El Capitan Bug: Sims 3 faces smearing, graphics messing up

@alexiskraft11

movedto the Mac forums

@Bluebellflora  please and thank you in advance

Thanks! Not sure how these forums work, it's my first time doing one

@alexiskraft11

Firstly, what Mac do you have? Please post the following info - http://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-4-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/4612396/highlight/true#M162

Secondly, are you running any CC/Mods? Have you tried running the game without them and did it make a difference?

Thirdly, have you moved your Sims 3 folder from Documents > Electronic Arts out onto your desktop and tried playing? Did it work?

I have a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch Late 2013)

Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5

Memory: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

Graphics: Intel Iris 1536 MB

I used to have tons of CC/Mods and Sims 3 ran fine with Yosemite, but not with El Capitan. I removed all the CC/Mods and I'm still having the same problem.

Yes, I believe earlier I tried moving the folder to desktop and it did not work. 

@Bluebellflora

@alexiskraft11

If you read this thread specifically for owners of 2013 and onwards Macs, you'll find your Mac listed as one of the ones that is incompatible with Sims 3 due to the Intel Iris graphics not being supported- http://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/CURRENT-ISSUE-The-Sims-3-Issues-playing-on-newer-post-2013-Macs/m-p/4935394#U4935394

You were lucky that your game played pre El Capitan but evidently something changed from Yosemite to El Capitan. 

In the linked thread above you will find instructions on how to edit your graphics card files so you should be able to play again.

I followed all the instructions and I am still having the same problem. My best bet would probably be to uninstall El Capitan, but I can't do that because I don't have Time Machine. Hopefully I can figure out another way to make my game work @Bluebellflora

@alexiskraft11

Do you have an external hard drive you can install Yosemite onto? Here's how you make a drive bootable and install Yosemite onto it (the drive will be wiped so make sure there's nothing on it you want to keep):

1. Plug in your external drive and open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility). Click on the drive in the left side window then click on Partition.
2. You want it to be one partition, GUID Partition Map so it is bootable. Call the partition whatever you want and make sure the format is OS X Extended (Journaled). DON'T click on your internal Macintosh HD, that is the one you are currently using.
3. Click Apply
4. When it's finished close Disk Utility then open the App Store.
5. Go to your Purchased tab and find OS X Yosemite.
6. Click Download. When it's finished downloading, the install window should appear. Make sure you select the new drive you have just formatted to install onto and then follow the instructions.
7. Your Mac should install and automatically boot into the external drive. You can install Sims 3 onto the drive in Yosemite.
8. VERY IMPORTANT - when you want to choose which drive to boot into, the new one you have created or your Mac's normal internal one, hold down the ALT key when you start up your Mac. Keep it held down until the bootable drives show in the middle of the screen. You can now tab to the one you want to boot up and hit Return.

Apple have written a help guide here which may also help - https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202796