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simAzeroth's avatar
simAzeroth
7 years ago
Solved

The Sims 3 BUG

I've just experienced a bug causing my save being corrupted(after saving and reloading the game it makes my money: 0; and it causes that i cannot choose any of sims i have). Before saving situation...
pc
technical issues
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    7 years ago

    @simAzeroth  Okay, delete the cache files again, load your game, and let it run for a few sim-minutes.  Then go to Edit Town, evict your sims, and place them back into their house.  This will erase their promised wishes and opportunities, although they'll keep their jobs and relationships.  Once they're back in their house, "save as" and rename the save, quit (without saving, as a separate step), delete the cache files, and reload.

    If that doesn't help, repeat the process, except first switch to playing a different household.  You'll still be able to evict the main household and put them back, but this sometimes helps where a plain eviction does not.  Ptay with the second household for a couple of sim-hours, and stay with them until you've quit, cleared your cache files, reloaded, and run the game for a few more minutes.

puzzlezaddict's avatar
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
7 years ago

@simAzeroth  Your current save is corrupted enough that the best thing to do now is revert to a previous save.  Even if you haven't made one, the game keeps the files from the second to last time you saved.  Go into Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves, and you'll see a folder for each save you've made, plus backups.  So if your current save is called SunsetValley, you'll have a folder labeled SunsetValley.sims3, and another labeled SunsetValley.sims3.backup.   Delete the .backup extension and rename the folder (i.e. SunsetValley1.sims3), and your backup will now be available to load from the Main Menu.

Before trying to play again, be sure to delete the five cache files in your Sims 3 game folder, in the same place you found your Saves folder.  These files should be deleted regularly anyway, and while you're troubleshooting, delete them every time you quit.  For reference, they are:

  • CASPartCache.package
  • compositorCache.package
  • scriptCache.package
  • simCompositorCache.package
  • socialCache.package

Load the backup save and play for a few minutes, making sure the issue isn't still present.  If everything looks fine, use "save as" to rename the save (i.e. SunsetValley2) so that the backup you just used is preserved, in case you need it again.

If the backup save is also glitched, let me know, and I'll write out how to do a more thorough reset of your household.

simAzeroth's avatar
simAzeroth
7 years ago

Backups are corrupted too, tried that way before and it doesn't work because of corruption☹️

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    7 years ago

    @simAzeroth  Okay, delete the cache files again, load your game, and let it run for a few sim-minutes.  Then go to Edit Town, evict your sims, and place them back into their house.  This will erase their promised wishes and opportunities, although they'll keep their jobs and relationships.  Once they're back in their house, "save as" and rename the save, quit (without saving, as a separate step), delete the cache files, and reload.

    If that doesn't help, repeat the process, except first switch to playing a different household.  You'll still be able to evict the main household and put them back, but this sometimes helps where a plain eviction does not.  Ptay with the second household for a couple of sim-hours, and stay with them until you've quit, cleared your cache files, reloaded, and run the game for a few more minutes.

    • evelienbaumans's avatar
      evelienbaumans
      5 years ago

      @puzzlezaddict 

      Hi there, 

      I was just reading everything @simAzeroth wrote, when I realised I had finally found someone who was having the same problem I am having today. So, ecstatic that someone also replied with a set of solutions that actually seem really reasonable, I began trying all of them out with a smile on my face. 

      Well, I guess you can say now that after trying over and over for the last three hours, that smile has become pretty much non-existent...

      So, that's when and why I decided to reply, as I noticed you were still active on the platform, and ask you whether you could maybe think of anything else I could try out if all the options above didn't work out as they should've.

      I'll also add in a bit of backstory just in case: the last time I played, was yesterday evening and there wasn't anything wrong then or when I last saved and then quit the game, so it came to me as a complete surprise when I started up my game again today and noticed everything was just as wrong as it could be. I do use the "testingcheatsenabled true" cheat while playing to teleport my sims, 'cause travelling from one spot to another takes up so much time of the day otherwise, and also to buy or build something on a site that I don't own from time to time. Apart from that, I never use cheats.

      I also tried creating a new game and those still work, so the problem just accurs with this one family/game.

      After trying out the last solution, involving the switching of active households, the family in question just didn't live there anymore, while they still did before "saving as" and then quitting the game. After loading the new game again, the house just came up empty, as if no one ever lived there...

      Hoping you'll have a miracle solution for me, but I'm quite sure it won't be that simple...

      Thanks already and hope you'll get to enjoy the rest of your evening/day.

      • puzzlezaddict's avatar
        puzzlezaddict
        Hero+
        5 years ago

        @evelienbaumans  This error occurs when some of the data for the household gets corrupted to the point that the game can't load it anymore.  Sometimes the steps I suggested work, but only if there's enough residual data on the sims that they can be salvaged.  This is how I lost a handful of my first saves by the way: the game loaded an empty house, I couldn't get them back, and I didn't have any viable backups.  So I started using mods, and it hasn't happened again.

        At this point in the process, you could try adding mods, but their presence alone might not be enough—you might have to use the mods to find your sims, if they still exist to some extent, and put them back.  If you're not interested in using mods, then I don't really have another suggestion, since you've already tried everything I can think of.  It's unfortunately the case that these things happen with Sims 3.

        If you'd like to try mods, add NRaas ErrorTrap, Overwatch, and MasterController, found on the NRaas site.  Instructions on how to install mods are here:

        https://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Installing_Sims_3_Package_Files/Setup_and_Files

        Switch to another household, use "save as" to rename the save, quit, delete the cache files, and reload.  Let the game clock run for a few sim-minutes, click on City Hall, and select NRaas > MasterController > Town Options > Reset Everything.  This may take a few minutes depending on the speed of your hardware.  Let the game clock run a bit more, then click on your former sims' household and select NRaas > MC > Add Sim.  X out the filter and see whether your old sims are on the list.  If they are, you can select them to add them to that household.  They'll have lost some data, e.g. promised wishes and opportunities, and the household will only have 20k simoleons, but hopefully that will be the extent of it.

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