#ts3: tutorials

My game hangs on a black screen when I start it, but stays on the taskbar.

Getting a hanging black screen whenever you open TS3? It could be that this warning is trying to show up but the code is breaking. Use Sims3SettingsSetter to fix it.

I get the "…unofficial game modification…" warning whenever I start my game.

Got this warning already and wanna know how to get rid of it? In TS3, the game code is split into a few resources which store all of the game code. Core mods are mods which explicitly override, replace, overwrite, whatever you wanna call it the game code.

Externally, you may know of the TS3 game version scheme from the 1.67/1.69/1.70 numbers. Each of these versions are pretty much identical, and really, any new-enough core mod should work on any of these. Internally, the version checking system is much more precise. Every single minor patch, including the ones that don't get a new 1.XX number, gets a different GameVersion.

This warning is caused by the GameVersion of one of your core mods not matching the GameVersion of your actual game. Usually, this just means that you should make sure you download the EA App version of a mod if you're playing from the EA App, Steam for Steam and so on.

Here's some mods that you should make sure you're getting the right version of: Script mods and mods that use MonoPatcher do not need to be checked - they can't cause this warning

NRaas ErrorTrap - Just click the right icon for your game version below the description.

simler90's Gameplay Core Mod - This mod is only configured for the disc/retail version by default. Refer to this comment to get the right version (the first HERE! hyperlink is what you're looking for)

Pigtails Glitch Fix - Update to the newest version of the mod, which isn't core so it won't cause the issue.

Tiny UI Fix - Update to the latest version. Your GameVersion should be autodetected.

AwesomeMod - Needs manual editing. Refer to the guide below.

XCas Core Mod (the mod itself, not the locations) - Choose the Steam file if you play off of Steam. Needs manual editing if you're on the EA App. Refer to the guide below.

Rule of thumb for any other core mod - Make sure you choose the right file for your version if multiple are provided. If a mod's last update date is before January 13, 2025, it likely will not work for the latest version of the game on the EA App, even if you choose the EA App version, so you'll need to manually edit it with the guide below.

I've got a core mod that doesn't provide a download for the correct version of my game.

You'll need to download and install s3pe first.

Refer to this list to get your correct GameVersion: Steam (1.67): 0.0.0.32 Retail (1.67): 0.2.0.209 EA App (1.69): 1.0.0.18 Mac, 64 Bit (1.70): 0.2.0.32

2. Open s3pe. Click File → Open in the top-left of the window. Find and select the mod package you want to edit.

3. Repeat Steps 4-7 for each of the resources labelled with an S3SA tag in the list.

4. Click the resource. Click Grid at the bottom-left of the window.

5. Click on the column to the right of the the GameVersion in the Data Grid window you've just opened. It may be blank, or it may already have a number that looks a bit like the numbers above.

6. Replace/add in the number you got from Step 1.

7. Click Commit.

8. Click File → Save in the top-left of the window. Close s3pe. If this was the mod causing the warning for you, you shouldn't have it anymore! ^-^

The Fix: (Reduces a full game install size by >10GB too!)

Go to your actual game install directory, e.g.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3

2. Then go into the Caches directory and delete the .objectCache file inside (just named the name of the world if you don't have file extensions shown). If you use the discs, make a backup of this file!

3. Now, your game will actually load new textures from your default replacements! The new, modifiable cache will be found in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\WorldCaches and you can now delete that cache safely whenever you get new default replacements!

You'll need to repeat this for any EP world you have as well, if you want the fix to work on those, in the Caches folder inside their install directories:

The Sims 3, Base Game: Sunset Valley.objectCache

EP1, EP01, World Adventures: China.objectCache, Egypt.objectCache, France.objectCache

EP2, EP02, Ambitions: Twinbrook.objectCache

EP3, EP03, Late Night: Bridgeport.objectCache

EP5, EP05, Pets: AppaloosaPlains.objectCache

EP6, EP06, Showtime: Starlight Shores.objectCache

EP7, EP07, Supernatural: Moonlight Falls.objectCache

EP9, EP09, University Life: Sims University.objectCache

EP10, Island Paradise: IslaParadiso.objectCache

EP11, Into the Future: Oasis Landing.objectCache

Notes:

Be wary that using this method will make the first time you load into a world take a little longer, because the game needs to build the cache for the first time. This delay will lessen over time.

The EPX names with no 0 are for Steam, and the EPXX folder names are for EA App/Origin typically, but you might have them installed somewhere else if your install is old or via the discs.

Yes, the spacing in some of the filenames is inconsistent - yours might be different but that's how my Steam install looked

If something breaks (which I doubt would happen, but there's a possibility?), verify your Steam installation or repair your EA installation, then empty your Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/WorldCaches folder. (Just re-add your backup if you have a disc install.)

This isn't me promoting regularly clearing your cache for no reason! That will cause a LOT of lag/delay. As a rule of thumb, you should only clear your cache when you add new mods or default-replacing/overriding CC, or your game isn't working properly. Otherwise, you're making the game do extra work. The cache is there for a good reason! It makes everything faster. However, if you do need to clear the new caches, caches for ALL worlds will now be in WorldCaches.

Apparently, WorldCaches is a very sacred folder on macOS, so I still wouldn't mess with that if you're not playing via the Windows version.

Steam/EA App may detect your game install as faulty because these files are gone, and redownload them, but this is rare and shouldn't happen automatically.

This has kind of been half-discovered in different situations before, but I couldn't find anything like this on a Google search. The generally-accepted solution was to mess around in CAS and NRaas, which is so slow for an entire town! It also doesn't apply to objects, and I think this fix might even help with objects too?

love you all! this got me giddy to try defaults again because they were SO annoying to do before

Edit: Which items are actually affected? (Optional reading)

Above is a cached image that looks a bit like what you can find in the objectCache. So, as you can see, the CAS Parts that won't load their new textures onto old Sims without doing something finicky like the method above are...

Clothing (I think for every Sim outfit?)

Face Overlay (Eyes, mouth, teeth, eyelashes, facial hair, makeup)

Hair (Scalp, strands)

...so if you have a default replacement that changes out both the mesh and the texture for any clothing item or hairstyle that Sims are already wearing, it will present an obvious mismatch between mesh and texture. And, of course, even if the mesh is unchanged, the textures of the above parts will stick to the EA look.