All 19 owned packs installed but game loads base game only (Sunset Valley)
Product: The Sims 3 (EA App unified install)
Platform: PC, Windows 11
Game version (skuversion.txt): GameVersion = 1.69.47.024017
Error Report ID: [PASTE ID HERE]
Summary:
Fresh install via EA App with all 19 owned packs selected in the unified installer (I own all EPs/SPs except Katy Perry's Sweet Treats). EA App > Manage > Manage add-ons shows every pack as installed. The launcher's Expansions & Stuff tab lists all packs and all are checked. Despite this, the game silently loads base game content only: base-game loading screen, only Sunset Valley available, no EP/SP content anywhere. No error messages, no crashes, nothing in Windows Event Log.
Install layout (verified on disk):
- C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3, base at Game\Bin + GameData
- Each pack in its own folder (EP01–EP11, SP01–SP05, SP07–SP09), all fully sized, each with its own GameData\Shared and GameData\Win32\Resource.cfg
- Registry: HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Sims\The Sims 3 <Pack> exists for all 19 packs with correct Install Dir. Unlike the base game's key, pack keys contain ONLY Install Dir (no ProductID/SKU/GUID/DisplayName).
Already tried (each at least 3 times, no effect):
1. Repair via EA App
2. Full clean uninstall of both Sims 3 and the EA App with Revo Uninstaller, reboot, reinstall
3. EA App cache clear (App Recovery), sign out/in, launching online (not offline mode)
4. Regenerating Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 (renamed the folder, let the game create a fresh one)
5. Unchecking/rechecking all packs in the launcher's Expansions & Stuff tab, relaunching between changes
6. Manually setting LoadOption.ini to selectedflags = 000fffff / playedflags = 000fffff and marking the file read-only so the launcher can't overwrite it
7. Verified no OneDrive Documents redirection: [Environment]::GetFolderPath('MyDocuments') = C:\Users\<user>\Documents, no duplicate OneDrive copy of the Sims 3 user folder exists
8. Adding Scan lines for all pack GameData paths to both Game\Bin\Resource.cfg and GameData\Win32\Resource.cfg — zero effect on load time or behavior (both reverted to stock afterward)
9. Launching via TS3.exe directly and via Sims3Launcher.exe — identical result
Observations that may help:
- Before my manual edit, the launcher was writing selectedflags = 000feffe to LoadOption.ini with ALL packs checked in its UI — two bits clear, while only one pack (Sweet Treats) is unowned. This suggests the pack-selection/entitlement data the launcher receives is incomplete.
- The asymmetry in registry keys (base game key fully populated, pack keys containing only Install Dir) looks like the pack registration step of the unified installer isn't completing.
Request:
Could you check whether the pack entitlements/registration for The Sims 3 on my account are being delivered correctly to the EA App, and what a correctly registered pack's registry key should contain on an EA App install? Happy to provide screenshots, registry exports, or run any diagnostics.
