Forum Discussion

sila0908's avatar
sila0908
6 years ago
Solved

How to play Sims 3 in 64 bits ( Mac )

Hi everyone! So I haven't played Sims3 in a while (yes I am a Sims3 fan bc 3 is better than 4 change my mind you cant). So I bought a new computer which is macbook pro 16" and apparently it only work...
mac
technical issues
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    6 years ago

    @sila0908  There is currently no 64-bit version of Sims 3, and no way to play it in Catalina.  EA has announced a 64-bit-compatible version of the game in macOS, to be released some time this year (hopefully).  But we haven't had any updates on when that might arrive.

    https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/An-announcement-for-The-Sims-3-players-on-Mac/td-p/8271641

    In the interim, your only options are to play on another computer, to install Windows on your Mac via Bootcamp or Parallels, or to install macOS Mojave an an external hard drive and boot into that when you wanted to play.  For the last option, you'd need at least temporary access to a Mac running Mojave or earlier; for Parallels or especially Bootcamp, you'd need enough space on your hard drive for Windows and Sims 3 while also leaving plenty for everything you do in macOS.  Let me know if you want more information about any of these options.

puzzlezaddict's avatar
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
6 years ago

@sila0908  I'm not sure what the issue is?  Maybe I'm just not seeing it.  If the UI is too small, then lower the in-game resolution; make sure you're using a resolution supported by your screen.  (If one isn't available, you can manually edit options.ini to set the values you want.)  If it's something else, sorry, but I'm going to need another hint.

By the way, it's a good idea to manually limit your in-game framerates.  Sims 3's fps limiter doesn't work, and your graphics card is powerful enough to generate fps well into the hundreds.  You can see your framerates by bringing up the cheats console (crtl-shift-C) and entering "fps on" without quotes.  A number will appear in the upper right corner, and it should never go above 60, the refresh rate of your monitor.  ("fps off" makes the number go away.)

Since you have an AMD card, the easiest way to limit fps is with RivaTuner Statistics Server (free downlaod).  Create a profile for TS3.exe (unless you're using Steam or discs, in which case it's TS3W.exe) and manually set the fps limit to 60.  Don't close out RTSS when you're done, just minimize it to the tray—unlike most other tools, it does need to be running while you play.

sila0908's avatar
sila0908
6 years ago
@puzzlezaddict Stuff like needs bar, options, etc... like those blue stuff appear soo small and yes I guess they are called UI. Everyone told me to change the UI scale just like you did. I opened that notespad in options section from the EA file, and it turns out that there is no such thing as an UIscale for me to change! I'm pretty sure about that I checked it like 100 times. So do you have any other idea how to fix it?
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    6 years ago

    @sila0908  I didn't mean that you should adjust the size of the UI alone—as far as I know, there's no way to do it even with a mod.  There are two options here.  One is you could play in fullscreen mode, at an overall resolution that's high enough to look good but low enough to make the UI usable.  Just make sure to choose a resolution that's supported by your monitor.  That's what I meant when I said you could edit options.ini: you can change the values manually if the game settings don't offer what you want.  But if you use an in-game resolution that your screen doesn't support, you might see choppiness and delays in rendering.

    The other option is to play in windowed mode and use Windowed Borderless Gaming (or another similar tool if you have one in mind).  You'd get the fullscreen size with the functionality of windowed mode, and the game should fill the screen even if you're playing at a lower resolution.  I've never used it myself, but I hear good things from other Sims 3 people.

About The Sims 3 Technical Issues

Get help with issues in The Sims 3 from fellow Simmers.83,278 PostsLatest Activity: 42 minutes ago