Just out of curiosity, are you using the disc version of HELS? It seems like this problem is primarily affecting people with the 3.1 patch for the digital download version.

You may have a point there, wonder what the difference is..... hmmmm

I just installed the HELS pack and have had no trouble at all. I'm counting myself very lucky in that regard. Although, I only allowed the game to update at the beginning of the installation, I by-pass the Launcher entirely. That may be the saving grace, however.

yes i am....hmm....never considered the digital version....

Check and check. Both apply to me, and I'm having the same issues.

trying different approaches, I may have come up with a solution to Alt - Tab flaw. I have installed each patch as they came out. However, I knew the last patch updated Base game from 1.9 to 1.10 and HELS from 3.0 to 3.1, but didn't update WA.

I had actually decided to uninstall HELS because the lack of Alt-Tab ability, so I did. During the uninstall, a message was displayed letting me know the game may not work until I updated. So after the uninstall completed, I fired up the launcher and checked for updates. WA was updated from 2.4 to 2.5. Just out of curiosity, I reinstalled HELS and tested...... Alt-Tab functionality was restored!!

Oo! I will try this as well. Thanks, werismyki!

hmmm, nevermind, spoke prematurely. I forgot I had to update HELS again from 3.0 to 3.1 and when I did, the Alt-Tab flaw is back.

I received a disc copy of HELS for Valentines Day, so I uninstalled the digital download version, installed the disc version, and updated to 3.1. And, sure enough, the alt-tab bug was gone. Just to test, I reinstalled the digital download and patched it up, and the bug returned.

So it does appear to be limited to the digital download version. I'm not sure why one version would contain a bug that the other doesn't, but there you have it.

I have hels and I never got the Alt tab bug. But the bug I did get, I have yet to find any one else have. When I update my Hels with the page. The game will not play AT ALL. That is to say. It goes to the loading screen, gets ALLL the way to the end of the progrress bar and then thats it. I uninstalled patched Hels reinstalled it and it works. At first I had forgotten to take out my game saves and custom content. so I thought that was the problem, Did a clean reinstall of everything and I updated as I went. Then patched it. Game locked up and I couldn't play. So I can only guess Its because I have the Digital Download Version of the game. So Im just not going to patch until the next one,. because im sure as HECK not going to go and BUY a disc when I already paid for these downloaded versions.

Good grief! I'm glad you all posted about your troubles with digital download. I've been snowed in pretty much since HELS came out. My 20 year old tiny econobox car can't be trusted in bad weather anymore. So I was thinking of getting the digital download version. I've been really wanting that aquarium.

I don't have HELS but I just installed the latest two patches for both the basegame and WA. I always install them manually, downloading the .exe instead of relying on the launcher. Removed mods, changed some camera file back to its original (which was kept on the folder with a huge ORIGINAL on its name for that purpose), the four patches installed like a charm. Got everything back on, including the camera tweaks, the game runs as smoothly as before.

I have noticed, however, a big change in the game lighting. Before patching, I didn't have that "glow effect" people complain about. There was some glow going on over objects that were directly under light sources. But now anything near a lamp glows with the fury of a thousand suns. It's ridiculously unnatural. But it only affects objects near lamps. I can live with that during play, but it ruins screenshots.

Edit: By the way, the sims that were in some sort of activity (playing chess, using the exercise machines, etc) jumped off whatever they were doing upon entering the game the first time after patching. And there is one "derelict vehicle" with no driver - I'll be searching for the safest way to get rid of it, in case it's not enough to simply delete it.

I have a question, since I got HELS and the patch that came with it, my Sims store merchandise won't show up. I've tried reinstalling it, but no luck. I don't have a TON from the store, but it still sort of bugs me that the hair, clothes or objects no longer show up. Help?

I just patched from 1.0 to 1.10 with only 1 problem seems reasonable? But the ruddy launcher now wont work and I can't use my new water feature -cry-

My game is fully patched. Even my Launcher says my game is up to date. But when I try to download worlds off their Exchange, they say my game is not up to date. 2.5.12.004001 with base game and WA--should be correct, right? I've had one or two minor glitches since my fresh reinstall and fresh patching. Once I could not regain a trait that got lost when I put a Young Adult into Teen and then put them back to Adult again in Create A Sim. The slot was there but it refused to accept the trait. And I had one sim refuse to talk to another for a moment. She wouldn't walk to where she needed to be until I queued up another conversation talking point for her to use in addition to her first one. Odd. I don't relish seeing tiny glitches so early into a fresh install. Experience of that in Sims2 always meant something deeper went wrong that is going to just compound itself the longer I play. Poo!

After installing HELS and patching it to 3.1, none of my sims have their skills anymore. They are all gone! Is this just an issue with HELS? I also noticed that the CC I made in game with EA clothing disappeared also!

summersong, look in program C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin and C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 World Adventures\Game\Bin for this file - skuversion.txt. double click to open it and see what each version is on the first line

WA - GameVersion = 2.5.12.004001
Sims3 - GameVersion = 1.10.6.004001
HELS - GameVersion = 3.1.7.004017

Werismyki, got the following info:

Base Game skuversion.txt info reads as follows:
GameVersion = 1.10.6.004001
Code:0.RL-2.0.92
Asset:1.Content.sbsp.42
Thumbnails:1.Thumbnail.dl.1200
TCC:1.TCC.dl.2052
CiderVersion#003365

World Adventures--note it says TCC and thumbnail info is unknown. Is that normal or unusual? I've not a clue what those things are. Going to see if I can find the info in Game Help or somewhere.

GameVersion = 2.5.12.004001
Code:0.RL-2.0.93
Asset:1.ep1-0.rl.14
Thumbnails:Unknown
TCC:Unknown
CiderVersion#003305

EDIT: Google is my friend. Found the answer--yes that is "normal". Found the info on a cached version of a page on EA's official forums. Oddly enough I can't get into their regular forums especially if I'm logged in. I can only see their forums if I toss my cookies.

I Buy my games on disc(because I like to collect them and see the boxes ond the shelf) but since it's so annoying to put the disc in every time, I'm using EAM version.

Either way, I think The Sims 3 is a great game, I just think most users are annoyed because the loss of content and were used to the sims 2 kind of gameplay...(And some bugs do help to scare fans away).

I miss vampires

Does anyone know if HELS automatically patches the base game during install? Since EA fudged the launcher, I'm reinstalling the game and going to manually patch it to 1.7 so I can still install .sims3pack through the launcher. I'm just curious if HELS either A) automatically updates the base game or b) won't install unless you update the base game.

i believe it is a

HELS is just an install, you must patch your game first, then install HELS.