should i buy the sims 3?

"MMX;c-17009481" wrote:

"Magdaleena;c-17009470" wrote:
Up to you! I still go back to it sometimes, it was my first sims game.

But yeah, it's very poorly optimized. It really lags, no matter what computer you play it on. It's unfortunate; I liked the features that cause the lag in the first place. Open World and CASt is neat.

Actually, a fresh savefile doesn't lag as much as old ones would. It's playable in the beginning. But once you're a few generations in, your world is toast.

I agree. Even though The Sims 3 provides a wide variety of gameplay features, the framerate is comparable to Max Payne on the PS2. Even after tweaking some data files to force the game to recognize my video card, it hasn't really made a dramatic difference.

Try turning vertical sync on along with triple buffering. This is done through the video card control panel. Then track fps in game to make sure it's capping to your monitors refresh rate. Sims 3 does not have built in vsync like Sims 4 does. This is neccecary to do with S3. It should control frames better vs letting them run wild. Those extra frames are noise not very beneficial for sims.

I say go for it but depending how high graphic and video card cause one of other are require I play the ts3 once while i get bored of the sims 4 due i lack in packs but unsure about the lag i don't get from mine and i got lot cc works fine.

No one has asked what type of computer you have. That matters because Sims 3 is no longer supported on Mac at all, and PC's are heading in the same direction (Sims 3 is a 32 bit game and everyone is moving to 64 bit). So you need to have a backwards compatible OS to even play it.
That said, if you can and want to play it, find it on sale and check it out. It has it's pluses and minuses like they all do. I played for hours every week for years. It's a fun game. But because of it's age, definitely find it on sale.

64-bit OSs totally support 32-bit apps like TS3, btw

"icmnfrsh;c-17009955" wrote:
64-bit OSs totally support 32-bit apps like TS3, btw

Yes, if they are backwards compatible, which Windows currently is. I'm not a Windows user (I only have a partition for Sims 2) but I read some stuff about them upgrading completely here over the next year and dropping 32 bit support.
Macs have had problems with Sims 3 crashing for years because they were 64 bit years ago, and the game being 32 meant that it crashed when it tried to access the extra and couldn't use it. Then after the last OS update, it was no longer backwards compatible, and Sims 3 no longer works.
So, yeah, if you have an older computer (mine is 64 bit and is 6 years old, so pretty plum old for electronics), you can still play Sims 3. But it's only a matter of time. Nvidia already dropped its support over a year ago.
That's why I emphasized to buy it on sale, even if you have a Windows computer.

"SimplyJen;c-17009350" wrote:
Grab the game on a Steam sale if you decide to buy.

This is what I did in November last year. Got TS3 basegame + all the packs (minus the Katy Perry one, of course) at 75% off at a Steam sale. Absolutely worth it.

Its still a great game, I've been playing TS3 instead of 4 lately. There is just so much more to do, the worlds are larger with more land to build on, and there is more variation to building/decorating. TS3 is less restricted.

"Kathykins;c-17010221" wrote:

"SimplyJen;c-17009350" wrote:
Grab the game on a Steam sale if you decide to buy.

This is what I did in November last year. Got TS3 basegame + all the packs (minus the Katy Perry one, of course) at 75% off at a Steam sale. Absolutely worth it.

Its still a great game, I've been playing TS3 instead of 4 lately. There is just so much more to do, the worlds are larger with more land to build on, and there is more variation to building/decorating. TS3 is less restricted.

That's great you were able to grab such a good deal and are enjoying the game. I went the more expensive route and collected any physical copies to replace digital copies. All for patch 1.67 :D

Sims 3 is good make sure you do have nraas mods if you end up playing the sims 3.

Okay so my first thing I would tell you to do is look up reviews and watch gameplay. That’s how I make my decision for all games I buy old and new. It really helps to see actual gameplay in a video.

My personal opinion is similar to others. I think sims 3 is great, but when I try to go back it’s hard. Sims 3 and 4 in my opinion are very different. I personally play way more 4, but it’s the current game and I honestly enjoy it more at the moment. I try to play 3 and I have a hard time. It’s slow, like it takes 10 minutes at least to load a save slow. I also have a very good rig and it doesn’t matter and it plays sims 4 like butter. Still takes forever to load 3, lags and stutters frequently with performance increasing mods. I do have all packs installed though because I can’t not. Yes sims 3 recommends on startup not playing with all expansions at once. It was/is that unstable. So performance wise it gets a huge thumbs down.

It is a great game though and I enjoyed it in its time. I never loved the graphics of the sims themselves. I have CC loaded in for the rare occasion when I do play it because I can’t take the way they look otherwise. The world graphics can be really nice though, i think it can be really beautiful. I prefer the style of sims 4, but that’s just me sims 3 isn’t bad looking just older. It does have a lot of fun content and I think any newer simmer who hasn’t dived in should. I do agree about waiting for a sale. The game will make you feel handicapped and it might not be your cup of tea, like I said very different from 4.

I went ahead and moved this to the Sims 3 section