@victorialynn3 Nope, there's no solution yet. If you want, you can try changing the display scaling, as mentioned in the post above yours. But that's obviously not ideal. If it works but messes with your other system settings too much, you could always change it in a new user account on your Mac—the setting should apply only within that account. I think.
Hello everyone! Faced the same problem on my MacBook Pro M1. However, I also have an iMac 5K (2020), mac OS 12.4 is installed there as well as on the Macbook, but there are many screen resolutions in the list. I think the problem is Rosetta, not the OS itself.
Guys, I found a solution! You will need a Better Display (a 14-day trial version is enough).
1. Install Better Display
2. Go to Settings - Displays - Turn on "Edit and manage the system configuration of this display" and (optional) "Allow smooth resolution scale"
3. Restart your Mac.
There will be a bunch of permissions for every taste both in the OS and in games. They can be controlled using the Retina Display Menu (RDM).
In my case, I did not mark "Allow smooth resolution scale", but manually added the resolution I needed.
@SpaceTurKadet It looks from your screenshot like you're changing the resolution of your Mac's display, which the game is then picking up. If that's not the case, let me know. Otherwise, you could also change the computer's resolution by opening System Preferences > Displays and selecting Scaled, then choosing one of the larger-font options. I understand that you get more options with Better Display, but the particular option you've chosen may be available without that.
@puzzlezaddictNo. The problem was that there were only two of the proposed screen resolutions (about 2k). Now the drop-down list in the game is the same as in the second screenshot. It's just that after the fix, there was no resolution of 1440x900 that was most convenient for me. So I added it manually using the appropriate function in the program.
Without this method, there was no way to choose something below 2K resolution in the game. Consequently, the interface was small.
P.S. after that, Better Display will no longer be needed, everything works without it. The missing screen resolution options will appear in the game, and in the OS you can choose either in the appropriate settings or using RDM (which is more convenient)
@SpaceTurKadet I'm aware of the original problem. What I was saying was that there's a way to change the effective screen resolution within System Preferences, no third-party app necessary, and I was wondering if that could affect the in-game resolution as well. I was also wondering whether the dropdown in your second screenshot was for the game or for the system's resolution. It looks like it's the system, but I wasn't going to assume that without asking.
I don’t know if this is true for @SpaceTurKadet, but I’ve tried changing the screen resolution in system preferences to all of the different options (particularly scaled) and it didn’t transfer over to the game. As soon as I start the game it goes back to the tiny UI. I’m definitely going to give Better Display a try because my eyes can’t take much more of the tiny screen!
It works for both the game and the system. No, changing the system settings does not help, the game does not show any screen resolutions other than 2K. Only using Better Display helps, because this program modifies the system file. Missing screen resolutions (that are unavailable after the 12.4 update) appears, both in the system and in all games (not only Sims 3).
Ugh! I have the same problem. I bought a new M2 Macbook 2013. I haven't played in a long time but boy 🤮 the whole experience in this new laptop when running TS3 is just.. It lags!! You won't enjoy the game at all! The macbook heats up like crazy! It drains the battery! I guess I'll have to return this thing! Oh and this UI is wayyy too small!! So disappointed!
Following @SpaceTurKadet‘s instructions for using Better Display worked for me! The UI is back to a normal resolution after I installed Better Display.
@1702f2d952a6a7dc Any even mildly demanding game will drain a laptop's battery. That's what it's supposed to do, and how the laptop is supposed to handle it: running games takes energy as the processor and graphics card have consistently high workloads. You can't get good performance without pouring more power into the process. It's always best to play while a laptop is plugged in, otherwise the system will throttle itself to try to preserve battery life, at least relative to maximum power draw.
That extra energy is dissipated in large part as heat as well. It can't be helped. This is why it's important to elevate a laptop while playing pretty much any game or use a cooling pad or fan.
As for the UI, try lowering the in-game resolution, for example using the tool mentioned in this thread.
By the way, I'm not sure what an M2 Macbook 2013 is. The M2 models are only from 2022, and they're only available in MacBook Airs and Pros, not regular Macbooks.
so has this not been fixed yet ? ☹️
i uninstalled the sims 3 bc of this problem and i was wondering if it was fixed.
@tiredvamp If you're asking about the size of the user interface, no, nothing has been done, and also, it's not a bug but rather the way the UI was designed. If you want the UI to be larger, you need to play at a lower in-game resolution.
OMG I AM SO LATE BUT I LOVE YOU! This fixed the game for me i’m in shock, i stupidly thought the game only ran in scaled (since i didn’t know you could change it) and had the wrong dimensions which gave me an ugly black border. now my game is PERFECT. The dimensions are perfect with Better Display!! confirmation. this method WORKS. use it. i also changed it to 1440 x 900 for the record
Hi there,
so I have a MacBook M2, and I'm having the same issue where my sims resolution is so tiny compared to my normal MacBook screen.
Now ive downloaded this better display, but for the love of me I am a noob when it comes to this stuff, and I cannot figure out how to add more screen resolutions for my sims 3.
Please if you can help me with this I would really appreciate it as I'm struggling a lot!
@GiaVi_13 Directions are here:
I haven't used this tool and can't verify, but other users in this thread say the process worked.
Hi, can you help me please. I have the same problem.
I don't know what you mean by 'Better Displays' ? Is it an app or program? Where can I find it?
I have downloaded something similar and tried to follow your steps, but I still don't find the lower resolutions in my game ☹️
Thanks, Elsa
@Elsa92 BetterDisplay is an app on GitHub (and elsewhere) that looks to be free to use and that has apparently fixed this issue for many others in the thread. Google should be able to find it for you.
Can you please walk us through how it worked for you? I downloaded better display and the font is still tiny for sims 3. Please help I’m struggling here.
@TheTruth91 Did you read the posts immediately above yours? Please start with post 47. Or if you'd prefer not to use a mod, read through the instructions earlier in the thread. Everything has already been discussed here.
Yes I read the posts before you and tried those methods and it did not help so that’s why I’m asking you what are the alternatives I can do for this to work? Smh
@TheTruth91 Everything I know about this problem is in this thread. I don't have the issue myself.
With the mod, did it have no effect, or did you not know what to do with it? Where did you place the file?
You are referring to mods. I do not have a mod for my sims. I don’t even know how to make one. I don’t understand I downloaded better display and the font is still tiny for the sims 3 I’m getting frustrated as I do not know what to do. I followed those steps and nothing changed. I have no idea what to do. If you could privately message me or we can chat on a social media platform and you could walk me through it?? I would even pay you. I’m just really overwhelmed as this is exhausting.
@TheTruth91 I'm referring to this mod:
You don't need to make it; someone else already did. The mod's download site has instructions for installing in macOS.
More generally, there are two problems discussed in this thread that are related but distinct. The first is that in newer versions of macOS, the options for in-game resolution are severely limited. The other is that without a mod, the size of the in-game user interface is always measured in pixels. So the higher resolution you use, the less space the UI will occupy on-screen, making it harder to read.
Playing at a lower resolution would be a workaround if that lower resolution were available. That's the point of Better Display: to offer more lower resolutions so you can pick one that makes the UI big enough to read. The mod allows you to instead adjust the UI size independent of the in-game resolution.
Pick the option that works for you and go from there. If Better Display offers you a resolution you're comfortable using, there's no need to do anything except choose that resolution and always play in fullscreen mode. Otherwise, follow the instructions on the mod's download page and adjust the UI to your liking.
How do I pick a resolution on better display? I’m sorry I’m not really tech savvy that’s why I am struggling to get this resolved.
@TheTruth91 Does this (post 19) help?
If not, please tell me exactly what about it is confusing. A screenshot or two would help as well.
