Is sims 3 worth it in 2016

Jacke1012 · July 2016

I got the sims 4 about 2 mouths after it was released and I loved it. It was my first sims game I have ever played. I have been thinking of getting the sims 3 and some of its EP (late night, seasons, generations and ambitions) but is it worth getting in 2016? I am also concerned it my computer can run it. It is a mac book pro (retina, 13 inch, mid 2014) 2.4GHz i5, 8GB ram, intel iris 1536MB. I have also heard that is is glitchy on mac, is that true?

Karritz · July 2016

Sims 3 is worth it. New people are still getting into it and enjoying it. Don't expect to get to do everything possible though as even people who got it on release are still learning new things about it.

Unfortunately a MacBook Pro is unlikely survive it.

@igazor will be able to give you better info on Macs and Sims 3.

LadyEmillye · July 2016

TS3 is very much worth it. I love it and there is so much I haven't done with it yet lol. I particularly like the Venues that they made available in the store.

Apple products are not my forte, I've always been more of an Android/Windows user.

tesarily · July 2016

As someone coming (back) to TS3 after a long time: still worth it in 2016.

KaeChan2089 · July 2016

Totally agree, I'm playing it right now, and I never had this much fun "yet" (keyword yet) with TS4...I love the TS3

It's still a great game!!

inmyeye · July 2016

I'm not a hardware expert but I can tell you that you need a more powerful computer to run Sims 3 than Sims 4. The integrated graphics setup you have is going to be a problem. Other than that Sims 3 is great. The level and depth of gameplay blows Sims 4 out of the water.

igazor · July 2016

Okay, this is gonna be painful because I am an avid fan of both TS3 and Macs in 2016 (and just about any other year).

It's not the fact that your Mac has integrated graphics that is problematic, as the game can actually function much better on those on the Mac side than on Windows for other reasons. But the newer ones, including the Iris chip yours has, present a challenge as the game was never set up to properly recognize those that came out in later years. Having said that, if you do an Origin install (which is almost required if you have El Capitan as an operating system since that one hates the disc installs with a passion), there was an Origin update earlier this year that somehow smoothed things over for many players with those graphics. I tested this out by installing TS3 and a few EPs on a slightly stronger 15in MacBook Pro a few months ago and, much to my surprise, everything regarding the install and initial play worked just fine -- though the laptop fans did go wild keeping the thing cooled, as they should when faced with such an intensive program to run.

There are also steps that can be taken to force recognition of the Iris/Iris Pro graphics that the experts on the TS3 Mac Discussion boards can help with if needed. There's plenty of documentation there to follow as well.

But that brings us to the second challenge, and one that it actually more difficult for many of us to work through. TS3 for Mac is a crippled implementation of its Windows sibling, it's not a proper port into the Mac OS like all of the other titles in this series are. In particular, the game can only utilize 2 GB of RAM no matter how much you have installed, that's around half of what TS3 for Windows can use. In the beginning of a game in a small to medium sized world, and with only a few EPs in play, this isn't usually much of an issue. But as games progress, one wants to make frequent use of CAS and its subsets and Edit Town, frequent crashes and Error12s become the order of the day as the game tries to reach for more than 2 GB, which it then cannot use. There is a technique in OS X to "purge RAM" that players have to use frequently throughout play to keep under the 2 GB limit, but for some of us that stops being effective after a while -- depends on one's style of play, really.

It's not impossible to have fun with TS3 for Mac, but it's certainly more challenging than it really ought to be to keep a game going long term.

I still sim on my Mac, but by having Bootcamped Win 7 onto it and switching gameplay over to the Windows side. But I also have an iMac with a dedicated graphics card and a hard drive large enough to support the Windows partition. Not everyone can or is especially happy about having to sim that way, but for me it's worked out very well.

GypsyPrince · July 2016

Sims 3 is a timeless gem

PHOEBESMOM601 · July 2016

Instead of buying new content for TS4 I'm keeping that money and putting it into my savings for a computer to run TS3 on high graphics. Does that tell you anything?

You also might want to try eBay or Amazon for an old copy of the TS2 base game and see if you like that.

SimplyJen · July 2016

I'm not a Mac fan and don't know that much so it's really not my business but if I had to play on a Mac, I wouldn't do it without bootcamping. If you had a good Windows computer to play on then I would defiantly say go for it of course after reading reviews and guides (not just here). Mac requires a little effort and for some, it's enough to turn them off. Playing on Windows can be a little finicky too but not as much.

KHS12 · July 2016

YES it is absolutely worth it IF your computer can run it! I have an HP laptop, nothing fancy by any means, and it handles TS3 like a champ with quality graphics. I don't know that macs are a good option with *any* of the sims games.

igazor · July 2016

KHS12 wrote: »

I don't know that macs are a good option with *any* of the sims games.

TS1, 2, and 4 for Mac were proper ports into the Mac OS. For many players, they actually run better and are more stable than their Windows counterparts. EA flubbed up the port on TS3 only by doing it themselves instead of outsourcing the task like they did with the others and never reverted to correct the mistakes.

This is a common misconception about Mac usage. It's not that Macs aren't perfectly capable of performing. But they have to be given a program that is designed properly for them to run it well. It really wouldn't be much different, except the other way around, if 80% of consumers used Macs and 15% used Windows or something (the balance being Linux and others, of course).

king_of_simcity7 · July 2016

Is The Sims 3 worth it?

Well, considering that it is the best Sims game ever made, then yes, yes it is!

sassy_simmer727 · July 2016

Sims 3 is great but since you play the Sims 4 it may take some getting used to the graphics and overall different layout.

06Bon06 · July 2016

Yes just like sims 2, sims 3 has a lot of depth which means you can still discover new things after years of playing and that there is always something new to try.

TadOlson · July 2016

I love both TS2 and TS3 though my laptop is able to run both of them very well though I'm using TS2UC and had to load it full of Mods and CC unlike on my old computer.I've got TS3 heavily Modded and using tons of CC as well and it's running without any lag.

TheGoodOldGamer · July 2016

If nothing else, you get some aura lamps for Sims 4 if you redeem the codes for Sims 3 on Origin. That's the only reason I got it. Wanted my Sims 4 collection to be complete, lol.

(You don't have to buy it there if you don't want to either. I got it during the Steam summer sale and redeemed the CD keys on Origin just fine.)

Jahnna · July 2016

I've been playing Sims 3 since 2010, not once was it uninstalled for more than a day. Im still discovering loads of stuff, areas aso. Sims 3 is by far the best Sims game when it comes to depth and gameplay options.
Sims 4 looks extremely boring to me and it's just a comic-revamped cut-down version of Sims 2 with even less things to do and even lesser content to come than Sims 3 has.

Jacke1012 · July 2016

igazor wrote: »

Okay, this is gonna be painful because I am an avid fan of both TS3 and Macs in 2016 (and just about any other year).

It's not the fact that your Mac has integrated graphics that is problematic, as the game can actually function much better on those on the Mac side than on Windows for other reasons. But the newer ones, including the Iris chip yours has, present a challenge as the game was never set up to properly recognize those that came out in later years. Having said that, if you do an Origin install (which is almost required if you have El Capitan as an operating system since that one hates the disc installs with a passion), there was an Origin update earlier this year that somehow smoothed things over for many players with those graphics. I tested this out by installing TS3 and a few EPs on a slightly stronger 15in MacBook Pro a few months ago and, much to my surprise, everything regarding the install and initial play worked just fine -- though the laptop fans did go wild keeping the thing cooled, as they should when faced with such an intensive program to run.

There are also steps that can be taken to force recognition of the Iris/Iris Pro graphics that the experts on the TS3 Mac Discussion boards can help with if needed. There's plenty of documentation there to follow as well.

But that brings us to the second challenge, and one that it actually more difficult for many of us to work through. TS3 for Mac is a crippled implementation of its Windows sibling, it's not a proper port into the Mac OS like all of the other titles in this series are. In particular, the game can only utilize 2 GB of RAM no matter how much you have installed, that's around half of what TS3 for Windows can use. In the beginning of a game in a small to medium sized world, and with only a few EPs in play, this isn't usually much of an issue. But as games progress, one wants to make frequent use of CAS and its subsets and Edit Town, frequent crashes and Error12s become the order of the day as the game tries to reach for more than 2 GB, which it then cannot use. There is a technique in OS X to "purge RAM" that players have to use frequently throughout play to keep under the 2 GB limit, but for some of us that stops being effective after a while -- depends on one's style of play, really.

It's not impossible to have fun with TS3 for Mac, but it's certainly more challenging than it really ought to be to keep a game going long term.

I still sim on my Mac, but by having Bootcamped Win 7 onto it and switching gameplay over to the Windows side. But I also have an iMac with a dedicated graphics card and a hard drive large enough to support the Windows partition. Not everyone can or is especially happy about having to sim that way, but for me it's worked out very well.

Is it an enjoyable experience playing Sims 3 and a couple of EPs on a mac.

igazor · July 2016

Jacke1012 wrote: »

igazor wrote: »

Okay, this is gonna be painful because I am an avid fan of both TS3 and Macs in 2016 (and just about any other year).

It's not the fact that your Mac has integrated graphics that is problematic, as the game can actually function much better on those on the Mac side than on Windows for other reasons. But the newer ones, including the Iris chip yours has, present a challenge as the game was never set up to properly recognize those that came out in later years. Having said that, if you do an Origin install (which is almost required if you have El Capitan as an operating system since that one hates the disc installs with a passion), there was an Origin update earlier this year that somehow smoothed things over for many players with those graphics. I tested this out by installing TS3 and a few EPs on a slightly stronger 15in MacBook Pro a few months ago and, much to my surprise, everything regarding the install and initial play worked just fine -- though the laptop fans did go wild keeping the thing cooled, as they should when faced with such an intensive program to run.

There are also steps that can be taken to force recognition of the Iris/Iris Pro graphics that the experts on the TS3 Mac Discussion boards can help with if needed. There's plenty of documentation there to follow as well.

But that brings us to the second challenge, and one that it actually more difficult for many of us to work through. TS3 for Mac is a crippled implementation of its Windows sibling, it's not a proper port into the Mac OS like all of the other titles in this series are. In particular, the game can only utilize 2 GB of RAM no matter how much you have installed, that's around half of what TS3 for Windows can use. In the beginning of a game in a small to medium sized world, and with only a few EPs in play, this isn't usually much of an issue. But as games progress, one wants to make frequent use of CAS and its subsets and Edit Town, frequent crashes and Error12s become the order of the day as the game tries to reach for more than 2 GB, which it then cannot use. There is a technique in OS X to "purge RAM" that players have to use frequently throughout play to keep under the 2 GB limit, but for some of us that stops being effective after a while -- depends on one's style of play, really.

It's not impossible to have fun with TS3 for Mac, but it's certainly more challenging than it really ought to be to keep a game going long term.

I still sim on my Mac, but by having Bootcamped Win 7 onto it and switching gameplay over to the Windows side. But I also have an iMac with a dedicated graphics card and a hard drive large enough to support the Windows partition. Not everyone can or is especially happy about having to sim that way, but for me it's worked out very well.

Is it an enjoyable experience playing Sims 3 and a couple of EPs on a mac.

It is, up to a point. One could say it's more enjoyable than not playing it at all. Guess that's really a matter of opinion and it depends on one's style of play. My long-running multi-generational game with overstuffed (mod) families in crowded homeworlds connected by the Traveler mod couldn't take it without constantly bumping into the 2 GB restriction. Then the Seasons and Pets EPs killed the game for me on that platform completely. But not everyone plays the way I prefer to.

DyingLight · July 2016

IMO it is worth it because it's a fun sims game, but Macs can only use 2GB of ram. I play the sims 3 on windows with all EPs, SPs, Worlds and most store content installed plus lots of CC and my current game uses >2gb of ram. Even on windows I've surpassed its 4gb ram limit and that makes me move my household and start all over again in a new world, which is kinda frustrating. But I think you could play it with few EPs installed. But I recommend a computer or laptop with at least an nvidia chip (don't know much about AMD chips.) and 8gb or more of ram.

igazor · July 2016

DyingLight wrote: »

IMO it is worth it because it's a fun sims game, but Macs can only use 2GB of ram. I play the sims 3 on windows with all EPs, SPs, Worlds and most store content installed plus lots of CC and my current game uses >2gb of ram. Even on windows I've surpassed its 4gb ram limit and that makes me move my household and start all over again in a new world, which is kinda frustrating. But I think you could play it with few EPs installed. But I recommend a computer or laptop with at least an nvidia chip (don't know much about AMD chips.) and 8gb or more of ram.

Just a subtle clarification if I may, before this becomes one of those "macs are plum" threads (though I'm pretty sure that's not what you meant at all). It's not that Macs can only use 2 GB of RAM. It's that TS3 for Mac in particular is crippled that way because of the way EA improperly arranged its port into OS X through Cider. Other Mac programs, including other Mac Sim programs, do not suffer this fate. In fact, for what it's worth, TS4 for Mac was 64-bit before TS4 for Windows was.

KaylieBreeann · July 2016

The Sims 3 is very much worth it.

LaracroftEyes1 · July 2016

Get sims 3 you will like it and Sims 3 is my niece game and it fun to play

king_of_simcity7 · July 2016

@KaylieBreeann & @LaracroftEyes1 I agree and welcome to the forums

RodJohn · July 2016

The thing about TS3, for me at least, is that it never, ever gets old. There's always something new to do. Whether it be different playing styles or different households there will always be something to hold my interest. This is a statement that I make after almost 7 years (correct me if I'm wrong) of playing. I picked up my copy of Sims 3 on Thursday, June 4, 2009. Two days after it was initially released. The fact that I'm still sticking with it speaks volumes in and of itself.

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Is sims 3 worth it in 2016

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