"Sims 3" immediately fell in love with millions of players, because it was a significant breakthrough after the previous version of the game "Sims 2". Now the graphics have become better, and there are more actions, and the world is more interesting. In addition, there were many add-ons and catalogs that brightened up the base game. What is the update with "Pets" and "Weather". There is also the "World of Adventures", "Career", "All Ages", "University" and so on. But the joy of the Sims fans was overshadowed by the fact that the game began to load slowly. We suggest finding out why "Sims 3" freezes, what to do when this happens, and how to prevent the occurrence of such troubles.
The most common error is system requirements.
Often people buy or download games without looking at the system requirements. And they are written for a reason. Such actions can be compared with a situation where an allergic person ate a product without asking about its composition.
Each specific game was developed taking into account certain characteristics of the computer. This includes the operating system, the features of the video and sound card, processor, and so on. All these indicators have a certain range of values. If it does not match the one specified in the description of the game, then the computer may not start it, or in the process you will encounter problems such as braking and freezing.
What to do if Sims 3 freezes? First, check the system requirements of the game. They are written on the packaging or in the description. In order for the Sims 3 basic indicators to work in an adequate mode, the minimum computer specifications should be as follows:
- For "Windows XP": processor frequency - 2.0 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, video memory - 128 MB, on the hard disk - 6.1 GB and 1 GB for storage.
- For Windows Vista: processor frequency - 2.4 GHz, RAM - 1.5 GB, video memory - 128 MB, on the hard disk - 6.1 GB and an additional 1 GB.
- For Mac OS: OS X 10.5.7 Leopard, RAM - 2 GB, on the hard disk - 6.1 GB and 1 GB for stored information.
New add-ons and computer features
With the release of new updates, the minimum system requirements have increased. Now you can play using operating systems such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and MAC OS X.
The processor clock speed is required from 2.0 and higher. And RAM needs at least 3 GB. The characteristics of the video card also increased: from 1 GB or more.
Hard disk space to install all existing add-ons and directories, you need from 25 to 35 GB. It depends on whether you will install additional content. And for saving, an additional 7 GB is required.
If any of these characteristics on your computer is lower, then the game will freeze and may not start.
Additional content
In the immediate period after the release of the game, usually everything is enough for users: items of clothing, types of hairstyles, cosmetics, furniture, decor, cars and so on. But in the near future what is in stock is no longer enough. Therefore, many buy additional content in the Store store or download from other users.
If you installed a few additional things (up to 10), then nothing bad will happen and this will not affect the quality of the game. But most questions like: "In" Sims 3 "the character is hanging, what should I do?" - refers specifically to those who have downloaded more than two dozen positions.
Additional content also requires certain computer features. The higher they are, the less any glitches in the game will be noticeable. But if system requirements are at a minimum, then refrain from installing additional materials. Try to diversify the interior and style of your character with the help of new colorings and types of textures: in “Sims 3” you can repaint anything.
Poor sub-content
What to do if Sims 3 freezes, but the amount of additional materials is small? Then the problem is not in quantity, but in quality.
If you downloaded additional content not from the official Store store, but on an unverified source site, then it is likely that the item will be of poor quality. That is, the content file may be damaged or contain malware, which is even worse.
In this case, you must immediately remove the installed materials and do without them.
Not enough disk space
The amount of free space is one of the Sims 3 system requirements. In this case, this is not about the place where you installed the game, but refers to the space for saving.
The amount of free space to save the necessary materials will depend on such factors:
- The content used.
- Game duration.
- The composition of the sim family.
- The number of virtual cities visited by the player.
- Frequency of making screenshots or videos.
Therefore, when you have a question, what to do if “Sims 3” freezes during the game, then check if there are free gigabytes on the disk, because this may be the reason.
The game hung and "Error 12" appeared
Many users who are thinking about what to do if Sims 3 freezes forget to keep the progress they have made throughout the game. If the program closes, then all the achievements in the world of sims will be lost. But in the process of saving the game may produce "Error 12". What it is?
This crash appears when the game does not have enough RAM. That is, to solve the problem, it is necessary to install more than 3 GB of RAM. If this action is impossible, you can try to increase it artificially.
If you have a Windows XP operating system, then you must complete the following steps:
- Right-click on the “My Computer” icon.
- Select the "Properties" menu item.
- Then open the Advanced tab.
- Select "Options" in the "Download and Restore" line.
- Where it says "OS Download", select "Edit."
- Open the file through Notepad.
- Find the phrase [Operating Systems].
- After the words / fastdetect write / 3GB / userva = 2560 (if you have 3 GB of RAM) or / 3GB (if 4 GB of RAM).
If you use the Windows Vista operating system, the seventh or eighth version, then the actions will be as follows:
- Click on Start.
- Click on the “All Programs” tab.
- Then expand the "Standard" branch and find the item "Command Prompt".
- Hover over it and right-click.
- Open the program using "Run as administrator".
- In the window that opens, write the following phrase: bcdedit / set {current} IncreaseUserVA 2560 (if the OP is 3 GB) or bcdedit / set {current} IncreaseUserVA 3072 (if the OP is 4 GB).
- Then press Enter and restart the computer.
Endless download in game mode
In addition to the fact that the game freezes, problems such as endless loading are possible. This happens when you enter the mode of changing the style or character (wardrobe, hairstyles and cosmetics).
The reasons for this are as follows:
- low-quality additional content;
- Too many saved materials
- insufficient free disk space;
- lack of video camera resources;
- weak graphics card;
- weak processor.
The steps to help you decide what to do if Sims 3 freezes at the time the change mode loads are as follows:
- Improve the performance of your computer.
- Remove excess extra content.
- Increase the amount of RAM.
Endless loading on entry into the game
Are you familiar with the situation when you want to play and have already started the game, but the loading screen does not go away? This problem, like most others, is caused by the low performance of the computer. So check their compliance with the stated requirements.
The solution to the question of what to do if Sims 3 freezes at boot depends also on whether you have a quality installation file. That is, if you installed the game using an unverified source, the program may not start. In this case, you must either purchase a licensed version of the game, or download a new one.
Depends sim in "Sims 3": what to do when all recommendations are followed?
It also happens when the system requirements coincide, the characteristics of your computer are higher than necessary, there is enough free space, there is no additional content or it is exclusively licensed, and your favorite game still freezes and slows down.
Then the problem is that the failure occurred during the installation of the program. In this case, you must do the following:
- Copy the save files to another location (for example, to drive D).
- Uninstall Sims 3 using the program installer.
- Delete the saves remaining earlier, but not copied.
- Reboot the computer.
- Restart the installation process of the game, checking all the save paths and additional programs.
- Transfer the save files back to drive C.
- Launch the game.
Version update
Sometimes problems with the game are caused not by system requirements or the quality of the content, but by the version of the program. That is, the developers are aware of the possible defects of Sims 3 and are trying to fix them by improving it. Usually a list of bugs can be found on the site with a licensed game.
In the same place, updates of a certain add-on (the base game or some kind of add-on) are constantly being laid out with a list of fixed errors and problems. And so that you no longer have freezes, it is recommended to download and install these updates.
Do not forget that downloading new versions requires additional disk space, and you can see the update number in the download launcher.
"Sims 3": what to do if it hangs?
In addition to the game itself, mudlets can also hang. These are the icons that are in the box to the right of the sim image. They display factors that influence your character’s mood. For example, a pleasant environment, an overabundance of exercise, trash and dirt around, new items, a car, pregnancy, having a baby, a first kiss, a wedding, a lot of alcohol, illness, allergies, cold, hot, and so on. In total, the game has more than a hundred mudlets.
They can be both limited in time (for example, the joy of moving to a new empty site lasts 24 hours), and not limited. That is, it ends only when the sim performs a certain action (for example, the “Love” mudlet will always occur when your favorite character is next to your sim).
If the time-limited mudlet has not disappeared, then your game has hung. The reasons for this situation are as follows:
- Lack of RAM (see the solution above).
- The term of the mudlet lasted for appropriate reasons, but you simply did not notice it (for example, you took another ride on a new car).
- The error caused by the version of the game (the developers did not fix the bug, so to get rid of the problem, wait for the new update).
Hidden objects also trigger a specific mudlet. For example, a Sim has a bad mood due to garbage, but you don’t see any dirty dishes, no laundry, and nothing like that. Then enter the construction mode and check all the places: move the furniture, clean the carpets, look at the foundation of the building. It may happen that there are problems with the texture and the garbage “failed”. Therefore, it is not visible.
If you use all the recommendations above, then you won’t have any questions related to what to do if the Sims 3 game hangs and you can play your favorite reality normally. Also do not forget to check the number of programs running simultaneously. After all, it also affects the capabilities of the computer and RAM. Perhaps to play, you need to close some of them.