This started happening to me too, either last patch, or last AM update. It only happens very very occasionally. So I just try to save often to get around it.

Plus, trademarks must be used in commerce. Is there some product that people associate with your brand of "whatever you name is"?

Long time listener, first time donor. I put gethane in the Special Instructions box.

I'll preface with I have used the google but the results don't often give me relevant results. I also check the cri finds site when I can. (other find sites recommendations appreciated).

I'd like recommendations for good Sims 3 machinima, worlds (I tried the ones in Puddings here, and I've tried one I really like called Elk Cove), and good Sims 3 stories (preferably with adult characters and themes rather than teen based).

After the thread I started in Retardo land, and Pescado's defense of the capabilities of Sims 3, I wondered if the reason I was displeased with Sims 3 is that part of my enjoyment of Sims 2 was new neighborhoods, machinima, and stories. After a couple days of searching for "good" ones, I decided to ask here for recommendations. Law school really cuts into my free time, especially the kind of round-a-bout internet searching/browsing that used to lead me to neat places.

Thanks in advance!

Nvidia finally updated my laptop vid card driver and I haven't CTD since. I hope that fixes it for me.

Maybe I'll give a try if my crashes come back. Deleting my cache files before play (cross fingers) plus fps limiter (knock on wood) seems to have at least slowed my CTD's. Up until a week ago, I thought they were only happening when attempting to play with AwesomeMod. Then they started happening in vanilla game, freshly installed.

I'm confused as to how this will help. As I understand it, it's only on for Windows services anyway. So by changing it to be on for everything except sims, you are turning it "more on" but it doesn't change whether its on or not for sims. It shouldn't be on for sims to begin with at default setting. Since it is not a Windows "essential program or service."

fps limiter didn't help my ctd either. My dh had me download something to monitor my heat and its not showing anything out of bounds. Prior to WA/WA patch, I had no problems.

THey should at least have Sims ... Rockstar for the game system for the kids.

Thanks! I didn't think of that (using the monkey installer) since I've always just done the manual install from the framework (yes, with the resource.cfg) linked in the Awesome mod download thread. Maybe after finals I'll get to give it a go .

I  can't even have the framework installed, let alone awesome mod. If I install the framework, and consequently the .dll, I get crash to desktop (with no mods or cc at all). My error logs seem to indicate its that d3dx9.dll at fault. I'm running windows 7.

drakon, thanks for the input. Perhaps this wasn't clear. Her system is a desktop. It started as an asus barebones from newegg. Pescado's suggestion that I upgrade myself and give her my leftovers no longer works for us (though that's what we used to do) because I am in law school and need a laptop (and no longer have a desktop) so she'll be getting a fresh upgrade.

I would Pescado, that's normally how we roll, but I have to have a laptop for law school so I'll have to upgrade her Lucky 12 (though just 1 more year she'll be an 18).

Her system started as an Asus barebones and has (unfortunately) an ali (or is it uli) chipset. My techie dh thinks that could be causing the problem since its a bit of an odd bird. Anyone heard of any chipset incompatibilities with sims 3?

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, it didn't work. I guess we'll just get her a mobo, mem, cpu upgrade at Xmas.

Per suggestion on the official site I upgraded her power supply to 500 watts today, still it won't play

My daughter tried installing the sims 3 (retail dvd version) on her computer back when it came out but it shuts her computer down when she tries to start the game. Now that I'm here visiting, I tried awesome mod (and required framework -- after uninstalling, reinstalling fresh, and running official updates), and now it loads through to the first screen (where you can pick a neighborhood) but trying to do that causes a CTD. I am also unable to access the options. When I push the options button a screen flashes up and away but doesn't stay so that I could change any settings. I've tried modifying the ini file to start her in a window, the same things above still happen. I've also tried modifying her shortcut properties (to TS3.exe -- not the launcher) with -nosound in case that was the problem. I've deleted all cache files before trying to start. I've uninstalled EADM.

I have updated her (ATI radeon 2600) video drivers. I have applied the "hotfix" that was linked off the sims 3 forum. I've opened her case to observe dust and fan behavior (and feel for heat) and every thing looks fine. All fans spinning, no particular dust build up. Sims 2 (and all expansions) still work fine for her.

She has a 300 watt asus power supply, 1.8 Athlon 64, ATI Radeon 2600xt, sblive sound card.

I'm at a loss at what to try next. Any ideas?

Oddly, this did not seem to happen to me right after the patch, but its happening now.

ditto above. Replace your TS3.exe and TSLhost.dll with the original versions. (I mention the file names because I replaced the exe but forgot about the dll and got major fubars until I remembered).

I am unable to patch. I bought the game. I have replaced the shaders file and the Videocamera.ini file. I've searched for rtpatch.log, to see what its upset about, but it does not exist on my computer. Any ideas?

**edit** NM, I forgot to revert my TSLhost.dll file. And I was eventually able to find my rtpatch.log file, but not by searching. I instead had to manually search all my temp folders which is how I found out that the TSLhost was the problem.

** thanks to you below, luckily I found it in C:\Users\**me**\AppData\Local\Temp\{6D03702E (more stuff that wouldn't copy)

Yes, I thought that too. Let me see if I can figure out how to take a picture and keep the interface to demonstrate which lots have confused me.

edit: As you can see, these lots must be oriented the same to both be "on" the road. And yet they are labeled differently.

Wow, thank you for this info. I've heard about people talking about the homeless but I didn't realize it could cause lag. I put IS in shortly before it became compatible with AM and my lag has been increasing but I thought it was perhaps ghosts or something. I had over 100 homeless. I used destroyalltownies. Hopefully, it will help my lag.

I've noticed in Sunset Valley that some of the 30x20 lots appear to be oriented as a 20x30 but they are labeled 30x20. And visa versa. Am I misunderstanding a basic assumption of the way the game labels the lots? And on the 25x30 lot, neither a 30x20 nor a 20x30 house would orient correctly.

I thought that feature was "turnoffable" in the options?

I posted, just 3 posts up, about how I was running great this morning, no troubles, with both installed. Am I misunderstanding your question?

Lest people think its all trouble when trying to get this going, I installed the new awesome mod. I overwrote the old Indie Stone. I removed the .core Indie Stone. I deleted my scriptcache, and loaded everything up and its been working flawlessly. I'm so excited! I'm going to start a new game to see how that whole wolfrun thing works. I initially installed IS (removing my beloved AM) because I was suffering from elder overload. Now I have a vibrant community of multiple ages again as a backdrop for my legacy family in its 4th generation.