90% of Sunset Valley lots gone after returning from vacation.

[Cerridwen]

Wonderful.  I return from my first vacation to find my family standing in a large rectangle of solid blue.  I go to map view to see 90% of my lots in Sunset valley are now missing... they are a solid blue color where the lot used to be.  Residential, Community lots are both affected.  There are a few lots left ... both residential and community so it's not something effecting one or the other. Quit w/out saving and I tried again after taking all my mods out of my Mods folder, leaving only terain paints, objects, and patterns and my skin/eye replacements. Took a family on vacation, returned and all the same lots that turned blue the last time were blue again this time.  The tried taking out my terrain paints, same thing.  Finally,  I took out my entire Mods folder and the Resourse.cfg file and deleted all my compositorcache and simcompositorcache files.   Went on a vacation and came back and houses were there nothing had dissapeared.  

I will now start feeding back my CC back into the game to try to figure out what is causing this and report back here.

But just wanted to post this in case anyone else is having this problem.  I figured simply taking out my mods would be enough to avoid tight pants but it seems ordinary CC may be a problem too.

And in case anyone is wondering I have a store bought version, latest patch that released with WA.

UPDATE - On a hunch - before I started feeding everything back into the game bit by bit... I tried moving my Resource.cfg and Mods/Packages folder to the World Adventures folder that was created when installing WA under C/ProgramFiles/ElectronicArts/TheSims3WorldAdventures rather than C/ProgramFiles/ElectronicArts/TheSims3  - I restarted the game sent my sim on vacation, completed a opportunity, returned and YES! Sunset Valley was normal and all my CC was showing up.  I do not have any true mods in there right now, but it seems as if the Resource.cfg and Mods file may need to be simply moved to the WA folder to get this issue resolve.   I will be playing more with the game as is now to make sure it's actually resolved.  

2nd UPDATE - I switched to another family, sent them on vacation and came back to find all the lots blue again.  So moving the files is not a permanent solution.  Back to square one.

[Aeval]

Same problem.  Some houses are spared and most rabbit holes. I wonder if it has something to do with basements/foundations etc.?

[Cerridwen]

Yep that's near exactly what I'm getting.    Now when I try to change families, the game crashes.   I'm not getting these issues with the other saved game which is Riverview (so far) or a game I've just started as a "new game"  that's Sunset Valley (again so far). 

I did notice that when I first enter my old Sunset Valley saved game, even though it looks like all the lots are fine, the Goth's mansion is a big blue box even before anyone leaves for vacation.

I'm starting to get a sick feeling that my main saved game that I play 90% of the time is now BFBVFS.  I have "restored" to the previous save and the Goth's mansion is still a blue box.   

I'm going to keep playing the new sunset Valley game I've just started and see what happens. 

[Druscylla]

Glad it isn't just me. I was beginning to think I borked something. My lots in my Goth house save are doing this. I loaded the game and found my Goth family crying over someone who had died all standing Jesus-like on a bed of blue water-like doom square. I can't seem to get rid of it and am hoping that EA gets their heads out of their asses and fixes it. So far my new savegame hasn't been affected, but it seems that I cannot play my pre-EP saves now either. I posted on the BBS so maybe, maybe, some one will see it who can provide an answer but I am most likely being very overly optimistic.

edit: Here is my screenshot. The sims on the lot also cannot move or interact.

[Sparks]

Okay. Having this same issue EXCEPT, my Sim is in Riverview and has not gone on an adventure and whenever I start the game, his lot is black and he also cannot move.

Went into my other saves and the game loaded fine, but my Sims still cannot move.

[Heli]

Cerridwen,
can you look in yours /My Documents/ Electronic Arts/ Sims3 if you have a userpresets file please ?

I think the problem is the bad CC pattern/userpresets
is something Simsample has mentioned in post # 129  moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,16410.125.html

[Billmonaghan]

...all standing Jesus-like ...

Ba haha ha! Ah hahaha!

Thanks for that turn-of-phrase.

I've decided to stand down on the patch and the EP and see if this gets worked out.

I may just go back to Sims2; There's a lot I haven't done there anyway.

[Cerridwen]

Yes Heli, I have a userpresets.package file there.  For Kicks, I'll move it out and restart the game to see if it makes a difference.  The save is basically unplayable now as it is.  

I'll report back.

Report - I removed the user presets file, launched my game I'm having problems with, and the Goth house is still blue, I suspect if I took a sim on vacation they would come back to find all houses blue. 

I have custom patterns installed in both my Mods folder as .packages and through the launcher as simspack files.  This is an interesting theory.  Is there something else I should be doing with that file rather than just removing it?

[nanacake]

Here is a small list of things for those who are too stupid to know otherwise before you try reinstalling things. You can't expect the new EP to work instantly with CC for a game never made at default to accept such things. If you want to test the new EP so badly, Remove tight pants before reporting problems! To do this a fresh reinstall would be best but if you want to be difficult:

First delete your monkey installer crap, resource.cfg and move your mods folder. Place backups elsewhere of the following files found in
My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/
- CASPartCache.package
- compositorCache.package
- simCompositorCache.package
- scriptCache.package
- userPresets.package (For those who don't know somehow, this contains all the recolors you made with CAST if you have custom patterns recolored saved in there, it can cause errors. Back it up and ship it out!)
- The DCCache folder has to go who knows what the hell you put it in- it's not going to work with the EP yet! (Looking at you TSR addicts!), back it up or anything installed with the launcher will be gone for good.

Now try seeing how it works with a new game (hood). Test. Stop making new threads. Seriously too many new threads of the same subject. To be expected I guess.

[Cerridwen]

I'm so sorry nanacake, can you please link me to another thread where we are discussing lots turning blue after returning from vacations in the World Adventures Ep? I'll gladly take my posts there. 

I do not use the "monkey installer crap."
I did take out all my custom content. 
Deleted all the cache files.  Now including the UserPresets.

I started a new game and STILL am getting wonkyness.  Now, after playing Sunset Valley Goth house for just a bit, If I try to clone anything using the eye dropper, it registers as "simple flooring" and will not clone it properly.  EVERYTHING is registering as simple flooring .. walls,objects, fences everything.  I did not however remove my DDCache folder, and that does have some non EA created content in it. I will now do that as well and test. Again.  I'm am starting to think this has something to to with custom patterns as well.

I have been deleting cache files, reinstalling, and testing on my old game and a new game since Midnight of the 17th and am still having problems.   

[nanacake]

My post was not to address you personally, Cerridwen. Your thread is a good one to keep, I posted to help eliminate the others because there are people posting about this issue in several other areas of the site. So, I was addressing the others who posted in the thread, and watching. I do believe EA is going to have to release another patch to address the problems which is somewhat ridiculous- if this happens to people who bought the CD. Not sure if this problem of blue lots is only for those who have ARR'd it.

If you do remove your DCCache, I wonder also if the custom paterns even created by EA from the store would be causing issues.

[Heli]

Cerridwen,
one User in German Simforum has reported, she has removing DCCache and installed all Content with EA Launcher again. She has CC content the Launcher reported  an Error.
After reinstall of CContent  she has no more blue Lots.

[carpediem]

excuse me, I had bad english and try to understand all the problems, by making what you explain, does I lost for exemple "peggysims " créations ?

[Cerridwen]

I aplogize for my defensiveness nanacake, I'm just very frustrated right now.

I deleted all my Cache files again including the DDCache files for the launcher (after backing them up) reinstalled all the CC I had with the launcher, with the exception of custom patterns and tried again.   When I went into my old Sunset valley the Goths house was still blue.  NO resolution there.  I then went into my new game of sunset valley and the issue I had with the Goth house where the eyedropper in build/buy mode was registering everything as "simple flooring" seemed to be resolved.   I then went into some other houses in edit mode and made some changes.   I then went back into the goths and again the dropper was showing everything as "simple flooring"

I will now create yet another new game file of sunset valley to see if that changes anything.   I'm begining to abandon hope of fixing my original Sunset valley that was pre-WA as no matter what I do, when I enter the town for the first time, the Goth house is blued out even before I go on vacation. 

One observation.  I just noticed that there  is now a 'favorites' catagory in the CAS patterns display box.   Was this always there?  Or is this a new feature of WA?

[carpediem]

it's a new feature of wa .

(j espère que tu vas t"en sortir !  )

[Sparks]

One observation.  I just noticed that there  is now a 'favorites' category in the CAS patterns display box.   Was this always there?  Or is this a new feature of WA?

Yes, the Favorites category is brand new. I'd love to experiment with it but, I'm having other problems like, instead of lots being blue, my lots are black. I keep reading about this problem having to do with hardware but, I've never experienced this before, even when I didn't pay attention to system temps.

Also, I'm having this issue:

[photo removed because it wasn't needed]

My Sims name is fine (Jason Ishmael) but everyone in his town' (new Riverview) name is wonky ie. this chicks name is showing as "World/Riverview/Sims: Rhoda World/Riverview/Sims: Bagley

This nh was created after I installed WA.

[Cerridwen]

OK, I didn't start a 3rd game.  I rolled back my new game to the save before, and all is going fine so far.   I realized I placed a lot that I took from my old Sunset Valley (the borked one)  into my new one. I was trying to avoid having to remodel all my lots from scratch.   I rolled back to a save BEFORE I did that and the weirdness with the dropper registering everything as simple flooring is gone again. 

Note to self- Do not copy lots from saved games that are imploding and put it nice new saved games.  STUPID STUPID BAD BAD

Question to anyone who is NOT having problems with their game. --   I noticed that when I try to use the CAS tool on any existing stairs,railings or fences on my existing lots it does not work.  I need to delete the stair,rail, or fence and then once I place a new one am able to use the CAS tool on it.   After placing a new one, I can use the CAS tool on it normally like anything else. 

Is this the way it's working for everyone else?  Or is it yet another sign of borkage for me?

[Heli]

with the exception of custom patterns and

why ?
The problem is evtl Custom Patterns.

[brownlustgirl]

I don't have WA, but to stop my lots from turning blue, I realized it was the saved games and their titles. If you have opened a game file name.sims3 for the 1st time in patch 1.66 or WA, then it will turn into a folder. Once you have the folder, then you must delete the file name.sims3.backup.  That way the game can make a backup folder.

I have been able to save without error and comeback to my game and play. No more blue lots. Hope that helps.

[Druscylla]

I will try that brownlustgirl. I have tried removing CC (I have no mods) and deleting cache files, and nothing is helping so far. I also cannot change existing stair/railings either as was previously mentioned. But in my new post WA save I haven't had blue lots and sim names are showing up fine. The game overall is fine except that it is ungodly slow in destination maps, takes forever to save and load, and crashed only once during a save. Other than that, all is working as intended (as of now).

[Slymenstra]

I started to get this today after I made a new house (I made it have a basement too).  I exited out after saving and everything was working great.  I downloaded some curtains and added them to my CC folder and out of habit I deleted those cache files that you delete when you update your hacks.

When I loaded back up, my neighborhood is swimming in blue pools.  I tried all the suggestions and nothing fixes it.  When I create a new town everything is perfect.

So I went snooping around in another older save of another neighborhood and in that I found the Art Museum being the only building turned into a pool.  This building had the riddler tiles before the XPack.  I also noticed my pattern favorites is missing (obviously connected to the caches we delete all the time)

So maybe it has to do with patterns and cache files?  I don't know...another stupid frustration. 

I also found I crash when I tried to make a basement in a house that had a foundation and a pool right up against the foundation. I didn't see it written anywhere that you can't make a basement in a house with a foundation that but apparently you can't.

Oh well...starting another neighborhood AGAIN.

[Cerridwen]

with the exception of custom patterns and

why ?
The problem is evtl Custom Patterns.

I'm not sure what 'evtl' is.  Evil?  I meant I did not put back any of the custom paterns that I originally had in my game before installing WA.  The game I'm currently running is custom pattern free. I do have the Store patterns that were created by EA, but I'm not considering them custom as they are EA created.  

I have been playing my new hood with/out issue so far.   I partially redecorated the Goths house, including adding a basement with the new tool, switched to the Steel household, then sent him on vacation, tomb raided, returned, and no blue lots.  I'm going to continue to mess around with this current game.  I'm hopeful that the issue with the blue lots is in fact resolved by reinstalling CC via the launcher, and not reinstalling any custom patterns.  Unfortunately it appears I've learned this too late to save my original game.  

Hmmm...... interesting about that back up folder too.  I did notice my new game has a .backup folder now as well where before my saves did not.    Perhaps that has something to do with it as well.

[Aeval]

I dumped all my custom patterns and only installed my family with no house.  I don't know which it was, but it did the trick and my game is working pretty well.  Rather slow and choppy, but that is a different matter.

[nanacake]

My Sims name is fine (Jason Ishmael) but everyone in his town' (new Riverview) name is wonky ie. this chicks name is showing as "World/Riverview/Sims: Rhoda World/Riverview/Sims: Bagley

That isn't WA related I believe. It happened to me before when some parts of Riverview in the WorldCaches folder was accidentally deleted. Try reinstalling Riverview.

[Sparks]

My Sims name is fine (Jason Ishmael) but everyone in his town' (new Riverview) name is wonky ie. this chicks name is showing as "World/Riverview/Sims: Rhoda World/Riverview/Sims: Bagley

That isn't WA related I believe. It happened to me before when some parts of Riverview in the WorldCaches folder was accidentally deleted. Try reinstalling Riverview.

You're right. I totally forgot I took all my EA Downloads out and moved the DCCache folder to my desktop. I've since fixed that. And somehow fixed the blue lots issue although, fuck if I know what I did; I've tried so many things. I think it might have to do with what someone in this thread did with their EA Downloads and re-installing with the Launcher and deleting all of the DCCBackup files.