Game is Crashing in Build Mode

clurriesims​ 

Please preform a Clean Boot:
A clean boot is a process that starts Windows with a minimal set of services and startup programs. This can help eliminate or find software conflicts.

How to perform the clean boot:

• Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “msconfig” (Without the quotes.) > Enter.
• In the System Configuration window, go to the Services tab.
• Check the box that says, “Hide all Microsoft services”.
• Click Disable all. (Make sure the EABackgroundService remains enabled.)
• Go to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
• In the Task Manager, disable all startup items that are activated.
• Close Task Manager and go back to the System Configuration window, then click OK.
• Restart the computer, the PC will start into clean boot mode.
• Test the Game
  
  2. Additional Steps (Inside the Clean Boot Mode)
• Ensure your virus scanner and other security software are disabled.
• Disable Afterburner and similar software.
• Make sure any CORSAIR/Asus/Razer software is disabled or uninstalled.
• Ensure your GPU and CPU are not overclocked.
• Disconnect all peripherals except for your mouse and keyboard.

holger1405​  That helped! I played for about 4 hours and couldn't recreate the crashes I was getting before. I even tested both Directx9 and Directx11. This is progress!

clurriesims​ 

It is, but unfortunately the only way to identify the service or application at fault is through trial and error.

Enable the applications and let the services disabled. 
If the game still work you know the problem is a service. 
Then enable them one by one or in small groups and test. 

holger1405​ Is it possible the issue is PredatorSense Fan Control? I had already enabled services so I could log into the forums with my saved password. Startup Applications were still disabled. I was experimenting playing that way and got no crashes for an hour. Then I used PredatorSense to turn up the fan control to my custom settings and the game crashed not long afterwards. So I set the fan back to auto and played again for a bit. No crashes. I turned the fan up to max and the game crashed within five minutes. Could this be the cause? I had overclocking off like you said and I used to play on my old laptop with the fans turned up but right now it really seems like the game hates it. I have to actually properly test but so far that is the pattern I noticed from the jump. I have noticed changes in the sound of the fan speed when the game crashed before but I wasn't sure if the crash caused it or if that was it causing the crash. When I play with the fan on auto I never hear it changing like that. I just get nervous my laptop will get too hot. The temp doesn't ever seem to be that bad so I guess this is just anxiety and I could continue playing with the fan on auto. 

Edit- According to Google AI and because I have been using balanced mode, I think the issue could be incompatibility with EA Anticheat like listed in this screenshot?

clurriesims​ 

It really could be anything running on the system, incompatibility's are often difficult to understand.  
Therefore, it is absolutely possible to have fan control software that directly influences the behaviour of the hardware as the culprit.  

holger1405​ I can't recreate the crashes unless the service that controls the PredatorSense fans is enabled and the fans are on Custom or Max setting.

Where do we go from here? I would think I should be able to use my fans when I play. The incessant crashing started in October. How can I let EA know I am having this issue? I can't find them acknowledging anything is wrong or that it will be fixed. I can only find Battlefield players talking about having issues with EA Anticheat and PredatorSense. The Google AI answers that always show up after searching claims EA knows about this, but I just can't find the source of that and with how long this has been going on, it seems like it is not being considered an issue. 

clurriesims​ 

Its the BIOS that's primarily controls your fans, the software is just a gimmick that allows you to adjust that inside the OS. 
The cooling of your laptop should not be affected if the software is not running while you play.  

A support software program should not cause a game to crash in the first place, so if you want to report a bug, you should report it to Acer. If they cannot fix it themselves, they will have to reach out to Maxis. 

holger1405​ I do understand that the program is not causing the crashing- I was bringing it up as a possible connection just because another EA game has known issues with it. The fans being on any setting above auto is causing the crashing since the October update.

As far as I know, there is no way for me contact Acer. I can't find anything besides the Acer Community forums, that's why I ended up here hoping someone else is having the same problem. sorry to have bothered you with this it seemed like the right place to come

clurriesims​ 

You should be able to contact Acer here. 

Are you saying that the game is also crashing if you change the fan settings in the BIOS? 
If that is the case uninstall the control software in Windows and try again. 

holger1405​ that is unfortunately only the case if the laptop is under warranty. Mine has not been under warranty since April. There is no way for me to contact Acer anymore, I can only use the community forums for help which I have done, they're just not as knowledgeable as you (and thank you by the way, I appreciate your patience with me over the last few weeks!)

I only know how to change the fan settings using the PredatorSense Fan Control. I uninstalled it and reinstalled it but the crashing still happens if the fans are not on Auto setting. I'd like to be able to use Custom or Max to keep my laptop cooler. 

Edit- I am testing with certain services disabled again since I have reinstalled PredatorSense. I think this time around, it is helping to disable Acer Quick Access. I definitely need to do more gameplay testing since this didn't work before, so I'll provide another update. I know this service is often the culprit, so it would be cool if this is finally resolved. 

clurriesims​ 

You should be able to control your Fan settings inside the BIOS as well, the documentation of your notebook should show you how to enter the BIOS or you could google ">Laptop model> enter BIOS".

Personally, I would never recommend setting the fans to maximum, as the automatic setting balances noise and temperature perfectly. 

holger1405​ 

Sorry I've been away for so long! What happened was I ended up back at square one. Everything that appeared to be an issue before was a red herring because things that were helping before stopped working and the crashing was just happening no matter what. I did start over, and I think I might finally be closer to what is causing the crashing. 

I think that when the game would crash and I was checking temps, fully waiting for the EA app to open back up before opening Predatorsense for monitoring was too long of a wait. I started looking at the temps as soon as the game crashed and I think my laptop IS dealing with an overheating issue. While the temps still weren't super high, 70's were the highest I usually saw with the fans on max, there were times when I swear I saw it jump to 100 and back down. I suspect it is getting that high while the game is running. Now, I have an intel i9 processor and I heard they had overheating issues, but I wasn't seeing reviews of my laptop talking about it so I bought it anyway and made sure to use a cooling fan. I'm properly researching it now, and not only does it genuinely seem to be an issue but a lot of the troubleshooting looks like it is beyond me. People are talking about redoing their thermal systems. 

My last laptop did not give me any issues playing the same game so... I ordered a new laptop. Am I a fool? Probably. But I can't keep doing this. I think overheating makes more sense than everything else. I think that the October update involved changes that caused my laptop to do a bit more work, and since then it has been a little worse with each update. So I'm not sure if this forum is like the bug report forum where this can be marked as closed, but this weekend I'm starting over with a different laptop that is more similar to what I used to have. I will probably keep this laptop as a backup but I cannot use it for gaming anymore. I wish I could mark a reply as a solution, but I am giving up before I definitively find one.

Thank you so much for your patience in trying to help me. I am really sorry it went on this long just for me to end up back at square one. I learned more about troubleshooting from this experience so I do appreciate that. 

clurriesims​ 

Laptops CPUs jumping to 100° wile gaming is just not very unusual in modern games. 
There is just not enough space to cool a heigh performance CPU in such small devices. 

If I play for example BG3 on my gaming laptop on vacation or business trips it will never stay below 90° core temperature and will jump more then once to 100° in the standard configuration.  
That is not ideal of course, but it is also not a big problem, modern CPUs have protective settings that throttle them if they reach their allowed maximum temperature. 

I personally use a extern laptop cooler and under volt my CPU to prevent the throttling.  

holger1405​ I have been using one of those. Even if it isn't the temperature specifically, intel i9 is known to cause crashes. Here's another EA Sims 4 thread with two people who have i9 who never resolved their crashes 

https://forums.ea.com/discussions/the-sims-4-technical-issues-pc-en/sims-4-game-keeps-crashing-randomly/11871580

I was warned about it and it was by someone who works on computers for a living. The troubleshooting I have been reading in help forums for the issue is not something I want to deal with.  I appreciate you, but I'm not using this laptop for gaming anymore. I haven't been able to enjoy Sims for months.  I should have listened to the advice I was given. I just want to play again, so I'm trying a different laptop. It's been months, it's time to throw in the towel. Thanks for everything!

clurriesims​ 

clurriesims wrote:

I was warned about it and it was by someone who works on computers for a living

Yeah, I do that too. 😉

Seeing that not running the Acer fan software solved the problem I would say that this is a classic incompatibility but not a problem with your i9. 

But it's your money, and of course you're entitled to spend it as you wish.