Patch 1.8/2.3 plus Create a World Released

[specann]

Just want to say thank you very much to everyone who explained how to fix the store content problem.. all my content is working again and I am doing a happy little dance

[Druscylla]

Just want to say thank you very much to everyone who explained how to fix the store content problem. All my content is working again and I am doing a happy little dance.

Sheeple go home.

[The Anonymity is a Lie]

I've never had to jump through this many hoops in order to make a game playable before but I managed in the end by moving the DCCache files and avoiding the dreaded launcher like the plague, despite the fact that I have legitimate copies of the game and the expansion. The fact that my expansion pack and base game are from different regions only exacerbated the problem, editing the registry should not be nescessary simply for me to patch my game.

The only unusual thing that I have noticed is that all of the custom content that I have installed, aside from the items that I downloaded from the Sims 3 Store, have lost the small plumbob icon which designates them as custom content. This is of course not a major problem, it just irks me a little. Is this something that everyone is experiencing, and if so is there a way to get the plumbob icon to appear? I'm rather fond of knowing what comes in the base game and what is new to me considering I usually don't use custom content right away.

[nanacake]

Is this something that everyone is experiencing, and if so is there a way to get the plumbob icon to appear?

No, I've been converting store stuff to packages since a while back. The icons disappear when you do this for some reason.

[TheSimsandwich]

Is this something that everyone is experiencing, and if so is there a way to get the plumbob icon to appear?

No, I've been converting store stuff to packages since a while back. The icons disappear when you do this for some reason.

I've noticed non-store items installed via the Launcher have the icon. Maybe the icon is supposed to mean custom content rather than store items?

[The Anonymity is a Lie]

Is this something that everyone is experiencing, and if so is there a way to get the plumbob icon to appear?

No, I've been converting store stuff to packages since a while back. The icons disappear when you do this for some reason.

I've noticed non-store items installed via the Launcher have the icon. Maybe the icon is supposed to mean custom content rather than store items?

That's not quite how it's working for me. All of the items that I downloaded with the launcher from the Sims 3 Store at least 100 years ago still worked in game prior to my moving of the DCCache files to the Package folder and have retained their plumbob, whereas any of my recent ill gotten gains and custom content did not show up prior to my moving of the DCCache files and have lost their plumbob.

I can only assume from this that any of the content which the game manages to load from the original DCCache folder keeps the plumbob even if the DCCache files are duplicated in the Package folder, but any content which doesn't get loaded unless it has been moved to the Package folder will lack the plumbob. I'm not close friends with the inner workings of the game though, so I could be wrong.

[Freezerburn]

Can anyone tell me which file/s to copy in DCCache to Mods/Packages/Misc? I have three files i.e dcdb0.dbc, dcdb0.ebc, missingdeps.idx. If these three files should be copied, should I add lines in the resource.cfg like this to accept this type of file?

PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*.ebc
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*.idx

[J. M. Pescado]

.idx is meaningless, leave it where it is. Leave the ebc where it is, too. The game is still able to process anything in an ebc, so it can stay where it is.

[Heli]

I mean the .ebc file is a bought content from a store.  

edit: Plus free content loaded from a store.

[Simsample]

Can anyone tell me which file/s to copy in DCCache to Mods/Packages/Misc? I have three files i.e dcdb0.dbc, dcdb0.ebc, missingdeps.idx. If these three files should be copied, should I add lines in the resource.cfg like this to accept this type of file?

PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*.ebc
PackedFile Mods/Packages/*/*.idx

It's just anything with the dbc file extension. Most people just have dcdb0.dbc, but if you have a lot of content you will have dcdb1.dbc, dcdb2.dbc and so on. Move them all.

[daistarr]

I found out that it is the new Create a World tool that has caused the trouble with the launcher. I uninstalled the tool and now I have no problem installing downloads with the laucher. I also found that adding the downloads to the Download folder first, then starting the launcher then select All that it takes less time than when I tried to install just one download. It doesn't reinstall the downloads that had been previously installed. I just wish I had known this a long time ago.

[Lissy]

For the first time since I bought the game, my Launcher appears to be working as it should, so I did some testing of Sims3Pack files from various sites.

I can install store-bought content without a problem - as long as I re-download it through the store. I can also install Sims3Pack files from other sources (ATS and TSR) without any problems. They all show up, have the appropriate icon and work as they should.

The only problem I have is with recompressed files that I got from sites like MediaFire. They get installed by the launcher and then kicked out by the game. When I exit the game and check the launcher, the files show up as uninstalled.
The EA pre-order bonus textures all work fine, but the other pirated files don't. Store stuff that I bought and then recompressed and archived on my computer gets kicked out, while the same file re-downloaded from the store works fine.

It does seem as if the game recognizes the pirated stuff and uninstalls it at start-up. I am not sure whether that has anything to do with the method of compressing or if it uses something more sinister to check your installed items against your purchase history...

[tryguy]

That's some good research, Lissy.

Umm, why don't you zip one of the store-bought files up (without compressorizing it at all, just winzipping it) and see if someone can download it and install it.

I, myself, haven't even updated my game to 1.8 yet, so I'm no use. But, that would be a valuable test, to see if content can still be shared around like before, or if there's DRM at work now.

Thanks.

Edit: Actually, now that I think about it, maybe have a purely raw (sims3pack) version, and a zipped version (of the same file). Just to be safe.

[J. M. Pescado]

I can install store-bought content without a problem - as long as I re-download it through the store. I can also install Sims3Pack files from other sources (ATS and TSR) without any problems. They all show up, have the appropriate icon and work as they should.

I get the opposite result: I can't install a sims3pack I downloaded from TSR as a Sims3pack either. Anything which installs into a .dbc appears to fail. Sims3packs containing non-dbc content may install differently, depending on what you are installing.

[omgnowai]

For the first time since I bought the game, my Launcher appears to be working as it should, so I did some testing of Sims3Pack files from various sites.

I can install store-bought content without a problem - as long as I re-download it through the store. I can also install Sims3Pack files from other sources (ATS and TSR) without any problems. They all show up, have the appropriate icon and work as they should.

The only problem I have is with recompressed files that I got from sites like MediaFire. They get installed by the launcher and then kicked out by the game. When I exit the game and check the launcher, the files show up as uninstalled.
The EA pre-order bonus textures all work fine, but the other pirated files don't. Store stuff that I bought and then recompressed and archived on my computer gets kicked out, while the same file re-downloaded from the store works fine.

It does seem as if the game recognizes the pirated stuff and uninstalls it at start-up. I am not sure whether that has anything to do with the method of compressing or if it uses something more sinister to check your installed items against your purchase history...

I said this many pages back, at least someone else thinks the same .

Is it possible to uncompressorize the files?

[Lissy]

I installed some end tables from TSR and a few items from ATS, and they all stayed installed. And showed up in the game.

I'm on a Mac, so I do not have CAW installed - and I have read somewhere else that for some people uninstalling CAW fixes the launcher.
Also, I do not have a shop button in my game. I read on another forum that there's supposed to be a checkbox or something similar to switch shop mode off entirely, and I don't see that in my options either.
My launcher has always been crappy, and now it actually seems to be working. The game never ran better for me, except that I'll have to convert all my booty to .package files if I want it to show up...

So it looks like the game for Mac is messed up in a totally different way...  

edit:
omgnowai, I didn't see your post - are you on a Mac or on Windows?

[omgnowai]

edit:
omgnowai, I didn't see your post - are you on a Mac or on Windows?

I have Windows. So it's not a mac problem I guess.

[TaterTots]

I can install store-bought content without a problem - as long as I re-download it through the store. I can also install Sims3Pack files from other sources (ATS and TSR) without any problems. They all show up, have the appropriate icon and work as they should.

I get the opposite result: I can't install a sims3pack I downloaded from TSR as a Sims3pack either. Anything which installs into a .dbc appears to fail. Sims3packs containing non-dbc content may install differently, depending on what you are installing.

I also can not install sims3packs, at least some of them. I have not tried to install a lot of different sims3packs, but I had a pattern from TSR and it would not install after the patch along with some store items I got here. One thing that did stay installed after the patch was a furniture set from Holy Simoly, which surprised me. Also, someone mentioned that they thought CAW messed up the launcher, which is not true because though I did download it, I've been afraid to install it as of yet.

[Gwennero]

Tatertots, I agree about CAW.  My sims3packs disappeared from the Launcher after updating and before downloading CAW, so it couldn't be CAW that broke it.  The workaround fixed it for me.

[Soggy Fox]

Oddly, the workaround did not work - nor did extracting the files into package format.  I'm not -super- worried about it, but its annoying because I did like the steampunk-ish clothing, and some of the furniture.

Any other ideas to try?

[Jenloss]

Does anyone have the Original tslhost.dll for the sims 3 base game?...I downloaded one from rapidshare but it isn't working with the update.

Thanks

[Bahr]

I get the opposite result: I can't install a sims3pack I downloaded from TSR as a Sims3pack either. Anything which installs into a .dbc appears to fail. Sims3packs containing non-dbc content may install differently, depending on what you are installing.

I noticed, in TSR Workshop, when you export a file it states that it is compressing the file. If it's using the same method as the other compressions, wouldn't that explain why newer TSR Sim3Packs are dieing out too? I don't recall older Workshop packs giving that prompt on export, just noticed it in RC1.

[Witchboy]

Does anyone have the Original tslhost.dll for the sims 3 base game?...I downloaded one from rapidshare but it isn't working with the update.

Thanks

Here you go

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=N53WISLB

[Anach]

I can install store-bought content without a problem - as long as I re-download it through the store. I can also install Sims3Pack files from other sources (ATS and TSR) without any problems. They all show up, have the appropriate icon and work as they should.

I get the opposite result: I can't install a sims3pack I downloaded from TSR as a Sims3pack either. Anything which installs into a .dbc appears to fail. Sims3packs containing non-dbc content may install differently, depending on what you are installing.

 So much performance is lost through having too many .package objects installed. Performance wise, it seems sims3packs are far better than using the framework and .package to install object mods, yet there isnt a reliable way to make sims3packs from package files, nor is there a nice clean (working) way to install sims3packs. What we really need, for the sake of game performance, is a way to add package and sims3pack to a custom dbc without having to load the game to do it like the current horrible launchers.

[Jenloss]

Thank you Witchboy ^^.