The scripterror can be deleted and the files that have the Cache.package extension at the end can be deleted. The cache files will regenerate fresh. I also delete my sims3logs file and sims3launcherlog file because I don't care about the achievement tracking. If you don't care about old video recordings, you can delete or move that file out as well. Same with screenshots. I tend to add a number unto the end of those when I am writing long stories and don't keep any more than 50-100 screenshots in them. Both files will regenerate fresh when you take a screenshot or movie in your game. I add a featureditems text file and delete the .txt extension to keep the featured items folder from regenerating after I delete that. You can safely move out or delete all files in the DCBackup folder EXCEPT the ccmerged file. Personally, I prefer to MOVE them somewhere safe rather than delete as those package files can all be put in the MODS folder if you ever can't get the items to show in your game normally.

Personally, I delete every file that ends with Cache. (CASPART.CACHE, compositor.cache, script.cache, simcompositer.cache, and Social.cache). Though they regenerate every time I play, I still like to go in and delete them every once in a while. Also, the stuff in featured items can be deleted as well. They are just pictures from the advertisements from the store content and thumbnails generated by the game.

DivinylsFan Saved CASt patterns are stored in UserPresets.package. I would suggest not using the Smooth Patch's .package files, as they're not compatible with NRaas MC and have other issues aside from that. They won't break your saves, but you might see some crashing or other anomalies. And the MC compatibility package has been removed because it didn't work. The Smooth Patch files that go in Bin are fine to use and are independent of the .package files. If you use NRaas ErrorTrap, it's normal to get a scripterror or two every time you load the game. That's typically just ET telling you it did its job. I wouldn't even bother reading these files unless you see other signs of trouble. Here's a description of everything in the user folder: https://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/faq-user-files.html As for updating your NRaas mods, you don't need to do so; the previous versions are just as compatible with patches 1.67 and 1.69 as the current ones are. But if you do decide to update one mod, check for updates to your others too—you might as well update them all at once, among those that have updates. The one exception is ErrorTrap, which needed an update to match the update to patch 1.69 that EA released two weeks ago. If you're not on patch 1.69, this has no effect on you, and you're not using the version of ET that got updated anyway.

DivinylsFan The idea behind the original .package file is to speed up CAS loading, and the point of the MC compatibility file is to fix the known incompatibility with MC. I don't know what they do on a modding level, but I do know that the MC compatibility file was ineffective enough that Lazy Duchess removed it. And the original triggers the occasional crash and some other issues that show up in scripterrors. The Bin files increase the number of tasks per second (TPS) the game can process overall, from the default of 30 to whatever limit you set (500 by default). This applies across the board and, as far as I've seen, doesn't cause any significant issues on any system strong enough to run Sims 3 in general. I've been using it since about a month after release, in 2021, and seen significant improvements and no problems that required any special effort to fix. The .package files were supposed to be an enhancement to the existing improvement to CAS that comes from the faster loading you get with the increased TPS. It just hasn't worked out that way. When I said ET, I meant ErrorTrap. And none of this has anything to do with the Alder Lake issue. The only connection is that Lazy Duchess created a patch for that too, one that is no longer necessary on EA App installs after the January 13 update. The patch wouldn't have any effect on how Sims 3 itself runs unless someone was previously using a different workaround to fix the Alder Lake issue, one that DOES tank performance if applied incorrectly. Then once they didn't need that workaround, they wouldn't be accidentally tanking their performance.

DivinylsFan I have a Steam install, so I launch from TS3W.exe.

DivinylsFan

Seasoned Ace

11 months ago

.

technical issues

11 Replies

puzzlezaddict
Hero+
11 months ago
DivinylsFan The Smooth Patch was never required, just very helpful on most computers. And the .package add-on to the patch has never worked perfectly. Both these things are true on any kind of install.

EA App installs still require the App to be open before Sims 3 will launch. There is a way to skip the launcher if you're willing to mess with the game's program files, but I don't recommend it in general because I wouldn't want someone who doesn't understand what they're doing to break something, or to apply the workaround and forget about it and then not know how to revert it.

I do have Sims 3 installed through the EA App on another computer, and I have the game installed in macOS as well. Both of these are just for testing and for gathering information. When I want to play, I use my Steam install, with the tweaks I want to get the effects that work for me.