Game Help:Before Posting a Help Question 9

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What to Include

Please include the following information with your post. If you do not include this information, we may not be able to help you, or it may take longer as we request this information. Save everyone time and give the helpers the info they need to understand your problem and give you recommended fixes!

Your System Specs

Because we're dealing with computers, it's best to know what you have in your computer! If you don't know how to find your system specs, please see: System Specs to find the info you need to provide. We need to know AT LEAST the following about your system:

  • What operating system you are running.
  • Your processor's type and speed.
  • The amount of RAM you have.
  • The type of graphics card you have - brand, model number, RAM, and driver version.

The Circumstances of the Problem

Please be specific and tell us as much information as possible about the problem you're having. We need to know:

  • What you were doing before the problem occurred. Have you installed something new, were trying a different function in the game before that you hadn't... whatever you were doing right before or recently before it happened.
  • Exactly what is happening. Does the game crash when you click on a specific item (if so, what item)? Is it a problem with one sim, all sims, one house, all houses...?
  • If you are getting an error... If you are experiencing an error message, popup, or other error text of any type, we need to know the exact full text of the error you are getting. That means telling us the message says "Direct3D returned an error: D3DERR_INVALIDCALL! The application will now terminate." - NOT posting saying "I got some Direct3D error thingie and nothing works!"
  • Pictures if Possible: If you are getting a problem that you can see - an error message, graphics glitch, or other game glitch that is visible in any way, please consider providing a picture! If you can show the helpers what's going on, they may have a better idea of what the issue is! To take a picture, use a screenshotting program like FRAPS, then upload the picture to a site like Photobucket.com, or use the Manage Attachments button on a new help thread to attach the picture to the help thread.
  • How often the problem happens... Is this a one-time thing - it happened once but you can't get it to happen again under the same circumstances? Does the problem occur every time you do a certain thing? Have you tried other sims, other houses, other neighborhoods to see if they are also effected?
  • What you have tried to fix it... Have you done the recommended steps in some of our Game Help FAQs? If so, please let us know which ones (with a link to the FAQs you tried) as well as a description of WHAT you tried in the FAQ (you may have missed something critical that was covered in the FAQ) and what the results were. Have you tried other things to fix it?

Descriptive Post

Be detailed and precise! The more information you can give, the better! Most help posts should not just be a couple sentences, but at least a paragraph detailing the information above. Remember, our game helpers cannot lean over your shoulder and check out your computer and fix it for you. Your error report and info is the only information they have on your system and your problem, so give them as much information as possible so they can diagnose the issue and suggest fixes for you.

Descriptive Subject

Please come up with descriptive a descriptive subject line for your thread - a short phrase which describes your problem. This not only helps when people search the forum for problems which have already been solved, but assists helpers in selecting the threads to open which they may have suggestions on.

A subject line of "Graphical glitch in buy mode" is MUCH more helpful to everyone than "HELP ME PLZ!!!" Remember, this is a Help forum... you don't need to put "Help!!!" with 50 exclamation points anywhere in your subject, or your post.

Your Own Thread

If you have your own question, no matter how similar, do not "hijack" an existing thread with your questions. Instead, make a new thread. This prevents later confusion on who's answering what.

If you see a thread with your exact problem described there, there's no reason to post saying "Help me too! I have the same problem!" as it doesn't add any information. Watch the thread - bookmark it if you like - and see what suggestions are given. If the suggestions work for the original poster but not for you, make your own thread, link to the previous thread saying you've tried that, and wait for suggestions on your issue.

After you have posted...

Once your game help question is posted on the forums...

Be Patient

These are forums, not a chat room. You may have to wait a while for a reply. Sometimes you'll get an answer within a few hours - in other cases it may take several days. The more information you give the more likely you are to get a good answer quickly. It's possible that someone with the proper knowledge, for extremely obscure problems, hasn't come along and read your question yet, so just be patient, go play something else for a while, and check back for answers later.

Check Your Thread

Use your computer's browser to make a bookmark of the thread you've posted, so you can return there later easily. A helper may come along and offer suggestions for you to try to fix your problem... or they may ask you for clarification or more information about the problem. Check back often so you can see if there are new replies that are relevant to your problem.

No Bumping

Don't post to your thread again unless someone else has replied after you. Posting again to the thread to push it to the top of the thread listing is called "bumping" and is against the rules on MTS2. If you have something to add or change on your post or any of your replies, click the Edit button at the bottom so you can change the text of your existing post. Help moderators routinely check several pages back for threads with no replies that may have been missed, so there is no need to bump your thread to the top if it has fallen off the first page. If someone can help you, they will.

No PMs

Please do not send a PM (Private Message) to a game help moderator or other users who help in the Game Help section. Everyone who helps is a volunteer, and they do not have time to answer questions both on the forums and in PMs. Why should you post rather than PMing?

  • You can get help from many people - generally faster than waiting for whoever you PMed to wake up, get on the computer, and respond.
  • You can be more sure you're getting the right answer - if they're wrong or unclear about something, other people can correct them or clarify.
  • If other people have the same issue, they can search and read previous questions and answers and get help without even having to ask.

When It's Fixed

If you get suggestions and help on a problem, or if you fix the problem with a different solution than is suggested, please let us know! Return to the thread and post (or edit your previous post if you are the last poster on the thread) to tell the helpers what you tried and what fixed the problem. This not only tells us that we can go ahead and lock the thread and move it to the Solution Center... but tells helpers what the proper solution to a certain issue was. Based on the information we observe in the Game Help section, we can help more people in the future as well as write new FAQs and guides for everyone's benefit.


Please Remember...

Everyone on MTS2 is an unpaid volunteer - including our helpers. They will do their best to help you, but they are humans with real lives. Be patient, be kind, and if they ask for more information or are having trouble coming up with a solution that works for you, understand that they are trying their best.

Flaming, rudeness, being demanding, or being abusive will not be tolerated.

When you have read the above...

RightArrow.gif

Okay, I've read and understood the above, take me to the posting page...

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