Lagging and stuttering game performance on Macs with M4 chips

I tried a new user account, still dealing with the exact same glitch wherein a sim using a tv or laptop makes the game ridiculously laggy. The existing issues seem to be worse, as the game is now choppy in full screen even with v sync turned on. Honestly, I'm just giving up. Hoping a future update will fix whatever is going on, but I do know that none of these issues were happening until updates released this year. My M1 which used to be able to run the game in ultra mode has the exact same problems as my M4. 

Not too sure what's going on but for now I'm just gonna delete the game. Thanks for helping though, and hopefully more people having the same issue post here.

heygwenpool​ 

😔 it's really very odd. I'm not experiencing any of these issues on my M1 or M4. Can you think of any commonalities software-wise between the two machines and which would have carried over into the new clean user account you tested? 

If you're willing I can look through the full system report on your Macs but it would be quite intrusive. PM me if you like otherwise I hope you manage to get it resolved at some point.

Gave it another shot after the recent update, same M4 device as always. The TV does not produce as much lag as it used to which made me very hopeful that future updates will fix the issues I've been having. While not fully fixed, as the tv still does lag, it's playable. However, the laptops still produce near game crashing lag. Either way, I'm just glad my sims can turn the tv on again for a bit.

The same issue

M4 MacBook Air (15")
16 GB
Tahoe 26.1 (but the same with 26.0 and Sequoia)
10-core CPU (4 performance and 6 efficiency)
10-core GPU
2880x1864 Retina
Using in-built display
Windowed and fullscreen

Game version: 1.119.109.1220

Premise: on the first clean start, an error message says that the graphics card is not recognised in their database, and the resolution is automatically set to 2560x1600. However, the problems persist both with this and when I set other resolutions.

The frame rate is more or less stable at around 60 fps in private lots and between 50 and 60 in community lots or private lots with many sims. Fps are halved when a screen is turned on (TV, computer or karaoke) and increase again as soon as screens are turned off or removed from build mode.

Obviously, in a private lot the problem is "limited" (unless your sim is a writer or developer), but in community lots it is almost impossible to have smooth gameplay.

Without screens there are still occasional frame drops, but the game remains much more playable.

garWallace​ 

garWallace wrote:

Premise: on the first clean start, an error message says that the graphics card is not recognised in their database, and the resolution is automatically set to 2560x1600. However, the problems persist both with this and when I set other resolutions.

Just ignore this. It's because the GraphicsCards.sgr file only includes the M1 chip, EA have yet to update with M2, M3, M4, etc. You can manually add it yourself but it has no bearing on game performance as you can easily changes settings in game options and in the GraphicsRules.sgr file.

Try turning visual effects to low. Computers will still be unplayable but it seems like I at least got TVs to work. This has been an issue for some M4 Mac users for months, I just found a Reddit thread from months ago with someone complaining about the exact same thing. Not sure if EA will ever fix this but the game is pretty unplayable it seems. I've only gotten the game to work somewhat better with these settings:

Sims: High

Objects: Medium (sometimes low, the game's fps drops into the 20s if I'm in a home with a lot of furniture and decorations.)

Lighting: Low or medium

Reflections: Medium

Visual Effects: Low (Might reduce some of the lag caused by laptops and TVs.)

Edge smoothing: Medium or high

3D scene resolution: Medium

View distance: Medium or high

You're still going to experience FPS dropping but not as badly as before. The game is still unplayable in full screen for me at least, not sure if it'll help you run better in full screen. Community lots don't produce as much lag as before for me when I switched the settings around. Praying one day we'll get a fix or something!

If you have little or no CC and a few expansion packs, the game should run much better on these settings. Hopefully this helps your game run a bit better.