The "Is there a mod/CC for this?" thread
I was going to ask two specific questions, but I thought it would be useful to have a general thread for sims 3 players asking if there a mod that does a specific thing, or a specific kind of cc. ...
Forum Discussion
@StruggleBug - Hi there. TS3 Steam player here. :)
The good news is that there are no mods, CC, or custom scripted objects that work any differently on Steam installs than any other. Steam delivers Patch 1.67, Origin delivers 1.69 (or 1.70 for 64-bit Mac). Retail disc installs can be patched up to 1.67 with no Origin involvement. The game files for the three patch levels and the different install types are identical except for their internal build numbers, so we are all playing exactly the same game.
Core Mods do test for internal build numbers though, so a Core Mod intended for a different patch level/install type than the one in play might kick up a core version mismatch warning on startup that can (usually) be clicked through with no problems. The good news is that there are only seven Core Mods in popular usage, the other bazillion mods out there for TS3 are Script Mods, Scripted Objects, or Tuning Mods, which don't care at all about build numbers. A list of those Core Mods can be found on this page, scroll down a bit to see it.
There are some game utilities, these tools are executable programs running outside of the game and are not mods, that will not work on Steam installs. Popular examples include EasyCASP Editor and SaveCleaner (version 1 works, but not versions 2.x). There are other popular tools like S3PE and Dashboard that run fine on all of the install types.
A - Of course I am partial to NRaas mods since I am here from NRaas, but they are wildly popular regardless. The ones in particular that are designed to enhance and preserve game performance are Overwatch, ErrorTrap, Register, Traffic, Traveler (if any form of world travel is to be used), to an extent GoHere, and MasterController (in particular for its Reset Everything command that can be run from the Town Menu on City Hall).
http://www.nraas.net/community/TIPS-FOR-BETTER-GAME-PERFORMANCE
Some players are very attached to AwesomeMod, one of the Core Mods mentioned above and essentially our "friendly competetior," for how well it helps their games perform.
There is also now a widely popular Smooth Patch mod, this is pretty new, that many players are reporting great success with and that can be used in conjunction with NRaas and, as far as I know, all other mods.
B - There may be some mods out there of interest in this regard, but TS3 isn't really set up to handle trans or non-binary sims. It's kind of a victim of the decade in which it was originally designed. NRaas MasterController can be used to help relax the gender-based clothing filters and there's lots of CC out there for cross-gender usage, but there is of course more to gender identity than the clothes one wears.
C - No Sims games are set up to handle differently-abled sims very well. There's a fair amount of CC out there though for decor (like non-functional wheelchairs), and many of us have things like hearing aids and eye patches in our games. I have a couple of mods myself that emulate scoliosis by way of imposing elder and other walking styles and canes on younger than elder sims (with only varying degrees of success) and custom CAS sliders that can provide for less than perfectly symmetrical looking bodies. But other than perhaps taking a bit longer to get around in the case of the different walk styles, these are all mostly cosmetic changes and the sims and those around them have no awareness of being differently-abled.
The good news is that there are no mods, CC, or custom scripted objects that work any differently on Steam installs than any other. Steam delivers Patch 1.67, Origin delivers 1.69 (or 1.70 for 64-bit Mac). Retail disc installs can be patched up to 1.67 with no Origin involvement. The game files for the three patch levels and the different install types are identical except for their internal build numbers, so we are all playing exactly the same game.
Core Mods do test for internal build numbers though, so a Core Mod intended for a different patch level/install type than the one in play might kick up a core version mismatch warning on startup that can (usually) be clicked through with no problems. The good news is that there are only seven Core Mods in popular usage, the other bazillion mods out there for TS3 are Script Mods, Scripted Objects, or Tuning Mods, which don't care at all about build numbers. A list of those Core Mods can be found on this page, scroll down a bit to see it.
There are some game utilities, these tools are executable programs running outside of the game and are not mods, that will not work on Steam installs. Popular examples include EasyCASP Editor and SaveCleaner (version 1 works, but not versions 2.x). There are other popular tools like S3PE and Dashboard that run fine on all of the install types.
A - Of course I am partial to NRaas mods since I am here from NRaas, but they are wildly popular regardless. The ones in particular that are designed to enhance and preserve game performance are Overwatch, ErrorTrap, Register, Traffic, Traveler (if any form of world travel is to be used), to an extent GoHere, and MasterController (in particular for its Reset Everything command that can be run from the Town Menu on City Hall).
http://www.nraas.net/community/TIPS-FOR-BETTER-GAME-PERFORMANCE
Some players are very attached to AwesomeMod, one of the Core Mods mentioned above and essentially our "friendly competetior," for how well it helps their games perform.
There is also now a widely popular Smooth Patch mod, this is pretty new, that many players are reporting great success with and that can be used in conjunction with NRaas and, as far as I know, all other mods.
B - There may be some mods out there of interest in this regard, but TS3 isn't really set up to handle trans or non-binary sims. It's kind of a victim of the decade in which it was originally designed. NRaas MasterController can be used to help relax the gender-based clothing filters and there's lots of CC out there for cross-gender usage, but there is of course more to gender identity than the clothes one wears.
C - No Sims games are set up to handle differently-abled sims very well. There's a fair amount of CC out there though for decor (like non-functional wheelchairs), and many of us have things like hearing aids and eye patches in our games. I have a couple of mods myself that emulate scoliosis by way of imposing elder and other walking styles and canes on younger than elder sims (with only varying degrees of success) and custom CAS sliders that can provide for less than perfectly symmetrical looking bodies. But other than perhaps taking a bit longer to get around in the case of the different walk styles, these are all mostly cosmetic changes and the sims and those around them have no awareness of being differently-abled.
