Getting Default Replacements to Apply Properly in The Sims 3
This issue and fix applies only to your base-game/expansion pack worlds, not custom-installed worlds or store worlds. It's also Windows/Linux only.
Do you have this issue with all of your Sims in any new base-game/EP world, where your Sims' hair looks really weird because it has an odd texture, skin/eye replacements don't load etc. until you pull them into CAS?
(Even when it's a new save and a supposedly fresh cache?)
I've figured out the solution! Your game actually still does have some cache... but it's not in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 like you'd expect.
The Fix: (Reduces a full game install size by >10GB too!)
Go to your actual game install directory, e.g.
C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3
2. Then go into the Caches directory and delete the .objectCache file inside (just named the name of the world if you don't have file extensions shown). If you use the discs, make a backup of this file!
3. Now, your game will actually load new textures from your default replacements! The new, modifiable cache will be found in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\WorldCaches and you can now delete that cache safely whenever you get new default replacements!
You'll need to repeat this for any EP world you have as well, if you want the fix to work on those, in the Caches folder inside their install directories:
The Sims 3, Base Game: Sunset Valley.objectCache
EP1, EP01, World Adventures: China.objectCache, Egypt.objectCache, France.objectCache
EP2, EP02, Ambitions: Twinbrook.objectCache
EP3, EP03, Late Night: Bridgeport.objectCache
EP5, EP05, Pets: AppaloosaPlains.objectCache
EP6, EP06, Showtime: Starlight Shores.objectCache
EP7, EP07, Supernatural: Moonlight Falls.objectCache
EP9, EP09, University Life: Sims University.objectCache
EP10, Island Paradise: IslaParadiso.objectCache
EP11, Into the Future: Oasis Landing.objectCache
Notes:
Be wary that using this method will make the first time you load into a world take a little longer, because the game needs to build the cache for the first time. This delay will lessen over time.
The EPX names with no 0 are for Steam, and the EPXX folder names are for EA App/Origin typically, but you might have them installed somewhere else if your install is old or via the discs.
Yes, the spacing in some of the filenames is inconsistent - yours might be different but that's how my Steam install looked
If something breaks (which I doubt would happen, but there's a possibility?), verify your Steam installation or repair your EA installation, then empty your Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/WorldCaches folder. (Just re-add your backup if you have a disc install.)
This isn't me promoting regularly clearing your cache for no reason! That will cause a LOT of lag/delay. As a rule of thumb, you should only clear your cache when you add new mods or default-replacing/overriding CC, or your game isn't working properly. Otherwise, you're making the game do extra work. The cache is there for a good reason! It makes everything faster. However, if you do need to clear the new caches, caches for ALL worlds will now be in WorldCaches.
Apparently, WorldCaches is a very sacred folder on macOS, so I still wouldn't mess with that if you're not playing via the Windows version.
Steam/EA App may detect your game install as faulty because these files are gone, and redownload them, but this is rare and shouldn't happen automatically.
This has kind of been half-discovered in different situations before, but I couldn't find anything like this on a Google search. The generally-accepted solution was to mess around in CAS and NRaas, which is so slow for an entire town! It also doesn't apply to objects, and I think this fix might even help with objects too?
love you all! this got me giddy to try defaults again because they were SO annoying to do before
Edit: Which items are actually affected? (Optional reading)
Above is a cached image that looks a bit like what you can find in the objectCache. So, as you can see, the CAS Parts that won't load their new textures onto old Sims without doing something finicky like the method above are...
Clothing (I think for every Sim outfit?)
Face Overlay (Eyes, mouth, teeth, eyelashes, facial hair, makeup)
Hair (Scalp, strands)
...so if you have a default replacement that changes out both the mesh and the texture for any clothing item or hairstyle that Sims are already wearing, it will present an obvious mismatch between mesh and texture. And, of course, even if the mesh is unchanged, the textures of the above parts will stick to the EA look.
Also, any texture for any object will stick to the EA look without doing a method like this one. So, again, if a mesh and texture of an object is changed, it will present an obvious mismatch. And, of course, even if the mesh is unchanged, the textures of the above parts will stick to the EA look.
