Has anyone else been noticing this?

by **Sephymuffins** Wed 30 Oct 2013, 02:18

Hello all. Smile

So has anyone else noticed that there are a lot of people having issues with store content [not showing up or working] and problems with Into the Future installation? I have absolutely NO problems with Into the Future on my PC, no glitches and all content shows - and yet topic after topic piles up with the same content issues from people coming here, seeking help and resolution.

Does anyone have a theory as to why this is happening?
confused

Oh and hi! My name is Amber, I'm a new helper here. I never introduced myself, sorry. Facepalm

Anyway, I am just hoping someone, anyone, can shed some light on this. I can only repeat and reinforce the 'Follow these 5 steps to install The Sims 3 correctly' deal a certain amount of times, you know? I realize it can be an issue beyond just the Manual Patch the Fix, but then if that's the case, what the heck is going on?

Cheers!

by **invalidusername** Wed 30 Oct 2013, 04:34

It's happened before, usually they have to completely clear their caches, and occasionally do a new download & install of the store items (if they have the items backed up, then they can just re-install). I haven't been able to actually play since the new expansion, so I can't say whether or not mine is working, but as soon as my last mod gets updated, I'll be back in and testing everything.

by **J.T.** Wed 30 Oct 2013, 07:27

Non only 1.63, but also other patches. As far as I know, some users encounter this problem when 1.57 patch was released. However, the methods invalidusername is practical. Sometimes users have to do a factory reset and install the store content again to get them working. Therefore, I strongly recommend backing the folder up before updating. Also CC Magic is also highly recommended. The only flaw is Neighbourhoods cannot be merged with CC Magic.

by **The_gh0stm4n** Wed 30 Oct 2013, 10:10

Sephymuffins wrote:Hello all.

So has anyone else noticed that there are a lot of people having issues with store content [not showing up or working] and problems with Into the Future installation? I have absolutely NO problems with Into the Future on my PC, no glitches and all content shows - and yet topic after topic piles up with the same content issues from people coming here, seeking help and resolution.

Does anyone have a theory as to why this is happening?

Oh and hi! My name is Amber, I'm a new helper here. I never introduced myself, sorry.

Anyway, I am just hoping someone, anyone, can shed some light on this. I can only repeat and reinforce the 'Follow these 5 steps to install The Sims 3 correctly' deal a certain amount of times, you know? I realize it can be an issue beyond just the Manual Patch the Fix, but then if that's the case, what the heck is going on?

Cheers!

Hey Amber,

I think invalidusername and cat2006house have already said the most important things; I guess in this case it's similar as with the "suddenly missing savefolders". You've got to back up all the stuff before patching the game and installing new expansions. Or at least rename the folder "The Sims 3" (in My Documents/Electronic Arts), before doing so, which is what I do.

If you have such a folder named "The Sims 3" when installing a new patch/expansion, the install process can seriously screw up your "user data", that is, the contents in the Sims 3 folder. Backing the things up regularly (depending on how often you actually play that game) should be standard procedure, but it is perfectly enough if you rename this folder before patching, so that the game doesn't recognize it (and of course, rename the folder back to normal after you finished installing). Very Happy

And welcome to the team ! I hope you can enjoy the helping "job". Wink

by Guest Wed 30 Oct 2013, 10:51

Hello Amber!
Well as everyone said already, the best thing is to reinstall all CC...
Welcome to the team anyways, and good luck!

by **Phoebe** Wed 30 Oct 2013, 11:27

Hello all,

Also I'd like to add againg it's the same problems we are having after all new expansion pack coming out. Unfortunately people still don't bother to read "What to do before Installing/Updating" things so here we are Smile

Still, it's easy to solve though we sometimes get really tired of explaining the same thing again and again. I think it's the only problem.

By the way, congrats on becoming a helper. Good work Smile

by **J.T.** Wed 30 Oct 2013, 13:39

Oh I forgot to congratulate you. Welcome to our team and congrats!

by **Sephymuffins** Wed 30 Oct 2013, 18:10

Thanks everyone for welcoming me and adding to this topic. ^^;

So what I've gathered is for them to clear their cache, reinstall the CC if necessary and back up (or rename) their entire Mydocuments/Electronicarts folder?

I had a person yesterday (I have yet to double check and see if they found a solution), but they claimed that almost all of the clothing and junk within the Diesel Stuff Pack wasn't showing up in their game.

I also had a person stating that the Nuts 'n Bolts bot emporium store in Into the Future was empty, or at least she couldn't get what she needed there.

That's basically what I'm getting at when it comes to me saying everyone "appears" to have the same issues? @_@ They're not identical, but. I've asked them if they have mods, some say no, some moved them out of the appropriate folders and found no results. I'd think at that point, you'd do what? Rename the entire documents (sims 3) folder or worse: uninstall/reinstall their games?

by **The_gh0stm4n** Wed 30 Oct 2013, 18:40

Sephymuffins wrote:Thanks everyone for welcoming me and adding to this topic. ^^;

So what I've gathered is for them to clear their cache, reinstall the CC if necessary and back up (or rename) their entire Mydocuments/Electronicarts folder?

I had a person yesterday (I have yet to double check and see if they found a solution), but they claimed that almost all of the clothing and junk within the Diesel Stuff Pack wasn't showing up in their game.

I also had a person stating that the Nuts 'n Bolts bot emporium store in Into the Future was empty, or at least she couldn't get what she needed there.

That's basically what I'm getting at when it comes to me saying everyone "appears" to have the same issues? @_@ They're not identical, but. I've asked them if they have mods, some say no, some moved them out of the appropriate folders and found no results. I'd think at that point, you'd do what? Rename the entire documents (sims 3) folder or worse: uninstall/reinstall their games?

Alright, then.

The thing what I suggested above is more about "prevention". You rename that "The Sims 3"-folder before patching/installing new expansions in order to prevent the "disappearance" of CC.

However, if you don't do that/forget about it, then it's "too late" - renaming the folder at this point doesn't make sense anymore, in my opinion. In that case, you need to do what the others suggested, namely re-installing the CC.

What's more, most people forget that when they re-install their store stuff with the launcher, they cannot install too many items at once. I've read that you shouldn't install bunches of ".sims3packs" bigger than 200 MB, in one turn. I wouldn't mess around too much with that launcher though. You can suggest to users that they use CC Magic for most .sims3packs, and for installing custom worlds that they use the launcher (installing worlds doesn't seem to work with CC Magic, so you have to use the launcher).

Hope this sheds a bit of light on this. Wink

by **Sephymuffins** Wed 30 Oct 2013, 18:47

Ohhh, okay, I gotcha. I read all of these posts super early this morning with no coffee. LOL, never again, never again...

I believe I did find a solution, for at least some unlucky people, to resolve any "my content isn't showing up in game" beyond perhaps reinstalling it. Funny enough, I made a list of 10 steps for "de-lagging" someone's game and lo' and behold, it appears to work with de-cluttering and de-sticking the game's content. In posting a few of the steps to someone I was helping, it helped her game content show up - it really surprised me. These are the steps I sent her:

5. Go to: /My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Screenshots.
If there is nothing in here, no worries! If there are photos here, drag and drop them on to either your desktop or somewhere else, just out of this Sims 3 folder!
Tip 1: The photos in here can be from 100kb upwards to 2-6mb each. If you aren't using them, delete them! If you're a storyteller, get them outta' there! All they do is bog down your game.

6. Go to: /My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/Mods.
Delete ANY mods or Custom Content you DO NOT use or need! Talk about a load off! We can all be .package hoarders but remember that every file has a file-size and the more unnecessary files you have, the less acceptable your game performance will be.
Tip 1: My main suggestion with any mods OR custom content is to ORGANIZE them by CATEGORY! Example: One folder is for 'hair' the other is for 'game mods', so on and so forth.
Organize your hoards. You will thank me later.

7. Go to: /My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/DCBackup.
Delete everything in here EXCEPT the ccmerged.package! These files are basically backup files of all your Custom Content. These files are not necessary for a fully functional game, thus slowing it down. Depending on your downloading habits, you may or may not have a lot of files here. Some people have over 1000+ files in this folder. Interesting fact: I had 715 files and I'd only been playing my game for FOUR DAYS.
> Sub. 7. The ccmerged.package is NOT a cache file. This file is required for the game to run and read premium content as it is the EA's hub for XML data. It wouldn't blow up your game if you accidentally deleted it - you may just mess up your save data/s and/or make your installations unstable.
Okay yes, deleting this file sort of does blow your game up. Don't do it if you can help it.

8. Go to: /My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/FeaturedItems.
Congratulations! You've found the most annoying files contained within the most annoying folder! Delete everything in this folder. EA places pictures of every Featured Item here and it is completely unnecessary for you to have!
Tip 1: You can actually make this folder totally inaccessible to EA (in other words, they won't be able to place anymore junk in this folder!)
[Right-click on the FeaturedItems folder. Choose Properties. Go to the 'Security' tab. Click 'edit' - you might be prompted with administrator approval. Click on the account YOU play The Sims 3 on. Look lower for 'Write' and click on the first check box under 'Deny'. All boxes should check themselves, then click 'Apply'. Poof, no more invasive file dumping!]

9. Install these two mods: Overwatch and MasterController.
Link 1: http://nraas.wikispaces.com/Overwatch
Link 2: http://nraas.wikispaces.com/MasterController
The easiest way to use the Master Controller is to load up a family (perhaps even a family/save game that is acting slow or laggy), zooming out to 'Town View' and find your Town Hall.
Click on it and select the option 'NRass' then 'Master Controller'. A whole menu should pop up for you. At that point, click 'Town' and then 'Reset Everything'. Let the mod and the game do its thing, as this may take a minute. I suggest doing this every 12 hours (basically every day you play the game). You can do this even after making a new family or save file!

I sent the entire list to Admin in hopes that perhaps it could be used almost like the 5 steps he created for getting the game running/installing the game properly. I made them because I tried a billion things to get my game to NOT LAG and in the midst of trying everything, plus scouring Google, I found a few gems. Needless to say, legitimately this totally cured my game... to the point where I can just about play on full graphics without lag or freezing.

by Guest Thu 31 Oct 2013, 11:40

Welcome to the team, Amber! Very Happy

by **Admin** Fri 01 Nov 2013, 19:32

Sephymuffins wrote:(...) with no coffee.

Oh my! Looks like someone had a bad time!

by **Sephymuffins** Fri 01 Nov 2013, 19:33

Admin wrote:
Sephymuffins wrote:(...) with no coffee.
Oh my! Looks like someone had a bad time!

>__>

Don't judge my dependance on coffee, good sir!

by **Admin** Fri 01 Nov 2013, 19:38

Sephymuffins wrote:
Admin wrote:
Sephymuffins wrote:(...) with no coffee.
Oh my! Looks like someone had a bad time!
>__>

Don't judge my dependance on coffee, good sir!

Oh, that wasn't irony, I have the same when I'm doing something intensive and there's no cup of tea nearby.

by **Sephymuffins** Fri 01 Nov 2013, 20:12

Admin wrote:
Sephymuffins wrote:
Admin wrote:
Sephymuffins wrote:(...) with no coffee.
Oh my! Looks like someone had a bad time!
>__>

Don't judge my dependance on coffee, good sir!
Oh, that wasn't irony, I have the same when I'm doing something intensive and there's no cup of tea nearby.

I made a thing. For you.

Has anyone else been noticing this? 2550965

by **Admin** Fri 01 Nov 2013, 20:34

by **Sephymuffins** Fri 01 Nov 2013, 20:56

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