Before installing the EP/Patch you should:
- Remove all your mods and cc (especially mods)
- Make sure, your Sims are not on vacation in any neighborhood you plan on playing with in the future
- Make sure your Sims are not sleeping (can make the beds unusable)
- Remove any LAA/ 4GB Patch you did to your game (if you don’t know what that is, you haven’t done it). If will probably get an invalid file error if you don’t remove it.
- Remove all your mods from your game (yes, right, already said that)
- Make a copy of all your user files (the whole folder in documents) to an external hard drive.
- Save all Sims and houses you care about to the bin.
- If you download the patch through the Launcher, be PATIENT. There will be 2 patches downloaded (if you have any EPs that is). Don’t start the Launcher manually, it should pop-up on it’s own, when it’s done.
After installing the EP/Patch you should:
- EA seems to have done LAA/4 GB Patch themselves this time. No need to redo it. Way to go EA!
- Do DEP for all your Expansion Packs (including the new one). Will need to go find a link on how to do that
- Start a NEW testing neighborhood. Don’t start any game you grown to love for all the cc you have used will be replaced.
- Play for awhile, then start putting back your cc.
- Don’t put any mods back unless you are sure that they work (or want to test).
How to uninstall CC (= Custom Content) the easy way
- Go into the game and save all houses and sims you want to keep into the bin
- If you are using Scripting mods make sure that no sim is currently performing an action added by those mods. To do that use the ‘Reset everything’ Option in Twallan’s MC. The career mod and the Register Mod by Twallan require some extra steps to uninstall so please check the corresponding thread where you downloaded the mods from (you will need to do that with every savegame you are still playing)
- Save and exit your game.
- Move the content of the following folders to your desktop (move, not copy): DCCache (= cloth, hair, installed patterns etc), SavedSims (Sims), Worlds (worlds), Library (households & houses) & Mods (package-files).
- You can also move the content of the following folders: Downloads (all sims3pack as they show up in downloads in your launcher) and DCBackup (all sims3packs unpacked, not much purpose). I would move, not delete.
- Delete the following cache files: CASPartCache.package, compositorCache.package, scriptCache.package, simCompositorCache.package (can be found in documents/electronicarts/thesims3)
A word on mods/hacks
Mods (sometimes called Hacks) are files that alter they way your game behaves. It’s not just some extra cloth or hair but it can significantly alter your gameplay.
If you want to use mods, that’s fine. I could not play without them. BUT use them with care and KNOW what you are doing. Don’t just mindlessly put in whatever you come across. Some XML mods can’t be used together for they alter the same file. Use Delphys Dashboard to check for conflicts. XML Mods that conflict with each other cannot be used together.
There are different levels of modding
Core mods alter the main game package file and therefore will always be invalid with every patch that comes out. EA will always replace this file with a newer one, making the changes that were made obsolete.
Scripting mods use external code to add extra stuff. Some of them will get invalid with the patch, some of them don’t. It really depends if EA changed something that will interfere with the changes. The bigger the mod and the changes mads, the higher the changes that they will lead to troubles. Always check with the creators if the mods have been updated. Most of the scripting are pretty fast and reliable when it comes to updated.
XML- (or Tuning) Mods change something in a XML file to change something. If EA changes something in the same file (or any other XML mod for that matter), the mod will not work any longer for with the mod you overwrite the changes EA has made. So the modders will need to take the new XML file and reapply their changes to make them work again. Bigger XML files like the socializing file, skill files, book files will be changed almost every time, thus making those mods incompatible pretty fast. The issues will always be the same (or similar).
NoMosaic is a mod that changes some HEX values. It will probably need updating with every Add-on but not with every patch.
There are also those mods that change ini files. You will need to replace EA files with the mod (instead of just putting it in the package folder). ALWAYS backup your original file, for you will need to reapply the original to be able to patch.
Again: Using mods is fine, but always take them out when patching, keep them in a separate sub-folder, so you know that they are mods and always make sure you read what the creator writes about them. If a mod is not maintained anymore, you should not use it.
CAW
CAW is working with LN BUT you need to redownload and reinstall.
Workaround to Fog Issue: Click me.
im so happy for