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userafw's avatar
userafw
Seasoned Ace
3 years ago
Solved

EA games launcher won't run Sims 3 - used to work with Origin

The EA games launcher SUCKS!!

The Sims 3 game launcher runs from the EA game launcher, but when I press the play button on the Sims 3 launcher it does nothing and the game itself never loads, nor starts loading. The EA app thinks Sims 3 is already still running because the launcher that shows the gallery content and installed packs is running. But Sims 3 itself won't run and is unplayable as is. 

I used to have everything working fine until Origin was disabled. Unfortunately, this was implanted as a time bomb in the Origin code so I couldn't just run Origin in offline mode indefinitely. No older games at all seem to work from the EA games launcher. I tried running with custom content disabled, but still no dice. The EA games launcher just doesn't work and is full of bugs. 

pc
technical issues

11 Replies

  • userafw's avatar
    userafw
    Seasoned Ace
    3 years ago

    @puzzlezaddictOrigin has been retired. You cannot run ANYTHING using Origin anymore. Otherwise, I WOULD run Sims 3 using Origin. Origin always worked for me to run Sims 3. EA Games app is a piece of garbage, and as is, is completely useless for running the Sims 3 and even getting to the neighborhood loading screen.

    I reviewed everything on this checklist: Game Help:Sims 3 Crashing Checklist - SimsWiki

    however, that checklist was written before they ended service and functionality on the Origin games manager in favor of their new EA games manager. No luck. Here is the dx.diag file for reference. 

  • userafw's avatar
    userafw
    Seasoned Ace
    3 years ago
    @userafw Nevermind, looks like the version of Origin I just downloaded seems to work. Now if I can make sure it doesn't swallow the poison pill by going offline with it as soon as my game library finishes downloading, and NOT updating it to "the latest version of Origin".
  • userafw's avatar
    userafw
    Seasoned Ace
    3 years ago
    @puzzlezaddict Update: I tried running it through a temporary copy of Origin (the link above deactivates itself after only running once - Origin will not run without an update after the first run unless it is knocked offline.

    I cannot even play Sims 3 in Origin now. Not even offline. The launcher comes up, I try to use the launcher, the launcher exits, then....nothing. No error message, no neighborhood/world loading screen, NOTHING, nada, zip, zilch.

    I even tried also installing Sims 3 through Steam (yes, buying a second copy) in desperation. Neither copy works. I tried uninstalling both the Steam and the Origin/EA launcher versions, then reinstalling only through Origin. Same thing happens. So I am at my wit's end. Looks like I have to go back to the Windows 10 computer that is now permanently offline until this issue is fixed. I could run it just fine on that computer, and without the online connection, they cannot poison Origin, and maybe the thing will actually work as intended. Now I also actually registered both game codes, and it also looks like on my Windows 10 computer, it has the two game codes completely mixed up.
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @userafw  Have you reapplied one of the workarounds for 12th-gen Intel processors since the last time you reinstalled Sims 3?  You'd need to do so on any fresh install, or if the EA App repaired the game for that matter.  These are the workarounds I'm talking about:

    https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/Sims-3-won-t-open-Alder-Lake-Intel-12th-gen-CPU/m-p/11528168#M250997

    You can download a working copy of Origin from the link I posted earlier.  It still worked fine when I opened it a couple days ago.

  • ze789's avatar
    ze789
    2 years ago

    I am having the same problem. I haven't played the sims 3 in years, and really want to. but every time it asks for origin. the only solution seems to be BUYING A MAC for 1500 dollars because the only working version of origin is only for MAC. I hate apple, mac and anything that steve jobs and his ilk touched.  HELP!

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @ze789  Origin doesn't work in Windows anymore, but the EA App does.  So try installing that.  The Sims 3 error message hasn't been updated.

    By the way, I love Apple products in general and I love my Mac.  But even I don't think having access to Origin is reason enough to play games on a Mac.

  • userafw's avatar
    userafw
    Seasoned Ace
    2 years ago

    I did a check on the Sims 3 community posts on Steam. Looks like somehow Sims 3 uses an old version of Direct X: namely Dir X version 9. Astoundingly, Microsoft does not include this in its compatibility troubleshooter nor in its compatibility checkbox items. Found a link on the Microsoft support KB to a file that can make Direct X version 11 backwards compatible without overwriting it. That did the job. I also removed my "Downloads" folder, but all the worlds I bought on the Sims 3 store disappeared immediately afterwards. So one step forwards, one step back. 

    Quick link to the file download and explanation page: 

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109 

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @userafw  The problem is actually that Microsoft updated DirectX 9 sometime around May 2021, but the Sims 3 installer still contains the old version.  Of course Sims 3 uses DX9: that was the current version of DirectX when the game was in development.  DX9 is fully compatible with Windows 10 and 11 systems without any special interventions; the key is to install the updated version rather than the old one.  There's a very long master thread about the issue here:

    https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/Sims-3-launcher-won-t-open/m-p/10700850#M247760

  • ze789's avatar
    ze789
    2 years ago

    if you hadn't noticed, all my expansions are already installed. how would I have ALL MY EXPANSIONS installed if i don't have a CD drive? the answer is I have them installed from EA app, BUT it refuses to AUTH with EA APP and is DEMANDING origin when it doesn't work.

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