April 2020
(Just for clarification I use windows 10) I've been having an issue with my sims 3 exchange worlds not showing up in-game. When I uninstall and re-download them, it says they're in the game, but when I close the ts3 launcher an open it again it says they're not in the game. They're also definitely not showing up in the dropdown menu in-game. I've uninstalled ts3 and repaired it but nothing works.
Solved! Go to Solution.
April 2020
@emmagr11 Yeah, that's why I asked—there's a bit more work involved, but it's not so difficult. The instructions are mostly the same, with an extra step, so I'm going to add that and just c/p the rest of the instructions, while (hopefully) changing all the tiny details that matter.
Trash the new Sims 3 folder you've created, the one into which you've been installing store worlds. Move the old one back into Documents\Electronic Arts, and use the launcher to uninstall all the store worlds that haven't been working. Make sure to remove their .world files in InstalledWorlds as well, if it doesn't happen automatically. Then move the folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts again.
Open the launcher to create another clean folder, but this time, don't install anything yet. Go into DCBackup and delete ccmerged.package. Now go into DCBackup inside your old Sims 3 folder, copy ccmerged.package, and paste it into DCBackup in your new folder. This file has a record of all the store premium content you've installed, and that content won't work without the file. So you essentially need the same one ccmerged file to be present while you install all your premium content. (If you don't own any other premium store content aside from the worlds that don't work, you can skip this step and keep the new Sims 3 folder's new ccmerged in place.)
Now install the store worlds one at a time, checking in-game after each one to make sure they're all still loading. If everything works, you can move the store content into your old folder. Rename the Sims 3 folder into which you've installed your worlds, e.g. "The Sims 3 Worlds." Put the old Sims 3 folder back in Documents\Electronic Arts, and move the ccmerged.package over as well, again into DCBackup.
Now go into DCCache inside the old Sims 3 folder, and count the number of .ebc files. (Now .ebc, with the e, not .dbc.) They'll be labeled dcdbx.dbc, with x being a number; the files are numbered sequentially starting with zero. (Ignore the .edbc files, which are custom content.) Whatever the highest number is, you're going to rename the .ebc file(s) in your Sims 3 Worlds folder in sequence. So if your main Sims 3 folder has dcdb0.ebc through dcdb4.ebc, and you have dcdb0.ebc and dcdb1.ebc in your Sims 3 Worlds folder, those two will become dcdb5.ebc and dcdb6.ebc. Then you can move them to DCCache inside your main Sims 3 folder.
Be sure to also move the .world files inside InstalledWorlds from the Sims 3 Worlds folder to the main Sims 3 folder. Everything should now show up in-game.
April 2020
@emmagr11 If you install a store world into a clean user data folder, what happens? Move your entire Sims 3 folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts and onto your desktop. Open the launcher to create a new folder, then download one world from the Exchange and install it. Let me know whether it shows up.
April 2020
April 2020
@emmagr11 Sorry, I meant you should test it in-game. In fact, please test, quit, restart your computer, and make sure that it is still available to load in-game.
April 2020
April 2020
@emmagr11 Great, so you can install your other Exchange worlds into this folder too. (They are third-party worlds from the Exchange, right, not EA store worlds? Because store worlds need an extra step to add them to your existing folder.) Install the worlds one at a time, test in-game, and make sure they're all loading before doing anything else.
If you'd like to add these worlds to your existing content, it's simple enough. Rename the Sims 3 folder in Documents\Electronic Arts, the one that your worlds are in, to something else, e.g. The Sims 3 Worlds. Put the old Sims 3 folder back in Documents\Electronic Arts, open the launcher, and uninstall those same Exchange worlds. Make sure the relevant .world files in InstalledWorlds are also gone—you don't want two copies of anything in your user data folder.
Now go into DCCache inside the old Sims 3 folder, and count the number of .dbc files. They'll be labeled dcdbx.dbc, with x being a number; the files are numbered sequentially starting with zero. (Ignore the .ebc files, which are store content.) Whatever the highest number is, you're going to rename the .dbc file(s) in your Sims 3 Worlds folder in sequence. So if your main Sims 3 folder has dcdb0.dbc through dcdb4.dbc, and you have dcdb0.dbc and dcdb1.dbc in your Sims 3 Worlds folder, those two will become dcdb5.dbc and dcdb6.dbc. Then you can move them to DCCache inside your main Sims 3 folder.
Be sure to also move the .world files inside InstalledWorlds from the Sims 3 Worlds folder to the main Sims 3 folder. Everything should now show up in-game.
April 2020
i have exchange worlds that already work, but the store worlds are the ones causing me trouble. I should've clarified, sorry :/
April 2020
@emmagr11 Yeah, that's why I asked—there's a bit more work involved, but it's not so difficult. The instructions are mostly the same, with an extra step, so I'm going to add that and just c/p the rest of the instructions, while (hopefully) changing all the tiny details that matter.
Trash the new Sims 3 folder you've created, the one into which you've been installing store worlds. Move the old one back into Documents\Electronic Arts, and use the launcher to uninstall all the store worlds that haven't been working. Make sure to remove their .world files in InstalledWorlds as well, if it doesn't happen automatically. Then move the folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts again.
Open the launcher to create another clean folder, but this time, don't install anything yet. Go into DCBackup and delete ccmerged.package. Now go into DCBackup inside your old Sims 3 folder, copy ccmerged.package, and paste it into DCBackup in your new folder. This file has a record of all the store premium content you've installed, and that content won't work without the file. So you essentially need the same one ccmerged file to be present while you install all your premium content. (If you don't own any other premium store content aside from the worlds that don't work, you can skip this step and keep the new Sims 3 folder's new ccmerged in place.)
Now install the store worlds one at a time, checking in-game after each one to make sure they're all still loading. If everything works, you can move the store content into your old folder. Rename the Sims 3 folder into which you've installed your worlds, e.g. "The Sims 3 Worlds." Put the old Sims 3 folder back in Documents\Electronic Arts, and move the ccmerged.package over as well, again into DCBackup.
Now go into DCCache inside the old Sims 3 folder, and count the number of .ebc files. (Now .ebc, with the e, not .dbc.) They'll be labeled dcdbx.dbc, with x being a number; the files are numbered sequentially starting with zero. (Ignore the .edbc files, which are custom content.) Whatever the highest number is, you're going to rename the .ebc file(s) in your Sims 3 Worlds folder in sequence. So if your main Sims 3 folder has dcdb0.ebc through dcdb4.ebc, and you have dcdb0.ebc and dcdb1.ebc in your Sims 3 Worlds folder, those two will become dcdb5.ebc and dcdb6.ebc. Then you can move them to DCCache inside your main Sims 3 folder.
Be sure to also move the .world files inside InstalledWorlds from the Sims 3 Worlds folder to the main Sims 3 folder. Everything should now show up in-game.
April 2020
thank you so much!
August 2020
I'm having the same problem....only I didn't create a new folder, one called installed worlds was there already or generates itself. The exchange worlds work too, and so do 4 store worlds. Its jusr the same 4 store worlds im having this with...but there is no new or old folder? Thats where im lost a bit.