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Mad Poster
#51 Old 19th Dec 2016 at 1:26 PM
I have a GTX 1070 so I get plenty of opportunities to see what 60 fps looks like - and there is a big difference to be seen with the naked eye - so I can say that TS3, at least on my end, definitely renders at 60. My monitors are from a time when even 60 was still a pipe dream so that's the smoothest I'm ever going to see anything.
Before I had this PC I feared that TS3 wouldn't benefit from new hardware, but I have to say that it does. To some degree, it definitely does.

And for the record - I spoke to the guy earlier this year and he promised me he was going to continue work "in a few months". Well, those few months are a few months ago now, so maybe we'll see.

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Inventor
#52 Old 23rd Dec 2016 at 7:34 PM
Video explaining how frame rate affect gameplay.

Test Subject
#53 Old 27th May 2017 at 8:35 AM
Has anyone had a look at sims3py, and does it make a difference at all? Would someone with moderate Python programming skills be able to hack it?
Mad Poster
#54 Old 31st Jan 2018 at 12:56 AM
Nope and nope, I wouldn't expect anything at this point. The only sensible conclusion to be drawn here currently is that better hardware does indeed, still, allow better perfomance.

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Scholar
#55 Old 31st Jan 2018 at 11:21 PM
I wonder with TS3 if the advantage of a 64bit wrapper would only postpone memory leak issues because you can utilise more memory ?

Reason I think this is, because my TS3 runs smoothly now. But CASt during building can still bring it down to a crawl and I haven't discovered yet what exactly makes it happen. Some things in CASt (something when moving the pattern tool across a room with objects as if it caches without even clicking on an object) do weird things that cause everything to slow down for some reason. Going back to live mode fixes it, but when going back to building again there is no telling when it happens again. In my experience this kind of behaviour is often about a memory leak.
Mad Poster
#56 Old 1st Feb 2018 at 12:06 PM
Quote: Originally posted by mithrak_nl
I wonder with TS3 if the advantage of a 64bit wrapper would only postpone memory leak issues because you can utilise more memory ?:p.

Yeah, it would. You would get memory issues once the game starts using more than 18,4 million terabytes of RAM. So look out for that one.

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Scholar
#57 Old 2nd Feb 2018 at 6:14 AM
Quote: Originally posted by GrijzePilion
Yeah, it would. You would get memory issues once the game starts using more than 18,4 million terabytes of RAM. So look out for that one.


Somehow I suspect that TS3 will manage to do that after 5 mins using the pattern tool in build mode.
Mad Poster
#58 Old 2nd Feb 2018 at 3:45 PM
Anyway, I believe I have now seen enough Star Trek to be able to provide a definitive solution - besides the x64 patch:

Just run a level 2 diagnostic on the image processor and it should recalibrate the phase matrix. If that doesn't work, you just run the neural synthesizer through a tricorder. See if the photon flux is off by .003 millicochranes or less. If it isn't, just dump the replicator buffer and it'll load in holodeck mode.

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Scholar
#59 Old 2nd Feb 2018 at 5:44 PM
*Trying to perform evasive maneuveur Delta-9-6*


favorite quote: "When ElaineNualla is posting..I always read..Nutella. I am sorry" by Rosebine
self-claimed "lower-spec simmer"
Mad Poster
#60 Old 2nd Feb 2018 at 6:12 PM
Not if I set a course for 2-1-3 mark 4-9-0 and deploy my torpedoes in photon dispersal pattern Sierra first, you don't.

For the uninitiated: Star Trek is a terrible show for terrible people who have nothing better to do with their lives. Stay well clear of it.

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Mad Poster
#61 Old 2nd Feb 2018 at 6:32 PM
Quote: Originally posted by GrijzePilion
Just run a level 2 diagnostic on the image processor and it should recalibrate the phase matrix. If that doesn't work, you just run the neural synthesizer through a tricorder. See if the photon flux is off by .003 millicochranes or less. If it isn't, just dump the replicator buffer and it'll load in holodeck mode.

Quote: Originally posted by GrijzePilion
Not if I set a course for 2-1-3 mark 4-9-0 and deploy my torpedoes in photon dispersal pattern Sierra first, you don't.

For the uninitiated: Star Trek is a terrible show for terrible people who have nothing better to do with their lives. Stay well clear of it.

"Harcourt Fenton Mudd, where have you been? What have you been up to? Have you been drinking again, you miserable sot!"
Mad Poster
#62 Old 2nd Feb 2018 at 6:44 PM
"I didn't mean to say that the Enterprise should be hauling garbage, I meant to say that it should be hauled away AS garbage!"

I can do TOS quotes too. It's just not the same without Data or Quark, however.

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Test Subject
#63 Old 26th May 2018 at 12:28 PM
Hi! Is there any news about official/unofficial patches improving load times and some other issues like FPS drops or stuttering?
One of the main problems about the game itself and being build on Unreal Engine 3 32bits is that it is poorly optimized for open world and simultaneous multitasking, just because it was made to use 2 cores and for Windows Vista (if I don't miss remind it).
The reason why it does stutter is because it does try at the same time to:
-Load nearby objects/sims/textures/terrain
-Send orders from the CPU to the GPU to draw frames
-Simulate all the Sims at the same time (I don't remember if it does just simulate it with approximations or completely like to the main sims you are using)
-Cache what could be seen in a near future

The problem here is that the CPU must do all those things. The ways to make it faster, one problem at a time would be:
-Lower the drawing distance/lower quality/lower high resolution solars (so it does not try to load or cache all of them even if your GPU is a high end one)
-Limit the FPS (so the CPU, that here just can use 2 cores instead of all of them, does use less resources to make calls to the GPU to draw all the frames
-Quit in any way the limit of the 4GB ram usage so it can preload more things at the ram and have to use the HDD/SDD/Ram virtual disk less and use cached things that have not to be as much processed as the non cached ones

Sorry about my bad english but hope it is more or less easy to understand.

PS: the old 3.4 screen ratio CRT/Plasma/LCD displays used to have up to 75HZ screens, even being cheap, just because the VGA cable and the components would admit it without any problem. In the case of the 16:9/16:10 and the ultrawide ones, having a display with more than 60Hz is more or less expensive. It can be noticed to have higher refresh rate, at intervals like 30/60 60/75 or 75/120-144 like the new gaming ones, but with less gain between them or much higher refresh rate like 240 is almost unperceptible, even if being very focused you can feel the difference.

Thanks for any response in advance!
Mad Poster
#64 Old 26th May 2018 at 12:36 PM
Well the bad news is that it's not built on Unreal in any way, shape or form, but the good news is that YES you can do something about the game's performance.

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Mad Poster
#65 Old 29th May 2018 at 10:13 PM
Simuolan was trying something awhile ago, but never finished- this is his summary on the game's issues:

Quote: Originally posted by Simuolan
in a nutshell… Finally managed to access the Reddit thread about my project, and saw that many people are confused as to what I’m doing here. Sorry for the confusion, let me explain:

The Sims 3 is a 32-bit program, with “Large Address Aware” since patch… IDK, but quite some time ago. So, on 64-bit Windows, it can (and does) access nearly 4 GB of RAM.

However, the memory management of The Sims 3 is horrible. Objects got created and deleted, but the latter often didn’t happen, polluting the memory until the game gets confused — Crash to Desktop.

The game does try to fix things up during save. Its strategy? Make a list of all objects (data structures) being used in game, create a new list… then do a DEEP COPY of the objects to be stored in EA’s proprietary DBPF format. If the game had leaked enough memory — Error Code 12.

Finally, the lags. The game is “minimally threaded”; nearly all processing use only a handful of threads. That, on itself, is not a serious problem… if they access a proper thread-safe database. But nooo… the threads are all accessing this messed up in-memory structure (see explanations above) that necessitates some kind of “Global Semaphore”. Meaning, even when a thread wants to just “read” the data, it’s not allowed because some other thread is busy updating 2 or 3 objects.

So, what I had in mind is to create a ‘wrapper’ around TS3, that will 'hook’ onto some internal facilities (using DLL injection, in-memory patch, and other Magic Stuffâ„¢) and replace those internal facilities with better-built ones.

And hopefully, while doing that, provide a better framework for modders to more easily create mods.

To make things clear:
  • Yes, this project will mostly be coded in .Net, except critical paths like the intercepts
  • No, .Net does not automatically mean it’s going to be slower
  • Yes, this will take some time
  • Yes, this will be an Open Source project. (Keyword is 'will’)
  • No, I can’t do it faster. I don’t have a powerful enough computer at home, and the office computer, well, need to be timeshared with office work, so…
  • Yes, I gladly accept assistance. But let me play around first :D

Final clarification:
I am 100% certain that the Great Modders that have moved on, they also had the same idea originally. But the game kept being patched, and patched, and patched, either via SuperPatches or through EPs/SPs, that they have given up the approach. Now that EA had certainly abandon TS3, I believe the code is now Considered Stableâ„¢, and more suitable for my kind of approach. But the Great Modders… oh, how they battled the bugs, assisted the users, trying dastardly to fix new breakage that EA introduced every iteration… finally, they burnt out.

I’m greatly indebted to the Great Modders for YEARS of fun and (relatively) fatal-bug-free gameplay, that I want to 'donate back’ to the community.

And hopefully, by providing an open-source, more sensible and accessible way to develop mods, rekindle the flame that once stoked up the Great Modders…

I hope I’ve clarified the project enough for you… feel free to fire me a question!

https://simoluan.tumblr.com/post/10...0/in-a-nutshell
Mad Poster
#66 Old 29th May 2018 at 10:15 PM
That post is 3 and a half years old now and despite promising to get back to the project, he never did and never has.

FYI, to settle that earlier argument - I scored myself some fancy new 144Hz monitors, curved ones with LED backlighting, and TS3 will gladly run at 144fps when it gets the chance to. I've seen it myself, in-game, and it's gorgeous. Blows 60 out of the water, honestly. Obviously TS3 doesn't tend to run at 144Hz, but a bunch of other games do. And so does Windows itself, so I may not be able to ever go back to 60 again.

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Mad Poster
#67 Old 29th May 2018 at 10:39 PM
Yup, unfortunately there were some major life changes and sometimes once something's disrupted, it never comes back.
Mad Poster
#68 Old 29th May 2018 at 10:48 PM
Well you know my views on the future of TS3. It'll happen eventually....not now or soon, but eventually.

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Test Subject
#69 Old 26th Jul 2018 at 8:02 PM
please 64 bit there is a great need ((
Test Subject
#70 Old 23rd Oct 2018 at 6:22 PM
Quote: Originally posted by PapaEmy
Even if TS3 were made (or perhaps if EA themselves would remake TS3) in 64 bit platform so then TS3 will be able to utilize more than 4 GB RAM, it will still lagging at some point in the game progress if TS3 still using the same concept of open world simulation..


I agree with Igazor and ElainNualla, especially because of the efficiency and effectiveness in 64 bit platform for TS3 in particular, actually in terms of lagging.. it will not improve TS3 gameplay performance significantly, the benefit in 64 bit will only let TS3 utilize more than 3 or 4 GB RAM, and indeed with more RAMs it will improve the TS3 loading time.. but it won't eliminate the lags, the lags that happening in the game progress were not because of TS3 was designed in 32 bit platform, but because the concept of the open world simulation game, and the residents in the sims worlds were behaving not only randomly but independently as well just like in the real world, so increasing the RAM usage alone will not help..


In my opinion.. comparing TS3 to other simulation game like real time strategy simulation games, for example Company of Heroes 1 & 2 series, CoH also have a lot of characters in the game, but they were not behaving independently like the sim in TS3, they're both acts and behave randomly but the parameters that determine the gameplay for the characters are different, the characters in CoH doesn't behave independently like TS3, therefore there's no lag in CoH like in TS3, and this why I think why EA changed the concept of open world in TS4, they removed the open world, removed the cars.. etc, so the characters will still behave independently but without sacrificing the gameplay performance.., even the CoH game itself though it support 64 bit OS platform and can utilize more than 4 GB of RAM, the main program of the CoH series were also built in 32 bit platform.., I think the reason why CoH can utilize more than 4 GB ram was because of the demanding graphics and large data that needs to be run at the same time while the game in progress.., but TS3 wasn't designed like that but it's designed to run sim characters as much and as many as possible in the open world simulation..


Even if TS3 were designed in 64 bit platform and can utilize more than 4GB RAM, we'd still have loading time problem because of the corrupts, conflicts and duplicates generated by the game patch, because the game patch doesn't remove the contents inside the Fullbuild.package files that were being updated with the patch, so increasing the RAM would improve TS3 loading time in general but there's still some delay because of that.. so it took more time for the TS3 to load and process all its game data because of conflicts and/or duplicates and the corrupts ones, the corrupts one are the TXTCs in Deltabuild.package files from the patch. Lagging problem and loading time problem in TS3 are two separate problems but related and affecting one to another..


So I think.. hardware-wise.. to improve TS3 gameplay can not be solely by increasing the RAM, but more power resources to run the sim characters independently, displaying the sim world, the buildings, the roads, rerouting the sims.. etc.., the more cores of the processor the better the game will perform, but even then at some point it will still lag when it reach the hardware limits, but then there's a question.. so how much is the limit?? Well since TS3 is open world simulation then the sky is the limit because the sim world populates just like the real world.., but we don't have the processor technology with unlimited cores to run all the characters in the game perfectly


So in my opinion.. 32 bit vs 64 bit platform when the game was being built were not the ones to blame, because the TS3 open world concept alone has already indicate the game will lag at some point, and then there are some routing problems, bad buildings, bad road designs and etc in EA's worlds, but I don't blame EA for that, because if they made it different to fit perfectly for TS3.., it won't be realistic with open world simulation concept.., just look at TS4..


First : The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 are working in different ways. The Sims 4 uses the concept of the Sims 2 where only the active lot is loaded, the terrain cannot be modified in the town (static mesh). The Sims 3, it's a world where the game loads X amount of lots around you. Secondly, it has the problem to load textures BEFORE models, here, if that was fixed, it would actually help loading times.

Second : A 64bit version for The Sims 3 would be very handy. Why ?
> It's a simulation game, the way it behaves (especially with independent Sims) makes your whole computer busy. Having more ram for the game to use will help because... Well, what can you do with 4Gb of ram ? Not much. The game has to manage :
Non-player-controlled Sims/pets, debugging Sims trapped in routing (where they're not supposed to be), and a bunch of stuff like that. Well, it would be handy to have more RAM and a fast processor to run this game smoothly with even high-density traffic. Just take an example on Simcity : Each cars is an AGENT (one AI (example)), now multiply this by approximately 100, you get a result to what the game HAS TO DEAL WITH! A TON OF STUFF WITH LITTLE RESOURCES TO DO IT!
Test Subject
#71 Old 27th Apr 2019 at 4:23 AM
Quote: Originally posted by PapaEmy
I think I have to separate this one to another so it won't confused anyone..


About the lags

No.. not dead theory or chocking up on scripts either, but it's about how effectively the 64 bit would make a different compares to 32 bit with the nature of TS3 open world simulation, that's why I brought the CoH as comparison to the TS3 open world simulation, both are in the same genre, but the variation of characters in CoH don't behave independently as the sims in TS3, while in TS3.. all characters behave independently, in CoH all variation of characters can be categorize as A vs B because the goal of the game, but in TS3 all characters can be categorize independently as A vs B vs C vs D vs E and so on with no end.. and this is what I meant TS3 characters behave independently, because it don't have a goal or quest, and TS3 has no end how the game would end, it just play as its grows and populated until the user gets bored and start a new game.., this is where I think it won't be effective or make a different because all of those independent sims 3 variation characters were run and process through the cpu processor, so if the processor have to run all of those unlimited independent characters indefinitely, how does it won't reach the maximum processor workload limit? When at some points the limit is reached, then there will be millisecond or nanosecond delays going in the next process, which would create (all those little delays combined) the game is starting to lags..

Now even in CoH the game can utilize RAM more than 4 GB that needs 64 bit OS to run even the CoH itself it's a 32 bit game platform, but even in 64 bit OS platform the population of CoH world is still capped to certain max number population, while in TS3 there's no such population cap and there's no end game, therefore I think even if TS3 can utilize more than 4 GB ram.. it won't eliminate the lags.. because the nature of TS3 is simulating the real world while CoH only simulating some of the WWII wars and it has end to the game when the mission is accomplished.

So I think the one that preventing about the 64 bit patch that were abandoned was not because it's technically impossible to make TS3 in 64 bit platform, but how that would logically help the game to improve or particularly eliminating the lags because of the concept of TS3 open world simulation, because there's no cap population.. there's no end game.. it just keep growing and more populated.. which in the end could bottlenecking the cpu processor workload.. and as a result the game starts to lag..


About TS3 slow loading time

As for duplicates (conflicts and corrupts ones), this is actually a different subject from lags but related, I was talking about the TS3 loading time in general, not particularly about what causing the lags in the game (though it also contributing lags), these are from the Fullbuild.package TS3 installation files vs the Deltabuild.package game patch files, loading time (slow loading time) problem are separated from lags though both are related and affecting one to another.

I've personally tested this so many times since early 2015 how to improve the game in general with test run to know how the game would load and how it's affecting the lags, actually I want to share this long time ago.. but I don't know and I wasn't sure if this would break the terms and condition (or not) with EA or MTS here because it's indeed breaking the TS3 installation files.., and because I'm also worried.. that if this could lead into pirating the game with the custom installation if I upload and share my custom Fullbuilds.package files here on MTS. But I think it would be ok just to share the concept.. just like the modders made their mods for the community..

Now if you want to try it yourself, here's how I did the test to improve the TS3 loading time, if you have the TS3 BG installation disc and you have the Superpatch 1.67 patch (note: for TS3 1.67 only), you can try and see the different, first.. install TS3 BG, when it's done.. copy and backup all the Fullbuild0 Fullbuild1 Fullbuild2 package files from TS3 BG installation folder, run the game and start a new game, make a note how long it will take time to get the game fully running, and then just exit the game once you got the time..

Next.. then don't add any EPs or SPs, don't add any CCs and/or mods, but patch it with Superpatch 1.67, and then run the game like the 1st run and write down the time and compare it with TS3 with no patch time. You'll see that after it's patched, the game take more time to load.

Now go to back to the Package directory and you'll see there Deltabuild0 Deltabuild1 Deltabuild2 from 1.67 patch integrated to TS3 installation files, copy and backup these 3 files to the Fullbuilds you have backed up earlier, place them in one same folder, run Sims3Dashboard to that backup folder, and you'll see the Deltabuild0.package is corrupted, and you'll see the Deltabuild0 vs the Fullbuild0 conflicting as a result of duplicates in both files. The rest of the package files are fine with no problem but just these 2. And no you cannot fix it with Sims3Dashboard.

Now open Deltabuild0.package with S3PE and look for the TXTC files that are empty files (in size), remove those empty TXTCs and save it. You'll see the Deltabuild0 has no longer corrupted in Sims3Dashboard but still conflicting.

Now to remove the conflicting ones between the two, use the method how to remove mod file from the mod that has already merged. Open the Deltabuild0 in S3PE, and then open the Fullbuild0 in S3PE in separate window, so you'll have two S3PEs windows opens with both opened in S3PE, the Deltabuild0 is the newer and more updated one from the Fullbuild0.

Next is select all files from Deltabuild0, copy them to the clipboard, and paste them into the Fullbuild0, select replace duplicates, but this "once and for all" step will take hours to be done (even if you put them in RAMDisk to process this step). I suggest to select one section per section eg just select all TXTCs copy and paste them to replace the TXTCs in the Fullbuild0, this will save you time to get done, the big ones are the IMAGs ones. And when each section done, delete the unsaved ones (0x0000000 or 0xFFFFFFFFF, I forget which one, but you'll see something like that in S3PE after you replace them) before saving. This will remove all the duplicates in Fullbuild0, and therefore removed the conflicting ones between Deltabuild0 vs Fullbuild0.

Now make another back up of the original unedited Deltabuild0 and Fullbuild0 from TS3 BG installation folder to another separated folder from the 1st backup. And then copy the ones you just edited with S3PE to TS3 BG installation folder. Then run the game, and write down the time it took to get the game from zero to full running, and you'll see your TS3 BG 1.67 will load close to the time with the original TS3 BG with no patch.

With this, you'll make TS3 load faster because it don't have any corrupts conflicts and duplicates anymore, and it helps reducing some parts of the lags that caused by the delays because of corrupts, conflicts and duplicates, but it won't reduce the lags that caused because the game being populated, so if you do this step to the EPs and SPs as well, your game will load faster and reduced lags that came from corrupts, conflicts and duplicates. So in my understanding of TS3, there are two different factors that makes the game lags, first because of these corrupts, conflicts and duplicates, and the other part because the concept of open world with no population cap no end game.. indefinitely..


So with all those comparisons.., it's not that I disagree that 64 bit TS3 with 16 or 32 or 64 gb rams would eliminate the lags, but how? Because the way or the nature of TS3 open world simulation.. in the end.. is causing the cpu processor to bottleneck no mater how fast and powerful the processor is.. and that's why I think EA ditch the TS3 concept when moving to TS4..


Good evening,

Thank you for your awesome post! This is one of the only ones I've been able to find that discussess this issue In regards to your section where you mentioned to delete the TXTC files from Deltabuild0, I am unable to find any files with a size of 0 (they are listed as 0x00000ffff0000 for example) however, the file still reads as corrupt. Can you clarify on what exactly column is and what it reads as in S3PE?
Theorist
#72 Old 27th Apr 2019 at 4:54 AM
Anyone else tried that process with removing the duplicates? I might set up my laptop to run this process overnight.

#BlairWitchPetition
TS3 NEEDS: TENNIS COURTS > BUSES > PIGS/SHEEP
Can't find stuff in build and buy mode? http://www.nexusmods.com/thesims3/mods/1/?
Mad Poster
#73 Old 27th Apr 2019 at 5:31 AM
Quote: Originally posted by tizerist
Anyone else tried that process with removing the duplicates? I might set up my laptop to run this process overnight.


Nope, there's always a first! Remember to backup your files first through.
Inventor
#74 Old 28th Apr 2019 at 6:24 PM
The Sims 3 doesn't NEED a 64-bit executable to run fine. I haven't had a single crash due to lack of memory in 2-3 years. Sure, more memory would allow to play in larger worlds with more Sims, but 3.5 is more than enough for 90% of the worlds as long as you save often and you have a fast drive (SSD) so the difference between physical memory (RAM) and virtual memory (cache files) is minimal (though SSDs are still 5 to 10 times slower than RAM, but HDDs are 50 times slower than RAM).
Scholar
#75 Old 30th Apr 2019 at 4:00 PM
Skyrim did get a special editon 64 bit version. Maybe someday EA will do it cause making it 64 bit and selling it might be cheaper than making a Sims 5 or 6 or 10 in the future. Since they have the game engine, assets, scripts they can make it 64 bit. A lot of older games these days are getting reworked for console so it won't be completely out of the blue for Sims 3 to also get reworked. What do you guys think about the possibility of a 64 bit version being released in the future?

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