The Sims Stories on Yahoo!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. The game won't run. What do I do?
2. How do I download the Welcome Kit or other game items?
3. After I download game items, how do I use them?

1. If your PC game will not run try the following

   Check system requirements:

   If you are unsure of your computer’s system specs follow these instructions:

   1. Click on "Start"
   2. Select "Run"
   3. In the "Open" field type "dxdiag" and press the OK button
   4. A window will appear with the system specs
   5. Compare to min sys specs for the product. The CPU and Ram will be found on the System Tab. The Video Card will be found on the Display Tab. The Sound Card will be found on the sound tab.

   System Requirements

   PC

   • OS: Windows XP
   • CPU: 1.4 GHz (1.8 GHz laptop) or faster
   • RAM: 256 MB (512 MB for laptop) or more
   • Disc Drive: 8x or faster DVD-ROM drive
   • Hard Drive: 2.7 GB or more free space
   • Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible
   • Video: DirectX 9.0c compatible*

   *Video adapter must have 32 MB of memory or more and one of these chipsets: ATI Radeon 7500 or better; Mobility 7500, 8500, 9000 series; Mobility M7, x200 or better; Mobility Fire GL/GL v5200; NVIDIA GeForce 2 or better, GeForce Go 6100 or better; Quadro Series; Intel Extreme Graphics 82845, 82865, 915, 945 series, 950 or greater.

   Mac

   • OS: Mac OS X 10.3.9
   • CPU: Power PC G4, G5, or Intel Chipset 1.0 GHz or faster
   • RAM: 256 MB or more
   • Disc Drive: DVD-ROM
   • Hard Drive: 3 GB of free space
   • Video: 32 MB or memory or more*

   *NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200, 6600, 6800, 7300, 7800; NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500; ATI Radeon 9000, 9200, 9550, 9600, 9650, 9800, X600, X1900; INTEL GMA 950

   Update your driver

   If your system specs are higher than the minimum requirements you may need to update your video/sound drivers. This is usually done by contacting the computer/ hardware manufacturer. These driver updates are free.

   Here are some sites to help you navigate:
   ATI | Nvidia | Dell | HP | IBM | Sony | Gateway

   Game still not working?

   If the game isn’t running properly and you have checked the system requirements and installed the latest driver updates you can try the following:

   • Lower your graphic settings in game.
   • Try plugging in the laptop. Your laptop may come with specific battery saving features which cut power to your graphics processor.
   • Check with your manufacturer or laptop instruction manual to see if there is a system profile which will increase performance while decreasing battery life.
   • Run Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter. Guides to do this can be found at Microsoft

   If you’re still having problems the please contact EA Customer Service.

2. How to download your Welcome Kit or other game items:

   Download from the website

   1. Connect to TheSimsStories.com
   2. Select the downloads page.
   3. Select an object to download, and you will be prompted to login, or register for an account with TheSimsStories.com if you do not already have an account.
   4. Once your registration is complete or you have successfully logged in, download the object to your desktop.
   5. When you've finished downloading, double-click the file. (This will automatically launch the package installer for The Sims Life Stories.)
   6. Click Install on the package installer, and your new object will be placed into your game.

   Alternatively, you can download from inside the game.

   1. Launch your game, The Sims Life Stories.
   2. From the main menu or neighborhood click on the Update Browser button, to get a pop up window that will send you to TheSimsStories.com.
   3. Select the download page.
   4. Select an object to download, and you will be prompted to login, or register for an account with thesimsstories.com if you do not already have an account.
   5. Once your registration is complete or you have successfully logged in, choose the object that you wish to download again, and select "Open with: The Sims Life Stories package installer"
      (Note: You’re your game must be shut down before selecting the “Open with: The Sims Life Stories package installer” option.)
   6. Follow the prompts of the package installer and your new object will be placed into your game.

3. How to use your new items:

   While playing your game, find your new object in Buy Mode. The category in Buy Mode will depend on the object.

   • Club Cube by Luminescent Projections: Sort by Function -> Decorative -> Miscellaneous
   • Downbeat Kit: Sort by Function -> Hobbies -> Creativity
   • VocoPhonicSim Karaoke Machine: Sort by Function -> Electronics -> Audio

   Buy and place your new object like any other.