Re: Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

by puzzlezaddict
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Original Post

Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

[ Edited ]
★★ Novice

Now, I use an Acer Aspire, which has said to have good graphics, which it has proven to have, and sims 3 pets seems to be the only game I've had a problem with so far.

 

So here's the problem: all my pets (apart from birds, lizards, snakes, rodents and turtles) are black. Yet some animals, like deer and some animals owned by other people are coloured.

 

I just want to know how to fix it, I've tried multiple ways including uninstalling the game and reinstalling it, running as administrator, etc. But none have worked. I just want to know how to fix it because I don't want to go buy a new laptop and have the same problems, or at least know which laptops do run sims 3 pets perfectly or close to it.

Message 1 of 14 (1,201 Views)

Re: Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

@Phant0m18  The graphics glitch you're describing can be caused by underpowered hardware, but it might also be due to something corrupt in your TS3 game folder.  An easy test is to pull this entire folder out of Documents\EA and onto your desktop.  Launch the game and load a new save to check out the pets.  You can make a new family if you like, but no need to spend much time on the sims; this is just for testing.  If the pets look normal, then you probably have bad custom content, and you'll need to sort through it.  (Let me know if you need instructions on how to do this.)

 

If the pets still don't look right even in a clean game folder, then it makes a hardware issue more likely.  It's hard to say though without knowing your specs.  The Aspire is a product line, not a particular model, and the various configurations have a wide range of specs.  The easiest way for me to see what you're working with, and to check a few other potential issues as well, is for you to run a dxdiag and attach the results to a post here.

 

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 2 of 14 (1,185 Views)

Re: Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

★★ Novice

Hang on, I'll get the model of my laptop if that's any help.

 

Model: Acer Aspire ES1-431 series.

Message 3 of 14 (1,182 Views)

Re: Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

@Phant0m18  I'm surprised you've been able to run TS3 with Pets at all on this computer.  If I'm being perfectly honest, I wouldn't even expect this configuration, or at least the one that pops up on google, to run the base game on anything more than low settings.  It's possible you have a slightly better configuration, but this model isn't built for gaming at all, and it certainly isn't equipped to handle the stress of Pets, which is the most demanding pack.  I'm sorry, but I don't think the glitch is fixable.

 

To run TS3 and all packs on high settings, you'd really need a decent gaming computer, one with the proper hardware and sufficient cooling to handle TS3.  Laptops in this category are usually at least $800 U.S. (higher in other countries), even with sales, but many in that price range aren't capable either.  Desktops will be a bit cheaper; I can usually find one for under $700 on sale.

 

If you're thinking about getting a new computer, just let me know.  We can go over the recommended specs, or I can try to find one for you.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 4 of 14 (1,175 Views)

Re: Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

★★ Novice

@puzzlezaddict yeah, I figured even though it has done well with many games.

 

And yes, I have been looking for a new computer, especially since the one I use at the moment is my parents, and I'm only allowed to use it until I get my own. So that would be helpful.

Message 5 of 14 (1,173 Views)

Re: Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

@Phant0m18  I'd be happy to help you look for something, or I can give you the specs you'll need and you can look yourself.  If you're not looking to buy now, it's best to come back when you're ready, since sales change quickly.  If you do want to buy now, just list your budget and country, as well as any other features you need (extra storage, desktop or laptop, etc.) and any other games or programs you'd want to run.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 6 of 14 (1,166 Views)

Re: Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

★★ Novice

@puzzlezaddict yeah, I am sort of looking now.

Now the country I'm in is Australia and my budget is around the $1,500 mark, but I can go to the $1,700 if necessary. But I don't want to pay over $2,000 unless absolutely necessary.

Message 7 of 14 (1,164 Views)

Re: Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

@Phant0m18  Alright, I don't have time to look right now, but I'll get back to you later today.  (Maybe 12 hours, maybe less, depending on how things play out.)  I haven't looked much at options in Australia, so if you have a preference for stores, I can start there.  Otherwise, I'll ask around for the right places to shop, and I'll get back to you with the best deals I can find.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 8 of 14 (1,162 Views)

Re: Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

★★ Novice

@puzzlezaddict yeah, that's fine.

 

Now, I don't mind going to Harvey Norman, Good Guys, (though I don't think they sell really good laptops,) JB HI-FI, and Apple (though the closest Apple store is a bit of a drive).

Message 9 of 14 (1,155 Views)

Re: Completely black pets in sims 3 pets, help please

@Phant0m18  I realized, belatedly—I was kind of tired before—that I didn't know exactly what you wanted, other than a computer that would run TS3.  A few more details might be in order: for example, desktop or laptop, do you want to play other games, do you need extra storage?  For example, for a graphics card, TS3 only needs an Nvidia 1050 ti, but another game might benefit from an upgrade to a 1060.

 

Anyway, I started poking around various Australian sellers, and on three different sites, the cheapest option that has everything you'd want for TS3 was the same.  This Asus has the 1050 ti, an Intel i7-8750H processor, 8 GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD.  Asus makes great gaming laptops, especially at the entry level.  Here are the product pages, for comparison:

 

https://www.mwave.com.au/product/asus-tuf-gaming-fx505gd-156-gaming-laptop-i7-8gb-512gb-gtx1050-gold...

https://www.techbuy.com.au/p/443625/NOTEBOOKS_MSI_GAMING_NOTEBOOKS/ASUS/FX505GD-BQ353T.asp

https://www.jw.com.au/asus-tuf-gaming-fx505gd-bq353t-gold-steel-design-15-6-fhd-gaming-laptop-i7-8gb...

 

You can always add more RAM later, if you'd like to upgrade to 16 GB, which would make multitasking much easier.  A single 8 GB RAM stick might run you $60-80; I'm not familiar with Australia's prices, and anyway you'd need to exactly match what came installed.  It's easy to add RAM to these kinds of laptops, although other upgrades are difficult or impossible and would likely break the warranty.

 

Installing TS3 on a solid state drive will make everything load faster: the save itself, travel transitions, CAS and Build/Buy catalogs, Edit Town.  Saving will also be faster.  Other similar models have only a single mechanical drive (HDD), or else an HDD paired with an SSD that's too small to hold TS3 and its game folder as well as Windows 10.

 

If this isn't quite what you want, I can keep looking.  Just let me know the features you'd like, or if you'd prefer to spend a little more for some kind of upgrade.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 10 of 14 (1,140 Views)