Re: Random lagging when moving camera

I've finished running the DxDiag and have saved it. However, when following the instructions to submit my results to my case, it's telling me I currently have no cases with them, and I have attempted to submit a file through here, however, it has not worked. I've never heard of DxDiag before, so sorry for my noob-ness xD

@ManeEvent4U2  I meant that you could attach it here, using the "browse" button below the text field where you type your reply and above "preview" and "submit."  You wouldn't really want EA help looking over your dxdiag, anyway—it's not what they're trained to do.  If you post it here instead, I can read it, as can other responders who'd like to help.

I'd also like to see the first 40 or so lines of your deviceconfig, inside Documents\EA\TS3.

On my screen, the only thing I see in that location is the "choose file" button, which I assume is the browse button. Unfortunately, it won't let me submit the file here.

And these are the first 40 lines of my deviceconfig file:

=== Application info ===
Name: Sims3
Version:
Build: Release
=== Rating info ===
GPU: 3 GPU Memory: 4 CPU: 4 RAM: 4 CPU Speed: 3192 Threading: 3
Adjusted CPU: 3856 RAM: 16270 Adjusted RAM: 15758 Cores: 4
=== Machine info ===
OS version: Windows 7 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1
OS prod type: 0
OS major ver: 6
OS minor ver: 1
OS SP major ver: 1
OS SP minor ver: 0
OS is 64Bit: 1
CPU: GenuineIntel
Brand: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3470 CPU @ 3.20GHz
Family: 6
Model: 10
Cores: 4
HT: 0
x64: 0
Memory: 16270MB
Free memory: 12217MB
User: ~~~~
Computer: ~~~~
=== Graphics device info ===
Number: 0
Name (driver): Intel(R) HD Graphics
Name (database): Desktop IvyBridge GT1 [Found: 1, Matched: 1]
Vendor: Intel
Chipset: Vendor: 8086, Device: 0152, Board: 05771028, Chipset: 0009
Driver: igdumdim32.dll, Version: 10.18.10.4425, GUID: D7B78E66-4212-11CF-D162-7D25B4C2C735
Driver version: 4425
Monitor: \\.\DISPLAY1
Texture memory: 1696MB
Vertex program: 3.0
Pixel program: 3.0
Hardware TnL: 1

@ManeEvent4U2  Given your deviceconfig, I really do want to see your dxdiag.  Maybe try a different browser?  I'm using Firefox, and the browse button lets me navigate to whatever file I want.  Here's what I see:

Oh! Thank you! And with your want to see it, is there something wrong with my original configuration?

@ManeEvent4U2  What I wanted to see was whether you had a dedicated graphics card that TS3 wasn't using, but your dxdiag only lists an integrated one, which matches the specs google has provided.  With only the integrated card, your computer's performance is always going to be a bit limited.  The camera stutter and other graphics issues are to be expected with the lower level cards—for best performance, the recommendation is usually an Nvidia 1050 or AMD equivalent.

I'm not sure whether you have the latest drivers, either, as your card may be legacy by now.  It looks like you could check by going to Dell's website for your computer and clicking on the heading "Drivers, Manuals & Support," although it won't show me anything on my mac.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/cty/optiplex-7010/spd/optiplex-7010

Anyway, the bottom line is that the performance you're describing is probably as good as it's going to get on your system.  TS3 is a wonderful game, but this is one of the shortcomings we have to live with.

The graphics card isn't the problem. I understand that I have a limited extent at which I can raise my graphics in the game, but it has never been a problem. It just, out of no where, starting lagging for no reason. My sister's game doesn't do what mine does, so it isn't connected to the graphics what-so-ever. Her settings aren't that much different from mine, and even though she doesn't use custom content or store content, I've taken it out many times and it hasn't made a difference.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled the game and it still does it. I'm honestly losing my mind over this and if I don't find a fix soon, I'm just gonna box the game up and move to the Sims 4.

@ManeEvent4U2  As I said before, hardware will wear out over time, and you've been stressing this graphics card by running TS3's most demanding packs.  Obviously, I can't be sure that this is what's happening; you could always take the computer to a specialist for an evaluation.  But cards like yours were never meant to handle the demands of even a moderate game like TS3.  Most players who have similar cards find that their performance drops off sooner or later.

Again, you might look into updating your drivers, if you can.  I linked the site where you could check in my previous post.  It's always worth trying.

All of our drivers are up to date. However, I don't quite understand how our graphics card could have worn out if my sister's game still runs perfectly fine? Even when I make my game exactly like hers?

@ManeEvent4U2  Maybe you've played for more hours, maybe you've used different graphics settings (now or before), maybe you've played in worlds that are more demanding, maybe you've downloaded cc that's harder to render, maybe you've played with more pets or harder winters or something else I'm not thinking of right now, maybe....  The point is, it's impossible to say for sure.  (Maybe it's warmer in your room than hers, and your card had a harder time cooling itself down.)

Besides, two seemingly identical cards might perform slightly differently under identical conditions because of some factors no one would be able to identify, whether in the manufacturing of the cards or in the assembly of the computer.  And there's also some randomness thrown in.  Really, you can't expect to see precisely the same performance from your and your sister's computers, even if they appear to be identical in every meaningful way.

I'm sorry that I don't have anything better to offer.  Like I mentioned, you could take your computer to a specialist to see how it's holding up overall.  But if it's starting to wear out, there's not much you can do.

No problem, you did all you could to assist me. We play on the same computer, which is why I'm a little confused,  but thank you for sorting that out. Thanks for the assistance and spending time to try and help me, I'm really grateful 🙂 

@ManeEvent4U2  I didn't realize you and your sister play on the same computer, rather than the same type of computer.  (Is this in fact what you're saying?)  Do you each have your own game folder?  (This would necessarily be true if you each have your own user account.)  Do you tend to play in the same worlds as your sister?

Even if I read your last post wrong and you're not sharing a computer, you could always try a clean folder.  Pull your existing game folder out of Documents and onto your desktop, and a clean folder will spawn the next time you launch the game.  Try playing a brand-new save in a well-made EA world like Sunset Valley or Twinbrook.  If your graphics look better, the problem is either in your old game folder or in the worlds you're choosing.  (Isla Paradiso is notorious for being so poorly made as to be almost unplayable even on the best systems; Bridgeport is better but will stress computers with weaker specs.)

If the clean folder does run better than the old one, you can move your existing saves and other content into it from your old folder, a few files at a time.  Be sure to check the game after you add each batch of files—if the game starts having trouble again, you'll know that one of the files you just moved was the problem.

I understand that you already tried removing custom content from your game, but you would also have needed to clear your cache files afterwards to see the full benefit.  (The clean folder will take care of this.)  Going forward, you'll need to avoid "high-poly count" items (especially hairs), as they'll be too much for your graphics card to handle.  Many creators offer both high- and low-poly versions of their creations; their descriptions should tell you what you're getting.  And you can always test out new cc in a clean folder before adding it to your existing game.

We have different game folders, however, she has to use my Origin account to play the Sims. I've also tried the clean sweep of spawning a new folder by taking out the old one, but that hasn't worked either. I'm wondering if maybe there is something I'm missing? 

@ManeEvent4U2  Just to be completely thorough, could you list your and your sister's graphics settings, or take a couple of screenshots and upload them here?  Please also list the worlds in which you and she play, and with which packs.  Also, do either of you happen to run any other software alongside the game?  Anything—video capture, browsers, music, etc.

In the meantime, try spawning another clean folder, and don't add anything to it.  Start a new game in Sunset Valley, and test CAS, Edit Town, and anything that's been giving you trouble lately.  As I mentioned, some worlds are better made than others.

My sister and I both play with all 11 expansion packs plus High End Loft Stuff. Neither of us run any programs in the background while playing the Sims 3 and we play on all worlds that come with each expansion.

My graphic settings:

Full Screen Mode: Enabled

Screen Size: 1152 x 864 (4:3)

Screen Refresh Rate: Default

Object Hiding: Enabled

Animation Smoothing: Enabled

Advanced Rendering: Enabled

Reflection Quality: Mirrors Only

Edge Smoothing: Off

Visual Effects: Medium

Lighting and Shadows: Medium

Tree Detail: Medium

Draw Distance: Medium

High Detail Lots: 1

Texture Detail: Medium

Sim Detail: High

My sister's graphics settings:

Full Screen Mode: Enabled

Screen Size: 1024 x 768 (4:3)

Screen Refresh Rate: 60

Object Hiding: Enabled

Animation Smoothing: Enabled

Advanced Rendering: Enabled

Reflection Quality: Mirrors Only

Edge Smoothing: Off

Visual Effects: Medium

Lighting and Shadows: Medium

Tree Detail: Medium

Draw Distance: Medium

High Detail Lots: 2

Texture Detail: Medium

Sim Detail: Medium

Also, I've attempted to create a new folder, however, for some reason, it says there is an error and that Origin needs to be installed.

As I was playing, for some reason, the loading times are much longer, and then my game froze at one point.

@ManeEvent4U2  There is one setting that stands out—your screen size.  Your monitor's native resolution is 1280 x 1024, which is a 5:4 ratio, but you're using a 4:3 ratio instead.  Having an aspect ratio that's not supported by your display can indeed cause the lagging you've described, although why your sister isn't seeing the same problems is an open question.  Anyway, using a supported resolution should help.

Are you saying that if you pull your existing TS3 folder out of Documents and try to launch the game, you're getting an error message that you need to have Origin installed?  (You'd be doing me a huge favor if you described exactly what you see in as much detail as possible; it might matter to a completely different TS3 issue that we've been trying to troubleshoot all weekend.)  That's not normal and not the way these things are supposed to work—the game folders were designed to be swapped and refreshed just like this.

In any event, the following files can and should be deleted from your game folder often, or even after every play session if you remember.  Most of them will regenerate each time you launch the game.

• The five cache files directly inside the game folder (CASPartCache, compositorCache, scriptCache, simCompositorCache, socialCache; if you see extensions in File explorer, they'll all end with .package)
• Everything in FeaturedItems—this is the game trying to sell you store stuff while you play
• Everything in DCBackup except ccmerged.package.  Don't delete ccmerged, as it's critical for your premium store content
• Any files in CurrentGame—this should always be empty when you're not playing

You can help your game by moving Screenshots and Recorded Videos, if you use them, elsewhere on your hard drive.  You should also store the files in Downloads elsewhere after you've installed them, but it's a good idea to keep these as a backup, in case you need to reinstall later.  Crinrict wrote a guide to your user files, if you're curious:

https://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/faq-user-files.html

Sorry I have not responded for quite a while, I have been super busy this week. ☹️

I managed to fix my issue with Origin "not being installed", and I've also attempted clearing out practically every file you've mentioned, as well as done the clean folder. However, nothing seems to work.

Also, I'd like to point out that every resolution in my sims game is in a 4:3 ratio - except for the highest resolution...

@ManeEvent4U2  Strange, I could have sworn that there were more resolution options than that.  I just checked on the mac side, and there are a bunch of 16:10 ratios, but no 5:4.  Still, you should be able to change the resolution manually.  Again, it's best to use a clean game folder, in case this makes things worse.

Inside the folder, there's an options.ini file.  Open it with a text editor; whichever option Windows offers is probably fine.  Find the line that lists the screen resolution, and change it to 1280 x 1024, the resolution of your monitor.

If this doesn't help, or makes things worse, delete that options.ini file, load the game again to the Main Menu screen, and put it in windowed mode.  Then quit and try the same edit.

I changed the resolution to the amount that you suggested, and I also changed the Refresh Rate to 60, and oddly enough, these changes seemed to help.

However, it didn't stay that way for long.

I'm guessing by this point that there is probably no fix for my issue, and that I'm just gonna have to deal with it.

@ManeEvent4U2  Unfortunately, you're probably right.  As I said in the beginning, your system is under the recommended specs to play TS3 and most of its packs.  Different players can get different results from the same hardware, but there's only so much you can expect from an integrated card.

If I didn't mention it before, you could always try Windowed Borderless Gaming to see whether that makes a difference.  It might not, but the program itself is easy enough to use, and popular among TS3 players.

https://westechsolutions.net/sites/WindowedBorderlessGaming/

I tested it out just like you suggested, unfortunately, it didn't do anything to help. It really sucks that I can't seem to find a fix for this :/ Oh well, hopefully we get a new graphics card soon.

Thank you so much for all your help, I really appreciate it! 🙂