Forum Discussion

crinrict's avatar
15 years ago

Late Night Bugs - Compiled List in first two posts

This post is not maintained by me anymore.

Generations bug there is here: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/377927.page

Pets bug thread is here: Pets Bug Thread - Please post your issues here


Important Update Nov 30:
The new patch is out but don't get your hopes up just yet.

Before patching please take a moment to read these threads:
New Game Launcher Patch is Available *Please Read*
Late Night Prepartion Tips & Tricks (this one goes for the patch as well)

If you experiencing a new but and you are patched to 1.18/2.13/3.9/4.6/5.4/6.1, please post here: Late Night Bugs - List of problems and fixed problems after patch 1.18/2.13/3.9/4.6/5.4/6.1

I will need everyone to test on a CLEAN game. Old saves that are messed up, probably stay messed up.

Read the first post of this thread for instruction on how to get a clean game without reinstalling: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/0/305615.page

Please report your issues (or fixed issues in the thread linked above). If you do not intend to patch just yet and have issues not reported, please report them here.

Reporting Issues

Please read the first two posts before posting anything.

Remove your mods and check without (YES! ALL OF THEM) before posting anything

There have been lots of reports and there are lots of issues that have been addressed. If your bug has been mentioned, ONLY post if you have new info to add. There are a few bigger bugs that lots of people have. I have either started a new thread for those or found an existing one and linked that one. Please post in those threads. If you have links to any of the other problems, please provide them.

I will try to put as much info in this two posts as possible. I'm also always on the hunt for solutions that do work. I'm not going to list every single suggestion that was made in this thread but I've gotten pretty good at keeping things people say in mind. If I read something similar somewhere else, that just might lead to a working solution that I will post.

I thank those people out there who actually find and post solutions and apologize for not giving credit to most of you. By the time the fix reaches me, it's not possible to know, who came up with it in the first place. You're awesome.

Little side note: I won't be answering post anymore. I will keep reading and update those first two posts for you and answer completely new problems (but not the ones that are addressed here).

When stating your bug, please include the following information:
- What OS are you on (there are some issues that seem Mac-Specific)
- Do you use any mods or cc (if you download from the exchange, then you have cc)
- If you don't have any mods, state if you never had any or if you took them out.
- If you have any mods by Twallan, they have been updated (yes, MasterController too). If you have the newest versions and run into bugs, you might want to check his threads. Just because they are updated does not mean, they are free of errors. Take out the mods to check if it's not the mod that is at fault. Be careful, some of them have to be taken out in a certain way. Check the threads for more info.
- Post some basic info like RAM, CPU and Graphic Card. Not interested in any DxDIAG. Do not know how to read them.
- Please do not just link other threads. I don't have the time to read trough tons of posts. State the problem in a few short words and maybe add the link as extra info.
- When answering a question of mine, please quote your original problem and maybe my question.

For older bugs also refer to this post: TS3 + EPs & SPs - Known Glitches & Causes

I am recommending a few mods in this threads. I'm not going to link them on this first page though. Use google to find them or ask in the thread.

Preparation Tips & Tricks

Late Night Prepartion Tips & Tricks

Reinstalling your game

Reinstalling your game should be your last resort. Try removing your user folder in documents folder first. You can just rename it to TheSims_Backup. The folder will be recreated at the next startup with only the necessary folders (some are created when first used). If that does not help and you really have to reinstall, follow these instruction, not skipping a step: Game Help:TS3 Uninstall

Technical Issues

These issues belong in the technical section. There are lots of threads about that there and people who can help better than me. You should report your DxDIAG there.

Crash Troubles
- DEP Problems
- There is a problem with some AMB lots that crash the game, namely the fire station. What the game does when creating a new neighborhood is look in your library if there are appropriate lots. If so, it just puts them on a lot and does not seem to check any restrictions in size or if they have access to a road. This makes your game crash. Remove ALL your lots from the library prior to starting a new game and add them later. To do so, just remove the folder library from your documents folder. If your game still crashes, remove all AMB lots and build them manually.

- Clicking on the Sub Way Station
- Using Stage Tool
- Custom Content, Corrupt Savegames --> Rename your folder in Documents to TheSims3_Backup. A new one will be created on startup. Then try finding the culprit by adding back one folder after the other

Cannot Save - Getting Error 12, 13, 16
12 & 13 are out of RAM Errors. Either get more RAM or a 64-Bit System. LAA has been done for those by standard by EA: BUT, when you patch, only the base game and the last EP get updated, so LAA is only done for those two. Manually patch the rest to have LAA for all.
16 is a savegame corruption. Use Save as (and the different name) instead.

The Sims3 Laucher has stopped working --> EA is looking into this problem.
Do DEP for the Launcher as well. See above.

Issues with Launcher, EADM and Downloading
Please read this thread and if you need further help, post there.

Launcher, EADM and Downloading

carebear089024 wrote:


Right click the icon on the desktop. At the bottom it should have Properties. Click that. Then click on the tab that says compatibility. Click that Tab. It has a box that shoudl read compatibility mode. In that box it should have Run this program in compatibility mode for:
Use Windows XP (Service Pack 2)


Another possibility is to run the launcher as Administrator. That fixed the problem for me.

There has been a EADM update that is suppose to fix the issue: "Game Launcher not Responding & Stopped Working"

Lagging & Freezing Issues

There seems a lot of lagging going on since LN. While you're computer could be at fault for this if you have a lower end machine, also people with high end machines seem to experience this issue. Sometimes it helps to defrag your computer, make sure all your drivers are uptodate and clean your registry with CCleaner or some other tool. It really can make a difference.

Game Lag / Stuttery Animation --> EA is looking into this problem
One possible reason for freezing/lagging is, if a Sim or a Car is stuck somewhere. You can either search your neighborhood to find them, enter every single household to find them or get Twallan’s MasterController and reset them all in one go. To delete cars that stand around on streets, use testingcheatsenabled true, then shift-click on the car and do Object-Delete

For people with the lags and game freezing (not Sims freezing), please contribute here:
Data collection and analysis: Intermittent Freezes and Lags


Cars in the City and Inventory
Since LN EA seem to have overdone the car thing. There are tons of cars in public lots and in Sims inventories. Also there seem a lot of taxis crusing the town. There are two mods that can help you with those issues: Twallan's Overwatch Mod does a clean up on those everynight. blugenjutsus Taxis Overhaul Mod over at CrazyTown can help reduce the number of taxis in your town.

The main problem with the cars seems to be that temporary cars don't get cleaned-up. According to twallan this is a very old problem (actually his very first mod took care of that problem) and was fixed at one point, now it seems back. Hopefully it can be fixed again.

Crowd gatherings in front of buildings
Some lots seem to draw Sims and they can't be get rid of. If you reset them, they just come back. Crowds seem to seriously lag the game. For some it helps to delete the rabbit hole itself and place a new one.
--> Twallan's Overwatch mod now has a fix in place for this issue

Instruments in Inventory
Like cars, instruments seem to spawn in inventories. It's unclear if Sims just take them from lots of if there is another issue around.

http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/0/295972.page#3947553
There are tons of threads on this issue around.

Game freezes at a certain time, nothing can be done
This is a bug that has been around for a while. I have no solution. There seems to have been a connection to alarm clocks and the self-employed careers. This might be fixed

Time freezes at a certain time. Sims go on about their business.
I have not enough info about this bug at the moment. Please post in the above thread.

Interactions take forever
I have not enough info about this bug at the moment. Please post in the above thread.

Sim resetting/ teleporting somewhere else
While doing certain actions, sims seem to get reset. They either get teleported out of buildings or just have actions fall from their queue. There have been many different, yet similar reports on this problem. It seems to happen more for the new multi-rabbitholes but it also happens on or community lots or even at home.

One problem seems to be that seems tend to freak out a lot. Fire, Birthdays, Birht, Celebs, Vampires, Ghost and more are all reasons that the drop whatever they are doing. Since those occasions are getting more frequent (especially since Vampirism and Celeb Status seems to spread like a disease), that could be one reason for sim crowds and queue dropping.

(queue dropping and resetting can also be caused by mods, depending on the XML file that was altered).

Sims freeze and get stuck a lot
This seems to get worse with LN. They get stuck in bed (especially Vampires) and resetsim firstname lastname (name of your sim) only helps temporarily. I do not know how to fix this but I believe it to be the first step towards invisibility and missing UIs (see below). I believe, if you see behavior like that, it's a sign of serious savegame and sims corruption. I have no idea, how you can solve it, but I recommend using mods like StoryProgression (you don't have to turn it on for the bug fixes to work), Overwatch and MasterController to avoid this (it's no garantue, but twallan has a lot of checks in place).
- Sims keep gettting stuck in bed
- Sims are all stuck in front of certain buildings and cannot be somewhere else
- Questions for the people with the "large group"/stuck sims glitch

Invisible Sims
This Bug has been around since WA. It seems to get worse with every patch. First they would only get invisible when coming back from vacation, then it started to spread through the whole neighborhood. trupsmooth has posted some very interesting observations about this in this thread: Late Night - glitches. It seems that if you enter edit town or save the game if a sim is frozen, he will get invisible. If you save now, you will get a missing UI error (there are other actions that can break the UI like removing a scripting mod in the wrong manner). Twallan has two mods that can help you with those. The DebugEnabler has an option to bring back invisible sims while the errorTrap should repair some errors that cause the UI error. I have not have this problem and did not use either actions. If you have problems with those, please ask Twallan himself. He is one of the most patient and friendly persons, I have ever met on the Internet.

Please answer these questions at MTS and read their workaround (yes, I'm sorry but they do involve mods): Missing Sims and/or User Interface]

Problems with Multirabbitholes
Quite a few problems people are seeing seem to be connected to the new Multirabbitholes. They seem to be faulty, causing quite a few problems:
- Sims not able to go to work
- Sims not able to complete opportunities
- Sims not able to get rewards
- Mass crowd of Sims in front of lots (this might also be connected to stars and vampires that make Sims freak out all the time, want autographs/pics or have to puke).

The simplest solution ATM would be to tear down the Multirabbitholes and use the ones the Rabbitholes from Sunset Valley instead. You might need to start a new game or at least drop all opportunities.

Lots set to No visitors allowed
Quite a few community lots are set to no visitors allowed. The same is true for the lots in Sunset Valley so I really don't know if this is an issue or not. The setting is supposed to deal with autonomous drawing of Sims to lots but strangely, changing theses to visitors allowed has helped people with numerous problems. I'm uncertain as to why this is but it's is worth a shot.

To change, go to Edit Town and change the type of the lot to community - visitors allowed. This will trigger a few messages but I think it's save to ignore them. Let me know if it helps with any more problems concerning lots.

So far it helped with:
- Sims not being able to go to work.
- Sims getting thrown out of the stadium when reloading the game
- Sims not being able to win games in athletic track.

Credit for this goes to ruthybell from the German forum

Empty club
An empty club is a symptom of a bug, not a bug itself. There are several factors to this (see below).

Things you can try
--> Replace the club
--> Get rid of the ropes.
--> Hot spots have generally more people.
--> Search for crowds of sims in your town. If so, reset that lot by going into edit Town and then build/buy mode for that lot. They might be coming back to the lot, so try to replace it if they do. If it's a multirabbithole, consider getting rid of it altogether and get the rabbit holes for Sunset Valley.
--> Read this on how to check how good your Computer is and how to trick your game into more visitors although it's crappy: How to Fool Your Game Into Giving You Full Clubs

My own experience on this
There are several factors, one being your computer. For me, the dive clubs are always pretty full, the others are not. I have lots of people come to a club and then can't get in because of the bouncer/ropes and just leave again. Depending what time your sims comes, it might seem as if no one is coming.
Normally, when you are going to a community lot, other idle sims are pushed to go there too. If all sim are stuck somewhere, they can't of course, so that might be another reason for empty clubs.

Threads about this
- Clubs are empty
- So the empty clubs isnt a glitch?

Known Issues and Solutions
These are issues with solutions or workarounds. If those don't work for you, please post

Cause by Mods
The Sliders don't appear in my game, I can't switch the gender of my sim anymore
This is due to the following mod: UI Mod--CAS Basics--See Your Non-Default Skintones
Remove the mod, delete your Cache files and restart your game. The sliders will be back.

My Sim can't play in a band or use any of the new instruments.
Some Mod that changes something with the skills of your sims --> Remove

My Sim can't make drinks at the bar at home
Some Mod --> Remove

My Sim does not turn into a vampire
Some Mod --> Remove. It could take a while though until the Sim is fully turned.

Thought and talking bubbles are huge and empty, +/- signs are huge, No effects from the new effect machine, no fish in the digital Aquarium, fire not visible, build sparkles don't go away
NoMosaicAMB mod. Mod has been updated. Get the new one at MTS. This Mod can cause other issues, especially missing or strange effects.

No Books in the book store
Any Mod that changes anything with books. Remove and delete your cache files. If you have empty bookshelves, you will need to replace them. There are no skill books in the Twinbrooke library, which is actually part of a architectural job. I don't know if it's the same for Bridgeport. Just buy a new bookshelf with skill books

My sims have no social interactions
Any mod that changes the social behavior of your sim. If you have that problem for just one sim, it might be an actual bug (s. 2nd post)

Bug Workarounds
Walls don’t connect properly/ thin walls
Build a door or a window into the wall and it should reappear.

--> SimGuruLily: Can everyone seeing it please update your graphics drivers and post your DxDiags

Sim got stuck at the bar because he couldn't leave before it closed
Resetting your sim with the cheat resetsim firstname lastname (name of the sim) should transport them back to their home lot. Do that for every stuck sim. You could also go in Edit Town and use buy/build for that lot. All Sims will be reset automatically.

--> SimGuruLily: Does this only happen at bars with velvet ropes? Were the Sims doing a certain interaction when the bar closed? They should be pushed to leave at closing time, so we’ll need some more details on this.
--> Sim was woohooing in hot tub when the club closed. They finished and were then trapped.


I can't place the lots
You will need to change the lot type so that they fit the building you want to put on it. Make sure the symbol of a lot is that of any empty lot and not a empty house. If it’s a empty house, bulldoze it first.

Can not place lot on unroutable terrain: Sims and Buildings are banned from such areas. Lots cannot be placed here. Error in the map that needs to be corrected by EA.
--> SimGuruLily: Once a map is shipped, it cannot be changed anymore.
--> Extra info by mortimer can be found on page 71 towards the end.

I know too little about CAW and building worlds to actually understand this. There seem other issues around

My Sims skills do not advance
If it's the first skill point your Sim need, let him take a class. Should work afterwards. If not, please report.
--> SimGuruLily: Do you guy have any mods in ?
--> The workaround does not seem to work for everyone. Please answer the questions in the linked thread.

My Butler has vanished but I can't get a new one
(credit goes to Tootsyim1): Use the cheat testingcheatsenabled true and make the butler hate the family. They will then call and quit.
--> SimGuruLily: How/when did the butler vanish? Can you still call him up?

There is another me running around town (Clone Issue)
This has been around since the beginning. With LN it seems to get worse for there are so many new NPCs in town. What the game does when it creates a new Sim is, that it sometimes just uses a Sim that is in the library. If you have a copy of your Sim in the library, this will lead to a clone of yourself. To avoid this, just empty out your library. You can export the Sims you want to keep and save the Sims3pack on an external disk. The two Sims (sometimes more) have no connection to each other whatsoever.

There is another clone issue that has been around since WA. That clone is different and is actually the same Sim as yours. They are connected and deleting them will result in corruption of your own Sim. I once had a clone being stuck in a house. While mine was walking around and behaving completely normal, the other one just stood there and could not be deleted or anything else. No mod (well, did not try Awesome) would get him to budge and if I will ever go back to that game, he will probably still stand there.

My Sim can't use the supermarket and can't fish
This is due to unknown seeds in his inventory. Remove them (old issues)

My Sim does not get the extra trait when growing up
Use testingcheatsenbaled true, then shift-click on Sim and choose Add trait to add the missing trait. Don't use randomize or all the traits will be randomized. You might need to change panels and if that still does not stick, change the Sims hair. Type testingcheatsenabled false to turn of the cheat afterwards.

To avoid this error, take your time while picking. Make sure the pic in the window has changed to the older version of your Sim. This is a very old issue and has been around since the game came out.

Issues EA is investigating
Sim doesn't go to work
- A few solutions are posted in the first post of the linked thread.

Elevator problems
- Toddlers can use the elevator to get down, but not up. The stretch in the process.
--> Toddlers can also cheer which also make them do the stretchy thing.

Problems with Meters
- Babys and Toddlers are very hard to please. It take a lot of effort to get their bars up.

Opportunities cannot be completed
- Opportunities for buildings that are in other hoods
- Opportunities for the new multi buildings
--> For now cancel the Opportunity or replace the rabbitholes (see above).

Not fixed Issues from previous patches/EPs
- Excavation bug

Misc
- Sim runs instead of jogging
- Feeling shy moodlet around the sims own infant.

Problems with Clubs/ Bands
- Party lights/Strobe lights don't work right

Problems with EA-Cloth
- Flute forward dress makes a leg disappear
We cannot reproduce this issue. Please remove all CC and mods and try again in a fresh save.

--> http://i55.tinypic.com/2vd1suh.jpg
--> Also see post from ellerobbe on page 68 in the middle.

When moonlighting as a mixologist, Sim does not serve guests --> What traits does your sim have ? Might be connected to the Loner trait or if you have testingcheatsenabled (if you have SP or MC, chances are high, that you do).

Problems with Vampires
- Disgusted Moodlet gets stuck after a while