What do I need to know about Sims 3?

Hello and welcome to TS3.

Your best bet is to head over to the tech section and ask about Mac usage there. It is possible.

You also need to sort out how you are going to play the game.

Most people use Origin and version 1.69.

However you can play using disks and version 1.67. Or use Steam to do this digitally. You might want to ask the tech section about hybrid disks, most will play Mac, but not all.

If you go to NRaas there is a list of recommended mods. There is also advice on setting up mods and cc files which you might find useful.

I don't know if you are aware there is a TS3 store which sells DLC. To use this you will need simpoints which can be purchased via Origin. There are regular sales and daily deals.

The best advice is to save regularly during play and save as a different version at the end of each gaming session. This will help if you encounter the dreaded Error 12 message.

We all have our favourite packs. Mine are Supernatural, Seasons, University. Pets is a popular choice and includes a much wider selection of animals than TS4. Late Night and Showtime are similar in theme so it is down to personal preference. Generations is what it says on the packet and Ambitions gives you extra careers. Your best bet is to watch some of the Let's Plays on YouTube to give you a better idea of each pack. The two packs to be wary of are World Adventures and Island Paradise. There is plenty on both in the forum including workarounds for the glitches.

If you enjoy building and fancy building your own world there is a tool to do this called CAW. Be careful to pick the right version depending on which version of the game you are playing. There are lots of building tutorials here on the forum to help you.

I hope it doesn't take long to set up your Mac. Please let us know how you get on and of course there are plenty of people here who can help with just about any query.

It's an incredibly fun and engaging iteration of the game that will take over your life and ruin it completely. I was a young man with a full head of hair and no signs of acid reflux whatsoever when I started playing this game and now I'm a complete mess (granted all that would have happened anyway, but still worth mentioning...). It should be avoided at all costs. >:) :p

Okay, just kidding. Mostly.

It's usually best to start with the base game and add the EPs and maybe TS3 store content in very gradually (and then consider CC and mods) to best appreciate what each one does and how these things impact gameplay. If you love to design stuff, even really talking about sims, lots, and arranging things in worlds in-game, one can get totally absorbed doing those things for ages. If you're more interested in actual gameplay, then of course that would be your concentration at least in the beginning.

EA worlds are great to play in at first, but Isla Paradiso is design-flawed and needs fixing up first, Bridgeport has more issues than most of the others.

Patches are cumulative, we don't get to decide which ones we want or don't want. A disc installed game should be patched up to 1.67 (newer discs require Origin and 1.69 now), Steam installs are on 1.67 automatically, Origin digital installs on Windows get 1.69. Both patch levels are the same except for the required Launcher/Origin tie-in on 1.69.

As for mods, I'm rather partial to these over here for some reason. The ones specifically designed to protect and improve performance would be Overwatch, ErrorTrap, Register, Traffic, and to an extent GoHere and Traveler (if world travel of any kind is desired). Then MasterController for player control and its helpful Reset Everything command on City Hall.
(Yes, we know the site is shutting down soon but we will have moved to our new site by October so any warnings that now display can be ignored).

Some of the EPs are very heavy on performance impact. Which model and year Mac do you have, does it have sufficient RAM and processor and a dedicated AMD or Nvidia graphics card?


@Bettyboop55 - The OP will be using Bootcamp and therefore be running the Windows version of the game. The shortcomings of the Mac version and difficulties in getting it installed on current Mac operating systems would not apply in this case.

@igazor I did try to get in right :( If you do have the community bottle of Peptobismol I would like it next please :)

@GasolineCrea be careful of the Pets EP - it can cause problems if not patched right. Isn't there a superpatch somewhere that the player needs? Likewise with the World Adventures EP. But both are so worth it to get.
Also, if you get Ambitions EP (and you definitely want that one), don't try to play Ghost Hunter career in the city of Bridgeport (which comes with the Nightlife EP). The ghosts hide in the walls and you can't get to them. Kind of ruins it.
Anyway, welcome to Sims 3!! You will like it here. :)

Must mention - Save is your friend! Save often!

Not sure where this is coming from, there were some issues with WA and Pets when they were first released but the patches took care of those many years ago. Yes on the SuperPatcher (1.67), but that is for disc installs only. It should never be used on Steam or Origin controlled installs, it will break the game if forced to run on those. Both Steam (1.67) and Origin (1.69) take care of the patching automatically.

@GasolineCrea

I adore the Sims 3 series (as well as loving my recent experiences into the 2 series-) and despite having to overcome some issues playing the series at times and having to ask for techie help and assistance there is nothing like a whole full open world to play in creating anything your heart desires..you only need to look at the I love scenery thread to be awestruck by various player shots of their worlds with or without CC to appreciate the play at your fingertips :)

Better to turn off the wild pets with Nrass Register even though I love getting wild horses, stray pets and fallow deers if you are a pet lover EP as I do.
And this is not a popular advice you will read but if you turn off the story progression that can reduce the lag too.
Nrass Overwatch and Errortrap are both a must have for fixing routine problems and they avoid crashes for nothing.
Apply all incredimental patches not only superpatchers.
Use the Ellacharmed's fix world maps.