yet another regular gamer with a broken game & error logs.

[freoninferno]

I utterly loathe starting new threads, especially of this nature. I honestly would just rather lurk & read, find my answers & move on. It seems through lotza forums, lotza searching, I cannot find my answers. Perhaps a post here may yield results. Perhaps not. I know after a month of dealing with EA, I am not holding my breath on answers.

The Deal: brand new store bought Deluxe DVD. also picked up EP1 Uni while I was at it, but my gut just tells me that the problem originates with the Deluxe DVD. The game has several duplicate audio resources & missing textures. It does not matter how many times i uninstall it & reinstall it, whether it is on this pc or that pc or another pc. The problems remain. These problems exist with NO CC of any kind. These problems exist on computers that are new, up to spec & are used only as computer shop demo pc's. There is no problem with corrupt admin accounts, background processes, corrupt drivers, faulty direct x, etc.

Also: JM Pescado got wind of a post in another forum & put forth some advice. It partially worked. His advice at least got the game to a point where it not crash during the load. Now it crashes during play however.

Thus Far: I was able to get fairly far with his simple advice, so I have indeed slowly introduced CC, all new, none of it old, all of made specifically for the products I purchased. Yet the problems still exist, and I honestly believe that the bare naked product came out of the box BROKEN, thus it does battle with itself & produces anomalies. The form the game is in RIGHT NOW is with some CC. The logs show results that happen under any conditions (regarding duplicate audio resources & missing textures), and they show results that are unique to the introduction of a specific kind of CC, namely MATY hacks or other similarly authored third party content that effects globals. Things like hair, clothes, skins, makeup & objects work fine. Although most electronics and hobby type items do not. Generally, highly customized objects load and work fine. Example: The Insiminator & it's accompanying ephemera, Multi-Purpose Painting, things like that.

Ergo: I could submit a log from a naked install. I don't see the point since I had progressed somewhat with JMP's advice. I chose instead to submit the enclosed for examination.

Possibly Unrelated Aside: I found out just today that SecuROM was included on the Deluxe DVD. I thought that was a BV only thing. Well shoot me, i hadn't played the Sims 2 in a while and just got the internet again for the first time in quite a while. It's a crime to be out of the loop. A) there are no fixed no cd - exe's for the Deluxe DVD, so I've just left on the rig for now. B) I read an extensive report on beosboxboys BV problem, and it sounds alarmingly like not unlike my Deluxe DVD problem. His solution was radical. It entailed the hunting down & deletion of about 41 files 6.8 megs in size. Problem solved for bb. Not without ulcers, I am sure.

That's it. It is entirely possible that I have left something out even after the proof-read because I have typed this out so much & this problem has existed so long that it has numbed the mind somewhat. I am just hoping that a log analysis from someone who does more that just play the game will shed some light, perhaps give me an idea of how to cure my ill.

Sorry it's long, I am just trying to anticipate in advance any possible questions.
I've had no choice but to archive the logs because just one alone exceeds the 640k file limit.

Thanks.

*S*

[J. M. Pescado]

This is with some CC, from here, introduced? We've always had problems with crashing in the NL engine. The NL engine is just insanely buggy and unstable, and crashes without apparent cause or provocation. SimsException logs are worthless. Basically, I have no way of testing anything reliably with NL, so everything in the NL tree is potentially unstable. I would recommend upgrading to the OFB Engine, unless you really want to be the one to crash-test everything in NL by binary-search. NL's engine is just FUBAR, it will crash at random on codes that are not even invoked! As Deluxe is basically base + NL, I would recommend acquiring and installing either OFB or some recent stuffpack. As a benefit, upgrading out of NL-Deluxe will also allow you to remove and avoid ScrewUrom.

[freoninferno]

I was afraid that i would not get of my $100 mess without it costing more, but i had heard this before, but not with the same spin. I trust your recommendation however. Not once in years have I known you to be premeditatedly ill founded, so thanks for this. Question: i am more partial toward getting Pets, just because it looks nice... but I hear it really introduces another unstable code change, especially to bodyshop. Is this true? Seriously, I just want the problem to go AWAY. Whatever you may perceive to be the most stable cure, I will actually follow through. OFB or Pets? and would a stuff pack <i>really</i> introduce more stable code to the depth i need?

Thanks. you're a peach, kid. A cigar for you.
*S*

[J. M. Pescado]

I was afraid that i would not get of my $100 mess without it costing more, but i had heard this before, but not with the same spin.

Woah, woah. No one said anything about spending money! Read around a bit more!

Seriously, I just want the problem to go AWAY. Whatever you may perceive to be the most stable cure, I will actually follow through. OFB or Pets? and would a stuff pack <i>really</i> introduce more stable code to the depth i need?

Any stuff pack will upgrade your engine to the equivalent of OFB's engine. OFB itself will do the same. Which one you get is irrelevant and purely a matter of personal preference.

[freoninferno]

Okay, i will avoid Pets, and will likely get OFB. The stuff packs just don't seem all that necessary, and I've read horrors about Seasons as well. arrrr matey aboot the readin' around (lowers eyepatch), i get yer meanin' (looks for bottle of rum)... sometimes i get too knee deep in me own work to wade through the equally deep morass of threads to find where the map leads, but troll for Davey Jones Locker I shall.... but don't forget to send a message in a bottle adrift to me shores if need be, then I can steer the ship meself, arrr...

[neriana]

Horrors about Seasons? Hm. I found it to be the most stable, and certainly the most fun, expansion pack for the game. I'd recommend Seasons above all the other ones.

[Zazazu]

Seriously, the only annoying thing about Seasons is sims' incessant need to stare at the weather like it's new and shiny after the billionth time they've seen snow. That's fixable with hacks here. Seasons will completely change your game, and in my opinion is the EP you should get if you only had the ability to get one.

[freoninferno]

oi, well that is good news to hear. perhaps Seasons will be the EP i settle on then. i think the weather thingy would be nifty nice rather than having my simmies (shriek) work on another downtown lot. shame about Pets tho... thanks for the recs too : )

[cwykes]

A week late I see, but my PC had no trouble with OFB, but I have several hoods I can't get into with Seasons.  The hood screen just flashes.  Best I can work out it happened with Seasons patch not Seasons itself and I still haven't worked out wtf is going on.  I've had bad lagging on other hood screens.  Changing the 'hoodcamera hack helped with that, but it's still not good.  The way your luck is running, I'd try OFB!