@swoopbonecrusher, the wrench indicates Custom Content (often called CC). This is content that is not part of the actual game but was made by other fans. EA/Maxis allows it, but cannot support it. Your daughter must have downloaded some at some point.😉
CC and Mods can be fun, but if you don't maintain it , it can cause problems to your game! 😞 CC can become outdated, especially after a game patch issued by EA, like we have had the past couple of days!🤨 This means that any outdated CC items must be found and replaced by new versions from wherever you or your daughter got them. (The new versions of the CC items need to be updated to match the most recent game updates. If they are not updated, then you will have to remove them. If you only have a little bit of CC, it isn't as much of a problem since it will be easier to find which items are the culprit if outdated CC is causing problems in your game. But if you have a lot, the maintenance procedure can be tedious!)
In order to see if any CC or Mods are causing your game problems (and to find out which is the culprit) you will need to do the following procedure:
1) Move the Mods Folder to your desktop
2) Delete the localthumbcache.package file in the game folder. (this is very important!)
3) Fix you game in Origin by logging in and go to Library, then right-click on The Sims 4 and choose the "Repair Game" option from the list. Wait until Origin finishes repairing all your packs and not just the base game.
4) Now, when you turn on your game again, it will create a new mods folder that will be empty. Check to see if your game is now working without mods/CC.
5) Now you can try adding back items from your Mods folder one at a time checking your game each time to see which item is causing your game to not work properly. If you have a lot of items, you can try the 50/50 Method.
The CC creators will usually update the CC items and Mods after these updates, so when you find out which one is the culprit, you can get the updated version from whoever made that item of CC in the first place. You should try these steps any time you have problems in your game to rule out CC/Mods problems. It is the responsibility of the Mods/CC creators to update their items anytime EA releases a patch/update, and it is the responsibility of the people who use Mods/CC to make sure they are using the most recent version.
Also, you might regularly want to delete your localthumbcache.package file as part of maintenance, even when you don't have a problem. This is good to do even if you don't have CC or Mods.
Happy Simming! 🥳
