Hello everyone,

I play the Sims 2 Super Collection on Mac. I have started having problems with my game crashing. At first, I thought it was random, but I noticed that every time it crashed, my sim had tried to call Gilbert Jacquet on the phone. I started testing it by calling him, calling his mother who lives on the same lot, and calling other people. The game did not crash when I called his mother or when I called other sims. But every time I called him, the game crashed.

I tested it with other interactions, like inviting him over. That also likely crashed the game. I say likely because I never actually saw him appear, but after he agreed to come over, a minute later, the game crashed. Clearly, the issue was with Gilbert.

I read some similar situations people have had like this with other sims, and I tried out some things to fix him. I noticed that just going to his lot would crash the game about 50% of the time, so when I was able to get into the lot, I used the batbox to clear up some corrupted memories. I also changed his clothes. I had him call other people and invite them over.

I expected CC might have been to blame. His lot did seem to load correctly when the CC was turned off, but the weird thing to me is that I hadn't used any CC on his lot. Since I was able to load his lot correctly and change his clothes and appearance (which was suggested in a similar thread), I figured that might have fixed the problem. I had Florence Delarosa call him, and she was able to talk to him without crashing.

But when I went back to the lots I had been playing, calling him crashed the game again. I am running out of things to try to fix him other than quarantining him forever.

Any idea what might be going on?

Try clearing all gossip from any other lot, try clearing attraction tokens if you can get his lot to load, and try deleting him with moveObjects on. Save the lot and see if you can go back in.

Do you have debug mode on (testingCheatsEnabled true) so that error messages will pop up? That'll generate an error log which might yield a clue as to what's going on.

I have tried the above suggestions. I have not been able to generate an error log. Is there a set of special instructions for generating the error log for a Mac? When I had debug mode on, it has not shown an error message - it just crashes.

@Harrahboy, even if you don't receive an error message pop up, when the game crashes, a file should get created in the Logs folder. After a crash, try sorting the folder by date modified and see if any new files were created.

But, if the lot loaded correctly with no cc, then you'll need to do a 50/50 until you can figure out which file, or files, is causing issues. It's not always intuitive what is causing crashing, and sometimes problems can come from putting certain mods together.

BTW, if you don't know, 50/50 means you split your download folder in half-ish and run your game and test for errors. If you don't experience the problem with one half of the cc, great. Move on to testing the next half, and so on until you whittle down your choices and find the problem file, or files. (Do not assume a group of cc is safe because you found something that caused errors in a different group. It's always best to test everything; you may have multiple files causing issues). Make sure to backup your game before you start testing, in case you have any mods that might reset when removed from your downloads and so you don't have to fix sims with missing cc, etc.

50-50 method

:lovestruc

Thanks @simsample; I was looking for that!

I only knew where it was because I originally wrote it up (and HP made the flowchart)!

@Phantomknight In terms of generating an error log, it seems to update the same files every time I run the game, whether it crashes or not. Most of the files are blank. The ones that aren't make reference to audio errors, and the content of those files don't change whether the game crashes or is closed correctly. The update to the files seems to occur 2 minutes before the game crashes, but that is likely because I have only been starting the game and having a sim call Gilbert on the phone (causing it to crash). I am guessing these files are being updated when the game starts.

@simsample As for the 50/50, I will try that more scientifically later, but I tried it very unscientifically and here are some of the things I observed. I started by just removing all of the CC. I don't have any mods - just CAS skins etc. and buy / build mode objects. I was able to call Gilbert once without crashing, but I wanted to get it to work 5 times in a row, and it did not. It crashed again on the second attempt. I read over the the info on the 50/50 guide, and it is mostly geared to PC users. Is there a mac version of this guide?

Does Gilbert have personality points and aspiration etc? I wonder whether there's some corruption in his character file. See if you can browse through his memories and skills and inventory and otrher information.

50/50ing is literally just putting in half of your downloads until you find the half with the problem, it shouldn't make a difference of it's Mac or PC

@Harrahboy, sorry for the confusion. Yes, your game updates your log files every time it runs. You are looking for an ObjectError file; I suggested sorting by date modified to help you find the right one. Also, when your game crashes, a Sims2Exception file is generated. It's a little harder to read, imo, but hopefully someone more skilled will come along and help us out. It should help us figure out if this is a technical, or hardware, issue or not. So try to find those files and upload them if you can.

Next, the 50/50 method doesn't depend on the type computer and should work no matter what you're using. The basic premise is that you are testing files until you can narrow down the search and find the specific file or files causing the problem.

But let's back up a bit before talking about cc. You say that sometimes you don't experience errors without cc, but not all the time, so start testing in a completely clean setting. backup your game. And create a new, clean TS2 folder. Open up your userstartup.cheat file and put "boolProp testingcheatsenabled true" so that you can be sure it's on and will generate an error file. Test in this clean setting--completely vanilla, no cc, with a new Bluewater. If everything works correctly then you know for sure it's your cc or your neighborhood. If not, then it might be your computer or installation.

If it's your cc, put everything back and try running the HCDU, just in case a conflict is causing issues. If you don't already have it, the Hack Conflict Detection Utility (HCDU) is available here: https://simfileshare.net/folder/87829/ (thanks to Bulbizarre) under programs. Install it and run it and see if it catches any errors. Then proceed with the 50/50. Again, 50/50 is basically just: 1. Take out a bunch of folders in your downloads 2. Run your game, see if you experience errors. If no errors without those folders, then the problem files is within the folders you removed; add them back in small groups and test after each group you add back to see if the error comes back. If the error still occurred after you took out the first group of folders, then you can assume the first group is "safe" and you take out more folders until you find the problem file.

Finally, try testing not only in the hood where you experience issues, but also in a clean hood with your cc. If a clean/new hood and your cc works, then the problem is likely your hood.

@simsample Everything about him appears to be normal. He has skills, an aspiration, memories seem normal (mostly meeting people for the first time), and inventory consisting of a cheesecake and Christmas cookies (he is a baker after all ). One weird thing I saw was actually with his mother. I went in to move him out of their house and into his own lot to see if that would help. I noticed his mom had a fear that her deceased husband would cheat on her. I used the batbox to reroll her wants / fears to get rid of it. I haven't had any problems calling his mom both before and after moving him off the lot.

@sushigal007 The guide on locating problem custom content instructs that before using the 50/50 method, you verify that CC is actually causing the problem. One of the steps after backing up one's files is to remove downloads and files in the SavedSims folder. I don't have a SavedSims folder, and I am not sure what the Mac equivalent to the SavedSims folder would be. After having removed all of the CC, the game still crashes, so I am not sure CC is the problem.

@Phantomknight Would the Sims2Exception file be in Logs? I am not seeing any file with that name. I had the computer search for "Sims2Exception" and it didn't find anything. For the HCDU, I am going to try to copy my Sims folders over to my HP laptop and try to download HCDU on that since it looks like that is a program for PCs only. I will try creating a clear TS2 folder next and creating a userstartup.cheat file.

It does sound like it isn't a custom content issue, but rather a problem with the neighbourhood itself. I would make a backup and then run it through Mootilda's Hood Checker, if you haven't already.

I don't think Hood Checker works on Mac, nor simPE.

It sounds to me more like Gilbert himself is corrupted and normally HC and SimPE would be advised.

OP try all the options on the BatBox, but I'm not sure if there is anything much you can do on a Mac. Might need to kill him off.

D'oh, of course not! I don't think it's just Gilbert, there was the mention of dodgy wants from the mother too. I wonder would it be possible to check a hood from a Mac game on a PC with Hood Checker?

This is normal for Denise. She doesn't actually know her husband is dead, so will roll wants/fears for him like he is still alive. I believe Gilbert has the same issue. To solve that one, you need to summon her dead husband to the lot and let him fade out. You'll get a popup saying he "died on another lot". Denise and Gilbert should both get a proper death memory for him, then. You may also need to do Clear Attraction Markers (from the batbox) with Denise, because sometimes she'll cause jump-bugs with men who are attracted to her/that she's attracted to.

Not sure what's going on with Gilbert. The family is kinda buggy from the get-go.

Yeah, I've found the Jacquets to be buggy, too. Harrahboy, I forgot that the HCDU is for PCs, sorry about that. But if you're copying things over to a PC, do copy over your neighborhood folder as well and run the hood checker, like Simsample suggested. Then copy the updated version back onto your computer.

And yes, the Sims2Exception file would be in your logs folder. There's 2 files actually, one is a ".mdmp" and the other is ".txt" file, which is the one you would need. I attached a screenshot to help you see what I'm talking about. Not sure if the extensions would be different for a mac, but you should have some sort of error log. It seems a bit weird to me that you don't have any at all, especially after a crash. But if you don't see it, then there's little to be done about that.

Anyway, the only other thing I can think of is running No Sim Loaded on the lot to help fix any broken controllers on the lot that may be causing errors: http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/thread-1665.html. I use the special version that doesn't remove gossip, but that's up to you. (Oh, and a warning, if you keep NSL installed--which I do recommend, as it can help with a lot of problems--be careful saving & exiting during a sims' birth sequence. If you save and exit too late into the sequence, it can cause errors with NSL, because it'll be cleaning up controllers like the pregnancy controller while your sim is trying to give birth. You'll probably have to remove it in order for your sim to be able to continue the birth properly. So if you need to save & exit before a sim gives birth, remember to save at the very beginning of the sequence, when the camera first zooms over.)

They could make a copy of the hood and zip it, except it would need to be CC free or very low CC otherwise sims would lose any genetics associated with CC skin and eyes.

Hey everyone,

These are great suggestions, and I will work through them. I wanted to give some updates. I checked the CC with the HCDU on the PC and it didn't find any conflicts. On the plus side, I now know there's a chance the PC will give me the chance to utilize some of the PC-only tools.

This may be a big help - not sure. I found the crash logs for the Mac. I will attach them to this thread. They are actually located in a console utility program and not stored with the Sims 2 files. After doing some reading on Mac crash logs, it seems a process called Sims2XP_Exe is the process that is causing the crash. I am not sure what that is, but I did't know if there were any who might.

FYI - I don't think that the SavedSims folder is platform specific. I run this game on Windows 7 and I don't have a SavedSims folder either. I suspect this folder gets created if you use Bodyshop to make sims and then save them.

IIRC, a freshly installed game will also not have a Downloads folder unless you've made one yourself.

Ignore my assessment of the crash log above. Sims2XP_Exe is the game itself. If anyone can view the crash log and get any insights, they would still be helpful.

I took a look at the crash log, but like I said, I'm not the best at reading them. I can't tell anything. Bumping the thread so that hopefully someone with more tech experience can take a look.

ETA: Another thing to try, is to see if it's a lot issue. Did you try moving out the sims and seeing if the problem persists with them on another lot?

If your game is crashing to the Finder it is most likely a memory problem, otherwise it is quite possible that it is some thing that Gilbert has on him in the way of CC.

So my question is have ran the game without any CC at all? If not first make a copy of your Sims 2 folder and then take out your Downloads folder and see if the crash happens when you call Gilbert. If you don't get a crash test using the 50/50 method and find out which piece of CC is the problem.

Otherwise try Phantom Knight's suggestion of moving Gilbert out to another lot and then try and see if you get the crash then.

Me I play on a Mac and I have never had any particular problem with Gilbert, I like playin him in fact.

Also if you always make a back up of your game, it is a lot safer as then you can just go with your back up if there is a problem rather than having to start your game over from the begining.

I believe SavedSims will only get created if you have either BodyShop or the Mac Installer - which I’d guess most Mac players don’t bother with unless they’re desperate to import Sims or create genetics, etc as they’re kind of buggy.

Most of Mootilda’s tools can be run on a Mac if you install mono to take care of the .NET frameworks that Macs don’t have, but it’s a pretty fiddly job. I usually cheat and zip everything up to go and tweak it in Windows somewhere instead. I’ve got a full install from the DVDs, plus SimPe, HCDU, the Compressorizer, and all Mootilda’s tools sitting in a Windows VM. It’s no good for playing, because I either get flashing pink terrain and red walls or really blocky graphics, but it’s great for making minor changes and fixes and bundling recolours to reduce my file count.

Given that the Mac game only supports EPs up to Bon Voyage, it’s quite likely that Gilbert has somehow picked up something that its creator genuinely thought was set to Base Game or a compatible EP, but has a flag set somewhere that the Mac game disapproves of. Or something whacky with shaders, though as he’s not a table lamp that’s less likely. But I have a permanent test hood that I use to place any new content from the catalog, just to check that it doesn’t crash the Mac game. Live mode bugs are trickier, of course, since it can take a while for the right conditions to come along.

Gilbert's lot had no CC on it, but I have tried removing all CC from the downloads folder and the game still crashes when Gilbert is called on the phone or invited over. I have also moved him to his own lot; same result.

I tested the downloads folder on my PC with HCDU and it found no conflicts. I also tested the neighborhood with Hoodchecker. It found several issues (oddly none with Gilbert- probably because I used the Batbox before transferring to the PC), which I told Hoodchecker to resolve. When I transferred the files back to the Mac, the game crashed when loading the neighborhood (which it had not done before).

I also increased the file limit. This did not correct the problem either.

I did notice that the crash logs seem to vary in one area. The one I attached previously included exception information that looked like this:

Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)
Exception Codes: KERN_INVALID_ADDRESS at 0x0000000000000000
Exception Note: EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY

Looking back at previous crash reports and the ones after the whole game crashed (basically) at start up, most of the exception codes looked like this:

Exception Type: EXC_BAD_ACCESS (SIGSEGV)
Exception Codes: EXC_I386_GPFLT
Exception Note: EXC_CORPSE_NOTIFY

I looked up the exception code, and of course, it was no help to me, but it has something to do with "General Protection Fault." There were programmers talking about it, but it was all jargon to me. I guess I am going to have to "quarantine" Gilbert and have him not interact with other sims at this point. I can't have him showing up randomly at a community lot and crashing the game. This will give me time to start packaging my community lots and vacant houses to move to a new neighborhood. I think it might be time to start over.