Excavation Sites Issue

[BellaBurner10]

The dig sites are great for finding relics and other stuff, great when they work. Most of mine don't and the only reason I can come to is that the terrain they are on isn't even. I can use those digsites that are on flat land, but there's so many on uneven terrain that I can't excavate. Does anyone else have this problem? Is there someway of solving it?

[limaCAT]

I can confirm it, I have had this same problem after I updated WA with the patch right before Ambitions.

After Loft Stuff, my EADM borked and I did not bother to patch the game manually... however I did not have any problem with playing an earlier WA (i also managed to catching the red assassin bugs in china required for a mission, you just have to zoom and wait them to crawl out of the soil).

After ambitions I patched my game fully, and  the excavation sites stopped working for a problem with pathfinding.
A related problem: in China it has become difficult to get on the slope rich of metals behind the terracotta army, not impossible, just difficult (you have to route your sim manually).

The only relic sites working are the ones planted right inside lots and tombs.
(There are many still working in Egypt, one at the Queen's temple, three at the copper mine, and in France there is one at the ancient celtic tomb).

[wildredchild]

Since Ambitions was released with its patch of course, excavation sites are totally messed up.  There are a few in Egypt and France that work, but none in China.  This has been discussed numerous times on the forum in the Ambitions thread (I think that is the correct one).  In France you can excavate in the Faerie Tomb and Tualuthas garden, both are underground and on the Celtic Burial ground mound.

In Egypt, you can excavate inside the copper mine for certain.  Not certain of any other sites there.

[HelenP]

There is another thread about it here:

http://www.carls-sims-3-forum.com/index.php/topic,1269.0.html

Maybe they should be merged?

[Metropolis Man]

Thanks for pointing that out, Helen. That other thread has a June date, so we might as well let that one fade away.

[Pam]

They key with excavation spots is that they have to be on a lot.  It doesn't matter if it's above ground or below ground, as long as it's on a lot.  If it's in the middle of the countryside, they don't work.  We need a major patch to fix this.

[BellaBurner10]

I did read the other post. The ones at the Copper Mine in Egypt I can excavate. I knew about the underground at the Copper Mine, and the little island in France, but so far, they are the only ones. I have begun to place them on my vacation lots instead 

[Slingsby]

I did read the other post. The ones at the Copper Mine in Egypt I can excavate. I knew about the underground at the Copper Mine, and the little island in France, but so far, they are the only ones. I have begun to place them on my vacation lots instead 

I have gone for that solution, having despaired of getting a bug-fix from EA for the problem.

When abroad, "Edit Town" with "Testingcheatsenabled true", "buyDebug on" and then use buydebug to install spawners on assorted empty lots.  They work fine, and can actually save a lot of transit time to unworkable dig sites! 

[mtglady]

I have also used 'Edit World' to add a few smaller lots to the different countries.  After making them somewhat flat to blend in with the landscape I have added different spawners and my Simmies have been having loads of fun digging items up.   

[Hosfac]

There's another one you can dig in France on top of that big burial mound.  I believe it's the starter tomb there.  I never found one above ground at the copper mine though, so I guess I'll have to look a little closer next time I'm there.

So that means there are none in China then?  Can someone refresh my memory:  are there any inside tombs?

[Slingsby]

There's another one you can dig in France on top of that big burial mound.  I believe it's the starter tomb there.  I never found one above ground at the copper mine though, so I guess I'll have to look a little closer next time I'm there.
So that means there are none in China then?  Can someone refresh my memory:  are there any inside tombs?

1.  The Copper Mine used to spawn on the surface, but not sure I've seen one lately; that's possibly been 'enhanced' away!  They do spawn on the lot on the tiny island, but you need to zeneport to get at them.  Oh, there's also one on the 'forecourt' of Queen Hatcheput's tomb.

2.  No tomb spawners in China that I can think of ... you would have to create your own. 

3.  And France, as you say, is the Celtic mound [there are actually 2 spawners there] and Tuatha's Garden [4 spawners on the surface and at least 2 on the lowest level].

Whenever we go to Map View, we always check to see if any excavations have spawned ... that's assuming you have purchased 'Horus', of course, otherwise it's a bit tricky.

[Pam]

The little island in France also has excavation sites that can be accessed.

[Slingsby]

The little island in France also has excavation sites that can be accessed.

Indeed ... that's the upper level of Tuatha's Garden. 
Access is via the tomb after breaking the giant boulders at Petit Bois.