Born In game sims dissapear

[TheSimSariah]

Hello, I posted this in a different forum before figuring out how to do it here. Sorry about that =( Anywho, my born in game sims dissapear when I restart my game, and yes I am saved before I exit. It does this in every neighborhood. I even took out my downloads folder and had a sim kid, saved and exited, restarted, still doing it. Adopted sims dissapear as well. The parents' sims memory says "had subject% !" I am completely baffled here. I have searched the forums here and at the BBS I guess I am the only one with this problem. This is really making the game unplayable and unenjoyable for me as you can imagine. If anyone could please help me I will really appreciate it! Thanks

[TortureTheNannies]

Two things may help you diagnose the problem, but this is not a total fix.
First, if you can find Merola's magic mirror ( or mind control mirror?) it can be used to locate any sim on the lot, including invisible neighbors. Perhaps it will locate your disappearing sims.

Second there is a folder called logs in your My Documents/ea games/the sims 2 folder. Check the most recent files and read the error messages to see if any sims are named.

[simsample]

Try this experiment- Cut and paste the Sims2 folder from My Documents to the desktop. Run the game so that it generates a new set of files. Enter the game and play a lot, for example one of the Maxis lots. When a baby is born, does it disappear when you exit?

[TheSimSariah]

that's a good idea simsample, I'll try that when I get home. I am out of town atm and away from my game =( Thanks all. Oh, and I don't know that the mirror thing would work. It's as if those sims never exsisted at all, they aren't there in any way.

[KittyKatH2o]

How many sims live in your neighborhood? I've had my game start to reach 800 (sometimes more) sims, then mine start disappering and I have to make a new neighborhood.

[jaxad0127]

I found a similar thread on the SimPE site: http://ambertation.de/simpeforum/forum/viewthread/3440/200000. The same thing might be happening to you.

[TheSimSariah]

I don't know, I'll try everyone's suggestions when I'm home. I do have lots of sims, but this happens in every 'hood, even new ones. =( The simpe thing may work but having to do that every time my sims have children is going to be a pain in the arse. If you take out my "sims" folder and start the game to generate new files, and the game then works fine, how do I get all my sims and what not back?

[simsample]

Are you running Windows XP home or Pro?

[TheSimSariah]

I have windows xp media center

[julianarosalia]

I'm not terribly familiar with the Media Center version of Windows but with the extra software and codecs and being such a non-standard version, that might be the problem.

[jaxad0127]

I think I know where simsample is going with this. XP is notorious for ignoring the read-only status of files/folders, while game always follows them. If your characters folder is readonly, no new files (characters) can be added to the neighborhood (memories are kept elsewhere).

[Citysim]

I hate to say if your getting $Subject memories, the sim no longer exist, no even in Shreddered data form, so Merola's magic mirror wouldn't help.

This has happened to me by restoring back-ups using external programs, also had one case of game creating random townies and replacing the filename numbers but with different reference IDs.

I just either have to start a brand new neighborhood or use the notowniespawn hack to stop this risk.

[simsample]

I think I know where simsample is going with this. XP is notorious for ignoring the read-only status of files/folders, while game always follows them. If your characters folder is readonly, no new files (characters) can be added to the neighborhood (memories are kept elsewhere).

That's exactly what I was thinking, Jax. Although from what I've heard, it seems that taking the read-only status off the My Documents folder doesn't help much.

Citysim is also right- there will be no chance of recovering the sims, what we need to do is find out how to prevent this from happening again.

[jaxad0127]

To prevent it would require the game to ignore the readonly bit in the user data.

We need to petition for this.

[TheSimSariah]

It's just rather odd, my game only started doing this recently. It always worked properly before. I don't care about the sims that have dissapeared as they are sims that are only recently born in game. My old sims are all fine. I just want the problem fixed. Even if I reinstall how do I put my backup folder in without the files just being "unreadable" or Curupt again?

[simsample]

TheSimSariah, go to your Sims2 folder in your My Documents folder. Right click> properties, uncheck 'read only' and click apply. Test the game- any better?

[TheSimSariah]

Oh if that works simsample I will worship you lol. I wish I could test it right now but i'm away from home. I wonder how this all started in the first place though lol.

[motherspet]

I had not a baby disappearing but its mother. I moved both parent out as the children are all grown up and the couple needed a smaller house. In the n'hood screen I click on the house and both are showing but when I go into the live game only he is there. I try to find family member, Merolas mirror and the summoner. In SimPe he has married subject$...... Has he truly lost his long standing wife? Also his fears are of getting old and never been married. This is so weird and happend right after I installed OBF. Please don't tell me that she is truly lost (sob)

[Citysim]

Thats just the problem I had motherspet after I install OFB, I lost 3 sims, you may of lost more without realising it, you may soon horribly discover it, it took me 3 weeks to find out who was missing after installing the EP, Unfortunately if its a $Subject memory she is truely lost, either the filename has gone or she has been overwritten with a new sim.

Did you restore any backups lately?.. or do you tweak you sims with SimPE often? as no ones knows exactly what causes it, Depending on the popularity of the missing sim, this can cause annoying error boxes on certain sims, and the only way and I suggest you do this, is to clean up the memories of the husband and other close friends of the sim, and remove the ones that link to the missing wife, you can easily tell as the sim will now be named Unknown.

Or you got a template of the wife you can recreate her again, and re-link the husband the memories back to the new wife, the husband wouldn't know the difference if you fix it up this way.

But before you do anything, I'm sure you know, but BACKUP... Backup!

[motherspet]

I always make backups before I install a new EP or before a hack. It has taken me days to update them all and I just started playing again when I noticed the missing sim. I had done so much work and done a backup again....that I would rather create a new sim and re-link the husband again. I just wonder about the childrens and many friends memories. No I don't do much with SimPE, I use it mainly to check things. I am not smart enough for using it properly.

[TheSimSariah]

I wish I knew exactly when this started happening for me. I do have all the ep's and add on packs and all the patches for the game. I have always used simpe and never had any problems with it. I have backups but I'm worried if i reinstall and put in my recent backup I'll get the same problem. I just want my sims to be able to proliferate! lol I won't be buying pets or the glamour pack untill this is resolved for me; I can't really play with my game like this anyway.

[Citysim]

@motherspet, I'm not very experienced with SimPE either, but editing the memories is actually quite simple, if your also fimilar with the Sim Browser, just click on a sim, go to Other, and click on Open Memories, the rest is really straight forward, just commit and save when your done.

@TheSimSariah, not too sure what you mean but you may of backed-up your recent backups too late, try to trace back when you actually last saw those missing sims, its helps somewhat, mine traces to NL before I had OFB to I think my problem was EP-linked.

[simsample]

The best thing to do is to make frequent backups; if your sims are important to you then this is what I would advise. You only need to copy the neighbourhood folder to back up your Sims; this should not take up much file space, and you could just copy to a safe place on the hard drive (desktop for example).

[motherspet]

The best thing to do is to make frequent backups; if your sims are important to you then this is what I would advise. You only need to copy the neighbourhood folder to back up your Sims; this should not take up much file space, and you could just copy to a safe place on the hard drive (desktop for example).
You had given me an idea. I too copied the current nhood folder onto the desktop and had only recently deleted it. And lo and behold, it was still in the trashcan. I retrieved it and let SimPE had a look at it. And yes, she was there. It was the backup done just before I installed OFB. So now I know she can be saved but HOW??? To do anything else in SimPE then just looking things up I would need step by step guidance. Would somebody please be patient enough and guide me through it, provided it is at all possible. Thanks all you people out there for helping. Like the other person, I don't like playing this game at all if my sims disappear.

[TheSimSariah]

Oh I'm glad for you! I think all you have to do is paste your backup file over the current one and it will overwrite it. Or you can reinstall and then cut and paste or copy and paste your backup in the correct spot.

[julianarosalia]

Here's a FAQ on Backing up and restoring files (http://www.modthesims2.com/article.php?t=138900). Please let us know if you have any questions.

[motherspet]

Here's a FAQ on Backing up and restoring files (http://www.modthesims2.com/article.php?t=138900). Please let us know if you have any questions.
Oh dear, I have done too much work in the meantime already. In only want that one person to be quote resurected unquote. I was hoping there would be a way.

[motherspet]

I don't want to be pushy, seeing it is not even my thread, but I only want to know definetely if there is a way to get that sim back even that it is from a save before a new installed EP. I have tried to cut and paste her but of course it did not work. Besides there is a another user now with the same ID number.

[InuYasha-Gurl]

omg same thing has happened to me!!!!

[motherspet]

I ended up killing him as nobody could interact with him. The file was totally corrupted. His children did not mourn him nor did they get an inheritance. It is like the parents never existed. I suppose I was lucky to have lost only one couple. My babies are all still here.

[simsample]

The only way you could most likely get him back would be to install the old neighbourhoods, enter and package the sim to a file (or use sim surgery in SimPE). Then you could import the sim into the new neighbourhood- but you would have to recreate the personality in CAS, and if you wanted memories and relationships you'd need to SimPE that, too.