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Field Researcher
Original Poster
#1 Old 12th Jul 2011 at 6:45 PM

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 3, World Adventures, Ambitions, Late Night, Generations, Pets, Showtime, Supernatural
Default Weird freezing in China after generations install
Since I installed generations and updates shang sim la freezes every night every 30 sim minutes between 10:20 and 7am. This has now happened with 3 different sims in 3 different save files. I have been trying to fix this on my own for about 2 months well since the EP and patch came up. The game was played unmodded until this point.
So far I have tried:
basic maintenance cleaned caches and what not
turned all settings down to low
forced Vsync on (Nvidia Dedicated GPU)
followed the advice in the freezing/lagging wiki thing
removing all store content
playing in clean boot mode/ safe mode
updating all drivers
DEP
CFF exploitation
I tried installing and using overwatch and error trap
Finally unistall and clean install including fixing the registry.

Since the clean install the problem has continued and today I added awesome mod but no dice.
looking at the resource monitor through the task bar shows an increased memory usage and two processes throwing up hard fault svchost DotCom and svchost peer network I think.
I have a dual core amd processor so did the affinity/ priority thing unsurprisingly nothing changed.

As it is only happening in China and only at night I suspect it must be something special that happens in that location between the hours of the freezes( 10:20 & 7am) or possibly something to do with the sky changing.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated after two months of searching I am about at my wits end.Thanks Ib Advance

I want to punch Chris Steel in the face!
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In the Arena
retired moderator
#2 Old 13th Jul 2011 at 4:33 AM
Default MTS2 Staff Reply
Is WA patched up to the same level as the base game and Generations? Game Help:Patch_Tablewiki

There are no freezes or lags in the home world? Do you have any of the mods recommended for the issues in the 2 FAQs above, since this happens?
Does this happen in newly created saves when you travel to China, too?

So, AwesomeMod's "fixall" does not work for this glitch?
How big is the Save?

Do you have a backup done before the travel? Or before the freeze?
It happens on the first night after arriving in China? I was wondering if before the freeze manifests itself, can the Sims return home?

You should try adding the mods recommended in the stickies to see if they can salvage this save without you having to start over a new game.
In particular, are Twallan's Overwatch and ErrorTrap. Since you already have AwesomeMod, you have options on which StoryProgression you want.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#3 Old 13th Jul 2011 at 6:29 AM
Thank you for the response I have already tried the steps in both the links you have provided before posting, I have also tried overwatch and error trap with no success.
The save file jumped to 1.2 GB yip I did really mean GB. There are no freezes or lags in either the homeworld or the other travel worlds. The pre travel back up save file was approx 112Mb I think it is long gone I am afraid.
Fix all did not help.
It happens everynight in China which suggests to me that there is something that happens in china at night between these times that causes the issue unfortunately I cannot work out what.
I also unistalled and reinstalled all my windows updates as suggested on an other forum about pc issues incase it was a fault with windows again this had no effect.

I want to punch Chris Steel in the face!
In the Arena
retired moderator
#4 Old 13th Jul 2011 at 6:53 AM
Do you have enough space to make a backup of this save file?

After you've done the backup, I want to try if removing the TravelDB.package in the save folder for this save help anything.

Of course, this might reset the WA Adventure and everything, but since it is glitched in the first place, I don't think that's a big loss...
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#5 Old 13th Jul 2011 at 1:34 PM
Yip I did have enough space to do a backup I removed the travel.db package bad idea I am afraid lengthy travel load time, invisible sim no ui. I love my explorer sim but I moved him to another hood to see what would happen no dice there either china is still glitched but at least I have a copy and he didn't lose too much in the move. Thanks for your help any more suggestions I'd be happy to hear them.

I want to punch Chris Steel in the face!
Scholar
#6 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 1:40 AM
I've been having the same issue after building a bar in the Forbidden City. I'm curious, have you altered any of the buildings in China? I can't offer you any help, but I'm looking for a common factor.
In the Arena
retired moderator
#7 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 4:40 AM
Quote: Originally posted by simsamu
... I removed the travel.db package bad idea I am afraid lengthy travel load time, invisible sim no ui.
You haven't gotten the mods I linked to in the wiki yet? For the Freeze and Missing Sims/UI issues?
Long load times in WA destination is expected as the game has to regenerate everything from scratch again.

After removing the traveldb.package, how big is the save folder now?
I believe you have a lot of homeless Sims, inactive stereos, derelict vehicles, and broken Sims references, etc, by not having the recommended mods like Overwatch and Errortrap (or StoryProgression or Awesomemod) - all mentioned in those 2 wiki guides.

I guess it might work better to remove them before the Adventure is started.

That's why the save grow to be that big. And the new Memory system is not helping either.
Test Subject
#8 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 7:12 AM
I found the answer to the problem! Check out this link: http://livingsims.nl/forum/archive/...hread-2281.html
Department of Post-Mortem Communications
#9 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 10:10 AM
Yeah, this is the actual culprit, a stuck Sim in the Bermuda Triangle of Hot Springs, Dragon Springs and the Temple of Heaven. During the night it's usually an explorer, during the day it may also be a local down by the pools. The 30-minute interval seems to be the time when this stuck Sim makes another attempt at leaving the place and then fails, causing the freeze until the route failure thought bubble comes up.
I don't know, however, whether this is the same as the Bridgeport routing problem as suggested in the freeze sticky. It more seems as if the LN and the ensuing Gen patch made routing more difficult than before. Because routing in tombs has become more error prone, too and if there is an obstacle right in front of your own Sim and you direct them to some other place on the same lot they'll fail, too. Some of this reminds me now of the Sims 1 when you can't tell a Sim in the backyard to go to the front yard, because of the house that seems to be in the way.
Just experienced this recently in the Nectary tomb in France. While in the past I could click on any (explored) spot within the tomb and the Sim would go there, now I have to direct them from door jamb to door jamb, because they wouldn't go through tomb doors on their own anymore.
In the Arena
retired moderator
#10 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 2:37 PM
I'll take a look at the .world files and see what I can find, but since I'm not that good with CAW, gonna take some time.

Have found some questionable spots in Bridgeport (different from HP's fix) and a spot in that Bermuda triangle of stuck Sims you guys reported. But I need to check the whole map, I think, to nip this lag issue in the bud.
Still have 4 .worlds to look through.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#11 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 3:59 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ellacharm3d
You haven't gotten the mods I linked to in the wiki yet? For the Freeze and Missing Sims/UI issues?
Long load times in WA destination is expected as the game has to regenerate everything from scratch again.

After removing the traveldb.package, how big is the save folder now?
I believe you have a lot of homeless Sims, inactive stereos, derelict vehicles, and broken Sims references, etc, by not having the recommended mods like Overwatch and Errortrap (or StoryProgression or Awesomemod) - all mentioned in those 2 wiki guides.

I guess it might work better to remove them before the Adventure is started.

That's why the save grow to be that big. And the new Memory system is not helping either.

As I stated I had already tried these before coming here for help I have been troubleshooting for two months now (approx) they didn't help at all although they did obviously clear up the derelicts and what not 147 actually. Problem actually worsened after using these for some reason. Next time my sim goes to china I will search the chinese bermuda triangle as someone called it ( that made me laugh). Thanks everyone for all the help I'll see if I can locate the stuck sim/ sims and report back.

I want to punch Chris Steel in the face!
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#12 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 4:34 PM
Quote: Originally posted by babele44
Yeah, this is the actual culprit, a stuck Sim in the Bermuda Triangle of Hot Springs, Dragon Springs and the Temple of Heaven.


I'm not surprised, actually- sims can't get from one lot to another without going through a lot (which means that the routing has to be calculated on-the-fly, instead of from the world routing data). Take a look:





There's also a route trap (circled by my terrain tool):


And some of the lots have non-routable paint right up to the edges, so making it hard for sims to get on and off the lot:


In all, that area is pretty crowded and messy!
Screenshots
In the Arena
retired moderator
#13 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 4:47 PM
At last count my screencaps numbered from 200-222 (I think 3-4 are in that Bermuda triangle alone), though a few could be duplicates as I move around the map.
And that's just in China!
I'll have to document them, before I share any resources so I can find these spots again for the next patch.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to share these fixes? Shall I follow HP's Bridgeport fix, or has somebody got an alternative suggestion we could try?
I'm thinking of those not having CAW (on Macs) or not knowing how-to or not able to use CAW (specs limitations).
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#14 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 4:58 PM
I think the way HP did it is about the only way; if you made a package out of it then it would override EVERY world, which is not good but could be quite funny!

The main problem with China I think is that from the Temple of Heaven sims have to go through one hot spring lot to get to the other; if that could be fixed it would be a lot better.
Department of Post-Mortem Communications
#15 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 5:35 PM
I think, however, that in the case of these stuck Sims, there's more than just the world map being difficult, as these things have only occurred since LN or the 1.17 patch respectively. At least I haven't had any problems with them before that.
At Hot Springs, for example, Sims get stuck by the cross-shaped pool and can't get out again. One will have to direct a Sim to use each individual staircase until they reach the entrance building. From there they can find their way home again.
My guess at that time was that the changes to pools that came with LN somehow broke the ground around pre-made pool lots, because the pool has sunken slightly into the ground and if you sledge-hammer the stairs leading down to the pool you can't place them again at the same spot.

Travelling to and from Dragon Springs has always been difficult, however, it's only that now it's almost impossible. I found Sims stuck there in front of the group of small boulders on the lot where there's also a small sculpture to view.

Another Sim I have found stuck was in front of the large boulder outside of Hot Springs. It is pictured in your fourth picture on the right border.

AwesomeMod's fixall, btw, doesn't help in that case, and I don't think that Overwatch does, either. Only resetsim seems to help, but in the case of stuck explorers this means that they will be sent into hibernation and most often replaced by a new explorer, thus increasing the number of explorers in that world beyond the ususal 8. They won't materialise anymore, however, but MasterController still lists them as being part of the world.

Generations also seems to have added routing problems around individual objects as you can see in the relics shop in France, for example. There is a Chinese floor sculpture in front of the counter where the register is placed. Sims cannot access the register anymore. They get the route failure bubble right away. Moving the register to the adjacent counter fixes this, but I'm very sure that this was not the case before 1.22.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#16 Old 14th Jul 2011 at 9:17 PM Last edited by simsamu : 15th Jul 2011 at 9:18 AM.
Right I have fixed my freezing issue (so far fingers crossed) I downloaded Shimrods memory disabler, first time I re-sent sim to china still freezing then I deleted all his memories and no freezing, the interesting thing was that instead of 300 memories which is the max once I had deleted them all there was still 6 memories there which I of course deleted now no freezing and the save file went down by 200MB. However this threw up the missing sim glitch on returning home so I am off to try and fix that now I will let you all kinow if it works but so far in my case it seems to be an issue with the memory system.
Had to revert to back up to recover missing sim as the steps in missing sims/ ui thread didn't help. Have repeated the previous process I am getting a little freezing but nothing like it was before, will continue with my investigation and keep updating in case I can find anything that will be of any use to anyone else.
Edited: freezing was caused by a stuck a sim in this incidence stuck in dragon springs and cleared up when I reset sim neither awesome mod nor debug enabler had any effect. Also game save is a further 200MB less again.

I want to punch Chris Steel in the face!
Test Subject
#17 Old 15th Jul 2011 at 6:29 PM
Having the same issue
I am also having this issue. I've tried the following mods where it's been previously suggested and none of them actually help the problem:
  • Shimrods Memory Disabler (also deleted all memories)
  • Overwatch
I can also confirm that the lags seem to happen frequently at Sim Night, and I have also noticed 30 Sim minute intervals during the lags. I'll be monitoring this forum thread very closely, it seems to be the one with the most accurate problem description, and I hope somebody can come up with a solution soon. I love adventuring but this issue is really destroying my enjoyment. I'll give China a skip right after I get that boulder smashing axe.

How does one find the stuck sims anyway? I know I can delete them, but I have to find them first! :D

Edit: I found the silly woman - by the Dragon Springs. Deleted. :lovestruc Thanks for the tips above - this will do me until a proper fix comes out
In the Arena
retired moderator
#18 Old 20th Jul 2011 at 4:06 PM
OK, download now available - http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=448919 for the China map. Please read the full guide in the linked Wiki on that Download thread.

(Simplified summary) Just need to
  • backup original worlds (+ Saves)
  • download and extract
  • get S3PE and open the world
  • import the resources you extracted, keep the extracted resources separate for each World!
  • Save and test.

You can report any issues there or here, I'll be checking both threads anyway.
Test Subject
#19 Old 29th Jul 2011 at 4:00 PM
I've done all that. The problem was not solved
Knitting fiend
retired moderator
#20 Old 29th Jul 2011 at 9:55 PM
Try turning off story progression in game options. When I had this issue it rendered my game completely unplayable. I did absolutely everything you're supposed to. Mods would fix things temporarily, but it always started back up. Turning off story progression fixed it for good. Haven't had a problem since.

"Evil genius is still genius." Asura NPC GW2
Test Subject
#21 Old 30th Jul 2011 at 11:02 AM
tried it. no luck thanks, anyways.
Test Subject
#22 Old 3rd Aug 2011 at 11:44 AM
I actually replaced the Adventure worlds with ellacharm3d's fixed ones but China is still giving me issues.

Kamadjnala? Perdanu...Aha!
Lab Assistant
#23 Old 27th Aug 2011 at 12:04 PM Last edited by stevset : 27th Aug 2011 at 12:19 PM.
My issue on the lagging in Simla (China) every 30 simminutes occurance is as followed:
1. At night a random adventurer goes to Dragon Springs
2. He/she get tired and want to go directly to basecamp
3. He/she is unable cause the route is (like said above) in a SimsBermuda Triangle
4. Game starts freezing for a random amount of 05 to 20 seconds
5. Every 30 simminutes this occurance happens
(Check it for yourself, pause the game when the freezing starts, go to overview town, move viewer to Dragon Springs zoom on lot, if you see an adventurer zoom in on it, then resume)

All other lagging are minor glitches in the game (ofcourse that what I am experiencing and perhaps you too). I know that resetting all the sims will also solve the issue or just that one hanging in Dragon Springs, but hell I just want to go through a holiday without having stress :p.

Follow the easy steps Quick fix on this problem:
1. Once in Simla (China)
2. Select on the menu Edit-Town
3. Go to and select location Dragons Springs
*4. Change Lot properties from Monumantal Tomb -> NO VISITORS ALLOWED
5. Go back to player mode
6. Save as .....
7. You're good to go, no more lagging issues at night (other than minor 1-2 sec lags).

Still have to try when I revisit Simla if the problem occurs, hopefully it won't (I'll report back when I do that).

*4 Note: You can always make a choice to delete the entire lot instead, but if you want to catch 10 dragon fishes you will need that location to catch them(don't know where to get them anywhere else). I love having them in my own pond back home :D
Lab Assistant
#24 Old 29th Aug 2011 at 9:47 AM
Okay I said I would report back once I revisit Simla for another holiday.

With what I wrote in my previous post above, for me is the ideal solution, no more lagging/freezing 30 simminutes occurance at night. Hope it solves this problem for you too.

If anything happens after my 3rd visits, i'll report back again on this thread (hopefully not).
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