More Awesome Than You!

Here's a link to the new unbroken CAW tool that EA just released.
Thank god for "view page source".


View the page source of the CAW tool site and do a search for .exe

EA is just stupid sometimes (well, most of the time) to leave things like this so open to the public.

D'OH! I should have thought of that. Thanks for posting it though.

Wait, what? Do you mean EA is stupid for leaving the source code of a page open to the public?

Checking the version number of the one i downloaded in march with the one linked above & both are the same. v15.0.0.498. If the one in the above link is an updated version of CAW wouldn't the version number be different?

Not unless they change the number, it seems. md5sum says these two files are different:
Original: fc4664c1ef4f0edad0cb5113698ceee3
New: 28317ec6b3d9625a85f3b2e116453ff4

So SOMETHING was changed. It is possible Create-A-Crap's own version number did not change because only a DLL got recompiled.

I haven't installed CAW but the v15.0.0.498 number is from the program to create the setup file, not the version number of CAW.
I don't know what version of CAW this file contains, I do know that in April there was a update for CAW.
The April update was called: Sims3_CAW_1.6.72.005037_from_1.5.126.002037.exe

It doesn't matter what the version number is. Those numbers are arbitrary, and if someone was lazy and didn't update one, WHO CARES? The IMPORTANT thing is that Create-A-Crap's CURRENT version WORKS and the old one DIDN'T. Everything else is immaterial. Version numbers, schmersion numbers.

No, you silly llama.  ;D
I mean having the .exe file link in the page source.
On a related note, exchange items on the Sims 3 site work the same way. Just search for .Sims3pack on the page source of the item you want to steal, I mean, obtain.

Unfortunately, EA is smart enough to encrypt the link using javascript for their own store items.

And hoorah for Create-A-Crap!

Wow, you mean that free stuff that is freely downloadable for free is actually freely accessible via direct link? And this link shows up in the page source? And stuff that isn't free is protected somehow? The Internet is truly full of miracles.

Well, the stuff is free if you registered for an account with a legit serial code.
EA says you can download free stuff if you buy the game and register for an account. But I'm assuming many of us didn't buy the game *wink wink.

I feel, really, really stupid for not having thought of that. Thank you for stating the obvious, that none of us thought of, Baaah Bahhh and all that.

"The IMPORTANT thing is that Create-A-Crap's CURRENT version WORKS and the old one DIDN'T. Everything else is immaterial. Version numbers, schmersion numbers." LOL
Thx for the link  ;)

I think EA is stupid for not telling us they had an updated version of CAW.  Or maybe we are all stupid for downloading a buggy version that will crash your game, and hasn't been released yet for a reason.

They did tell us. 

Quote from news section of The Sims 3 web site
Create a World fix for Game Update 1.14/2.9/3.5/4.2
POSTED ON 07/09/10 10:24 PM
The Create a World Tool that is compatible with update 1.14/2.9/3.5/4.2 and Ambitions is now available. Please uninstall your old version of Create a World through Add/Remove programs. Download the new version here http://www.thesims3.com/game/tools/world and install.

Where you hoping for a personal e-mail?

Is anyone else have problems using the new version?  It'll start up and let me start or load a new world, but will usually crash within 10 minutes after that.

I haven't had any problems yet.  I've been using it since last night. 

CAW takes up a shit ton more memory than it needs to, so that might be a problem for you.

Personally, I have to use FPS limiter on it (Yes, FPS limiter) or else my computer whirrrrrrrrrrs relentlessly, and the program will eventually start to slow. With FPS limiter, the whirr is significantly quieter, and performance is consistent. I have no idea what magic this works, but it does.

When I try to use it, it gives me crap that my current installed game isn't up to date with my version of CAW and it tells me to reinstall CAW (or something similar to that). I've reinstalled it and it still gives me the same message, anyone else? I'll post a pic in a sec.

CAW Error (http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=gzdmnm2klwh)

According to EA, you must uninstall the old version first, then install the new version the OP linked. Don't try to install it over top of the old version.

If you did that then check the file Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 Create a World Tool\worldbuilder.ini the last line should read WBVersion = 1.9.14.007037

If it does check to see if the versions for each of the installations (Base/WA/HELS/AMB) are as follows:

Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\skuversion.txt   GameVersion = 1.14.11.007002
Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 World Adventures\Game\Bin\skuversion.txt    GameVersion = 2.9.10.007002
Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 High-End Loft Stuff\Game\Bin\skuversion.txt  GameVersion = 3.5.8.007001
Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 Ambitions\Game\Bin\skuversion.txt   GameVersion = 4.2.32.007001

Or just get the patch downloader utility from MTS (http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=409829) and it will automatically check for you and let you download the appropriate patches.

That would be the problem. When I reinstalled all my Sims 3 games today I figured when it said, "This expansion pack requires the base game to be updated (or something like that)" that it would update it to the highest version. Thanks Motoki.

The problem I am having now, is the patch 1.14 will not completely install.  I keep getting an "invalid file found" error.  All three of the EP patches are installing just fine, and the game works properly, but 1.14 doesn't work, and neither does CAW.  Any suggestions here?

Follow the directions here (http://www.modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:TS3_Patching:Invalid_File_Error#Locating_the_.22rtpatch.log.22_manually) and locate your rtpatch.log file. Scroll down to the bottom of the list of files it attempted to patch and you should see the file it errored out on.

Well, the invalid file is the gameplaydata.package, so now what do I do?  Does anyone have a copy of that file for patch 1.12?  The game still works, but I can't get CAW up and running.

That's not a common file the patcher errors out on. Did you mess with that file? You really shouldn't.

I don't have a backup copy because I already patched.

Yes I messed with the file a while back, but I only changed a few things in VisitRabbitHole and possibly Venues.  Anyway, my changes were somehow undone by the game and returned to their original state, so I don't see how it could be messing up the patch, and I don't know exactly what part of the file is wrong either.  This is not good.

I'm getting this a lot. Usually after saving, which is really annoying. It's still the same "Attempted to read/write protected data" message like before the "fix".

This is why you always backup an original copy of the file you edited. The patcher is dumb as fuck and picky as fuck. It won't complete if you delete premade library families, even though as far as I can tell no patch has actually edited any of these files.

Has anyone tried Edit-In-Game for the newly updated Create-A-Crap?
When zoomed out, I'm getting this strange sky object (?)- fog thingy (?) that's obstructing view of anything in the world. As you can tell I have no idea what it is, but it happens to new worlds even with nothing in it.

I haven't tried installing any of these worlds yet, partially because this thing is freaking me out a bit, but here are some images of what I'm experiencing:

Zoomed in, everything seems fine:
(http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/779/74567247.th.jpg) (http://img691.imageshack.us/i/74567247.jpg/)

Zoom out a bit, something begins to get in the way:
(http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/472/52077420.th.png) (http://img51.imageshack.us/i/52077420.png/)

WTF?
(http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/2258/70691207.th.jpg) (http://img88.imageshack.us/i/70691207.jpg/)

These particular shots are of a world I was working on, but this happens (like I said) even with new worlds with absolutely no terrain objects, spawners, terrain paints, nada. If it's just me, I'll shut up. But I'm primarily just curious if it really is just me. I've had no other real errors except this, and tried searching for a solution but considering the update is so new there wasn't much to find.

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, it just seems relevant although not a particular "pudding."

There's no object, that's the max draw distance being hit. Nothing beyond the wall is rendered, so you get this cutoff.

i would just like to ask if its possible to edit a CC world with this?

I haven't had this problem.  You might try checking your settings in the options panel.  I have actually been rather pleased with the ‘edit in game' features since the patch.  They seem to work much better for me now.  I have noticed an increased strain on my graphics card and just got a new one yesterday because of it. 

Ah, you were right; it was the draw distance from options.
I had changed it playing various other games while waiting for the update and forgot to change it back. Sorry about that, and thank you for responding to my idiocy.

Only if you also have the editable WORLD File and not just the downloaded world.  Most creators don't make it available because of the time and effort that goes into making a world.  We don't want edited versions of our worlds showing up all over the internet.

well no i don't have the .world file, and why would someone upload edited version of CC worlds thats just weird.

People do that, they do it with lots. They will just change or build on the neighborhood a bit or use the custom one as a base. Here are two and MTS that let you have the CAW files, so atleast you don't have to start from scratch:
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=390737
http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=388263

If you're running on Windows  7, make sure that you run the program as an admin (right click on the icon and select "run as administrator" or change your shortcut to always run as the admin).  After I did this, it stopped crashing completely.

I don't have Windows 7, I have Vista, but I'll give it a shot nonetheless. Also, I sent in a help request to EA, and they asked to see a log that I can generate that shows specs of my comp, it kind of worries me as to what they might do with it if I were to.

Turn off UAC during play and see if that makes a difference?

OBVIOUSLY they'll use your computer's spec information to send their drones in the night to harvest your organs and feed their insatiable desire for flesh.

OBVIOUSLY. I don't see how I didn't see that. Pardon my stupidity. Seriously though, you never know, I mean, I trust them even less than before (which wasn't much anyway) after their latest spyware deal.

Hi guys,hey your link is the old one i donwload the sims program one,and work fine,the new caw request the last patch and your caw dont,donwload the new,bye
And the link of CAP is old one too in another post..

It's not the old one, it's the new one. I can vouch for that personally.

EA claims you must uninstall the old version first before installing the new one so don't install this on top of your existing CAW.

Alright, have all expansions, and my sims version is 4.0.87.006001.  Every time I try and use the Create A World from this link I get "Your currently installed version of the game is not compatible with Create-a-World. You must reinstall Create-a-World. First, back up your world files and uninstall Create-a-World. Then, download the new version of Create-a-world and install the new version."  I reran the install, to uninstall it, removed the folder, reinstalled and still got the same thing. What do?

NVM, act of laziness on my part, should have read previous posts, someone posted the fix earlier, ill check it out.

Patch 4.2 is out...and I think you have to download 1.14 also to get CAW to work.

This just erupted on the exchange. A user said they could make lite versions of the vacation worlds so they could be edited in CAW but OMG someone might use the technique to open someone's precious private files and defile them. The user was so browbeaten, they decided not to share this explosive knowledge.  ::)

Well, if you find any more information about it, feel free to share: MATY is about relevant answers, and how those answers might make someone butthurt simply doesn't matter.

Butthurt is just an awesome by product. I would also like these learnings.

If I had the learnings, I would share them. I don't yet though. I'm not quite sure where to start.

I think the poster on the Sims 3 forum was trying what I have tried, which is to import the Twinbrook resources into a test world, using S3PE.
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y288/Bluefunk/Sims%203/Create%20A%20World/TwinbrookinCAW02.jpg)

This will allow you to view and edit Twinbrook in CAW, but of course the families will also be present, as can be seen in EIG mode. The world cannot be saved in this format in CAW, and it seems that a way to cleanly remove all sims has to be found before saving will be successful. I've experimented briefly with removing various resources related to Sims (there is an XML, some SNAP files etc.) before import, but I've not managed to find them all- either I remove too much and the world will not load, or else I still have sims there. This seems to be what caused problems for the poster on the Sims 3 forum.

Theoretically it should be easier to edit an unpopulated world, but I've not tested this myself.

If you go into Edit-in-Game and have awesomemod, can you use the command "destroyallhumans"?

For me the thing I would want the most is to be able to edit and create new travel destinations. I have a neighborhood I play and am not really so interested in starting a new one, but I would definitely love to have some new locales beyond China, Egypt and France to go to. Why EA didn't allow for creation of custom travel destinations is beyond me. That's just laziness on their part.

Thanks for the suggestion; this works as far as removing the sims and allowing a CAW save; however it still fails upon 'export world'. There must be some resources I haven't identified which are marking the world as a packed file.

Well, poo. It was a thought.

I love how edit-in-game still sucks at previewing terrain paints. This is what I get in edit-in-game of my current WIP:
(http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/5851/screenshot14s.th.jpg) (http://img834.imageshack.us/i/screenshot14s.jpg/)

And once I actually import it and plop a sim down so I can get previews:
(http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/8652/screenshot18t.th.jpg) (http://img818.imageshack.us/i/screenshot18t.jpg/)     (http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/8643/screenshot15lz.th.jpg) (http://img594.imageshack.us/i/screenshot15lz.jpg/)     

Granted, I am not the god of terrain paint, but I'm not as bad as edit-in-game is at rendering the crap.

Some info here turning world files into CAW files: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=416989