Unplayable houses

[SilverFox]

Started to combine this question with another but won't.  Have had some households that cause a crash everytime I try to play them.  Have to move my Sims out and put them in another house.  Can't go into the house even after they are all out.  Usually bull doze it.  This has happened even though I was able to play them previously, presume it is something I installed in the house that causes the problem ?

[Theraven]

It's quite likely a CC problem.


Unless you have a feeling of what item might be causing it:
- Take a backup of your Neighborhood folder (so you dont ruin anything)
- Go through the 50/50 method with your CC
- Use one of the crashing houses as a test lot (remember to not save anything)
- If you manage to get onto the lot, the CC that's there is most likely not the culprit, but make sure to test thoroughly, as some CC can react to other CC but work perfectly fine on its own.
- If you're lucky you'll be able to narrow it down to a few objects/hacks/mods. Remove only those you found, and test again. If everything works fine, you're good to go.
- Delete the old neighborhood folder, and put the backup in. That way you can be sure you didn't do anything bad.

In the future, remember to test-run the house in a test neighborhood before you decide to use it. That way you can more easily remove problem CC before it starts making trouble in your main hoods.

[SilverFox]

Thanks.  My problem is I keep making changes and getting everything screwed up.  Trying to play T&A and have decided it isn't worth while but things are a big mess right now.

Have Sims with major spikes sticking out of both arms from the elbow to the shoulder, mostly teens but some adults also and more when they are dressed than when totally naked.  Men and boys not affected.

[Theraven]

Sounds lie you either have bad graphics, or bad meshes. "Exploding" meshes often cause the spiky look.

T&A is a very big mod, almost like installing a new EP (it's essentially a tweaked M&G), and it can cause lots of troubles if not installed right. Installing big mods or game changes on top of whatever else you've got is often a Very Bad Idea, and will often cause more trouble than it's worth. The best way would be to start with a clean version of your game.

Step by step:
- Move everything in the The Sims 2 folder away from that folder, and run the game. This will create a new, clean game without having to actually reinstall anything. Keep the old files as a backup.
- Read all about the mod and the installation process. This so you know what you're actually installing.
- Install the T&A mod, and run the game without any other mods, to make sure everything works alright.
- Slowly add mods and other CC to figure out what works with T&A and what doesn't. Start with mods/hacks you can't live without, and other big mods. Be warned that a lot of the bigger mods might not be compatible, and read all info provided with T&A.

[SilverFox]

Did you mean move the Downloads folder ... how can I move the whole Sims 2 folder ??

[nezumitwelve]

saving a house/sim under both M&G and T&A/A&N can cause things to go sideways. even different lots in the same neighborhood can do this.

i recently had a similar issue when i deleted an unwanted baby. it took me a long time and a lot of trial and error to finally get the baby removed from the family without crashing everything. i have no idea what finally worked, but once the baby was a toddler, everything was right as rain.

don't know if any of this helps, but thought i'd put the info out there for folks

[Theraven]

I meant the entire "The Sims 2" folder.
C:\Users\[USER]\Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2

If you take this out, the game will regenerate a new folder with a clean version of the game the next time you play (DON'T delete the old one, in case you decide to go back to it - it's handy as a backup!). It's the quickest way to make a clean game, and much quicker and safer than reinstalling.

[SilverFox]

That doesn't sound possible, remove the entire Sims 2 folder and whats left will regenerate a new Sims 2 folder ?

[Theraven]

I've done it several times. I actually had 3 different "The Sims 2" folders at one point (renaming the two I didn't use).

If you're afraid of things screwing up, try to rename the one you have (something like "The Sims 2 Old"). When the game doesn't find the folder, starting the game will generate a new folder.

[caffeinated.joy]

It works. I've done it.

[nezumitwelve]

it works because it's not the install folder where the main program components of the game are stored, but the user data files which are generated the first time you play the game.
by removing them, the game thinks it's a new install and builds new copies.
you do NOT want to remove the files/folders located under C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86) unless you want to lose everything and go through a full reinstall.