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The Sims

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
The Sims
The Sims cover
Developers
Maxis
Mac OS (Classic) Westlake Interactive
macOS (OS X) Westlake Interactive
Linux TransGaming Inc.
Publishers
Electronic Arts
Mac OS Aspyr Media
macOS (OS X) Aspyr Media
Linux TransGaming Inc.
Engines
The Sims Engine
Release dates
Windows February 4, 2000
Mac OS (Classic) July 25, 2000
macOS (OS X) August 15, 2001
Linux March 12, 2003
The Sims guide on StrategyWiki
The Sims on Wikipedia

Warnings

SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see Availability for affected versions).
The Mac OS X version of this game does not work on Mac OS X Lion (version 10.7) or later due to the removal of support for PowerPC apps.
The Sims
Subseries of Sim
The Sims 2000
The Sims Online 2002
The Sims 2 2004
The Sims Stories (series)
MySims 2008
The Sims 3 2009
The Sims Medieval 2011
The Sims 4 2014

Key points

Limited video settings.
Playing the game with a CD/DVD is not possible on Windows 10
DirectDraw emulation is broken in Windows 10 causing performance issues. See "Low frame-rate and graphical glitches"

General information

Official Website (archived)
The Sims Official Forums
EA Answer HQ
EA Answer HQ (OS X)
The Sims Wikia

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
SafeDisc v1 and v2 DRM[Note 1]. Disc check requires latest expansion installed.
Windows
Mac OS
macOS (OS X)
Linux
SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
The Sims: Complete Collection includes the base game and all 7 expansions

Version differences

List of all different versions and regions can be found on Wikipedia.

DLC and expansion packs

This is also the preferred installation order, installing expansions in other order may introduce problems or simply can't be installed. If installed in wrong order it's recommended to backup save data, completely uninstall the game and install again in correct order.
Name Notes
Livin' Large Released as "Livin' It Up" in Europe.
Windows
Mac OS
House Party
Windows
Mac OS
macOS (OS X)
Hot Date Requires Livin' Large to install.
Windows
Mac OS
macOS (OS X)
Vacation Released as "On Holiday" in the Republic of Ireland and the UK,
although installer still refers to it as Vacation.
Windows
Mac OS
macOS (OS X)
Unleashed
Windows
Mac OS
macOS (OS X)
Superstar
Windows
Mac OS
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Makin' Magic
Windows
Mac OS
macOS (OS X)
Linux

Essential improvements

Patches

Unofficial mods

Mousewheel Support Script
By default the game does not allow for zooming in and out using the mousewheel. Use the following to add in mousewheel support.
Add mousewheel support using AHK[citation needed]
1. Download and install AutoHotkey.
2. Rightclick an empty space in any folder and go to New > AutoHotkey script.
3. Rightclick it and choose Edit.
4. Delete all code and replace with the following:
wheelup::
sendinput,{+}
return

wheeldown::
sendinput,-
return

F10::
Exitapp
return
5. Save and run the file then start the game. When you are done, push F10 to exit the script and restore default mousewheel functionality to windows.

Low frame-rate and graphical glitches

Stablizes gameplay along with fixing graphical glitches when using Alt+Tab
DirectDraw emulation is broken in Windows 10 and later
Use a DirectDraw wrapper[3]
  1. Download the DirectDrawCompat wrapper
  2. Extract the contents from the .zip file into the game's installation folder

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows
Mac OS (Classic)
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Configuration files are encrypted.
It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\UserData\[Note 2]
<path-to-game>\UserData*\[Note 2]
Mac OS (Classic)
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Game saves are in form of neighborhoods instead of a single household. Save folders are numbered (the first neighborhood is numberless).
Initial setting up of new neighborhood and household may take several minutes even with higher end machines and it takes longer more expansion packs are installed.

Video settings

General settings.
General settings.
Graphics settings.
Graphics settings.

Template:Video settings

Widescreen resolution

A pre-patched executable is available for 1920x1080; for other resolutions see the WSGF entry.
Unable to zoom in as close as the default resolution.
Some HUD elements become difficult to read due to rendering errors, such as the employment screen.
Can see more at once.
Add 1920x1080 Support[citation needed]
  1. Copy this EXE file to your Sims installation folder.
  2. Run the file or rename it to Sims.exe to overwrite your original.
  3. Alternatively, follow the WSGF guide to patch in any resolution of your choice.

Input settings

Template:Input settings

Audio settings

Audio settings.
Audio settings.

Template:Audio settings

Localizations

Game has to be installed with desired language option.
Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
Starting from Vacation expansion pack.
Installing that or later expansions changes language.
Polish
Swedish
French
Dutch
German
Hebrew
Japanese
Spanish
Italian
Korean
Brazilian Portuguese
Portuguese
Norwegian
Thai

Issues fixed

At the time The Sims was released, it had the potential for crashes and issues. With each expansion, the game became less stable, and even on properly configured systems would crash periodically. This has not improved over time.
Problems may vary from not being able to install the game, from not being able to launch the game, instability along with performance issues and lastly not being able to save the game. This is especially prevalent on Windows 10, when disc-based DRM was completely dropped along with broken DirectDraw emulation.

Low frame-rate and graphical glitches

Stablizes gameplay along with fixing graphical glitches when using Alt+Tab
DirectDraw emulation is broken in Windows 8 and later
Use a DirectDraw wrapper[4]
  1. Download the DirectDrawCompat wrapper
  2. Extract the contents from the .zip file into the game's installation folder

Installer program not starting

Start installation manually without launcher[citation needed]
  1. Go to main discs root and open folder Setup.
  2. With most cases simply open Setup.exe, however to make sure correct language is used open Setup_Language.BAT and replace Language with desired language option.
  3. Continue installation normally.

Notes

Content of the Setup folder varies from game and expansion.

Issues saving when installed to the default location

Install game to a different location[citation needed]
  1. Start setup normally
  2. When asked installation location select different location. For some users simply removing (x86) from path, but it may be safer to install either root or another drive.
  3. Continue installation normally.
Set compatibility mode[citation needed]
  1. After installation navigate to <path-to-game>.
  2. Open properties of Sims.exe and open compatibility tab.
  3. Select Windows XP (Service Pack 2) compatibility mode and check Run as an administration.
  4. Select OK and open the game via shortcut.

Windows Update KB3086255 blocks SafeDisc

Uninstall KB3086255 update[citation needed]
  1. If using Windows 7, 8 or 8.1, uninstall Windows Update KB3086255 before the game installation.
  2. Open Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > Installed Updates
  3. Select the update with the code KB3086255, and uninstall it.
  4. Install the game.

Corrupted Game Files

It is possible for the game files to become corrupt, requiring a completely reinstallation. The Sims CD contains a tool called SimsEraser that will clean all traces of the game left over after an uninstall. Uninstalling the game, running SimsEraser, and reinstalling will restore the game to its original state.

Mod-Related Issues

The Sims attracted a large modding community, allowing further customization features. Unfortunately, even properly designed mods could increase the chances of crashes and errors in the game. Mods have a major impact on loading time and stability, and should be used with discretion if you are having issues with the game.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 7 DirectDraw emulation is broken in Windows 8 and later
OpenGL 1 Mac OS only.
ExecutablePPC16-bit 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Mac OS (Classic)

Simitone

An open source re-implementation of the game based on the FreeSO project. Currently available as a pre-alpha release; see the GitHub repository for details

Mods

Mods may require dependencies.

Official mods

These mods were created by Maxis and formerly hosted on the games official website.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 98
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium II 233 MHz
System memory (RAM) 64 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 3.5 GB
Video card (GPU) 2 MB of VRAM
DirectX 6 compatible
Windows NT and ME are not supported
Mac OS
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 8.1
Processor (CPU) PowerPC G3/G4 233 MHz
System memory (RAM) 64 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 3.5 GB
Video card (GPU) 2 MB of VRAM

Notes

  1. SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[1] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[2]
  2. 2.0 2.1 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