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Can't Finish Novels

MadDoctor61MadDoctor61 Posts: 414 Member
My Sims have developed an annoying glitch. They can't finish writing novels. As soon as the novel is completed, the usual message is displayed. I send them to start a new one, but the old one isn't finished yet. I set them to continue, they start writing, it looks like they restarted (by the completion bar), but suddenly finish, pop off to the side (sometimes there is another Sim working at the same table and they pop off to the side as well). I've tried many things to fix this glitch. This seemed to coincide with the addition of "Bluefunk_PicnicBlanket_Public.package".
- reset Sim
- reset Lot
- reset everything (with Master Controller)
- scrap the book and start over
- removed "Bluefunk_PicnicBlanket_Public.package"
- scraped the game and started new game
- scraped the world and reinstalled world (my own custom world)
- cleared caches
- scraped all worlds and manually removed all remaining traces
- opened in Create A World, added some generic house lots that came from EA (because I had to add them to my very empty world each time I play as well as fix the staircases [delete them then undo to remove the block at the bottom that was visible with buyDebug active and causing Sims in those houses to constantly become unroutable]) and re-exported world and re-installed world
- removed all expansion packs, "The Sims", and Origin from my computer
- edited all traces from the registry
- restarted the computer
- reinstalled Origin and "The Sims" and expansions and other stuff (but not "Bluefunk_PicnicBlanket_Public.package")
- TSR RifFix

It's still happening. I don't know why. It was fine before adding the picnic blanket mod.

Comments

  • RedShoe7RedShoe7 Posts: 705 Member
    I haven't played Sims 3 in a while but I did have a similar glitch. The problem for me was that I had placed an apartment that I had renovated in a previous game. A bookcase in the apartment had books written by my sim in that previous game. When I started a new game with the same sim (same name) she could not complete writing some books. It was because she already had books with the same title by the same author (her) in the game because of the books in the bookcase so she would glitch out on finishing a novel. Not sure if this is your issue but sounds similar.
  • MadDoctor61MadDoctor61 Posts: 414 Member
    edited October 2020
    I would guess the books would be in the library that I updated and replaced in my new world. If I delete all the bookcases in the library, and update it some more (it's not complete yet, just set up for minimal usage, that may fix my problem. Then I will save the new, updated library to the bin and place it in CAW next time I work on it. Thanks, I hope :)

    But that will be tomorrow. It's getting too late to restart the game, redo the library and test it out. I don't have the energy for that.
  • MadDoctor61MadDoctor61 Posts: 414 Member
    edited October 2020
    - I removed and replaced the bookshelves in the library (as well as adding a second floor, then saving the lot) and the custom school with rabbithole door and continued game
    - didn't work
    - Reset Everything
    - didn't work
    - I deleted the game, and started anew, replacing the library, and deleting the shelves at the school
    - didn't work
    - I deleted the game, deleted the world, reinstalled the world, replaced the library, deleted the school's shelves and started new game
    - didn't work
    - I deleted the game, deleted the world, cleared caches etc, manually removed leftover traces, used CAW to replace library, again removing the shelves at the library and school, deleting the bookstore shell, checked for bookcases in any houses, saving, exiting, restarting CAW, then replacing the shelves at the library, exported the world (it is the correct world because there are no bookcases in the school library), installed the world, sent my whole writer's collective to writer's class then to the computer lab at the custom school and got them writing. I did forget to replace the bookstore shell.
    - didn't work (There goes Sunday)

    H E L P ! ! ! ! !
  • MadDoctor61MadDoctor61 Posts: 414 Member
    edited October 2020
    I spent today starting a new game. Before placing my family, I bulldozed my lot and built my huge home from scratch. Then I placed the family, sent them all to learn writing skill and sat them down to write. It didn't work. WHAT IS WRONG AND HOW DO I FIX IT? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ?
    Post edited by MadDoctor61 on
  • MadDoctor61MadDoctor61 Posts: 414 Member
    I started again. Once a sim Finished/Unfinished a book, I started going into Edit Town Mode and deleting lots. Then tried writing again. Same result. Delete another lot. Keep repeating till book can be finished. Didn't work.
  • baranoutabaranouta Posts: 64 Member
    edited October 2020
    Do you have any mods or custom content at all? It might be worth trying without, if you normally use them.

    Also, does this only happen in your custom world? If you start a fresh game in, say, Sunset Valley, does the glitch still happen? This might help narrow down where the glitch is occurring.
  • MadDoctor61MadDoctor61 Posts: 414 Member
    I do have custom content and mods and have had them for ages without this glitch. I did try without and still glitched. It works in Sunset Valley without the glitch. I've spent the last few days, rebuilding my partially created world. I'm going to back it up once the basics are added. I spent yesterday working on the custom school with rabbithole doors and today on the Stadium/Gym also with rabbit hole door. Now I've just started the Science Centre and am looking for the fountain to put in front of it. I think the problem does have to do with that/those books that have become impregnated into my lots somehow. I just can't find the lots to get rid of them.
  • baranoutabaranouta Posts: 64 Member
    That sounds frustrating! I know this would be a pretty massive undertaking in terms of real-life time, but could you introduce lots into the world one by one and see if that helps narrow down the culprit? Though to your point perhaps simply rebuilding from scratch is actually faster at that point...

    Good luck! I hope you are able to get it working.
  • MadDoctor61MadDoctor61 Posts: 414 Member
    edited October 2020
    At least the world wasn't completed. I had the main central town built and most of the basic rabbitholes (standard shells except for the three custom ones). The library took a fair bit of work too. None of the custom lots are fleshed out and decorated, but they are functional. I'll have to make sure I don't break it again when I finish them. The will each also have an adventure component. The school will have a secret society hidden in the basement you have to find. It won't be easy. Sadistic would be a better word. I'll recommend you bring escape dust when you try. You'll need it. The library will be a lot easier, with a de-stressing area downstairs with hot-tub, massage chair etc. I should be able to finish the Science Centre tomorrow and maybe put in a bunch of generic housing, and my own custom house. It's not much more than a shell I use to make sure my templates are in the right place, but it's a real pain getting the shell just right. The garden is another pain. Four sprinklers with the planting area painted in dark soil for two of them. The other two are for the trees and I put a dark spot where the the seeds should be planted.
  • MadDoctor61MadDoctor61 Posts: 414 Member
    After a week of insanity, I now have a replacement for my custom world. It is both better and worse than it's predecessor. My previous method was to put down empty lots and gradually edit them now and then, saving the revisions to the bin and then moving them back to CAW. That is apparently how I corrupted the old one. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to create a new couple and play two different versions of the world, one with the new couple where I can work towards enhancing the world, and with my usual Writer's Collective. Nothing from the Writer's Collective will be retained. I am also going to back up this world, in case something happens so I don't have to start from scratch. Wish me luck.
  • MadDoctor61MadDoctor61 Posts: 414 Member
    It worked. My Sims are writing again. Though, I'm still sick of playing the same few Sim days over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and . . . well, you get the picture. In the first Sim week however, I've made over a dozen notes of mistakes that have to be corrected. Previously, I would have done these in game, saved the lot, then added the corrected version in CAW. I think that's how it got messed up in the first place. So, now I'm making notes.
  • RedShoe7RedShoe7 Posts: 705 Member
    I'm glad things are working again.
  • MadDoctor61MadDoctor61 Posts: 414 Member
    Now I'm back to not being able to play The Sims. Totally different problem. Saturday, I popped into Staples to pick up a new laser cartridge and paper. Looking back, I was also having problems with my mouse. By Monday, the mouse was toast. A new battery seemed to sort of fix it. Did you notice how I used the words "seemed" and "sort of"? By Wednesday, the left click was practically unusable. If I hit it hard enough and often enough, I can coax a click out of it. Back to Staples. The Sims is loading now.
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