Frozen Game

[zelieandsophia]

So, I have had the Sims 3 for about two or three years now. I have the base game, world adventures, ambitions, generations, late night, and pets. A very long time ago I had some issues with my game. Back then, I could still get help from the Sims 3 site, and they helped me out and sent a new game. Since then, I have had more technical difficulties, half of which I can't remember, and many times I gave up, only to come back to it a few weeks later. I have already tried the activity moniter about a million times, and I have uninstalled and reinstalled everything twice. My ambitions wasn't working for a while, so then I bought a digital download and still had issues, so I bought another game.

Okay, so now I need help with my most recent and my biggest problem. Soon after I got pets, I would play for about 5 minutes and then the game would freeze. I could still move the mouse and the bushes would still move, but the only thing I could do was the manually unplug the computer and start it up again. I kept on trying to play, and once it let me play for about 2 hours before it froze. Now sometimes it will unexpectedly quit by itself and I am getting really frustrated at this point.

Has anyone else been through this? Does anyone know how to help?

[warr2098]

I get this alot, usually when going on x3 + x4 speed, it freezes, then I press pause and after about 30seconds starts again. I don't know if theres a solution? It might just be my computer not handling the game.

[zelieandsophia]

But when this happens to you do you have to turn off your computer manually?

[warr2098]

Nope, If you press "P" (to pause it) it should start playing again after 30seconds-2minutes, It's a bit annoying but its worth it. Sometimes it completely crashes though like at a ratio of 1:10, It helps if you save after each day though, to be safe. Thats what I do.

[zelieandsophia]

Well, when I play and it freezes, the buttons don't work. Is it the same for you? Will "pausing it" (which is hard to do if the buttons don't work) work?

[Twinmum]

I've had this just recently with one particular game file. Unfortunately, I ended up having to scrap that file and start a new one.
war2098 could be right, it may be that your computer can't handle the game. Every time you add an expansion pack, it puts more demands on the computer.

[alex51299]

I had this problem for a while and someone on here suggested that I check how much memory I have. I suggest you do too because sometimes you are just running out of memory and may need to buy more.

If that isn't your problem, Twallan made some helpful mods that helped me solve this problem. I used Overwatch, ErrorTrap, and Saver. Unfortunately if it is a dynasty file or challenge attempt then you wouldn't be able to qualify if you use these. They really helped me and they should help you too.

[zelieandsophia]

So when I asked around, I was told that it was because my computer was an older model. Could this be the case? I have an iMac with Mac OS X Leopard, version 10.5

[alex51299]

I doubt it is because of an older computer, I have an old Dell PC and I can still play sims on it.

[Twinmum]

It's not so much the age of the computer, but rather the processing capabilities and the RAM. I have a computer that is only a year old, but it was bought as a second computer and so didn't need to be a gaming computer. It does not have the processing power to handle Sims.

**edit** There is an on-line utility that can tell you if your computer meets the requirements to play a game. It's called Can You Run It and can be found here - http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/intro.aspx

Just select the Sims 3 with the latest EP you have and it will run a check for you.

[zelieandsophia]

I momentarily fixed it by minimizing the screen. Now I can play for about 5 minutes before I have to force quit.

[zelieandsophia]

**edit** There is an on-line utility that can tell you if your computer meets the requirements to play a game. It's called Can You Run It and can be found here - http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/intro.aspx

So I have tried this site before when I was trying to fix my game, but it just stayed at the screen that says "Can you run it" and it doesn't do anything. Is there any other site or way to make it work?

By the way, I want to thank everyone who has posted replies to help me. Every post gets me a little closer to fixing my game.

[Twinmum]

Do you know the specs of your computer?

[zelieandsophia]

Well, I'm not sure if these are the specs, but here you go:

Processor: 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Memory: 2 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

is that what you needed?

[warr2098]

My Ram is 2GB..  after deleting some cache items in the sims folder and uninstalling a few downloads it runs fine! 

[loveSims]

Well, I'm not sure if these are the specs, but here you go:

Processor: 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Memory: 2 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

is that what you needed?

What is your graphic card?

[zelieandsophia]

What is your graphic card?

How do I find this?

Also how do I delete caches?

[warr2098]

To delete cache's go to my documents> Electronic Arts>Sims 3>DCBackup> and delete everything in there.

[loveSims]

You will find everything you need in this thread. I learn a lot from it.www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/forum/index.php/topic,463.0.html

[warr2098]

My game never freezes now, I just tried factory reset

[loveSims]

To find out what graphic card you have, right click on your home screen, click on screen resolution then click advanced settings and you will see what card you have under adapter information.

[zelieandsophia]

My game never freezes now, I just tried factory reset

What is factory reset? How can I get it/use it?

[zelieandsophia]

To find out what graphic card you have, right click on your home screen, click on screen resolution then click advanced settings and you will see what card you have under adapter information.

I couldn't find my graphic card, but under Graphics/Display, this is the information I got.

NVIDIA GeForce 9400:

  Chipset Model:   NVIDIA GeForce 9400
  Type:   Display
  Bus:   PCI
  VRAM (Total):   256 MB
  Vendor:   NVIDIA (0x10de)
  Device ID:   0x0867
  Revision ID:   0x00b1
  ROM Revision:   3379
  Displays:
iMac:
  Resolution:   1680 x 1050
  Depth:   32-Bit Color
  Core Image:   Hardware Accelerated
  Main Display:   Yes
  Mirror:   Off
  Online:   Yes
  Quartz Extreme:   Supported
  Built-In:   Yes
Display Connector:
  Status:   No Display Connected


Is this what you need?

[Yarakisagoa]

solution: clean your game's cache or do a factory reset. Take a look at Technical Help box, you'll find all you need about that.

Also, your computer spec is a little too low to handle the game.

[Esther1981]

Here is how you do a factory reset. Also, I had real bad lagging in my Dynasty in Riverview and I moved them to Sunset Valley and it helped. This is how you do that. Good luck, I hope you can fix it.

[HannahEloiseee]

Do you play The sims 3 with High/Medium/Low graphics? And do you have edge smoothing on? And what number is your high detail lots on? Maybe if you turn down some of these it'll run better? Even if you only turn 1 down?

[zelieandsophia]

Okay, so i did a factory reset and also made all the graphics / resolution low or off. It still freezes! Any help?

[Esther1981]

If someone has a solution, I would love to know. Other than factory resets, mods and turning graphics down. Mine pauses alot too, but the most noticeable time is between 3:59 and 4:01 am. I noticed the fish spawners respawn about 4 am, so I went through my town and removed every single fish spawner, except the deathfish at the graveyard and the ones on the beach, and it still pauses, so I have no clue what to do.

[Ricalynn]

If it's related to pets, there is a good possibility that this has something to do with the spawning of the wild horses as well.  Or maybe they get caught on the map somewhere and it makes life difficult for them.

There is also a possibility that your file is completely bogged down.  Does it freeze with a new game?  Memories, cars and bad spiral staircases can cause a lot of issues in older games.

I think part of Zelie's problem is also that you're running an older version of the Mac OS.   You're running 10.5.?? exactly.   The game requires 10.5.7 at least so you should be able to do it but because you have so many extra expansion packs and only 2GB, it's really going to bog down the system. 

Macs are notorious for having problems with Pets because of horse spawning and everything like that.  Usually if I get a bad pause, I hit the P button on the keyboard and wait.  After 5 minutes (yes 5), try to hit the buttons Command + tab.   This will work if you play in fullscreen mode.  It's basically alt tab.   If your computer makes the sound that says "No Way, Nuh uh, Ain't Doing it Sister".  It means the game really is frozen and not just processing.   To avoid having to hold the button down on the back of the monitor (the way you turn off a iMac), I used to just keep hitting Command + Tab until the computer was smart enough to shut down the game itself.  It will then create a report to send off and you can then show that to customer support or us probably and someone might know what it means. 

[Esther1981]

There is also a possibility that your file is completely bogged down.  Does it freeze with a new game?  Memories, cars and bad spiral staircases can cause a lot of issues in older games.

Yes it does. New game, old game it doesn't make a difference. I've basically gotten used to it, but it is super annoying. Next time I play I'll try resetsim * to see if that makes a difference.

[Caramia]

I am having a problem similar to this - for the last 3-4 days.  I will be playing a file, it will freeze completely (not just lag) and either crash to the desktop, or if I check task manager, it will say that sims 3 is not responding and I have to force quit the application. 

In the last few days, I've tried the following solutions, and have still had the problem:

Factory reset

Complete uninstall and reinstall (I have base game, WA, Ambitions, Generations and a few store items - riverview, baby swing)

My current game file had this happen numerous times before I attempted these fixes, and crashed again this morning after, so I decided to test run a new file.  I started a new game in Riverview, playing Jon Lesson.  Got to breakfast of sim day 2 and it crashed. 

I did have mods running - overwatch, error trap, story progression and master controller - and the latest thing I did was remove those.

I only upgraded to the latest patch when I reinstalled everything last night, so the problem happened both before and after the latest patch.

FWIW - my system exceeds basic requirements:  dual 2.4 GHz processors and 6G ram.

I'm not sure what else to try at this point - it is getting frustrating.

[Caramia]

Follow up-

I spent most of the afternoon/evening reading all sorts of possible problems and solutions and systemically trying them. 

I think I have finally stumbled upon the solution.  I am not sure why I have not had an issue until recently, but it could be that I added 2 EP's recently (after the Amazon sale).  Perhaps everything was fine until I pushed the system.

I did a lot of searching about minimum specifications and found that my laptop has a quite inferior video card - and it's part of the system and can't be changed. On one of my test runs I put most of the graphics options on low and VOILA.  I was able to play for over 2 hours without a single crash (vs earlier in the day when it would crash after only 15 minutes of play). I actually don't mind the graphics on low, and I'm so happy that the game is fluid and not crashing.

I have yet to add the mods or any content back to the game, but at the moment the problem appears to be fixed. 

[Esther1981]

So it was because you had an integrated chipset? I had one of those and my graphics were awful, my animals were all kinds of deformed! I got a better graphic card and now my pets and graphics are awesome, but it still lags.

[MomOfMany]

Ok so I now have a similar problem! Mine is that when I create a new household it always freezes at the clothing part. Once I get to the clothes and start to pick out what I want it will freeze and nothing will work. I am on a Mac and I get the little No chime no matter what I press so it is totally froze and sometime I have waited as long as 10 minutes! The first time it eventually forced closed with the report thing and the second time I was less patient and just shut down with the button in the back. Is there a quit fix for this?

[Esther1981]

Only thing I can think of is factory reset? Maybe that would work for you. I created a new game yesterday and it was still laggy. Ah well, I couldn't resetsim * because of the type of game I was playing lol.

[Caramia]

So it was because you had an integrated chipset? I had one of those and my graphics were awful, my animals were all kinds of deformed! I got a better graphic card and now my pets and graphics are awesome, but it still lags.

Yes, I believe so.  I've played a bit since the fix and not had one single crash or lag.   I've also noticed that the fan on my laptop doesn't strain and run the entire time I'm playing anymore, so I think the chip was causing some problems.  Even though you have a new/better graphics card, try tuning the graphics to low and see if you still have the lag problem. 

[MomOfMany]

Only thing I can think of is factory reset? Maybe that would work for you. I created a new game yesterday and it was still laggy. Ah well, I couldn't resetsim * because of the type of game I was playing lol.

I don't think that is it because I just did a complete uninstall reinstall maybe a week ago and this is the first time I have played since I did it. My kids played it but only 2 or 3 times.

[MoMoll]

I am having a problem similar to this - for the last 3-4 days.  I will be playing a file, it will freeze completely (not just lag) and either crash to the desktop, or if I check task manager, it will say that sims 3 is not responding and I have to force quit the application. 

In the last few days, I've tried the following solutions, and have still had the problem:

Factory reset

Complete uninstall and reinstall (I have base game, WA, Ambitions, Generations and a few store items - riverview, baby swing)

My current game file had this happen numerous times before I attempted these fixes, and crashed again this morning after, so I decided to test run a new file.  I started a new game in Riverview, playing Jon Lesson.  Got to breakfast of sim day 2 and it crashed. 

I did have mods running - overwatch, error trap, story progression and master controller - and the latest thing I did was remove those.

I only upgraded to the latest patch when I reinstalled everything last night, so the problem happened both before and after the latest patch.

FWIW - my system exceeds basic requirements:  dual 2.4 GHz processors and 6G ram.

I'm not sure what else to try at this point - it is getting frustrating.

Are your mods up to date? If you patched up recently, you may have the wrong mod version running. Once I put in the updated mods my game stopped having issues after patching.

[jeanamariex3]

I couldn't find my graphic card, but under Graphics/Display, this is the information I got.

NVIDIA GeForce 9400:

  Chipset Model:   NVIDIA GeForce 9400
  Type:   Display
  Bus:   PCI
  VRAM (Total):   256 MB
  Vendor:   NVIDIA (0x10de)
  Device ID:   0x0867
  Revision ID:   0x00b1
  ROM Revision:   3379
  Displays:
iMac:
  Resolution:   1680 x 1050
  Depth:   32-Bit Color
  Core Image:   Hardware Accelerated
  Main Display:   Yes
  Mirror:   Off
  Online:   Yes
  Quartz Extreme:   Supported
  Built-In:   Yes
Display Connector:
  Status:   No Display Connected


Is this what you need?

The main problem is that you're using a chipset, which is attached to the motherboard, as appose to a real graphics card. I would go invest in a new graphics card, if you can. I have 4 GB of RAM, and I've actually seen tons of improvement (on my Dell) from getting a real graphics card.

Chipsets are fine for office work, internet use, and homework, but they're not for gaming.