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Difference between revisions of "The Sims Castaway Stories"

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
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{{Infobox game
 
{{Infobox game
−
|cover        = The Sims Castaway Stories cover.jpg
+
|cover        = The Sims Castaway Stories cover.png
 
|developers  =  
 
|developers  =  
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Maxis}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/developer|Maxis}}
Line 15: Line 15:
 
{{Infobox game/row/reception|Metacritic|the-sims-castaway-stories|73}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/reception|Metacritic|the-sims-castaway-stories|73}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/reception|IGDB|the-sims-castaway-stories|rating}}
 
{{Infobox game/row/reception|IGDB|the-sims-castaway-stories|rating}}
 +
|taxonomy    =
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/monetization      | One-time game purchase }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/microtransactions | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/modes            | Singleplayer }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/pacing            | Real-time }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/perspectives      | Bird's-eye view }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/controls          | Point and select }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/genres            | Life sim }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/sports            | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/vehicles          | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/art styles        | }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/themes            | Contemporary }}
 +
{{Infobox game/row/taxonomy/series            | The Sims Stories }}
 
|steam appid  =  
 
|steam appid  =  
 
|gogcom id    =  
 
|gogcom id    =  
−
|igdb        = the-sims-castaway-stories
 
 
|hltb        = 53491
 
|hltb        = 53491
 +
|lutris      = the-sims-castaway-stories
 
|strategywiki = The Sims: Castaway Stories
 
|strategywiki = The Sims: Castaway Stories
−
|mobygames    = sims-castaway-stories
+
|mobygames    = 29430
 
|wikipedia    = The Sims Castaway Stories
 
|wikipedia    = The Sims Castaway Stories
 
|winehq      =  
 
|winehq      =  
 
|license      = commercial
 
|license      = commercial
 
}}
 
}}
−
{{Series|The Sims Stories}}
 
  
−
'''Key points'''
+
{{Introduction
−
{{++}} Runs well on low-end hardware, especially laptops.
+
|introduction      =
−
{{++}} This game uses a slightly modified version of the [[The Sims 2|The Sims 2: Seasons]] engine and most fixes and some mods for it also work here.
+
 
−
{{--}} This game has a lower texture quality than [[The Sims 2]].<ref>[https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=520699 Castaway Stories - TSCS - Awful textures?]</ref>
+
|release history  = This game uses a slightly modified version of the ''[[The Sims 2|The Sims 2: Bon Voyage]]'' engine and most fixes and some mods for it also work here. Compared to ''The Sims 2'', this game has lower texture quality.<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=520699|title=Castaway Stories - TSCS - Awful textures?|date=May 2023}}</ref>
 +
 
 +
|current state    =
 +
}}
  
 
'''General information'''
 
'''General information'''
 
{{mm}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20071002231355/http://sims.yahoo.com:80/about/castawaystories Official Website] (Yahoo!, archived)
 
{{mm}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20071002231355/http://sims.yahoo.com:80/about/castawaystories Official Website] (Yahoo!, archived)
−
{{mm}} [http://www.aspyr.com/games/the-sims-2-castaway-stories Official Website] (OS X)
+
{{mm}} [https://www.aspyr.com/games/the-sims-2-castaway-stories Official Website] (OS X)
 
{{mm}} [https://answers.ea.com/t5/Other-The-Sims-Games/bd-p/other-sims-games-en Answer HQ for The Sims series at EA.com]
 
{{mm}} [https://answers.ea.com/t5/Other-The-Sims-Games/bd-p/other-sims-games-en Answer HQ for The Sims series at EA.com]
 
{{mm}} [https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/bd-p/The-Sims-Mac Answer HQ for The Sims series at EA.com] (OS X)
 
{{mm}} [https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/bd-p/The-Sims-Mac Answer HQ for The Sims series at EA.com] (OS X)
−
{{mm}} [http://sims.fandom.com/wiki/The_Sims_Castaway_Stories The Sims Wiki]
 
  
 
==Availability==
 
==Availability==
 
{{Availability|
 
{{Availability|
 
{{Availability/row| Retail | | Disc, Key |{{DRM|SecuROM|7}}. | | Windows, OS X }}
 
{{Availability/row| Retail | | Disc, Key |{{DRM|SecuROM|7}}. | | Windows, OS X }}
−
{{Availability/row| MacApp | id1048232504 | MacApp | | | OS X }}
+
{{Availability/row| MacApp | id1048232504 | MacApp | | | OS X | unavailable }}
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 62: Line 76:
 
{{ii}} The final folder may have a localized name depending on which language you installed the game
 
{{ii}} The final folder may have a localized name depending on which language you installed the game
  
−
==Video settings==
+
==Video==
 
{{Image|The Sims Castaway Stories Graphics.jpg|In-Game Graphics settings}}
 
{{Image|The Sims Castaway Stories Graphics.jpg|In-Game Graphics settings}}
−
{{Video settings
+
{{Video
 
|wsgf link                  =  
 
|wsgf link                  =  
 
|widescreen wsgf award      =  
 
|widescreen wsgf award      =  
Line 70: Line 84:
 
|ultrawidescreen wsgf award =  
 
|ultrawidescreen wsgf award =  
 
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    =  
 
|4k ultra hd wsgf award    =  
−
|widescreen resolution      = hackable
+
|widescreen resolution      = true
−
|widescreen resolution notes= See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
+
|widescreen resolution notes= By default, resolutions up to 1280x720 can be selected. For more widescreen resolutions, see [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
−
|multimonitor              = unknown
+
|multimonitor              = false
−
|multimonitor notes        = See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
+
|multimonitor notes        =
−
|ultrawidescreen            = unknown
+
|ultrawidescreen            = hackable
−
|ultrawidescreen notes      =
+
|ultrawidescreen notes      = See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
−
|4k ultra hd                = unknown
+
|4k ultra hd                = hackable
−
|4k ultra hd notes          =  
+
|4k ultra hd notes          = See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
 
|fov                        = hackable
 
|fov                        = hackable
 
|fov notes                  = See [[#Field of view (FOV)|Field of view (FOV)]].
 
|fov notes                  = See [[#Field of view (FOV)|Field of view (FOV)]].
Line 87: Line 101:
 
|anisotropic notes          = Can be forced in driver control panel
 
|anisotropic notes          = Can be forced in driver control panel
 
|antialiasing              = true
 
|antialiasing              = true
−
|antialiasing notes        = Smooth Edges slider; if the setting are greyed out see [[#Anti-aliasing (AA)|Anti-aliasing (AA)]].
+
|antialiasing notes        = Smooth Edges slider. See [[#Anti-aliasing (AA)|Anti-aliasing (AA)]] for modern system compatibility.
−
|vsync                      = hackable
+
|upscaling                  = unknown
 +
|upscaling tech            =
 +
|upscaling notes            =
 +
|vsync                      = always on
 
|vsync notes                = On by default. See [[#Vertical sync (Vsync)|Vertical sync (Vsync)]].
 
|vsync notes                = On by default. See [[#Vertical sync (Vsync)|Vertical sync (Vsync)]].
 
|60 fps                    = true
 
|60 fps                    = true
Line 101: Line 118:
  
 
===[[Glossary:Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]]===
 
===[[Glossary:Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]]===
−
{{ii}} The game's maximum default resolution is 1600x1200. For higher resolutions you need to edit the following file:
+
{{ii}} The game's maximum default resolution is 1600x1200. For higher resolutions, do the following.
−
 
+
{{Fixbox|description=Manual resolution fix|ref=|fix=
−
<code> Electronic Arts\The Sims Castaway Stories\TSData\Res\Config\Graphics Rules.sgr</code>
+
* Navigate to the [[#Game data|configuration file location]] and open {{file|Graphics Rules.sgr}}.
−
 
+
* Set '''maxResWidth''' and '''maxResHeight''' to the display's native width and height, and edit the following lines accordingly:
−
Set '''maxResWidth''' and '''maxResHeight''' to your display's native width and height, or copy/paste the following:
 
  
 
<pre>option ScreenModeResolution
 
<pre>option ScreenModeResolution
Line 126: Line 142:
 
uintProp defaultResHeight 768
 
uintProp defaultResHeight 768
 
end</pre>
 
end</pre>
 +
}}
  
 
===[[Glossary:Field of view (FOV)|Field of view (FOV)]]===
 
===[[Glossary:Field of view (FOV)|Field of view (FOV)]]===
−
Each of the game's cameras can have their FOV set independently using the fov parameter in their Camera Settings files, which are contained in <code>{{p|userprofile\Documents}}\Electronic Arts\The Sims™ Castaway Stories\Cameras\</code>
+
Each of the game's cameras can have their FOV set independently using the fov parameter in their Camera Settings files, which are contained in {{folder|{{p|userprofile\Documents}}\Electronic Arts\The Sims™ Castaway Stories\Cameras}}
  
 
===[[Glossary:Anti-aliasing (AA)|Anti-aliasing (AA)]]===
 
===[[Glossary:Anti-aliasing (AA)|Anti-aliasing (AA)]]===
−
{{ii}} If your "Edge Smoothing" slider is greyed out in-game, then it's likely that the game cannot determine how much VRAM your GPU has and is defaulting to its failsafe of 32 MB.
+
{{ii}} If the "Edge Smoothing" slider is greyed out in-game, then it is likely that the game cannot determine how much VRAM the GPU has and is defaulting to its failsafe of 32 MB.
  
 
{{Fixbox|description=Raise amount of fallback value|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
 
{{Fixbox|description=Raise amount of fallback value|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
 
<ol>
 
<ol>
 
<li>Navigate to the [[#Game data|configuration file location]].</li>
 
<li>Navigate to the [[#Game data|configuration file location]].</li>
−
<li>Open <code>Graphics Rules.sgr</code>.</li>
+
<li>Open {{file|Graphics Rules.sgr}}.</li>
 
<li>Find the following section:  
 
<li>Find the following section:  
 
<pre>if (not $useSoftwareRasterizer)
 
<pre>if (not $useSoftwareRasterizer)
Line 143: Line 160:
 
       seti textureMemory      32
 
       seti textureMemory      32
 
   endif</pre>
 
   endif</pre>
−
and change <code>seti textureMemory</code> to the value of your GPU's VRAM in megabytes.</li>
+
and change <code>seti textureMemory</code> to the value of the GPU's VRAM in megabytes.</li>
 
</ol>
 
</ol>
  
 
'''Notes'''
 
'''Notes'''
−
{{ii}} This makes game use your VRAM amount as fallback value. Do not put value higher than actual VRAM amount is!
+
{{ii}} This makes game use your VRAM amount as fallback value. Do not put value higher than actual VRAM amount.
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
{{Fixbox|description=Alternative Fix|fix=
+
{{Fixbox|description=Alternative fix|fix=
 
<ol>
 
<ol>
 
<li>Navigate to the [[#Game data|configuration file location]].</li>
 
<li>Navigate to the [[#Game data|configuration file location]].</li>
−
<li>Open <code>Graphics Rules.sgr</code>.</li>
+
<li>Open {{file|Graphics Rules.sgr}}.</li>
 
<li>Search for <code>enumerateMultisampleLevels</code>  
 
<li>Search for <code>enumerateMultisampleLevels</code>  
 
<pre>
 
<pre>
Line 164: Line 181:
 
===[[Glossary:Vertical sync (Vsync)|Vertical sync (Vsync)]]===
 
===[[Glossary:Vertical sync (Vsync)|Vertical sync (Vsync)]]===
 
{{--}} Toggling Vsync can cause the game to hang.{{cn|date=August 2018}}
 
{{--}} Toggling Vsync can cause the game to hang.{{cn|date=August 2018}}
−
Vsync can only be toggled using the Cheat Console ({{key|Ctrl|Shift|C}}) and using either the 'vsync off' or 'vsync on' command.
+
Vsync can only be toggled using the cheat console ({{key|Ctrl|Shift|C}}) and using either the 'vsync off' or 'vsync on' command.
  
−
==Input settings==
+
==Input==
−
{{Input settings
+
{{Input
 
|key remap                = false
 
|key remap                = false
 
|key remap notes          =  
 
|key remap notes          =  
Line 230: Line 247:
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
==Audio settings==
+
==Audio==
 
{{Image|The Sims Castaway Stories Audio.jpg|In-Game Audio settings.}}
 
{{Image|The Sims Castaway Stories Audio.jpg|In-Game Audio settings.}}
−
 
+
{{Audio
−
{{Audio settings
 
 
|separate volume          = true
 
|separate volume          = true
 
|separate volume notes    = Voices, Sound Effects, Music, Ambient and Audio Quality sliders
 
|separate volume notes    = Voices, Sound Effects, Music, Ambient and Audio Quality sliders
Line 246: Line 262:
 
|eax support              =  
 
|eax support              =  
 
|eax support notes        =  
 
|eax support notes        =  
 +
|royalty free audio      = always on
 +
|royalty free audio notes =
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 266: Line 284:
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
−
  |language  = French
+
  |language  = Finnish
 
  |interface = true
 
  |interface = true
 
  |audio    = n/a
 
  |audio    = n/a
Line 274: Line 292:
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{L10n/switch
 
{{L10n/switch
−
  |language  = Finnish
+
  |language  = French
 
  |interface = true
 
  |interface = true
 
  |audio    = n/a
 
  |audio    = n/a
Line 324: Line 342:
  
 
==Issues fixed==
 
==Issues fixed==
−
===Poorly Placed Objects/Frozen Objects===
+
===Poorly placed objects/frozen objects===
 
{{ii}} Periodically, special object may be placed in a bad location, preventing a sim from doing anything. In other cases, a normal object may be improperly tagged as "in use" and cannot be moved, sold, or manipulated.
 
{{ii}} Periodically, special object may be placed in a bad location, preventing a sim from doing anything. In other cases, a normal object may be improperly tagged as "in use" and cannot be moved, sold, or manipulated.
 
{{--}} This problem can only be fixed with a mod, as <code>moveobjects on</code> cheat is disabled for this game.
 
{{--}} This problem can only be fixed with a mod, as <code>moveobjects on</code> cheat is disabled for this game.
Line 330: Line 348:
 
{{Fixbox|description=Use "Stuck Object Remover" mod|ref=|fix=
 
{{Fixbox|description=Use "Stuck Object Remover" mod|ref=|fix=
 
# Go [http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php?topic=1609.0 here] and download the file
 
# Go [http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php?topic=1609.0 here] and download the file
−
# Extract .zip file to <code>{{p|userprofile\Documents}}\Electronic Arts\The Sims™ Castaway Stories\Downloads\</code>
+
# Extract .zip file to {{folder|{{p|userprofile\Documents}}\Electronic Arts\The Sims™ Castaway Stories\Downloads}}.
−
# While in game open "Barter Mode" (Buy mode) and in "Nature" section and you will find yellow box.
+
# While in game, open "Barter Mode" (Buy mode) and in "Nature" section there will be a yellow box.
−
# Place the box where your stuck object is.
+
# Place the box where the stuck object is.
−
# Go back to "Live Mode" and you will receive notification that object has been eliminated from your lot.
+
# Go back to "Live Mode" and a notification will be shown saying that object has been eliminated from the lot.
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
===Black Square Under Sim===
+
===Black square under Sim===
−
{{Fixbox|description=Download Sim Shadow Fix|ref=|fix=
+
{{Fixbox|description=Download Sim shadow fix|ref=|fix=
 
# Go [http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=569585 here] and download the file that suits your preferences (0.2 shadows are more opaque, 0.4 more transparent and 0.3 are in between).
 
# Go [http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=569585 here] and download the file that suits your preferences (0.2 shadows are more opaque, 0.4 more transparent and 0.3 are in between).
−
# Extract the .package file inside the zip file you downloaded to <code>{{p|userprofile\Documents}}\Electronic Arts\The Sims™ Castaway Stories\Downloads\</code>
+
# Extract the {{file|.package}} file to {{folder|{{p|userprofile\Documents}}\Electronic Arts\The Sims™ Castaway Stories\Downloads}}
−
{{ii}} If you're using an Intel HD Graphics card, the author recommends downloading the <code>xReallyNotMisty</code> versions of the fix.
+
{{ii}} If using an Intel HD Graphics card, the author recommends downloading the <code>xReallyNotMisty</code> versions of the fix.
−
{{ii}} If the <code>Downloads</code> folder is missing, create it.
+
{{ii}} If the {{folder|Downloads}} folder is missing, create it.
−
{{ii}} If your installation is in an language other than English, the <code>The Sims™ Castaway Stories</code> folder will probably have the localized name instead. It's also possible to have both the localized folder along with an normal <code>The Sims™ Castaway Stories</code>. In this last case, the <code>Downloads</code> folder must be on the localized folder, as the other will just handles logs and such.
+
{{ii}} If the installation is in an language other than English, the {{folder|The Sims™ Castaway Stories}} folder will probably have the localized name instead. It's also possible to have both the localized folder along with an normal {{folder|The Sims™ Castaway Stories}}. In this last case, the {{folder|Downloads}} folder must be in the localized folder, as the other will just handles logs.
 
}}
 
}}
  
−
===Game stuck in 800x600 resolution, or 4:3 aspect ratio===
+
===Game stuck in 800x600 resolution===
−
{{ii}}Occurs because the game fails to detect the video card correctly.
+
{{ii}} Occurs because the game fails to detect the video card correctly.
 
{{Fixbox|description=Edit Graphics Rules.sgr|fix=
 
{{Fixbox|description=Edit Graphics Rules.sgr|fix=
 
<ol>
 
<ol>
−
<li>Go to <code>{{p|game}}\Fun with Pets\SP9\TSData\Res\Config</code>.</li>
+
<li>Navigate to the [[#Game data|configuration file location]].</li>
−
{{ii}} If you don't have a Fun with Pets directory, the Mansion and Garden Stuff directory should have your game files if you're playing Ultimate Collection.
 
 
<li>Open {{file|Graphics Rules.sgr}} with a text editor.</li>
 
<li>Open {{file|Graphics Rules.sgr}} with a text editor.</li>
 
<li>Search for:
 
<li>Search for:
Line 360: Line 377:
 
uintProp defaultResHeight 600
 
uintProp defaultResHeight 600
 
</pre></li>
 
</pre></li>
 +
<li>Replace</li>
 +
<pre>
 
option ScreenModeResolution
 
option ScreenModeResolution
−
  setting $Low
+
setting $Low
−
      uintProp maxResWidth      1280
+
uintProp maxResWidth      1280
−
      uintProp maxResHeight    1024
+
uintProp maxResHeight    1024
−
      uintProp defaultResWidth  800
+
uintProp defaultResWidth  800
−
      uintProp defaultResHeight 600
+
uintProp defaultResHeight 600
 
</pre>
 
</pre>
  
 
<li>Save and close.</li>
 
<li>Save and close.</li>
 
</ol>
 
</ol>
−
{{ii}}To force widescreen resolutions change the values for the desired resolution.See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
+
{{ii}} By default, widescreen resolutions up to 1280x720 can be selected. To force more widescreen resolutions, change the values for the desired resolution. See [[#Widescreen resolution|Widescreen resolution]].
−
<pre>
 
−
 
 
−
}}
 
−
{{Fixbox|description=Force resolution and texture memory via the Graphics Rules Maker|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
 
−
# Download, install and run [[#Graphics Rule Maker|the Graphics Rules Maker]].
 
−
# Set '''Force texture memory''' to <code>4000 Mb</code> (try lowering this value if the game crashes).
 
−
# Change '''Default resolution:''' and '''Maximum resolution:''' to the desired resolution.
 
−
# Click '''Save Files...'''.
 
−
}}
 
−
 
 
−
===Low quality neighborhood terrain===
 
−
{{Fixbox|description=Enable high quality neighborhood terrain|ref=|fix=
 
−
<ol>
 
−
<li>Navigate to the [[#Game data|configuration file location]].</li>
 
−
<li>Open <code>Graphics Rules.sgr</code>.</li>
 
−
<li>Find the following section:
 
−
<pre>boolProp simpleTerrain true</pre>
 
−
and change <code>true</code> to <code>false</code>.</li>
 
−
</ol>
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
Line 395: Line 395:
 
===API===
 
===API===
 
{{API
 
{{API
−
|direct3d versions      =  
+
|direct3d versions      = 9.0c
 
|direct3d notes        =  
 
|direct3d notes        =  
 
|directdraw versions    =  
 
|directdraw versions    =  
Line 417: Line 417:
 
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 
|windows 32-bit exe    = true
 
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 
|windows 64-bit exe    = false
 +
|windows arm app        = false
 
|windows exe notes      =  
 
|windows exe notes      =  
 
|mac os x powerpc app  = true
 
|mac os x powerpc app  = true
 
|macos intel 32-bit app = true
 
|macos intel 32-bit app = true
 
|macos intel 64-bit app = false
 
|macos intel 64-bit app = false
−
|macos app notes        = 32-bit only.<ref>[https://support.aspyr.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000214186 MacOS Catalina, 64-bit, 32-bit, and related Questions – Aspyr Support]</ref>
+
|macos arm app          = unknown
 +
|macos app notes        = 32-bit only.<ref>{{Refurl|url=https://support.aspyr.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000214186|title=MacOS Catalina, 64-bit, 32-bit, and related Questions – Aspyr Support|date=9 June 2023}}</ref>
 
|linux 32-bit executable=  
 
|linux 32-bit executable=  
 
|linux 64-bit executable=  
 
|linux 64-bit executable=  
 +
|linux arm app          = unknown
 
|linux executable notes =  
 
|linux executable notes =  
 
}}
 
}}
Line 444: Line 447:
 
{{System requirements
 
{{System requirements
 
|OSfamily = OS X
 
|OSfamily = OS X
−
|ref      = <ref>[http://www.aspyr.com/games/the-sims-2-castaway-stories The Sims™ 2 Castaway Stories - Aspyr]</ref>
+
|ref      = <ref>{{Refurl|url=https://www.aspyr.com/games/the-sims-2-castaway-stories|title=The Sims™ 2 Castaway Stories - Aspyr|date=9 June 2023}}</ref>
  
 
|minOS    = 10.9.5
 
|minOS    = 10.9.5

Latest revision as of 13:08, 9 April 2024

The Sims Castaway Stories
The Sims Castaway Stories cover
Developers
Maxis
macOS (OS X) Aspyr Media
Publishers
Electronic Arts
OS X Aspyr Media
Engines
The Sims 2 Engine
Release dates
Windows January 29, 2008
macOS (OS X) March 17, 2008
Reception
Metacritic 73
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Modes Singleplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives Bird's-eye view
Controls Point and select
Genres Life sim
Themes Contemporary
Series The Sims Stories
The Sims Castaway Stories on HowLongToBeat
The Sims Castaway Stories on IGDB
Icon overlay.png
The Sims Castaway Stories guide on StrategyWiki
The Sims Castaway Stories on MobyGames
The Sims Castaway Stories on Wikipedia
The Sims Stories
Subseries of The Sims
The Sims Life Stories 2007
The Sims Pet Stories 2007
The Sims Castaway Stories 2008

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

The Sims Castaway Stories is a singleplayer bird's-eye view life sim game in the The Sims Stories series.

This game uses a slightly modified version of the The Sims 2: Bon Voyage engine and most fixes and some mods for it also work here. Compared to The Sims 2, this game has lower texture quality.[1]

General information

Official Website (Yahoo!, archived)
Official Website (OS X)
Answer HQ for The Sims series at EA.com
Answer HQ for The Sims series at EA.com (OS X)

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
 SecuROM 7 DRM.
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Mac App Store (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
macOS (OS X)

Game data

In-game General settings.
In-game General settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\TSData\Res\Config[Note 1]
macOS (OS X)

Save game data location

System Location
Windows %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims™ Castaway Stories\
macOS (OS X)
The final folder may have a localized name depending on which language you installed the game

Video

In-Game Graphics settings
In-Game Graphics settings

Graphics feature State Notes
Widescreen resolution
By default, resolutions up to 1280x720 can be selected. For more widescreen resolutions, see Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
See Widescreen resolution.
4K Ultra HD
See Widescreen resolution.
Field of view (FOV)
See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Use -w parameter.When in Windowed Mode, the Resolution will be adjusted so the window will not overlap the Windows Taskbar
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Can be forced in driver control panel
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Smooth Edges slider. See Anti-aliasing (AA) for modern system compatibility.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
On by default. See Vertical sync (Vsync).
60 FPS and 120+ FPS
Frame rates up to 120 FPS have been observed.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Widescreen resolution

The game's maximum default resolution is 1600x1200. For higher resolutions, do the following.
Manual resolution fix
  • Navigate to the configuration file location and open Graphics Rules.sgr.
  • Set maxResWidth and maxResHeight to the display's native width and height, and edit the following lines accordingly:
option ScreenModeResolution
setting $Low
uintProp maxResWidth 2560
uintProp maxResHeight 1600
uintProp defaultResWidth 800
uintProp defaultResHeight 600

setting $Medium
uintProp maxResWidth 2560
uintProp maxResHeight 1600
uintProp defaultResWidth 1024
uintProp defaultResHeight 768

setting $High
uintProp maxResWidth 2560
uintProp maxResHeight 1600
uintProp defaultResWidth 1024
uintProp defaultResHeight 768
end

Field of view (FOV)

Each of the game's cameras can have their FOV set independently using the fov parameter in their Camera Settings files, which are contained in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims™ Castaway Stories\Cameras

Anti-aliasing (AA)

If the "Edge Smoothing" slider is greyed out in-game, then it is likely that the game cannot determine how much VRAM the GPU has and is defaulting to its failsafe of 32 MB.
Raise amount of fallback value[citation needed]
  1. Navigate to the configuration file location.
  2. Open Graphics Rules.sgr.
  3. Find the following section: 
    if (not $useSoftwareRasterizer)
   # failed to obtain device texture memory size, force to 32 MB
   if ($textureMemory = 0)
      seti textureMemory       32
   endif
    and change seti textureMemory to the value of the GPU's VRAM in megabytes.

Notes

This makes game use your VRAM amount as fallback value. Do not put value higher than actual VRAM amount.
Alternative fix
  1. Navigate to the configuration file location.
  2. Open Graphics Rules.sgr.
  3. Search for enumerateMultisampleLevels 
       boolProp enumerateMultisampleLevels false
    and wherever it says false next to it, correct it with true. There are multiple lines with the enumerateMultisampleLevels so keep changing to true until there are no more results.

Vertical sync (Vsync)

Toggling Vsync can cause the game to hang.[citation needed]

Vsync can only be toggled using the cheat console (Ctrl+⇧ Shift+C) and using either the 'vsync off' or 'vsync on' command.

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Controller types

Audio

In-Game Audio settings.
In-Game Audio settings.

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Voices, Sound Effects, Music, Ambient and Audio Quality sliders
Surround sound
Stereo, 4.0 and 5.1
Subtitles
No intelligible dialog. All in-game dialog uses the fictional Simlish language.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Game 'forgets' it does not have the focus when leaving loading screens
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Speech is fictional language called Simlish.
Speech is subtitled with generic icons.
Danish
Finnish
French
German
Norwegian
Russian
Swedish
Brazilian Portuguese

Issues fixed

Poorly placed objects/frozen objects

Periodically, special object may be placed in a bad location, preventing a sim from doing anything. In other cases, a normal object may be improperly tagged as "in use" and cannot be moved, sold, or manipulated.
This problem can only be fixed with a mod, as moveobjects on cheat is disabled for this game.
Use "Stuck Object Remover" mod
  1. Go here and download the file
  2. Extract .zip file to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims™ Castaway Stories\Downloads.
  3. While in game, open "Barter Mode" (Buy mode) and in "Nature" section there will be a yellow box.
  4. Place the box where the stuck object is.
  5. Go back to "Live Mode" and a notification will be shown saying that object has been eliminated from the lot.

Black square under Sim

Download Sim shadow fix
  1. Go here and download the file that suits your preferences (0.2 shadows are more opaque, 0.4 more transparent and 0.3 are in between).
  2. Extract the .package file to %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims™ Castaway Stories\Downloads
If using an Intel HD Graphics card, the author recommends downloading the xReallyNotMisty versions of the fix.
If the Downloads folder is missing, create it.
If the installation is in an language other than English, the The Sims™ Castaway Stories folder will probably have the localized name instead. It's also possible to have both the localized folder along with an normal The Sims™ Castaway Stories. In this last case, the Downloads folder must be in the localized folder, as the other will just handles logs.

Game stuck in 800x600 resolution

Occurs because the game fails to detect the video card correctly.
Edit Graphics Rules.sgr
  1. Navigate to the configuration file location.
  2. Open Graphics Rules.sgr with a text editor.
  3. Search for: 
    option ScreenModeResolution
setting $Low
uintProp maxResWidth      800
uintProp maxResHeight     600
uintProp defaultResWidth  800
uintProp defaultResHeight 600
  4. Replace
    5. option ScreenModeResolution
setting $Low
uintProp maxResWidth      1280
uintProp maxResHeight     1024
uintProp defaultResWidth  800
uintProp defaultResHeight 600
  5. Save and close.
By default, widescreen resolutions up to 1280x720 can be selected. To force more widescreen resolutions, change the values for the desired resolution. See Widescreen resolution.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9.0c
ExecutablePPC 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
32-bit only.[2]

System requirements

Windows
Minimum
Operating system (OS) XP, Vista
Processor (CPU) 1.8 GHz
System memory (RAM) 256 MB (XP) / 1 GB (Vista)
Hard disk drive (HDD) 2.9 GB
Video card (GPU) ATI Radeon 7500 / Mobility Radeon 7500
Nvidia GeForce2 Series / GeForce Go Series
Supported Non-T&L Cards (e.g. Radeon VE Series and Intel Extreme 82845) require an additional 256 MB of System Memory
32 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible
macOS (OS X)
Minimum[3]
Operating system (OS) 10.9.5
Processor (CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz
System memory (RAM) 4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 3 GB
Video card (GPU) Nvidia GeForce 8800 series
AMD Radeon HD 3870
Intel HD Graphics 3000
256 MB of VRAM


Notes

  1. ↑ When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

References