Game Freezing frequently

[Joria]

In build buy mode, the game will frequently freeze and there is NO unfreezing it that I can tell. 

After you've completed a quest often the game goes immediately to the next screen for choosing quests, putting in a building, or building a character.  No time to save.  Trying to save at this point, the game freezes.  Sometimes if you just go straight to putting in the building, the game freezes.

In CAS, in the middle of finishing up your character's looks, the game freezes.

Anyone else having this trouble?  As far as I can tell the only thing I can do is just forget it and quit the game and start all over again.  It's getting really frustrating and taking away a great deal of the game enjoyment.  I just finished that love quest and made my sad, licentious healer all kinds of happy for having divorced the evil idiot she married and finding true love.  BAM!  Game freeze.   

[bshag]

Oh my...sorry about that, but no game freezes here.  Hope you find out what the problem is.

[Jonna]

My game froze one time, I think right after finishing my first quest.  The entire computer froze (I couldn't move the mouse, couldn't ctrl+alt+del), but after five or so minutes it fixed itself and hasn't happened since.  Sometimes after placing a building, it will go to desktop, then switch back to the game and everything is fine.  Sorry I couldn't help more.  Maybe try putting your settings to as low of detail as possible.

[Joria]

Yeah, I did the settings thing to make them lower but it really ruins the graphics.  I think I'm going to remove some of the more decorative and less useful items and see if that helps.  It's strange it would do it in CAS though.  Good to hear that others have their screen go to desktop and then back to game.  I thought that was a problem just with my pc so guess it's maybe just something the game may have to fix.  I mean EA in an update.

[chrissie]

I'm having a similar problem, I cannot get out of furnish no matter what, I've tried uninstalling the whole thing then doing a re-install. I finished the tutorial put in the cathedral building went into furnish and Bam! it froze again. Anyone got any ideas? Please? Oh and BTW every time I put the disc in to play it tries to install the game again.

[Joria]

I haven't taken my disc out since I got it so don't have that problem.  It's freezing less now I cleaned out the cache files and I disable my anti-virus when I play which also helped.  Just have to remember to turn it back on when I come in here but I'm so paranoid about viruses I haven't forgotten yet.  (knocks on wood)  Everything does still slow down and want to freeze in CAS and build/buy mode, or at least did before the update.  Not sure how the update will fix that since I haven't had to furnish or create a character yet.
Here's hoping it fixed it.

[TheChronicR]

Have you cleared your caches, Joria? It works just like in Sims 3, more about it here.

[chrissie]

I've removed the cache files as you suggest Chronic but no luck. I'm all patched up but my game seems to be unplayable after the tutorial. Now I don't know what to do

[TheChronicR]

I've removed the cache files as you suggest Chronic but no luck. I'm all patched up but my game seems to be unplayable after the tutorial. Now I don't know what to do

Are you sure your computer has the minimal requirements needed to play the game? They differ from those for Sims 3.

[chrissie]

Yes I checked that, I'm going to try the game on my husband's computer later today and see if it works on that, it is marginally more up-to-date than mine.

[Pam]

The new patch may help with this problem, as well.

[TheChronicR]

Pam is right. The new patch fixed a couple of frequent problems.

[chrissie]

Thanks folks. I tried it patched and unpatched, no difference, but annoyingly it plays perfectly on my husbands computer, and my graphics card is better! Seems it just doesn't like my computer or something is conflicting with it. I'll do a clean-up and try again.

[TheChronicR]

Thanks folks. I tried it patched and unpatched, no difference, but annoyingly it plays perfectly on my husbands computer, and my graphics card is better! Seems it just doesn't like my computer or something is conflicting with it. I'll do a clean-up and try again.

Do you use your computer for things other than Sims, maybe even other games? Other games use RAM space too, and that's likely causing the problems. And is your husband playing other games on his computer, as well?

[chrissie]

My husband only uses his computer for our accounts etc. However I'm pleased to say that a little clean-up worked wonders and I am finally able to play! Yippee! Thank you all so much for your help, you made me think (not easy at my age) and pointed me in the right direction.