(MAC)sims 3 stuck finalizing

[snnicorn]

So yesterday I decided to buy the sims 3 just to see what it was like compared to the sims 4. It is downloaded on my computer along with the expansion and stuff pack I bought with it but in Origin it still says the game is finalizing. I can open the game just fine but I can only play it for about 10 minutes before it crashes, I assume because it hasn't been finalized. I have tried shutting down and restarting my computer multiple times while logging in and out of origin. I have also tried clearing my origin download cache folder and that didn't help either. 

I have a macbook pro 2015 with retina display (I have that turned off to play games because it crashes the system) I also have more than half more storage space open, I can provide more details if needed. Thank you to anyone who can help! 

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@snnicorn  The fact that your game is running is great; that eliminates most of the issues with TS3.  The crashing in CAS or Edit Town may be due to the game hitting its memory limit, as both those modes use more RAM than live gameplay.  Unlike TS3 in Windows, the mac version of the game can only use 2 GB RAM before crashing or throwing errors, and there's also a memory leak issue that causes the game to use more and more RAM as you go along.

You can monitor RAM use in the Activity Monitor while you play—hit cmd-enter to switch between fullscreen and windowed mode.  (Since you only have 8 GB memory overall, it's also a good idea to not have much else running on your computer besides the game itself.)  You can also periodically purge RAM via Terminal command.  But if TS3 gets too close to the limit, the only thing you can do is save, quit to desktop (without saving, as a separate step), and reload.

https://bluebellflora.com/resetting-ram-during-gameplay/

If you find that your game is crashing even when it's nowhere near the RAM limit, then there are a few more troubleshooting steps you can try.  The first is one you should do anyway: delete the five cache files in your game folder (in Documents).  These files can fill up with stale data and should be deleted regularly, even in the absence of issues.  For reference, they are:

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

[puzzlezaddict]

@snnicorn  Are you trying to play through Origin?  That's not necessary; Origin doesn't even need to be open while you're running TS3.  (In fact, it's better if it doesn't.)  Just launch the game through the icon in Applications.

For the finalizing issue, try running the Origin reset tool for macs:

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/origin/origin/how-to-reset-origin-on-mac/

And it's also a good idea to run the Super Patch (digital download version).  The launcher doesn't do a good job of patching on its own, and the Super Patch won't hurt.

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

If these steps don't help, please provide your mac's specs, as described in the following post.  Please also list the packs you've installed, if any.

https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-3-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/475...

[snnicorn]

Thank you so much for the advice, origin has indeed stopped finalizing through the origin reset tool which is good. 

I am finding that I am still having issues with my game after installing the super patch you suggested, it did seem to keep me in the game longer without it crashing. I either get stuck in create a household and am unable to place down the household because I am stuck on the household photo screen or my game just crashes in create a household. 

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)

Processor 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5

Memory 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3

Graphics Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB

I don't have any anti virus or custom content 

I have the game pack Late Night and the stuff pack high-end lot stuff

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@snnicorn  The fact that your game is running is great; that eliminates most of the issues with TS3.  The crashing in CAS or Edit Town may be due to the game hitting its memory limit, as both those modes use more RAM than live gameplay.  Unlike TS3 in Windows, the mac version of the game can only use 2 GB RAM before crashing or throwing errors, and there's also a memory leak issue that causes the game to use more and more RAM as you go along.

You can monitor RAM use in the Activity Monitor while you play—hit cmd-enter to switch between fullscreen and windowed mode.  (Since you only have 8 GB memory overall, it's also a good idea to not have much else running on your computer besides the game itself.)  You can also periodically purge RAM via Terminal command.  But if TS3 gets too close to the limit, the only thing you can do is save, quit to desktop (without saving, as a separate step), and reload.

https://bluebellflora.com/resetting-ram-during-gameplay/

If you find that your game is crashing even when it's nowhere near the RAM limit, then there are a few more troubleshooting steps you can try.  The first is one you should do anyway: delete the five cache files in your game folder (in Documents).  These files can fill up with stale data and should be deleted regularly, even in the absence of issues.  For reference, they are:

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

[snnicorn]

Thank you so much for your help!! That is a really weird issue that the Mac version has, I wonder why it's like that I hope they can update it and fix it at some point because that really blows.

[puzzlezaddict]

@snnicorn  Yeah, it's really annoying not to be able to play TS3 properly in mac OS.  Unfortunately, the issue is probably never getting fixed.  The Windows version was made Large Address Aware (the technical term for a 32-bit app being able to use 4 GB RAM instead of 2) back in 2010, but the mac version never received that patch due to the way the game was ported into mac OS.  And since TS3 has been out of development for over five years now, we don't expect anything to change.

After fighting with the RAM limit for varying amounts of time, many of us mac users gave up and started playing in Windows instead, either on a different computer or via partitioning the hard drive and installing Windows (this is known as Bootcamping).  I Bootcamped my mac last spring, and I'm thrilled at how much better the game runs.  But this isn't a solution for everyone—for example, you'd need at least 300 GB free storage to devote to the Windows side of the partition, plus some breathing room on the mac side.  And it's not the same as playing in mac OS, which is what we'd all prefer to be able to do.

[rosiesimmer2000]

This got my Sims 3 on the Mac off of finalizing! Thank you so much!!!

[lyricallife007]

I am having the exact same problem. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@lyricallife007  Can you be a bit more specific?  (There were a couple of problems mentioned in the thread.)  If the issue is that your TS3 install is stuck finalizing, have you tried running the Origin reset tool linked above?  What happens if you launch the game directly from Applications, leaving Origin out of the process entirely?

If your issue is different, or you run into an unknown error message, please list the packs you've installed, and provide your computer's specs, as described in this post:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/READ-FIRST-Sims-3-Mac-Help-Guides-and-Troubleshooting/m-p/475...

[Oliviagrant110]

Hey I really need help with my sims 3 game, its stuck on finalising, Ive tried everything and its not working. I contacted origin but they didn't even help me. I understand that you don't work for origin but if you could, could you please help me.