**NOTE: I'm new to these forums. I am aware that I am not posting this in the proper section, as this belongs in 'Sims 3 Help', but the site will not let me log in on that specific webpage (even though I am already logged in) so I cannot post there; if a staff member is able to move this to it's proper section that would be great! I apologize for the inconvenience.**

Okay, so, I've been playing The Sims 3 for years and I've never encountered an issue like this. I've gone through many threads with similar issues such as mine, but none of the suggested fixes have fixed my game. I have every Sims 3 expansion pack except 'Into the Future', and I also have one item pack which is the 'Loft End Stuff'. In my game, I've had my sims attend college, travel, move neighbourhoods, and join careers in the Showtime pack. I created this specific game about 20 days ago.

My game was perfectly fine yesterday, I didn't have any unexpected crashes (although it had been crashing previously), I saved numerous amounts of times, etc. etc., nothing out of the ordinary. Today, I went to load my game and it was nearly finished before it stopped. The tips weren't changing, and neither was the loading screen. My music, however, had stopped, and I was used to that since it had been doing that for a couple of days but still loaded the game either way. I waited about 10 minutes before trying to restart my game, and this time the loading bar only went about a quarter-way through, and that's as far as it's been going for the numerous amounts of times I've tried reloading it.

I've checked to see if the file was corrupted, and it wasn't. I've tried using the automatically generated backup file of my game, removing my mod(s), clearing my cache after each startup, deleting the 'DCCache' file, completely restarting 'The Sims 3' file and by just changing the original to 'The Sims 3 backup' and then copying my saved game into the new file, and none of these things have worked. I think I'm out of options, as I'm at a loss as to what I can do next.

If this gives any insight into my situation, I did have an issue that involved my 'Showtime' expansion pack. One of my sims was a Magician, Level 9 in his career, but I suddenly couldn't click on him or use his cellphone. I could still have him interact with other objects and people, but I couldn't use any of the options that involved him using a phone or practicing for tips etc. etc.. Many threads had the same suggestions: enter a rabbithole, use the shower/treadmill, cancel all gigs/steady gigs (which I couldn't do without the phone, as one of the proprietors that had given my sim a steady gig passed away {which was the issue}), completely removing the plot that my sim was scheduled to perform at (so it's canceled), and none of them worked. Ultimately, I had my sim join another career and then rejoin his profession as a Magician... which worked! Whether or not this information gives any ideas as to how to fix my game, I don't know, I just figured it may be useful as it shows I have previously had an issue with my game.

Anyways, I really don't want to have to remove expansion packs and such, as my sims lives are consistently involved in them, and I am not sure what removing the pack(s) will do to them. I'm considering this to be a last resort. I have read some things where people used something called 'ErrorTap' (or something along those lines), but I have not used it as I do not know what it does and how it will affect my game. Any suggestions will be a GREAT help, and if you suggest that I install something to help fix my game could you also provide a link/brief description on what it does? That would be extremely helpful.

Thank you for reading!

Hi there. So neither the most recent save nor the one auto-generated backup would load? This isn't a good sign. The one (harmless) thing that can cause this is, if you are on Patch 1.69, then possibly not all of your EPs are staying selected between game sessions. These need to be examined on the Expansions and Stuff packs on the 1.69 Launcher to make sure they are still checked off as ongoing saved games that have "seen" certain EPs need them in order to remain playable.

If that's not it, or if you are not on 1.69, then it sounds to me like you have two corrupt saves on your hands (not sure how you were able to conclude otherwise). Not much help for today, but most of us play with 4-10 saves at various points in time to which we can revert play should we ever need if thngs go wrong. That can be arranged by using Save As (not Save, never Save & Quit) and changing the name each time such as by appending a number or the date to the save name each time. Many find the NRaas Saver mod useful as an annoying yet still helpful reminder to accomplish the same.

NRaas ErrorTrap and Overwatch can help keep a game free of corrupting influences and of course I would recommend them. But they launch when the game loads up. They can't do any good with a save that refuses to load already, I'm afraid.

http://nraas.wikispaces.com/ErrorTrap
http://nraas.wikispaces.com/Overwatch

Thank you, @nitromon and @igazor for your responses! I really appreciate it.

After I made this post, I decided to try to launch my game one last time, and it did the same thing where the music stopped and the tips/loading screen stopped changing. I tabbed out of it and searched around some forums a bit more, then I clicked it my game back open and bam! My game was back!

I'm not sure what happened or what I might've done, but I don't think this was a permanent fix.

As a response to your reply, @igazor , I am on patch 1.69. All my EPs were still selected still, and I suppose my files weren't corrupted if they loaded, wooh! (: I'll definitely use your described game saving strategy to prevent issues like this from happening in the future, and I will also see to it that I install both ErrorTap and Overwatch.

Thanks again!

If you're saved game tied with EP (and/or CC as well), why did you deleted the DCCache? The DCCache is where all of your CCs located, your saved game might need them to run as it has always been.., this could be the one affecting your saved game when you play it..

It's also possible that, if the game program wasn't outright crashing on you upon loadup but just appearing to get stuck, that you had merely reached a place where your ongoing game is just taking a really long time to load. Assuming you can continue to get it to load, ErrorTrap and Overwatch should help it along. From the same collection of mods, a MasterController Reset Everything (run from City Hall) can also work wonders on ridiculously slow to load worlds that are otherwise healthy as it seems to reach things that the other two mods do not; I usually run one around every 6-8 sim weeks or so.

We have a page full of such tips and tricks to keep our ongoing games moving along here, in case you haven't seen it.
http://nraas.wikispaces.com/Tips+Fo...ame+Performance

I thought this as well, but there was nothing in the file to begin with. From what I had read, that is where custom content would appear, to which I had none. I'll be more careful with that though! Thank you!