New Venue/Premium Content: Grandpa's Grove with Grandpa's Grove Tractor

[Bri]

Today showcases the release of a new Venue with Premium Content at the Sims 3 store:

Grandpa's Grove

Here is the blurb from the store:

Every Sim should be able to experience the joy of spending some time at Grandpa's Grove. With tractor hayrides, orange trees, crop farming, and new fall clothing, it is a playland for Sims both young and old.

This introduces two new harvestables:  Oranges, and another unknown (I haven't had a chance to install it yet).

It's general cost is 1900 Simpoints, but is on sale for 1700 Simpoints until November 14, 2013.





This venue also comes with a new Premium Content:
Grandpa's Grove Tractor

The store blurb about the tractor:

Tired of watering, fertilizing and harvesting all of your plants and trees by hand? Lay down a dirt road near your crops and put the tractor to work! Then, after a hard day of farming, why don't you give the kiddos a fun hay ride!

[Trip]

And according to Alan Copeland in a later post on the thread, there will be new harvestables. Oranges and some sort of surprise.

[Bri]

And according to Alan Copeland in a later post on the thread, there will be new harvestables. Oranges and some sort of surprise.

Good eye Trip.  I didn't even see that.  What can I say, I'm a sucker for new harvestables.  Orange trees will definitely help fill out my orchards

[pallyndrome]

Oh I've been waiting for oranges for the whole life of Sims 3! I'm buying it just for that!
And it's the 7th already here in Australia. I'll have to check if it's out yet...

[Turoskel]

I'm a little gobsmacked right now 

Some time ago when there was a store survey going on I put a tractor that would help gardeners for the pc item I would like, I'm sure I wasn't the only person as I know lots of simmers want farming style things but to actually see it is great 

Edit:

And even more exciting, when your plants are ready you can put on the harvester to harvest nearly a hundred crops at a time!

That is what I suggested on the survey, I wanted a tractor you could use like the ambitions harvester, just showed that to my boyfriend and he said "Suggest that they fix bugs!" 

Found my post http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/forum/index.php/topic,14995.msg323385.html#msg323385

What an odd coincidence this is but I'm sure it wasn't just me who suggested it.

[MissTrips]

Goodness.  Between this, the cows, the chickens, the horses from pets and the bees from supernatural, you can pretty much trick out one incredible farm.  I love the gardening options in the Sims, but once you get past a small plot of 10-12 plants, it can eat up a Sim's time. 

And finally oranges!  Perfect for those tropical towns!  I  think this one will be a must buy.

[Schipperke]

Thanks for sharing this information, Bri.  It's great the way you help us keep up-to-date on all the new stuff! 

I'm not much of a gardener in Sims, but as others have said, there should be some wonderful farms being built with all this new stuff.  I look forward to seeing pictures of them. 

[Nettlejuice]

This sounds amazing, I'm a lazy watcher and always forget about the garden, this will make things much better.

[Teacup Chihuahua]

Thanks once again for the heads up with new store stuff Bri

[jesirose]

Ahhh! must have!! Thanks

[Bri]

You're all welcome!  Obviously it isn't up on the Sims 3 store quite yet, but when it is, I shall certainly put the links up, etc.

[jesirose]

I like that they're adding some more toddler clothes. I will totally buy this tomorrow. I wish it said how much it will cost.

I bought the chicken coop set already because we actually have chickens, and I was finally able to make my personal Sim family just like our real family. So...now I guess I have to buy a tractor IRL? :-P

[Bri]

Well, the store just updated, and one can now get Grandpa's Grove

It would normally be 1900 Simpoints, Jesirose, but is currently available for 1700 Simpoints.

[jesirose]

Well, the store just updated, and one can now get Grandpa's Cove

It would normally be 1900 Simpoints, Jesirose, but is currently available for 1700 Simpoints.

Yay for me not knowing what day today is and not having to wait!!!

[JudesSims]

I've noticed that even when you use the tractor, you have to go back and harvest what it missed. And, that's quite a bit.

[Bri]

I've noticed that even when you use the tractor, you have to go back and harvest what it missed. And, that's quite a bit.

There are some tips/tricks others are already reporting on, as well as a couple responses from SimGuruCopeland in this thread here

Additionally, some people are having problems with the 'mystery harvestable' (which others say is corn).

[pallyndrome]

So after looking at that thread (thanks Bri!), it should harvest within 5-7 tiles from the track. Judewright - were your plants further away than that? If they were within that distance, I will be disappointed to hear that lots of harvestables were missed.

[DanBrunetu]

I will wait for a possible update of this premium content that fixes the missing corn. Maybe the Sims3 Store Team will repair this issue ...

[JudesSims]

So after looking at that thread (thanks Bri!), it should harvest within 5-7 tiles from the track. Judewright - were your plants further away than that? If they were within that distance, I will be disappointed to hear that lots of harvestables were missed.

I was trying out the venue provided. I never thought to check how many tiles were there. Another time, I got lots of apples but there were still apples on the trees. Interesting.

[Bri]

I will wait for a possible update of this premium content that fixes the missing corn. Maybe the Sims3 Store Team will repair this issue ...

Officially, 'corn' was meant to be an Easter Egg, and only 'oranges' were meant to show up.  The SimGurus are certainly aware of the issue. 

I won't be surprised if there isn't a later DLC which will tie into this one, enabling corn, etc. 

[jesirose]

Anyone else having major issues after installing it? I installed the package, haven't even tried to use it but since then my sims can't return from vacation, it freezes at about 96% loading and sits there for hours. I did a factory reset but haven't had a chance to try vacation with a new file yet.

[Magz from Oz]

My tractor harvests (most of) the apples but doesn't go around the house track to harvest from the veggie gardens.  I bought another tractor to do that part but my sim does the pathing issue yell.  Maybe the first tractor is in the way?  Any suggestions forum?

[Turoskel]

I was reading the thread about the tractor at the official forums and it seems if a tractor is in use sims wont go over the track.

Also read something about rotating the T junctions with the haybales on near the fountain to make the tractor use the whole path.

It's here http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/75/723730.page

Don't know how to link a specific post there but if you scroll down you will find one by SimGuruCopeland, the picture he refers to is on the previous page not the ones above his post.

[KTK10]

I have been having problems getting the oranges. People on different forums say that they are available at the grocery store and also in buydebug.  I tried the grocery store quite a few different times and haven't got the option - and when I go and put the orange tree 'soil' from buydebug on the ground, it doesn't let me interact at all.  Does anyone else have this problem?  I know that there have been the same issues with the mystery vegetable, but no one, it seems, is having this issue with the actual oranges themselves.  Thanks in advance! 

[Trip]

Beardeaux had problems with oranges too. While it doesn't sound like the same problem that you have, you could try uninstalling and reinstalling the entire set or going deeper and deleting DCCache (as per KRae's post in that thread) and then reinstalling all of your store content. Which is annoying, but occasionally necessary.

Sorry about the problems.

[KTK10]

Thank you Trip, I will try that now! Fingers crossed

[Mappin]

Hi KTK10,  Did you have any luck getting the oranges back after deleting DCCache? I am having exactly the same problem as you - no oranges at the store, they don't appear under Plants in the Collections Journal, and the buydebug orange soil just sits there, not growing or letting me interact with it.  Reinstalling Grandpa's Grove didn't help, so DCCache is next, but if it didn't help in your case, I may not bother.

[KTK10]

Hi Mappin.. It still isn't working for me  .  I have been searching everywhere seeing if this is a common problem, but it doesn't look like it is.  I only downloaded the set last week.. I noticed that if there are any problems with this set in general, it started last week.  When did you buy it? I am hoping that I will not have to re-do everything again, but in the meantime, I am just enjoying using the tractor!

[Joria]

Wow!  Lots of problems it seems.  I missed the sale on this item and have been waiting for it to go on sale again.  Maybe it's a good thing and they'll have the bugs fixed when I can finally get it.  It looks so cool and I know just where I'd use it.

[Mappin]

Missing Oranges fixed!
 
While troubleshooting my broken MultiTab on this forum, I stumbled on the easy path to fix the missing oranges problem as well. The solution is a modified (and much faster) version of Trip's suggestion about deleting DCBackup and reinstalling all store content. The culprit is the ccmerged.package file within the DCBackup folder.
 
Simone23's post in this thread, http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/forum/index.php/topic,10460.100.html, leads to NonaMena's solution here:  http://nonasims.wordpress.com/tag/multitab-6000/.  Nona has a wonderful detailed explanation of the steps to repairing and reinstalling premium content, and if you read through to the end of her page before taking action, she also provides a perfect solution for the laziest among us (me!) by offering her good ccmerged file for download.  I simply emptied the contents of DCBackup, pasted her good file in, and voila, oranges!   
 
Thanks to NonaMena for the excellent explanation, detailed instructions and especially for providing a valid ccmerged file to download, and thanks to Simone23 for linking to her site. I've now got oranges! (and a functioning MultiTab, too)
 
I guess this answer could go into the technical help instead, but I wanted to be sure people know that the missing oranges problem isn't with Grandpa's Grove specifically. And as KTK10 mentioned, the tractor is a blast. What a boon for gardeners.
 

[KTK10]

Thanks Mappin!  Wow, you have just made my day 

[Kentigerin]

New here to the forum, but not to Sims---been here since the very first.
I can't get Grandpa's Grove to download at all. I get the message can't download, check log. Downloading Origin didn't help. I bought Showtime from Origin and can't download that either (ah, but found the fix on this forum, yippee!) Any suggestion would be helpful. Low tech please. Or be very specific. I play, I don't program. Thanks

[Deklitch]

Sorry for the necroing of this long dead thread, but I've just been playing around with Grandpa's Grove and Grandpa's Grove Tractor, and discovered something interesting ... Sim who had no loves the outdoors or green thumb jumped on the tractor and did the watering/fertilising/harvesting process on it and he didn't gain gardening skill (he didn't have any before using the premium content. I will try giving him a bit of gardening skill by planting something and see the impact that has on gardening.