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What are the best packs for Sims 3?
Pancakesandwich
Posts: 2,038 Member
Hello
My niece has Sims 3, and she would like to get a few packs for it in the future. Can you recommend any particularly good ones?
My niece has Sims 3, and she would like to get a few packs for it in the future. Can you recommend any particularly good ones?
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SPs I really like High end Loft and Master Suite fills the void as far as sleepwear plus has 3 great female hairstyles I overuse way to much
Here ya go @Pancakesandwich, some pics for ya.
This ^ I really can't decide. During the online sale around black friday, I bought all the EPs I didn't have for 5 bucks each. Worth it.
'Best' pack is impossible to answer, that's opinional. But I think you'll find most people value seasons and pets highly in their game. And Generations. Generations in my opinion is indispensable, but not the best EP, in terms of it could have been so much better.
I find that the Starter Pack, which is 3 in 1 deal ( ex: Sims3, Late night, High End Loft) is a good deal. Your niece could get an Expansion Bundle, which is 2 in 1 (ex: World Adventures and Generations). Both sets are under $20 at Walmart. Might find a better bundle deal elsewhere, and around the holidays!
Since she has Sims3, I would go for the Expansion Bundle, but even the Starter Pack is cheap, if you know anyone else wanting to play the Sims3.
IF I had to choose my favorites, they would be Seasons and Late Night
What kind of play style does she have?
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For me Seasons is number 1, and according to a poll taken here last year. It has seasonal weather, festivals, holidays and activities. It does put a strain on low-end computers though, especially when it snows.
There are quite a few that I like and some that are just OK. It really does depend on what she likes to do in game.
Late night
Generations
University
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I think I've expressed my total agreement before
What surprises me is simmers say they like playing with kids and families and that's why they like Generations when a lot of the added content sends the kids to rabbit holes where they don't actually play the kids. I wanted to play my kids in boarding school and I wanted to play them at the prom. It's like Generations is designed so you can play large families by not actually having to play the kids. And then some of the interactions and features that were added I find annoying. I have more mods installed to fix some of Generations "features" than any other EP. There are things I like about Generations so I have it installed but only because of the mods I also have installed.
I just thought of a theory why some simmers really like Generations and some don't. It might have to do with what life span you play. I play on a close to normal life span - 91 days. But if you play on epic or have turned off aging then the interactions I find annoying and waste precious time (pranks, mid-life crisis, teaching teens to drive, holding royal court, curfews with their locked-in scolding, etc) you might find fun and interesting and help fill up the time.
That last paragraph has a lot of truth in it. I think it also depends on whether you have a running story - either documented or in your head - for all life stages. My simkids all have their own story going on. While I don't use the punishment features very often - when I want to play a troubled kid, it can be very useful.
Generations rounded out the game play for family players, giving kids and elders a bit of a gameplay boost, even though EA admittedly cut a few corners.
Edit to add: Didn't respond to the OP: @Pancakesandwich - It would be next to impossible for me to say which expansions or stuff packs to get your niece, not knowing her and all - they all add something that I find indispensable. Seasons and Pets are biggies for many people here, but personally... WA, Ambitions, and Supernatural are probably my top favorites. It's a personal thing so you may need to ask her.
For me, Generations gets rid of freedom. For example, most baby-boomer men I know say that when they were 8 or 9 they'd camp out with other boys in the mountains without adult supervision. But, you can't do that with the curfew system because the psychic police will find you and send you home and then the parents regardless of what the simmer wants is going to ground them. I know-I know its bad idea to let little ones do stuff like this because of bad people. But, what if I just want to pretend that my sims are growing up in the 60s when parents let kids do stuff like this and the kids are safe because bad people don't exist in the game? What about telling the story I want to tell? I've even heard some simmers that the police took their children home when they were out with their parents, but I can't say for sure because I don't remember it happening in my game.
Children also have less individually with Generations because they all do stuff like hold court and sing to their dolls. It used to be that if you had an artistic child they'll head to easel while the athletic child heads towards the basketball hoop. (plus the singing and holding of court is so loud, possibly the most annoying sounds in the game).
Generations didn't add too much that imagination couldn't already supply. If I want the children to have curfews then I just make sure they're home by that hour. If want them to be sneaky I can flip a coin to see if they are caught. If want the parents to ground them then I just ground them and not let them do whatever it is that they are prohibited from. As far as boarding schools go, I just create my own. I build a house to comfortably house 7 teens/children and one adult and then just put them in there. I can choose to play it or play the parents.
The Sims2 Land Rich: Cash Poor Challenge
The Gods of Monte Vista
Athena & Crog: Life in Sims 4
Hit the Like Button - and let me know you liked my story.
Besides the locked in scolding Generations introduced the new relationship system and the mid-life crisis that almost guarantees a couple will break up/divorce if any "cheating" is confessed or found out whether you want them to break up or not. Just another way EA removed freedom to play the way you want. Generations introduced a much stricter idea of cheating than previously used. What's really strange is if a sim has more than one romantic interest they get a naughty reputation or worse. Kissing creates a romantic interest but woohooing does not.
I agree with the prom thing, like others said it could be an open party (as other EPs offers parties...).
But graduation ceremony? I mean, I don't know, it's mostly formal, even in real life it's boring:) and it *does* add new animation after the ceremony (when they throw the diploma in the air.. I think it's cute).
Other than that, Generations adds so much to all life stages... like the custom chest for kids, and tree house, and the video camera (you could record toddler and than watch it when he grows up- that's adorable), and bachelors parties with the dancer, and giving gifts, and the daycare proffession... all of these examples are pretty basic in my game. I think this EP would fit someone who is a family player and likes realism as myself.
I agree with the life span idea. For me, as someone who playes really long life spans, I want my sim to actually experience everything before moving on to the next life stage.
I personally like Pets, Seasons and University to complete the base game, but I find Supernatural, World Adventures and Into the Future especially fun, not really because of the adventures but more with all the stuff that they add to make original households and worlds.
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I don't understand the curfew thing- isn't it part of the base game anyway? I mean even if it was a patch thing that came with generations, currently it's not exclusive to generations (I think).
Regarding "Kissing creates a romantic interest but woohooing does not" I've never managed to get two sims woohoo without kissing before:) so at least from my experience - there is an escalation in the reputation that makes sense.
I got Supernatural because I like having supernatural sims and the alchemy skill is really fun. Plus you can make playable ghosts without having to kill sims.
Generations seems to add a lot to the family aspect of the game, so if she likes raising families then that one is good.
Seasons adds weather, festivals, and aliens (though I was disappointed in the fact that you couldn't make aliens in CAS).
ITF is one of my favorites. I love sci-fi, so being able to give your sims jet packs, plumbots, time machines, hoverboards, etc. is totally awesome to me.
backtothesims3.com/2017/01/08/add-aliens-with-mastercontroller/
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