Help! Showtime Bugs & Crashes

[Deckayder]

I downloaded the Showtime EP through the Origin website instead of buying the hard copy disk. I've never done this before but decided to try as it was on sale. Since installing the new EP my game is having a lot of trouble. I randomly get glitches where Sims get stuck doing an action, or stuck in the side of a hill. The game is also very 'laggy' and often freezes for 30 to 60 seconds. Most recently my game actually WON'T save. It tries to save for 10+ minutes, then an error message comes up saying Error 12 cannot save game. I try to save again and it crashes. Not so much fun to play when nothing is saving on me.

Prior to installing the Showtime EP I had none of these issues.
I have all other EP's, one stuff pack, and absolutely no mods or custom content of any kind.

I've looked on the main site for fixes to this and also recently updated my video drivers to no avail. Does anyone have any suggestions for this or have had similar problems?

[Corylea]

Yep, I've had similar problems, especially the freezing for a minute or two.

The error message for Error Code 12 is misleading, and what usually produces it is running out of memory.  So, save your game often and make sure you turn off all non-essential background tasks before playing TS3.  I got Error Code 12 all the time when I tried to play a Stylist, because the game kept track of all those new outfits for all the NPC's, which was a big strain on the memory.  Adding more memory to your computer is also an option, unless your computer is already maxed on memory.

For me at least, Showtime is glitchier than previous EP's have been, but it's a fun EP, so I put up with it. 

You could try installing Twallan's Overwatch mod, which is supposed to catch errors before they break your game, and see if that helps.

[Pam]

When was the last time you did a complete re-install of the game?  We recommend that you re-install it each time you add an Expansion Pack or a Stuff Pack.  It helps overall to keep the game running smoothly.  Be sure to check our Technical Help board for information about re-installing and everything you need to do to prepare for it.

[Deckayder]

As for memory to do you mean hard drive space or RAM? I know I have a ton of hard drive space left, my computer is 1 TB (terabyte) total. RAM I'm not to sure on so I can check, but I think it's pretty good.

Pam - when you say re-intall do you mean my entire Sims game, like Sims 1 and all the expansion packs, or just Showtime? To do that wouldn't I have to uninstall what I have now and that would loose all my game files?

[Saltypaws]

I get the error 12 message alot too and usually in my bigger homes with alot of sims.  I only have 2 gigs of memory and that is not enough.  Hopefully, after vacation, I will get 2 more gigs of memory and that should help.  It doesn't really matter how big your graphics card is, but the memory is the culprit.  Try reading this thread and it should give you some helpful advice.

[Corylea]

Deckayder, by "memory," I mean RAM.  Hard drive space is a totally different thing!

[Deckayder]

Deckayder, by "memory," I mean RAM.  Hard drive space is a totally different thing!

Thanks Corylea! I love to play the Sims but I am not a "techie" at all so I really appreciate the clarification.

[Deckayder]

It doesn't really matter how big your graphics card is, but the memory is the culprit.  Try reading this thread and it should give you some helpful advice.

Thanks Salty I just recently upgraded my graphics card so thought that would help but it makes sense why it may not have helped due to the RAM being to little. Thanks for posting that thread, it has a ton of info and I'm sure I will find out how to fix it!. Thanks so much.

[Deckayder]

Just thought I'd add this in case it rules out some possible fixes. My computer is:
Vista 64 bit OS
6GB of RAM
1TB of Hard Drive space
AMD Radeon 6800 Video card

So I definitely have enough RAM to play the game and have cancelled all the background programs...are there any other reasons I would be getting the Error Code 12?

[Pam]

Pam - when you say re-intall do you mean my entire Sims game, like Sims 1 and all the expansion packs, or just Showtime? To do that wouldn't I have to uninstall what I have now and that would loose all my game files?

I mean the entire game:  base game, all expansions, and all stuff packs.  Yes, you would have to uninstall everything first, but you can do a back up of your game files and then replace them in the freshly installed game.  Look on our Technical Help board for information on how to do all of this.  If you have any questions about it, we'll be glad to help.

[Puppetmaster1]

I'm not sure if it is Showtime or the 1.34 Patch, but I am getting consistent crashes for the first time ever playing Sims 3.

1. Did a complete reinstall.
2. Set DEP.
3. No custom content.
4. DCBackup cleaned out (and the other 4 files)

-Crashes sometimes when loading a game.
-Saved games seem to get corrupted somehow and crash on loading.  These are saves of before the game is actually started, when you are setting up your town.  I thought it might have to do with my having deleted all the empty lots off the town map, but couldn't prove anything.
- Reach frequent points in games where it will just crash within the same 8 hour period each time I load.

Anyway, I will keep reasearching, but I have never had these issues with the Sims3 before so I am thinking it is some kind of Compatibility issue with my hardware/software setup.  I think this issue is on EA to fix.

[Ricalynn]

Have you disabled your anti-virus?  For some reason, some of the anti-virus software clashes with Sims.

[Deckayder]

I have Norton Anti-Virus and I don't turn it off when I play. But I ended up just deleting the save I was getting the crashes on and it hasn't been a problem on any of my other games so far. So not sure if maybe it was just a corrupted game file? I'm glad I didn't do a complete re-install - SO time consuming! Plus I'm not a techie, so I'd probably mess it up anyway.