The Sims 3 on CD + Steam?

buzz_infamous · February 2018

so i own a CD version of The Sims 3 base game + World Adventures. will it work with other expansions if i buy them on Steam? can i somehow merge them?

igazor · February 2018

In order to purchase the EP/SPs on Steam, you must have the Steam client program installed and must purchase (but not install) the Steam version of the base game. Upon purchase, Steam provides Origin codes that can then be used to download and install the Origin versions of the packs. You must be on or be willing to update to Patch 1.69 to install packs through Origin.

The purchase of the extra base game seems wasteful, but it is a requirement to own that one before Steam will sell you the packs and if you register the extra one on the TS3 site, you still get 1,000 store points for it. It still turns out to be a good deal often enough when these things are all on sale for 75-80% off.

The other way is to purchase the base game and all the packs you want on Steam, uninstall what you have now, clean the registry, and install the Steam version of everything (secure a copy your user game folder first if you want to be able to access your other content and saved games again).

You cannot mix and match actual Steam and Origin/CD installations. They may look, feel, and play the same but they are really different versions of the game under the hood so as far as the installations go it has to be all one or the other.

Note that all of this only applies to the Windows version of the game. Steam does not sell TS3 for Mac and will not provide the Origin codes unless the Windows version of the client program is used.

puzzlezaddict · February 2018

Edit: Oh, look at that, igazor said everything I did, and a few seconds faster.

Maybe I'll just add that Steam sells a "starter pack" of the base game, Generations, Seasons, and Pets for $30, which means it costs $7.50 now, half the price of buying those packs individually on sale, and you still get the 1000 store points.

And if by chance you are on a mac, you can still grab your CD keys specifically by logging onto Steam on a PC. You won't have to download anything onto that computer to see them; the keys will appear with the other game info.

igazor · February 2018

puzzlezaddict wrote: »

If you're still using disks to play, I think you'd need to uninstall the game and reinstall everything through Origin, although if you want to do this you should ask for some more expert advice (here is fine). It's certainly doable, it's just that there are a couple of necessary steps you want to know about before you skip them.

Players do not need to uninstall and reinstall to transition from CD to Origin, it's still the same game. The installation will still have been CD of course, but Origin will manage a mixed install of CD and Origin digital base game/EPs. If the most recently released EP was installed through Origin, then the disc in the drive requirement to play will no longer apply as Origin will handle the authentication itself.

When things are working as they should, that is.

Steam is what throws a monkey wrench into all of this because the it's the Steam versions of the base game and packs that are different.

puzzlezaddict · February 2018

igazor wrote: »

Players do not need to uninstall and reinstall to transition from CD to Origin, it's still the same game. The installation will still have been CD of course, but Origin will manage a mixed install of CD and Origin digital base game/EPs. If the most recently released EP was installed through Origin, then the disc in the drive requirement to play will no longer apply as Origin will handle the authentication itself.

When things are working as they should, that is.

I think that caveat should automatically appear at the top of every single reply to any technical question about TS3, a tag that nobody can disable. Plenty of people (myself included) have uninstalled and reinstalled everything not because it was necessary but because it seems like the process might somehow magically make this game run better. I know it doesn't actually work that way, but it feels good, like starting fresh, and besides, for those of us who aren't technically savvy, we might just have downloaded or altered something that needs to get flushed.

igazor · February 2018

@puzzlezaddict - Okay, agreed. But the reason for the caveat in this case is that Origin is notorious for "forgetting" which packs the player has installed thus requiring sometimes a few reboots of the computer to nudge its memory, and then forgetting which ones they have checked off on the Launcher's Pack Chooser screen. The conditions appear to be worse on mixed disc/Origin installs, but I don't think anyone has really proved that they are or at least that they are for everyone. Different players' experiences seem to vary.

buzz_infamous · February 2018

@igazor that's a bummer. i have owned the CD version for couple of years now and i thought i would maybe get back to the game when i saw the sale on Steam. the deals are still pretty decent so maybe i will buy it anyways.

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The Sims 3 on CD + Steam?

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