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MadDoctor61's avatar
MadDoctor61
New Spectator
4 years ago

Can't Finish Novels

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 ) 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.
  • rlc77's avatar
    rlc77
    Seasoned Observer
    4 years ago
    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.
  • MadDoctor61's avatar
    MadDoctor61
    New Spectator
    4 years ago
    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.
  • Bara_no_Uta's avatar
    Bara_no_Uta
    4 years ago
    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.
  • Bara_no_Uta's avatar
    Bara_no_Uta
    4 years ago
    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.
  • MadDoctor61's avatar
    MadDoctor61
    New Spectator
    4 years ago
    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.
  • MadDoctor61's avatar
    MadDoctor61
    New Spectator
    4 years ago
    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.
  • MadDoctor61's avatar
    MadDoctor61
    New Spectator
    4 years ago
    - 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 ! ! ! ! !
  • MadDoctor61's avatar
    MadDoctor61
    New Spectator
    4 years ago
    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? ! ? ! ? ! ? ! ?
  • MadDoctor61's avatar
    MadDoctor61
    New Spectator
    4 years ago
    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.

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