Patch 1.24, Issues.

[Alieana4518]

I'm getting the "Invalid file" error, also. But I'm kind of glad it isn't working with all that's happening... I'm sorry for all the issues! I don't see the shadow of Town Life, though. Hope it works soon!

[PJSim]

Has everyone getting these errors tried updating their EA Download Manager?

@BellaClo:

When I click the links you provide, it starts an immediate download on my computer.  This makes me a little nervous because I don't know the precise source of these links.  I see "ea.com" in the address, but I don't know what "akamai.cdn" is.

Pam, I think every download link I've ever seen for Sims 3 Windows patches comes from that "akamai.cdn.ea.com" domain, it must be the EA server where they keep this stuff. For example see the download links in these EA support posts:
http://help.thesims.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2232
http://help.thesims.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/157/kw/patchpage

But I understand your concern and I don't understand why EA can't just post these links in easy to find places instead of making us surf all over the internet and getting them from second hand sources.

See this EA forum thread:
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/188505.page
Now the poster claims these are official EA links; well then why does EA not officially post them?!? Why should I trust a person named Sassy? Where does people get these links anyway, nobody ever quotes a source. I don't get it.

[MoonsAreBlue]

I now regret working so hard to download this patch. It completely corrupted my Dynasty file. Any new games I start work fine, but my old saves are corrupt.

[Katluvr]

@Katluvr:

I hope you really don't feel you're being sabotaged.  That implies that someone is deliberately trying to damage your game.  Regardless of the trouble we continue to have with Electronic Arts and the updates to the game, they are not deliberately trying to harm your game in any way.

Thank you for your support, Pam.  You are right - sabotaged is an extreme word and I have modified my post above to get rid of it.  I know there was no intent to harm any of our games and it was just a matter of bad luck.  I have no mods or CC (just SP and store content and some patterns from the exchange), so I am confident that is not the problem.  I was so upset when I posted last night and I'm sorry to get so heated.  I suppose I really should go get a life instead of investing so much into my little pixels.

[TheChronicR]

MoonsAreBlue - Thanks just so extremely much! Your link was the only thing that made my game work.

I don't know how, but I discovered that I had two separate base games installed in my laptop - one was patch 1.22 and the other was only patch 1.15. I got rid of the latter yesterday evening and it made my game completely unplayable. I reinstalled the base game - the expansions stopped working and the launcher was giving me some errors. Only then I decided to wipe out everything putting me at a risk of completely borking out my game and save files. I figured out I'd update the game beforehand. I downloaded the superpatch or whatever it is and installed it. It worked! Now I have to reinstall all the EPs and SPs as well as download Town Life in order for my game to be in it's pre-patch 1.24 state. Fingers crossed.

[MoonsAreBlue]

Well, I'm glad it worked for you, Chronic! It destroyed my Dynasty file, and not just the family but the entire neighborhood. I don't think I can fix it, but I'm not giving up yet.

[TheChronicR]

Well, I'm glad it worked for you, Chronic! It destroyed my Dynasty file, and not just the family but the entire neighborhood. I don't think I can fix it, but I'm not giving up yet.

That's awful! Didn't you have a backup or something? I know I have at least three backups of my Pieces file, as well as two of my legacy. EA needs to feel the trouble they put people into!

[BellaClo]

@BellaClo:
 
When I click the links you provide, it starts an immediate download on my computer.  This makes me a little nervous because I don't know the precise source of these links.  I see "ea.com" in the address, but I don't know what "akamai.cdn" is.

Indeed, those are direct links to EA servers, so direct download too. Basically, it's exactly the same operation that what happens with Launcher/Origin. Yet, instead of a plug & play black box that does everything for you, here you do it yourself. This is very soothing for paranoid control freaks 
 
I can understand that you feel uncomfortable with a downloading .exe, but those links points to the official server. Check the links posted by PJSim, you'll see by yourself that the 'akamai' name is always the one used for patches' urls. EA could improve slightly its communication skill, indeed.

[VampirePlasma]

I'm sorry this has happened to you guys. I hope you find a way to fix it or EA helps you.
Right now am breaking my head because is this invalid file in our computers or in the patch?

[MoonsAreBlue]

That's awful! Didn't you have a backup or something? I know I have at least three backups of my Pieces file, as well as two of my legacy. EA needs to feel the trouble they put people into!

I have two. One on a thumb drive that I can't find (go figure) and one saved elsewhere on my computer. But I just got it to work!! I had to use the .backup files. Carl has a post about how to do it here. I don't know if everyone knows how to use these files. I didn't. But maybe between updating EADM to Origin, the superpatch, and using backup files, I hope other people can fix their corrupt saves like I did.

[BellaClo]

Right now am breaking my head because is this invalid file in our computers or in the patch?

 
1st: Be sure you have the most recent version of Origin (version 8.2.0, available since July 14). If not or in doubt, uninstall Origin, download again and reinstall.
 
Once this is done, try to patch again with the Launcher.
 
If it still doesn't work, you can either:
1. try to download the super 650 mb super patch and apply it (so you patch manually)
2. uninstall completely your game and reinstall and patch.  
 
The "invalid file" means a file on your computer doesn't match what's expected by the program you're running when the error pops up (origin or patch).

Edit: The small incremental manual patches seem to be a cause of this error. The only work around so far, if everything else failed, is to use the super patch manually (download the .exe from link posted previously and double click).

[mtglady]

For those that are still confused, here is a link to the Official Sims 3 Forum that everyone should bookmark. 

Nichaedemus is a trusted poster and is also a moderator on that forum.  His information is posted before any of the other sites have it up and I have seen a few of the other sites where they have thanked or referenced him for the posts.

I always check for updates to my launcher and to the new Origin launcher (previously was the EADM) when a new EP or SP is released and I update them if needed.  I am also fully patched at all times.

Last night I had to install a patch when I installed the new SP (took almost 15 minutes until it was finished) and I also had another patch that needed installing when I started up my launcher.  First time that I had a 2-step process.  I also added the TS3PO4.exe and the Sims3 Launcher from the SP to my DEP.  Only then did I start my game.

I had no problem playing with any of my saves and I even played with my favorite one for four hours .

[Serena Darrin]

.  In all 3 files if I try to send my sims to China they get lost in transit and no one is there when the load screen finishes.  I've had this happen intermittently before, so I always save before I let my sims travel.  Usually just exiting the game and restarting from the save point fixed the problem.  Not this time - no matter what I did or how many times I tried, I just couldn't get my sims to appear.  I had the same problem with my decadynasty file that I had started before the patch, but when I created a new game I had no problems traveling.

A little off topic, but try this for your travel problems.  It worked for me.

http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/forum/index.php?topic=5165.msg114655#msg114655

The only thing I will say is that if you do that, your Ancient Coins will reset each time you travel.

And so far, patch 1.24 is working for me with no game crashes, though my testing is very minimal on it right now.  I'm in the process of putting back my CC, and I'll see how that goes.

Edit: It seems to be working, though I now have an absurdly long load time.    I`ll have to see if this fixed the photography bug.

[frankiestein]

Okay, so I had the same problem downloading the new 1.24 patch- it would go almost all the way then suddenly have an error. I clicked on the EADM (EA Download Manager) and allowed THAT program to install an update, then once it finished, I went back to the Sims 3 and installed the new patch. IT WORKED PERFECTLY!

[Alieana4518]

Okay, so I had the same problem downloading the new 1.24 patch- it would go almost all the way then suddenly have an error. I clicked on the EADM (EA Download Manager) and allowed THAT program to install an update, then once it finished, I went back to the Sims 3 and installed the new patch. IT WORKED PERFECTLY!

It worked for me, also! Thanks! Hopefully no issues for the game, though...