Sims 3 - Saves not appearing in main menu

[Kotona14]

I have a question, isn't it possible to make a copy of the NHD file and change it to a package file and rename it Union Cove _0x00000000ExportDB?

[Anushka]

I am glad I am not the only one that has noticed this.  I thought I was losing my mind, I knew I had saved, but when I went back into the game, the saved game was not at the beginning like it is suppose to be. 

I also have to have to wonder if anyone else is getting the script error message when the launcher comes up.  The save problem started about the same time I started getting this message.  I just click yes and it doesn't effect my game, but I wonder if it is connected somehow.

Edit:  I don't have UC, so this is happening in regular games.

I knew I've read people had issues with EA worlds and not just user made ones, which is why I made separate topic for this. Hope these solutions are helpful for you, and I do get the script error message when I start the game (I bypass the launcher).

I have a question, isn't it possible to make a copy of the NHD file and change it to a package file and rename it Union Cove _0x00000000ExportDB?

I am shore it is possible to rename the file but I don't know what is the function of that file and if it will make a difference? You may try and share the result with us here?

Ok think I have the solution, at least for UC. Change any 0 in Union Cove Seasons_0x00000000.nhd to any other number, just one of them.

Load the game, and the UC save is visible in the menu. If you tried to load with the wrong number it will crash immediately.

Change the number back to a 0 in windows explorer while keeping the game menu open.

Go back in, load successfully and come here to let me know it works please

I'll publish this in the instructions once I see some feedback.

This builds on Odie's idea, and I just had a Eureka moment so hope this works for everyone.

Edit: Anyone try it on other worlds not working as well. We'll still have to flip numbers to load games until the fix comes but this is much more convenient.

This sound like the easiest and fastest solution so thank you very much for investing time and getting the Eureka moment for this issue 

 

[Kotona14]

Can't, the laptop with the game+expansion packs in it, is being repaired. I don't know when I'm getting it back (It's my mom's)

[Carl]

I couldn't believe your post where you said "I give up"! Didn't sound like something you would say.

After 5 hours on it, I really wasn't sure it was possible.

During those hours I tinkered with the ExportDB file. That can't be faked as far as I can tell, although it is not necessary to load the game it does seem important its contents be right. I really wanted that file in the package as before my factory reset all my save files had that file, while none do now. Before I ever uninstalled Pets to attempt to get this working for everyone, my UC was saving and loading properly. Now I experience the same issue as everyone else.

I do know this, somewhere in the Documents/EA/TS3 folder there is something that says what can be loaded. It's buried in a cache file or written in numbers in some package, but it must be there. When I go back to my files before the factory reset, the save from that backup is loadable while none of the new ones are. Revert to the factory reset and the same problem presents itself. That even applies to EA worlds. The ExportDB file not being generated seems to be the big issue here but I'd love to know where that data is hiding.

[Odie]

After 5 hours on it, I really wasn't sure it was possible.

During those hours I tinkered with the ExportDB file. That can't be faked as far as I can tell, although it is not necessary to load the game it does seem important its contents be right. I really wanted that file in the package as before my factory reset all my save files had that file, while none do now. Before I ever uninstalled Pets to attempt to get this working for everyone, my UC was saving and loading properly. Now I experience the same issue as everyone else.

I do know this, somewhere in the Documents/EA/TS3 folder there is something that says what can be loaded. It's buried in a cache file or written in numbers in some package, but it must be there. When I go back to my files before the factory reset, the save from that backup is loadable while none of the new ones are. Revert to the factory reset and the same problem presents itself. That even applies to EA worlds. The ExportDB file not being generated seems to be the big issue here but I'd love to know where that data is hiding.

I also tinkered a little with the export file and thought it wasn't possible to fake it. Hoped it was...

You say before your factory reset everything worked. That makes sense to me, since I have never done a factory reset (only cleaned up my game by deleting some cache files and DCBackup files (except ccmerged) and all my other worlds are working fine. So logically speaking, there is something that gets deleted with a factory reset, which shouldn't be deleted...

I just checked the post about the factory reset and I see that the only thing you keep is Downloads and Saves. Personally, I would also keep ContentPatch and DCCache, although I am not sure what they do. And what about FeaturedItems, IGACache, SigsCache and Thumbnails?
Still, I have never done a factory reset and I am also not able to see the save file. Does that make sense? You'd think I would be able to, since I have all the original files and never deleted any. Or does that have to do with that from my point of view the problem comes from UC, since that comes from you guys with the factory reset? Hope you understand, it is getting rather late...

Wish I could do more to help. I am just asking questions hoping to trigger someones mind so that someone can come up with the solution

[shibamistress]

I was just able to see the saves from UC Seasons in my launcher without doing the changes to the name.  I'd given up on running UC Seasons (not related to the save files), and decided to try another town, and noticed that this time, the saves showed up with images, when before they had just shown up as blank.  So for I figured it wouldn't really matter if it worked or not--I'd just try one, and the game loaded just fine, which totally surprised me.

Now, I couldn't play it, because it froze after about 5 minutes as has happened each time I've tried to play UC Seasons, but it did load just fine, and the save files showed up without renaming the files.  Odd.

[pat437]

Ok think I have the solution, at least for UC. Change any 0 in Union Cove Seasons_0x00000000.nhd to any other number, just one of them.

Load the game, and the UC save is visible in the menu. If you tried to load with the wrong number it will crash immediately.

Change the number back to a 0 in windows explorer while keeping the game menu open.

Go back in, load successfully and come here to let me know it works please

I'll publish this in the instructions once I see some feedback.

This builds on Odie's idea, and I just had a Eureka moment so hope this works for everyone.

Edit: Anyone try it on other worlds not working as well. We'll still have to flip numbers to load games until the fix comes but this is much more convenient.

Carl

appreciate if you provide the number string you got UC to work for you, as an example if possible.

ie. what did you change 0x00000000 to?

[Odie]

Carl

appreciate if you provide the number string you got UC to work for you, as an example if possible.

ie. what did you change 0x00000000 to?

Carl changed Union Cove Seasons_0x00000000.nhd to Union Cove Seasons_1x00000000.nhd to make it easier for himself which 0 he had changed. But it actually doesn't matter which 0 you change to a 1. I know he said this somewhere.
But the problems for saving and loading UC are over with the new game patch 1.47

[bunso]

Hi everybody.. I'm new here.. I'm just thankful that I found this thread and solved my problem.. I'm gonna try this out tonight and hopefully  will work fine. I just want to ask if where can I download the new game patch 1.47 like what Odie said..
Thanks in advance.

[aenito]

Welcome to the forum. Remember last EA patch is 1.50.56 but if you want older ones, I know this site.