The Sims 3 "Unknown Error" Mac User

[shorthobbit]

Hi everyone! I've been trying to play The Sims 3 game for over a year now. (I have had this game since it was first released--I had to uninstall it due to issues and have never been able to play it again). It has not been able to work. Every time I solve one issue, another occurs. Right now I am struggling with the "Unknown Error Occurred" issue. I've tried so many different trouble shooting scenarios, but I will tell you what I've done this time around and where I am at. Firstly, since I had to restore my computer within the year there are no files of The Sims 3 remaining on my computer (I even went to the library -> preferences section to check, and there is nothing of the Sims 3 left). I reinstalled the base game, and manually downloaded the patch 1.67.

Here is my computer information:

macOS Mojave 10.14.6

MacBook Pro (13-inch, mid 2012)

Processor: 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5

Memory: 4GB 1600 MHz DDR3

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@shorthobbit  That's strange; if you installed through Origin, you shouldn't need a disc.  Did you run one of the Super Patch versions for a certain region?  If so, or if you're not sure, please be sure to get the digital download version (region 17) from here:

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

Bypassing the launcher likely won't make a difference.  The error you saw before was unsurprising—that's what happens when the unknown error isn't solved.  The launcher itself can be a cause of the unknown error, which is why bypassing it can be useful, but all the other causes don't respond to bypassing the launcher.

Anyway, please run the digital download version of the Super Patch and test again in the new user account.

You can ignore Origin entirely; you don't even need to have it open.  But if you want to fix the "finalizing" error, run the reset tool for macOS.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/how-to-reset-origin-on-mac/

[puzzlezaddict]

@shorthobbit  So you've only installed the base game, no packs?  Try launching it right after you restart your computer, to make sure you have the maximum amount of RAM available.

If that doesn't help, please try bypassing the launcher:

https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-how-to-bypass-the-launcher-on-a-mac/

If that doesn't help either, undo the change.  Then create a new admin user account on your Mac, boot into that, and see whether the game will launch.  Let me know either way.

I believe your graphics chip's device ID is already in the game's database, but to make sure, please provide the info listed here, specifically the part under System Report:

https://bluebellflora.com/2018/07/24/sims-3-mac-players-i-need-your-help/#Information

[shorthobbit]

@puzzlezaddictSo I did the tip to bypass the Launcher and it seemed like it was going to work... until I got this message:

"The Sims 3

Unable to start game

Service initialization failed (0x0175dcbb)"

I'll try your second tip (to boot it from a newly created admin); but I thought it was worth mentioning this error.

[shorthobbit]

@puzzlezaddict  Thank you for helping me thus far. So I followed your instructions, and I'm not quite there yet. So before I explain what's going on, let me give you a little context. I originally purchased the sims 3 disc version. I no longer have those discs, but had been able to still play the games via origin (so my issues don't have to do with not having a disc, since I had been able to play w/origin until recently). So when I created a new admin, I clicked on the "sims 3" icon to play, the launcher came up and when I clicked "play" it said I needed to insert a disc. So I opened up origin to to play through there, but I couldn't click the "play" button because it said "finalizing". Should I just use the bypass launcher code again?

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@shorthobbit  That's strange; if you installed through Origin, you shouldn't need a disc.  Did you run one of the Super Patch versions for a certain region?  If so, or if you're not sure, please be sure to get the digital download version (region 17) from here:

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

Bypassing the launcher likely won't make a difference.  The error you saw before was unsurprising—that's what happens when the unknown error isn't solved.  The launcher itself can be a cause of the unknown error, which is why bypassing it can be useful, but all the other causes don't respond to bypassing the launcher.

Anyway, please run the digital download version of the Super Patch and test again in the new user account.

You can ignore Origin entirely; you don't even need to have it open.  But if you want to fix the "finalizing" error, run the reset tool for macOS.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/how-to-reset-origin-on-mac/

[shorthobbit]

@puzzlezaddict  Well the only reason I thought I had to run it through Origin was because when I opened the game up in a new user account, it opened and loaded, but when it got to the menu section of the game a message popped up that there was no disc and I had to quit. I did download and run the super patch 1.67 and it was for my region (USA). I'll try these new tips your posted. Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.

[shorthobbit]

@puzzlezaddict  I figured out what I did wrong. I used the disc patch code, not the digital download one. It has been fixed! Thank you so much for your help!!