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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 16th Aug 2017 at 2:30 PM

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 2, University, Nightlife, Open for Business, Pets, Seasons, Bon Voyage
Default Weird line appearing in neighbourhood screen
Yesterday, I opened TS2 and saw a black line, similar to the screenshot below but without the white and yellow lines. When I moved my camera, it disappeared but I saw it again after I moved back. I restarted the game and it went away.

Today, I saw the contents of the screenshot. Like before, the lines disappeared when I moved the camera away and became visible when I moved it back. Then, I entered a household and exited it. The lines disappeared.

Haven't installed any custom content recently. The rest of the game works fine.
Screenshots
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 16th Aug 2017 at 3:18 PM
Looks like a graphic artifact. What's your video card?

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 19th Aug 2017 at 9:45 AM
Intel HD Graphics 3000. Also, this seems to be a problem with one lot because the weird stuff moved with it when I tried to move the lot. This was the newest lot I've made.
Oh, and the graphics got stranger.
Screenshots
Mad Poster
#4 Old 19th Aug 2017 at 3:09 PM
Usually a sign of the graphics card struggling, or your setup with the graphics card being wrong.

We'll need to know your computer specs to help you (Laptop or stationary, processor/speed, RAM, graphics card, Windows/OS version, etc.)
Top Secret Researcher
#5 Old 19th Aug 2017 at 3:35 PM
Have you been playing on that computer for some time, or did you move your game there recently, just in case? I'm asking because I've had similar graphic glitches (the first of the 3 pictures, not the black lines) after migrating from my old XP desktop, to a much newer one (Windows 7) with a better graphics card.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 19th Aug 2017 at 4:35 PM
Sounds like an onboard card. Is it a laptop? It might be overheating. Try placing your laptop on a hard surface while you play. Even better if you can raise it up on a couple of books so the fan isn't obstructed at all. Never play a graphics intensive game like Sims with the laptop on a soft surface like in bed, on a sofa or on your actual lap.

If you ever see this happening it's a sign you need to immediately shut down the whole computer and let it cool down before it causes permanent damage.

I use the sims as a psychology simulator...
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#7 Old 20th Aug 2017 at 5:26 AM
@simmer22 Laptop is Macbook Air, OS is Sierra (version 10.12), memory: 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3, graphics card is Intel HD Graphics 3000, processor is 1.7 GHz Intel Core i5.

@Lili975 I've been playing on the same laptop for 2 years.

@simsfreq I'll try that, thank you.
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retired moderator
#8 Old 20th Aug 2017 at 7:34 AM
Does it go away if you delete the lot?
Mad Poster
#9 Old 20th Aug 2017 at 10:29 AM Last edited by simmer22 : 20th Aug 2017 at 10:44 AM.
Your specs seem to barely meet most of the minimum requirements for the Super Collection (the processor is too weak, though - the game requires 2.2 ghz), but most of the "intel HD" cards aren't real graphic cards, just chipsets (inboard graphics). They're not meant for gaming, but can handle most other tasks, like internet and pre-installed games. The Super Collection is probably meant for a Macbook to be able to run, but keep in mind that a Macbook Air is probably not meant for heavy gaming.

http://www.aspyr.com/games/the-sims-2-super-collection

Most laptops these days can with a bit of goodwill play TS2. It's an old game, so it's not as heavy duty as more modern games - BUT that doesn't mean all laptops will be abe to perform well with high settings. Laptops these days are often geared towards a spesific task. If the laptop is cheap and goes so far as to say it's for "multimedia", it usually means you can manage tasks for school/work quite well, but it's probably not a good one for gaming. Most laptops aren't meant for heavy gaming, and those that are will advertise it, and tend to be more expensive.

I'm not saying you can't play the game on your Macbook - but if you continue to play the game on it, don't be surprised if you eventually burn out some parts. The graphic issues means the card is struggling, and newly appearing graphic artefacts tend to be a sign something's wrong. I've got two cards on my laptop, one inboard and one dedicated. The inboard manages the tasks it's meant for, but not TS2, and it gives me a whole lot of graphic issues if TS2 tries to run on it. I used to have a laptop with only inboard graphics, but after a while I started having weird issues like the screen going black, and eventually the game slowed to a crawl, and the laptop stopped working, so I made sure my next computer could handle more.
Mad Poster
#10 Old 20th Aug 2017 at 8:08 PM
Best case scenario is that your video chipset's struggling a bit to render it and outputting garbage. Lowering the graphics settings helps with this.

Worst case? It could be dying. I had similar graphics artifacts in the days before my video card's capacitors burst. Don't panic, though. There's usually other symptoms too (my graphics drivers kept crashing, and the computer shut down several times from overheating).

If you're in a situation to do so, the best thing would possibly to get a different computer for playing TS2.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Top Secret Researcher
#11 Old 20th Aug 2017 at 9:24 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ihatemandatoryregister
Best case scenario is that your video chipset's struggling a bit to render it and outputting garbage. Lowering the graphics settings helps with this.

Worst case? It could be dying. I had similar graphics artifacts in the days before my video card's capacitors burst. Don't panic, though. There's usually other symptoms too (my graphics drivers kept crashing, and the computer shut down several times from overheating).

If you're in a situation to do so, the best thing would possibly to get a different computer for playing TS2.


If you get a different computer and you want to save a little on price, I advise you to look refurbished iMacs. Refurbished is a computer that has been previously used and take back by Apple for some reason and then any needed repairs performed and cleaned up and now resold as used. I use an iMac and it handles Sims 2 Super Collection quite well.

for info on changing the Mac Open File Limit check out my post here http://www.insimenator.org/index.ph...html#msg1628939
Curiosity killed the cat,
but satisfaction brought it back.
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retired moderator
#12 Old 23rd Aug 2017 at 7:19 AM
@Astha123
Have you fixed this? Did you try deleting the affected lot?
Mad Poster
#13 Old 23rd Aug 2017 at 10:14 PM
I don't think deleting the lot would help. It seem to be a graphic card problem and not one with the specific lot (unless maybe it's a bad piece of CC causing the graphics card to mess up).

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
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retired moderator
#14 Old 24th Aug 2017 at 7:23 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Astha123
Also, this seems to be a problem with one lot because the weird stuff moved with it when I tried to move the lot.

This is why I was asking if it was a problem with a lot.

I had a similar problem with a neighbourhood I made a few years ago, so it's worth a try.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#15 Old 7th Oct 2017 at 8:37 AM
Sorry, didn't have Internet access for a while. I did get to play the game, though.

The problem seems to be with some CC in the lot. I removed it and it runs perfectly now.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#16 Old 7th Oct 2017 at 8:47 AM
The CC was probably putting that extra bit of strain on your graphics chip, you might want to turn shadows to medium or off, distances to near and other settings low and avoid high poly CC.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Field Researcher
#17 Old 7th Oct 2017 at 11:21 AM
Something else you might want to try, if your battery life is still decent, is to play the game while unplugged from power. I used to play on a Macbook Air when the game first came out (hadn't yet updated my iMac to a high enough OS X level), and the CPU throttling from running on battery seemed to help keep the temperatures lower.

I was also wary about my graphics settings. I did crank the distances up all the way, since I like seeing the neighbourhood rather than a blue haze, but I left most other settings on medium. That and always playing with it sat on a hard surface to ensure good airflow were about the only compromises I made though.
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retired moderator
#18 Old 7th Oct 2017 at 11:22 AM
I don't think it's a problem with the graphics chip at all Jo, if a mesh has a problem it can cause artifacts on and off lot.
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