Forum Discussion
19 Replies
@jossmurphy2 Using Steam CD keys should be fine, and it has been for many players. The unknown error has several causes, but that isn't one of them.
Since there could be several causes for the error, please list the full specs of your Mac, as described here:
Please also list the packs you've installed, and any you'd like to install but haven't yet.
Hi puzzlezaddict,
Thank you very much for you reply I really appreciate you trying to help me. I have tried many of the guides to no avail. I am using a MacBook-Pro 10.14.6 13 inc (2007), 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5,
That should be fine shouldn't it. The problem seems to be with the main game, not any of the expansion packs. As soon as a try a launch it just says error 'Unknown Error Occurred'.What would suggest I'm best to do? Honestly been trying to get this working for 10 hours ahah, want to make the most of my isolation from the Corona Virus.
Kind regards,
Joss
sorry meant 2017
Its MacOS Mojave
@jossmurphy2 That the base game won't launch suggests that the issue is your graphics card isn't in Sims 3's database. (It's definitely not in the database, but this is only a problem on certain cards.) Just in case it helps, try running the Super Patch (digital download version) before doing anything else, then launch the game.
https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-manual-super-patch-for-mac-1-67/
If you still get the unknown error, I'll need the full specs of your Mac, not just the general model. Please also provide the device ID of your graphics card, so I can help you add that ID to the database.
https://bluebellflora.com/2018/07/24/sims-3-mac-players-i-need-your-help/#Information
Or, if you'd like to do it yourself, scroll down from that information needed section in the link above and see whether your card is one where Bluebellflora has already provided the necessary text. If she has, you can just download the text and add it to your .sgr files. Be sure to edit both files.
By the way, if the game does launch, you'll get a license server error. But that can be dealt with, either by applying a certain fix or installing almost any expansion or stuff pack. So let me know whether you have packs to install.
0x5926
MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
2.3 GHz Intel Core i5
8 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 1536 MB
Is this all the relevant details needed?
Thanks,
When I say play now on for Sims 3 Origin it says:
(I Have Expansion Packs, but haven't downloaded them)
Download in progressLaunching this game while a download is in progress can negatively impact gameplay. Are you sure you want to continue?Then it just says The Sims 3 unknown error has occurred,I've updated the Sims 3 file with the patchPhotos
I've copied both graphics cards over to the relevant folders (Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640) from the link to the download you gave me. It still doesn't even launch however. The GraphicsCards.srg folder that I've moved in looks a little light and only contains 67 bytes however and just reads
vendor "Intel" 0x8086card 0x5926 "Intel (R) Iris Plus Graphics 640"endIs this definitely right/is there anything else I can do?
Best,
Joss
@jossmurphy2 The graphicscards file only needs to have an entry for your specific card in order to work. It's normally a long list of hundreds of cards, but the game simply needs to match your device ID (0x5926) with a name. Then it matches the name to the corresponding entry in graphicsrules.
Just as a test, try launching the game through its icon in Applications, with Origin closed. There's no reason Origin needs to be running while you play.
If that doesn't work though, it's probably a good idea to start over with a clean uninstall. Here's how to remove the hidden library files that don't get deleted during a normal uninstall:
https://bluebellflora.com/how-to-do-a-clean-uninstall-and-reinstall-on-a-mac/
Reset Origin too, to fix the finalizing issue and make sure you can download the game again.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/how-to-reset-origin-on-mac/
Download the base game only, run the Super Patch again, then apply the two .sgr fixes. Be sure to run the Super Patch before editing the .sgr files—patching reverts the files to their original state.
If that still doesn't work, please go into Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3, open the file labeled deviceconfig.log, copy the lines between "Graphics device info" (about 25 lines down) and "Options" (about 40 lines down), and paste it here. If you don't have a deviceconfig yet, that's fine, but let me know.