Swap Shop and Patches

[Sportsfan]

I was trying to download something from the swap shop, and it was all vanilla sims content, so I should have had no problem downloading it, and I save the file from the swap shop onto my computer, but when I opened it in the launcher, only the launcher opened and there was no trace of it in the launcher. I looked in the downloads section and the installed content section and all the other sections but the thing I downloaded was not there. I'm thinking that the person I downloaded this from had the patch that came with town life stuff, and I don't have that patch, so they weren't compatible (I have the generations patch). Is it possible that if I download something that the creator has a patch that I don't have, then I cannot access it?

[Carl]

It shouldn't. It's supposed to dumb down things. If they have a fancy lamp in the house from owning a stuff pack you don't have, you'll get a fancy lamp you own instead. Save the sims3pack to your desktop and open it. If you still get nothing I"d wonder if other packages are still working for you or if it's just this one. Let me know which one if you still have trouble and I'll give it a shot.

[Sportsfan]

That's not what I meant. What I meant was that the creator has the town life stuff patch and I have the generations patch. I could save the file into my documents but when I tried to install it nothing happened.

[Carl]

Sorry I didn't address that more directly. I don't think it matters, but maybe someone knows better than I. I don't have that patch, for the record, so let me know which one.

[Sportsfan]

I had PM'd Chronic and he said he thought it was a problem with patch 1.24.

[Sportsfan]

Okay, so I PM'd the person I downloaded it from, and he said that he has the same patch that I do. So I'm now not understanding what I could be doing wrong. Correct me please someone, but I click on the link, click save. Then the file goes to a folder in my computer called downloads. I click on that and click open. The launcher pops up, and nothing appears to happen. Does anybody know what I'm doing wrong?

[BellaClo]

Just to check, what you downloaded is a Sims3Pack?

You're on patch 1.24.3 or 1.22.9?

[Sportsfan]

I don't know the number for sure of the patch, but I don't think that it is 1.24. The patch I have is the patch that came with generations. The thing I'm trying to download is here. The file name ends in .sims3pack so yes that is what it is.

[Seabody]

As the creator, the best thing I can offer is to reattach the file. I'll do it after dinner.

[BellaClo]

I just tested myself and I had no trouble downloading, installing and plopping in game. So I don't think Seabody's sims3pack had anything wrong.
 
Check your patch level:
 
Start the Launcher. At the bottom of the left column, you should find a text saying 'version: ....'. This the patch level of the latest Sims 3 programs you installed (game and EP's, SP's): base game is 1., WA is 2. and so on. Then, just below the this version number, you should see small icons: those are the icons of the different EP's and SP's released so far. The 1st one from the left is the Base game, everybody has this one   If you hover your mouse over it, you'll get a number: this is your patch level for that '.exe'. The next icon is WA, then HELS, AMB, Fast Lane, LN, Outdoor Living, Generations and Town Life. The games you don't have will be sort of grayed out.
 
The Swap Shop here is not the Sims 3 Store or Exchange, items downloaded don't go straight to the right folder into your Sims 3 user folder. Track it down (C:\Users\[username]\Downloads) and drag and drop it in the Downloads folder from your The Sims 3 user folder. Start the Launcher and it should be there, under the download tab. Tick the box for this lot and install. When it's over, check it's there in the installed items tab.

Does it help?

[Seabody]

I know for a fact that I am on the same Operating System as Sportsfan, so I double-checked. I told him how to do it and wanted to be sure that I had given the correct instructions.
I downloaded Gheez's Loika Loch Braw, and navigated to the downloads folder in my The Sims 3 folder.
I waited until the download finished.
Once it had, I opened the launcher, checked the box, and pressed install. It finished installing. I now have the Braw pattern in my game.

[Anushka]

Sportsfan, I had that too with generation patch. You doubleclick the file, it start launcher and nothing happen. Then doubleclick the file again while launcher is open, and instalation should start and be succesful.
But I was never able to add anything to the game if I'm not fully patched(not even a pattern). That is the only reason I updated game last night and regret it a lot.

[Seabody]

I reattached the file.
Now, if Sportsfan is on the same patch as me, he's on Patch 8.0 for Generations (reinstallation).

[BellaClo]

Sportsfan, I had that too with generation patch. You doubleclick the file, it start launcher and nothing happen. Then doubleclick the file again while launcher is open, and instalation should start and be succesful.

The Launcher path has changed with Generations.
 
Before: the .exe used when the Launcher was running was the one located in your last EP/SP folder.
Now: the .exe used is the new one located in the base game folder, Sims3LauncherW.exe, whatever the last EP/SP you have. The shortcut icon on the desktop still points to an .exe in this last EP/SP folder, but this one is a 'mini' version that just calls the real one in base game folder.
 
All this to say that maybe the double-clicking on Sims3pack hasn't been updated correctly with the last patches. It's probably better to manually put the files in the Downloads sub folder from The Sims 3 folder, then run the Launcher (from icon) and install through it.

[TheChronicR]

As I told to Sportsfan, I know for a fact (I myself have experienced such situations, multiple times) that if you are on a lower patch level than the creator (uploader), the launcher will give you an error that it is unable to install the .sims3pack. However, I never heard of the launcher problem with patch 1.22 as I never had it, so I can't comment on that. Thanks for letting us know, Anushka.