THE HORROR: The REAL TS3 Scoop As It Unfolds

[blackcat]

I have speckles too.

[Acid_fairy]

I don't have speckles. Now I feel left out! 

[Acid_fairy]

My most beautiful sim had twins with that Cycl0n3 guy. They are fucking hideous. What the hell happened, EA? I only holpe they will improve with age.

I am actually now missing my TS2 simmies. I never thought I'd say that. I'm bloody glad I haven't paid for this.

[TashaYarrr]

EA said the pirated version "is a buggy, pre-final" version of the game.

Is it just me or is it somewhat unusual for them to actually use the word 'buggy'? Isn't that a PR no-no?

I assume the same people who first didn't believe there would be a delay, and then didn't believe the creator camp people were playing a recent version will eat this up. It's always been my assumption that these leaks happen in the going-gold process so I haven't bothered with the debate, but I'm surprised to see EA potentially shooting themselves in the foot with the above statement.

Okay, guess I'm not surprised.

Oh well, home from the bandwidth-free cabin, off to see how bad this thing really is.

EDIT: Didn't realize this conversation was already taking place in the installation help thread. But whatever.

[Netich]

Is there any thread for discussing TS3 modding? I dont know if anyone is working in a nocensor patch. But if the old way (with a package) doesnt work, maybe it could be done messing with the dx calls.

There is this supersecret "Armoire of Invincibility" subforum (that freak language you use is hard to understand for noobs and foreign people, and i am both), but of course i cant read it.

Just another question: anyone know how previously nocensor worked? Did it add a new 'censor mesh' invisible? Then that mesh is in the game files, and not created in the fly...

btw, if anyone hasnt seen a naked body...


Of course not a working patch, just working in things...

So has someone made a no censor patch? Is that what I am to judge from this picture? Or is that just a bug? Or... what?

I know it says "not a working patch" beneath it, but the next four words just confuse me.

Just to make things clear.

That screen is not actually the game, but a capture of all directX instructions that make a frame. and I've disabled the drawing of the censor rectangle.

I didnt make any TS2 modding so i dont know anyithing about package formats. My patch, if i make it work, would be a launcher to TS3.exe that inhibits the drawing instruction of the censor polygon for every frame.

I was asking for help to anyone who worked in modding TS2, to know if the same can be done with a package file (some kind or script or something)

[jello]

Well, a launcher would be a decent start at least.

[TashaYarrr]

Couple of early impressions---

--I can see why some people were initially thinking CAS was somewhat limited--it's not as intuitive as TS2 for figuring out how to find all the sliders. I'm reasonably pleased with it, but:

--Creepy doll eyes are creepy

--I've already had some ugly graphical things happen, first when trying to get the game into 1900:1200 (widescreen monitor), and now when alt-tabbing back and forth from full screen (graphical horror happens for a second, then the game seems to get things under control). But I've done a lot of overrides in my NVIDIA control panel, I may set those to default later.

--On a positive note: base game makeup actually has vibrant/visible colors, unlike TS2 where it was pretty much pointless. And the ability to pick main, highlight, lowlight colors for stuff like lipstick is teh hotness, sorry.

[rufio]

Well, my sim achieved that age-old Sims rite of passage by setting her kitchen on fire with Mac N Cheese.

New learnings:
- TS3 sims are much smarter about fires than TS2 sims.  There was no firedance, and no motive hit either, which probably means that it'll be hard to kill them with fire too.  She managed to extinguish it long before the fireman actually got there.
- When you burn down the stove, you get a clickable option to "Replace for $400," so you don't actually have to go into buy mode and figure out where it came from originally.

[Insanity Prelude]

Is anyone else finding the graphics less than great?
All setting are on high, I have a NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT.
I've tried so many things, changing the graphic card setting, playing around with in game settings,
yet everything is so SHARP. And the faces are terribly undetailed in game, they look nothing like the screen shots others have provided.
Maybe my computers just bad...
Getting a ASUS G17G next week so hopefully that will make a difference!

My computer's a two-year-old ASUS G1 and it's running the game well.

[TashaYarrr]

Everyone, regardless of video card, should also make sure their drivers are up-to-date.

It matters.

[suziblue]

Well, my sim achieved that age-old Sims rite of passage by setting her kitchen on fire with Mac N Cheese.

New learnings:
- TS3 sims are much smarter about fires than TS2 sims.  There was no firedance, and no motive hit either, which probably means that it'll be hard to kill them with fire too.  She managed to extinguish it long before the fireman actually got there.
- When you burn down the stove, you get a clickable option to "Replace for $400," so you don't actually have to go into buy mode and figure out where it came from originally.

Hmmm... maybe this varies by traits or something else. When playing with the Bachelor family they all did the firedance, even Mortimer who was visiting at the time. It was just as hard to distract them as in TS2. Only one of the adults got the "Extinguish fire" option, which kept dropping from the queue. When playing with my CAS-made sim, she calmly tried to put it out. but was trumped by a fireman.

[DansGirl]

I just found another bug when in game. My sim is artistic and so I have her playing the guitar ALL the time. I noticed after a while that I couldn't find her guitar anywhere, I literally searched the whole house [she hadn't been out of the house] and even double/tripled checked her inventory. Nothing. So I thought "oh well" *shrug* and bought her a new one.
Then later on while visiting the graveyard she went to explore and when she came out I saw this:




Horrified! I cannot get the guitar off her! I've tried clicking and dragging it into the inventory but nothing. WTF is that about!

[brownlustgirl]

Couple of early impressions---

--Creepy doll eyes are creepy

That is what put me off about the game. They move side to side at rapid speed sometimes. Reminds me of an old movie with Jane Fonda named Barbarella. The dolls in that movie gave me nightmares for a month and I quit playing with my "Walking" dolls.  I was six.

[Acid_fairy]

Haha two of my sims born in game have BLACK eyes. Now that's creepy.

[TashaYarrr]

That is what put me off about the game. They move side to side at rapid speed sometimes. Reminds me of an old movie with Jane Fonda named Barbarella. The dolls in that movie gave me nightmares for a month and I quit playing with my "Walking" dolls.  I was six.

Jesus! That's what it's reminding me of!

Also, good to know I wasn't the only one whose parents let me watch that at an inappropriate age, heh.

I've finished my first Sim and I was unable to defeat cookie-dough-face, sigh.

[nanacake]

Was the piracy link on the main Sims 3 site always there? The pdf also?

[Lerf]

Sounds like it would be easy to do a "Chucky" Sim then.

[Insanity Prelude]

Hmmm... maybe this varies by traits or something else. When playing with the Bachelor family they all did the firedance, even Mortimer who was visiting at the time. It was just as hard to distract them as in TS2. Only one of the adults got the "Extinguish fire" option, which kept dropping from the queue. When playing with my CAS-made sim, she calmly tried to put it out. but was trumped by a fireman.

If it's by traits, Bella shouldn't have been firedancing- she's Brave. Then again, she's also a 6, maybe that has something to do with it?

[DaSpecialone]

Brief thoughts on the game:

EA must have a string of EPs planned.  I don't need to dive into every rabbit hole but restaurants (since I have to wait anyway) would have make sense.    Doesn't look like they EAxis couldn't do it--more like decided this will be great for an add on.  Seems like opening the movie theater would have made for interesting options, like taking the sims to see movies you created or  "cuddle/kiss/woohoo in theater"--they do it everywhere else.

Ditto for the gorgeous neverending ocean that you can't swim in, the EP$ count continues.  I forsee a heavily overpriced boating/fishing/swimming "fun" pack.  On that same note (& yes I know it's a game but)  who would stand on the shore hoping to catch a big fish?  I don't think a pier is such a far-fetched idea to include.  Then again if you dont have swimmers I guess it's no biggie.  

Weird that you can talk to a newly met sim's unborn baby but if they're holding a child you can't interact with it.

***

Someone mentioned earlier that there's no camera mode?   There is.  You have to enable video capture in options; you decide how long you want it to film, & no I didn't check the maximum record time.

Overall Rating:   Mildly fair but very disappointing after TS2.  Looks like they had the opportunity to really do something great and decided to go for a quick buck.   I guess if you're about 8-12 & have TS2 without any hacks or mods then this would blow you away.    I see enjoyment after awesome fixes and mods.

I guess EA hit their target audience perfectly--gradeschoolers (fresh off of playing my Sims kingdom) think the game is great.

[phyllis_p]

I just found another bug when in game. My sim is artistic and so I have her playing the guitar ALL the time. I noticed after a while that I couldn't find her guitar anywhere, I literally searched the whole house [she hadn't been out of the house] and even double/tripled checked her inventory. Nothing. So I thought "oh well" *shrug* and bought her a new one.
Then later on while visiting the graveyard she went to explore and when she came out I saw this:

Horrified! I cannot get the guitar off her! I've tried clicking and dragging it into the inventory but nothing. WTF is that about!

Someone was talking about this before -- I think it was earlier in the thread.  I'm too lazy to go look for it, but I think they used moveobjects to fix it.

[TashaYarrr]

Should I be able to select a hood other than Sunset Valley? Don't see any others.

[DansGirl]

I just found another bug when in game. My sim is artistic and so I have her playing the guitar ALL the time. I noticed after a while that I couldn't find her guitar anywhere, I literally searched the whole house [she hadn't been out of the house] and even double/tripled checked her inventory. Nothing. So I thought "oh well" *shrug* and bought her a new one.
Then later on while visiting the graveyard she went to explore and when she came out I saw this:

Horrified! I cannot get the guitar off her! I've tried clicking and dragging it into the inventory but nothing. WTF is that about!

Someone was talking about this before -- I think it was earlier in the thread.  I'm too lazy to go look for it, but I think they used moveobjects to fix it.

Oh lovely thank you for letting me know. No doubt that she will still be looking like that when I go back in game, so I will give it a go then. Thanks again.

[DaSpecialone]

Should I be able to select a hood other than Sunset Valley? Don't see any others.

No.

[mistyk]

EA must have a string of EPs planned.  I don't need to dive into every rabbit hole but restaurants (since I have to wait anyway) would have make sense.    Doesn't look like they EAxis couldn't do it--more like decided this will be great for an add on.  Seems like opening the movie theater would have made for interesting options, like taking the sims to see movies you created or  "cuddle/kiss/woohoo in theater"--they do it everywhere else.

Ditto for the gorgeous neverending ocean that you can't swim in, the EP$ count continues.  I forsee a heavily overpriced boating/fishing/swimming "fun" pack.  On that same note (& yes I know it's a game but)  who would stand on the shore hoping to catch a big fish?  I don't think a pier is such a far-fetched idea to include.  Then again if you dont have swimmers I guess it's no biggie.  

I also think they are planning on filling in  'the gaps" with EP's. Found this on Simmer News

"First Sims 3 Expansion News?
The Game isn't out, yet we have our first possible hint at the first Sims 3 Expansion. SimBr. attended the Sims 3 Brazilian event, and spoke with an EA rep who told them that the first expansion will likely focus on Jobs and Occupations.

We have just received from our representatives in The Sims 3 Tour event in Sao Paulo information about the first expansion of The Sims 3. Representatives Weslley, Eduardo and Victor spoke to the manager of marketing for EA Games, Ian Freitas, and revealed that the first expansion of The Sims 3 exists, and that probably has something do with occupations and work. Great news! Keep an eye on OSimBR.net for more news in real time about events in Brazil!"

[Trickster]

The Associated Press has a comment from EA:

"EA said the pirated version "is a buggy, pre-final" version of the game.

No way to know for certain until it really does come out, but I think they're fiendish liars.

Shame on me for quoting myself, but something just popped into my head: wouldn't they have to download the pirated version to know for sure it's a pre-final? Of course they probably didn't because they know it's the real thing, but that statement implies a confession: "Yeah we did the naughty and arrred our own game"?