BUG: CC Objects issues with Patch 1.26/1.27

It seems that the new patch has borked most of the cc objects. This does not include hair or clothing and most deco items will be fine as well but all objects that have slots (for other objects or Sims) are most likely not usable anymore (some of the older stuff still seems to be).

Read all about it over at MTS

• Sims 3 News - New TS3 Patch and Existing Custom content   
• Information - Collections! Finally! And..er yeah, patch 1.26/1.27

s3pe is being updated as I post this and Workshop will be soon too. Creators will need to fix their stuff. Delphy seems to be working on a tool that can easily do this.

Will post more info as I get it.

NEWS: Patch 1.25

Patch 1.25 that just came out is probably for MAC only. It fixes a severe issues Mac Users were seeing with MAC OS X LION and certain graphic cards.

UPDATE: This patch seems to be specifically for this one problem. If you are on a mac and don't have it, don't patch for there are reports that people had to reinstall the whole game for the patch to install.

Core Mods for Version 1.24 should be fine with this patch.

NEWS: Patch 1.24

Patch 1.24 is out and has a very long list of bug fixes. The entire list can be found here: The Sims 3 Game Update for 1.24

Helpful links

• TUTORIAL: What to do before patching
• TUTORIAL: Resetting the game to factory settings without reinstalling 
• Manual Patches 

Invalid File Error
Many people get an invalid file error with this patch. You have 3 possibilities:

• Use the manual mega patch found here: Patch 1.24 (valid for all EPs/regions)
• Use the Patch Downloader tool by FordGT90Concept
• If you want to patch through your launcher, you MUST make sure that you have the newest version of Origin/EADM 

Mac OS X Lion
Many users seem to have troubles with the new Mac OS and the game. I'm not a mac user and can't help here, so check any mac/sims forums you know.

A word on mods

• Twallan's mods don't need updating except Woohooer and ErrorTrap. Make sure to get the newest available Version of this mods. 
• Any Core Mods such as Awesome mod or BaXIMs mod need updating 
• Buzzler has updated most of his mods. Check his page at MTS for the newest versions 
• Socializing/Mods that change social interactions need updating.  
• Imaginary friends mods need updating
• Auto-placement of lots mods need updating. 
• For all other mods, check the creators pages. Don't use any mods if you aren't absolutely positive that they work with the update.

A word on Custom Content (CC
I would recommend to restart downloading any other cc content. A lot of it is old and might not be working ok anymore (this goes for patterns as well as objects). Write down your favorites and make lists where you get the stuff from. Take a picture or think of any other method to organizes your CC. Don't just download everything you see. KNOW your CC.

A word on bugs

• Excavation bug is still not fixed 
• Photography freezing is not fixed
• Kids/teens coming home from boarding school when there's a prom in town is fixed

A word from me
The Gen patch had a lot of problems, there's no denying that and it lead to massive Sim corruption. Many big issues people are seeing like missing interactions, blank icons, invisible Sims, missing GUIs and aging that isn't working any more are not bugs per se. They are symptoms of bugs. They are failures to properly load the game because the game hits an unhandled error.

If you see any of those symptoms or had them before the patch, no patch in the world is going to fix them. You're savegame is corrupt and that's how it's gonna stay.

When you reach this point you have two options

1. Use the reset to factory method described above and start over. You can save any Sims you like to the bin (progress is retained) or export them from CAS (progress is lost) as well as your houses. Move the mods back you are know is save as well as your Store content (the ones that are fine). Now start over with a brand new game and hope that some of the corruption sources actually got fixed.
2. Use ErrorTrap and Overwatch to clean up your game and see if it gets any better. If not, do the first option 

NEWS: Patch 1.21/1.22 Features

Update 03.06.2011
The EP patches were just posted at sims3cri.com. According to them (and a guru on twitter) you don't really need them if you have the disk version. It's supposed to solve some troubles generated by patch 1.22 to the digital game versions, It's mainly for users that don't have generations.

If you want to update anyways, here's the link
Patch 2.17/3.13/4.10/5.8/6.5/7.3

Make sure you pick the right region (check the last digit of your version) and also download the patch 1.22 if you haven't done so before. Link to that can be found below.

Please read the following instructions before applying the patch or the EP:
TUTORIAL: What to do before patching.

Make sure to remove ALL mods/hacks from your game. Most of them will become incompatible.

---

If you are on a PC, it seems there are no patches for the EPs this time. Just the base game will update to 1.22. The rest will stay on the level you had before.

For those that are using the Patch Downloader to patch their game, it has been updated and you will need to redownload the newest version.

The manual patch can be found here

PC
Patch 1.22

Mac
DVD Version US
DVD Version Europe
Digitale Version

---

The patch has the following new features:

• Body Hair 
• Memories 
• Inactives have memories but without pics. 
• You can have positive, negative and neutral memories
• Memories that you take or that are made when you focus on the Sim will have a pic. Others don't
• You can upload your memories to your sims 3 profile or facebook and get some neat rewards.
• You get a message for every memory you make. These messages can be turned off in your options. The memory system itself can't 
• You get bigger and smaller pictures in your album
• The system records many useless memories but you can delete them as you like.
•  You can have up to 400 memories in your album.
• Dates 
• Age sliders --> Ability to set the length of each age group individually.
• New cheat: Edit in CAS (with testingcheats) 
• Filter for LTR 
• Filter in build/buy mode (not CAS) 
• New tab for the spiral staircases (but empty) 
• Reputation system 
• 2 new LTW:  Clean Slate & Above Reproach 
  

FAQ: Bugs & Patches

Question
What's a Bug ?
Answer
Bugs are errors in the game. Not everyone has every bug for it depends on the combinations of actions you too if a bug actually shows in your game or not. Some bugs are very common, others are not. Bugs can be caused by Mods and CC as well. Because of this, make sure your Downloads are always up-to-date.

Question
What's a patch ?
Answer
A patch is an update to the game code. A patch can have two purposes

• Fix bugs in the game
• Adjust the base game to the be able to handle a new expansion.

Question
I've read that a certain bug came with a add-on that I don't have. I do have the bug anyway. Is that normal ?
Answer
Yes, a patch always updates all add-ons to the newest update (altough only the base game and the newest expansion is actually patched). It's only bugs that concern specific functionality of a add-on  that you won't have if you don't have the expansion (f.e. since excavating is specific to WA, you will only have that bug if you actually own WA, the bad mood bug you will have as soon as you patch to 1.19 cause this is base game functionality)

Question
Can I just omit a patch and move on to the next one if I want to omit a bug ?
Answer
No. A newer patch includes all changes in the previous patches.

Question
I already bought a new add-on and have it installed. Now there is also a patch available for download. Will that fix my problems ?

Answer
No. That patch is for all those Simmers that don't want to buy the add-on so that their basegame/add-ons are patched to the newest version as well. Patches that are released at the same time as an expansion pack are always included in the DVD and you already have that patch when you install the EP. There are very few exceptions to this rule where EA releases a patch within a few days of the release of the add-on. Check the versions numbers to make sure that you are up-to-date.

Question
I did not want the buy the add-on and only installed the newest patch. Unfortunatly I have many bugs now and it's not working right. Do I need to buy the expansion to get rid of those ?
Answer
No, you will never have to buy an expansion pack to get rid of errors and bugs. If the patch didn't fix it, the Ep won't eiterh

Question
I'm using mods in my game. Can I keep on using them when a patch comes out ?
Answer
No, you can't. Some of them will still work, other will not. Check with the creator if they still work or not.

Question
Now, when will there be a patch that fixes all of these bugs ?
Answer
EA only know that :)
EA's policy seems to be the following: Every 6 month, there is an EP and SP in between. Every time there is a EP or SP coming out, there will be a patch. This patch is released to update the base game for the new EP. Most of the time it does not have a lot of bug fixes. 4-6 weeks after release of the EP (and sometimes after release of a SP) there is another patch that has the purpose to fix as many bugs as possible. As well all know, this is not always the case and more bugs are introduced then fixed.

TUTORIAL: How to find your game version

The base game and every expansion and stuff pack has it's own version number. In your game, those version need to match otherwise you can have error. Important are always the base game and the latest Add-On that you have.

The version number consists of different parts. Every single EP has it's own version number. The starting number tells you, which game it is.

1 = Base Game
2 = World Adventures
3 = High End Loft Stuff
4 = Ambitions
5 = Fast Lane
6 = Late Night
7 = Outdoor Living Stuff

The other important information are the last two digits. They tell you what region you have. They are as following:

01 = US
02 = Worldwide (Europe)
03 = Asia
05 = Japan
17 = Digital Download

Since HELS there are only two regions available
01 = DVD-Version
17 = Digital Download

The patch Versions so far have been:

• Patch 1.2.7 (June 25th, 2009) 
• Patch 1.3.4 (July 27th, 2009) 
• Patch 1.4.6 (August 05th 2009) 
• Patch 1.5.82/1.6.6 (November 16th, 2009)
• Patch 1.7.9/2.2.8 (November 18th, 2009)
• Patch 1.8.25/2.3.33 (December 15th, 2009)
• Patch 1.9.22/2.4.7 (February 2nd, 2010)
• Patch 1.10.6/2.5.12/3.1.7 (February 8th, 2010)
• Patch 1.11.7/2.6.11/3.2.8. (March 24th, 2010)
• Patch 1.12.7/2.7.7/3.3.11/4.0.87 (June 01st, 2010)
• Patch 1.14.11/2.9.10/3.5.8/4.2.32 (July 08th,  2010)
• Patch 1.15.34/2.10.5/3.6.6/4.3.4 (September 07th, 2010)
• Patch 1.17.60/2.12.8/3.8.6/4.5.6/5.3.4 (October 27th, 2010)
• Patch 1.18.9/2.13.6/3.9.6/4.6.6/5.4.4/6.1.11 (November 30th, 2010)
• Patch 1.19.44/2.14.4/3.10.4/4.7.4/5.5.4/6.2.4 (February 1st, 2011) 
• Patch 1.22 (Mai 31st, 2011) 

If you are patching via the Launcher only the base game and your latest expansion/stuff pack will be updated (the one with the highest leading number). The gurus in the official forum have said multiple times that this is ok. I recommend to update the in-between ones anyway. You can either use the Patch Downloader by FordGT90Concept for this step or the Super Patches at MTS.

If you need an older patch for any reason they can be found here: Game_Help:TS3_Patching:Patch_Download/Archived

The version of your games can either be found in your launcher (this won't work if your launcher says you have Version 0.0.0.0) or via the skuversion.txt file in your installation directory.

Further Reading

• Game Help:TS3 Patching Find Gameversion
• Game Help:TS3 Patching Versions 
• For Macs: Checking which Patch version you’re running

TUTORIAL: What to do before patching

Before installing the EP/Patch you should

• Turn off automatic updates 
• Remove all your mods and cc (especially mods). Make sure that you understand the uninstall instructions for scripting and core mods. They are usually posted in the first post of the mods you are using. If a mods adds extra interactions, you will need to take extra steps as not to bork your savegame.
• Make sure, your Sims are not on vacation in any neighborhood you plan on playing with in the future
• Make sure your Sims are not sleeping (can make the beds unusable)
• Remove all your mods from your game (yes, right, already said that)
• Make a copy of all your user files (the whole folder in documents) to an external hard drive
• Save all Sims and houses you care about to the bin.
• If you download the patch through the Launcher, be PATIENT. Don't start the Launcher manually, it should pop-up on it's own, when it's done.
• Simply running your game without custom content is NOT enough. All your package files, especially mods will still be in your game. Only content installed through the launcher is affected by this option.

I strongly recommend the Patch Downloader by FordGT90Concept for patching. It saves you a lot of head aches. 

After installing the EP/Patch you should

• Mak sure DEP is done for the following file: [Installation Directory]\theSims3\Game\Bin\ts3w.exe
• Start a NEW testing neighborhood. Don't start any game you grown to love for all the cc you have used will be replaced.
• Play for awhile, then start putting back your cc.
• Don't put any mods back unless you are sure that they work (or want to test).

How to uninstall Custom Content (CC) the easy way

• Go into the game and save all houses and sims you want to keep into the bin
• Save your game under a different name because all your CC stuff will be replaces/removed when you start the game without the cc installed. 
• If you are using Scripting mods make sure that no sim is currently performing an action added by those mods. To do that use the Reset everything Option in Twallan's MC. The career mod by Twallan requires some extra steps to uninstall so please check the corresponding thread where you downloaded the mod from (you will need to do that with every savegame you are still playing).
• Save and exit your game.
• Move the content of the following folders to your desktop (move, not copy): DCCache (= cloth, hair, installed patterns etc), SavedSims (Sims), Worlds (worlds), Library (households & houses) & Mods (package-files). 
• You can also move the content of the following folders: Downloads (all sims3pack as they show up in downloads in your launcher) and DCBackup (all sims3packs unpacked, not much purpose). I would move, not delete.
• Delete the following cache files: CASPartCache.package, compositorCache.package, scriptCache.package, simCompositorCache.package (can be found in documents/electronicarts/thesims3)
• Start the copy of your game to check it out.

A word on mods/hacks
Mods (sometimes called Hacks) are files that alter they way your game behaves. It's not just some extra cloth or hair but it can significantly alter your gameplay.

If you want to use mods, that's fine. I could not play without them. BUT use them with care and KNOW what you are doing. Don't just mindlessly put in whatever you come across. Some XML mods can't be used together for they alter the same file. Use Delphys Dashboard to check for conflicts. XML Mods that conflict with each other cannot be used together.

There are different levels of modding:

Core mods alter the main game package file and therefore will always be invalid with every patch that comes out. EA will always replace this file with a newer one, making the changes that were made obsolete.

Scripting mods use external code to add extra stuff. Some of them will get invalid with the patch, some of them don't. It really depends if EA changed something that will interfere with the changes. The bigger the mod and the changes mads, the higher the changes that they will lead to troubles. Always check with the creators if the mods have been updated. Most of the scripting are pretty fast and reliable when it comes to updated. Also make sure you take any extra steps necessary before uninstalling them. The threads will tell you what to do. Read those.

XML- (or Tuning) Mods change something in a XML file to change the behavior. If EA changes something in the same file (or any other XML mod for that matter), the mod will not work any longer for with the mod you overwrite the changes EA has made. So the modders will need to take the new XML file and reapply their changes to make them work again. Bigger XML files like the socializing file, skill files, book files will be changed almost every time, thus making those mods incompatible pretty fast. The issues will always be the same (or similar).

NoMosaic is a mod that changes some HEX values. It will probably need updating with every Add-on but not with every patch.

There are also those mods that change ini files. You will need to replace EA files with the mod (instead of just putting it in the package folder). ALWAYS backup your original file, for you will need to reapply the original to be able to patch.

Again: Using mods is fine, but always take them out when patching, keep them in a separate sub-folder, so you know that they are mods and always make sure you read what the creator writes about them. If a mod is not maintained anymore, you should not use it.


Further reading

• FAQ: How do I uninstall a Mod/Hack ?