Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

by puzzlezaddict
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Accepted Solution

Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

★ Apprentice

Ok. I just fixed my Sims 3 game last week because it was not loading at all to the initial loading screen. Last week I would press play and then it would go straight to a black screen so I asked for help and someone gave me advice to try removing a folder because they said it would re-create the folder automatically. So I tried removing the SavedSim folder and tested it. Well it worked! But then I came to a disappointment. All of my mods were not loaded up. So I looked on to this website more. I found I didn't have the CFG file that you supposedly need. It's the Resource.CFG for the mods file which I never remember having all theses years and my mods have worked but if I need it, okay that's fine, but now I try to play and it seems to try to load it up because it's got the thing going in circles and then my computer goes dark and just sits there...  

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Accepted Solution

Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

@SparkleQueen2142  While still online, go to your Origin library, right-click on the Sims 3 icon, and select Repair Game.  When it's done, restart your computer, sign into Origin, take your computer offline, press play, and in the launcher, check the Expansions and Stuff tab.  It should list every pack you've installed.  Make sure all the boxes are checked, and those packs should load.

 

If the launcher doesn't list your installed packs, try clearing Origin's cache.  If that doesn't work, you'll need to uninstall Origin ("the hard way") and reinstall it.  Packs disappearing from the launcher is not uncommon, and it should be fixable.

 

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/faq/clear-cache-to-fix-problems-with-your-games/

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/manually-uninstalling-origin/

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.

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Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

@SparkleQueen2142  It sounds like it might be time for an entirely new game folder.  Instead of removing parts of the existing one, just drag the entire thing to the desktop and launch the game again.  The clean folder that spawns will have no content, including saves or mods.  The idea is to slowly rebuild your content, testing periodically to make sure the game still loads.  If it doesn't, you'll know that one of the files you just added to the new folder was corrupt, and you can narrow down the source of your issues from there.

 

For your mods to work, you definitely needed to have a resource.cfg file inside Mods.  You also need to delete the scriptCache.package file inside the game folder whenever you add or remove any mod.  In fact, it's a good idea to delete all five cache files whenever you quit the game, at least while you're troubleshooting.  Many of us delete them after every play session regardless of whether we're having issues.  For reference, those files are:

  • CASPartCache.package
  • compositorCache.package
  • scriptCache.package
  • simCompositorCache.package
  • socialCache.package

You might want to use a fresh version of resource.cfg.  You can download the Mods Framework from MTS, unzip it, and just grab the one file you need.

 

http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Installing_Sims_3_Package_Files/Setup_and_Files

 

Once your mods are all in place, and you can load a new save without any problems, you can move on to your other files.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
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Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

[ Edited ]
★ Apprentice

@puzzlezaddict Removing the whole file worked and got my game back up and like you said it's clean. So how do I put mods and stuff back into the game safely

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Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

@SparkleQueen2142  I'd start with your mods.  Create a Mods folder, with Packages inside; download the Framework I linked, grab the resource.cfg that comes with it, and place it inside Mods; and move a couple of mods from your old folder to your new one.  Test the game again, to make sure it loads and that the mods work.  If it does, move a few more mods over, and then a few more, until you're satisfied that everything is working as it's supposed to.  Also remember to keep deleting the cache files, espcially scriptCache.

 

From there, I'd move your store and custom content next—it's bundled into .ebc (store) and .dbc (custom) files in DCCache.  It might be best to move all of these files at once, to avoid complications.  You'll also need the ccmerged.package from DCBackup to make your premium store content work.  If your store content doesn't show up in-game, you may need to reinstall it; just remember to remove the .ebc files from your new game folder first.

 

After that, you can move your Library folder into the new game folder, test again, move SavedSims, test again, and then move anything else you want.  Here's an explanation of all the files you find in your game folder:

 

https://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2011/01/faq-user-files.html

 

Finally, when everything else is in place and your game still loads, you can move your saves over.  This way, you won't have to worry about missing content or replaced items.

 

If any of these steps goes wrong, i.e. your game won't load again, you'll need to replace the content that's causing issues.  Most of the time, it's better to redownload or regenerate a file, rather than trying to repair the corrupt version you currently have.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
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Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

[ Edited ]
★ Apprentice

@puzzlezaddict I started doing as you said, moving mods over and tested it again but nothing. It started working. As you may or may not know the Framework download or the CFG file comes with two mods, one is No Intro the other I don't remember the name of but I thought that I wasn't going to like the no intro because my game breaks a lot and that's how I tell if it's gonna work. Well I went tested it and there was the logo so that's good but then it goes straight to black after that. My game usually takes long to load but I have low patience so I only waited between 5 and 10 minutes each time I tried until I gave up and stuff. Anyway there was one time I was reading something you posted to me again, I was just rereading it and I'm a slow reader and the game crashed and went to my windows screen and it would not let me click back into it 

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Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

@SparkleQueen2142  Yes, the Framework comes with NoIntro and NoBuildSparkles, to simple and extensively tested mods whose presence in-game will confirm that your mods are loading properly.  I suggested you just grab resource.cfg because I figured you already knew how to install mods properly, so the extra step of loading those test mods wasn't strictly necessary.

 

Let's back up, though.  You're saying that when you take your game folder out of Documents, forcing a new one to spawn, the game loads, but the second you add a mod, it starts crashing again?  And you're deleting the cache files each time you quit?  What happens if you download the Framework, take out NoIntro but leave NoBuildSparkles, and load a new save?  Going into Build/Buy, the "sparkles" around objects when you place them should be gone.

 

At this point, it's probably also a good idea for you to run a dxdiag and attach the results here (use the Browse button).  I want to see if there's anything else going on with your computer that needs to be addressed.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 6 of 55 (2,438 Views)

Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

★ Apprentice

@puzzlezaddict My step dad is the computer person I'm not. My step dad will be home later tonight from work and look at my computer and see if anything is going on with my computer. I had 93 package files when it wasn't working but I've heard and Seen people have between 1 hundred and 523 package files. My step dad is going to look at the properties of The Sims 3 and see what I may need for my computer. We already talked about me using one of his external graphics cards. He's supposed to look at my computer tonight but we get pretty busy so I can reply to you when I know more.. 

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Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

@SparkleQueen2142  Right, but the idea is to try to launch the game with no mods at all, then just a few, then a few more.  So you're testing out the mods themselves, in addition to your computer's ability to run TS3.  And it doesn't matter so much how many mods or other .package files you have, up to a point.  The more important question is which ones, or specifically whether you have a bad one that's causing all the crashes.  The only way to find out is to test them in small batches, and when you get a crash, break up that batch and test again until you've identified the culprit.

 

I forgot to link how to run a dxdiag before:

 

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

 

One of the reasons it's important is that the minimum requirements for TS3 are very different from what's needed to run the entire game.  If your computer falls in between, you could see crashing whenever the game taxes your hardware.  While we're at it, please also list the packs you have installed.  Some are quite demanding; others barely add to overhead.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
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Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

★ Apprentice

OK. I did the DxDiag thing and attached it. I also took out the mods folder and tested it again and it loaded everything, the logo and the intro but after the intro it fell to a black screen and stopped responding.

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Re: Sims 3: Starts loading and then stops loading

@SparkleQueen2142  I think I'm getting a bit confused about when you see crashing.  So if you could clarify a few scenarios, that would be very helpful.

  • When you remove your TS3 game folder from Documents and launch the game, can you get to the Main Menu?  Can you load a new save?  If not, when exactly does it crash?
  • If you can load a new save as above, what happens if you put the mods framework in your game folder, remove NoIntro, delete your cache files, and load again?  Can you start a new save, and if not, when does it crash?
  • When you're testing, do you have anything running alongside the game (besides Origin)?  If so, try restarting your computer, opening only Origin and TS3 but nothing else, not even a browser window, and see if it helps.
  • You can also try taking Origin into offline mode and then disconnecting your computer from the internet before launching TS3.  This might not make a difference, but it's easy enough to test.

Your computer should handle the TS3 base game and some early packs without trouble, but the most demanding EPs might be difficult for it to handle.  Still, that wouldn't explain why you're seeing crashes so soon after launch.

 

Finally, your monitor has a nonstandard resolution, at least as far as the game is concerned.  If the above steps don't help, you can try changing the in-game resolution to match your monitor, but it's best to try the other approaches first.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
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