[MAC] Unable to install Sims 3 Late Night Expansion pack

Hi

If you do not wish to receive information via a forum then you could try contacting EA customer services directly. However the majority of customer service advisors use PCs rather than Macs, so Mac simmers often have better luck on the forums. I can try to help you if you wish.

The message about the expansion "being more recent" is very common when installing expansions for this game and it is not Mac-specific. If you think about it - if you were to freshly install the base game now, in 2014, a base game which was released several years ago, then patch to the most recent patch 1.67, then the game is fully patched and consistent with the game code as it was when the series ended this year. Say you then install World Adventures, which is also many years old now. The code for WA is older than the latest patch by many years, so you get a message about incompatibility. However in the majority of cases you can go ahead and install the game without any problems. I and many others have done this numerous times.

You can see more about this here: http://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2014/02/installed-version-newer-than-this-product.html

Note that the solution is simply to click on the message and move on.

So the answer to your question about what specifically to do to "fix" this is - ignore, click through and go ahead with your installation. However, if you are having problems installing the game, it is more commonly an issue with a corrupted download from Origin (this seem, unfortunately, to be common and I have noticed particularly affects Late Night), or outdated mods/CC or, if you have uninstalled/reinstalled several times, there can be left over files from old installations that cause conflict with new ones. You can rule out some of these problems by doing a clean uninstallation, then patch, then start adding expansions. I have pasted a guide on this below.

I note that you initially uninstalled the game because of freezing. There are various reasons that the game might freeze on a Mac so I've added some further information about that. My game used to freeze a lot as well, but since purging the RAM regularly I can now play for many hours with no issues at all.

Finally, the website for The Sims provides the latest patches. Unless you are able to find an earlier patch version from a reputable source, it will be difficult to apply a lower patch. Unless of course you have a backup of your system from before you started having problems with the game.

Caspin

1. Clean uninstall and reinstall

When you uninstall TS3 games on your Mac using the uninstaller, the game leaves behind stray files and isn't completely removed from your computer. These files may conflict with future installations. It is best to completely remove them. BluebellFlora's website provides a guide on how to do this:

http://bluebellflora.com/the-sims-3-on-a-mac/how-to-do-a-clean-uninstall-and-reinstall-on-a-mac/

After cleanly uninstalling, install the base game and patch it up to date. If you cannot update via the Launcher, download and apply the latest cumulative manual patch (called the superpatch) for Mac. Be sure to choose the right file - there are various 'regional' files for disc-users and one designated region 7 for Origin-users.

Check that your game works properly. Then install any EPs and SPs that you own, in order of release date.

2. Further information on the cumulative manual superpatch

Many simmers find that patching their game via the Game Updates tab of the Launcher does not work properly. It is then better to download and apply the manual superpatch. It is important to download the Mac version rather than the PC version, and to pick the right one for your region. Be aware that if you are using a disc you need to choose the correct 'regional' file but if you are using digital download through Origin then you should use the file designated 'region 7'.

Instructions and the links to the downloads can be found in the Mac section of the forums at thesims.com here:

http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/549552/official-ea-download-links-for-the-sims-3-cumulative-manual-update

If you use any mods or custom content, be sure to remove them before patching.

3. Using Origin to install games on Mac

Download and install the Origin client for Mac and make sure it is up-to-date. If you already have Origin on your Mac but are having problems with downloading or installing games, delete the client and download a new copy (this sometimes fixes issues with downloading). The latest version can be downloaded from here: http://www.dm.origin.com/mac/download

Additional advice on how to download games (thank you Tremayne for this tip):
When downloading from Origin, do NOT use the first install icon. Move your cursor over the game cover and click on the information (letter i) and then click on the install button from there. For some reason, downloads from Origin frequently become corrupted. Using the i reduces the chance of your download being corrupted. If you have already been unfortunate and have a corrupted download, then it is important to remove all traces of this before trying again, by doing a thorough, clean uninstallation first.

Are you running anti-virus software or any clean-up applications? If so, disable these, as they might be deleting files that Origin needs. A fast, stable internet connection will also help you.

Tips for Mac simmers

Unfortunately a lot of TS3 players encounter problems when playing the game on their Mac. These can include crashing and freezing. A lot of these issues can be avoided or at least improved by the following measures.

Firstly, manually reset your RAM while playing. See BluebellFlora's guide on how to do this: http://bluebellflora.com/the-sims-3-on-a-mac/resetting-ram-during-gameplay/

I restart my computer before I play TS3. Close down other things that are running in the background. The memory used as seen in Activity Monitor is at about 3GB after the restart. If I open the Launcher it goes up to around 11 GB (that's all I've done - just opened the Launcher!). At this point I reset the RAM. Then I hit play and get through the opening sequence. I then press cmd-return to put the game in windowed mode from time to time while playing (and always before saving or using CAS). That way I can keep an eye on the memory and reset RAM if necessary. Being in windowed mode also allows you to close the game using force quit if it freezes up - it's better to crash the game than your whole computer.

Second tip is to save frequently. I save at least once per sim day. Use the option to Save or Save As, rather than the combined Save and Quit.

Make sure you are patched up to date. The 1.63 patch included fixes for Mac simmers that did actually improve the stability of the game on our operating systems, so it is well worth updating to at least that level. The current patch is 1.67.

The game runs better if you switch off the memories system and disable the in-game Store and social features.

For general advice, information and tips on how to play TS3 on a Mac, read BluebellFlora's guide here: http://bluebellflora.com/how-to-play-the-sims-3-on-a-mac/