THE HORROR: The REAL TS3 Scoop As It Unfolds

[nanacake]

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.

Buggy and FINAL in the same sentence! Gah! You know what this comes down to, EA doesn't want to hire the right people to do this, doesn't have the right people to stick it in full gear to get it done, and now 4 months pushed back we still are ending up with something that is shit, those words are so twisted and tell me that they KNOW this is messed up, they're just hoping a lot of 12s will buy this game and not notice it until they release 12 some patch fixes and a new ep in less than a month? Ugh

[kennyinbmore]

well it does say pre final

[nanacake]

That's the point, he didn't want to say pre-beta.

[mistyk]

Thought I would post a couple of pics

My CAS sim Kirsten..sent her to the public pool, since there is no diving board they hold their nose and jump in


In the pool if you click on another sim there is the option for hold breath contest


Sent her to the beach, where she proceeded to make and eat hot dogs. I thought the sunset was kind of nice.

[Lerf]

That's the point, he didn't want to say pre-beta.

Has all the earmarks of someone in PR having been told, "Cover our Arse!" and kermitflailing to follow orders.  Someone who has absolutely no idea what a beta-release is or is afraid that the 12s who want the game won't understand the one-syllable word.  The fact that this idiot firmly stated that the second neighborhood, which EA has repeatedly said will be released separately, will be included in the final "real release".  Unless she/he/it means that the neighborhood is dormant on the final DVD/CD and only needs to be activated, of course.   (Somebody might check through what they've got to see if that's the case....)

[rufio]

Well, I finally got to play for a few hours this morning, and it's better than I thought it would be.  I'm getting used to the way the sims look and the way the UI works, and unlike TS2, it looks like it will actually be somewhat difficult - at any rate it's clear that it's probably no longer possible to have sims that are good at absolutely everything.  Some specifics:

- There are female PJs that do not look like underwear.  Yay!
- It looks like you can make three different sizes of easel painting, and novels accrue royalties over time like they do in real life, instead of just one big lump sum as soon as you finish writing it.
- I kind of like how things that were purely cosmetic in TS2 now actually have some effect on gameplay; cheap showers are sometimes cold, and cheap stoves make badly cooked food that gives a negative moodlet.  I have filthy rich sims in TS2 who still have the cheapest of everything because I just never had a real reason to change it out for something "better".  Also, fly-covered dishes give a negative moodlet, unmade beds and dirty dishes generate wishes to clean them up; there is now a reason to do cleaning other than environment score, lack of places to eat, and making the annoying buzzy-fly sound stop.
- My neurotic sim has an option to "talk about conspiracies" with total strangers.  Unfortunately, this seems to give people the idea that she is "sociable" rather than "batshit crazy".
- Opportunities are not just job-oriented - on the second or third day of play, my artistic sim who had just taken a writing class got an opportunity to make $500 a week in royalties, with the reward being an increase in royalties.

I haven't really explored careers much - my sim quit hers when I realized that there was no way she was going to be able to succeed there and write novels at the same time, and that she could actually make money solving logic puzzles (or something) on the internet.  I did notice that it doesn't have to be boring for me, though - depending on which way you pick to spend the day, different motives increase or decrease, which give moodlets, which affect work performance - it was actually a bit of a challenge to keep my sim's mood up without having her spend too much time slacking off.  I'm interested in trying it out with a more job-oriented sim.

Oddly, the "seamless neighborhood" hasn't really changed the way I play yet - I still go out to map view only to instruct my sim to go to a community lot (like going to neighborhood view in TS2) and haven't had her go anywhere by walking in the up-close-and-personal map.  Maybe this will change.

I do like controlling the whole neighborhood though, so this definitely isn't a replacement for TS2.  Like Pes said, it is much more of a game, and when I beat it, it will go sit on my shelf gathering dust (as it were, since I will not be buying a physical copy of this one).

[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...

[Netich]

- I kind of like how things that were purely cosmetic in TS2 now actually have some effect on gameplay; cheap showers are sometimes cold, and cheap stoves make badly cooked food that gives a negative moodlet.  I have filthy rich sims in TS2 who still have the cheapest of everything because I just never had a real reason to change it out for something "better".  Also, fly-covered dishes give a negative moodlet, unmade beds and dirty dishes generate wishes to clean them up; there is now a reason to do cleaning other than environment score, lack of places to eat, and making the annoying buzzy-fly sound stop.

I also think moodlets are a great addition, and are not grabbing much attention. in TS2, looking in the mirror was a time waster, but now you get a moodlet. But sometimes i think they seem to cover a lack in animations. so if you brush your teeth, you get a moodlet of fresh breathe, but it could also be an animation.

[Mootilda]

You're wrong. The crack is twice the size of the original TS3 file. Take a look. With the Sims 2, the original crack was bad and affected gameplay. I remember it clearly. Same thing, perhaps.

The size of the EXE may just be a function of compression.  It doesn't mean that someone has changed the game code.

[J. M. Pescado]

- There are female PJs that do not look like underwear.  Yay!

Some of them *ARE* supposed to be underwear, because the PJ/Underwear category was conflated into a single entity in TS3, probably because there is no other actual USE for them.

Oddly, the "seamless neighborhood" hasn't really changed the way I play yet - I still go out to map view only to instruct my sim to go to a community lot (like going to neighborhood view in TS2) and haven't had her go anywhere by walking in the up-close-and-personal map.  Maybe this will change.

The "Seamless Neighborhood" only will come when I introduce BABY-EATING, so you can go forth and EAT THOSE FILTHY BABIES THAT SIMS KEEP SPAWNING IN DEFIANCE OF STORY MODE OFF!

I do like controlling the whole neighborhood though, so this definitely isn't a replacement for TS2.  Like Pes said, it is much more of a game, and when I beat it, it will go sit on my shelf gathering dust (as it were, since I will not be buying a physical copy of this one).

Well, I'm working hard on enhancing the toyness. But there can be only one.

[gyrobot]

On the rabbit holing though, some people don't like it since they have to shell out more cash for the game when it could be delayed to allow interactions in the places. One user wanted the game to be delayed indefinitely so he can watch his sims inside the classes.

[rufio]

- There are female PJs that do not look like underwear.  Yay!

Some of them *ARE* supposed to be underwear, because the PJ/Underwear category was conflated into a single entity in TS3, probably because there is no other actual USE for them.

Yes, but they were not so conflated in TS2, so there is absolutely no excuse for the lack of suitable sleepwear in that case.  If you really want your sims to sleep in underwear, you can actually tell them to sleep in underwear.  When I choose PJs in TS2, I want them to actually look like PJs.  Apparently this is too much to ask from EA.

I forgot to mention one thing, actually: while my sim was writing her novel in the library, there was a traffic jam in the bathroom and some townie peed itself.  Some things never change, I guess.  I miss BUY already.

[Dizzymental]

You're wrong. The crack is twice the size of the original TS3 file. Take a look. With the Sims 2, the original crack was bad and affected gameplay. I remember it clearly. Same thing, perhaps.

The size of the EXE may just be a function of compression.  It doesn't mean that someone has changed the game code.

But it could mean that.

[brownlustgirl]

Wow, getting rid of the censor would be great. I hate the boxy, floaty thing.

I am lightening up on the game, cause I am enjoying the moodlets, the good and bad. I like when they play chess and do not win the game, or don't get it, they get upset and push the pieces off the table.  I like how the room's a mess  just screws up their faces in the UI thumbnails. I like their wants of cleaning and will do it on their own if they are neat.  I have noticed the little things.  I still want my CC, but I am getting use to the sims looks.

I like the rabbit holes cause I don't have to interact with the NPC's inside, there's enough interaction all through the town. The jobs requirements are fun, finally having to do some realistic things other than reading for skills and have friends. Friendships mean something too and can be beneficial.

Still not buying it. I am protesting the closed sources and encyption.

[nekonoai]

Because nobody EVER has an affair with their secretary.

The funny thing is, he's an athlete and all of his co-workers, including his boss, are men.   

Kinky. Well... What happens in the locker room, stays in the locker room!

I see lack of mosaic! HOW YOU DID THAT?!
I haven't seen anyone pee their self (them self? God, I'm tired) yet. I've been thinking of removing the terlet from the house I'm playing and see what happens.

No underwear. V should be happy. But what will KellyQ do for fashion, now?

Pescado, you are the only one for me. I pledge my game to thee, our lord and savior.
I will do anything for macro/clean.

[brownlustgirl]

Clicking on the floor will bring up a "clean house" queue. Kinda like macro clean.

[rufio]

I think that's only for sims with the Neat trait.  At least, my sim never has it.

[Mr. Snooley]

This Story Progression Bug makes this whole game freakin' unplayable when you want to play with more than 1 Household.

For christ sake, I spent several Hours creating a nice Family inclusive Mansion, played abit around with them then changed to a different Household.

Oh wow, that Household also got infested by a stupid Toddler Adoption - "Fuck this, I'm going back to the other Family I just spent so much Hours on" - was what I thought.

Oh wait, to late, those Queers allready left town and will never ever come back ...
And I only changed the Household, what, 10 Seconds ago?

aaaargh!

[kattenijin]

I find it interesting to note that they call it a pre-final release due to the fact it dosen't contain Riverview. I'd assume that most people would download Riverview when they register; actually to me it looks like it is automatically downloaded at registry. It would be interesting to note if the download contained ONLY Riverview , or if it somehow also downloads the first "patch". Thus, the "final release" being the one you have after registration/patching is completed.

As for the no-censor pic, one method is to  pause the game, and use moveobjects to move the sim from under the pixelation.

[Sammy]

Found some sims protesting outside of City Hall. Looks like they're tired of buggy games as well.

[Seolaeria]

Well, after reading all the summaries I thought I'd stop lurking and add my own opinions to help others figure out if they want to try TS3 or not. I've been playing for about three days now.

First, the things I like:

- Open neighborhood. Quite obvious. It is nice not to hit a loading screen during gameplay. Exploring the nooks and crannies of the paths less traveled is also nice.

- Visiting neighbors. Again, you just walk/drive over to them and ring the doorbell. You can even spend the night, mooch them off of food and money. Lots of interesting lifestyle options right there. The only gripe I have is that it sometimes takes the inhabitants of the home a full sim-hour before they actually get to the front door and let you in. It would have been nice to just get a message in the upper right corner saying, "Nice to see you, come in!" and then have the house unlocked for your Sim. Would make a nice mod.

- Visuals (except for the appearance of the Sims themselves) are also much better. The day/night cycle is beautiful, and I especially love the vegetation in the game. Finally, trees are more than just 2 stories tall - they sometimes dwarf the house they are standing next to and throw it into deep shadow. The only way this could be better is with a seasons implementation. Here's an example - this is the view my Sim's neighbors have of their house:



- Built-in 360-degree rotation and free placement of objects with the ALT key. This one was way overdue in TS2 already. Haven't used it too much yet, but here's an image of my Sim family's living room:



- Stairs can now have different railings, e.g. concrete stairs can have wood railing. Only drawback is that neither can be recolored.

- Triangle floor tile tool. Also long overdue.

- Interacting with objects in the inventory. Overdue as well. It's especially nice if your Sim grows his/her own produce. You can stock up the refrigerator as usual. Then, when your Sim is on the other side of town, all you have to do is swing the camera home, grab an apple out of the fridge and drag it into your Sim's inventory - and they have something to eat. Also on a side note, Sims seem to have no trouble eating a whole lime without pulling off a sour face.

- I also found it nice that visiting Sims park their cars in your driveway or on community parking lots if there's free space. Now we don't have to fill those spaces with decorative cars anymore.

- EDIT: My Sim just had an item in his queue called "Stop Peeping Sim." The mailman was actually peeping through the kitchen window, but left before he could get yelled at.


Now for some of the things I didn't like, starting with the user interface:

- The Angel Choir. It was fine at first, but now I can't stand it anymore. Every time a wish gets fulfilled you have to sit through five seconds of an incredibly loud angel choir. It should have just been a short sound effect like the "fulfilled want" from TS2. And the trouble is, you can't really turn it off, I think - which brings me to my next point:

- User Interface and Game sound effects are linked in the options menu. If you turn down the "Sound Effects" slider in the options menu, it turns down both in-game sound effects and the user interface sound effects. What is up with that?

- Some parts of the user interface are also done poorly. Build mode is still something I have to get used to. Some tools, like the floor and wall tools, are easy to get to because they have a large area of representation on the "picture button." But with some other tools you have to make sure your mouse pointer is clicking in the right area, otherwise you may get a different tool and have to backtrack. Why is there no traditional display for Build mode like there is for Buy mode? Also, too many effects when I'm buying/building stuff. I don't need the walls to appear out of a shower of sparkles. Just plop down the walls and get on.

- Build/Buy Undo function is a bit borked. When you click the undo button, it first deselects the item you have in your hand. Then you have to hit the undo button AGAIN to actually undo what you wanted to undo. Trouble is, most of the time I undo something because I misplaced an object, so having the game force me to "let go" of it first is really annoying. I hate having to undo things now.

- Also, can't CTRL-click on windows or doors to get rid of them anymore. I never realized how much I missed this until it was taken away from me. What were they thinking?

- The CAST is good for the most part, though it takes some time to load all the textures every time you select a new category. Also, it slides in from the right side of the window, which takes up time. It's a nice effect, but when I just want to quickly change a style for an object, I don't want to have to wait for the CAST to slide into view and then bounce back and forth a bit before coming to a rest. Just appear and let me do what I want to do.


And some gameplay-related things I didn't like:

- Neighborhood. Yes, I also said it was a good thing, but the fact that you can't customize the neighborhood sucks. I always enjoyed developing a city over time, and not being able to add lots is quite disappointing, especially since there are a number of locations where the developer team could have easily placed some more around the downtown area. I really hope a neighborhood tool will be released.

- Whiny Sims. I forgot how whiny they are. But it's just ridiculous. If you have a tired Sim and you queue him up to brush his teeth and then go to bed, he'll still complain about being tired even though "Go To Bed" is in his queue! If they'd at least just shut up and stop flailing their arms and just do what they're told to. They may be able to take a bit better care of themselves now, but they still have a long way to go before behaving normally.

- Speaking of behaving normally, pathfinding is awful at times. When two Sims "bump" into each other, oftentimes BOTH will stop dead and just stand around for about 10-15 sim minutes, tapping their feet and staring at their surroundings. This really needs a mod, too.

- The carpool still arrives even if you've bought a car for your Sim and assigned it to him/her. That in and of itself is only a small annoyance. But your Sim will actually ignore the owned car and still go to work via the carpool. What's the purpose of having a car? Well, besides the "New Car Smell" moodlet? And the fact that I'd want to buy a Yomoshoto Evasion if it existed in real life?

- A grotesquely small amount of default objects. They were already reusing objects from TS2, why not add more? Oh, right... they can charge more money for them now.


All in all, I'd say the game has potential. But a fat lot of good that does us. If the all-mighty J.M. Pescado can crack the obstacles put in his way by the new game, I think we'll be fine. With a lot of custom content, some desperately needed mods, a neighborhood editor, better skin textures (if that's possible) and, of course, two dozen expansion and stuff packs to put features in the game that it should have had from the beginning, it will make it.

I guess it's too much to expect a great game.  

[phyllis_p]

Also, I noticed that if you go to the hospital, it randomizes one trait and you choose the other.  If you choose to stay home, it'll randomize both.

This is incorrect.  My Sim had her baby at the hospital and I got to pick both traits.  It has to do with how happy you kept the mom during the pregnancy.

[Zazazu]

Found some sims protesting outside of City Hall. Looks like they're tired of buggy games as well.

The guy on the far right is named CyCl0n3 Sw0rd. I am not amused by the dumb MMORPG player name. He has been culled. Beaten, then culled.

[nekonoai]

Clicking on the floor will bring up a "clean house" queue. Kinda like macro clean.

You better not be shittin' me! I'm gonna try this when I get home.  
I think at least one of the sims in the house has a 'neat' trait, and if not, I'm sure there's a way to make it so!

[J. M. Pescado]

Found some sims protesting outside of City Hall. Looks like they're tired of buggy games as well.

The guy on the far right is named CyCl0n3 Sw0rd. I am not amused by the dumb MMORPG player name. He has been culled. Beaten, then culled.

Yeah, but look at the guy. He is totally the kind of DORK who would change his name to something retarded like that for real.