@zoe616 I've moved your post to the Sims 3 section.
There are a few different things going on here. First, for the content you can't download at all: Clear the cache for Internet Explorer; even if you never use it, the launcher and store do for some purposes. Be sure to uncheck the box to preserve data for favorite sites. (This is for Windows. If you're on a Mac, clear all your browser caches, as it's not always clear which one the launcher uses.)
Next, pull your entire TS3 game folder out of Documents and onto your desktop. Open the launcher, which will create a clean game folder, but don't sign in. Go to the store site instead, and try to download the content that you supposedly don't own. If it works, you can install the content into the clean game folder and then move it to your existing folder.
If you still can't download those items, clear your browser caches again and ditch the clean folder. Launch the game, which will spawn another clean folder, and sign in at the Main Menu. In the following thread, I wrote out instructions for a workaround another player found, downloading content through the Main Menu, although this was for a different issue. Still, the workaround is worth trying.
https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-3/Dragon-Valley-Won-t-Download/m-p/7872472#M236049
If you still can't download this content, you'll need to contact EA customer support. No one here can fix an account issue. If the usual tricks don't work, then hopefully a support rep can fix the problem.
https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/
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For the community lots that install but don't show in-game, you probably have a corrupt file in your game folder. Depending on how much store content you have that does work, it may be easier to just install all your store stuff into a clean folder. (This does not apply to anything you've downloaded through the Exchange, all of which is stored in a different type of file.) Either way, the explanation is kind of long, so let me know what you'd like to try: rebuilding from scratch, or reinstalling only those items that don't work, and I'll write out step-by-step instructions.
By the way, Exchange items often come with third-party custom content. The files posted on the Exchange have been created by players, not EA, and some of those players upload cc with their creations. So you probably do have a lot of cc installed, even if you didn't know you were getting it. Some of it might be messing with your sims' appearance, and neither clearing your caches or messing around with Origin would have any effect. Neither would reinstalling TS3 itself, if you put your old game folder back afterwards.
So the real test, and the one I'd start with in your place (although you can of course go in any order), is to pull your game folder out of Documents and run the game on a completely clean folder. No cc, no preexisting sims, just a test in a well-made EA world like Sunset Valley or Twinbrook. Pick a premade family and let me know how they look.
If you still see the weird lighting effects, switch back and forth between fullscreen and windowed mode to see whether it makes any difference. And please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post here. Please also list the packs you have installed.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/
I'll try the methods on the missing content and give you an update thanks! And on the CC, I can't really play with vanilla sims theyre just too ugly for me haha. Vanilla sims look fine in game but my cc sims look messed up outside.
@zoe616 If your vanilla sims look fine (albeit too ugly for your taste), but the cc causes the issues, there are two possibilities. The first is that the cc you're using is poorly made. You can try other skins instead to see if it makes a difference. Install a couple into a clean folder and take a look.
Here's a thread on the official Sims forums about cc recommendations; you could check out the links, or add your own comment. There are plenty of other threads there too, with lots of ideas.
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/959354/cc-suggestions
Kusoberina seems to be a very popular creator on the officials, and the skins have been extensively tested.
The other possibility is that your computer is struggling to render high definition cc. Vanilla sims are easier on the graphics card, so there's less chance of seeing graphics glitches. If you want an opinion on what your card might be expected to handle, just attach a dxdiag, and I'll take a look.
