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Anonymous's avatar
Anonymous
11 years ago
Approved

Re: Purchased The Sims 3 Supernatural; downloaded/installed but can't play[Mac]

@alcmatta wrote:

I recently purchased the Sims 3 Supernatural, and followed all the instructions to download and install. When I go to play, however, nothing happens. Origin acts like everything is in order, but my laptop (Mac) doesn't share that opinion. Is there a way to remedy this? I feel like a simple reinstallation would fix it, but Origin will not give me that option, either.

Hi

Are you able to open the game launcher? If so, is the small icon at the bottom for Supernatural coloured-in or greyed-out?

Also look in the folder in Applications/The Sims 3 - do you see the shortcut icon for Supernatural there?

I suspect that your download is corrupt or failed in some way. Sometimes the download or installation fails. This can be for a variety of factors, including your internet connection dropping out during the download. Sometimes this can result in an awkward situation in which Origin acts as though the game is installed correctly. This means you can’t play the game, but nor will Origin let you re-download it. You cannot easily “uninstall” the game, because of course it isn’t there.

There are two things you can try.

1.Go into Applications on your Mac's hard drive and look in the folder called “The Sims 3”. This is the location from which your game actually launches (as opposed to a similarly named folder within Documents, which is where your saves and other data are stored). In the folder in Applications you will see the shortcut icons for the base game as well as any expansions or stuff packs installed. If you can see the icon for the game that has failed to properly download from Origin, try right clicking on it and this should give you the option to show the original file. You can move the original files to the trash from there. This may allow you to commence a re-download from Origin. (Many thanks go to Tremayne from TS3 Mac forum for this suggestion.)

2. Look in Preferences in the Origin client and find the game installers. Delete the files relating to TS3. Log out of the client, then back in, then you may be able to start redownloading.

If this does not work, or if the icon is missing from the “The Sims 3” folder in Applications, then you may need to completely uninstall and reinstall.

Caspin

4 Replies

  • alcmatta's avatar
    alcmatta
    11 years ago

    Okay, the icon IS missing from the Applications folder. How can I uninstall?

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    11 years ago
    Approved

    Go into Origin and see if you can start redownloading Supernatural. If it only gives you the option to 'play' rather than to download, then you will need to look in Preferences and delete the installer files for Supernatural to 'reset' it. See also the info below on the best way to use Origin.

    Good luck!

    Caspin

    To download and install games through Origin

    Download and install the Origin client for Mac and make sure it is up-to-date. If you already have Origin on your Mac but are having problems with downloading or installing games, delete the client and download a new copy (this sometimes fixes issues with downloading). The latest version can be downloaded from here: http://www.dm.origin.com/mac/download

    Additional advice on how to download games (thank you Tremayne for this tip):
    When downloading from Origin, do NOT use the first install icon. Move your cursor over the game cover and click on the information (letter i) and then click on the install button from there. For some reason, downloads from Origin frequently become corrupted. Using the i reduces the chance of your download being corrupted. If you have already been unfortunate and have a corrupted download, then it is important to remove all traces of this before trying again, by doing a thorough, clean uninstallation first.

    Are you running anti-virus software or any clean-up applications? If so, disable these, as they might be deleting files that Origin needs. A fast, stable internet connection will also help you.

  • AbsoluteNimrod's avatar
    AbsoluteNimrod
    11 years ago

    I don't have the thing in the applications folder, and I don't have an option to uninstall it? Have you got any advice? Thank you.

    EDIT: (other user of the account here) We're having the same problem, but Origin didn't have the option "keep game installers after games are installed" checked at the time, so there are no installer files to delete. I tried emptying it anyway, but no luck.

    The only thing is, our files originally showed up in Applications, just not in-game, and not on the uninstaller, so like an idiot I decided to randomly delete them without doing any research first, in the hope that it would force it to reinstall. That hasn't happened, but Origin still thinks we have the game, there are no installer files to delete, and I feel dumb. Do we need to reinstall the entire game, from the base game?

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    11 years ago
    Approved
    @AbsoluteNimrod wrote:

    I don't have the thing in the applications folder, and I don't have an option to uninstall it? Have you got any advice? Thank you.

    EDIT: (other user of the account here) We're having the same problem, but Origin didn't have the option "keep game installers after games are installed" checked at the time, so there are no installer files to delete. I tried emptying it anyway, but no luck.

    The only thing is, our files originally showed up in Applications, just not in-game, and not on the uninstaller, so like an idiot I decided to randomly delete them without doing any research first, in the hope that it would force it to reinstall. That hasn't happened, but Origin still thinks we have the game, there are no installer files to delete, and I feel dumb. Do we need to reinstall the entire game, from the base game?

    Hi

    I would recommend that you cleanly uninstall the TS3 game and associated files from your computer, then install the base game and patch it with the manual superpatch. Instructions for doing this correctly are below in sections 1 and 2. If you wish to use Origin, also see the additional guidance in section 3 below.

    1. Clean uninstall and reinstall

    When you uninstall TS3 games on your Mac using the uninstaller, the game leaves behind stray files and isn't completely removed from your computer. These files may conflict with future installations. It is best to completely remove them. BluebellFlora's website provides a guide on how to do this:

    http://bluebellflora.com/the-sims-3-on-a-mac/how-to-do-a-clean-uninstall-and-reinstall-on-a-mac/

    After cleanly uninstalling, install the base game and patch it up to date. If you cannot update via the Launcher, download and apply the latest cumulative manual patch (called the superpatch) for Mac. Be sure to choose the right file - there are various 'regional' files for disc-users and one designated region 7 for Origin-users.

    Check that your game works properly. Then install any EPs and SPs that you own, in order of release date.

    2. Further information on the cumulative manual superpatch

    Many simmers find that patching their game via the Game Updates tab of the Launcher does not work properly. It is then better to download and apply the manual superpatch. It is important to download the Mac version rather than the PC version, and to pick the right one for your region. Be aware that if you are using a disc you need to choose the correct 'regional' file but if you are using digital download through Origin then you should use the file designated 'region 7'.

    Instructions and the links to the downloads can be found in the Mac section of the forums at thesims.com here:

    http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/549552/official-ea-download-links-for-the-sims-3-cumulative-manual-update

    If you use any mods or custom content, be sure to remove them before patching.

    3. Using Origin to install games on Mac

    Download and install the Origin client for Mac and make sure it is up-to-date. If you already have Origin on your Mac but are having problems with downloading or installing games, delete the client and download a new copy (this sometimes fixes issues with downloading). The latest version can be downloaded from here: http://www.dm.origin.com/mac/download

    Additional advice on how to download games (thank you Tremayne for this tip):
    When downloading from Origin, do NOT use the first install icon. Move your cursor over the game cover and click on the information (letter i) and then click on the install button from there. For some reason, downloads from Origin frequently become corrupted. Using the i reduces the chance of your download being corrupted. If you have already been unfortunate and have a corrupted download, then it is important to remove all traces of this before trying again, by doing a thorough, clean uninstallation first.

    Are you running anti-virus software or any clean-up applications? If so, disable these, as they might be deleting files that Origin needs. A fast, stable internet connection will also help you.

    Caspin

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