sims 3 files not downloading

[everlygreen]

Whenever I download the Sims 3 on my Mac version 10.14.5 using origin, it installs successfully. However, when I go inside Electronic Arts, and Sims 3 there are no files inside. I believe this is the reason why when I try to launch the game it says 'unknown error'. I used to play the Sims 3 on my Mac through origin a couple years ago, however I must have installed an incompatible pack because it stopped working. I uninstalled and deleted everything, however whenever I tried to reinstall I had the same issue I'm having now. I am only trying to install the base game for now but its not working. Could someone please help me with this? I love the game and thought I'd give asking for help a try, because I much prefer it to the Sims 4, thanks Btw, I have uninstalled/reinstalled various times. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@everlygreen  It sounds like you've installed the 32-bit version of Sims 3.  Is there a reason you don't want to install 64-bit?  If your Mac can run Mojave, it should be able to run 64-bit Sims 3, but please post your computer's full specs (everything under About This Mac except for the serial number) to make sure.

Let me know if you do NOT see the 64-bit version in your Origin library.

And just to clarify, the unknown error message is a known issue with the 32-bit version but doesn't happen in 64-bit.  It's also fixable, so if you do in fact want or need to play in 32-bit, we can get around it.  In that case, please still post your computer's specs, and also list the packs you've installed and any others you'd like to install but haven't yet.

[everlygreen]

@puzzlezaddict Hi thank you so much for your help. I apologise as I'm unsure if I have the 32 or 64 bit version. Inside origin I can only see that I bought it in 2021 and there is only one version of Sims 3 to purchase on there. I don't mind if I have to repurchase and buy the 64 bit version from somewhere else but I would prefer to try and use the version I already have. My specs information is:

macOS Mojave

MacBook Air retina 13 inch 2019

Processor: 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5

Memory: 8 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3

Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 617 1536 MB

Serial Number: *

The packs I would like to install and have purchased are World Adventures, Supernatural, Generations, Late Night and Seasons

I also have University and Pets but I don't really mind about these two if it's more difficult to install them.

I also have a question in case you know, when I would go to download packs, say Late Night, there are two options for the same pack. I was wondering if this would be the 32 bit and 64 bit version? If you're not sure that's okay because it could be an error with Origin.

[puzzlezaddict]

@everlygreen  The 64-bit version of Sims 3 is free for everyone who owns the 32-bit game, and it was supposed to be automatically added to everyone's accounts.  If you had it, you'd see a second game tile in your Origin library, one that says 64-bit on it:

Since you don't have that, you'll need to contact EA customer support to get it added manually.  The key word here is "entitlements," as in, you want the entitlements for the 64-bit vesrions of the base game and any packs you own to be added to your account.  You can contact the standard customer support:

https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/

Or you can contact EA Help on Twitter or Facebook.  Even if you'd rather deal with the 32-bit version right now, I'd still suggest doing this at some point so you have the option of playing the 64-bit version later on.

Which version is better for your computer is kind of a tossup.  The 32-bit version has a hard RAM limit of 2 GB due to the way the game was ported to macOS, which may be a serious issue for you depending on your playstyle.  However, 64-bit Sims 3 doesn't run particularly well on your graphics chip, while 32-bit is fine on that front.  If you do play the 64-bit version, you may not be able to play with Pets, you probably won't be able to play with Pets while you're playing in Bridgeport, and you may need to turn down lighting and tree detail to the lowest settings.  On the other hand, you won't get crashes due to the save bumping up against the RAM limit.

Point is, choose the one you want and let me know what you're going to do.

Whether or not you want to play the 32-bit version, the first step is to do a clean uninstall so there aren't any leftover files:

https://bluebellflora.com/how-to-do-a-clean-uninstall-and-reinstall-on-a-mac/

If you want to play the 32-bit version, the next step is to download the base game, and only the base game, and then run the Super Patch (digital download version):

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

Try to launch the game after that and before installing any packs.  Let me know whether it works, and we can go from there.

If you install the 64-bit version, you don't need to patch it or take any special steps to get it running.

And yes, the reason your packs are listed twice is because of how the 64-bit version was added to Origin.  But it's not relevant: only the correct version for your type of install will download at all.

[everlygreen]

@puzzlezaddict Hi, thanks for that. I messaged customer support about the 64bit but I have been trying to use the 32bit for now. I uninstalled/reinstalled Sims 3 and installed the patch however it still says unknown error when I try to launch the game. I was wondering would this have anything to do with the fact that inside documents -electronic arts - sims 3 there are no files? I know for the sims 4 there are a bunch of files in there but I could be wrong. But anyway it did not work.

[puzzlezaddict]

@everlygreen  There is no Sims 3 folder in Documents > Electronic Arts because you haven't been able to launch the game yet.  It's not the cause of the unknown error but a result.

One of the causes of the unknown error is that the graphics card or chip's device ID isn't in the game's database, but it's easy enough to add yourself.  Open Applications > The Sims 3, right-click on the Sims 3 icon itself, select Show Package Contents, and open this file path:

Contents > Resources > transgaming > c_drive > Program Files > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3 > Game > Bin

Inside the Bin folder, open graphicscards.sgr and cmd-F to search for Havendale , which will take you here:

vendor "Intel" 0x8086
card 0x0042 "Havendale"
card 0x0046 "Havendale"

Change the bolded 0042 to 87C0 , which is your graphics chip's device ID, but don't change anything else.  If you accidentally delete something, quit without saving—I've seen something as subtle as an incorrect type of quote mark bork the edits.  The lines should now look like this, other than the indents that this site isn't saving:

vendor "Intel" 0x8086
card 0x87C0 "Havendale"
card 0x0046 "Havendale"

This tells the game that your GPU is actually something else, but that's fine, it doesn't really matter how Sims 3 identifies the chip, only that it does so.  After making this edit, try again to play with no packs installed.

If this doesn't work, and there were times when it did not for some players back when all we had was 32-bit, then I'd say it would probably be better to fix the 64-bit issue and install that version.  And on that note, I would highly suggest contacting EA through live chat, or Twitter or Facebook, rather than sending an email.  The email responses tend to be slow and utterly inadequate, at least from what players have reported here.