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INeedNAdult94's avatar
INeedNAdult94
5 years ago

Re: Unable to disable fullscreen option - Mac

@puzzlezaddict Sorry for the delay in getting back to you on this - thought I had email notifications on!

I didn't end up increasing the RAM because after doing some research, I read that increasing the allocation beyond 2GB doesn't really make a difference for the Mac version. Otherwise, I'd increase it to 4 GB. Was what I researched incorrect?

And here are my Mac specs - please note that I am using an external GPU as my primary graphics processor and not the integrated Intel graphics chip:

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, 2014)

Processor 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5

Memory 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

Startup Disk Macintosh HD

Graphics Radeon RX 580 8GB

EDIT: I hopped on a quick chat with EA support and they sent me the 64-bit version of the game, which alleviates a few issues - I can now see my second screen, but can't use it because the game locks the cursor. not sure if there's anything I do about that beyond playing in windowed mode, so I'll stick to that. Thank you for the recommendation, as I immediately noticed performance increase with the 64-bit version - for starters, my computer's fan doesn't scream at me when i try to load the game anymore. I think this has a lot to do with the game now natively being for macOS.

The issue that I had with the UI mode being cut off in windowed mode also appears to be fixed with with this 64-bit version, but I'm still dealing with the pesky title bar. Not a dealbreaker, but a bit immersion breaking. Don't want to cry over spilled milk so I'll deal with it for now, and remain on the hunt for borderless window/faux fullscreen solution.

Really appreciate you taking the time to assist me on this... I know that there's only so much that you can do while gaming on a Mac before eventually switching to PC, but I'm working with what I've got while I have it! I'm trying to be as thorough as I can with my observations and steps taken so that if anyone else goes through this issue, they won't have to thumb through as many forum threads as I did...

1 Reply

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @INeedNAdult94  You're correct that the 32-bit Mac version of Sims 3 can only use 2 GB memory, so any steps you'd have taken to try to change that wouldn't have helped.  The 64-bit version does not have a RAM limit, and interestingly, it actually uses less memory overall for the same saves, which is convenient.

    I don't know of any windowed borderless app that works in macOS, and the function isn't built into Sims 3, or the Mac version of Sims 4 for that matter.  If you do find an outside app that works, please let me know; I'd like to try it too.

    I don't know of any way to hide the game's title bar either, unfortunately.  It's something I've managed to start ignoring though, playing in windowed mod myself, especially if I have the window right up against the system menu bar: I'm used to not really noticing that either unless I want to use it, so they kind of blend together.  I hope the same happens for you.

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