In all honesty, the game will lag at some point, particularly on older hardware or laptops. TS3 is very poorly optimised, which really is a shame, because given the amount of content and things to do, it really is a marvelous game.
If you baby it along, with the mods recommended to you by @Mikezumi, and take care to keep caches clean, and be discerning with any CC you might choose to download, then the game will reward you a hundred times over with an enjoyable experience.
A lot of people dislike to way the Sims look. @CravenLestat has proven with those screenies that no CC sims can be lovely if you're not afraid to play around with the sliders and experiment.
If nothing else, you may want to download some player made worlds. Many of them are just as, if not more beautiful, than EA's.
I hope you have a lot of fun with your game. After 8 years of playing nearly every day, I still haven't done everything the game offers. There is plenty to keep you occupied
I almost exclusively use cc hair just because I like more variety. As others have suggested the store has a lot of great content. Most of it is for decoration but there are a lot of sets which add functional content. The color wheel and style tool in CAS is a reason why TS3 is the best. In no other game can sims be so individual and unique. If you go to the Exchange on the sims 3 website you can find thousands of custom patterns.
I agree with Mikezumi that Diesel Stuff and Master Suite Stuff are my favorite for clothing.
I hope you enjoy the game. The opportunities are almost limitless to what you can do
@Simasaurus09 The patch I have is 1.67, I realised about the registering malarky when I tried to download the pattern program suggested; I'll be sure to buy at least one hard copy new so I can register.
@Pary I'll make sure to keep on top of keeping my laptop clean, that's the reason why I'll be trying to stay away from CC such as clothing and hair, I always go mad with it and it ends up clogging up my game; My laptop is pretty new and so far has been running every game I've downloaded beautifully, however I realise how demanding S3 is so I'll be sure to try and keep it running as best as possible, at least until I invest in a gaming PC. I think the Sims look cute in their own way, their faces etc are fine it was just the hair and clothing - It's probably not even the game and actually my sick obsession with downloading and wanting more packs paha -
@coco Thank you, I'll be sure to check them out. I've just downloaded seasons and the recommended mods and I'm about to have a little wander through the worlds.
Again, I can't thank you guys enough for all your advice. You've all been so lovely, it's really refreshing; forums can be so intimidating but I really feel welcome.
Hey, @Saviourofpotatoes, Get NRAAS mods. they will help your game A TON. Things start slowing down big time when you get CC, but when you fall in love with this game, you'll over look the lag and try to work with it because it just has so much stuff to do.
With CC you can work wonders on townies.
In SV, I turned River McIrish from this:
to this:
And there's so much stuff to do. You can go from one end of the map to the other...NO loading screens.
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
@Nikkei_Simmer Already done! I'm staying away from CC as much as possible with S3 however I never pass up any mods that can improve my game, apart from a CC skintone cos' I'm a sucker for defined skin, aha.
Heh, I think you'll get a very varied array of answers about what the best EP's or SP's are.
For me, I couldn't play my game without Supernatural, Ambitions or World Adventures. Late Night too... but, each EP adds something unique to the game, and I'd hate to have to play without any of them really. The only SP's I don't own are Katy Perry ( ew ) and Movie Stuff, because I can't find a physical copy of MS.
Again, they all bring something to the table.
when you get up and running, we'd love to see some pictures
@Nikkei_Simmer Aha, that's amazing. I'm from South Wales, Britain; the land of rain fall so I, too enjoy the rain. Although autumn is quite dry at the moment.
@coco Also another pack I'm interested in, there's so many to choose from, my boyfriend isn't going to be able to converse with me at all haha; That's okay he can just play with the cats.
@Pary Definitely! I'm going to try and take it slow so I don't drown in content but I can't wait to really get into it; eee exciting, haven't been this excited since Sims 2 which doesn't run on my laptop for some reason, t'is why I bought 4, if it had worked I'd still be playing that probably. I'll be sticking around these sides of the forums though, most definitely. I love all the picture threads, everyone's sims are lush. Sucks when you find a sim more photogenic than you haha
My wife's friend got me into Sims 3. So I started out with that...and got hooked. Married with kids; playing with Sims 3 - downloading CC and makeup. ~sigh, groan...~ Guess I have to return my "man-card".
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
If you did want to try to get your TS2 game working, the people in the TS2 section here would probably be happy to try to help you get it going
I play both 2 & 3 and love them.
@Pary I'll give it a try soon, I miss Sims; I could lose hours in OFB.
@Nikkei_Simmer Nonsense, everyone likes a man with a sense of style. My other half doesn't understand my obsession with controlling my little people but will spend hours mass murdering people on GTA.. Although that can be quite fun when I'm angry.
Unfortunately I believe they stopped the advertising in the Store, enabling you to get content for free.... Some of my favourite hairstyles come from there.
I like a lot of EA clothing from the expansions, stuff packs, worlds and store content but especially from Diesel Stuff Pack, and University Life and Island Paradise Expansions. I have some CC clothing.
As far as create-a-sim CC, I have a lot of hair, some brows and facial hair, a little make-up, 2 default replacement skins (1 for my females and 1 for my males) and 1 default replacement eyes.
As far as favorite expansions to play I like Seasons, University Life, Late Night, Ambitions and World Adventures the most but the others all have something I enjoy. The only expansion I don't have is Into the Future, which I may eventually get. Really which expansions are the best depends on how you like to play.
I can't play without some of the NRaas mods and some other mods enhance game play.
Welcome to the Sims 3 forums. Hope you have fun playing.
@Saviourofpotatoes You might find a few mods that can be found HERE will help keep your game running smoother and getting rid of problems before they potentially corrupt your saves. I recommend Master Controller, Overwatch, and Error Trap.
It's always a good idea to not keep saving over the same file. Choose "save as" often - you can always delete the older saves to make room as needed. I also recommend that instead of saving when closing to save first then close without saving.
If simpoints came with your purchase of the base game you should also check out the store. Use this thread to maximize what you can get from your simpoints.
Using the Saver mod (also available through NRaas) can also be helpful as it can be configured to
1) Prompt you to save your game every x minutes (you can specify how long between promptings)
2) Saving is done through "Save As" in rotation (Household1, Household2, etc) and you can configure how many numbers to use before it resets and overwrites Household 1
3) Can turn on prompting for build/buy mode so you don't lose progress when building something awesome
All can be configured through the NRaas Saver mod menu (through Town Hall or a computer in the household)
Figured you might need it seeing as you'll be spending quite a lot of time in this wonderful game.
"Hosting indoor firework shows since '00" Currently trying to pick up The Sims 3 again
You can find me lurking around The Sims 3 board, feel free to say hi!
> @Saviourofpotatoes said: > Hey guys, so I've been a huge Sims fan since the first was released 17 years ago (geez, I just tallied that up and now I feel aged) I've played 1, 2 and 4 -skipped 3 because I had a huge break and by the time I came back 4 was all the rage- but quickly became bored of it so I'm giving 3 ago because I've heard so many great things but I can't get through creating my sim; the clothing/hair choices are so slim it's hard for me to fall in love with my sims! I was wondering if you guys rely on CC or do the more choices arise with every pack? I've currently got late night, seasons, ambitions and town life stuff; I really want to get into this game but CAS is so dry I'm finding it hard to adjust. This post isn't meant to offend anyone, I'm not dissing the game at all because I haven't played it enough to truly have an opinion, I'm just wondering what everyone else thinks of the clothing/hair choices. > > Thanks guys, looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this!
I usually rely on color schemes and interesting facial features. And fashion senses (none of my sims are completely normie-glamour fashionable).
Also, awesome premades. Sometimes I save them to the bin so they can be bases for my CAS sims. Although I usually use the actual CAS bin sims as bases for my own original sims. And often the premades have interesting children with each other. This includes premades that aren't that popular.
Also, what packs would you guys recommend I buy next?
Be careful buying second hand games. If you are locked into Origin with your game they have been disabling games that don't have codes purchased from approved resellers.
I have all of the packs and wouldn't be happy without any of them.
Just in case you're interested you might like to see some of my YouTube videos. I only started doing them this year. They are based in Isla Paradiso and you see a lot of Seasons and Supernatural plus some Ambitions being used in them. I've also been using CC so not everything in the videos is from EA. But most of it is.
> @Steffstar said: > Mikezumi wrote: » > > @Saviourofpotatoes Off the top of my head, I would say that Diesel Stuff and Master Suite are my favorites. > > > > > Because of your signature pic, I thought that said "...Destial". Or, however that's spelled. And Dean's face is just killing me. :)
You mean Destiel.
Of course, a few years ago while I was nonlucid and I hanged out in the Doctor Who fandom without actually watching Doctor Who (to the point that I made Trakenboard on a whim just to name it Trakenboard) I would have said that Nyssegan was the stuff.
I'm into realism, so I play with CC - it helps a little with the graphics issues... Can't play without CC hair and skins, there are so many awesome creators out there still. And I highly recommend some of Twallan's mods at Nraas!
Comments
If you baby it along, with the mods recommended to you by @Mikezumi, and take care to keep caches clean, and be discerning with any CC you might choose to download, then the game will reward you a hundred times over with an enjoyable experience.
A lot of people dislike to way the Sims look. @CravenLestat has proven with those screenies that no CC sims can be lovely if you're not afraid to play around with the sliders and experiment.
If nothing else, you may want to download some player made worlds. Many of them are just as, if not more beautiful, than EA's.
I hope you have a lot of fun with your game. After 8 years of playing nearly every day, I still haven't done everything the game offers. There is plenty to keep you occupied
PoppySims Archive
InnaLisa Pose Archive
Devolution of Sims - a once customisable open world sandbox which has become a DLC Party catalog in a shoebox
I ♡ Pudding
I agree with Mikezumi that Diesel Stuff and Master Suite Stuff are my favorite for clothing.
I hope you enjoy the game. The opportunities are almost limitless to what you can do
@Pary I'll make sure to keep on top of keeping my laptop clean, that's the reason why I'll be trying to stay away from CC such as clothing and hair, I always go mad with it and it ends up clogging up my game; My laptop is pretty new and so far has been running every game I've downloaded beautifully, however I realise how demanding S3 is so I'll be sure to try and keep it running as best as possible, at least until I invest in a gaming PC. I think the Sims look cute in their own way, their faces etc are fine it was just the hair and clothing - It's probably not even the game and actually my sick obsession with downloading and wanting more packs paha -
Again, I can't thank you guys enough for all your advice. You've all been so lovely, it's really refreshing; forums can be so intimidating but I really feel welcome.
With CC you can work wonders on townies.
In SV, I turned River McIrish from this:
to this:
And there's so much stuff to do. You can go from one end of the map to the other...NO loading screens.
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
For me, I couldn't play my game without Supernatural, Ambitions or World Adventures. Late Night too... but, each EP adds something unique to the game, and I'd hate to have to play without any of them really. The only SP's I don't own are Katy Perry ( ew ) and Movie Stuff, because I can't find a physical copy of MS.
Again, they all bring something to the table.
when you get up and running, we'd love to see some pictures
PoppySims Archive
InnaLisa Pose Archive
Devolution of Sims - a once customisable open world sandbox which has become a DLC Party catalog in a shoebox
I ♡ Pudding
@coco Also another pack I'm interested in, there's so many to choose from, my boyfriend isn't going to be able to converse with me at all haha; That's okay he can just play with the cats.
Always "River McIrish" ...and maybe some Bebe Hart. ~innocent expression~
I play both 2 & 3 and love them.
PoppySims Archive
InnaLisa Pose Archive
Devolution of Sims - a once customisable open world sandbox which has become a DLC Party catalog in a shoebox
I ♡ Pudding
@Nikkei_Simmer Nonsense, everyone likes a man with a sense of style. My other half doesn't understand my obsession with controlling my little people but will spend hours mass murdering people on GTA.. Although that can be quite fun when I'm angry.
@Saviourofpotatoes Welcome to Sims 3! We're giving away a store world this month if you participate in this contest HERE!
Ultimate cc-list
My top 5
As far as create-a-sim CC, I have a lot of hair, some brows and facial hair, a little make-up, 2 default replacement skins (1 for my females and 1 for my males) and 1 default replacement eyes.
As far as favorite expansions to play I like Seasons, University Life, Late Night, Ambitions and World Adventures the most but the others all have something I enjoy. The only expansion I don't have is Into the Future, which I may eventually get. Really which expansions are the best depends on how you like to play.
I can't play without some of the NRaas mods and some other mods enhance game play.
Welcome to the Sims 3 forums. Hope you have fun playing.
Using the Saver mod (also available through NRaas) can also be helpful as it can be configured to
1) Prompt you to save your game every x minutes (you can specify how long between promptings)
2) Saving is done through "Save As" in rotation (Household1, Household2, etc) and you can configure how many numbers to use before it resets and overwrites Household 1
3) Can turn on prompting for build/buy mode so you don't lose progress when building something awesome
All can be configured through the NRaas Saver mod menu (through Town Hall or a computer in the household)
Figured you might need it seeing as you'll be spending quite a lot of time in this wonderful game.
Currently trying to pick up The Sims 3 again
You can find me lurking around The Sims 3 board, feel free to say hi!
> Hey guys, so I've been a huge Sims fan since the first was released 17 years ago (geez, I just tallied that up and now I feel aged) I've played 1, 2 and 4 -skipped 3 because I had a huge break and by the time I came back 4 was all the rage- but quickly became bored of it so I'm giving 3 ago because I've heard so many great things but I can't get through creating my sim; the clothing/hair choices are so slim it's hard for me to fall in love with my sims! I was wondering if you guys rely on CC or do the more choices arise with every pack? I've currently got late night, seasons, ambitions and town life stuff; I really want to get into this game but CAS is so dry I'm finding it hard to adjust. This post isn't meant to offend anyone, I'm not dissing the game at all because I haven't played it enough to truly have an opinion, I'm just wondering what everyone else thinks of the clothing/hair choices.
>
> Thanks guys, looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this!
I usually rely on color schemes and interesting facial features. And fashion senses (none of my sims are completely normie-glamour fashionable).
Also, awesome premades. Sometimes I save them to the bin so they can be bases for my CAS sims. Although I usually use the actual CAS bin sims as bases for my own original sims. And often the premades have interesting children with each other. This includes premades that aren't that popular.
Be careful buying second hand games. If you are locked into Origin with your game they have been disabling games that don't have codes purchased from approved resellers.
I have all of the packs and wouldn't be happy without any of them.
Just in case you're interested you might like to see some of my YouTube videos. I only started doing them this year. They are based in Isla Paradiso and you see a lot of Seasons and Supernatural plus some Ambitions being used in them. I've also been using CC so not everything in the videos is from EA. But most of it is.
Happy Simming
EDIT: This article will help you work out which EPs and SPs your computer should be able to run.'
http://www.modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:TS3_System_Requirements
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW44b3uCMtCSaq4gwC8EZg
Because of your signature pic, I thought that said "...Destial". Or, however that's spelled. And Dean's face is just killing me.
> Mikezumi wrote: »
>
> @Saviourofpotatoes Off the top of my head, I would say that Diesel Stuff and Master Suite are my favorites.
>
>
>
>
> Because of your signature pic, I thought that said "...Destial". Or, however that's spelled. And Dean's face is just killing me. :)
You mean Destiel.
Of course, a few years ago while I was nonlucid and I hanged out in the Doctor Who fandom without actually watching Doctor Who (to the point that I made Trakenboard on a whim just to name it Trakenboard) I would have said that Nyssegan was the stuff.