'unknown error occured' base game [ Edited ]

[suzdotson]

I uninstalled everything sim 3 related on my computer.  Now I have gone back and installed the base game only.  When I try to open it it gives me an Unknown Error.  My Mac Specs are

MacOs Mojave Version 10.14.3

3.2 GHz Intel Core i5

8GB 1600 MHz DDR3

NVIDIAGoForce GTX 675MX 1024 MB

Any help greatly appreciated. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@suzdotson  I split your post into its own thread because the other one was a bit old, and besides, it's easier for me to deal with one set of specs at a time.  Thanks for providing those, by the way; it's always nice to start with lots of information.

If you haven't already, you'll need to do a clean uninstall to remove the hidden library files that TS3's uninstaller will miss.  Otherwise, those files may prevent you from launching the game going forward, even if you do everything else right.

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

Reinstall the base game only (or start here if you did remove the hidden library files), and run the Super Patch (digital download version) to patch the game to 1.67.  The launcher doesn't always do a thorough 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/

Next, you'll need to find the device ID of your graphics card.  Here's how:

https://bluebellflora.com/2018/07/24/sims-3-mac-players-i-need-your-help/#Information

(And of course you want the Nvidia 675MX, since that's the card the game will use.)

Once I know the device ID, I'll show you where to add the appropriate text to graphicscards and graphicsrules.  Your particular card doesn't have instructions already written out, but it should be easy enough to find the right text to add.

[suzdotson]

Thanks for the quick response.  I did a clean uninstall and removed the hidden stuff before I got this error.  I just installed the Super patch as well.  Still getting error.  

My device ID for my graphic card is 0x11a2.  Thanks

[puzzlezaddict]

@suzdotson  Okay, so you'll first need to edit graphicscards.sgr to add your card and its device ID.  To find the file, right-click on the base game icon in Applications\TS3 and select "Show Package Contents."  The path from there is:

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

Warning:  For anyone else reading, the specific instructions only apply to this player's exact card model.  Don't try to use it with any other card.  If you'd like help with a different card, please post its name and device ID.

Spoiler

(People have messed up their games trying to use instructions for the wrong card, hence the warning.)

Right-click on graphicscards.sgr and select Copy, then right-click on your desktop and select Paste.  (So now you have a backup.)  Then open graphicscards and cmd-F to search for "nvidia."  You'll see a list of Nvidia cards that starts like this:

vendor "NVIDIA" 0x10b4 0x12d2 0x10de
card 0x0fd1 "GeForce GT 650M"
card 0x0fd2 "GeForce GT 640M"
card 0x0fd3 "GeForce GT 640M LE"

I've bolded the entries you're going to change.  Enter your own card's info, so it reads like this:

card 0x11a2 "GeForce GTX 675"

Don't change anything else; don't even delete and re-add the quote marks.  This file gets very fussy if you use the wrong quotes, which I found out the hard way the first time I tried this.  If you do delete the quotes, just copy/paste them from a different line.

So, after reading graphicsrules again, it turns out that any card in the GeForce GTX 6 series should be covered.  Yours doesn't get picked up because your device ID isn't in graphicscards, but after adding it, you should be fine.

Once you've edited graphicscards, try to launch the game, and then open your deviceconfig and scroll down about 30 lines, to the graphics card info.  If it says [Found: 1, Matched, 1], you're good to go.  Otherwise, let me know what found and matched says, and I'll tweak the instructions

And if you have any other trouble with the install, just let me know what isn't working, and I'll try to help.