To get or not to get MODs

I use Error Trap and Overwatch to clean up the game and it really helps. I also have a traffic control. With all my CC, it really helps. My game is laggy, but not near as bad as it was.

There is a thread on how to fix IP lag without mods http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/811253/removing-ip-lag/p1

I did not use Mods until I added pets. I needed mods to help stop the spawing of pets even though I had pets checked off in the launcher not to spawn. I am a newbee to Mods however many use them to fix allot of game issues. If you want mod help ask user @igazor if there are things you want to fix in your game or add mods for extra gameplay

NRaas mods that help with performance overall: Overwatch, ErrorTrap, Register, Traffic, to an extent GoHere, Traveler (if you ever travel your sims), MasterController for an occasional MC Reset of the actively being played world. The others for the most part add or extend elements of gameplay.

But yes, a fixed up version of Isla Paradiso is required with or without the mods to be playable for most. The world is too design-flawed "out of the box" to be played as is.

Here is how to get started with package based content like mods, in case that information is needed.
http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:Installing_Sims_3_Package_Files/Setup_and_Files

I had to have my game very heavily Modded with 113 Nraas Mod files and over 600 other Mods including awsomemod to fix school overcrowding and routing issues.I added that one because I found the automated attendance without having to enroll first was too glitchy and actually game-breaking in larger worlds.

Mod free for the 3 years I’ve been playing Sims 3, never had any problems that I would even consider mods necessary for..but that is just me I realize mods are necessary for some to get their game to even function.

I’ve never experienced the mythical EA glitchfest...

If not for mods, I would have not continued to play TS3. I played mod free for a long time and then my saves would get buggy and unplayable after a while. They would lag, freeze and I would have to abandon them after so long. Then I looked into Nraas mods and put those in and things ran much more smoothly. I think that was back in 2011. Then I added more and more mods, but Nraas ones were the first I put in because I was having performance issues and those fixed my problem. I could never play without them.

@dothesmustle , The worse that’s happened with my laptop is the occasional error 12 which is confuddling as I have boatloads of memory but it’s not that often since I cleared out my library of doubles/triples of Sims, Houses and Community Lots. I have a very pricy gaming laptop and Sims 3 typically runs fantabulous, haven’t had lag since I stopped playing on my old laptop. I only visited IP a few times to kidnap Sims but I’d like to play it sometime to see how horrible it really is. i own about 3/4ths of the store and have billions of patterns (I create them) but still no lag.

I fully appreciate that there are mods available for players who need/want them to enhance their play but for me at this point I just decline. ;)

The NRaas mods that @igazor recommended for taking care of glitches are very important, although of those I only use Overwatch, Register and Traveler. I would not play Sims 3 without those.

Also must haves for me are Mastercontroller and its add-on mods and Tagger. They make my job as the "sim god" so much easier.

Another important NRaas mod is StoryProgression and its add-on mods. It determines the composition of your town and controls the "stories" that the townies operate under. It is complicated setting up and can cause lag on under-powered systems so I would try the other mods first.

@dothesmustle -I would've rather done with fewer Mods if I could've though I used to play Mod free at first while my saves kept breaking and getting corrupted or becoming playable glitchy messes.

I can't play without mods.