The Sims 2 Vs. The Sims 3

[Jeebus]

I'm a Sims 3 girl all the way. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing Sims 3, but for me the all around game play of Sims 2 is much better. I'm able to truly play the way I want to play with my many families. Is there a way that you can install both games on your computer? Then you'll be able to play in rotation of both games.

Wait, what?

[Bugger]

I am still playing TS2. I have both installed, but I never get any farther than designing houses on TS3.

[Aggie]

I'm a Sims 3 girl all the way. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing Sims 3, but for me the all around game play of Sims 2 is much better. I'm able to truly play the way I want to play with my many families. Is there a way that you can install both games on your computer? Then you'll be able to play in rotation of both games.

There is indeed. You install one, and then the other.

[Salomon]

Is there a way that you can install both games on your computer? Then you'll be able to play in rotation of both games.

Yeah, but the problem is that it's very important (to me) that all families are able to interact with all other families (like in the real world, well, at least I can interact with pretty much anyone in the world if they have Internet), which is doable in TS2, and probably doable in TS3, but it's impossible to have families of TS2 interacting with families of TS3.

Besides, if I want to insert a new family that is, say, based on the Becker TV Show's characters, where do I insert it? Suppose I insert it in both games, which one is going to provide the best experience? Whichever it is, the other one isn't needed.

I do plan to try TS3 in the far away future, to give it a chance and see if I like it (and probably to make copycat families in TS2 based on TS3 families), but based on what I've read in this thread and the Internet, the main reason to go for TS3 is the open neighborhood and traits, but TS2 has places to go more interesting than rabbit holes in TS3, which are worth the loading times, and the traits are just a couple of extra animations or underwhelming features (like evil Sims getting "take evil nap" option that looks identical to normal nap) anyway (correct me if I'm wrong.)

[J. M. Pescado]

Is there a way that you can install both games on your computer? Then you'll be able to play in rotation of both games.

No, computers can only have one game installed at a time. You have to uninstall the first game to install a new one. That's why people only play one game.

the main reason to go for TS3 is the open neighborhood and traits, but TS2 has places to go more interesting than rabbit holes in TS3, which are worth the loading times, and the traits are just a couple of extra animations or underwhelming features (like evil Sims getting "take evil nap" option that looks identical to normal nap) anyway (correct me if I'm wrong.)

There are some traits that significantly distinguish sims from each other in more than just random cosmetic animations and insignificant rate boosts, certainly more so than in TS2, where sims had approximately the equivalent of 3 binary traits that mattered based on their personalities, and everything else about them was basically identical in every way. TS3 sims definitely are distinguished more by their traits than TS2 sims were. However, there are, obviously, a lot of traits that have no significant effect and many that just have random cosmetic effects that don't really change anything, like the "Evil" interactions. Evil actually does affect a sim, though, in ways that are not purely cosmetic: They can see in the dark, and are not affected by certain things.

[Eeyore]

Doesn't evil affect criminal/evil branch career performances?

[J. M. Pescado]

Yes, but that's what we file under the category of "minor irrelevant effect", since the evil trait does not actually ENABLE that, as anyone can do it. It has to actually produce a real change. Like Green Thumb improves gardening, but this is an irrelevant minor effect because it is not required for gardening: However, it ALSO allows the ability to resurrect a plant, which means Deathflowers can actually be farmed. That *IS* a relevant effect, because it enables something that was not previously possible.

[Neowulf]

and the traits are just a couple of extra animations or underwhelming features (like evil Sims getting "take evil nap" option that looks identical to normal nap) anyway (correct me if I'm wrong.)

You should read The Sims Wiki's list of traits and see if it changes your mind. I find they are more varied than the personalities of TS2 were. Plus, with Awesomemod, you can have as many (or as few) of them as you want on a sim.

[Salomon]

Nobody corrected me about the rabbit holes, which means the open neighborhood is just a gimmick (if I send my Sims to the discotheque, I want to see them eat and have a dance, not a "Your Sims Are Having Fun" Load bar filling, or w/e.)

So, if one gives up control and allows families to do their stuff while one isn't playing them, it all comes down to this:

If you want to control a small number of famblies on a somewhat more macro-level than worrying about the tiny minutiae, and would like the rest of the neighborhood to do its thing, Sims3 + AwesomeMod works well for this.

How small is "small"? And what bad stuff would happen if I attempted to rotate a couple hundred families in TS3 this way? (Say, in the time other players play a week in some family, I'd just rotate 7 families and play a day in each).

[Neowulf]

You haven't really looked that far into TS3, have you? The majority of rabbit holes are just the workplaces of the Sims. Late Night added a number of different (though not drastically) venues that a sim can go to and socialize however they want to. A Discotheque is one of those venues. And before you jump to conclusions again, there are also professions which allow you to control your sim while they work.

[J. M. Pescado]

Nobody corrected me about the rabbit holes, which means the open neighborhood is just a gimmick (if I send my Sims to the discotheque, I want to see them eat and have a dance, not a "Your Sims Are Having Fun" Load bar filling, or w/e.)

Rabbitholes are basically just the equivalent of TS2's workplaces. You know how your sims in TS2 go off the world someplace to work? TS3 adds those as actual locations, albeit in simplified form, as rabbitholes. The ability to do other-things in condensed form is sort of just an extension of the workplace. The ability to do your shopping in a rabbithole, despite its complaints, isn't really a real complaint: They've added actual shops with people manning them...and just like in TS2, they are NOT really an improvement, since they introduce all the associated headaches of dealing with an unnecessary sim. Frankly, a lot of us in TS2 just used those "shop at home" hacks anyway.

How small is "small"? And what bad stuff would happen if I attempted to rotate a couple hundred families in TS3 this way? (Say, in the time other players play a week in some family, I'd just rotate 7 families and play a day in each).

Small is "no more than maybe a handful, tops". What BAD stuff would happen if you attempted to drop a COUPLE HUNDRED famblies in TS3? Your game would combust, since it'd be the equivalent of a TS2 apartment with 300 inhabitants. Don't do that. As for "rotating in 7 famblies", 7 is certainly a doable number, but probably not a sane number. In TS3, one does not rotate between famblies like TS2, because the entire world shares a single clock. When you stop playing one fambly, it doesn't just freeze in place like in TS2. It keeps doing its thing, either executing the last orders you gave it, running a macromanagement directive under Supreme Commander (with AwesomeMod), or just going into a kind of low-rent parking mode similar to sims in a dorm or apartment (and hopefully not standing around in puddles of their own piss). To intensely manage all 7 or so famblies at the same level as you would in TS2 would not be very practical in TS3, because TS3 is not really so much about the entire eat/sleep/pee thing.

[Lakart]

I would go with The Sims 3, just my opinion. I've tried going back to TS2 certain things you can't do just sort of start ruining it.

But you also have to consider, How much CC do you want?

TS3 has a good amount of CC by now, but TS2 has that metric shit ton of CC that has built up over time.

[nikkiforest]

With Awesomeware (particularly AwesomeMod) TS3 fails way less, and I've had less of those WTF moments. I don't really care what Awesome Story decides to do to my Sims while I'm away, since my main objective is to get everyone having babies. As long as I have pudding spawn running around my world, I don't care. Then again, I also like playing heartbreakers. Particularly male heartbreakers, since I can use them as sperm donors and leave the spawn with the women. As for aesthetics, I just got a new graphics card, and with the fair amount of CC I have installed, my sims are gorgeous.

[Salomon]

And The Sims 2 wins! The deciding factor was the number of families that can be played at some point. In TS2, you can, instead of adding new neighborhoods, adding new Shopping Districts, so that all new families become connected to previous families. You can even do that with the default neighborhoods so that Strangehood and Verona are Shopping Districts of Pleasant View (or rather, download content from someone that did it.)

This gives the player about 60 playable families (including dorms) from the get go with freedom to add more families, which makes TS3's "a handful of families" seem very poor (if even as few as 7 seem unpractical to play.)

With so many possible families, TS3's very limited number seems like a waste, for someone that wants to play all families in the game.

[jezzer]

This gives the player about 60 playable families (including dorms) from the get go with freedom to add more families, which makes TS3's "a handful of families" seem very poor (if even as few as 7 seem unpractical to play.)

With so many possible families, TS3's very limited number seems like a waste, for someone that wants to play all families in the game.

Most people don't have the time or inclination to play sixty families at once, but then most people aren't insane. 

Looks like Oona has an apprentice now.  It's like the Saw movies, only creepy and horrific.

[J. M. Pescado]

The key difference between the fambly-counts in TS2 vs. TS3 is that in TS2, every fambly you add, you MUST play, or they will lose sync...even if they become really boring. This has resulted in the creation of a clocky-thingy just to rush them through the process of being uninteresting.

In TS3, the number of maximum famblies you can expect to manage is lower, but you are always free to turn them loose without having to manually manage this.

[Fat D]

That is of course assuming you mind the sync issues. In my opinion, TS2 and TS3 are not really replacements for each other with their vastly different gameplay (TS3 feeling more like an adventure than a toy box), but I have pretty much given up on TS3 due to the chore to keep up with the patches. Then again, my TS2 gameplay consists of setting up testbeds, experimenting with a few things, then abandoning them again. Have not played properly for ages.

[Callista]

Tried both, still prefer TS2. It's more customizable, and it presents more of a challenge. When I first tried TS3, my initial thoughts were along the lines of, "Huh, this is like playing Sims 2 on Easy mode." I still think that. TS3 is a decent game, but TS2 has much more replay value.

[ItchyNScratchy]

I like how easy TS2 was to create with. With TS3, I can't be bothered to make CC. With TS2, I hated that it took forever to load each family. With TS3, it's much faster to load, and the open neighborhood is something I wish TS2 had.

I still hate the look of TS3 sims (especially the black eyes in the mirror--*shiver*), but I hated the look of TS2 sims too, until default skins and eyes came to be.

I still play TS2 from time to time, but I'm used to the gameplay of TS3 now that my TS2 playing is only on an occasional basis now.

[snabul]

The Sims2 became my favorit over Sims1 by Night-Life.

I guess, Sims 3 will oust sims 2 for me after the next Add-On.

[Mulldog Lemon]

What is the current verdict about which game is better, after TS3 has finally amassed several expansion packs?

I currently need to reinstall, and would like to know whether going for TS2 and all its expansions (never played Apartment Life) or TS3 and all its expansions, would be the best choice.

Game?  It is a TOY, not a game.  That said, the experience of loading 24 TS2 discs at least once should be entertaining for you.

I have to agree with the FOJ. I like the Sims 3 better. It is the future IMHO.

Future? It is EXPANDED, therefore it is history.  That said, the experience of loading 24 TS2 discs at least once should make you ask yourself how many times you intend to repeat history.

[jezzer]

What is the current verdict about which game is better, after TS3 has finally amassed several expansion packs?

I currently need to reinstall, and would like to know whether going for TS2 and all its expansions (never played Apartment Life) or TS3 and all its expansions, would be the best choice.

Game?  It is a TOY, not a game.  That said, the experience of loading 24 TS2 discs at least once should be entertaining for you.

I have to agree with the FOJ. I like the Sims 3 better. It is the future IMHO.

Future? It is EXPANDED, therefore it is history.  That said, the experience of loading 24 TS2 discs at least once should make you ask yourself how many times you intend to repeat history.

Dude, seriously, don't post unless you can make some kind of sense.  It's less fun for us to call someone a tard when we suspect he or she might actually be retarded.

[Tarlia]

Time Cube Guy? Is that you?

[Jeebus]

Tarlia gets an internet as well as a pie baked in the shape of an enormous pie.

[buddha pest]

I've not played TS3 since it first came out.

Are the babies still obnoxious nightmares from hell?