Flashing Red and Black / Blackened Buy - Build - Game Opts

[kinnika]

Okay, so I couldn't find this anywhere. If this was posted somewhere else, I apologize.

Problem 1: Flashing Red and Black:

In my Pleasantview downtown view, certain lots will start to disappear, only the roof will show. Specific ones will flash red and black. Certain and random lots will be blackened when I flip through the lots catalog.

What I have done:

1) Taken out all CC downloads incl. Downloads / Collections / Saved Sims (just in case)
Result ~ Still flashing red and black

2) Took out Lot Catalog
Result ~ Lots were normal - but how come those downloaded lots were still showing up if I took them out?  

Questions before doing anything:
So, its got to be the downloaded lots, then?
If I rid of these specific lots, will I also rid of the CC that came with them or is that CC safe because its already downloaded?
I still have this CC in my Teleport folder. Not lots, but things that came with them, I'm sure. I haven't downloaded lots for a half a year. Should CC still be in this folder or could that be the problem child?

Problem 2: Blackened Buy - Build - Game Opts

When I am in a lot and I have been it for awhile, certain CC starts to blacken, especially if i switch back in forth between buy, build, and game options. Then if I hit something that will prompt instruction or words (like save), I can't read what it says. The letters become unreadable little blue blocks or shapes. It game itself becomes unplayable. I have to either let it breath, or I have to quit and reboot. But then it just does the same thing all over again.

What I have done:

1) Removed all CC downloads

2) Played with a family I had never played before in a neighbourhood I never play in. Built and bought things for the house, waited to see if the game would do the same thing (in increments of 20 minutes), and played around with flipping through catalogs in different categories. Slowly added more CC and repeated this.

Questions before doing more of this[/I]:
Am I doing the right thing? Could this be a CC problem if items on my screen including the tool bar blackens (sometimes my whole tool bar so I can't see what tab I'm hitting), and if words aren't even readable or is this something completely different (because removing CC has seemed to help)? Can bad CC really effect the entire screen and tool bar like that?

Pleasantview has been giving me an increasing amount of problems. About a year ago, I had problems with Sims interacting. A couple of Sims could interact with others but others couldn't respond to them at all. I had to get rid of them. Now, the flashing lots in Pleasantview's downtown is starting to happen. What in the world could this be? Could it be some kind of bug in Pleasantview? I'm not going to have to just void this neighbourhood altogether, am I?

Has anyone else had problems with just one neighbourhood?

[pandasan]

I have tackled your questions piece by piece trying not to overlook anything. My responses are broken down below~

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2) Took out Lot Catalog
Result ~ Lots were normal - but how come those downloaded lots were still showing up if I took them out?  

Showing up in your neighborhood? This is because when you plopped lots from the catalog onto your neighborhood, a copy of it was placed into that neighborhood's neighborhood folder (N00#/G00# etc)

Questions before doing anything:
So, its got to be the downloaded lots, then?

That would be a logical conclusion, but my first gut instinct when I saw your post of 'flashing red and black' was a graphics issue.

If I rid of these specific lots, will I also rid of the CC that came with them or is that CC safe because its already downloaded?

Your CC is safe, it was installed separately to your downloads folder.

I haven't downloaded lots for a half a year.

So wait, you did not install a lot recently? What was the very last thing you did before this problem started occuring? (A new EP? New hardware? Any changes to your game or computer itself...)

What I have done:

1) Removed all CC downloads

2) Played with a family I had never played before in a neighbourhood I never play in. Built and bought things for the house, waited to see if the game would do the same thing (in increments of 20 minutes), and played around with flipping through catalogs in different categories. Slowly added more CC and repeated this.

Result?

Am I doing the right thing? Could this be a CC problem if items on my screen including the tool bar blackens (sometimes my whole tool bar so I can't see what tab I'm hitting), and if words aren't even readable or is this something completely different (because removing CC has seemed to help)? Can bad CC really effect the entire screen and tool bar like that?

I tend to associate flashing red or black with a graphics issue, which may or may not be CC related. Have you perhaps installed any mods, such as lighting mods, which do not get installed in the CC folder? I once tried to install a lighting mod with an incompatible version of the game and it made my game flash RED.

Pleasantview has been giving me an increasing amount of problems. About a year ago, I had problems with Sims interacting. A couple of Sims could interact with others but others couldn't respond to them at all. I had to get rid of them. Now, the flashing lots in Pleasantview's downtown is starting to happen. What in the world could this be? Could it be some kind of bug in Pleasantview? I'm not going to have to just void this neighbourhood altogether, am I?

Is Pleasantview the only neighborhood affected?

Here are some things you might want to do.
*If you have any lighting mods, remove them.
*Verify that your video card is compatible with the game and that you have the most current drivers for your card.
*Is your computer running hot? Since things are blacking out over time and not immediately, it suggests to me you may be having a hardware failure somewhere.

Has anyone else had problems with just one neighbourhood?

Oh, it's only Pleasantview that is like this? No other neighborhoods affected? Perhaps Pleasantview became corrupt somehow :x

These are my best guesses on how to help diagnose your problems. You've already taken some good first steps! I'm not a technical expert, but hopefully my advise will be of some use ._.;

[Tenshii~Akari]

Red and black flashing/ disappearing words/ black catalog thumbnails can mean one of three things:  

::smilieiforgetwhi:: Your graphics card drivers aren't up to date

::smilieiforgetwhi:: You computer doesn't have enough available virtual memory while running the game

::smilieiforgetwhi:: Your computer is overheating

I have this happen a lot, especially on large lots, extra large neighborhood screens, lots with over 1 story, or if there's a great number of lots on the neighborhood screen.  I can say this for sure:  if you have a lot of content, the game uses more virtual/physical memory than if you have no content.  The game can't handle a whole lot of things running at the same time if you have a mediocre computer, so one thing for sure is you might want to try cutting out some of the custom content you don't use that much.  Also, make sure that any background tasks are shut down while running the game.  You can find a lot more helpful optimization advice over at Sim Wardrobe (under tutorials) to get yourself some more options in this area.

You might also want to make sure that your computer has a good and cool airflow by it's fan.  If it gets too hot, all of that can also mean some slight damage could've been done.  :dontknow:

Sometimes this will help, sometimes it won't.  I've found this to limit some of my graphics problems recently.  :angel:

[kinnika]

Tenshii~Akari and pandasan,

Tenshii~Akari:

Your graphics card drivers aren't up to date

You computer doesn't have enough available virtual memory while running the game

pandasan:

That would be a logical conclusion, but my first gut instinct when I saw your post of 'flashing red and black' was a graphics issue.

I have an updated graphics card, and I have one of the top Vaio desktops that is supposed to be just for media - essentially for movie making - with a shite load of memory so I'm sure this is not the problem.

So wait, you did not install a lot recently? What was the very last thing you did before this problem started occuring? (A new EP? New hardware? Any changes to your game or computer itself...)

You know, I can't remember. My Sims started having problems last year actually. It could have been the installation of OFB but I don't know. But nothing as far as I remember but wait... I did have my computer completely checked out right around this time or maybe it was June of last year. I had the guys pull out everything and then reinstall everything to combine my C and D drives together and I had them clean my computer real good. I also attached a Seagate to it. Then I had them install Webroot for me and Norton as opposed to McAffey (what I had before) and I do remember hearing that running these things during game play could cause problems. Could the check up have anything to do with these problems?

The result of moving in a Sim family (created by maxis) into a house and then gradually adding CC is so far working. No blackened squares or toolbar going on, yet. I'll keep trying this and see if it is indeed CC. This is in Veronaville (the neighborhood I have never played in and only use as a test subject), so if it is a problem with Pleasantville, I won't know by doing this of course.

I tend to associate flashing red or black with a graphics issue, which may or may not be CC related. Have you perhaps installed any mods, such as lighting mods, which do not get installed in the CC folder? I once tried to install a lighting mod with an incompatible version of the game and it made my game flash RED.

A lighting mod? I don't even know what a lighting mod would do, but no. I have other mods and only ones related to Sim schools, family reactions and teen pregnancies. I really don't have any mods that would effect anything else. I did consider the mod and hack thing, but I had specifically taken out all my mods and hacks just in case.

*Is your computer running hot? Since things are blacking out over time and not immediately, it suggests to me you may be having a hardware failure somewhere.

Tenshii~Akari:

You might also want to make sure that your computer has a good and cool airflow by it's fan. If it gets too hot, all of that can also mean some slight damage could've been done.

To tell you the truth, this may be the cause for it. I'm no computer genuis so I can get duped by things that aren't necessarily true about what I should do with computers. I have a friend who honestly knows a lot more about computers than me and she told me "go ahead and leave it on through the night, I do and its fine. Just shut off the screen." Well, I have been leaving on my computer quite a bit, and not always turning off my screen, so I'm hoping I didn't do to much damage. If I have, how do I fix it, if I can? What do I do now? But also, could my game crash because of this?

Tenshii~Akari:

Thanks for the Sims Wardrobe link. I'll check it out. There is a ton of stuff I could clear out - especially in CAS. I've just been too lazy to go in there and take out clothing that's not showing up.

What I will do next:

Run the Sims with all CC and see if Pleasantville, for sure, is the only neighbourhood with these problems.

If it isn't the only one - I will continue to gradually add CC to that family in Veronaville and keep tabs of what I'm doing.

If it is just Pleasantville, I don't know. I may have to either move everyone to a different neighborhood and erase Pleasantville completely or just start Pleasantville all over again somewhere else. Any suggestions on this option?

As I said before, my computer could be running a little slower and graphics could be a problem because of the computer over heating. I think you guys are right on this suggestion.

[kinnika]

Okay, new problem -

I have put everything back in - no new downloads - and it's crashing now. The only thing I did differently was turn off my Norton and Webroot thinking that may be interfering with game play. That I know isn't the problem because it was crashing last night with both Norton and Webroot on.

I know I am removing the folders and replacing them correctly because I am following the exact instructions off of the MTS2 tutorials, not mentioning I have done this many times before without fail.

I'm completely at a loss. The only thing I can think of is to either do another removal of the game and re-install as suggested before and replacing folders little by little because I just tried to remove all CC and replace folders as the game is now but with all CC out - it's still crashing. I'm frustrated as heck now. Actually, I am now trying to just replace my Sims folder with a backup I made from a few days ago before I started doing all of this.

[kinnika]

And one question:

In my Teleport folder, I have some downloads that I believe came with a lot. Thats what the Teleport folder is for, right? Well, these things were downloaded March of last year. Should they STILL be hanging around the Teleport folder? I thought they were supposed to be transferred to the downloads folder after a brief while, or when the game starts up after downloading a lot. Is this unusual and could therefore be a problem?

Currently there are 33 items in there and I do recognize some of these items by names, so I know these items are in my CC. In fact, I have used this CC in lots - at least some that I recognize.