[FAQ] Save Errors (Error 12, 13, 15, 16)
Problem While saving I get the error message: Error 12 (or 13 or 15 or 16). Please see Read-Me for more information. Meaning of the Errors Error 12: World file save failure. Mostly Memory related ...
Forum Discussion
I have windows 10 - 16GB ram, 1TB hard drive, intelcore i7 and nvidia geforce gtx 950M - the game still gives me error 12, lags and randomly crashes.
@Atila_DIY23 The information in the original post is still relevant: TS3 is a 32-bit app, and can only use ~3.7 GB RAM (4 GB minus some overhead) at a time before it gets unstable and in danger of crashing. It doesn't matter that you have 16 GB installed; the game won't be able to take advantage of it.
One thing you should check is your in-game frame rates. High rates or large fluctuations could account for some of the lagging and crashing. Your fps should never go above the refresh rate of your monitor, which is likely 60 Hz. To see your fps in-game, bring up the cheats console (crtl-shift-c) and enter "fps on" without quotes. A number will show up in the upper right corner of your screen. ("fps off" makes it go away.)
Since TS3 has no working fps limiter of its own, you'd need to use an outside tool to control your frame rates. For Nvidia cards, the first choice is the built-in Nvidia Control Panel. But if it doesn't work (and it never works in windowed mode), you can try Nvidia Inspector (free download). Here are screenshots of the setups for both tools, under the spoilers:
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16540301/#Comment_16540301
Keep in mind that for an Origin install, you'd need to use TS3.exe, but for a Steam or disc install, you'd use TS3w.exe, with the "w."
The other question is which world(s) you're currently playing. Some are built better than others, and a few custom worlds are simply too large for the game engine to handle.
