Hello there,
I have recently given Sims 3 another try, but now I find myself having problems installing store content - I don't actually have much, since I never bought any credits, but I'd really like to install Riverview, at least.
The problem is: I can't do that.
Let me explain to you what happens.
I open the Sims 3 launcher. I find my download files under the "Downloads"-tab. I install the files. The game says, installation was succesful. I start up the game. Riverview is not in the list of playable neighbourhoods.
One user suggested checking the Download Dashboard. On the Download Dashboard, my downloads - including Riverview - are listed as uninstalled. I click "Install". The game notifies me that the downloads were installed succesfully. I check the list of neighbourhoods to find that Riverview is still missing. I check the Download Dashboard again, only to find that all of my downloads are now listed as "uninstalled".
And just to make sure that really none of this makes sense, I go and check the "installedworlds"-folder to find a file named "Riverview".

What. Is. This. ****.

Does anybody have an idea what might cause this werid problem - and most importantly: how to fix it?

Oh yes, before anybody asks: the same problem occurs when trying to install any other store content. Not just Riverview. That one's just the one that I actually care about.

It sounds like something is going wrong with the writing of your DCCache files. Are there any files in your Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCCache folder?

In addition to the above, I would ask what patch level you are on. Many who have tried report that installing store content on patches earlier than 1.63 or so just doesn't work. Patch levels considered current are 1.67 and 1.69.

@simsample Oh yes there are lots of files in my DCCache folder:
There is one file "dcdb0.dbc", then there are files "dcdb0.ebc" to "dcdb27.ebc" (that makes 28 files of that type) and one file "missingdeps.idx".

@igazor According to the launcher, I'm on version 1.69.43.024017

Well, it's certainly not your patch level then so @simsample must have been right.

The ebc files are your EA Store content. You have 28 of them? That sounds excessive, especially since you say that you don't have much store content installed in the first place. For a start, I would suggest pulling all of them out and then trying to install something, can be Riverview or anything. The Launcher is supposed to bundle these together. I have well over half the store installed but only 11 ebc files.

The dbc file is your sims3pack custom content. Probably not related to this issue.

If all else fails, you may need to try pulling out your entire TS3 user game folder, thus forcing the game to generate a new one on its next launch and then try working with that one.

Hah! That actually did the trick!
I actually have no idea where those 28 files come from, because I literally only have Riverview and, like, 4 objects that I think I got for free through some promotional thing ages ago(?).
Thank you very much!

I'm going to guess one of them held your actually installed content but the other 27 were garbage and the result of the failed content installs since then. Or something like that. Glad you got that sorted out.