THE HORROR: The REAL TS3 Scoop As It Unfolds

[Lorelei]

Supposedly you can assign hair / makeup to each outfit category, but I will be buggered if I could figure out how. Also, as noted earlier, the hairstyles mostly suck and clip into the Sims. If accessories can go on either hand / side, it is also not obvious how it is done.

Male hairstyles are particularly pathetic, with nothing in between teen / 20-something scruffy and Balding Mid-life Crisis Guy or Buttrocker. Men in their late 20s-late 40s have nothing, really; and, as Pescado already ROARED about, there are no Long Beards or Chrome Dome Bald Heads.

I do like the colour wheels. They get a bene for those.

Keeping in mind that wacky haircolour and skin colour and eyebrows, etc., seem to be thrown in a Cuisinart and doled out at random to any sproggens, I tried to make more androgynous Sims, and soon gave up. There are few combinations of Sim builder traits and preferences that still look decent if you swop the genders around.

Struggling to avoid a pudding-y Sim means that the CAS stage takes 5x as long, and even not-so-fat-faced Sims can wind up with mysterious double chins. DNW.

My audio is stuttering, which may be a personal issue since I multitask and am running TS3 in windowed mode. It is also SLOW to respond to CAS turn arrows, and all too quick to respond to mouseover movement directives.

In windowed mode (800x...), when you create your Sims (plural) in CAS and get asked to drag and drop them to determine their relationship, the window, which is not drag and droppable, is directly on top of your Sims. However, random flailing about with your mouse will pop the Sims into the relationship "family tree" portrait boxxen.

Other than the novelty factor of a new game on hand, it isn't impressing me yet, save the aforementioned colour wheel idea.

I was relieved to see that there was no counterpart to "dislikes children"...if there was a "broody" or "clown car" trait, imagine how much worse the rampant ensproggening going on would be! Egads.

If cntl+shift+C still opens the cheatiness, do we have confirmation on what works yet? I see "help", but I could have sworn I heard someone claim "motherlode" and "testing cheats enabled" still work. O RLY? Do share, plz.

[TashaYarrr]

Well they said CC would only be available  on the exchange (or through their dealers).  I'd like to know too...can they ban modding/sharing content if it's not for profit?

Holy shit, did they really say that? I haven't been paying much attention since the delay was announced. They've specifically taken a stand against the free sharing of custom content unless it's within their control? That is...amazingly retarded, even for them.

[BlueSoup]

Supposedly you can assign hair / makeup to each outfit category, but I will be buggered if I could figure out how. Also, as noted earlier, the hairstyles mostly suck and clip into the Sims. If accessories can go on either hand / side, it is also not obvious how it is done.

In the hair category, there's a little lock icon on the top right that controls outfit usage.  Locked is all outfits, unlocked is different outfits.  I can't figure out how to get the oppsite side for accessories either.  I want to see confirmation that someone has done it, until then I don't believe it can be done.

I was relieved to see that there was no counterpart to "dislikes children"...if there was a "broody" or "clown car" trait, imagine how much worse the rampant ensproggening going on would be! Egads.

There is a clown-car trait, it's called Family Oriented.  Both my Sims are insane for kids, but I gave them three and I can't raise any more.

If cntl+shift+C still opens the cheatiness, do we have confirmation on what works yet? I see "help", but I could have sworn I heard someone claim "motherlode" and "testing cheats enabled" still work. O RLY? Do share, plz.

Yep, that's still the command to bring up the console.  testingcheatsenabled true works, they've dropped the boolprop.  motherlode and kaching and moveobjects on still work too.

[TashaYarrr]

Supposedly you can assign hair / makeup to each outfit category, but I will be buggered if I could figure out how. Also, as noted earlier, the hairstyles mostly suck and clip into the Sims. If accessories can go on either hand / side, it is also not obvious how it is done.

Lorelai (btw love your ferret video), for the first part go to the dressing room / create a sim / plan outfit type screen. Go to clothes, select for example Formal (so your dressing-room Sim is now wearing formal). Now go back to hairstyles. Make sure the padlock icon is unlocked, and select what you want for their formal hairstyle. Now repeat with other clothings. i.e., you have to go BACK to clothes, pick PJs, then BACK to hair. Near as I can tell, anyway. Retarded. I can't figure out how to move accessories to the other side though.

[crunk]

This may not be the place for this and I'm not sure that anyone has been talking about it, but are there plans to share stuff from the TS3 store if it proves to be possible? Especially if they're giving points out to people who buy the game, maybe those who buy it can all brainstorm/play around and figure out how to share and who is planning on buying what so that no-one wastes their money?

If I understand the great paysite debate correctly so far, EA add-on content will *not* be shared (at least not via PMBD?) because they are the only one with the legal right to sell it.

Someone correct me if I've got it wrong.

No, PMBD will be out of this one. Although I would think that they will be sharing TSR TS3 pay content.

[BlueSoup]

Besides all those bug fixes and major annoyances already listed, I'd love to have a hack that prevents random friend of kids and teens coming over and hanging out, even when your kid goes directly from school to work with no stop in-between.

[phyllis_p]

I just thought this was cute.



He spent hours in there, having the greatest time!

A number of people have complained about the graphics, but other than weirdness like the stereo "liquid wave" effect, I've found the graphics really nice.

[Rockermonkey]

Anyone know how to bring a grave and get it to be a ghost? Hmmm. Is this not an option anymore?

[Madame Mim]

Given that this seems to be the place for likes and hates to be voiced.

Like - rabbit holes (in theory), but why do their walls drop? I don't need to see inside something that doesn't really have insides.
      - the general beauty of the hood, but that's not why I play games.

Hate - having to open the inventory everytime I want to make a phone call.
       - how everything they want to do isn't as fun as promised and my Sims are always ending up moody from lack of fun.
       - lack of call friends Pescado style options. I played the Goths and lost friends like water out a holey bucket because I had enough on my hands trying to keep their moods up.

Seriously worried about - the genetics as voiced by everyone else here. One of my favourite pastimes is seeing the generations of genetics as my Sims move on through time.

<edit> Yes, I've seen the toy box hiding. Little George Goth did it - I was quite dissapointed by the fact he didn't leap out and go "boo" then toddle away shrieking with joy when somebody walked by - that's what both my neices did in similar situations.

[seanachai]

BUG!

Music isn't working in my game. Nothing is muted, but build/buy are silent. For a while, if I went from Live to Buy or Build, the TV in live mode would remain on complete with video and sound. Now it's back to doing its regular pause but all is quiet.

The radio doesn't produce any sound either.

This doesn't address the bulk of your problems, but I noticed from watching videos that it seems like you can only hear the stereo when the camera is far enough within the house (because, I imagine, there needs to be a barrier for sounds to fade out so that you don't hear the stereo all over the neighborhood). This might not be the problem you're having, though, if you're experiencing widespread audio issues ...

[SlickCee]

Phyllis- My toddler did the same too. I also find the new "read to" interaction cute as well.
  -I already got my Sim to the top of the law enforcement career,International Super Spy. From that point on all you can get are raises. Somewhere down the middle of the career you have two different paths to take. I forgot what the other one was but I decided to have my Sim go the secret agent route. It was cool seeing her don a different disguise every time she went to work.
  
  -I also fulfilled my Sim's wish of being an accomplished writer. Right now she is earning over $10000 in royalty checks and I already completed two of the challenges in the writing skills' journal, only one more to go. Have to write twenty novels. Apparently I have 9 to go.

  - I had my Sim explore the catacombs in the graveyard. A message popped up telling me she got her ass kicked by bears and this is how she emerged:
  
 
  -My Sim went on a tour in the theater after getting a negative moodlet for staying in the the house for too long (Stir Crazy it was called). Only to emerge from the theater with another negative moodlet saying she was bored stiff and wishing they would shut up already. Story of my life.
 
  -One thing I have not figured out yet is how to set up public places for parties. The method I'm using now is putting the things I need in the Sims' inventory and taking it from there. But even that don't work because I had a dilemma at the pool where the birthday cake would not place on the picnic table

  -Now that my Sim is an elder she is seeing all her friends die off from age. For some reason she doesn't care. She spent a whole day consoling a friend at her house when her husband died. The game tells me to visit a friend whenever they are close to death.  

  - Something annoying that just began to happen. When I go out into the neighborhood and come back to the house, first the house remains blurry for a bit after I am close to it, and second, all the objects inside gradually retain their textures. As said, this is very annoying.

  -A few pictures of my Sim, I don't think she looks *that* bad. Although for the life of me I cannot figure out how to get rid of the double chin.
  http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee308/SlickC33/Sims%203/Screenshot-7.jpg
  http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee308/SlickC33/Sims%203/Screenshot-8.jpg
  http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee308/SlickC33/Sims%203/Screenshot-27.jpg
  http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee308/SlickC33/Sims%203/Screenshot-3.jpg
 http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee308/SlickC33/Sims%203/Screenshot-12.jpg

Edit- Since someone mentioned it. I also hate it how you have to bring up the inventory to call a Sim. I find myself constantly clicking the Sim and looking for the call options. Why would they make it the way they did?

[anaximander]

re: phone calling
You can also click on the headshot in the relationship panel and call them from there. Doesn't help for services, but I find that a lot faster / more intuitive.

[BlueSoup]

Or you could click on a phone in the house.  

All my Sims seem to want to write and paint, and learn logic, despite my changing around their traits.  My male adult Sim is working on his 21st novel, and is making well over §7000 per week on royalties.  Plus, he makes nearly §3K per day at work.  I think since he's still just an adult I'm going to try and put him in a new career path, but I noticed that an opportunity came up that could have potentially got him sacked if he was caught (it was to write an article for a rival magazine).  I wonder if he can get demoted for poor work performance?  Anyone know if Sims can get demoted once they've reached the top of their career path?

I love that lifetime wants come up randomly for teens and you can either choose or not choose them, or wait for something better to come along.

My other Sim (his wife) just bought out the Little Corsican Bistro.  The only options she gets, other than picking up the weekly dividends, is to rename the place or fire a Sim.  But it's perfectly placed for an OFB-type EP.  She can transfer and sell the deed too, obviously.

[mercer]

One thing I have not figured out yet is how to set up public places for parties.

That's strange. When you use the house telephone, there should be an option "Throw party at..." that lets you throw public parties. You can only choose between 'destination' or 'wedding' though, so you're stuck at home with those birthday parties.

Wedding parties at the beach are quite pretty though (even with my crappy graphics card).

[TashaYarrr]

Are there really no complete male outfits except the same nine that show up in Formal? Or is it me?

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

BUG!

Music isn't working in my game. Nothing is muted, but build/buy are silent. For a while, if I went from Live to Buy or Build, the TV in live mode would remain on complete with video and sound. Now it's back to doing its regular pause but all is quiet.

The radio doesn't produce any sound either.

Do you know what brand your sound card is?  I found out that mine had certain problems with Flash videos and video games, so I had to update drivers (which is ALWAYS important) and find a certain registry fix for the problem.

[DJKID]

One thing I have not figured out yet is how to set up public places for parties.

That's strange. When you use the house telephone, there should be an option "Throw party at..." that lets you throw public parties. You can only choose between 'destination' or 'wedding' though, so you're stuck at home with those birthday parties.

Wedding parties at the beach are quite pretty though (even with my crappy graphics card).

<snip>

I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds the beach romance ruined by the waves clipping through the hair.

However the hell that works out. Transparency issue in those specific spots I suppose.

[JacquiES]

I finally decided to join all the fun and download this game to see what it was like.  

I have to say, it looks nice but I just spent about five hours of RL time playing the same sim and she hasn't made too much progress.  She is in a relationship with some guy named Xavier who has commitment issues.  I am not sure if this is a bug but everytime he rejects one of her romantic actions, they all fail afterwards (even very basic ones) and I just have to say goodbye to him.  They have woohooed three times, she is currently preggers by him, but I have a feeling she is going to be a single parent the way things are going.

The seamless town is cool, I haven't really explored it enough yet for it to be any different then hanging out at a single lot in TS2.

I am probably alone on this but the whole designing my own things is really overwhelming.  I think I am the type of person that likes what is available to be right in front of my eyes.  I got a bit tired of designing every little thing because the defaults suck.  Themed wallpapers are terrible!  I felt like I was in the seventies while looking through the majority of them.

I think I will enjoy it once I get into it more, but it made me miss TS2!

[SlickCee]

Oh no, I know how to throw parties at public places(I already threw 2). I just don't know how to decorate that public place for the party, you know, like balloons, a table to put the cake on, etc... A warning always comes up a hour before the party saying I should set up. That's what I don't get. Or maybe I am just reading too much into it.
  Also, the parties in Sim 3 seem to be easier to make great compared to the Sims 2.

[EsotericPolarBear]

Oh no, I know how to throw parties at public places(I already threw 2). I just don't know how to decorate that public place for the party, you know, like balloons, a table to put the cake on, etc... A warning always comes up a hour before the party saying I should set up. That's what I don't get. Or maybe I am just reading too much into it.
  Also, the parties in Sim 3 seem to be easier to make great compared to the Sims 2.

I just carried a guitar and then played for tips throughout the party.

[Zazazu]

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.

Watch your sims when you pause. Their heads keep moving. And if you have moveobjects on and move them while paused, their heads and eyes move.

Corner counters: no longer a complete waste of space!

I know, it's great. I have a seven sim household going (cap seems to be eight again) and sometimes the kitchen can get a little hectic with kids grabbing stuff from the fridge, washing dishes, and someone preparing.

Yeah I guess they really listened to the complaints where money was too easy to come by. Now I'm sure there's plenty of ways to get rich quick, but if you just go the normal jobbing route, you don't start making a lot of money until very high in the career. It's a lot different. But also most of my playtime has been with single sims; I'm sure with more than that money is a little less scarce.

Collect ores. There's a mine that is always a good place for ores and metals. Also, Stonehenge is good for ores and rare bugs. Harvest wild fruit from parks and fishing areas. A day-long collecting spree will pay around $2k, much more than if you spent the entire day working a low-level career. Which you don't, since jobs are only about six hours.

[simsdesperado]

I am happy to report that the money tree and elixir are back. Actually, elixir is a plant now, but works the same, and the tree lives a lot longer than other plants. It gives me 4 bags of money on each harvest, the most I got from one bag was 323 simoleons. But I think the amount decreases over time, like the BV trasure chest. Oh, and I love the rock collecting. My sims's house now looks like Ali Baba's cave! Wish I could open up a jewellery store.  If you cut enough stones you get the option to cut them into plumbob shape.  

[Zarifeke]

Yeah I guess they really listened to the complaints where money was too easy to come by. Now I'm sure there's plenty of ways to get rich quick, but if you just go the normal jobbing route, you don't start making a lot of money until very high in the career. It's a lot different. But also most of my playtime has been with single sims; I'm sure with more than that money is a little less scarce.

Collect ores. There's a mine that is always a good place for ores and metals. Also, Stonehenge is good for ores and rare bugs. Harvest wild fruit from parks and fishing areas. A day-long collecting spree will pay around $2k, much more than if you spent the entire day working a low-level career. Which you don't, since jobs are only about six hours.

Yeah, the problems I'm having with money aren't helped by me avoiding the collecting if the character wouldn't do such things. Something tells me a neurotic neat workaholic might not want to touch dirty rocks and bugs!

Thanks for the tips though, I'll have to check out those places with a collector type person at some point. Some of those things are worth a truckload.

Edit: Personally I've been pretty happy with how my sims have been looking, but I do agree on one thing: the sims' heads still moving after you pause CREEPS me the heck out.

[coltraz]

BUG!

Music isn't working in my game. Nothing is muted, but build/buy are silent. For a while, if I went from Live to Buy or Build, the TV in live mode would remain on complete with video and sound. Now it's back to doing its regular pause but all is quiet.

The radio doesn't produce any sound either.

Do you know what brand your sound card is?  I found out that mine had certain problems with Flash videos and video games, so I had to update drivers (which is ALWAYS important) and find a certain registry fix for the problem.

"SoundMAX Integrated Digital HD Audio".

I was playing before and all sounds were working fine. I updated my graphics card and then this happened... I can't imagine the two would be related. I think it might just be a glitch.

I had the stereo suddenly producing sounds a moment ago. When I have the Sim dance to the stereo it POOF! works.

And why would buy mode suddenly have the TV my Sim was watching functioning throughout it?

As for updating the SoundMAX driver, I'd love to. But I've never been able to. Ever! It always comes up with an error when I try to update it and going to device manager and doing "Update Driver" doesn't work.

[Mr. Snooley]

I've bought the Business Towers and started to fire People because I simply didn't want those Jerks to work in my Business.
That's all nice and cool, but when I switch Households and then Switch back to my Main Sim, other Random Sims are now working in my Business, wich basically means that firing Sims does nothing but replaces the fired Sims.

Can anyone confirm this?
Could it be, that it has something to do with the stupid Story Progression not being truly deactivated?