I keep getting those in every apartment. Appears to be a glitch from the game, because all over the internet everyone seems to have that problem.

I have the batbox to fix this, but I have to click it like every time new sims enter the lot. The neighbours go, and come back, and I have to get out the batbox again. Is there something to fix this that lasts longer?

I haven't heard of this glitch - what's happening?

Sims are invisible, that's all. They're running around talking, interacting, using objects etc. just that you don't see them. Only seems to happen on apartment lots.

There's an option in the FFS Lot Debugger to make them visible again, but it keeps happening all over.

This sounds more like a game glitch than anything else. Have you patched all your EP's and if you have the 1 SP patch.

As I said, I know already that this is a game glitch. I patched everything, but from what it looked like when researching, EA never fixed it. The solution that is suggested at the end of every Forum thread is the batbox, so I wonder if anyone knows something that will last.

The problem is I have never had the problem and this is the first time i have seen someone ask about it.

It could be a video card/onboard that is causing this problem and not the game.

We need to see your computer specs including what video you have.

Can you post links to where you've been reading about this because I've never heard of it either? The only think it puts me in mind of is the way dormies can something become faded out after a glitch with them going into their rooms.

I have them, too. Some of the sims are transparent and some are invisible. The invisible ones are in the apartments. The transparent ones are in houses. I haven't seen an invisible one in a house or a transparent one in an apartment. The teenager in the house was transparent every time he entered the house, but eventually it stopped after fixing it. The adult female in the apartment is invisible when she's not playable. This happens only in the apartment common space, not in her apartment. The batbox will show Fix Invisible Sims if there are any invisible sims but it won't show as an option if there aren't any invisible sims. It's a relief to know I'm not the only one with the issue! In case it helps, I have the following:

i7-4770K CPU @ 3.50GHz
win 7
8 MB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660

I've played apartments for years and never had that problem and have not heard of it as a known problem. The only time I have invisible sims that is a known game problem is the occasional dormie at uni.

Sorry, can't find the forum where I read that anymore. They had a longer discussion, though, and several people had that problem without custom content being the reason. Either they came to the conclusion it's another bug from the game or I did and just remember it incorrectly, but anyway that does seem like it's another of these stupid thing the game just sometimes does... what I do remember is that I found people with all EPs and all the patches via google who had the problem.

4GB RAM
Intel HD Graphics
Intel Pentium CPU B960 @ 2.20GHz

...I just kinda doubt it's because of my computer. Why would it cause invisible sims, that only in apartments, and nothing else? My graphic board sucked, but it's always been enough.

Are you fully patched? Also is this new generation chip or old? Sims 2 prefers a graphics card. The very newest chips can run sims 2 but not the older ones. The new ones do sometimes need graphic rules applied to them to play nice with the game.

@Skae2.0 That is a notebook CPU and from what I can find on it you may have one of the low end onboard video chip and your problem is starting to sound like you chip can not handle Sims 2.

:scratchhead: I just wrote down what it said here... yep, it's an onboard one, though.
But I swear, it always could. I'm playing Sims with this computer for years now and it never had problems. (Disabled a few things and it was fine.) Also, should the batbox be able to fix it if it was for the video chip? I'm confused...

Maybe it can fixed it when it happens but thats not the real problem, the problem is onboard video chips on older notebooks and low end onboard video chips can not handle Sims 2 and Sims 2 can burn up your computer and this maybe what is happening to your computer.

Hm okay, maybe the video chip after all, then. (Sounded so weird to me...) But what do you mean, burn up?

A chip is a tiny part on your motherboard and if the chip overheats to the point of melting it will take your motherboard with it. If it's been playing for years it's getting old, also dust can make your laptop heat up more quickly, try dusting it out as well as turning your settings down.

Okay I'll try that, thanks
I think marka was right. I also had a problem with my computer lately, because it was terribly slow literally from one day to the other. I found the source of that now and fixed it, and suddenly I don't have such a problem with those invisible sims anymore. They happen, but only occasionally.

And if anyone else is interested, I just found something for the invisible Sims thing by accident. It also fixes them after they turned invisible, but it runs in the background so you don't have to go and click the batbox all the time.
http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/thread-1665.html

I just saw an invisible sim on Twikki Island. My guess is the hotel door is the same as apartment door. It is a non-playable family that, earlier, I had seen the elder female head in that direction while the rest of the family was doing other things. I didn't see the elder until later which was just a thought bubble outside the door. Later I saw the rest of the family return while the elder still stood outside invisible. There are no problems, glitches or crashes in my neighborhood. It just seems that the doors are the problem since passing through would make them invisible and she just didn't make it inside. Her thought bubbles are just normal images. Since apartments are so glitchy, maybe they just don't become visible after exiting their apartment?

I'd guess, if no sim loaded is fixing it, that the problem is a persistently sticking token. That might point to a problematic mod or the game hiccuping.

"Hiccuping"...?

Hiccoughs?