Update 02/10/19 – EA announced today that they will be releasing a 64-bit version of Sims 3 in early 2020!
We knew it was coming and now it’s real:
32-bit apps are dead in 10.15. If you’re thinking about upgrading when the public beta is released in July, or when it is released in the Autumn, you may want to install Mojave or an earlier version of macOS on an external drive beforehand if you want to continue to play the legacy sims games.
Update 17/10/18
Puzzlezaddict has discovered that a working dll file is already hidden away in the base game files, see her post here at Answers HQ.
Update 16/10/18
We have an unofficial workaround for this issue now. The problem is caused by a Windows file, paul.dll, buried inside the Cider installation of the base game. I copied over the dll file from an install on an old Mac into the new installation and the game successfully loaded without any server connection issues. It’s with BIG thanks to a fellow Hero at AHQ, Henalexandre, for this workaround as he posted of another user on the French forums who was experiencing the same issue and figured out what was causing it. That user was beerxced79000 and you can find his thread here (go give him some XP, he’s amazing).
If you would like to do the workaround you need to download my paul.dll file from here or here and replace your existing one with it. To get to the file:
PLEASE bear in mind that this fix is unofficial. Hopefully EA are working on an official fix 🙂 BIG thanks to puzzlezaddict who, thousands of miles away, spent last night testing this issue with me 💚
A new issue that’s arisen in the last few days with Sims 3 on macOS. The game will not load as it cannot connect to a server. This only affects new installs of the game. If you already have the game installed then you will not run into this specific issue.
You may also get multiple app icons bouncing away in the Dock:
At the moment we have no workaround but if you are suffering from this, PLEASE post in this thread at AHQ and click the Me Too button in the opening post – https://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Sims-Mac/Sims-3-quot-There-is-a-problem-connecting-to-the-server-quot/m-p/7104362
I don’t believe this is a user issue, it seems like an issue on EA’s end so we need to make them aware.
Only applicable to the 32-bit version of the Sims 3
That pesky Intel HD 6000 chip that’s caused so many problems for Mac users attempting to play Sims 3? Well, after some testing we’ve finally managed to get it working, and I have pictures to prove it:
This Intel chip has proven to be the most difficult for users to get working and I could not have edited the GraphicsCards.sgr and GraphicsRules.sgr files successfully without zebragirls1221’s help. She has the 2015 13″ MacBook Air and after swapping information back and forth she can now successfully load and play her game. I cannot thank her enough, and neither should you when you get your game working again!
If you would like to apply this fix to your game you can download the edited files from my SimFileShare download. I have also included instructions on how to do it. All it involves is copying and pasting text from my files to yours.
Download Link – http://simfileshare.net/folder/38108/ or here
Remember, there are two other very important fixes you will need to apply to your game if you have Ambitions/Late Night/Fast Lane/Outdoor Living:
So, after following those three sets of instructions, you should be good to go 🙂
Bluebellflora 