Entering lot terminates game

[ZiggyDoodle]

Here's an oddity: I play on a rotation schedule and tonight tried to enter the Swan home (last played 9-14).  The hourglass appears and then the game terminates.  Moved my downloads folder out; same thing happened.  Changed the name back.  No difference.  Gave up after the fifth try.

I did notice an audio issue where the music hangs, then repeats, then I'm immediately back to my desktop. 

No problem with any other lot, so am guessing that this location is very buggy as I've had previous issues with this  lot.

I just don't understand what type of error would trigger the game to so abruptly bail out.


[edited addition: off to SimPE to see what I can see]

[BlueSoup]

Does the cell phone bug still exist?  Were any of your Sims talking on a cell phone when you last saved and exited?

[ZiggyDoodle]

I don't think so as with the rotational play, I generally have them asleep in bed before going on to the next lot.

[Ness]

I've had the odd lot become corrupted - usually results in an "application has terminated" error and a crash to desktop.  I've never figured out what causes it, but I have managed to at least recover the sims by moving them out and bulldozing the effected lot.

[ZiggyDoodle]

I wonder if the audio files are global in the game or if each lot has their own audio files.  The trigger seems to be the audio for this lot, as when the sound skips I'm right back to my desktop.   It isn't a crash per se and there are no warnings; it is almost as if I clicked the "quit" option except it is a much faster exit to the desktop.

I'll move them out later today and bulldoze the place.  The Swans will be elders in a day or two and needed to downsize anyway.

[jsalemi]

Nah, the sound skipping is a symptom, not a cause -- it just shows the game is caught in a reset loop.  Have you tried turning the testing cheats on in the neighborhood view, and then entering the lot and seeing what errors pop up?  Sometimes a corrupted item could cause the problem, and deleting it from the error dialog lets you get into the lot.

[syberspunk]

Did you try deleting the groups.cache file? I didn't see anyone mention that trick, but I think it is one of the standard type things to do whenever lots don't load/crash to desktop.

Other than that, you could try the lot crowbar thingie. Or... move the family out, bulldoze, and rebuild?

Ste

[ZiggyDoodle]

Ziggy smacks herself in the head.

Duh, no, I forgot to delete the groups.cache file.  Brain fart, I guess.

I've moved out the Swans and bulldozed their house.  Will either move them into one of my packaged homes or will rebuild.

I have a terrific row of townhouses (four unitsl) that I'm contemplating for them - sort of swank senior citizen housing.  But I need to read up on the Sims laws of intestacy/testacy as if I move elder couples into the other units,  I want to be sure that the kids of the deceased inherit and not friends living in adjacent townhouses.

[rohina]

It should go to relatives or good friends. When Elizabeth died in my legacy, her son inherited, but the son's sham wife didn't get a penny (not related, just living on the lot).

[jsalemi]

To clarify a bit further, it won't go to relatives if they're not at least friends with them as well, and maybe need to be best friends (I'm not sure on that point).  And the better the relationship, the higher the amount, I believe.  Other best friends will also get some amount, though not as much as family.

[gali]

To clarify a bit further, it won't go to relatives if they're not at least friends with them as well, and maybe need to be best friends (I'm not sure on that point).  And the better the relationship, the higher the amount, I believe.  Other best friends will also get some amount, though not as much as family.

You are right, Jsalemi. I gave Olive Specter the Elixire, to give her some time to befriend Nervous. Meanwhile, she became a best friend with the teen of my own created family. She couldn't befriend Ophelia, because I sent her fast to college. When Olive  died, only Nervous, my teen, and another best friend got her heritage. Not Ophelia.

[J. M. Pescado]

If all your residents die on your lot, the account and value of the lot are lost to the void. "Inheritances" granted at death are purely based on ASP and rel, and come from the "insurance company". Someone must survive the process in order to avoid the total loss of the lot value. Thus, it makes no sense to move the elders out on their own, because the money will simply be all lost.

Also, lone elders are hellaboring in Simland, and don't get to do anything interesting, especially on their own. Keep them with the grandkids, at least they'll have something to do.

[ZiggyDoodle]

Also, lone elders are hellaboring in Simland, and don't get to do anything interesting, especially on their own. Keep them with the grandkids, at least they'll have something to do.

I included a rec building housing a bowlilng alley, pool table, poker table, games, etc. thinking that might keep them busy.  But this is a new lot concept so am not sure how that will work out.

Keeping the elders with their grandkids has benefits - and conflicts.  First time I did that and the grandparents died (within minutes of each other), the children were so distraught that I was tears.  Sobbing kids get to me, even if they're just pixel people.

[rohina]

This way you can keep them alive until the grandkids are in College, and then kill them off when the kids need extensions on their term papers.

[Bangelnuts]

in my game Coral and herb oldie Just died right after Mary Sue  and Daniel Transitioned to elder it sent the toddler into aspiration failure but a quick skill session reversed it.Daniel manged to "fall in love "with Coral Oldie in a weeks time and swore she was "cheating" on him when she kissed Herb so my experience is that the elder parents can be a help and a headache when they live with their adult children. that said I always delete groups cache file . it regenerates anyway everytime you boot up the game. but it does help save the game from crashing. also the saved sim file can cause headaches if there is a corrupt file in there best way to check it is copy the file to a safe place delete the old file and boot up the game if the game doesnt crash you know the problem was there

[J. M. Pescado]

I included a rec building housing a bowlilng alley, pool table, poker table, games, etc. thinking that might keep them busy.  But this is a new lot concept so am not sure how that will work out.

...and do you really consider that an interesting, purposeful activity? Is that even interesting to watch? Is that even any way to live? Frankly, if I were a sim elder under those conditions, I'd probably end up going postal. Sim elders have such sad, depressing lives sometimes. Where's the FUN parts of being old? Why don't they get to rant about horrible kids and yell at them to get off the lawn?

Keeping the elders with their grandkids has benefits - and conflicts.  First time I did that and the grandparents died (within minutes of each other), the children were so distraught that I was tears.  Sobbing kids get to me, even if they're just pixel people.

Whiny people annoy me, period. That's been a nuisance I'm tempted to hunt down and destroy at some point.

[ZiggyDoodle]

Whiny people annoy me, period. That's been a nuisance I'm tempted to hunt down and destroy at some point.

Ah, that's what makes you so adorable JM: you are a paragon of gentility and patience.   

[rohina]

This was exactly the argument of the article I posted in the JM is a genius thread, which was a sad casualty of the Malaysian move.

Grumpy old people are smarter than nice ones. Here's a link to an interview with the researcher:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/healthreport/stories/2006/1721204.htm#

[dizzy]

This is mainly because grumpy idiots do not generally live to be old.