@SamuraiLady I'm sorry you've been spinning your wheels so much. I'm not sure either why you're having such trouble; it sounds like you've done almost everything to make this work. There are a few points you might not know about though:
- You won't be able to install via disc. The last few versions of mac OS don't authenticate TS3 discs; Origin is the only option.
- Store content has its own patches, which used to be offered through the launcher but are no longer available. But a member here (@ZeeGee) offered hers for download—just unzip the file and drop it into your game folder. https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16341942/#Comment_16341942
- The presence of the ep08 file you've described is normal. The base game version offered through Origin, at least for mac users, is 1.42, which is the patch that coincided with the release of Seasons, the eighth expansion pack. I'm not sure why this one file gets downloaded, but it hasn't stopped me from being able to install into mac OS.
- The launcher borrows the resources of a browser for its logins (and ads). In Windows, this is always Explorer. I'm not sure what the default is on a mac, but if you clear all your browser caches, the login data should be gone too. Be sure to uncheck the box to preserve data for favorite sites.
- If you think you may have a leftover hidden library file that you can't find, or something else that should have been deleted but wasn't, you can always install into a new admin user account. The library files are specific to one account.
Finally, a few of us here (myself included) have Bootcamped our macs to play TS3. It's not all that difficult, although it can be annoying to have to deal with Windows. If you'd like help with the process, just ask.
