The Sims 3

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Game update 1.50

02/19/13

To install this update, please start your game and use the “Updates” tab in your Launcher.

This game update includes the following changes:

Free Sims 3 Base Game Content

Sims can now dumpster dive from the Commercial Dumpster pre-placed in Sunset Valley and find cool items including furniture and collectables!
New air conditioning units and electrical box decorative objects.
New Terrain Paint for Build Mode.
A new traffic light for Create a World.

Base Game Updates

Sims, cats, dogs, and horses will animate properly rather than sliding into position when performing social interactions.
Sims will no longer occasionally flip or stutter when trying to walk through doorways.
Gifts sent by invalid NPC Sims will no longer cause the mailbox to become unusable.
The Fog Emitter that came with The Sims 3 Ambitions has been updated to transition properly to the new base game Fog Emitter object. Any lots created with The Sims 3 Ambitions fog emitters that were installed since the release of The Sims 3 Seasons will have to be reinstalled for the emitter effects to play properly. There is no need to re-upload any content to The Sims 3 Exchange – all content created with either The Sims 3 Ambitions fog emitter or the new base game fog emitter will work properly when installed after this update is applied.
The Fog Emitter is once again moveable once placed in the world.
Placing blueprints on foundations can no longer cause the game to crash.
Placing a blueprint in a high rise or an apartment building can no longer cause the game to crash.
Using the right mouse button to position the camera while previewing blueprints will now function properly.
Greeting Cards placed in the home will no longer block Sims from accessing dressers or beds.
Foundation walls are now considered to be light blocking. This prevents snow from accumulating within holes in a foundation that are entirely enclosed within the interior of a building.
Sims that already had the hidden diving skill prior to game update 1.42 will now be able to use diving boards.
Broken Omni Plant gift boxes will no longer appear in the Sims inventory when travelling between worlds.

Ambitions Updates

Ghosts will now properly appear for level 5 Ghost Hunters so they can continue their career progression.

Late Night Updates

Deleting doors to NPC apartments can no longer cause the game to crash.
Sims will now animate properly when selecting to dance together in clubs from The Sims 3 Late Night when The Sims 3 Supernatural is not installed.
Improved performance in Bridgeport related to Sim routing.

Generations Updates

Pillow Fight wishes will appear much less frequently.

Showtime Updates

The Park performance venue will now properly place in older save files created before installing The Sims 3 Showtime and any later expansions or stuff packs.
Karaoke Machine wishes will appear much less frequently.
The Heckle interaction is no longer available in Sims swimming in the ocean.

Seasons Updates

Sims can now route properly on floor tiles built above a frozen water surface.
Hot Dog and Pie Eating contests can no longer ironically cause a Sim to starve to death.
Harvestable plants that are grown indoors can no longer become dormant or accumulate snow.
Harvestable plants grown inside biodomes will no longer turn dormant in freezing temperatures.
Harvestable plants will now always be watered during a rainstorm rather than the check only occurring once per day.
UFOs can now abduct Sims from households that don’t have enough room for the UFO to appear on the lot.
Sims will no longer become invisible if The Sims 3 Seasons is uninstalled with a save game created while a Sim is being abducted by aliens.
Festival Grounds are now valid destinations for sending a Sim to perform through SimPort for players with The Sims 3 Showtime.
Sims animations are properly reset when editing an active Festival Grounds lot.
Performance was improved when selecting the “Invade a Community Lot” interaction on the UFO.
Performance was improved when directing Sims to have a Water Balloon or Snowball fight on a cluttered lot.
Ice sculptures from The Sims 3 Ambitions no longer melt in sub-freezing temperatures.
NPCs that throw parties in the winter will no longer select Swimwear as the suggested clothing.
Saving the game prior to a NPC Sim’s costume party will no longer cause Sims to reset upon loading the save file. Frost no longer appears to be a pure white surface on floor tiles or staircases on low detail lots.
Reflective surfaces no longer suddenly pop back on when snow is melting.
Rain drops from roof edges now fade out along with the roof.
Water Balloon and Snowball fights are now easier to cancel from the action queue.
Gloves no longer appear twice when selecting Outerwear.
Sims can now be in the rain without an umbrella for a longer period of time before receiving the Soaked moodlet.
The frequency of alien abductions (without user intervention to increase chances) has been lowered.
The frequency of aliens visiting the player’s household (without user intervention to increase chances) has been lowered. They will however still visit the world at the same frequency.
The frequency of getting called by an NPC Sim to go out on a date has been lowered.
The frequency of umbrellas breaking has been lowered.

Store

Lemons and eggplants will now show up in the Collection Journal.
Malleable Mimic Voodoo Doll, Lord Vladimir’s Magic Cauldron, Soothsayer’s Crystal Ball, and Lady Ravendancer Goth’s Book o’ Spells will all now give skills introduced in The Sims 3 Supernatural.
Fixed issues that occurred when trying to reinstall store lots.

Before installing an Update for The Sims 3, an Expansion Pack, or a Stuff Pack, it is a good idea to run through the following checklist to ensure your game continues to work smoothly.
If you have any questions about the below steps, please visit the Technical Support forum on the official Sims 3 community found at this URL: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/forums/show/10.page

Step 1: Disable Custom Content
Custom Content is all Sims content that did not come from an official The Sims 3 Update, The Sims 3 Store, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack. Custom Content is created by 3rd Party Developers that are not regulated by Electronic Arts or The Sims 3 Development Team and may not work with new updates. Custom Content may cause the game to behave unexpectedly or not function entirely.
To disable your custom content, undo whatever you did to install this content to get your game back into an unmodified state. If you placed it in a Sims 3 directory folder, move it to a new folder that is outside your Sims 3 file directory. Your Sims 3 file directory can be found using the paths listed below:
Windows File Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3
Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/
Once you have installed the official update you may re-enable your custom content. If you experience problems, disable it again until the 3rd party developer updates their content to work with the official Update, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack.

Step 2: Back Up your Save Files
It’s always a good precaution to back up your save files before installing an Expansion Pack, Update, or Stuff Pack. To do this, copy the “.sims3” folders found in the Saves folder onto your desktop or another file directory.
Your Sims 3 Saves folder can be found using the paths listed below:
Windows File Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves
Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/Saves
After the Update is installed, run the game to verify your saves still function correctly.

Step 3: Let the Update Complete Entirely
Updates can sometimes be rather large and may take a while to download and install completely. Cancelling the update before it has completed may cause unexpected problems, so it is always best to let it finish entirely. Do not close the Launcher until you have confirmed the update is completely installed, as this will cancel the update.