2019

Thank G for Murphy's Law. Don't touch your programme files. If you are on v1.69 then you should get a loading screen which invites you to pick the EPs and SPS you want to use. Tell me did you try your disk installation after using v1.69 on Origin ? If so then the disks are rendered useless after using v1.69. A lot of people have been caught out this way. If you ever want to use a disk installation, you will have to repurchase the disks making sure to get a pre 2012 base game disk. However it sounds like you are happy on v1.69. It is a lot of work but your best bet is to clear TS3 completely from your computer including CAW and reinstall digitally using Origin. I invite other CAW users to chip in with any other ideas or if i've got it wrong.

Also CAW is not a particularly user friendly tool. It is a steep learning curve which in my case involves lots of coffee and swearing. I recommend using a test world to practice and work out a plan beforehand. It doesn't matter how long it takes as long as you enjoy the process of creating. I'm sure whatever you produce will be lovely and it will be special to you because you created it. So please don't give up now

igazor · June 2019

You guys have no idea how odd it is to see an entry like this in my Notifications feed...

"Bettyboop55 mentioned you in Ignorant AND inept...Ouch!"

@Vgrace573 - When you establish a new TS3 user game folder in Documents, there would be no added content at all. Thus no InstalledWorlds. The point of a clean folder like that is either to establish some sort of baseline through "vanilla" gameplay (no mods, store content, CC, extra worlds, game saves) or to begin fresh by reinstalling all or only what one needs.

There would be no WorldCache files if no worlds have been played yet. Not all worlds cache this way regardless, the base game, EP worlds and I think Riverview are designed to cache to a location within Program Files that isn't supposed to be touched.

Mixed Orign/disc installs that are managed by Origin and on Patch 1.69 will have their installed EPs show up some under Orign Games and some under EA Games, but basically wherever Origin thinks they should go. "Pulling" EP folders out would break the game install entirely, that's not a good way to uninstall an EP or any program that some other force is managing.

Bettyboop55 · June 2019

Thank you @igazor

there is no way I would describe you as ignorant or inept

You on the other hand could easily apply both those terms to me when it comes to IT

Vgrace573 · June 2019

@igazor, brilliant AND a sense of humor. Wow. Too bad none like that around when I grew up. Ah, well...

Thanks for reinforcing my intuitive warning @Bettyboop55 and you as well igazor. I remember my old xbox and how some days it would work perfectly, then not at all for weeks, then fine again. After so long caw worked fine for a few days then quit. Maybe it just wants to rest for a few weeks or months and will work fine again. Of course when it decided to quit working my sims 3 game did as well and I ended up having to perform a complete uninstall and reinstall. I'm going to quit obsessing, heave a few sighs and try again some other time.

Thanks a bunch everyone.

Bettyboop55 · June 2019

It is more by luck than judgement that I manage to get my own sims files to run so I sympathise. Enjoy your book and the celebrations on the 4th

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Ignorant AND inept...Ouch!

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