Re: sims 3 64 bit & metal keeps crashing?

@alkuch  Okay, so free memory isn't the issue.  1.22 GB is about what my game uses when I load a new save, or one that I haven't played much yet, so that's normal.

Sims 3 has always had a problem releasing memory when exiting to the Main Menu: some of the data from the save that was just closed remains in memory, and it can be superimposed on the next save you load.  This can cause all kinds of weird glitches, so it's never a good idea to switch saves at the Main Menu unless you don't intend to save your progress.

At this point, it's a good idea to start from scratch, at least for now, and see if we can get the game stable enough to play.  Move your entire Sims 3 folder out of Documents > Electronic Arts and onto your desktop; when you open the launcher, a clean folder will spawn with no content.  Don't add anything to the folder at this point.  Load the game to the Main Menu, cmd-return to switch to windowed mode, turn all the graphics down to the minimum settings, and quit to desktop.  Restart your computer, reload the game, start a new save in Sunset Valley, and let me know how it runs.

Please also let me know which packs you currently have installed on this computer, since I know you've tried playing with only a few.

@alkuch  What specifically did the game do when it started glitching?  How long did you initially get to play, and what happened just before the game stopped working?  It would be helpful to know exactly what triggered the change, in as much detail as you remember.

Please also let me know whether your computer feels hot on the bottom of the case or on the strip between the keyboard and screen.

@puzzlezaddictTo be honest, I can’t really explain what happened. I just continued playing, and from time to time the screen continued to flicker, but it was playable. And then at one point it just froze, it looked like it was loading, but this happens every time it crashes. After that it just froze completely, nothing new or special happened. Maybe, I was able to play for that long because I started a completely new game, I don’t know.

It does get hot after some time, and if it started crashing, it actually gets hotter quicker.

I might try deleting everything and downloading it again. I feel like the fact that I managed to save a broken game once, and after that I played normally could have helped, I want to check that.

@alkuch  Before you go to all the trouble of uninstalling and reinstalling, you may want to check your computer's internal temperatures.  Among the causes of what you describe is overheating, and trying to play when the computer is already hot, like, say, immediately after a crash, will only give the heat issue a head start.

One comprehensive tool you can try is iStat, developed by Bjango.  While it's a paid app, it does offer a 14-day free trial.  Another useful tool is Macs Fan Control, by CrystalIDEA, which has a free version; although it doesn't read as many sensors as iStat, it should be sufficient for this purpose.

@alkuch  What temperature reading is that?  I'm interested in CPU temps: the individual cores, the iGPU, the die, the package, anything like that.  A proximity sensor might give a significantly lower reading, and the temps of other components are probably not relevant.