Premium Content: Missing Accessories

The second most common problem when dealing with Premium Content from  the Sims 3 Store is missing accessories. Accessories are special objects that your sim uses to complete animations. Premium content that uses special animations with new objects require accessories for your sims to be fully animated. Here are some examples of accessories for premium content:

• Ladle (spoon) for the Magic Cauldron
• Needles for the voodoo doll
• All food and prepping tools for the Deep Fryer/Ice Cream Maker/Teppanyaki Grill/Wood Oven/Chocolate Fountain
• Chicken feed and Charles the Evil Chicken also baby chicks (Chicken Coop)
• Cards and poker chips for the Poker Table/Roulette Table
• Coin from the Wishing Well
• Megaphone and Magnifying Glass from the Garden Station
• Ball for the basketball hoop
• Lemon and Purple Eggplant objects (harvestables)
• Hot stones and needles for massage table
• Powder bottle for Changing table
• Binoculars and champagne glass for Hot Air Balloon
• Ticket for the ticket machine
• Fruit from the Tree of Prosperity
• Sunlight from the Plants vs. Zombies Sunflower
• Bow from the Violin
• Arrows from the Archery range
• Baby Dragon that hatches from egg from Dragon Valley
• Fully repaired car from the fixer upper car from Roaring Heights

Why are Accessories Important?

Without their matching accessories, some premium content may not work properly at all. Other times, the animations might just look silly. For example, the magic cauldron works fine when the ladle is missing, but the sim looks silly stirring without a spoon. On the other hand, if the sunlight from the Sunflower is missing, your sim will not be able to use the object at all. Additionally, sometimes a missing accessory will cause a large white box to appear at the object, with the text “Missing Object…” which will look rather ugly in game. This can happen with the blackjack, poker and roulette table, as well as several other objects.

Why Do Accessories Go Missing?

There are two causes for missing accessories:

1. The Launcher did not properly install the accessory (this is a very common problem).
2. The Sims3pack has been decrapified (which could mean an illegal download).

It is very common for the launcher not to properly install accessories when installing sims3packs. I do not know why this is, but it has been an issue since the very first premium content objects that used accessories in their animations (More Magic! set/Magic Cauldron/Voodoo Doll). When the Magic Cauldron was first released, the official forums was flooded with complaints from people who could not see their ladle when using the Magic Cauldron. Although most people seemed to have a working ladle, there were many people who did not.

How To Fix Missing Accessories

Luckily, fixing missing accessories is really easy. To fix missing accessories:

Simply reinstall the sims3pack until the accessory shows up.

Yep. It’s that easy. You don’t need to uninstall first. In fact, I don’t recommend that at all. Just re-install the sims3pack several times in a row. It could take 3 or more tries to get your accessory to show up, but this is the best  (and least painful) way to do it.  If you want more specific instructions, try re-installing 2 or 3 times and then start your game and test the object.

If you’ve decrapified your sims3pack, you will need to find a fix so that the object will show up properly in your game. Keep in mind that, even when using a fix, your Launcher still might not properly install the accessory. You may need to re-install the sims3pack until the accessory is installed and make sure that your fix is updated.

Related Reading:

DCBackup, ccmerged.package and Your Premium Content Items

PS This is a post I’ve been meaning to write for a long time, I just didn’t have the time. Sorry for the delay!

Help! I installed a world from the Sims 3 Store but it’s not in game.

Help! I purchased and installed [Monte Vista, Riverview, Barnacle Bay, Hidden Springs, Lucky Palms, Lunar Lakes, Sunlit Tides, Dragon Valley] from the Sims 3 Store, but when I start the game, the world isn’t in the world menu.

This is, unfortunately, not an uncommon problem. In fact, I experienced this exact issue myself about 2 years ago, when I purchased Barnacle Bay (has it really been that long?). Here are some things you can try to fix the issue. Try them out in the order suggested, as the last suggestion is somewhat drastic and will require you to re-install all of your store items.

Before you begin

First make sure your game is updated to patch 1.50. Then, back up your content.

1. Go to Documents\Electronic Arts

2. Select The Sims 3 folder and right-click. Choose Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder

This is a back up of your content. If something goes wrong, you can delete your current Sims 3 folder and unzip the zipped folder to start over.

Option 1: Using the Downloads Dashboard in the Sims 3

This is a popular solution that many people use successfully. It also requires the least fiddling with folders and files, so if it works for you, it’s quick and painless.

1. Start your Sims 3 game.
2. At the Main Menu, click on … button to get to the options menu.
3. Select “Open Downloads Dashboard.” You may need to log in if you are not normally logged in.
4. Find the world in the Downloads Dashboard and install it that way.

If the world shows as already installed in the downloads dashboard, close the game, uninstall the world via the Launcher, and then start from Step 1 again. If this doesn’t help, you can try the rest of the options.

Option 2: Cleaning out the DCBackup

1. Uninstall the world if it’s currently installed (try this if you have trouble uninstalling: Tips for Effective Use of the Sims 3 Launcher).
2. Delete everything in your DCBackup, even the ccmerged.
3. Re-download and install the world.
4. Go to the DCBackup and delete the ccmerged.package.
5. Download the ccmerged.package from here: DCBackup, ccmerged.package and Your Premium Content Item
6. Unzip this ccmerged.package to your DCBackup.
7. Start your game and see if your world is installed.

This should: 1. Install the world you’re having trouble with and 2. Fix any issues you have with any premium content in your game (including premium content included with the world)

If this doesn’t work, go to Option 3.

Option 3: Getting the .world file yourself

Most people have success with this option, so it is highly recommended. Note: This option assumes you currently have the world installed (though you can’t see it in the world list. The rest of the objects should be in build/buy mode). If you do not, install the Sims3pack for the world through the launcher.

1. Go to Documents\Electronic Arts and re-name your The Sims 3 folder to The Sims 3.old
2. Start The Sims 3 Launcher.
3. Re-download the trouble world.
4. Install the world.

• 4a. Optional Step: Start your game and confirm that the world is installed and in the menu. Then exit the game.

5. Close the Launcher.
6. Go to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\InstalledWorlds and find the .world file for the world you installed.
7. Move this file to your desktop.
8. Go to Documents\Electronic Arts and delete The Sims 3 folder.
9. Re-name The Sims 3.old folder to The Sims 3
10. Go to the InstalledWorlds folder in The Sims 3 folder and move the .world file you placed on your desktop to the InstalledWorlds folder.
11. Start your game and see if the world is in the menu.
12. If it is, start a new game and make sure all new objects associated with the world are present. If they are not, simply re-install the sims3pack.

Option 4: Absolute Last Resort

If none of these options have worked for you, and you’re out of ideas and suggestions, the only other option left is to start a brand new Sims 3 folder and re-install all of your store content. Again, this is an absolute last resort. To do this:

1. Go Documents\Electronic Arts and re-name The Sims 3 folder to The Sims 3.old
2. Start your Sims 3 Launcher.
3. Install the world and launch the game to make sure the world is properly installed.
4. If it is installed, re-install all of your content.
5. You can move your Mods, Library, SavedSims, and Collections folders back into the new folder to get some of your content back easily.
6. You can also move the following files back into the new The Sims 3 folder (from the old one): Options.ini (stores game options such as life span sliders, weather, etc.), userPresets.package (contains CAST saves).

Learn more about the folders and files in the The Sims 3 folder at the NRaas Wiki.

About 2 years ago, I had this exact problem with my own Barnacle Bay, and it was very frustrating. The way I solved the issue back then was with Option 4. But back then, I didn’t know enough to try out Option 2 and Option 3 first. Hopefully you won’t need Option 4.

DCBackup, ccmerged.package and Your Premium Content Items

AKA Fix Your Premium Content

Having troubles with your Premium Content? Do your sims reset when they try to use the Spell Book? Are you unable to place your Sauna? Is your Multi-Tab 6000 not working properly? Do your sims not receive moodlets when using premium content objects? Does your wood fire oven have no interactions? If so, you’re not alone. But I have good news for you. The vast majority of issues with Premium Content can be easily fixed without the need of any mods.

This tutorial is available in Dutch, thanks to Libby. SimsExpressie – Fix bij niet werkend Premium Materiaal

For Missing Accessory/Missing Resource issues (missing Megaphone, missing Cauldron spoon, missing Charles the Chicken, big white boxes when using premium content etc.), see: Premium Content: Missing Accessories

The DCBackup Folder

Back before there was Premium Content, it was perfectly safe to delete everything in the DCBackup folder without care. This folder merely stores a package format back up of all content you install via the launcher. Keeping this folder empty means you will clear up some extra hard drive space (which is probably only important for people with SSDs).  As far as I know, it also means your custom content will not be packaged with your lots and sims, though I have never personally confirmed this.

After EA released the spell book premium content object, which had a custom skill and moodlet, gone were the days of simply hitting Ctrl+A in the DCBackup folder, and then delete. There is now a very important package file stored in your DCBackup folder: the ccmerged.package file. This is where EA stores all custom moodlets, skills,  ingredient data, plant data and recipes relating to Premium Content you’ve installed. If you delete this package file, the game will not be able to load your store moodlets, and objects that grant custom moodlets, such as the Deep Fryer and Fountain of Youth, will not work properly. Moreover, if you delete this file, you will encounter all kinds of issues including: the spell book reset issue,  being unable to place the sauna, no interactions on the wood fire oven, deep fryer, ice cream maker, teppanyaki grill etc. Please note that the game does re-create the ccmerged.package when you delete it, but it is empty, and this empty ccmerged.package will cause most premium content objects to malfunction.

So, what does this mean? This means you should not delete the ccmerged.package in your DCBackup folder. It also means that you can fix nearly all Premium Content item “bugs” without any mods at all. You can still safely delete everything else in the DCBackup Folder.

So, maybe now you’re thinking, Help! I already deleted my ccmerged.package. Don’t worry, we can get your ccmerged.package back, though it will require a little bit of effort.

Restoring Your ccmerged.package

Who should use this method?

Anyone who installs premium content from the Sims 3 Store can use this method to repair their ccmerged.package. Even if you have never deleted anything in your DCBackup folder, your ccmerged.package may have somehow become corrupt or incomplete if the Launcher had trouble merging the information. Errors with the Deep Fryer and Ice Cream Maker, the sauna, moodlets, sims resetting, sims not gaining gambling skill, being unable to use the wood fire oven/teppanyaki grill/etc., are all linked to the ccmerged.package. This is probably also why the store development team is not able to reproduce the errors: their ccmerged.package is complete. It’s also why the SimGurus may simply tell you to re-install the object.

If you arehaving a Missing Resource/Missing Accessory issue (missing Megaphone, missing Cauldron spoon, missing Charles the Chicken, big white boxes when using premium content, etc.), see: Premium Content: Missing Accessories

How to Restore Your ccmerged.package

If you’ve already deleted your ccmerged.package, you’re going to have to get it back somehow. This is easy to do, especially if you back up your Store downloads (you DO back up your Store downloads, don’t you?). To do this, we will use the “factory reset” method (re-name “The Sims 3” folder) to create a fresh game environment. Then we will install all Premium Content, and move the resulting ccmerged.package to our old The Sims 3 folder. See detailed steps below.

1. Go to Documents\Electronic Arts\ and re-name the folder called “The Sims 3” to something else. For Example: The Sims 3.old (All of your current content is store in this folder and it will not be lost in the process.)

2. Start the Launcher. The Launcher will now re-build all necessary files to run the game.

3. Move your backed up premium content sims3packs into Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Downloads . If you did not back up your downloads (tsk tsk), you will need to re-download your premium content items. You only need your premium content items. Note: You can use the World sims3packs (Hidden Springs/Lunar Lakes/Lucky Palms/Monte Vista/Aurora Skies/Midnight Hollow) to install Premium Content items that came with the worlds.

4.  You may need to restart your launcher to see the now full Downloads tab. Otherwise, click on the Downloads tab and install the premium content items via the Sims 3 Launcher.

• Optional Step: You may now wish to test your premium content before moving your ccmerged.package. Simply launch the game and try to use your premium content objects. If they work, your ccmerged.package is good and you can continue to Step 5.

5. Close the Launcher. Find the ccmerged.package in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCBackup and copy this file to the DCBackup folder in your old The Sims 3 folder (The Sims 3.old).  If you still have a ccmerged.package in your old DCBackup folder, choose replace.

• Important: Do not rename the ccmerged.package.

6. Re-name or delete the current “The Sims 3” folder in Documents\Electronic Arts\

7. Re-name your old The Sims 3 folder (In this example: The Sims 3.old) to The Sims 3

8. Go to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 and delete the scriptcache.package.

9. Start your game and test your premium content items. If they all work perfectly, YAY!

10. If your premium content items are still not working properly, there are few possible reasons for this:

• You may have an out of date premium content mod. This would have to be a mod that alters premium content moodlets, skills ingredients, plants, or recipes, In other words, a mod that alters a resource in the ccmerged.package.
• You may have an older copy of the ccmerged somewhere in your Sims 3 folder, such as in your Mods folder, or somewhere else.
• You may have some other package, or corruption in your Sims 3 folder which is causing the ccmerged not to be loaded properly. I highly recommend using the Optional Step in Step 4. Test your objects in  the clean Sims 3 folder and make sure they are working before you move the ccmerged to your original Sims 3 folder.

You can also try the following:

• Download the ccmerged.zip below and unzip it to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCBackup
• Alternatively: Place a copy of ccmerged.package in your Mods\Packages folder. NOTE: This requires Mods framework.
  • I do not recommend keeping your ccmerged.package anywhere except in the DCBackup, as otherwise you must remember to update the package every time you install new Premium Content.
  • If you installed your premium content as package files, place the ccmerged.packaged in Mods\Overrides.
• Also, try reading the “It Sill Doesn’t Work!” section.

You can achieve the same results by uninstalling the your premium content through the launcher and then re-installing. However, I personally think using a clean Sims 3 Folder is easiest. The launcher is very clunky to use, and if you have many objects installed via the launcher, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to properly uninstall all premium content objects through the launcher. Simply re-creating the ccmerged.package by using a factory reset and re-installing the objects is a very quick, safe and easy way to get a working ccmerged.package, especially if you back up your downloads.

Q: It Still Doesn’t Work!

If your Premium Content still isn’t working properly, consider the following:

• Do you have any old premium content fixes/mods or an old ccmerged.package somewhere in your Mods folder or The Sims 3 folder? Try removing the old fixes and see if it that helps.
  • Tip: Remove your mods folder and start the game. Load up a test world and test the object. If your object works without the Mods folder, then you have an outdated mod or ccmerged.package somewhere.
• Did you skip a step? Don’t skip steps! The best method to fix your premium content is to use an empty Sims 3 folder, so you can be sure that you didn’t miss uninstalling any of your Premium Content before you re-install.
• Try launching the game and testing the content before you go back to your old Sims 3 folder. If the content works, then you have something in your old Sims 3 folder that is breaking your object. If the content doesn’t work, then your launcher is not properly creating the ccmerged.package for some reason.
• You can use my ccmerged.package, provided below, if your launcher is not building the ccmerged.package properly, or if you’re too lazy to fix your own ccmerged.
• Make sure you delete the scriptcache.package, or the game might not pick up the changes in the ccmerged.package.
• Finally, just to remind you, if you installed your premium content items as package files (this does not apply if you install through the launcher), you must keep an updated version of the ccmerged.package in Mods\Overrides.

Q: I have all Premium Content from the Store. Do I really need to install everything?

No, you do not need to install all Premium Content (but if you have backed up all of your store content, it shouldn’t be much of a hassle). You only need to install content that provides custom moodlets, skills, recipes or plants (which is, admittedly, most premium content items). This includes (but may not be limited to):

• The Spell Book (Gothique Library)
• The Fountain of Youth (Hidden Springs)
• The Magic Cauldron (More Magic Set)
• The Voodoo doll (More Magic Set)
• The Crystal Ball (More Magic Set)
• The Deep Fryer (Fiesta Set)
• The Ice Cream Maker (Fiesta Set)
• The Hypnotizer (Seeing Stars)
• The MultiTab 6000 (Technophobe No More)
• Blackjack Table (Lucky Simoleon Casino)
• Triple Riches Slots O’Jackpots Slot Machine (Lucky Simoleon Casino)
• Wishing Well (Lucky Palms)
• Chocolate Fountain (Le Cirque Set)
• Massage Table (Sunlit Tides)
• Sauna (Sunlit Tides) — Having a broken ccmerged.package will cause the Sauna to throw errors and be unusable.
• Plants Vs. Zombies Peashooter (Supernatural Limited Edition)
• Basketball Hoop (Level Up Collection)
• Teppanyaki Grill (Itadakimasu! Japanese Inspired Dining)
• Plants Vs. Zombies Sunflower (Stones Throw Greenhouse)
• Pizza Oven (Monte Vista)
• Lemon Tree & Purple Eggplant (Al Fresco Venue)
• Baby Changing Station (Lullabies Set)
• Play pen & Local Motion Walker (Tiny Prodigies Early Learning Center)
• Hot Air Balloon (Aurora Skies)
• Party Statue (University Life Limited edition)
• Large as Life Movie Screen (Le Cinema Plumbob lot)
• Fowl and Feathers Chicken Coop (Country Livin’)
• Double Down Poker and Roulette Bundle
• Dragon Valley – Baby dragons (provide moodlets)
• Duke of Bows Renaissance Faire – Violin skill, Archery moodlets
• Skylight Studio for the Performing Arts (Stiff as a Board, Light as a Feather Dance Collection), Custom Dance Skill & Moodlets
• Business as Usual Bistro (moodlets)
• Surf’s Up Sun & Fun Wave Station (moodlets, hidden surfing skill)
• Milkin’ It Dairy Corral (from Farm Fresh Folk Set, new moodlets)
• The Titanic Toy Machine and the Savvy Seller’s Collection (Midnight Hollow Gold, new moodlets)
• Door of Life And Death (Grim’s Ghastly Manor)
• Quantum Power Pack (Into the Future Limited Edition Bonus)
• Grandpa’s Grove Tractor (Grandpa’s Grove, new moodlets, new ingredients – Oranges)
• Roaring Heights Gold
• Prism Art Studio (Glass blowing)
• Bohemian Garden
• Deliciously Indulgent Bakery
• World of Wonder Carousel Collection
• Brunch at the Old Mill
• Last Venue of Amore

All premium content listed above is included in the ccmerged I have provided for download at the bottom of the post. Please post a comment or send a PM if I’m missing Premium Content Item that provides custom moodlets, skills, recipes, plants or ingredients.

Q: What if I install new Premium Content that comes with a custom moodlet, skill or recipe?

As long as you do not delete the ccmerged.package, you will be fine. You can install as many new Premium Content Items as you wish, and you should not encounter any problems with your content. The Launcher will merge any new information into your ccmerged.package on its own and you will not have to re-install all your premium content whenever you get something new

That said, I do recommend that you keep a backup copy of your ccmerged.package. In fact, I often back up my entire Sims 3 folder whenever I install new store items.

If something goes wrong for some unexpected reason, you may need to repeat this process again. If you had to put your ccmerged.package in your mods folder, you will need to replace that file with the new one when you install new content.

❗ However, if you put your ccmerged.package in the Mods folder, you must update it every time you install new Premium Content,

Q: But I install my store content as package files Or I really don’t want to create a ccmerged.package.

Ok, fine. You can have my ccmerged.package. I update it every time there is a new Premium Content item. Unzip to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCBackup

 Download ccmerged.zip

This ccmerged.package contains all data for all premium content. Even if you do not own all premium content, you can safely use this package in your own game. It will not cause problems with your game at all. Please see What is the ccmerged? for more information about why you can use this ccmerged.

Related Posts

• What is the ccmerged?
• Premium Content: Missing Accessories
• Tutorial: How to Create and Use an Overrides Folder

Last update: 7 June 2014 for World of Wonder Carousel Collection