Has anyone else broken their game as badly as this?

[Gwill]

I was trying to get Riverview working after the patch, and something or other caused this to happen.
Now Riverview works just fine, but all other neighbourhoods have the shell of the Riverview terrain floating above it.
The picture is of Egypt, but the same thing happens in China, France and Sunset Valley.

Does anyone have any idea what I might have done to cause this, or how it might be fixed?

[geekgirl]

I did that by moving the number/letter .packages from the DCBackup folder to Mods after installing Riverview the first time. I fixed it by reinstalling Riverview to find the names of all of them and deleted the ones in my Mods folder with matching names. Now I remove the DCBackup when installing new stuff, move the new files after I finish, and put Riverview back.

[nanacake]

The DCBackup folder is junk. You can delete it.

What has been stated in the patch thread that worked for me quite smoothly was: Move the riverview.world file from "/InstalledWorlds/" to "/Program files/Electronic arts/The Sims 3/GameData/Shared/NonPackaged/Worlds/". This fixes Riverview and any Riverview save files will show up again at Main Menu. Don't forget to change the resource.cfg to allow your DCCache Files, add "PackedFile Mods/Packages/*.dbc" in a text editor. Plop all .dbc into Mods. No long lists of numbers will show up and objects will be restored. But Gwill, your saves might be permanently broken because usually once you see blue lots error you can't go back - even if you didn't hit save. So, hopefully you have backup save files somewhere to restore them.

[Gwill]

I did that by moving the number/letter .packages from the DCBackup folder to Mods after installing Riverview the first time.

I don't have any of those anywhere.  I did so much weird stuff trying to get it to work, they might have been in mods at some point, but they are certainly not there now.

But Gwill, your saves might be permanently broken because usually once you see blue lots error you can't go back - even if you didn't hit save. So, hopefully you have backup save files somewhere to restore them.

The problem is still happening, so I don't think going back to an older save will work.  If I create a brand new Sunset Valley, the same thing happens.  Whatever's causing my borkiness is still there.

[julie_s]

I've had Blue Lot Syndrome several times.  It seems some of the cc doesn't agree with the game.  Try this: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=381540

I installed and ran all my cc through the fixer and haven't had a blue lot since.

[Budgie]

This exact thing happened to me, and the problem was with Riverview after the patch update. This is different from Blue Lot Syndrome, as far as I'm aware. I fixed it in my game, but I don't know which step exactly fixed the problem. I know that I moved the Riverview.world package from Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 World Adventures\GameData\Shared\NonPackaged\Worlds\ to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\InstalledWorlds, placed Riverview_objects.package and Riverview_sims.package in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\WorldCaches\, which I had put in the recycle bin, and I deleted the .package files I had extracted from Riverview.

I don't know if you did any of those things, Gwill, but basically I did the things in this thread, but backwards. Then I installed Riverview using the launcher, and my game was fine. Hope this helps you.

[Roobs]

Just for clarification and future reference, this instance isn't "blue lot" syndrome. Blue lotting causes lots to vanish entirely, and is a VBT. This is more of a "split plane" syndrome, where the Riverview terrain is superimposed above everything in all worlds other than Riverview. It's caused by a faulty installation of Riverview (and often occurs if the objects files is placed into Mods/Packages) and can be rectified by somehow fixing the installation. It happened to me way back when the base game was released, and had to install it through the crappy launcher to to rectify the problem. It's happened to me again now, because the latest patch borked everything.

EDIT: Downloading the decrappified storeshit from the store torrent thread seemed to fix things up.

[Keyan]

I have this problem, however do to the launcher not able to install Riverview I had to use the steps from the Insane Fix to make Riverview work. Is there a way to fix this even after the patch screwed up the launcher? You know what I just won't use riverview.

[Budgie]

You know what? I just won't use riverview.

Holy run on sentence, batman! You can use Riverview, if you're willing to undo the steps advised in the "Insane Fix to Make Riverview Work" Thread. After I undid the fix in that thread, I was somehow able to install Riverview. Have you tried any of the posts above? If not, you might seriously consider READING BEFORE YOU ASK FOR HELP. Also, lurk moar.

[morriganrant]

You know what? I just won't use riverview.

Holy run on sentence, batman! You can use Riverview, if you're willing to undo the steps advised in the "Insane Fix to Make Riverview Work" Thread. After I undid the fix in that thread, I was somehow able to install Riverview. Have you tried any of the posts above? If not, you might seriously consider READING BEFORE YOU ASK FOR HELP. Also, lurk moar.

We need to get that "Insane fix for Riverview" thread removed to RetardoLand, it does not work. Only use the links later on in that thread, not that ridiculous post itself.

SunsetValley being fucked while RiverView is okay, is caused by RiverView being installed wrong(aka the insane fix). Go find Witch's post on Dbc files, the right instructions are there.

[Rhumba]

Yes, Gwill - I borked my game exactly the same way yesterday while trying to fiddle with the store content that I had arrrred, but had gone missing after I installed WA. At that point, only store stuff was affected - the worlds and saved games were all fine.

At some point, after removing the DCCache .package files and plunking them into Mods/Packages, I got to pat myself on the back for about 15 minutes because all the store stuff was back, but parts of the map had gone wonky. Exited and reloaded, and it was fully wonky. Overseas maps too.

Reinstalling Riverview worked briefly, but the moment I went off to China, it unraveled again.

I can confirm that the .dbc and Riverview.world torrents from Witch's post do in fact clear up both the missing store content and the world map layer explosion problems. I did not lose anything in my saved games.

The bizarro way this game uses add on content makes me feel like my directories are organized by a dementia patient on crack.

[ElenaRoan]

I ended up with something similar a while back with a custom world, it was caused by a package getting caught up with ordinary packages and ending up in the mods directory.  Partially caused by the broken launcher, partially caused by the gymnastics needed to get sims3packs to show up.

[sina-chan]

You must go to Documents -> Electronic Arts -> The Sims 3 -> DCBackup -> delte all this inside the folder

Sorry for my bad english ^^

[Keyan]

Sorry about the run on sentence, I was a little confused and pissed off. I thought the only way to get it fixed was to install it the way it was done before, with the launcher. However installing Riverview through the launcher is what started this whole thing in the first place. I think I may have a new problem which appeared I found about an hour ago. I went to load my save, the box where it shows the lot picture had a picture of a house made with dashed lines, the save loaded almost instantly except it said something to the effect of,  A serious error has occurred while loading '(Savegame name).sims3'. It is strongly recommended that you restart the application. I think it may be caused by saving in edit town mode but am trying to confirm this. I have changed nothing from when it would save and load fine to this morning when I went to play.

[Roobs]

I can't remember, but it might require more voodoo or clearing of files.

Of course, I sometimes get this error randomly, for no reason. Repeated attempts cause it to go away. *shrugs*

[Keyan]

I was kinda upset because yesterday I just completed a really nice house, complete with a panic room to hopefully stop the annoying: "There is a fire in my house and instead of staying outside I'll run in, point at it and do my panic dance!" I'll try the repeated attempts, did you go completely out of the game every time?

[Grimma]

My recent learnings through terrible hardship and copious testing, let me show you them.

Exactly the same borkenness commenced after patch 1.8, by a problem with the Riverview install. All vacation hoods plus Sunset Valley was affected by the Riverview shell-like blue overlay, only Riverview itself looked normal.

After copious testing, installing/re-installing, cursing and threats, I found out the following:

This problem is caused by
a. Installing Riverview through the launcher
b. Extracting Riverview packages and installing all of them in Mods\Packages
c. Extracting Riverview packages and including them all in an archive
d. Doing anything else that is stupid, retarded, idiotic or fail.

The source of the problem is the package 0xd535a1c25e231c854401ac15e7ae1bb2.package  This seems to be the Riverview info-type file. When I delete this file (but leave the rest) or the archived .package containing that file, everything works fine except that Riverview has no description, just a series of numbers.

So, to get Riverview to work and all Riverview CC to show up in-game:
1.) Paste a copy of Riverview.world (either from an earlier game, "Installed worlds" folder or from the dbc store stuff thread) into [path where Sims 3 is installed on your PC]\The Sims 3\GameData\Shared\NonPackaged\Worlds
2.) Extract files from Riverview.sims3pack with the Delphytool for that purpose
3.) Delete above-mentioned file
4.) Copy other .packages to Mods\Packages.
5.) In "My documents\Electronic arts\The Sims 3", delete the files in the folders DC Backup, Installed worlds and World Caches
6.)
7.) PROFIT!

Riverview won't have a description, but you'll have the rest of your neighbourhoods and vacation hoods (and saves) back. I'd say tentatively that including these files (without the BAD BAD FILE) in a package archive seems to work as well. IF YOU DIDN'T SAVE while in borked mode, your saved-games should be fine (mine was).

Edited to add forgotten infos.

[mildlydisguised]

The source of the problem is the package 0xd535a1c25e231c854401ac15e7ae1bb2.package  This seems to be the Riverview info-type file. When I delete this file (but leave the rest) or the archived .package containing that file, everything works fine except that Riverview has no description, just a series of numbers.

I have encountered the same problem too.  I would be interested if someone, whose Riverview displays normal info and doesn't overlay on their other hoods, would post their copy of the 0xd535a1c25e231c854401ac15e7ae1bb2.package for those of us who have the bork to try out.  Not only do I have no descriptions in Riverview, but my sims are named World/Riverview/Sims:FirstName World/Riverview/Sims:Last Name, which irritates me no end.

Edit - Problem now solved for me by using the decrapifier. Riverview installed and descriptions intact.

[Roobs]

Hm. I think the way I managed to fix this was by downloading the .world file from the .dbc torrent thread, and putting it in the same folder as the Riverview.sims3pack from the storeshit thread. There seems to be a decrapified version of it hovering out there anyway.

[Writin_Reg]

According to a post by Inge Jones over on the Sims 3 site just a couple days ago, some tool she and her husband Peter made for I believe she said TSR is responsiblie for all the blue lot problems in the game. She said they notified EA and advised the Guru's to stop wasting their time in finding a solution as they have the answer already. Apparently anything bluelotted is a total phail and must be discarded. Anything that used that tool to create any items for the game will cause bluelots - so that all that CC also apparently must be discarded.

Other than that I know nothing else about the issue and suggest you speak with Inge or Peter.

[morriganrant]

According to a post by Inge Jones over on the Sims 3 site just a couple days ago, some tool she and her husband Peter made for I believe she said TSR is responsiblie for all the blue lot problems in the game. She said they notified EA and advised the Guru's to stop wasting their time in finding a solution as they have the answer already. Apparently anything bluelotted is a total phail and must be discarded. Anything that used that tool to create any items for the game will cause bluelots - so that all that CC also apparently must be discarded.

Other than that I know nothing else about the issue and suggest you speak with Inge or Peter.

This is not that blue lot issue, and I thought that what Inge was talking about was that certain files extracted and used as a base for new custom would cause blue lot of that sort. It is S3OC that did it and Delphy made a tool to fix that. http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=381540