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Auto-Delete Sims 3 Cache and Run it on Steam

By † ßâd•£üç]< Îñç™

Enjoy this automatic saved game cache cleaner and game launcher in an all new handy batch script... Just for Steam players of The Sims 3!

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Created by

† ßâd•£üç]< Îñç™
Online

Category: Modding or Configuration

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

3 Sep, 2019 @ 4:00pm

30 Nov, 2024 @ 5:22pm

2,077	Unique Visitors
61	Current Favorites

Guide Index

Overview

Introduction

Sims 3 Cache Clean & Launch Script

Testing the Script

Additional Notes

Other Guides

Changelog

Comments

Introduction

Inspired by a commenter from one of my other guides inquiring about a similarly functional script for Steam (specifically for one that did not have the "In non-Steam game" status attached), I finally got around to installing Sims 3 on Steam to see what I could come up with. Seeing as I never had need to run the Steam version before, writing the script was a bit problematic because of the version difference between Steam’s and Origin’s… therefore I was not surprised when I ran into some issues.

Right away I started having problems with the game’s launcher. This was something I had not encountered before with my game install on Origin. I would get the "The uploading process is running. Do you want to cancel this process and exit the application?" message when I would attempt to exit out of it. After confirming that I wanted to exit the launcher, I found that it would still be running in the background even if the game itself was not. So, I began to scour the internet for a workable fix for the Warning message window. (See this link for details.)

Needless to say, here is a much-anticipated saved game cache clean and launcher script just for The Sims 3 players on Steam!

Screenshot of Sims 3 activity log while testing script for Steam.

It is assumed that Sims 3 is being run from either Windows Vista, 7, 8/8.1 or 10 – but will also work with XP, with slight modifications. Works with the Steam version only.

📌 Looking for a similar script for Origin that works with the overlay on Steam? You can find it here.

Sims 3 Cache Clean & Launch Script

The nice thing about this script is that it requires zero editing. (XP users will still need to modify this for the My Documents folder.) There is absolutely no need to edit the full file path and drive letter as seen in my other Sims 3 script guides, even if storing saved game files on another drive, it will still work as intended. Simply run it as a stand-alone shortcut right from your desktop and that's it!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Create a new text file and rename it. (I ended up renaming mine to SteamSims3CleanNLaunch.)

IMPORTANT: It is strongly suggested to save it to the desktop or in some other convenient location as this file will be used for deleting saved game cache files prior to running the game through Steam. The cache cleaning process is essential for keeping Sims 3 running smoothly.
Copy and paste the following into the text file:
@echo off title Sims 3 Cache Cleaner and Game Launcher (Steam version only) :: deletes Sims 3 saved game cache files to make the game run faster del "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\CASPartCache.package" 2>NUL del "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\scriptCache.package" 2>NUL del "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\compositorCache.package" 2>NUL del "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\simCompositorCache.package" 2>NUL del "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\socialCache.package" 2>NUL del /F /Q "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\FeaturedItems\*" 2>NUL del /F /Q "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Thumbnails\*" 2>NUL del /F /Q "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\WorldCaches\*" 2>NUL attrib +r "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCBackup\ccmerged.package" del /F /Q "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCBackup\0*.package" 2>NUL attrib -r "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\DCBackup\ccmerged.package" echo Saved game cache files have been deleted. :: fixes launcher from running in the tray and throwing an alert message :: about an 'upload in progress' when the launcher is closed attrib -r "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Sims3LauncherLogFile.log" del "%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Sims3Logs.xml" 2>NUL :: launches Sims 3 from Steam shortcut (no need to edit) and closes the script start "" "steam://rungameid/47890" echo Now preparing to start "The Sims 3" on Steam! Goodbye. timeout /t 5 /NOBREAK > NUL exit
Note:
In the cache cleaning portion of this script, I am using the Windows %USERPROFILE% variable for the game saves Documents symlink. It will not be necessary to alter this unless you are running Windows XP.
Save and exit the text file.
Change the file extension from .txt to .bat

Optional – To change your batch script shortcut icon to look like The Sims 3 one, do the following:

Right click the batch file you just created and click on Properties.
- In Windows 10 (or if the Shortcut tab is not appearing following Step 1), move your batch script off the desktop. The Documents folder should be a suitable location.
- Right click the batch file and scroll down to Send to and select the Desktop (create shortcut) option.
- Repeat Step 1.
Under the Shortcut tab, click Change Icon button. (If you get a dialog box warning you the file contains no icons, just click OK.) Click on the Browse button and navigate to your Sims 3 game install location. Locate your Sims3 executable file, or Sims3.ico (if listed) and select one of them, then click OK.
In the Shortcut tab section, click the Apply button, then OK to close and the shortcut icon should be changed.

Important Note Regarding this Script

When copy and pasting the script into the text file you have prepared, it is strongly advised keeping the comments intact – especially for understanding how each part of the script works.

Testing the Script

After you have created the saved game cache cleaning and launcher shortcut for Sims 3 on Steam, you are ready to test your new script.

To run the script, simply double click it from the location you created and saved your shortcut. It does not matter if the Steam client is running or not when running the script. If the Steam client is not running, the script will load Steam first.

Do not be alarmed if you do not see the Steam overlay notification in the bottom right corner of the Sims 3 Launcher or from the game. The intention is for the overlay to be hooked into the game itself. To test that the overlay is working as intended, you can do this by pressing Shift + Tab to open the overlay, or press F12 to capture a screenshot in game.

The above image is a working test screenshot of the Steam overlay from a new game intro.

Troubleshooting

Since the issue with The Sims 3 Launcher has been resolved within the script, there should not be any reason for the game, the launcher and/or Steam and the overlay to run incorrectly.

If Sims 3 on Steam is a fresh install, it is likely that you will get a nag window to activate your Sims 3 base game and any additional Steam-purchased expansion pack codes on Origin:

Please note that this is entirely optional – especially if you have redeemed them previously. It is advised to follow the prompts normally in order to suppress this message every time the game is launched.

If you experience issues related in this guide, please leave a detailed comment with every step you have taken and and what your results were. I will hopefully find a fix.

Additional Notes

If launching Steam through the script, users with authenticators will have no problem as the game itself will run immediately after successful login. Furthermore, the fix for The Sims 3 Launcher has been included in the script and the Steam overlay should work as normal.

It should be noted that when I began testing the script on Windows 10, I created a new game with a new randomized character in Steam. Since game saves are stored in the Documents folder – and I never uninstalled Sims 3 from Origin, I decided to test the saved game using the script I made for Origin to look for compatibility issues between versions. Afterward, I ran the game again from Steam, and it appears that saved games work fine when played from Steam or Origin, regardless of which DRM client created the new game or which one is running it. Be aware, however, that custom content created by 3rd party creators might not be compatible and display erroneously. If this is the case and the appearance should bother you, it is recommended to swap out the content with something that displays correctly.

Please rate this guide with a thumbs up if you found it helpful; or a thumbs down if you didn't. Be sure to reserve questions, concerns, suggestions for improvement, or anything else regarding this guide in the comments section below. If you have trouble getting it working, you may also want to check the comments section in my other guides as a solution may already have been found.

Other Guides

For your convenience, here is a list of other guides I have written:

Changelog

11/30/2024 – Added new guide link.
07/10/2024 – Added new guide link.
10/28/2022 – Added new guide link.
07/10/2020 – Changed guide's branding image.
07/08/2020 – Added new guide link.
01/23/2020 – Fixed typo in link.
01/14/2020 – Added new guide link.
11/02/2019 – Embedded new image.
11/01/2019 – Added new guide link.
09/15/2019 – Fixed typo; added link for Sims 3 script for Origin/physical disc users.
09/03/2019 – Initial version.

19 Comments

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Dimm 30 Aug, 2024 @ 12:07pm

i would suggest not deleting the Thumbnails cache folder, as those help greatly increase the CAS speed ingame and have never caused issues for anyone, only ever delete those if you somehow have a broken CAS thumbnail, but that never happened to me

Algester 3 Feb, 2024 @ 5:02am

ok here's another method how to almost natively make this .batch command work with steam

is by adding
:: Making the bat think its steam thats doing the hard work
start "" "D:\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\Sims3LauncherW" -provider Steam
echo Now preparing to start "The Sims 3" on Steam! Goodbye.
timeout /t 5 /NOBREAK > NUL
exit

as opposed to
start "" "steam://rungameid/47890"
then add
"locationtobatchfile" %command% in launch options from steam

this is to circumvent the steam loop of making steam call something it needs to run by itself

† ßâd•£üç]< Îñç™ [author] 27 Jul, 2022 @ 4:46pm

@DT: Thank you DT! I am glad this script helped for something in a new way. 😁

excelatrate 27 Jul, 2022 @ 5:06am

Yes, thankfully if you open OneDrive settings and uncheck "Documents" "Downloads" and "Pictures" it unhands them and returns them back to their original filepaths.

Ironically enough, I was having issues with a mod and once this script made me realize the filepaths were WRONG and I corrected it and ran this script, the mod in question started working again (and boy was it an important one)

So, major thanks to author, Squiggly Steam Name dude!

† ßâd•£üç]< Îñç™ [author] 26 Jul, 2022 @ 4:41pm

@DT: I suppose it's fortunate that I don't use OneDrive as I've heard that tends to hijack everything in the Documents folder owned and maintained by Windows and claim it for its cloud sync. It is quite possible this may have happened to you. Anyone reading this comment thread and having problems, a something in this link may help (otherwise do a Google search as there is likely better solutions out there): https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/unlink-my-documents-folder-from-onedrive/86bb5508-0b62-4ecc-a1cf-b948e16de3a5 .

Another thing I always recommend is creating a symlink of Sims game saves on another drive. Find out how to do that from my other guide .

Good luck and I hope your issue was resolved!

excelatrate 26 Jul, 2022 @ 5:28am

Using OneDrive messes this up and your Documents folder, it like, half-renames the filepaths with a "\OneDrive" prefix. If anyone else is having issues, id recommend turning OneDrive backup OFF permanently.

† ßâd•£üç]< Îñç™ [author] 10 Jul, 2022 @ 8:06pm

@Azrael: Thank you for sharing a very good question. The folders that you mention are also the same folders from the EA/Origin game files , so it would be best to leave those alone. The developer hard coded Sims game saves to go into the Documents folder. If you are lacking space on your main drive, I have written a guide that explains how to move your saved game files to another drive .

Azrael 10 Jul, 2022 @ 6:34pm

Ok i can see that the files that this script "clears" or "deletes" are in the EA folder in Documents. BUT...
What about the cache in the Steam folders?
program archives (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/The Sims 3/
and here there are different folders with the name "EP3", "EP5", "EP6"... etc.
In each folder, there are 5 new subfolders "Caches, Game, GameData, Support, Thumbnails"
in the "Caches" folder there is an archive with the name of a sims town
"Bridgeport.objectCache" with 921 MB of space.
AND, Each "EP" folder has the same archives with 900+ MB of space
are these archives safe to delete? or the game needs them to be able to run?

† ßâd•£üç]< Îñç™ [author] 21 Aug, 2020 @ 7:59am

@DICKLES THE PRUMMER: Thank you for saying so. Knowing it's doing its job really makes my day! 😄

STABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTABSTAB 20 Aug, 2020 @ 11:16pm

Also, since I followed this guide my game's been a lot faster (when I used the .bat file to open the game). It works well :)

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