No snow showing in Seasons

[Technopiggy]

Ok, so I got Seasons a few days ago. It was winter, and the snow started falling. It covered the land around my lot and landed on outside objects and for a while, it was even on the ground on my lot - light and patchy. After a few minutes though, it vanished. The snow around my lot is still there though, and there is still snow on objects, it even plays snow animations when my Sims walk around and they can throw snowballs and make snow angels and snowmen. I found an option in the settings menu but when I select 'Yes' and click 'Apply Changes', it reverts right back to 'No'. I've looked this up and is seems that the problem is usually either the graphics card, and I really don't think that's it because my card was made two years after the game was - it should be far superior - or the player has done some messing around with the graphics, and I haven't done anything. This problem is really frustrating me. I've just taken winter out of the seasons cycle for now, but is there any way to fix this?

System Specs: (I don't know how to get them all but here is as much as I can find)
Graphics Card - AmD Radeon HD 6800
Computer - ACPI x64-based PC
Drive - HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH22NS50 ATA Device

If you need any more info, I can probably find it. Thanks for the help!

[M.M.A.A.]

Is your game patched? http://www.simprograms.com/the-sims/the-sims-2/the-sims-2-patches/

[G.O.C.]

If you read this: http://www.modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:System_Specs it will tell you how to find your system specs! :)

[Peni Griffin]

Newer does not equal better! Once you've been on here for awhile you'll start wincing when people say a problem shouldn't be the graphics because their laptop is brand new. A card that wasn't designed to run graphics-heavy games can't run graphics-heavy games properly. So always check your specs.

[Technopiggy]

I tried patching the game - didn't seem to do anything. Now that I know how to find the system specs, if anyone wants to know them I can post.
Is there any way that the game may have been tricked into thinking my computer isn't sufficient? I know next to nothing about computers, but I'm still fairly convinced my card isn't the problem. I could always be wrong though!
What if I uninstalled and re-installed Seasons? With the Sims online store shutting down (I downloaded it from the store), will I be able to re-install?

[Mordant17]

Please post your specs. That's most likely where the problem is.

[Technopiggy]

Ok, here you are!

Time of this report: 4/17/2012, 05:58:29
Machine name: ASUS-P6X58
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.110622-1506)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: System manufacturer
System Model: System Product Name
BIOS: BIOS Date: 10/04/10 10:06:48 Ver: 08.00.15
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 950 @ 3.07GHz (8 CPUs), ~3.1GHz
Memory: 12288MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 12280MB RAM
Page File: 3103MB used, 21452MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode


---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc.
Chip type: ATI display adapter (0x6739)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_6739&SUBSYS_E174174B&REV_00
Display Memory: 2791 MB
Dedicated Memory: 1004 MB
Shared Memory: 1787 MB
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: Generic PnP Monitor
Monitor Model: W2442
Monitor Id: GSM56D9
Native Mode: 1920 x 1080(p) (59.934Hz)
Output Type: DVI
Driver Name: aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx64.dll,aticfx32,aticfx32,aticfx32,atiumd64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atidxx64.dll,atiumdag,atidxx32,atidxx32,atiumdva,atiumd6a.cap,atitmm64.dll
Driver File Version: 8.17.0010.1077 (English)
Driver Version: 8.850.0.0
DDI Version: 11
Driver Model: WDDM 1.1
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 4/20/2011 02:07:48, 795648 bytes

-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
Description: Speakers (2- Realtek High Definition Audio)
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: HDAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_10EC&DEV_0889&SUBSYS_104383C0&REV_1000
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: RTKVHD64.sys
Driver Version: 6.00.0001.6257 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: n/a
Date and Size: 11/30/2010 18:06:02, 2647528 bytes


------------------------
Disk & DVD/CD-ROM Drives
------------------------
Drive: C:
Free Space: 1187.3 GB
Total Space: 1430.5 GB
File System: NTFS
Model: ST31500341AS ATA Device

[Technopiggy]

Does anyone know whether my card is good enough to handle the game? I can run Sims 3 no problem, and I thought that required more resources.

[Technopiggy]

If I uninstalled and reinstalled the game would I lose it, now that the online store's down?

[simsample]

Your card should be okay, although of course it's always possible that there is some sort of conflict with the drivers and Sims 2, I've known that to happen before.

For your snow, can you please test it in another neighbourhood? Does the snow show there? What about if you drag your Documents\ EA Games\ The Sims 2 folder to the desktop and run the game?

If you can't get the 'snow on ground' setting to stick in-game then you could try editing your userprops.xml file in Documents\ EA Games\ The Sims 2\ Config. Make sure the 'snow on ground' option reads as follows:
<AnyUint32 key="optionSnowOnGround" type="0xeb61e4f7">1</AnyUint32>

[Mootilda]

If I uninstalled and reinstalled the game would I lose it, now that the online store's down?Can you explain what you're concerned about losing? "It" isn't descriptive enough for us to understand your question.

If you are asking whether you will lose the updated Store Edition, the answer is "yes", unless you have the Fun with Pets collection pack.

[mr_db1]

my first thought when I read your original post was it is the card
I could not find it in either the supported list or the unsupported list but that is because it is younger than the list

ati, the manufacturer is in the list both problem and supported
I don't know how you installed it but I suggest you look at the readme.txt located in the folder support\en-uk (or if you are better in german the support\de)

where-ever-you-put-the-game:\the sims 2 Seasons\Support\en-uk
the bold part being in pure standard install form, that is where to look for it

the file starts with the basic needs for the game after that
it gives a set of probable causes and solutions for some of the known problems
every EP has one of those readme files and each has different specs related stuff in it
maybe that helps a bit if you look at the tech stuff in there with a related card type

[Cyjon]

I see you have a widescreen display. Did you make any changes to support widescreen resolution? In particular, did you download a file named "Graphics Rules.sgr" from somewhere? If you put a pre-Seasons version of that file in your game you'd lose weather options.

[Technopiggy]

I see you have a widescreen display. Did you make any changes to support widescreen resolution? In particular, did you download a file named "Graphics Rules.sgr" from somewhere? If you put a pre-Seasons version of that file in your game you'd lose weather options.

I did not make any changes. No downloading files. I downloaded the game and it automatically went to widescreen, and it has with all other games in the past.

[Technopiggy]

Can you explain what you're concerned about losing? "It" isn't descriptive enough for us to understand your question.

If you are asking whether you will lose the updated Store Edition, the answer is "yes", unless you have the Fun with Pets collection pack.

Sorry, I meant that if I uninstalled Seasons and went to reinstall, if I would be able to reinstall Seasons. Looking back at it, it is a little vague, sorry for confusion.

[Mootilda]

Yes, if you uninstall Seasons and then try to reinstall it, it should be available on your normal download page from EA. If I were you, though, I'd check to make sure that the link is available from EA before I uninstall.

[Technopiggy]

Your card should be okay, although of course it's always possible that there is some sort of conflict with the drivers and Sims 2, I've known that to happen before.

For your snow, can you please test it in another neighbourhood? Does the snow show there? What about if you drag your Documents\ EA Games\ The Sims 2 folder to the desktop and run the game?

If you can't get the 'snow on ground' setting to stick in-game then you could try editing your userprops.xml file in Documents\ EA Games\ The Sims 2\ Config. Make sure the 'snow on ground' option reads as follows:
<AnyUint32 key="optionSnowOnGround" type="0xeb61e4f7">1</AnyUint32>

Ok, so the same thing happens in all neighborhoods.

I moved the folder to the desktop - nothing happened.

There is no optionSnowOnGround in the userprops.xml file, I'm guessing this is bad?

[Technopiggy]

Ok, I know I'm not really supposed to bump my thread, but it's been three days, so...

[Technopiggy]

Is anybody out there that can help me?

[Whiterider]

Is the option in the userprops.xml file in the new TS2 folder?

What happens if you add it to the old userprops.xml file?

[Technopiggy]

I do not see this new TS2 folder. There is only one, called 'Sims 2 Double Deluxe', the version of the base game I got.

[Technopiggy]

Could it be that I got Double deluxe instead of the original base game?

[Ghost sdoj]

yes, if it installed your base game into a folder called Double Deluxe, the installer obviously thought it was working with DD. What is inside the Double Deluxe folder?

[Whiterider]

By "new TS2 folder", I meant the one that the game created after you moved the existing one to your desktop. :)

[Technopiggy]

Inside the DD folder there's a bunch of other folders. Here's a list:
Cameras
Collections
Config
Logs
LotCatalog
Movies
Music
Neighborhoods
Paintings
SC4Terrains
Storytelling
Teleport
Thumbnails
Groups.cache (this one's a file)

[Technopiggy]

Oh, and there's two DD folders, one of them is completely empty.

[Elva89]

I have the same problem with snow on ground - it doesn't show, settings reverse when I try to change it. I searched in the forums and found this thread, among others; so far I've understood that since I apparently don't have <AnyUint32 key="optionSnowOnGround" type="0xeb61e4f7">1</AnyUint32>
in my userprops file that's most likely the problem, though I'm not sure why it's missing. Now, how do I fix this? Can I edit the file in some way? Sorry if the question is stupid but I'm not that good with these things and don't want to mess with the files without knowing what could happen...
Oh, and I hope it's OK that I posted this here instead of making a new thread? I'd really appreciate if someone could help!

[MioS.]

I have the same problem with snow on ground - it doesn't show, settings reverse when I try to change it. I searched in the forums and found this thread, among others; so far I've understood that since I apparently don't have <AnyUint32 key="optionSnowOnGround" type="0xeb61e4f7">1</AnyUint32>
in my userprops file that's most likely the problem, though I'm not sure why it's missing. Now, how do I fix this? Can I edit the file in some way? Sorry if the question is stupid but I'm not that good with these things and don't want to mess with the files without knowing what could happen...
Oh, and I hope it's OK that I posted this here instead of making a new thread? I'd really appreciate if someone could help!

I'm also having this problem but yes you can edit the file just right click/open with./and choose a program like notepad.