Best clean installation order for Mac? [SOLVED]

Hi everyone,
i was running a pre-cracked version of the Sims 3 for mac, and it was running superb, but it wasn't allowing any expansions installed into it, and thats when i found games4theworld and decided to try it this way...

I downloaded ALL files from here, from the base game all the way to generations, and i wanna succeed in installing all of them on my mac so i can eventually help and guide others into getting the same results... but so far, i'd appreciate some info from my fellow mac users who have successfully gotten everything working: what is the best installation order for Mac?

I installed the base game so far, but i haven't started it yet, as i'm guessing that maybe i have to install all the expansions first before i use the cracks.. and according to the pdf file provided by Dale, next in order should be Late Night... but since i saw the Fix files for Mac were updated just yesterday, i'm wondering if anything has changed regarding what expansion to install first...

So, so far i'm thinking of going this way:

1. Base Game
2. Late night
3. World Adventures
4. Ambitions
5. Fast Lane
6. High end Loft
7. Outdoor Living
8. Generations

and then do the launcher update and after that all the cracking... so, can someone tell me if that's a good order? or it really doesn't matter? any input will be much appreciated.

Sandmarine wrote:Hi everyone,
i was running a pre-cracked version of the Sims 3 for mac, and it was running superb, but it wasn't allowing any expansions installed into it, and thats when i found games4theworld and decided to try it this way...

I downloaded ALL files from here, from the base game all the way to generations, and i wanna succeed in installing all of them on my mac so i can eventually help and guide others into getting the same results... but so far, i'd appreciate some info from my fellow mac users who have successfully gotten everything working: what is the best installation order for Mac?

I installed the base game so far, but i haven't started it yet, as i'm guessing that maybe i have to install all the expansions first before i use the cracks.. and according to the pdf file provided by Dale, next in order should be Late Night... but since i saw the Fix files for Mac were updated just yesterday, i'm wondering if anything has changed regarding what expansion to install first...

So, so far i'm thinking of going this way:

1. Base Game
2. Late night
3. World Adventures
4. Ambitions
5. Fast Lane
6. High end Loft
7. Outdoor Living
8. Generations

and then do the launcher update and after that all the cracking... so, can someone tell me if that's a good order? or it really doesn't matter? any input will be much appreciated.

Hello,

The guide hasn't changed, only the files / cracks inside the Fix are updated.
Just follow the instructions from the guide.

got it.. so, after Installing Late night, the order can be random?

Sandmarine wrote:got it.. so, after Installing Late night, the order can be random?

Hello,

I'm not sure really; I don't know what the order on Mac's is.

Though, I recommend you get Generations first and then install all the others. (Randomly)

cool... i have installed the base game only, so i'll try that: generations first, everything else later.. will let you know how that goes...

would you still recommend not using any of the cracks until ALL of the expansions have been installed?? i havent even cracked the base game yet

Sandmarine wrote:cool... i have installed the base game only, so i'll try that: generations first, everything else later.. will let you know how that goes...

would you still recommend not using any of the cracks until ALL of the expansions have been installed?? i havent even cracked the base game yet

Hello,

Owh, yes, that's great. Don't apply any cracks. When you're done with everything, just open the game's launcher and update to the latest version.
When that is done, just download the Fix and directly move on to the "# Crack" folder. (See included description on how to apply the crack)

So, just skip all the other folders from the Fix; those are the original files, needed in order to update and prevent the "Invalid file" error. Since you haven't applied any cracks, you're not going to need those.

Good luck!

Admin wrote:

Sandmarine wrote:got it.. so, after Installing Late night, the order can be random?

Hello,

I'm not sure really; I don't know what the order on Mac's is.

Though, I recommend you get Generations first and then install all the others. (Randomly)

Wait so you mean Generations before Late Night, or Late Night first then Generations?

And after Ive installed everything I need to, do I apply the Sims 3 Base game crack then or am i supposed to apply it before I install the expansions.

Dokho wrote:

Admin wrote:

Sandmarine wrote:got it.. so, after Installing Late night, the order can be random?

Hello,

I'm not sure really; I don't know what the order on Mac's is.

Though, I recommend you get Generations first and then install all the others. (Randomly)

Wait so you mean Generations before Late Night, or Late Night first then Generations?

And after Ive installed everything I need to, do I apply the Sims 3 Base game crack then or am i supposed to apply it before I install the expansions.

Hello,

It's not a must, but it's better. If you forgot, it's no problem, just move on.
No, you have to install the game first. When you're done installing it (done installing everything), read the instructions from this Fix very carefully: https://games4theworld.forumotion.com/t752-the-sims-3-ultimate-fix-should-fix-most-of-your-problems

You should be able to get it to work. Good luck!

sweet! i get to apply only one crack... seems to be the best way to make a full installation of the Sims 3 + expansion packs... i will make sure to report back...

//EDIT

k, here's my report so far:

after my last post, i installed generations on top of the uncracked base game, and then all the other expansions on top of them...

as instructed, i opened the launcher and updated the game to the latest version:

8.0.152.011001

After that, i quit the launcher, and went to apply the crack (the one updated on June ... something that did call my attention from the instructions, was that when you reach the part

"Now, click "Show original", then right-click on the The Sims 3: Generations and now click "Show Package Contents" and navigate to: Contents/Resources/trangaming/c_Drive/Program Files/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Game/Bin/"

that inside there, "The Sims 3" shows up as a shortcut, not as a direct folder to be opened... i followed the directions though, and put the cracks in that folder...

I start the game, and my Little Snitch (internet blocker software) tell me that Ea and Cider want to connect to internet.. guessing that i don't wanna do that, i dont allow those connections... i start the game, i get the message that expansions were not authorized or something similar (my memory sucks) and if i want to abort the game.. i say "no", but still it boots me out saying it can't initialize the game...

so that's the part i'm stuck at right now... i'll work different things to get this solved, and will post back

=======
EDIT
======

Well, i did try once again, this time
letting Little Snitch allow internet connections for both The Sims 3 and
Cider: no difference. Still tell me of the unofficial content, asks me
to abort, i say "no", then it tells me the game cannot be initialized,
and it boots me out... so it's not an internet connection issue,
apparently the fix doesn't work with the latest update...

Other
than that, creating the image files was flawless, everything installed
correctly, and when i went to update, the update went smoothly too...
so, ut's definitely something to do with the crack... since the
directions from the crack file didn't work for me, i went ahead and did
"show contents" straight from The Sims3.app, since apparently the one
inside the Generations folder is only a shortcut to that one, and copied
the crack there.. still same results...


do you think i should applied some of the cracks before updating? any help will be appreciated

Hello,

Did you navigate to exactly: Contents/Resources/trangaming/c_Drive/Program Files/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3[b]/Game/Bin/ , instead of [b]...\The Sims 3 Generations/Game/Bin/ ?

No, you shouldn't apply any cracks before updating, because it'll give an "Invalid file" error.
So I have no knowledge of Mac's, I can't try and test out stuff for you. If I'm right, that error can be fixed on PC's by reinstalling The Sims 3 base game and / or Generations.
Might want to try that.

yes, that's exactly where i applied the crack, i didnt apply it in the Generations folder...

my best guess at this point is that i updated the game last night (june 10) , and apparently the latest generation crack was from June 1st? so i am guessing that EA probably updated the game with an anticrack by last night..

again, the install was perfect... all 8 files (game + 7 expansions) are from games4theworld... it installed perfect, it updated perfect... it's just at the moment you're gonna play, it kicks you out and doesn't let you...

but, i'll give it a try at reinstalling Generations on top of the current install.. wouldn't that downgrade my game version though? or maybe that's exactly the goal by reinstalling that?

Sandmarine wrote:yes, that's exactly where i applied the crack, i didnt apply it in the Generations folder...

my best guess at this point is that i updated the game last night (june 10) , and apparently the latest generation crack was from June 1st? so i am guessing that EA probably updated the game with an anticrack by last night..

again, the install was perfect... all 8 files (game + 7 expansions) are from games4theworld... it installed perfect, it updated perfect... it's just at the moment you're gonna play, it kicks you out and doesn't let you...

but, i'll give it a try at reinstalling Generations on top of the current install.. wouldn't that downgrade my game version though? or maybe that's exactly the goal by reinstalling that?

Hello,

You might want to reinstall the base game too. Don't forget to restart your PC after uninstalling, before reinstalling them.
It'll downgrade, but then update again, as soon as you install Generations. (But that's OK, you should have the latest version)
The dates on which the Fix is updated, doesn't mean the cracks are also from that date.

Reinstalled generations on top of
everything... applied latest crack to it: nothing... reinstalled Base
game after reinstalling generation, applied cracks, game crashes on
activation, it doesn't even go to the launcher... i'll attempt at
reinstalling generations again on top of this...


====
EDIT 2
=====

Reinstalled
generations, applied latest crack on it... this time, it told me an
update was available for the game, but i i told it not to get it...
launcher opens perfectly, click to play, it doesn't give me the
unnoficial version or anything, but it does kick me out saying it was
unable to initialize the game.. against my better judgement, i'll allow
it to update now...

Sandmarine wrote:Reinstalled generations on top of
everything... applied latest crack to it: nothing... reinstalled Base
game after reinstalling generation, applied cracks, game crashes on
activation, it doesn't even go to the launcher... i'll attempt at
reinstalling generations again on top of this...


====
EDIT 2
=====

Reinstalled
generations, applied latest crack on it... this time, it told me an
update was available for the game, but i i told it not to get it...
launcher opens perfectly, click to play, it doesn't give me the
unnoficial version or anything, but it does kick me out saying it was
unable to initialize the game.. against my better judgement, i'll allow
it to update now...

Hello,

Update using this Fix: https://games4theworld.forumotion.com/t752-the-sims-3-ultimate-fix-should-fix-most-of-your-problems

that's exactlky the fix i'm using to update, the one from June 8.... generations is still downloading an update.. so if it still doesn't work after this, i'l,l try uninstalling generations, uninstalling base game, restart my mac, then reinstall base game, and then reinstall generations...

you're saying, after i'm done doing that, i should still allow the game to update, and then apply the june 8 crack again?

thanks for all your assistance by the way

Sandmarine wrote:that's exactlky the fix i'm using to update, the one from June 8.... generations is still downloading an update.. so if it still doesn't work after this, i'l,l try uninstalling generations, uninstalling base game, restart my mac, then reinstall base game, and then reinstall generations...

you're saying, after i'm done doing that, i should still allow the game to update, and then apply the june 8 crack again?

thanks for all your assistance by the way

Hello,

I didn't mean that you aren't using it, I just reminded that you should use that in order to update. (If you've applied cracks, because then you shouldn't be able to update)
You shouldn't apply any cracks until you've fully updated the game to the latest version.

You're welcome. Sorry I can't be very specific, but I'm really not a Mac guy.

k, going for my third re-install of the base game and then generations..

something curious though, last generations install, the game told there was an update right before the launcher, i told it to ignore it, but then when the launcher was up, it again told me an update was available, and i decided to accept it.. the update went through really fast, but it fell down halfway telling me some files were modified (i hadnt cracked it).. then i reopened the sims 3, and this time i clicked OK on the first update it offered me (before the launcher), and it's taking like 4 times longer in downloading than the one the launcher called upon... not sure what's up with that....


=======
10 MINUTES LATER
=======

k, using THAT update, the updating went through, fully installed, and it left me on the same version i was before... i'm gonna apply the latest crack now...

alright, back to the original results... i get the unofficial content that's outdated, if i want to abort, i say NO, then it boots me out saying it couldn't initialize the game...

why do i need to updatew to the latest version, though?? isn't this counter productive? i'm checking the installation instructions from the Generations torrent, and it never says to update...

isn't updating the game to the very latest patch from EA pretty much making your copy of the sims protected against cracks? I'd really like some light shed on this...

Hey Sandmarine! I also have a Mac and so maybe I can help you out a bit?

Here is a suggested order (based on my experience) for downloading the games:

Sims 3
Generations
All other games

You shouldn't crack any of these until you've installed all the games that you want. Now, when you download the most recent fix for the Mac, the directions tell you to FIRST apply the crack from the folder entitled Generations. Of course we know that you only put the crack in the Sims 3 folder and no where else. None of the other folders at this point need to be cracked. They should all have their original data. After you've done that, upgrade the game. You should be able to upgrade without any errors about modifications in the base game. When you're finished updating go to the #Crack folder and replace the files in the Sims 3 folder AGAIN. This crack should allow you to play the game. (Although something may pop up asking you if you want to abort the game, just click no and for me, it just returns to the regular start up for the game.)

Sandmarine wrote:k, going for my third re-install of the base game and then generations..

something curious though, last generations install, the game told there was an update right before the launcher, i told it to ignore it, but then when the launcher was up, it again told me an update was available, and i decided to accept it.. the update went through really fast, but it fell down halfway telling me some files were modified (i hadnt cracked it).. then i reopened the sims 3, and this time i clicked OK on the first update it offered me (before the launcher), and it's taking like 4 times longer in downloading than the one the launcher called upon... not sure what's up with that....


=======
10 MINUTES LATER
=======

k, using THAT update, the updating went through, fully installed, and it left me on the same version i was before... i'm gonna apply the latest crack now...

alright, back to the original results... i get the unofficial content that's outdated, if i want to abort, i say NO, then it boots me out saying it couldn't initialize the game...

why do i need to updatew to the latest version, though?? isn't this counter productive? i'm checking the installation instructions from the Generations torrent, and it never says to update...

isn't updating the game to the very latest patch from EA pretty much making your copy of the seems protected against cracks? I'd really like some light shed on this...

thanks for that, lebe! by your instructions, i realize there was one step i didnt do: i had done everything precisely as you said, in the same order.. BUT.. i never used the crack from the original Genrations folder... i went to update the game haven't cracked anything at all... it still let me update, but then i'm having all these problems...

i'm guessing my safest bet right now is:

-uninstall everything
-reinstall base game, then Generations, then everything else
-crack base game with crack from Generations folder that came with the Sims 3 Fix.
-then open Sims 3 and update
-after that update, crack base game once again, this time with crack found in the #crack folder
-everything should work now...

are those your instructions? if so, i'm definitely going for them...thanks a lot in advance

I'm going to install the sims + expansions now so I can assist those with errors, just finished downloading. I'll let you know when I have got it working so bare with me as it takes a while to extract them and create then into .dmg files.

Sandmarine wrote:thanks for that, lebe! by your instructions, i realize there was one step i didnt do: i had done everything precisely as you said, in the same order.. BUT.. i never used the crack from the original Genrations folder... i went to update the game haven't cracked anything at all... it still let me update, but then i'm having all these problems...

i'm guessing my safest bet right now is:

-uninstall everything
-reinstall base game, then Generations, then everything else
-crack base game with crack from Generations folder that came with the Sims 3 Fix.
-then open Sims 3 and update
-after that update, crack base game once again, this time with crack found in the #crack folder
-everything should work now...

are those your instructions? if so, i'm definitely going for them...thanks a lot in advance

Yup! I think if you do that it should work okay. I hope it works for ya.

Dale wrote:I'm going to install the sims + expansions now so I can assist those with errors, just finished downloading. I'll let you know when I have got it working so bare with me as it takes a while to extract them and create then into .dmg files.

Will you guys ever upload those dmg files (so we don't have to use stuff it etc) into torrents and update the Mac instructions in the near future?

i followed all the steps suggested but it can't initialize the game. the error reported is (0x039e8474). i've installed the base game, generations and the late night.

thanks for all that info... i'll give it a try today and report back...

and thanks in advance Dale, if my new installation doesn't work, i'll definitely appreciate further assistance

=====
EDIT
=====

k, i'm sad to report that i followed lebe's instructions to a tee, and it didnt work:

-uninstalled everything
-reinstalled base game
-reinstalled generations
-reinstalled everything else
-applied crack to base game from Generations folder
-opened Sims 3 and updated it to the latest version
-applied crack to base game from #crack folder
-opened sims 3, clicked on the Play button to start the game
-got the message of "unofficial modification", asked me if i wanted to abort, i said "no", then it booted me out saying it couldn't initialize the game

my little snitch program gave me a clue as to what's going on though... even if i deny internet connection to EA when i start the game, as soon as i click on "play", Cider tries to connect to internet all the same... if i allow the connection, apparently the server tells it to shut me down... if i don't allow it to connect, the program shuts me down because i didnt let it connect to internet..

so again, i think there's a problem at the time of updating... maybe the crack is already outdated with the Sims 3 latest update... so well, i'm stuck again...

Okay then, I've got it working perfectly just.

All I did was install sims 3, install any other expansion in any other order doesn't matter to be honest, then install the sims 3 generations. Open the Sims 3 generations installer and then update the game. Now apply the crack to the base game and re-open the sims 3 generations launcher and it should work.

As easy as that