Stuck at blue plumber screen after launcher on Sims 3

[d8d9c917cc786517]

I am stuck at the blue plumbob screen after the launcher.  I am currently using a 13" MacBook Pro (Mid-2012) with Intel HD Graphics 4000.  My latest expansion is Into the Future and everything is up to date.  I've tried chatting with customer support but they are never able to fix the problem.  I am also currently trying to bypass the launcher, but that method isn't helping the situation either.

[nicrs20 · Accepted solution]

Yeah, NRaas has been really helpful. I think the problem is with some CAS packages, but I guess I'll see.  I will definitely turn off my wifi, those in-game store notifications are unnecessary.  Thanks again!  Hopefully things will run smoothly from now on.  (Of course! Cats should never go unnoticed—mine thinks I'm the bee's knees...when it's time for food.)

[Bluebellflora]

@d8d9c917cc786517

Please change the files back so you are not bypassing the Launcher. Can you now move your Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 folder out onto your desktop and then try to launch the game again.

[nicrs20]

I hope it's okay to add to this so late in the game, but I'm having the same problem with the same computer and I'm not sure what to do. This is a new sims 3 folder after my original game would get stuck on a black screen after the plumbob, so had to generate a new folder. I added back my mods/cc piece by piece to ensure it wasn't any of that and I was able to play for an hour. I came back to play again and now it won't load past the plumbob. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@nicrs20  Did you change your graphics settings while you played?  If so, perhaps your computer can't handle the settings you chose.  You can trash your options.ini file inside your game folder to reset things.

If this doesn't help, please list your computer's specs here, along with the packs you currently have in play.

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

[nicrs20]

I did change it while I was checking all my mods/cc files, so when I was able to play it was with my adjusted graphics and there weren't any problems. I'll give it a go though. In the meantime I have a 13in, mid 2012 MacBook running High Sierra w/

2.5 GHz Intel Core i5

8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB

edit: unfortunately trashing options didn't work 

whoops I have late night, ambitions, generations, university, and seasons 

[puzzlezaddict]

@nicrs20  Another clean folder might help (I know, it's a pain).  Or you could start by deleting the five cache files in your game folder.  They should be trashed regularly, and many of us do so after every game session.  For reference, they are:

CASPartCache.package

compositorCache.package

scriptCache.package

simCompositorCache.package

socialCache.package

Your computer is also under recommendations for running Seasons.  With an integrated card, it will struggle to render rain and snow.  Additionally, TS3's 2 GB RAM limit in mac OS won't do you any favors—an ongoing game could be using close to that as soon as it's loaded.  It's unlikely that either of these hurdles is causing your current issue, but I do wonder if you might be running out of memory.  You have plenty of RAM installed, but if you have a few other apps open, or never restart your computer, you might be short on memory when you go to launch the game.  You can check RAM use in the Activity Monitor and purge as necessary:

https://bluebellflora.com/resetting-ram-during-gameplay/

Other than that, I just wonder if there's something in your game folder that's causing problems.  If a clean folder works, but the existing one never does, looking for the cause can become a bit of a fishing expedition.  The first place I'd check is your CurrentGame folder—it should always be empty while you're not actually playing.

[nicrs20]

I have deleted the cache files and they haven't been regenerated since I can't get beyond the plumbob.  The activity monitor appears to be in the green and nothing in the current game folder.  Pretty frustrating stuff since I checked all of this for my original folder annnnd cleaned up my mods/cc for this new folder.  I haven't added anything else after it worked for the first run through, so I'm running out of ideas. 

edit: got this on my latest try 

[puzzlezaddict]

@nicrs20  There are two obvious possibilities that I can think of right now.  One is that you have some bad cc or mod that's causing problems.  I know you tested all of your items, but bad cc doesn't always reveal itself right away.  One thing you can do is scroll through the launcher's list of installed content and look for any item that you didn't specifically install, as bad cc can attach itself to other downloads.  (If you try to scroll through the list and the launcher crashes, that's a sure sign of bad cc.)

The other problem could be due to memory.  When you said your Activity Monitor was in the green, that's not enough information.  How much RAM is your computer using right before you try to launch TS3?  You can purge RAM to bring this down, or (even better) you can restart your computer, but either way, if the launcher doesn't have enough memory to function properly, you'll get a crash instead of a loading screen.  Another way to bring down RAM use is to disconnect your computer from the internet before you play.  Even if you turn off the in-game shopping experience, the launcher will dump a hundred or so files into your FeaturedItems folder each time you try to load the game while online.  (Another RAM hog is in-game memories, but you're not getting that far for this to be a problem.)

Anyway, please check your exact RAM usage right before you launch TS3, and keep the Activity Monitor open to see what happens when you press play.  And then try a new save in a clean folder, save the game, quit separately, and then try to load it again.  These steps will help narrow down the source of the issue.  I understand that you want to keep your mods and cc, but right now, there are too many variables, and a clean folder will help narrow things down considerably.

[nicrs20]

The first attached screenshot is when I opened origin and the launcher, the second one is when I pressed play, and the third one is from when I made it to selecting a save and windowed/minimized the game.  I'm not great at computers (evidently)/this isn't as obvious as the og pie chart I'm used to, but I suppose this means I have approx 2 GB free? Moving onto a clean folder. Thank you for your help/time/patience! I really appreciate it

edit: vanilla game worked just fine

2nd edit: I went back to my first, modded folder and tried to play and got this message the first time.

The second time around I was able to open and play a save, but when I closed it got stuck on a black screen with a clock cursor? So I'm not sure what that indicates 

[puzzlezaddict]

@nicrs20  If the vanilla game plays just fine, but the modded folder causes you all sorts of issues, then it's probablly something in your mods folder.  Maybe you have a conflict, maybe you're altering the mod settings, maybe trying to load from a folder with existing data in it pushes the game over the edge....  I don't really know.  But I do know that you've narrowed down the source of your problem considerably.  I can't tell you how to adjust your mod/cc suite, only that it seems very much like some adjustment needs to be made.  Perhaps you could ask at the site(s) where you downloaded your extra content.

About the RAM use:  You technically have enough free memory to run TS3, but you're operating on a very thin margin.  I'm not sure exactly where the danger zone is, but things get unstable when you get too close to using all of your RAM.  I still think you should restart your computer before you try to play, or else purge RAM immediately before opening the launcher, and again once you get to the Main Menu.  It can't hurt, and it might make the difference between your game running and not.  And again, playing while completely offline will help, as will turning off memories.  (The hidden object loading screens can also take up extra resources, if you get that far.)