Sorry if this has been answered before, but I can’t find a post specifically about this. I have The Sims 3 on my early 2011 MacBook Pro. It is installed with a pre 2012 disc and using Patch 1.67. I have not updated past Mavericks so as not to mess up my game. That MacBook has difficulty functioning and seriously needs some more RAM.I have recently purchased a 2017 MacBook Pro. It is thankfully on the list of macs that can run The Sims 3. I have copied my entire Documents folder onto this Mac, including my Sims 3 folder. How do I add my base game and expansion packs to this mac? Most of my expansion packs and stuff packs are on disc. Can a disc be used on more than one computer? Can I install them manually, or does one have to go through Origin? If going through Origin, is there anything that as a mac user I should beware of? The link on Bluebellflora’s blog for Caspinwall and Tremayne’s post about Origin does not work. I am anxious to see how the game will work on the new computer and with Sierra. It should look beautiful. In fact, I am anxious to get back to the game, period; I have not even tried to start it up on the old mac, lately. Alternately, I have been thinking about upgrading the old MacBook and using that as my Bootcamped computer – unless the game somehow goes swimmingly on the new mac with Sierra.

@BluebellFlora Thanks for the downloading, partitioning and touchpad tips. It is amazing all the work you put into your blog and postings.

"StephJ82;c-16406584" wrote:I am really frustrated I have a mac book pro with MacOS High Sierra version 10.13.3 and I have tried Sims 3 everywhere (Origin, MacGameStore and from CD's) and nothing seems to work. Can someone please help me Hi there. First of all, forget trying to do an install or play by way of discs or the MacGameStore. The discs will refuse to authenticate on any Mac OS from El Capitan forward and the game store's version specifically says that it is not compatible with Sierra or High Sierra (probably for similar reasons). Origin is the only method that works, when it does work.The base game only should install that way as long as you don't have remnants of a prior install in place. Some of the EPs will be problematic and require extra steps to get through.https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-packs-not-showing-as-installedDepending on the specs of your Macbook Pro though, the experience you are chasing down might not be a very good one. TS3 for Mac is a crippled version of its Windows sibling and once it actually is installed, can only use 2 GB of RAM no matter how much the player has installed. And some Macs have totally unsupportable processor/graphics card combos that put up more barriers where some players can never even get their games started up. If your system can withstand it and if you can stand having two systems to manage, bootcamping Windows and running the Windows version of the game instead might be a better option. Or finding a different computer to play it on.What are the specs of your Mac -- model name/year, processor, RAM, graphics card from About This Mac off the Apple menu?

Hi there. Couple of things worth pointing out.On current versions of the Mac OS, that would be El Capitan, Sierra, and now High Sierra, the TS3 discs refuse to authenticate. Installing by way of Origin for Mac is the only way. You will also have trouble with a few of the EP/SPs if you have the affected ones as they require some extra steps to get installed properly.https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-packs-not-showing-as-installedAs for how well the game runs, part of that is going to depend on which model MacBook Pro you have (processor, graphics card, RAM). But we're still talking about TS3 for Mac here, with its inherent built in 2 GB RAM usage restriction no matter what kind of hardware or how much total RAM you have. Purging RAM constantly throughout play in an effort to keep the game under that level of usage is still required and, for many players depending on their play style, the EPs and mods they may want to have in use, how far progressed their games become, etc., it can become anywhere from frustrating to futile to work with. If Bootcamping on either Mac is an option, again depending on the hardware we are talking about, the Windows version of the game that ever since Patch 1.17 has not had the 2 GB RAM usage restriction will for many be a much more satisfying experience.

Thank you, @igazor. That answers a number of questions. And thank you for the link. Too bad I don't have a gaming PC. If I should ever be lucky enough to find an affordable one, can I install my Sims 3 discs manually on there, totally bypassing Origin, or will I have to remove them from the Mac first?

Adding Sims 3 to a 2017 MacBook Pro

28 Replies

igazor
8 years ago
"JenniferMiley;c-16350622" wrote:
I purchased a mid 2010 MacBook Pro with 2.4GHz Intel core 2 duo Processor, 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce 320M 256MB graphics recently as my first Mac and I’m coming from playing on windows. I don’t have my disks but my games are registered on origin. I’ve tried to download the base game a couple of times and it would get stuck and not fully install. I know I’m missing something so could someone help me out please?

Which version of OS X are you running?
JenniferMiley
8 years ago
"igazor;c-16350645" wrote:
"JenniferMiley;c-16350622" wrote:
I purchased a mid 2010 MacBook Pro with 2.4GHz Intel core 2 duo Processor, 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 memory, NVIDIA GeForce 320M 256MB graphics recently as my first Mac and I’m coming from playing on windows. I don’t have my disks but my games are registered on origin. I’ve tried to download the base game a couple of times and it would get stuck and not fully install. I know I’m missing something so could someone help me out please?

Which version of OS X are you running?

High Sierra
igazor
8 years ago
"JenniferMiley;c-16350655" wrote:
High Sierra

Okay, usually the issues on Sierra/High Sierra are all about getting four of the EP/SPs to install. But as you're getting stuck on the base game, the best I can do (unless/until someone else comes along) is refer you to Bluebellflora's website and her guides for TS3 for Mac. Perhaps something there about Origin installs might be helpful.
https://bluebellflora.com/the-sims-3-mac-help

But I have to say that the experience you are chasing down, running TS3 for Mac, which is crippled compared to its Windows sibling to begin with, on today's operating system but on 2010 hardware, is not likely to be very promising especially if you've already played the Windows version. :/
StephJ82
8 years ago
I am really frustrated I have a mac book pro with MacOS High Sierra version 10.13.3 and I have tried Sims 3 everywhere (Origin, MacGameStore and from CD's) and nothing seems to work. Can someone please help me
igazor
8 years ago
"StephJ82;c-16406584" wrote:
I am really frustrated I have a mac book pro with MacOS High Sierra version 10.13.3 and I have tried Sims 3 everywhere (Origin, MacGameStore and from CD's) and nothing seems to work. Can someone please help me

Hi there. First of all, forget trying to do an install or play by way of discs or the MacGameStore. The discs will refuse to authenticate on any Mac OS from El Capitan forward and the game store's version specifically says that it is not compatible with Sierra or High Sierra (probably for similar reasons). Origin is the only method that works, when it does work.

The base game only should install that way as long as you don't have remnants of a prior install in place. Some of the EPs will be problematic and require extra steps to get through.
https://bluebellflora.com/sims-3-packs-not-showing-as-installed

Depending on the specs of your Macbook Pro though, the experience you are chasing down might not be a very good one. TS3 for Mac is a crippled version of its Windows sibling and once it actually is installed, can only use 2 GB of RAM no matter how much the player has installed. And some Macs have totally unsupportable processor/graphics card combos that put up more barriers where some players can never even get their games started up. If your system can withstand it and if you can stand having two systems to manage, bootcamping Windows and running the Windows version of the game instead might be a better option. Or finding a different computer to play it on.

What are the specs of your Mac -- model name/year, processor, RAM, graphics card from About This Mac off the Apple menu?
StephJ82
8 years ago
macOS High Sierra version 10,.13.3 13 inch 2016, processor 2 GHz Intel Core i5 Memory 8 GB Graphics Intel Iris Graphics 540 1536 MB, an on Origin I have the game installed it won't let me uninstall, it's not giving me an option in the drop down menu on Sims3
igazor
8 years ago
@StephJ82 - There is a wealth of information about TS3 for Mac on Bluebellflora's blog page. Unfortunately she is no longer supporting TS3 herself, but she is leaving all of that info up for others to use.

How to uninstall: https://bluebellflora.com/how-to-do-a-clean-uninstall-and-reinstall-on-a-mac

I don't think you are going to get very far with that processor and graphics chip. Could be mistaken, but I believe that it might be one of the more problematic if not impossible combos to try and work with. While the bootcamping strategy I mentioned prior may be more workable, on the Windows side those specs are really going to hold the game back from performing well and some of the EPs might be out of the question. Sorry, but I don't think there is a great way to proceed on that one unless you find a guide to the contrary on Bluebellflora's site.
StephJ82
8 years ago
thats ok thank you @igazor I'll just have to try to like Sims4 although it's not as good as no seasons or holidays like in 3

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Adding Sims 3 to a 2017 MacBook Pro

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