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Help, my map plays but cant load a game save
freedom0777
Posts: 11
Hi, im really stuck with my new map, ive been working on it constantly everyday for about 3 weeks, it will load up in game and i can play the map with hardly any bugs at all, but at the end of last nite i saved it and now says it cant load the game save because of missing content!
Ive been testing it all day, ive uninstalled sims3 and addon pack 3 times, tested it with store stuff and other 3rd party stuff, ive tried it without too on a fresh game, ive even gone through my whole map, removed everything so the lvl is just roads and terrain but after ive saved it in game, it still says ive got missing content thats no longer on my computer, but its just roads and terrain!
please help, my map looks ace and i just wanna be able to get it working properly =,,,(
Ive been testing it all day, ive uninstalled sims3 and addon pack 3 times, tested it with store stuff and other 3rd party stuff, ive tried it without too on a fresh game, ive even gone through my whole map, removed everything so the lvl is just roads and terrain but after ive saved it in game, it still says ive got missing content thats no longer on my computer, but its just roads and terrain!
please help, my map looks ace and i just wanna be able to get it working properly =,,,(
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I'm still not sure what fixed it but this is what I did I took out all custom content files and put them on my desktop, I uninstalled and reinstalled all three programs (sims,WA, & CaW), I ended up doing this three seperate times. I also unistalled my world and then saved it in CaW under a different name and reloaded. I gave up on it and then a few days later I tried it and it was fine, I was able to reopen the world with no problems. So like I said I don't know what fixed it :?:
I did find this thread in another forum after mine was fixed
http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=386192
Good luck I know how frustrating it is.
The Sims Creators' Consortium
nice and fresh!
1)uninstalled all sims stuff (sims3, WA, Loft addon and CAW)
2) deleted all the left over folders in my documents and program files
3) reinstalled a fresh copy of sims3 (sims3, WA, loft addon and CAW)
4) opened up my map from a backup folder (on another hard drive)
5) saved my map as a different name into the default CAW folder
6) loaded it up the map and saved game.....
still doesnt want to load, im not totaly stupid about these things, my comp is fine, but the problem is kinda pointing towards WA addon not functioning with CAW.
some instructions and bits and peices arent working. I still want to fix this, but im stumped as to how, i hope the new release of CAW will be supported fully. If anyone else has any ideas about this problem let me know.
I had a lot of problems with my game AND Caw before I patched.... but after I patched all seemed to be fine.
Did you disk clean-up and defrag after patching?
Finally... make sure you turn off any programs that are running in the background that could cause interference with the game. My machine was crashing for a few days, everytime I got into the game.... and then I realized it was the stupid Microsoft "indexing service" running in the background that was causing a lot of the problems.... it would make the sims 3 application hang.
i had ago at making a new map on CAW, placed a road or 2, a couple of parks, and started to build a new art gallery (which looks beasty).
loaded my new map into the game, and it starts up as normal, but still have the same issue, cant open a game save file because of missing content.....
im still stumped as to what is wrong, maybe CAW is just made for sims3 with no addon pack stuff =/
but wouldnt it be cool, if thre was a button to press so i could go onto my hard drive and find those stupid missing what evers and fix it lol
fully patched, no antivirus...
im gunna carry on building stuff, im starting a new map and just goin to have fun on my old one.
i hope EA has some answers, i bet its something small lol
The Sims Creators' Consortium
currently still using sims3, WA, CAW and lofty, im going to get riverview again too, ive had alook in the forums and seems some objects are with riverview map.
no antivirus, fresh copy of sims3, defraged and that, someone must find this out eventually exactly what the bug is, and im all ears.
made a nice art gallery today
I use CCleaner which also has a registry cleaner. It allows you to make a back-up before you do anything just in case you mess it up.
thx for everyones help
Last night, I downloaded this beautiful world created by another user. I played it for hours, saving every so often like I should. Never once did I have a problem with saving. My Sims had a baby, my gardener Sim (the mother) reached two skill challenges with gardening, my other Sim (the father) mastered the handiness skill and got all the way to level five in his brand-new career. I went to bed having a sense of accomplishment, for having done so much. This afternoon, I open it up to play it ... and this happens.
I've tried removing all my CC and running a CC-free version, opened it up, started a brand-new game, moved a Sim into a house, saved it, then exited to Main Menu ... no banana. I then tried deleting all my caches, then did the same process, with similar success. Now I'm going to try a clean install, in the hopes that that will help.
It's just so ridiculous, as I've sunk over $100 (after base game, expansion pack, and stuff pack) into a game made by a company that seems to be more concerned with profit than with producing a quality product ... or even one that works. As long as the sales keep coming in, who cares, right?
im still looking forwards to the addon packs though, theyll fix this issue eventually, its not one they can afford to ignore, emagine, thousands of customers angry. ive seen it, when a big company messed up on a ''pay for'' patch and they messed it up. hope things get better with this though, not good having angry customers when the total game and addons comes up to bucket loads of money.
It appears that as long as EA can continue to bring in new customers with their shinies they don't really care how many old customers they turn off.
Someone posted this method on another thread, and it seems to be working for a lot of people. I haven't tried it personally myself, I thought I'd post this before going to do so. It makes sense, though.
Move your family into the custom neighborhood and send them on vacation. Once at the exotic location, save there for the first time. You'll be able to access your files then!
Another workaround that has worked for some but not others: delete all but one of your saved games, the "greyed-out" one you're trying to get into. Then, when the game is forced to select that one (because it's the only one left), click the check mark anyway. Some people have said that it'll let them in if they do that. Just be sure to back up any other games first!
EDIT: I've tried both, and the "vacation method" works, but unfortunately only as long as you're away on vacation while you save. The second you return to your home neighborhood, the greying-out problem comes back. The "only saved game method" works for me, but interestingly enough only when I first load the game; if I then return back to the main menu it won't let me select that game but instead insists I start a new game.
Personally, I think this is easiest of all methods as you can then save your game normally and don't have to mess with removing other world files. In the end, all that will be required is overwriting ONE file before each play session.
**Before doing this, make a full copy of your old unusable saved game and put it aside somewhere. While I never had any problems using this method, it is always a smart move to back up your files.
PREFERRED method:
1. Start a "new game" of the world which is giving you grayed out saves.
2. Create one sim (you won't be keeping him so don't spend too much time)
3. Use "motherlode" cheat and immediately send him on vacation (anywhere)
4. The minute the vacation area loads. Save and then exit the game.
5. Go into your "saves" folder (in My Documents) and open the save folder you just created. Make a copy of the file inside called Meta.data. Save it to your desktop as you will need it each time you want to play this particular world.
6. Locate your previously unusable saved game. Open the folder and overwrite the old Meta.data file with the new one that you copied.
7. Load the game and have fun playing!
NOTES: (Two things)
1. When your game is loading, you are going to see the name of that dummy sim you created, don't worry about it, once the hood fully loads, it will be as if he never existed. Only your recovered saved game data will be there as normal - just like you want it to be.
2. Each new time you save, it will still appear grayed out in your "Main Menu" - but no worries, next time you are ready to play, just overwrite that same Meta.data file and you will be good to go.
I tested this with about 20 various "grayed out" saved games and it worked each and every time flawlessly. Your old save games will still contain everything they had before - your sims do not lose relationships, skills, jobs, lifetime happiness, inventory, etc - everything will be exactly how you left it.
I also tested with adding additional skills and other changes then saving and using the Meta.data replacement on the new saves - everything was retained by the game without issue.
If you don't have a previously unusable saved game, you can start a new game, knowing that you will be able to play them by simply replacing the Meta.data file before each play session.
NOTE: You CAN simply use another world's Meta.data file and it does work. However, I feel less comfortable merging two different world's data so that's why I recommend going the vacation save route to generate a new Meta.data file specific to that particular world and using that one.
For info, It seems that the minimum number of files created during a save game are:
Neighborhood file (this records the current state of the map, including who lives there - do NOT replace this or you will lose your families!)
Traveldb file (this seems to record your overall hood progress in the vacation areas - not necessary to replace)
random letters file - I believe THIS is the file that maintains your actual sim data for each save - never overwrite this file.
Meta.data file (this seems to be the general game info, exp packs, patches applied, etc)
Thanks so much for the info, Diskette! The other way was rather cumbersome; your method I think will be far easier!