THE HORROR: The REAL TS3 Scoop As It Unfolds

[Exiled]

Installation.  WTF.  I already have a nice EA GAMES directory, now they decide to install TS3 into "Electronic Arts"...?  What?  I uninstalled and reinstalled into the EA GAMES folder, but it doesn't give me the choice to choose where to put the saves folder, so in My Documents I sitll have an EA GAMES and Electronics Art folder.  Also, what is up with them launching the game when you want to uninstall?

Everything just feels awkward to do.  Pie menus take slighly longer to pop up compared to TS2.  Leftovers are now in the pie menu rather than getting little box of all the leftovers that you have.  The camera system feels like it stutters instead of being smooth like in TS2, even with edge scrolling turned on.  They redesigned all the icons so now I have to hover over them to remember which is what.

On the flip side, I like how they sort the room function now.  it feels more intuitive to click on the floor or the wall to open up the wall or floor functions instead of going through icons.  I also like the finer grid to place objects and the ability to put objects at any angle.

Some of the asthetics seem tacky now.  It's harder to find things in the redesigned display than it was last time.  I LIKED having Live/Buy/Build benig large circle icons.  The redesigned icons are harer to remember and don't stand out as well as they used to.  Why do I have to be in live mood to save?  Also, it seems to not know that you saved before, i.e. if i saved in TS2 and then hit quit, it wouldn't have the option to let me save.  It would just let me quit.

The needs panel sucks.  It's been de-emphasized to just a little icon now instead of being the main thing.  Also, why the heck is it green all the time and only gets yellow at the very end?

The neighborhood exploration looks pretty cool, more realistic.  Feels more like a neighborhood than TS2, when I could just do everything at home.

[SciBirg]

It's just me, or Pes is more nervous and irritable since TS3?   *giggles*

Not touching that one with a ten-foot pole...

[SimplyComplex]

I'm busy with work and haven't yet read the last 5 pages of this thread, so maybe someone already hit upon this opportunity, but I thought it was interesting.

I was moving a new character into a furnished Maxis house (The Monotone), when this popped up:

I chose to ignore it since I wanted to play out a specific scenario. I wonder to see how much of a mess would have been present had I accepted it.

I got this once and accepted it and there were about 7 or 8 rocks that were worth something and about a dozen and a half little piles of stuff that needed to be tidied up. Didnt take long but was worth it for the money it gave me from the space rocks

[malianx]

I was hoping my sim could relax & use his laptop, but he got up and went to the table. Oh well.

Also, wasn't there a way to re-choose your lifetime wish?

[GnatGoSplat]

Installation.  WTF.  I already have a nice EA GAMES directory, now they decide to install TS3 into "Electronic Arts"...?  What?  I uninstalled and reinstalled into the EA GAMES folder, but it doesn't give me the choice to choose where to put the saves folder, so in My Documents I sitll have an EA GAMES and Electronics Art folder.  Also, what is up with them launching the game when you want to uninstall?

I think all newer EA games put their files and saves into Electronic Arts rather than EA Games.  I seem to recall NFSU2 put its saves in EA Games, but NFS Carbon and whatever the new one that just came out is called, put their saves into Electronic Arts.  The Sims Stories also put their saves into Electronic Arts.

Everything just feels awkward to do.  Pie menus take slighly longer to pop up compared to TS2.  Leftovers are now in the pie menu rather than getting little box of all the leftovers that you have.  The camera system feels like it stutters instead of being smooth like in TS2, even with edge scrolling turned on.  They redesigned all the icons so now I have to hover over them to remember which is what.

I've actually found the opposite to be true.  For me, scrolling is smoother, anything having to do with graphics feels faster than TS2.  I'm using a clocked nVidia 9800GT's at 1920x1200 with all settings maxed except building detail which I left at its default of 4.  What graphics hardware are you using?
Only thing that seems wrong is makeup seems to turn black in the dark or shade.  I don't know if this is typical, I'd sure appreciate it if someone would check out these screencaps and let me know if that's normal.
http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,14987.msg433017.html#msg433017

[VeilSethekk]

Also, wasn't there a way to re-choose your lifetime wish?

There's a reward for that, but I forgot what it was called. I think it was either Mid-life Crisis or something else.

[diskoh]

Look what I just saw waddle past my door  

[timelycorruption]

(though that wouldn't explain the lack of gay sex?... or does it?)

I can't speak to gay sex, but there is apparently autonomous gay marriage; two male Sims in my game are apparently very happily betrothed to each other.

It's good to know despite the newfound sexism and general asshattery, Sims 3 does not discriminate against the gays. Is it still that "Join Union" BS, though?

[VeilSethekk]

It's good to know despite the newfound sexism and general asshattery, Sims 3 does not discriminate against the gays. Is it still that "Join Union" BS, though?

Nope, it's actual "Marriage" now, so they got that part right.

[timelycorruption]

Look what I just saw waddle past my door  

snip

Danny DeVito! I love your work!

ETA: Is that orange question mark the new arbitrary empty thought bubble with an X in it?

[malianx]

Also, wasn't there a way to re-choose your lifetime wish?

There's a reward for that, but I forgot what it was called. I think it was either Mid-life Crisis or something else.

I thought there was as well, but for the life of me I can't find it. Mid-Life Crisis just let me choose traits, not the wish.

[diskoh]

I've had two of my female sims have a baby together while I was playing another house. Not adoption, either. She got pregnant and gave birth to a baby with both of their genetics and both listed as parents.

That Danny Devito clone I posted was Bella Bachelor's child either adopted or via asexual reproduction, because it only lists 1 parent in his tree.

[BlueSoup]

I thought there was as well, but for the life of me I can't find it. Mid-Life Crisis just let me choose traits, not the wish.

If your Sim has already fulfilled their LTW, the option to change their LTW in the rewards panel disappears and they can't get a new one.

[phyllis_p]

ETA: Is that orange question mark the new arbitrary empty thought bubble with an X in it?

GRRR!  The Interwebz, they hates me! I've been having the worst time lately, here worse than anyway.  Pescado, give that little Malaysian kid some sugar or something!

Anyway, was going to say that the orange question mark belongs to absent-minded sims.  They'll just walk into the room and look around, and sometimes say something that sounds like, "Duhh....".  My absent-nminded fella was a great writer and kisser, but he'd be on the way back to the bedroom with his wife to woo-hoo and just stop, then turn to do something else.  She'd eventually holler at him from the bed to get his ass over there.

I really am liking the combos of personality traits!

[Roflganger]

The reward for changing Lifetime Wish is called ... Change Lifetime Wish Cost = 10,000 points.

[Exiled]

I think all newer EA games put their files and saves into Electronic Arts rather than EA Games.  I seem to recall NFSU2 put its saves in EA Games, but NFS Carbon and whatever the new one that just came out is called, put their saves into Electronic Arts.  The Sims Stories also put their saves into Electronic Arts.

Well, I just wished they could let you change the directory, for both the installation AND the saves.

I've actually found the opposite to be true.  For me, scrolling is smoother, anything having to do with graphics feels faster than TS2.  I'm using a clocked nVidia 9800GT's at 1920x1200 with all settings maxed except building detail which I left at its default of 4.  What graphics hardware are you using?

Using a Nvida GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 at 1024x768.  The card is apparently so bad that I had to edit the Graphics Rules files back for TS2 Seasons to force it to run at that resolution; it insisted on 800x600.

[malianx]

If your Sim has already fulfilled their LTW, the option to change their LTW in the rewards panel disappears and they can't get a new one.

bogus, I'd planned on going through more than one.

[farmersimmer]

Yes, I have noticed the blush go from pink to black even in strong light.
looks gross!

[GnatGoSplat]

Using a Nvida GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 at 1024x768.  The card is apparently so bad that I had to edit the Graphics Rules files back for TS2 Seasons to force it to run at that resolution; it insisted on 800x600.

Ah, yeah, that explains it.  I think once your video hardware surpasses a certain point, TS3 can take advantage of it and actually seem quicker than TS2.
I tried TS3 on my Hackintosh with GMA950 onboard graphics at 1280x800 resolution and it was ridiculously slow and completely unplayable.

Yes, I have noticed the blush go from pink to black even in strong light.
looks gross!

Thanks, now I know it's not just me.   It would seem that's a somewhat serious problem.  I don't even put blush on the female sims I've added because it looks horrible and creepy in game (always looks fine in CAS).  Lipstick is iffy.  I also noticed their eyes turn dark black and looks creepy.  It seems they still need to tweak the contrast or shading a bit.

[nekonoai]

I like that sims can carry around apples and other stuff in their pockets and then nosh on them when needed. Works out great for my "homeless" sim who found a seed and planted a tree. All she eats is apples, poor skinny thang.

@zaza's album #3:
I haven't seen ghosts outside of the graveyard yet. It's kind of funny that yours come to haunt by car. Maybe it's because they're rich. LOL

It would be REALLY nice if toddlers could escape the crib on their own.
Curfew is DUMB. Especially when I want to take my goth kids to the graveyard at night.

I had an adopted fat kid that I trained to become lean and muscular, then I gave him the fast metabolism perk.  It actually quickened the reversal to fatness.  If you read the description for that perk it says that it quickens the process of weight change, and that goes both ways.

That is not how it should work.

Boyfriends/Girlfriends that like you enough to stay over should be able to sleep in the same bed as you.

I finally got around to making myself over the weekend. I think it's pretty close...


love the cheeseburger t-shirt. My fave food is also cheeseburgers. xD Boobs aren't big enough, though. I wish there were separate sliders for top and bottom body.

(is anyone else having a problem with maty today?)

[jolrei]

Fewer problems accessing MATY today than for the past couple of days for me.

I'm getting a bit annoyed at the jumps into cars, out of cars, out of driveways, onto bikes, etc.  Not anything new, but the lack of real animations bothers me a bit.  In TS2 at least they could open car doors.  For TS4, sims will walk to the bottom of stairs and suddenly appear at the top without walking or running up.  This will, of course, save time.

[Kralore]

Fewer problems accessing MATY today than for the past couple of days for me.

I'm getting a bit annoyed at the jumps into cars, out of cars, out of driveways, onto bikes, etc.  Not anything new, but the lack of real animations bothers me a bit.  In TS2 at least they could open car doors.  For TS4, sims will walk to the bottom of stairs and suddenly appear at the top without walking or running up.  This will, of course, save time.

The no car animation thing bothered me at first, then I started thinking about it, and for car creators this could be a good thing. With no animations, will that not make it a bit easier for them to put new cars into the game, since they don't have to deal with all the extra animations that TS2 had?

[timelycorruption]

ETA: Is that orange question mark the new arbitrary empty thought bubble with an X in it?

GRRR!  The Interwebz, they hates me! I've been having the worst time lately, here worse than anyway.  Pescado, give that little Malaysian kid some sugar or something!

Anyway, was going to say that the orange question mark belongs to absent-minded sims.  They'll just walk into the room and look around, and sometimes say something that sounds like, "Duhh....".  My absent-nminded fella was a great writer and kisser, but he'd be on the way back to the bedroom with his wife to woo-hoo and just stop, then turn to do something else.  She'd eventually holler at him from the bed to get his ass over there.

I really am liking the combos of personality traits!

I love that. The new things EA introduced may be the saving grace of TS3, seeing as they removed so much.

[diskoh]

Works out great for my "homeless" sim

could you elaborate on that? is there a way to actually make a homeless sim, or did you move them into an empty lot and have them sleep on the park bench

[NakedNickJonas]

Fewer problems accessing MATY today than for the past couple of days for me.

I'm getting a bit annoyed at the jumps into cars, out of cars, out of driveways, onto bikes, etc.  Not anything new, but the lack of real animations bothers me a bit.  In TS2 at least they could open car doors.  For TS4, sims will walk to the bottom of stairs and suddenly appear at the top without walking or running up.  This will, of course, save time.

The no car animation thing bothered me at first, then I started thinking about it, and for car creators this could be a good thing. With no animations, will that not make it a bit easier for them to put new cars into the game, since they don't have to deal with all the extra animations that TS2 had?

Well there were only one or two creators or ever made cars worth downloading, and if they can't be bothered to deal with animations it probably indicates won't be creating good meshes anyway.