crash after minimize

[mllindsay419]

Hi! Let me preface my post with this: I have completed all of the basic troubleshooting steps. I also apologize if this question has already been asked! I couldn't find it anywhere on the EA forums.

I just downloaded the Discover University expansion pack, and now whenever I minimize the game and then try to maximize it, the game freezes and has to be force quit. I did not have any problems before downloading the expansion pack. Has anyone else experienced this? Additionally, how do I fix it? It's so frustrating and makes the game so frustrating to play.

My MacBook Air specs: 

• Model Name: MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)
• OS: Mojave 10.14.6
• Model Identifier: MacBook10,1
• Processor Name: Intel Core m3
• Processor Speed: 1.2 GHz
• Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 615 1536 MB
• Memory: 8 GB

[puzzlezaddict]

@mllindsay419  It's not clear why the game would specifically crash after you minimize and then maximize its window—that's kind of a weird set of circumstances.  But what is definitely clear is that your Mac's hardware is quite weak for Sims 4, and it would need all the help it can get to run the game properly.  Additionally, MacBooks don't have a fan, so they run the risk of overheating and severely throttling performance with even moderately demanding tasks.

If you'd like to test whether this issue is due to Discover University, or just to the accompanying patch, you can disable the pack itself through an Origin command line argument.  Here's how:

https://sims4.crinrict.com/eng/2017/03/disable-single-packs/

University is EP08.  It's best to remove your entire Sims 4 game folder from Documents\Electronic Arts—you can put it on your desktop—before doing this, so your saves and other content aren't loaded with a missing pack.  Afterwards, you can trash the new game folder and put the old one back.

If this doesn't help though, it may well be that the process of minimizing, (presumably) running another app, and then maximizing TS4 is in itself a problem.  Again, you could test without using any other apps if you're curious.  Given the limited ways to collect data on a Mac, trial and error is probably the best you can do.  And it may be that the simple act of minimizing and maximizing is never going to work well on your laptop.  If you know it's always going to crash, you'll just need to avoid it.

And please make sure your laptop can cool properly while you play.  Without a fan, a MacBook relies on its aluminum casing to dissipate heat on its underside.  So elevate the laptop—put books under the corners or something—or use a laptop tray or cooling pad.