Particle(is that what you call them?) effect problem

[sackedmagicman]

Hello there, I'm a long time lurker/down loader/member, and a not too often poster. I have a small problem with certain effects in game(I would describe them as particle effects?). Basically certain objects particle effects don't work like the Gobi strobe light: It produces light to the surrounding area, but like there won't be any lasers or beams of light coming out of it. The same thing happens with smoke machines at clubs, they don't actually produce anything when turned on. Lastly I've noticed this happens with music in the game too: the music notes effect does not show up even when say a radio or stereo is turned on.

My display drivers are up to date, I have the latest patch for Late Night(6.1.11.009001), so it shouldn't be an issue with my graphics card or game version, so I'm wondering if maybe it's one of my many custom content files or mods installed. If this is the case, then what type of mod would cause this sort of behavior? Any help is appreciated

[caffeinated.joy]

First, what are your computer specs? Also is Late Night your most recent EP installed? Do you have any stuff packs?

[Jenna]

Well, since Late Night is the most recent EP, I'd say yes.

Another thing to check: go in game, click on 'Options', and check what setting your 'Visual Effects' slider is set at. I have a feeling it may be set too low -- thereby disabling the effects you mentioned.

[caffeinated.joy]

*facepalm* Yeah, my bad. I'm not up to date on the latest EPs/SPs for TS3.

[sackedmagicman]

Well, since Late Night is the most recent EP, I'd say yes.

Another thing to check: go in game, click on 'Options', and check what setting your 'Visual Effects' slider is set at. I have a feeling it may be set too low -- thereby disabling the effects you mentioned.

I have all the EP's and SP's(Base, WA, AM, LN, HEL stuff, FL stuff) and I have all my game settings on high(except trees, I hate loading those).

I also run this game in a window at 1368x768 resolution(85:48). I don't use fullscreen as I would always have crashing issues with it(whenever certain base game items were clicked it would just close itself)

PC Specs(Hope this is enough info):
========
CPU: Intel Core i7 930 (O.C. to 3.0ghz)
GPU: Dual nVidia geForce 9800GT's(SLI)
RAM: 3x2GB A-Data 1600mhz gaming RAM
MoBo: some gigabyte mobo that can handle everything I've put on it lol
PSU: 700-watts
And my game is stored on a Sata-III HDD.

[Jenna]

Your hardware specs are fine, so I suspect an issue with mods and/or still possibly an issue with settings. If you weren't aware, Late Night had a tendency to reset the game settings to Low for a lot of people. I may sound like a broken record, but double check those settings for me.

Now, as for mods: anything that disables certain effects could very well be the culprit here. Examples would be: No More Woohoo Hearts, No Relationship Sparkles, No More ZzZzZZ'S, and so on. Sift through your mods/hacks and look for any of that variety. Remove them, and see if it fixes the problem. I can't give you the names of any specific ones since too many exist, and I have no idea what ones you use. Another thing to check for would be any items downloaded from the Store. Those are notoriously bugged, and have been known to cause random crashing, and other asshattery. You may also have a bad installation, since you mentioned random crashing in Fullscreen with certain items.

You may have to try the 50/50 method we use for diagnosing CC problems with TS2. Remove all your mods/hacks, start a fresh neighborhood, and see what happens. If all looks well, start adding back in small batches of CC until you find the culprit.

Worst case scenario: you may have to reinstall the bloody series.

[sackedmagicman]

I tried your 50/50 method. And I'm wondering if it was one of my object mods that did it(I had a couple sets like kitchens living rooms etc, and a bunch of F-P cars). Thanks for your advice though, I'm just glad I don't have to go through the long and grueling process of reinstalling ~_~.

EDIT: Everything seems to be fine again and I got rid of all those notorious EAstore items that you said are known to be buggy. One more question for you though: If I use the testingcheatsenabled on console command, does the game generally mess up and do random crashes because it is activated?(I'm wondering if the command is bugged for certain things)

[Jenna]

Glad to hear things are working for you again! I'm mot surprised it might've been a buggy Store item. While not everyone has reported problems with them, I've seen my fair share of people who have been reporting errors with a large amount of said items.

EDIT: Everything seems to be fine again and I got rid of all those notorious EAstore items that you said are known to be buggy. One more question for you though: If I use the testingcheatsenabled on console command, does the game generally mess up and do random crashes because it is activated?(I'm wondering if the command is bugged for certain things)

I've been using it from day one without a problem. The only errors/bugs/glitches I've heard reported were from people who intentionally misuse it -- usually by deleting stuff they shouldn't or randomly clicking crap they have no idea about.

[sackedmagicman]

Glad to hear things are working for you again! I'm mot surprised it might've been a buggy Store item. While not everyone has reported problems with them, I've seen my fair share of people who have been reporting errors with a large amount of said items.

EDIT: Everything seems to be fine again and I got rid of all those notorious EAstore items that you said are known to be buggy. One more question for you though: If I use the testingcheatsenabled on console command, does the game generally mess up and do random crashes because it is activated?(I'm wondering if the command is bugged for certain things)

I've been using it from day one without a problem. The only errors/bugs/glitches I've heard reported were from people who intentionally misuse it -- usually by deleting stuff they shouldn't or randomly clicking crap they have no idea about.

Heh, reminds me of deleting sims to make them respawn with full motives in the original sims games, but no I don't use it for anything like that. I just use it for restoring dangerously low motives and teleporting when I'm lazy. I also use the fps command to watch when my fps drops.

Also maybe my bookstore will actually have books now in game(completely forgot it never had books xD)