'unknown error occured' base game 2018 MAC [ Edited ]

[lisettevstigt]

Hi,

I recently decided to play the sims 3 again but it just won't work. I have the base game on origin and intalling goes fine. However, when I click 'play' I instantly get a message saying 'unknown error occurred'. That's all I get, no launcher or anything. The problem is really with the base game, since I haven't tried to install any expansion packs. I run sims on my mac (which many people seem to have issues with) and I've tried everything that I could find (reinstalling the game, restarting my laptop etc) but no one seems to have the exact same problem.

I've never been able to run the game on this laptop before and it's not the expansion packs.

Can someone please help me?

Here are my specs:

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

2,7 GHz Intel Core i5

8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3

Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB

macOS High Sierra 10.13.2

-Liz

[Bluebellflora · Accepted solution]

@lisettevstigt

The Sims 3 Mac help thread will explain why the game doesn't work well on newer Macs, why you are getting the error and how you can try and solve it - https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-3-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/749...

[Bluebellflora · Accepted solution]

@lisettevstigt

The Sims 3 Mac help thread will explain why the game doesn't work well on newer Macs, why you are getting the error and how you can try and solve it - https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-3-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/749...

[z_carma]

hi, i have followed all the steps in the link but i am still having trouble to launch the sims 3. Is there any other alternative ways to help me solve this problem?

[puzzlezaddict]

@z_carma  Please list precisely which steps you've tried, as well as any packs you have installed.  It would also be useful to know the specs of your mac, as some models need more intervention than others.

gather mac specs:  https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-3-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/475...

[babylov91]

Hey did you ever solve the problem? I was actually trying out the sims 3 on my new Mac but I think that the problem is that new update it asked me to do. when I first got the game installed, I tried it out and even played for a little. The I decided to do the update and to install the expansion packs and now its giving me problem too.

[puzzlezaddict]

@babylov91  If you ran the base game without any issues, you should also be able to play with some expansion packs.  How many and which packs you can run may depend on your mac's specs, but the unknown error itself is entirely fixable.

First of all, if the launcher offered you the patch, it probably didn't do a thorough job of updating.  It's better to use the Super Patch (digital version) instead.  You can run it before or after installing packs.

https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-manual-super-patch-for-mac-1-67/

If you installed any of Ambitions, Late Night, Fast Lane, or Outdoor Living, you would have inevitably run into the unknown error issue. There are two causes.  The first is that an alias for one of those problem packs may not exist in your Applications folder, alongside the alias for the base game.  But creating one yourself is easy:

https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-packs-not-showing-as-installed/

The second problem is that certain files from the problem packs do not get copied to their proper destination, which is the folder corresponding to your newest pack (expansion or stuff) by release date.  You'll need to do so manually for each affected pack that you've installed.  This thread has an embedded video with instructions on what to do, and the thread itself has all the information you'd need about the unknown error on macs.

https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/CURRENT-ISSUE-Sims-3-Unknown-Error-in-El-Capitan-Sierra-High/...

If you're still having trouble, please post your mac's specs here, as well as the troubleshooting steps you've taken so far.

garhter mac specs:  https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-3-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/475...

[babylov91]

Even though all of this sounds like something that could’ve worked, I ended up erasing everything regarding the sims 3 from my computer. Then I reinstalled only the base game, and it still says the error. So there’s clearly something wrong here. This only started happening after I did the supposed update it needed.

[Bluebellflora]

@babylov91

The ‘supposed’ update is needed for the game to run with additional packs. Ultimately your new Mac has unsupported hardware and is running an unsupported version of macOS so you will have problems unless you apply the workarounds. If you’re willing to provide the exact specs. of your Mac then maybe we can help you in more details, the last link that puzzlezaddict provided tells you all the info we need