The Sims 2, still confused?

parker5 · Dec 27, 2008

I don't know how many forums I have read today about fixing my Sims 2 on my computer. The problem is that it freezes a lot, usually on the loading screens. I'm pretty sure its my graphics card causing the problem, it's not listed in the compatibility list (I have Mobile Intel Chipset 965 Family). If this IS the problem.. what can I do? Can I download/buy a new card?

Delawynn · Jan 6, 2009

Hi, got the same problem
I've been searching on official forums and everyone keeps telling me it's because my graphic card is too old. Weird thing, I have a Geforce 9800GTX+ and can run about any games at high settings.
I'll keep looking around but could be Vista related

sygnus21 · Jan 7, 2009

@ parker5,

Yeah, you'll want to buy a card, you can't download it, it's hardware. I would advise you take your laptop to a reputable tech and have them install a newer card. They're also in a better position then us here because they're physically looking at the laptop.

@ Delawynn,

Your card should be good enough to play the sims. And according to people here http://www.vistax64.com/vista-games/40120-sims-2-a.html plays well on Vista. Have you been to EA's website to see what they have to say?

Also, do you have the latest drivers for your video card? And is there a new patch out for the game. You might want to check to see.

Delawynn · Jan 7, 2009

Well my drivers are up to date
Been looking on EA's website and I guess I'll reinstall the game.
I'll give some news later

Some news. Went to look at supported graphic cards on the Sims 2 Website and game supports up to Geforce 8800. So far my graphic card isn't supported and could be the reason why game crashes

Extensa · Jan 8, 2009

Have you downloaded the patch yet?? Find it HERE

You must also run it as an administrator! Find out more HERE

Hope this helps,

Extensa

sygnus21 · Jan 8, 2009

Delawynn said:
Well my drivers are up to date
Been looking on EA's website and I guess I'll reinstall the game.
I'll give some news later

Some news. Went to look at supported graphic cards on the Sims 2 Website and game supports up to Geforce 8800. So far my graphic card isn't supported and could be the reason why game crashes

Unless i'm missing something, your card is newer then the 8800, so your card is supported. Remember, the Sim 2 came out before your card!

Extensa said:
Have you downloaded the patch yet?? Find it HERE

You must also run it as an administrator! Find out more HERE

Hope this helps,

Extensa

Extensa might have a point for running the Game in Admin mode. For some strange reason The Sims used to have this problem where it required full admin rights to run under XP, but I thought they long fixed that problem with a patch. Maybe it's required on Vista now? Hmmm.

sygnus21 · Jan 8, 2009

OK, did some research for you. Here are some results –

Make sure you have the latest patches for the game as well as any expansion packs. Patches - TheSims2.com - Updates

EA also has recommendations concerning problems running the game under Vista. Look here - https://easims.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/easims.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=F*zy-pnj&p_faqid=14357

Also, Nvidia put out a patch to address a problem with the sims 2 game, though I believe this is an old patch that you may not need. Look here - The Sims 2 by Electronic Arts

Finally, the Sims 2 system requirements - TheSims2.com - Help - Detail

Good luck.

Delawynn · Jan 14, 2009

So I've been doing some research and found 2 issues.
First one, Sound isn't detected by the sims so I tried running the game using -nosound.
Second, my graphic card (Geforce 9800GTX+) is not in the sims' database and the game can't detect it, so it freeze at loading screen.
Guess I'll have to wait for The Sims 3 to come out.

sygnus21 · Jan 14, 2009

Delawynn said:
So I've been doing some research and found 2 issues.
First one, Sound isn't detected by the sims so I tried running the game using -nosound.
Second, my graphic card (Geforce 9800GTX+) is not in the sims' database and the game can't detect it, so it freeze at loading screen.
Guess I'll have to wait for The Sims 3 to come out.

Please post your system specs.

Delawynn · Jan 14, 2009

Here goes :

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.00G/1333/6M/S775
Motherboard : S775 ASUS P5Q SE P45 PCIE
Graphic Card : Geforce 9800 GTX+ DK 512MB
RAM : Kingston DDR2 4 gig
SATA2 500.0 SEAGATE 7200.11 32M
Integrated Soundcard

From "Config" in My Documents/Sims 2 :

=== Sound device info ===
Name: Unknown
Driver: Unknown
=== Graphics device info ===
Number: 0
Name (driver): NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX/9800 GTX+
Name (database): NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX/9800 GTX+ <<NOT FOUND IN DATABASE!>>

And yes my drivers are up to date :P

sygnus21 · Jan 14, 2009

I'm out of suggestions. Your system is certainly good enough to play game. Did you try compatibility mode as suggested earlier?

Delawynn · Jan 14, 2009

Yep,
and I tried using -w -nosound as suggested by EA's technical team.
Been searching on The Sims forums and they say that The Sims 2 supports up to Geforce 8800. Guess the game doesn't support 9800 and 9800GTX/+

sygnus21 · Jan 14, 2009

Delawynn said:
The Sims 2 supports up to Geforce 8800. Guess the game doesn't support 9800 and 9800GTX/+

I'm telling you I don't understand what the means. Your card is newer then the Sims 2 and the Geforce 8800. Normally that would mean that your video card exceeds the specifications!

That would be like me attempting to play the original Far Cry (released 2004), which supports a 128 MB GeForce 4 128 MB to GeForce FX 5950; ATI Radeon 9500-9800 XT, and people telling me my ATI Radeon HD 4850 (released 2008) wasn't supported because it's not listed in the system specs....uh...yeah...the card came out 4 years after the game was released!

Yes, I'm able to play Far Cry with this card on Vista 64!

The Sims 2 was released in 2004, your video card was released in 2008!!!

A search around the internet concerning Vista x64 + the Sims 2 reveals problematic game play, sometimes it'll play, sometimes it won't, however it's been stated that the game plays fairly well under Vista 32.

I'm afraid you'll have to make some hard choices with regards to playing the Sims under Vista 64.

Annabell · Jan 25, 2009

I have an up to date graphics card, but I don't see it in the requirments, it is NVIDA GE Force 6150se .I been playing Sims now for a week or two with no problems. but just recently it has been freezing up during the logo screen and sometimes during game play. Is there any reason it could happen just all of a sudden?

sygnus21 · Jan 25, 2009

Hello Annabell,

You say you've been playing the Sims for a week or two without problems and now it's starting to freeze up. Did you do anything to the system between now and then?

If you have a virus scanner installed, turning it off while gaming might remove the stuttering (freezing) sometimes seen in games.

I myself have never played the game, but my daughters played it on XP and the only problem the game had was that it liked to have full admin rights. Other than that it ran well. Maybe you ought to give the game full admin rights under Vista.

Right click the .exe, choose properties, click the "Compatibility" tab then check the box that says "Run this program as an administrator", click apply, OK, then run the game. If you still have problems, then check the "Run this program in compatibility mode for" box, then choose XP - but I would just do admin mode ffirst.

Hope this helps.

Good luck

shortmantuff · Jan 28, 2009

I have an ATI Radeon X1200 graphics card. The minimum specs listed from TheSims2.com - Help - Detail says requires X600, X800 but my Sims 2 screws up a lot. It glitches and makes some parts of the screen clear. Any answers?

shortmantuff · Jan 28, 2009

Also, I have Battlefield 2 and its graphics card requirement is ATI Radeon 8500 or greater. Is my ATI Radeon X1200 better than that. (Yes, I know the 8500 is greater than 1200, but does the X affect the overall performance of it?)

sygnus21 · Jan 29, 2009

shortmantuff said:
I have an ATI Radeon X1200 graphics card. The minimum specs listed from TheSims2.com - Help - Detail says requires X600, X800 but my Sims 2 screws up a lot. It glitches and makes some parts of the screen clear. Any answers?

There are plenty of suggestions in this thread concerning the sims game. Please look it over.

shortmantuff said:
Also, I have Battlefield 2 and its graphics card requirement is ATI Radeon 8500 or greater. Is my ATI Radeon X1200 better than that. (Yes, I know the 8500 is greater than 1200, but does the X affect the overall performance of it?)

The X1200 is a newer card then the 8500. This question is also addressed in the thread.

Again, please go through this thread as you may find the answers to your question(s)

Thanks

shortmantuff · Jan 29, 2009

I have looked it over. I tried downloading the patch and putting it to XP mode. Didn't work. Even turned all of the graphics settings down. Still didn't work. Does a newer card necessarily mean it's better?

sygnus21 · Jan 29, 2009

shortmantuff said:
I have looked it over. I tried downloading the patch and putting it to XP mode. Didn't work. Even turned all of the graphics settings down. Still didn't work. Does a newer card necessarily mean it's better?

Unfortunately no. Example: even though the 8500 is an older video card, it was geared to run games, your X1200 on the other hand may not have been.

In the case of the Sims, you're looking at two problems – a Vista compatibility issue with the game, and a video card that may not be optimized for gaming purposes.

I have read that there are people who are running Vista and the Sims without issues, while others can’t or do have issues. Maybe the difference is the video card, but I can’t say; I don’t play the Sims.

At this point in time I have no other solutions for you to try, other than maybe looking into the possibility of upgrading your video card. However, some laptops do not allow for video card upgrades but you can get a more definitive answer the laptop manufacturer. Also bear in mind that replacing a video card in a laptop is not as easy as replacing one in a desktop PC and is probably best left to a professional - Unless of course you have the technical knowhow required to do the upgrade yourself…if possible.

Lastly…even if you do manage to replace the video card, it may not solve the Sims problem - but it might improve performance on other games.

Sorry, and good luck.

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