@3_rolyat_3 Why not try moving the resource file to see if it works? Just make sure to clear the cache files (again).
@3_rolyat_3 There are a few things to cover here. The first is that the transitions in TS3 are delicate and can go wrong in a number of ways. By the time you arrive at the destination and your sims aren't there, the game is already borked and should be quit without saving. Hopefully, you have a backup save of two that you can use, or at the very least the automatic backup that you can find in your saves folder. Now would also be a good time to make copies of your existing save(s). Preventing this kind of error going forward is certainly doable, although it's hit or miss without mods.
It takes extra resources, expecially RAM, to load a second world in addition to the one that's been active. So the usual steps to reduce the load on the game are to only travel right after you load your save (when RAM use is lowest), and to put all of your graphics settings on low until your sims arrive. (Then you can change them back.) Other steps that can help are emptying out your sims' personal and family inventories as much as possible.
As far as mods go, I'm not sure where you were looking, but you shouldn't have to pay for anything. The mods that reliably fix the travel transition are NRaas Traveler, accompanied by ErrorTrap and Overwatch. (Nraas also hosts a mod called MasterController, which is very useful but does not directly influence travel.) They are free, and your computer should already have the software necessary to unzip them.
Unfortunately, as soon as I got to university, I saved before checking to see if the game loaded right. (My game has a tendency to stop working very quickly and I didn't want to risk it.) Where can I find the automatic backup? I have copied the original game at least five times and have been doing all of my testing on those so I don't mess anything up further.
You're advice regarding RAM is very helpful for the future, as is the graphic settings. One Sim had 3 things in her inventory for travelling and the other probably had around 10. The family inventory probably had about 5. Do you think this would have caused the issue?
I was attempting to download this mod: http://nraas.wikispaces.com/MasterController%20Phase%20Twelve which is the mass controller. I was planning on using this to find my two Sims however it wanted me to pay to access. I will be posting a photo of the page asking me to pay.
I posted the link of the mod I tried to download above. It's not your site that's asking me to pay. It's the zipping site.
Here are a couple photos of what I am shown after downloading:
^ Earlier today I did a free trial but it only last 5 minutes or so. As you can see, it's asking me to pay to access the site. ^
^ Here is the site that I am shown, but cannot access without paying. ^
If you can think of anything at all to help, that would be amazing. I figure that if the mods will work, I can get my game back on track.
Thank you both so much for all of your help! I really appreciate it. If there is anything else I can try, I will do it all.
@3_rolyat_3 In your saves folder (Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves), you should see a folder labeled [your game name].sims3, and another labeled [your game name].sims3.backup. The one with the .backup extension is the second-most recent save file; when you saved for the last time, this file was demoted to backup. In order for this backup save to be available for loading, you simply have to delete the .backup and rename it. It would be a good idea to make copies of this file as well if it comes from before you attempted to travel.
I think it's unlikely that a dozen or so items in your sims' inventories would cause any issue unless one or more of them were broken. This issue usually surfaces when the number of items numbers in the hundreds or more.
As for the mod, you're certainly on the right website, and NRaas is not involved in asking you to pay. To my untrained eye, it looks like you downloaded a third-party app that has set itself as the default unzipper and is now preempting your computer's built-in tool. I would try right-clicking on the file and selecting a different tool to unzip the mod, but if igazor has a better idea, I will defer to him. He can also tell you how best to uninstall this app entirely, as there may be hidden files that you need to hunt down and delete.
I found the backup file and took out the .backup - I made the other file .original . I'm reloading the game right now to see if it works. I looked in the .backup file and saw no sign of university (unlike the original file) so I'm hopeful.. I will be making many copies of that file!
I didn't think that would be the issue. But it's still good to know.
Whatever happened, I would never puposely download a third-party app. I'm trying to figure out how to delete it.
Thanks again!
@3_rolyat_3 You should be able to delete the app through Control Panel > Programs and Features without issue. Going forward, if you right-click on a zip file, you'll see some options on how to open it and can choose the tool that works for you.
If you're not familiar with mods but still want to install Traveler, ErrorTrap and Overwatch (and possibly MasterController), I suggest you look over this tutorial from MTS. Mod support in general is best provided by the people who make the mods, as they're best equipped to explain how to use their products.
Going forward, instead of just saving, it would be a good idea to use "save as" and rename your save file slightly each time. That way, you'll have previous save files to which you can revert if anything goes wrong. You can delete the older ones after a while, but it's always helpful to have 4-6 or more on hand, just in case.
