OK, so why would I want this mess?

[Lerf]

Having been invited, oh so politely, to fuck off and die on N99 for not joining in the cheering section for Sims 3, someone give me some reasons to not think it's a total waste of hard drive space.

I have gathered from this forum that:

You're stuck with balloon faced Sims.  And second generation Sims are even worse.
You're stuck with nasty dead-looking eyes.  (About 80% of my reason for thinking I'm going to hate this.  All I can think of when I look at them is a Victorian porcelain doll in a horror movie.  You know the one that tries to strangle the hero the minute s/he falls asleep.)
The Story Progression Toggle is either borked, not borked, or works for a while and then stops.
You can only run one family at any given time because the game will randomly delete them if you run any other family.  This problem is either fixed or not fixed by aforesaid SPT depending on whether it's borked on purpose or not.
Most of the game consists of chasing all over the open concept neighborhood collecting stuff which has no use in the game other than display.
Relationships are either too easy to make or too hard.  Or both at once.
All public areas are rabbitholes.
EA has given TSR some sort of perk which has allowed them to make their own content creator. (Which accounts for a good chunk of the remaining 19.56% of the reason I'm avoiding this turd.)

So. Anyone want to address the .44% that still thinks I might buy Sims 3 once the price drops to $1.98 US.

[TashaYarrr]

EA has given TSR some sort of perk which has allowed them to make their own content creator. (Which accounts for a good chunk of the remaining 19.56% of the reason I'm avoiding this turd.)

While I suspect this thread will be nuked, I'm curious exactly why you think the above is true.

[LauraW]

I am on N99 and I am definitely not a cheerleader...yet no one has told me to leave. They do have a rosy view there but my guess is things will be different after they play the final game. Some people just want to believe it will all be okay...or maybe they have different expectations. I must admit, I actually feel a bit sorry for some of them. When their Sims spawn random babies, or they can't find an acceptable female for their Sim son, or all their hard earned inventory items disappear because they switched households, or their other family moves away, they will be ranting as well, begging modders to fix the problems. Disappointment can be very difficult and I fear some of them are going to feel pretty bad in a couple of weeks.

[beear]

waste of HDD space? seriously?

go arr it and all youll be loosing is bandwidth...which could be used for some porn i guess but still.

[GloamingMerle]

EA has given TSR some sort of perk which has allowed them to make their own content creator. (Which accounts for a good chunk of the remaining 19.56% of the reason I'm avoiding this turd.)

While I suspect this thread will be nuked, I'm curious exactly why you think the above is true.

From this: "Welcome to The Sims 3 Workshop

"The Sims 3 Workshop" is a Custom Content Tool developed by The Sims Resource for use with The Sims 3. Our goal is to give artists the same level of freedom to create new content for Sims 3 as they could for Sims 2, including new objects, clothing, hair etc.

Development of the tool started as soon as we returned from our week at EA in January for the Creator Camp. Since then we have made good progress with the tool, especially in the areas of importing and editing in a 3D environment, and splitting creations into channels to allow for items to be fully compatible with "Create a Style" in the game.

Our development will be quite public, inviting support and input not only from our staff artists but from the entire community. We plan to provide a plug-in compatible environment and encourage others to help make the Workshop a useful and productive tool for both artists and players alike.

"The Sims 3 Workshop" is being developed professionally and as such will have an EULA which will be flexible enough to protect artists work while allowing creations to be distributed via any means, be it free, donation or subscriber/pay.

For the latest development info check out the News & Updates page, to join in with technical or process discussions, visit our Workshop Forums."

On here: http://www.thesimsresource.com/workshop

Although they do not say anything about EAxis helping them, the rumor is that EAxis is assisting them somehow.

[Lerf]

EA has given TSR some sort of perk which has allowed them to make their own content creator. (Which accounts for a good chunk of the remaining 19.56% of the reason I'm avoiding this turd.)

While I suspect this thread will be nuked, I'm curious exactly why you think the above is true.

Well, I admit that posting this topic is partly a way to cut through about 9 million contradictory posts on this and other sites--especially those made during the 3 days I couldn't access this site at all--and get some actual answers, I got this impression from the announcement by TSR as quoted somewhere or other and the commentary in the topic on this forum.  If it's wrong, I guess that's one positive note.

[Roflganger]

Not all public lots are rabbitholes.  There are a few places to socialize visibly - any of the parks, one of the restaurants (with the "Eat Outside" option), library, gym, pool, etc.  Workplaces are rabbitholes, which is no different than TS2, really, where they just disappear offlot for a while.  I take advantage of that time to spy on other Sims just to see how they act on their own.

The scavenger minigame is really optional.  Jobs don't require it, skill level isn't dependent on it.  It is necessary for some of the "skill journal" achievements, but it's entirely possible and feasible to completely ignore the collection of seeds, fish, ores, bugs, etc.

Relationships - pain in the ass, because there is sort of this enforced foreplay thing going on, where you have to get a Sim, regardless of relationship level, into a receptive frame of mind before certain interactions are available.  You can't woohoo your girlfriend and then immediately ask her to move in, because "Move in" is a friendly interaction.  You have to work your way up these trees of interactions until the Sim reflects the proper "perception" of your Sim.  Hate that aspect but once you understand how it works, it's really not difficult.  To its benefit, it does prevent random romances from a single flirt - you have to really intentionally set the stage for the "romantic interest" flag to get set.

Most of other stuff is strictly a matter of opinion and taste.  With some patience, I've been able to create some mostly puddingless Sims, and their eyes are (IMO) quite natural.  I've never gotten the Victorian doll vibe from them.  And while there are certainly some fugly Sims around, they're fugly in a much more believable way - fugly like people you'd run into at the mall, instead of at a house of mirrors.  I may demand perfection from my Sims, but I enjoy the realism of fairly diverse looking Sims running around.

[TashaYarrr]

Merle, I've seen that and the forum posts, but I think the "EA assistance" is rumor, one that TSR is encouraging. That's why I asked for details--I've seen people rumbling about it but no one explaining *why* they're rumbling. If TSR and EA *actually* had a deal, wouldn't TSR be shouting this from the rooftops rather than coyly alluding to their 'time at EA Redwood' (as though they were the only ones there, on a special intimate date)?

From what I understand--and this is also hearsay--EA is trying to lock down all custom content anyway, via Store/Exchange. Or are we assuming they will make an exception for just one third-party site and expect it not to cause the biggest shitstorm the game has ever seen?

I feel like I must still be missing crucial pieces of this whole thing, so maybe no one really knows for sure.

[EsotericPolarBear]

Honestly, I mostly like the new gameplay mechanics.  Of course, I only ever play one family at a time anyway.  I like that the neighborhood ages with me now.

As far as relationships...yeah, they're absurdly easy, but no more so than macro/socialize.  TBH, I don't find it that different from TS2 relationships.  The lack of a lifetime relationship meter is kinda meh, but since that meter was redundant anyway, it's not that big a deal.

Now, that's not saying that the game is great.  It's not.  But I do prefer the gameplay of this one over the TS2 gameplay for the most part.  I just wish it wasn't so...limited.  It's missing too many features and obviously so for EA to regurgitate expansions.  And that seriously grates on my nerves.

So I guess what I'm saying is "It's not bad. It's not great.  It's also not TS2."  Overall, I think it has potential.  Unfortunately a finished game that only has potential isn't really a finished game, IMO.  But considering the state of the majority of the gaming industry and how unfinished products are becoming a norm...I haven't encountered any major bugs in TS3, but it's blatantly obvious that things like genetics are either "not as intended" or "we didn't care enough to do it right".

[edit] Ugh at the grammatical errors..that'll teach me to type when I'm weak from stupidly skipping meals to read a book.   I think I got them all.

[Lerf]

Honestly, I mostly like the new gameplay mechanics.  Of course, I only ever play one family at a time anyway.  I like that the neighborhood ages with me now.

People keep saying that, but in your game did no family every have more than one child that grew up.  I take it you just moved out surplus kids and deleted them?  No one got divorced or broke up?  If they did, again, the Sim who left was just bit-garbage?  I'm sorry, but I can't imagine deciding to play only two Sims for the life of the game.  It would get so fucking boring.....

[Druscylla]

Merle, I've seen that and the forum posts, but I think the "EA assistance" is rumor, one that TSR is encouraging. That's why I asked for details--I've seen people rumbling about it but no one explaining *why* they're rumbling. If TSR and EA *actually* had a deal, wouldn't TSR be shouting this from the rooftops rather than coyly alluding to their 'time at EA Redwood' (as though they were the only ones there, on a special intimate date)?

From what I understand--and this is also hearsay--EA is trying to lock down all custom content anyway, via Store/Exchange. Or are we assuming they will make an exception for just one third-party site and expect it not to cause the biggest shitstorm the game has ever seen?

I feel like I must still be missing crucial pieces of this whole thing, so maybe no one really knows for sure.

I think the reason many people believe EA has something to do with it is because the game hasn't officially released yet. I have seen people claiming that either EA gave them access to the code, or that someone at TSR pirated it as well. Though what they have exactly I am not really sure. It looks like something alright but as for being the lifesaving CC tool, I can't really say from anything I have heard of it.

I am getting the game - but then I am a glutton for punishment. I try to be optimistic, I feel personally that the game has potential but not in it's raw state.

[phyllis_p]

I was very leery of the game, but am glad I took it for a test drive, because I find I really like it.  That's not to say it'll be to everyone's taste, of course, and it's no skin off my nose if someone doesn't like it, or doesn't like the things I like.  Anyway, I was saying that to preface addressing a couple of the things you mentioned, since you asked for feedback.

You're stuck with balloon faced Sims.  And second generation Sims are even worse.

While a lot of the townies have round faces, there are other facial types.  The three children of my founding Sims found non-round-face Sims to marry, and that wasn't even one of the criteria I was using in looking for mates for them.  They've now had children for themselves, and while a couple of the girls have squarish jaws, I think they will age up well enough.

You're stuck with nasty dead-looking eyes.  (About 80% of my reason for thinking I'm going to hate this.  All I can think of when I look at them is a Victorian porcelain doll in a horror movie. You know the one that tries to strangle the hero the minute s/he falls asleep.)

In actual gameplay, I don't think they have as scary an effect as in CAS.

You can only run one family at any given time because the game will randomly delete them if you run any other family.  This problem is either fixed or not fixed by aforesaid SPT depending on whether it's borked on purpose or not.

I've found that the key to keeping families around is to stay friends with them.  So far no one my Sims cared anything about have moved away.  Granted, I haven't tried switching families -- I'm quite content with the one -- but I would think that if you switch to a family that is friends with someone in your current family, they won't go anywhere.

Most of the game consists of chasing all over the open concept neighborhood collecting stuff which has no use in the game other than display.

None of my 10 Sims have been collectors.  They've gotten the odd wish to get a rock or a butterfly, and sometimes I let them get it, but I've been quite happy just focusing on job and family.  If you ignore/delete collection wishes, they quit popping up (unless you have a trait that favors collecting, I'm sure).

All public areas are rabbitholes.

Not all.  The art museum can be entered and enjoyed.  The Sims can eat outside at the Bistro, if they choose, though getting them to sit at the same table reminds me of TS1 -- it rarely happens.  They still interact, though.  Let's see, what else .... You can go into the library and read books, work on the computer, or visit with friends.  There may be other places not coming to mind at the moment.  And there are lots of outdoor public areas for fun, like the park, several beach spots, several fishing holes, and the cemetery.

I guess that's about it.  The game has its problems, but I like it. My intention isn't to convince you to get the game.  I just wanted to give you input on the points you asked about.

ETA:  I did marry off and move out two of the founder's three kids.  They maintain relationships with the main family, and recognize each other as brother-in-law, uncle, nephew, cousin, etc.  It's nice.  I have to work to keep the ties between families active, though.

[EsotericPolarBear]

People keep saying that, but in your game did no family every have more than one child that grew up.  I take it you just moved out surplus kids and deleted them?  No one got divorced or broke up?  If they did, again, the Sim who left was just bit-garbage?  I'm sorry, but I can't imagine deciding to play only two Sims for the life of the game.  It would get so fucking boring.....

I followed the generations.  So, for instance, when the child grew up and went to college, I followed.  When they came back, I moved them to a new lot and kept playing them...so eventually, six generations of a family were all "adults" and no one ever aged past it because it was too much of a pain to switch to another house just to age them to elders or have them die or whatever.  And if there was more than one child, I just picked my favorite and followed them.  So I'd end up with teenage great uncles/aunts.

[TashaYarrr]

I don't know, on the original "OMG TSR haz a tool" thread it didn't sound like anyone was too convinced by TSR's insider info so far, which was why I was wondering if there was *new* information that brought this up again.

[GloamingMerle]

Merle, I've seen that and the forum posts, but I think the "EA assistance" is rumor, one that TSR is encouraging. That's why I asked for details--I've seen people rumbling about it but no one explaining *why* they're rumbling. If TSR and EA *actually* had a deal, wouldn't TSR be shouting this from the rooftops rather than coyly alluding to their 'time at EA Redwood' (as though they were the only ones there, on a special intimate date)?

From what I understand--and this is also hearsay--EA is trying to lock down all custom content anyway, via Store/Exchange. Or are we assuming they will make an exception for just one third-party site and expect it not to cause the biggest shitstorm the game has ever seen?

I feel like I must still be missing crucial pieces of this whole thing, so maybe no one really knows for sure.

Sorry for any redundancy, it's almost sleepy-time for me. Basically, I think people suspect EAxis has helped TSR in the creation of the tool because they are able to program this WITHOUT actually having the game. If you think about that a moment, it is... a tad odd. However, I think they simply gathered information at the Creator's Camp to get themselves started in the right direction, and perhaps some Maxoids encouraged it by answering a few questions.

[rohina]

I have to say that I utterly hate TS3. There is a lot about it that makes it like a crappier copy of Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing, and if I want to play those, I will play them. I hate the way it looks, for the most part, I find it clunky and horrible to play, especially the mechanics of getting a sim promoted. What do you do while the sim is in the rabbit hole for all that time, when speed 3 crawls by? How fun is a game if I need another activity to keep me amused while it enforces complete lack of activity for long periods of time? If I didn't cheat energy up, my sim would spend 60% of each day in activities (sleep, work) I can only observe.

[Lerf]

On consideration, the timing of TSR's announcement is what bothers me.  They say it's been in the works since about the time of the Creators' Camp.  So, how do they know what the file formatting and stuff is?  I don't see how they could have started developing a tool without having a copy of the game available.  And they seem to imply that they're working on it even now.

Either they're blowing hot air out their arses--very likely--and have no idea what they're doing.  Or they've got pirated copies--also likely and really funny considering.  Or they've got inside access--which I suspect is what they want us to believe.

But that isn't really what I wanted this topic to be about.

[Roflganger]

People keep saying that, but in your game did no family every have more than one child that grew up.  I take it you just moved out surplus kids and deleted them?  No one got divorced or broke up?  If they did, again, the Sim who left was just bit-garbage?  I'm sorry, but I can't imagine deciding to play only two Sims for the life of the game.  It would get so fucking boring.....

I've had families where kids grew up and moved out.  I checked in on them from time to time and they had gotten themselves jobs, and established romances.  I do play the game on Epic lifespan, so I think things tend to move a bit more slowly.  

My gameplay style for TS3 really isn't all that different from how I played TS2.  I create a Sim, get him a job in line with his personal goals, find him a suitable mate from the pool of Townies (it's a fairly small pool, I have to admit, most are already attached, and my Sim guy doesn't go for baggage carriers), work them towards success, and spawn.  Once the original Sim and his wife have achieved their lifetime goals and are fairly well established, I move the Sim kid out, and start playing his story.  If I get bored, I just abandon the family to the mercies of Story ReProgression and start with a brand new Sim.  

It works for me.  There is plenty to dislike about the game (such as Story Progression not actually working ATM) but I have to say most of my free time has been spent playing the game.  

Oh - and CASt, for me, is *huge*.  When I first read about it, I thought it would just lead to tacky rooms plastered in identical textures, but not so much.  You can, for instance, take a texture you like and use it as a bedspread, then pick accent colors out of the texture and use it as wall paint, turn that shade a few shades darker for trimwork, etc.  I've never been much of a Sims decorator, but I have created some rooms that I am quite pleased with - coordinated, yet not ZOMGeverythingmatches!!

[EsotericPolarBear]

I have to say that I utterly hate TS3. There is a lot about it that makes it like a crappier copy of Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing, and if I want to play those, I will play them. I hate the way it looks, for the most part, I find it clunky and horrible to play, especially the mechanics of getting a sim promoted. What do you do while the sim is in the rabbit hole for all that time, when speed 3 crawls by? How fun is a game if I need another activity to keep me amused while it enforces complete lack of activity for long periods of time? If I didn't cheat energy up, my sim would spend 60% of each day in activities (sleep, work) I can only observe.

Well, the work thing doesn't bother me because both TS1 and TS2 had your sim disappear for work and now you can actually accomplish stuff at some jobs (extra cash, skilling, etc).  Plus, I love the fact that once you top the career, you can keep getting raises.

But I have noticed that needs are huge pain in the ass and some activities take way, way, waaaaaay, too long. Working out for 10 hours?  Really??  And even with the highest bed, my sim gets tired after 6-8 hours of being awake.

[Lerf]

I have to say that I utterly hate TS3. There is a lot about it that makes it like a crappier copy of Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing, and if I want to play those, I will play them. I hate the way it looks, for the most part, I find it clunky and horrible to play, especially the mechanics of getting a sim promoted. What do you do while the sim is in the rabbit hole for all that time, when speed 3 crawls by? How fun is a game if I need another activity to keep me amused while it enforces complete lack of activity for long periods of time? If I didn't cheat energy up, my sim would spend 60% of each day in activities (sleep, work) I can only observe.

Well, the work thing doesn't bother me because both TS1 and TS2 had your sim disappear for work and now you can actually accomplish stuff at some jobs (extra cash, skilling, etc).  Plus, I love the fact that once you top the career, you can keep getting raises.

But I have noticed that needs are huge pain in the ass and some activities take way, way, waaaaaay, too long. Working out for 10 hours?  Really??  And even with the highest bed, my sim gets tired after 6-8 hours of being awake.

Gee, and I thought one of the selling points of Sims 3 was that meeting needs was boring and the Sims would spend less time on them.   

[EsotericPolarBear]

Gee, and I thought one of the selling points of Sims 3 was that meeting needs was boring and the Sims would spend less time on them.   

Well, they got rid of comfort and environment and turned those into moodlets (which moodlets are fantastic)...so that's two gone...then you can get happiness rewards that make you only need to shower once every three days or so and one that makes you only need to eat once every two days...and then the super-overpowered one (which is also the cheapest of the need-altering rewards) that completely removes the bladder need.

[diskoh]

Most of the game consists of chasing all over the open concept neighborhood collecting stuff which has no use in the game other than display.

only if you want it to. i haven't collected a damn thing and don't plan to.

[Soggy Fox]

Here is my abbreviated review of the game.

Gameplay - I find it a lot more fun than sims 1 or sims 2, at least until Makin' Magic and Superstar came out for the former, and Seasons and Apartment Life came out for the latter.  I normally only play one sim at a time anyway, so limitations to one family, for practical purposes, is fine with me - if you prefer complete control, than this might not be the game for you.

Building - Honestly, while the addition of being able to pull and push walls around is nice, most of build mode sucks.  Building stairs is cumbersome and still lacks the ability for diagonal stairs and recolouring.  Roofing can not be individually adjusted which means putting a pointy tower roof with a normally pitched roof is impossible - I learned this while trying to build the house from Coraline.  Its still a neat house, but it really doesn't look quite right.  You can not nestle a column onto a fence, even with moveobjects on.  I can go on and on about the limitations.

CAS - Create a style is actually well done - it is better than homecrafter or bodyshop, unless you make your own textures or meshes, which a lot of folks don't.  I've had no problems making gorgeous clothing [even with the crap meshes to work with], gorgeous walls and gorgeous furnishings.  A colour wheel, a palette and a number tool give you a whole ton of tools for finding just the right colour and using it over and over again - in fact, the only problem I've found is that the tools for hair and eye colour are not as good as the tools for everything else.

Sims - Making decent sims is not that hard, and while the EA made ones are doughy, they are -not- as homely as the ones in Sims 2 - which is a plus.  On the downside, most all the male young adult and adult sims are taken, which means aging up some poor sim - or starting off with a couple.  I don't like that aspect, but its something that I can deal with.

EA - I am offended that they basically left out -half- the game's objects and fashion stuff and are turning around and charging far more than the game itself is costing.  While its oh so kind of them to give us 10 shiny whole dollars to spend, I've seen estimates from $80 on up to get all the objects.  With the economy the way it is, it is offensive to me that they are doing this, especially since I've played since Sims 1 and remember the weekly Thursday downloads of -good- stuff.  Also, everything I've heard indicates that while the game itself does not ship with securom, that their download manager has securom, and thus to get the free extra neighborhood and any of the store stuff means getting securom as well.

Personally, as games go its fun, but the strings attached make it something I'm less likely to -spend- money on getting.

[jolrei]

CAS - Create a style is actually well done - it is better than homecrafter or bodyshop, unless you make your own textures or meshes, which a lot of folks don't.  I've had no problems making gorgeous clothing [even with the crap meshes to work with], gorgeous walls and gorgeous furnishings.  A colour wheel, a palette and a number tool give you a whole ton of tools for finding just the right colour and using it over and over again - in fact, the only problem I've found is that the tools for hair and eye colour are not as good as the tools for everything else.

The create-a-style thing is the best feature of the game, in my view.  It is one of the primary reasons I will give this another go when I upgrade my rig a bit.  I am willing to entertain the notion that I am simply not familiar enough with gameplay options to really enjoy the game yet, but I still worry that the overall look of the game is more TS1 than TS2 or better.  Perhaps new video card will solve this.

The "can't get stuff unless you pay and get stuff-u-ROM" thing is the real bother.  I'm stuck with 5 hairstyles and 12 suits?  Forever?  'cos I'm not registering this and I'm not paying.

@Lerf:  you seem to have some difficulty making a decision.  Recommendation: for reasons already stated, you do not like this game.  Suggest you uninstall immediately and go back to TS2.  Should you take this advice, my fee is 3 internetz, deliverable within 30 days.  Standard contract rules apply.

[Jorganza]

I was like Phyllis_p at the beginning, I was thinking this game was going to be the worst game of the series. However, I too found it fun, at least in the beginning. It was fun to explore the neighborhood and try new things. After everything started to settle down though, I found it to be somewhat boring. Collecting was fun in the beginning, but now is tedious. Jobs were fresh and exciting, but now feels dull and drab. Even the "new neighborhood smell" has lost its appeal already.

 I find myself playing in a rut with nothing to look forward to. Part of that reason is I play with only one sim, because I don't want to start a new one and lose him forever. Another reason is I feel like I did everything already and there isn't anything left for me to do, like the feeling I have beaten a game and now there isn't any reason to start over.

The game is pretty fun when you first start it up, and there is a lot of innovations for it to be enjoyable for a while. The Create a style is probably hands down the best feature, and the neighborhood looks pretty and stuff. I just don't know how long I can play it without it becoming so boring I revert back to TS2.

If you are unsure, you can always just download it and test it out yourself, and if you don't like it, you can always delete it.