Thread for new members to post their Sims 3 game issues (2020-22 version!)

Quite new to the game (a few months). A strange problem has arisen. I've heard of the launcher failing, and I've encountered saves failing to load, but this is neither of those. Background: running Windows 10 Home 64-bit, Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 @ 1.86GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, 4095MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970. Have the base game (with Riverview) plus UL, no other EPs, no mods. The launcher seems to open normally, and the first "trailer" with nice domestic sim scenes works normally as well, but then the first UL load screen freezes with the progress bar at the very beginning, no music. Went so far as to uninstall and reinstall (via Steam) but it still doesn't work.

Oh, and Firefox failed at the same time, though I successfully reinstalled that. My fear is that it's going to necessitate reinstalling Windows, but I'm hoping that there's a less disruptive solution.

@Nitroglycol - I may have to defer to other hardware experts on this forum board, but it's worth noting a couple of things. Your processor is probably not strong/fast enough to carry a GTX 970 very well and is likely to be experiencing classic bottlenecking when it can't keep up with what the GPU needs it to do. It also may not be fast/strong enough to support the Uni EP. We know that Late Night will for many players just cause the game to fail at startup if the processor can't keep up, the EPs that were released after that (except maybe for Generations) would likely suffer a similar fate.

At the very least this strikes me as an unusual combination. I take it this is a custom built/upgraded system?

Also running Win 10 on 4 GB of RAM total is certainly possible, but there isn't going to be enough RAM left over to service the game properly and that can't be helping either.

Any heavy techie Simmers able to tell me if these specs are good for all (or most) Sims 3 packs, but also for more intensive gaming? My fiance is going to have my PC built, but I need to know if the specs are able to handle Sims 3. Or if I have to change anything out? So if any can help, I'd appreciate it!!


Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6GHz 6 Cores/ 12 Threads 35MB Cache 65W Processor
CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: CyberPowerPC MasterLiquid Lite 120mm ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler with Dual Chamber Pump & Copper Cold Plate
Motherboard: ASUS PRIME X570-P ATX w/ RGB, Realtek LAN, 2 PCIe x16, 3 PCIe x1, 6 SATA3, 2 M.2 SATA/PCIe
RAM / System Memory: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/3000MHz Dual Channel Memory (ADATA XPG Z1)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce® RTX 2070 SUPER KO GAMING 8GB GDDR6 (Turing) (Single Card)
Primary Hard Drive: 480GB WD Green SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD (Single Drive)
Secondary Hard Drive: 2TB (2TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 256MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Drive)

If there's any other specs I've missed and need, just tell me and I can ask him, thank you~

@AccurateDino - Eww. (ignore this, it's just me being jealous) :p

Not sure I meet the "heavy" requirement, but I don't see a single thing there that could possibly get in the way of just about any reasonable gaming experience today or in the near future. You may, however, wish to wait for another opinion.

Those specs are way over the top compared to what TS3 can actually use. The game should run as well as it's ever going to, subject to its own built-in limitations, on that hardware.

Hi! I'm having an issue trying to download custom content from the exchange. Every time I try to download a game it asks if it can open World Adventures, I click on okay and then it says "The Sims 3 World Adventures quit unexpectedly". My game works fine and Im able to play it, I have more expansion packs this is just the first one I installed. Even if I go to applications and open up World Adventures I get the same message. Help please :)

@BitterSweet-xo - It sounds like some sort of file type association has been made between sims3packs and the WA program file, which is totally unnecessary. We can try to fix that within Windows or the macOS (I'm assuming Windows here), but first it also sounds like your web browser is trying to "run" the file you want rather than just download it.

It's usually more efficient to just download these things, then set the browser aside and move them into the TS3 user game folder's Documents folder for the Launcher to read on its next startup. If your browser doesn't seem to have an option to download a file and leave it alone, perhaps try a different browser?

Im running the game on the macOS. I tried opening it and downloading on a different browsers but I still had the same issue. The only option it gives me is to download and "add to game"

"BitterSweet-xo;c-17553442" wrote:
Im running the game on the macOS. I tried opening it and downloading on a different browsers but I still had the same issue. The only option it gives me is to download and "add to game"

Okay, I'm not within reach of the macOS right now but I can/will be later and will see what happens on my various browsers. Although someone else with the required insight may be able to offer a suggestion before I am able to.

@BitterSweet-xo The store can be a bit finicky in macOS, but it almost always works for me. Try using Firefox, which is more reliable than Safari or Chrome. Open the launcher before downloading. When you click Download, you should get a pop-up that asks what you want to use to "open" the download. Choose "The Sims3" with the green plumbob icon next to it, and click Open Link. If the base game isn't among the choices, select Choose other Application, and choose the base game icon from the list.

Please also make sure Firefox isn't set to block pop-ups entirely. Depending on your settings, it can give you a warning (a yellow banner across the top of the window) that says it blocked a pop-up from the site, or you may not see that at all. Either whitelist the store, or temporarily allow pop-ups while you're downloading content.

@AccurateDino That is going to be a great system, and as igazor said, over the top for Sims 3, not that it's a bad thing. If you want a second opinion though, I have a few thoughts:

• Spend the extra $10 or whatever and get 3200 MHz RAM. Ryzen processors love fast memory.
  
• While the SSD is more than fast enough for Sims 3, Windows and possibly other apps you might want to run will be faster on an NVMe SSD. Of course, they're more expensive. You could also install one at some later point if you decide you want one; it's quite simple, easier even than installing a SATA SSD, since there are no cables involved.
  
• No idea what more intensive gaming you're doing, but a 2070 Super will run most games* out there at well above 60 Hz in FHD (1920x1080), and often even in QHD. Whether having such a fast GPU is beneficial or massive overkill depends not only on what games you plan to play, but also on the resolution and refresh rate of your monitor: playing on a 60 Hz FHD monitor, your computer wouldn't be able to use all that extra speed in almost any current game. Besides, a card that nice deserves a monitor that can display its full capabilities.
  
• If you're thinking of futureproofing for games that haven't been released, it's probably better to get a merely very good card now and plan on upgrading it in three years or so. At the rate GPUs are improving, the 2070S will likely be bypassed by somewhat cheaper cards in a few years, plus there will probably be some new very cool technology that current cards don't even support but which new ones run easily.**
  

Still, this system, with or without any tweaks, should run Sims 3 as well as it's possible to run the game.

*In case you're interested in benchmarks for your favorite games:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/GeForce-RTX-2060-Super-Desktop-vs-GeForce-RTX-2070-Super-Desktop_9893_9892.247598.0.html

** A good current example would be Raytracing, which works (barely) on some 10-series cards, to a limited extent on the 1660 ti, and very well on 20-series GPUs, which were built for it. There aren't currently that many games that employ Raytracing at all, and fewer that take full advantage, but more are coming, and it will probably be a standard feature of high-end games before long.