Error code 12 and crashing

@riahbearrr  Error 12 is an out of resources condition, usually but not always related to the game's memory use.  No matter how much RAM you have installed, Sims 3 can only use ~3.7 GB (4 minus some overhead) because it's a 32-bit app.  After that, it will crash or throw an Error 12, depending on the circumstances.  This limit cannot be overcome.

Storage has nothing to do with this, although your 1 TB SSD is undoubtedly useful for other reasons.  It should also not take 20 minutes for your save to load, at least not with an SSD and other good hardware.  For comparison's sake, how long does it take to load a new save in Oceanview for the first time?  How about the second time?  Please test and let me know, and also test Sunset Valley, both a new save and one you've saved once and reloaded, and let me know what kind of load times you get.

The reason I ask is that your current save may be corrupted, or it might be that something else is going on contributing to both the long load times and the crashing.  So the first step is to narrow things down a bit.

@puzzlezaddict yeah the extra RAM and SSD are useful for other things I do. But not so much Sims lol

So going into a new game only takes like a minute or 2 prob. The game I'm currently playing takes maybe 5 ish to load.

I'll try the sunset valley one but prob won't take that long either.

I'm thinking the reason my previous game took so long to load was bc one of the Sims' imaginary friends was stuck. Couldn't reset him either. So I had to evict them and put them back in. But didn't try loading that game after so not completely sure about that. Was also a big house with a ton of * in it so I'm sure that didn't help.

As for the error code 12 upon saving it's driving me nuts so if you have a possible solution I'm all ears lol.

@riahbearrr  A stuck imaginary friend can wreak havoc on a save, whether the IF is already in a sim's inventory or still in the mailbox.  If evicting the family and placing them back in their house didn't help, you'll need to get rid of the IF.  Here's how:

https://www.nraas.net/community/Which-Mod-FAQ#Im-having-problems-with-the-Imaginary-Friend-Dolls-in-my-town-What-can-I-do

The first option is for one IF at a time; the third is for all the ones in town, and it may or may not be necessary.  If you install ErrorTrap and are seeing errors for other IFs, that would strongly suggest it's time to flush them all.

The first option can also work for an IF stuck in a mailbox or in a sim's inventory.  In that case, click on the ground of the lot and select NRaas > MC > Object Stats > Inventory, then find the IF and flush it.  This only applies to objects on the current lot, including in inventories, so other IFs in town would be unaffected.

@puzzlezaddict well I dont think the imaginary friend is an issue anymore after I evicted them. I don't get the error for it anymore and I'm playing in the same world as before just different house/Sims. It def could've caused the long load time when I was playing with that family but I'm not having that same issue anymore.

I just need to figure out why my game keep crashing and why I can't save

@riahbearrr  Okay, then let's go back to the beginning.  How much RAM does your save use once it's loaded and the game clock first starts running, and how much RAM does it use after about 20 real-time minutes?  Are you still getting crashes?

@puzzlezaddict I have no idea. How do I check that ?

@riahbearrr  Open Sims 3, load your save, and let the game clock run for a few sim-minutes.  Pause it, and put the game into windowed mode, but don't minimize it.  Open the Task Manager and you should see the RAM usage for Sims 3.  If it's listed as a percentage, right-click the Memory header to switch to absolute values.

Write down this number, then go back to your game (fullscreen or windowed, it doesn't matter) and play for about 20 minutes.  Then check RAM use again in the same way.

@puzzlezaddict  ok so after a few sim minutes my CPU usage was at 90% and my memory was at 28% (I tried the value thing and it didn't change from percentages).

And after about 20 mins of gameplay CPU was at 100% and memory was at 28% still. My guess is something to do with CPU usage being maxed out...? How would I go about fixing that, do you know ? 

@riahbearrr  Is that Sims 3's usage or your computer overall?  Are you still getting Error 12s?  And does this happen with no mods or custom content present?

Please also run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

CPU usage doesn't have anything to do with Error 12, but both can happen if the game engine is tripping all over itself trying to resolve a problem in-game.

@puzzlezaddict  my pc overall. I'll check Sims 3 specifically next time I get on. Going out of town for the weekend.

Yes, still getting the error. I think it gets one good save in then error after that. So like 30 good mins of playtime. Very very annoying. 

I will also have to run dxdiag and check that when I get home bc I don't remember. Lol  I played a little without mods when I reinstalled it. Maybe the amount of mods and custom content I have ? Idk. 

I hope it's not that bc I love custom content lol