Got the 7 new Dr Pepper items (thanks!). I ran across a thread on the Sims 3 forum about the new Dr Pepper promo stuff. There are a few items that I haven't yet seen anywhere. I did a search and nothing popped up for these items. Anyone know if they're part of the new promo set, or are these old and I just overlooked them?

I finally have my game running smoothly (so far) with shared sims3pack cc from the store. I'm a mac user, and the dbc trick did not work post hoc for getting newly installed cc into my game (like an idiot, I clean installed and couldn't get my shit back into the game). Additionally, I can't go back to the previous patch because manually installed patches appear to be PC .exe's only. So I started from scratch (yet again) and got everything hunky dory. So as a courtesy I'm going to post what I did, step-by-step, to get my game running again so that others don't have to filter through a zillion forum posts as I did. I'm sorry if much of this is superfluous, but mac users have few resources and no one (that I've yet seen) seemed to have a concrete answer for exactly how to work around this specific issue of what to do when the .dbc trick isn't working after a clean install. So without further ado:

Making the 2.3 patch work for dummy mac users who can't get their store shit into their game after clean installing
*If you have arr'd versions of the game, caveat emptor, as I don't know if this will work for you
**This is a fix for the existing store items you have. If the store puts out anything new, either buy legit it, convert it to .package, covet it indefinitely, or cross your fingers that the issue is resolved by then.

Step 1: Just start the hell over if you are completely lost right now. Backup your saved games, uninstall the game, and go into your user library to delete your sims3 preferences.

Step 2: Install the base game. Do not launch the game after the install, besides, since you have a mac you won't be able to properly use the base game's gimpy pseudo-launcher-for-macs anyway.

Step 3: Install WA. Launch the game but DO NOT PATCH. Hit cancel when it asks to patch, then go into updates and uncheck the automatic updates box. You should have a fully working launcher now. Yay for you.

Step 4: Create your "Downloads" folder in documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3.

Step 5: Plop your shared store sims3packs (EXCEPT FOR RIVERVIEW) into the newly created downloads folder and install (installing Riverview directly from the sim3pack is causing issues for some people, so you're going to install it directly from the store in a bit unless you want to attempt the insane workaround here: http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,17610.0.html). However, my way is easier as long as you have a legit copy of the game.

Step 6: If you have non-store sim3packs you want to install, now is the time to do it (or wait until the end if you're comfortable converting sims3packs to .package files)

Step 7: Launch your game and make sure everything you want is showing up. Everything there? You sure? You super-duper sure-as-shit positive? Good. Exit the game.

Step 8: Relaunch and patch (*gasp*).

Step 9: This is the hard part for mac dummies. We're going to do the .dcb trick. First, install your modding framework, or get Pescados nifty one here: http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,15184.0.html.

Step 10: Edit your resource.cfg. If you find you can't open the resource.cfg, just right click (or control click) and open with TextEdit. Delete the text and paste Coconnor's text in its place:

Priority 500
DirectoryFiles Mods/Packages/... autoupdate
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*/*/*/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*.dbc
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*.dbc

Hit save. If you have a resource.cfg in your mods/files folder, edit that one too.

Step 11: Make sure you have a d3dx9_31.dll in the WA root folder's game/bin folder AND into the base game's root game/bin folder. Breathe, you're almost there.

Step 12: Go into the game's DCCache (Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/DCCache), and copy any files ending in .dbc. Paste these into your mods/packages folder. Viola! All your shared store cc will now show up in the game. Go ahead and check, it should be there (but without the little custom content icon).

Want Riverview? Then you're not done. Just go to the EA store and redownload it. It'll show up good as new.

REMEMBER, every time you install anything via the launcher, copy the .dcb files from the DCCache and paste them into your packages folder (replacing the old ones). And like I said at the beginning, Sims Store stuff you try to install at this point won't show up unless it's directly from the store. Yeah yeah, lament lament.

Also, if you want to download non-store sims3packs (such as from TSR, Parsimonious, or Around The Sims) at this point, go ahead. BUT, the installation is dodgy. Some will install and some won't. In the event of an uninstallable .sims3pack, just convert it to a .package with JFade's 3viewer (http://forum.jfade.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=466) and drop it into the mods/packages folder. It should show up just fine.

Lastly, this is what worked for me, but this may not work the same way for you. Sorry, can't help you in that case since I'm an asinine airhead. This is the best I can do for myself and anyone else. Good luck.

How about with JFade's 3Viewer? I don't have time to test extracting with the 3Viewer until tomorrow, but if some intrepid mac user wants to test it out and report back before then, that would be very helpful.

Yes, I suppose. My thinking is it keeps a record of what you've bought so you know what you already own or need to get/can redownload from in-game if needed/can use sims points from your store account while in-game. Stuff like that. And yeah, I'm guessing those are also linked to the inability to install shared store items as well. I'm not sure how the in-game store works exactly, but I'm assuming you can download store items directly into the game during gameplay? I tried to test exactly how absent the in-game store is from my game by opening the launcher from inside the game and attempting an install. Didn't work, got the usual shut-the-game-down-first message. I don't know exactly what that means or if it's helpful to know, but there you are.



I have purchased from the EA store, and I don't have those files. As an aside, what pisses me off most is not being able to use promo items I didn't qualify for, such as the first-time buyer promo or the WA-preorder promo. I'm fine with buying from the store, because it least it's all readily available. I hate not being able to use the stuff I was shut out from in the first place. Sorry, I know this rant is pointless and doesn't help the situation, but I just needed to vent. I'll get off my soapbox now.

By the way, you all are doing great looking into this issue. Technodummies like me would be lost without the superior know-how of the greater community. So thanks for all the past, present, and future work you've done for everyone.  

I have neither of these files. But then again, the in-game store is completely absent from my game, so I'm guessing those are store-related files (i.e.-store login/purchasing history info and the in-game store's coding/programming/language-that-makes-it-work-thing).

Observations made while fiddling with custom content (don't know if this will help anyone since I'm technologically leotarded, but here you go anyway).

I'm on a mac running fully patched WA. As with many others, my launcher installed CC disappeared when I patched, including bought store items. Did a clean install of the game, and redownloaded items from the store--store items are now working fine (including Riverview). Configured my resource.cfg, and added the dcdb files. Tested the game with newly installed packages, arr'd store items, arr'd non-store sims3packs, and free sims3packs.

Here's my Frankenstein .cfg if anyone is interested--this is pieced together from various .cfgs seen around the interwebs. It seems to work fine so far, though it could be harming more than it's helping:

Priority 501
PackedFile Mods/Override/*.package
Priority 500
DirectoryFiles  Mods/Packages/... autoupdate
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Hair/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Skins/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Decor/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Accessories/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Clothing/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Build/*.package
PackedFile Mods/Patterns/*.package
PackedFile Mods/DCC/*.dbc
Priority 499
PackedFile Mods/Test/*.package
Priority -50
PackedFile Mods/Probation/*.package

Observations:

*lots install and appear in-game, but some hang on placement (specifically lots from The Exchange so far) (still testing).
*Arr'd store items "install" but don't show up in-game and disappear from the launcher "installed items" pane.
*Both arr'd and free non-store items are installing inconsistently, regardless of being pay or not.
*Package files are no longer causing the massive lag brought on by the last patch so far (still testing).
*AM crashes the game at the load screen (though AM never played well on my mac with the last patch either).
*The EA in-game store is utterly non-existent (what is this "store" you speak of?).

I hope this helps those brave folks trying to troubleshoot the issue a bit. I'll edit this as I test more. Cheers and good luck to you all!