I use the sims 2 ultimate collection. I am experiencing a problem in which after changing my sim's appearance, their UI thumbnail shows that they have NO FACE. In the actual game itself, their face looks fine...until I exit the game, or add them to another lot..then they regenerate the incorrect face.

I previously had a Mac but switched to PC to avoid the mac file limit. This problem occurred on my mac as well, but infrequently and I COULD reverse it by not saving the game before exiting. It was bothersome, but not a regular occurrance. Now that I have a PC, it is happening every single time I change my sims appearance. It has seemed to work a few times, but gotten worse as I have added more CC. However, I do not think it is a CC issue because of the fact that it used to happen on my mac, and the fact that it worked fine when i tested just my downloads folder...more info below -

THINGS I'VE TRIED:
-deleted my cache files in The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection folder.
-I changed the game back to vanilla and i was able to change appearance without the issue happening. Slowly re-added folders to test them.
-I added in just my downloads folder and tested it in a maxis neighborhood and it worked fine.
- I just added in my savedsims folder WITHOUT my custom neighborhood's folder added, and the game crashed upon trying to change my sims appearance. I'm wondering if my savedsims folder is what is corrupt?
- After deleting my cache files, I still had the issue...so I tried to exit without saving on on my PC to see if it helped the issue like i did on my mac, I re entered the lot and the sim with the issue now is invisible. Their UI thumbnail looks normal, but the sim themself is invisible/also invisible in the family loading screen, and i cannot command it to do anything, despite the fact that they are apparently on the lot. So now since deleting the cache files, they no longer regenerate a random face, but are entirely invisible.
- Upon trying to change random townie's appearances with success, i am realizing that i think this issue is only effecting my savedsims. i can change a sims' appearance that i do not have saved and this issue does not occur. problems with sims can be very mysterious, so i cannot say that with 100% certainty, but that is the conclusion i have come to given this research.

I went through hell to get my game to work properly, so uninstalling and reinstalling is an option I would rather not take if it can be avoided...does anyone know what is going on here? This problem is very strange. Thank you guys!

Okay first, you don't need to take a picture of your monitor, the game has its own camera, just press C.

Since you are on the UC did you try the repair option? Go into origin, right click the game-repair or fix. Make a back up of your hoods first. You don't ever need to uninstall and reinstall the UC, just repair.

Your issue seems to be more one of missing texture rather than missing genetics.

I had to go through a long process to remove securOM from the game/my computer as well as do some additional things to enable smooth edges while filming in game...do you happen to know if repairing the game will reverse these efforts? As in, will repairing my game sort of "reset" all the changes i made?

That I don't know, I am on disks. The securom that comes with the UC is pretty harmless, not like the old one though.

Is your computer up to running the game? The fact that smooth edges was greyed out can be a sign that your graphics are not good enough and by pushing it with the graphic rules this could be the fall out. Can you post your specs.

Yes my computer is running the game. Smooth edges was not greyed out - it just said i could not film in game with smooth edges enabled. and secuROM was making my game incredibly laggy and slow, removing it solved the problem entirely. Those two issues alone took a long time to solve, so having to go through that again would be awful. Sure - I'm assuming this what you mean. (once again, new to PC'S)

Does the same thing happen with no CC installed? (Remember to test this in a throwaway 'hood or take a backup so you don't have to go around putting CC back on all your sims once you've finished testing)

It is entirely possible to have something corrupt in the Saved Sims Folder. That happened to me once. I deleted the whole thing, but you can do the 50/50 on it, too.

Since changing appearance worked when you removed the downloads folder and then when you put everything back in without the Saved Sims folder, but crashed once you added that folder, that's diagnostic - the problem is in there, somewhere. It could be a bit of bad CC riding along on a downloaded sim, a file that corrupted during download or during an interrupted save, anything. Since you had the problem on Mac, too, the problem file should have gone bad prior to the switch, so if you want to track it down you can focus on files older than that; or if you want to do a wholesale deletion, you can probably keep everything after that point.

Thanks for all your responses - as of right now I have just re made the sims and have not had the problem anymore...im wondering if maybe it had to do with transferring them over from my mac? not totally sure.