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clurriesims's avatar
clurriesims
Rising Vanguard
4 months ago
Solved

Game is Crashing in Build Mode

Overall my game has been crashing since I got Enchanted by Nature. Sometimes it also just randomly causes my computer to restart. When this first started, I was playing with mods disabled in a save file I had never used them in but the crashing still happened if I moved my mods folder out completely and started a new save. I have updated my drivers, allowed the app permissions in my antivirus, repaired my game, switched back to Directx9, then back to Directx11 (I have not tried memory boost) when that didn't help and generated a clean user folder. I still experience these issues, mainly the crashing while in build mode. 

It can be triggered by trying to load into build mode, changing categories in build mode, scrolling through items in build mode, essentially doing anything in build mode. Sometimes the crash happens after seconds, sometimes it takes over an hour. Can anyone identify something in my last dxdiag that could point to the issue? 

  • holger1405​ I had been thinking that as well, however the "fixes" weren't consistent, by the end it had started crashing even when I had that software off. The causes of the crashes were inconsistent as well. I know I had stopped updating you for a few weeks, but this was why. I could no longer identify a consistent fix or a consistent cause so I felt like I had nothing to really report,. My new laptop was half the price and runs the game perfectly, even with a ton of mods and cc, on AMD Ryzen 7 6000 (and I have completely abandoned Acer in case those programs were the issue haha). And it actually does run so much smoother, it feels a lot better. I can play freely again without the need to save every 60 seconds in case it crashes. This new laptop also doesn't get as hot, even with less powerful fans. The gamble paid off!

40 Replies

  • holger1405's avatar
    holger1405
    Hero+
    3 months ago

    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. 

  • clurriesims's avatar
    clurriesims
    Rising Vanguard
    2 months ago

    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

  • holger1405's avatar
    holger1405
    Hero+
    2 months ago

    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. 

  • clurriesims's avatar
    clurriesims
    Rising Vanguard
    2 months ago

    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. 

     

  • holger1405's avatar
    holger1405
    Hero+
    2 months ago

    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. 

  • clurriesims's avatar
    clurriesims
    Rising Vanguard
    1 month ago

    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. 

  • holger1405's avatar
    holger1405
    Hero+
    1 month ago

    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.  

     

  • clurriesims's avatar
    clurriesims
    Rising Vanguard
    1 month ago

    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!

  • holger1405's avatar
    holger1405
    Hero+
    1 month ago

    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. 

  • clurriesims's avatar
    clurriesims
    Rising Vanguard
    1 month ago

    holger1405​ I had been thinking that as well, however the "fixes" weren't consistent, by the end it had started crashing even when I had that software off. The causes of the crashes were inconsistent as well. I know I had stopped updating you for a few weeks, but this was why. I could no longer identify a consistent fix or a consistent cause so I felt like I had nothing to really report,. My new laptop was half the price and runs the game perfectly, even with a ton of mods and cc, on AMD Ryzen 7 6000 (and I have completely abandoned Acer in case those programs were the issue haha). And it actually does run so much smoother, it feels a lot better. I can play freely again without the need to save every 60 seconds in case it crashes. This new laptop also doesn't get as hot, even with less powerful fans. The gamble paid off!