Game crashes when I go on vacation

[ClayMask]

I've had the experience recently that once I've been playing a file for a while and have gone on several vacations, my game will crash when I try to go on a vacation or return from one.  It crashes to the desktop during the loading screen and says that Sims 3 has stopped working.  I've also found that all of the games that it happens to have been pretty large (my file is currently 729 MB, with 622 of that being the file travelDB.package.  Does anyone know how I can get around this and travel successfully?

Edit:  Some things I've already tried are running a registry cleaner, enabling DEP on the game, running the game in various other Windows compatibility modes, erasing all my sims' memories, and adding more RAM (I now have 10 GB).

Another edit:  I formatted my computer and installed Windows 7 as 64 bit (I had 32 bit installed last time).  After I reinstalled The Sims, I tried traveling using my old save, and it worked!

[PolarBair]

hmmmm, I'm having almost this same problem.

My windows installation is vista 64 bit and would rather not go through reinstalling the OS o fix this problem. That sounds like a huge pain.

My game doesn't exactly crash to the desktop though. The loading bar just never makes ant progress. The music keeps playing and the tips displayed on screen change every few seconds so it's not exactly a freeze or a crash it just never makes any progress loading when traveling abroad.

I tried deleting the files suggested in the threads about long load times but that was no help.

Any one have any suggestions?

[Noodles]

Wow, that file size is huuuge. I'm curious: how many sim weeks/generations into the game are you? My largest one at the moment is 160MB, and that game is about 5 generations and the gameplay is starting to slow down a bit...

I don't have too much travelling experience, but I used to get that "The Sims 3 has stopped working" crash a lot. In your case, it might be the file size, but better trust someone with some technical knowledge rather than me.

I tried all sorts of things to stop the crashing (clearing cache files often, DEP exceptions, etc etc) without any visible results, but it stopped when I installed Nraas' Overwatch mod (read more about Nraas here). I also got Traveler and ErrorTrap mods later. They might help you, too. Of course, I understand that not everyone want to mod their game.

PolarBair - how long have you waited for the file to load?
I've noticed that as long as the tips keep changing, the game is going somewhere... sometimes it takes a very long time to load. Especially if you have cleared caches. Sometimes I notice the tips "freeze" and even though the music is still playing, the loading really is stuck. Those times I have to force shut my game. But, I once had my file load about 10-15 minutes for some reason (normally my loading times are only a couple of minutes max), and the loading bar didn't seem to advance... it still loaded eventually.

[PolarBair]

I've had my sim leave home to travel and then when the loading screen comes up I've gone to watch a half hour episode of something and then come back to find the progress bar hasn't budged.

[Ricalynn]

I'm resurrecting an old topic because I seem to be having this problem.   It's my dynasty file so no mods allowed.   What happens is I try to have my family go to Egypt  where they have gone many times before.  The loading bar for Egypt gets to within a centimeter at the end and then stops.  Within 5 minutes a window pops up saying The Sims 3 has stopped working.    I've added every file I could think of to DEP.  My files are under Origin Games and I wonder if that makes a difference because I download everything.    I've been trying to avoid a reinstall but I was wondering if anyone else had any suggestions.   I have several xcpt logs for each time I've tried it over the last 4 days.  Each one seems to be a little different but I could double check that if someone thinks it's important. 

While not being able to travel isn't a game breaker (I just have to change my supermax plans), I would still like to know why it's happening.

[sdhoey]

Rica, I just post the same problem. My game was sitting there an hour waiting to open.

[Ricalynn]

Well the nearest I can figure is that my dynasty file is now so large that when I try to play it, Sims 3 requires more than 7 gigs of Ram just to load into another country which isn't leaving any extra RAM (of my 8 gigs).   So it thinks I don't have enough memory to play the game and crashes.   

[sdhoey]

How do find out the actual ram left? I have upgraded the memory awhile back

[Ricalynn]

I've been playing on a PC and I just have the task manager open while I'm trying to load the game.  It was suggested by a friend of mine who wanted to know the results and it was like as soon as I tried to travel, another 2.5 gigs of ram would be used up.

[sdhoey]

When in game I should pull up my task manager and see what usage is?

[Ricalynn]

You can.  That's how I found out it was using up all of my RAM which is the actual reason I couldn't travel. 

[sdhoey]

Right now it opened at almost 4 gb guess need more ram or a better rig!! Hubbys not gonna like this!! Lol

EDITED
I think I am going to have to let go of alot of my CC jewelry I have! That's probably alot of my problem

[donatello]

I run Windows XP Professional with a 1,6GHz processor and 1GB RAM. And I do just fine. Got WA and Ambitions installed. Plus a few minor mods (VISA level accelerator and custom CAS sliders). Every time I switch on my PC I open Task manager and close (under the Processes tab) everything unnecessary down manually. In other words I run my PC light. Antivirus is fully functional throughout. There are so many things that by default consumes the PC's processing capacity it is ridiculous. Trial and error taught me what to switch off and what to leave well alone.

[Ricalynn]

Donatello as you get more games you're going to need more RAM to run them.  I'm currently running every SP and EP so that means base + 13.  Just running the game takes a little over 3 gigs of RAM and that's not even doing anything special like running mods or traveling which requires a little bit more.   

Would lowering my settings a bit more lessen the ram usage?

[loveSims]

Rica take a look at this link  http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/forum/index.php?topic=9379.0

Grimsoul have good advise on it.