Insimenator.org

3 questions:

What is the "TS3 dashboard"? (If it is some download, then please link to it so we know what we're dealing with here)

How much is "barely any" CC to you? (For some it might be a few megabytes or ten files, to others it is a couple of gigabytes or 5000 files - sims 3 is very file spesific, so a lot of small files can take a lot longer to load than a few big files).
 
and how long is "forever" - have you actually timed it, and does it load at all? ("loading forever" might be a couple of minutes to some and half an hour or more to someone else).

Which EPs/SPs you have, plus computer specs might be a good idea to list, too. Memory/RAM, graphic card, procoessor speed... that sort of things.

With every EP the game will load a little slower because there is more information to gather. If your computer was already struggling a little bit, it might have become worse when you installed Supernatural (which seems to be quite heavy on the graphics). Your game settings might have something to do with it also. The higher graphic settings, the slower the game performance. 

Can you please answer all of the Theraven's question and not just your favourite ones ;) ? The more we know the better we can help you.

As she asked:

Please link to the program in question so we can take a look at it.

What are your computer specs? ("Plenty of RAM" doesn't tell us what you have - RAM, Processor, Graphic Card, O/S)

How long does it take to load, exactly?

What EPs/SPs do you have?

You mentioned you have 1.03 GB of cc, but are they a few large files or lots of small files?

I suspect that that would be Delphy's TS3 Dashboard found on Mod the Sims. However, it neither speeds up nor slows down the system, its only function is to identify mods that conflict with each other. It does not identify any that may cause problems with the EA code. Also, it is a sad fact that the bigger the game gets, the longer it takes to load and save. For instance, if you visit several different lands (WA and/or University) the save game contains all those lands along with everything your sim did and every interaction with the native sims in those lands and also your town and a complete history of all your sims. This in itself will slow things down over time due to the size. This is exacerbated by version 1.55 because it allows you to move to another town, such as from a lot in Sunset Valley to one in Riverview. Each of these moves adds that town to the mix making it bigger and bigger.

Also, there are two kinds of CC, that that comes in SP3 format (found in the Downloads folder) and that which comes in otherwise, found in Mod/Packages folder. The more installed, the slower the load. Things that come in through Download and are "installed" using the S3 installer (found on the loader screen) become a permanent part of the game, you can only bypass this by selecting the option to run without custom content.

Couldn't respond to your PM, it says your inbox is full. However, I've never experienced what you described. Something is obviously wrong. You may have to try EA technical support to try and get this resolved. Best I could do, sorry. Make sure your mods are updated to the version of S3 that you are running. Sometimes that can cause a loop during loading that will never resolve and so, it runs for hours or until you cancel it.

The game needs 1-2 GB fo RAM to run, probably including some more for running the OS, plus any additional background programs. So knowing how much you have would be nice, in addition to other computer specs.

Do you have a graphic card with dedicated memory? If not, and especially if you're playing on a laptop your game will usually be slower.

Not sure about compressing downloads for sims 3 (I've only tried it for sims 2), but putting several files into one big file can make the game load it faster (I've not tried it, and I have no clue how to do it, but according to several people this is one of the best ways).


This is a sign of it being the CC that causes your game to move slow. Are you sure everything is updated to your current game version (the newest is 1.55, which is for Island Paradise), including mods/hacks?

If this helps, I think what Raven needs to see is the system info. ie. mine is OS Windows 8, RAM is 8 GB, processor is Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3630QM CPU @ 2.40GHz, 2401 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s), System type x64-based PC, Graphics board is NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M with onboard RAM   2.00 GB (2,147,287,040 bytes). It is a laptop. The hard drive is irrelevant but mine is sufficient.
 
I agree with Raven, it sounds like there is a mod that is not compatible with the game version that you are running. Check back wherever you got your mods and see if there is an updated version you can download.

Is your game patched to 1.55?

If it is, open your SavedSims folder and delete the file named downloadedsims.index

It is also safe to delete the .tmp files from your DCCache folder.  Those are duplicates of your installed sims3packs that the launcher generates every time it is run.  Do not delete the .dbc files, those files are where your installed sims3pack content lives.