can i actually ask what graphics my Mac should be set on? i have not played the Sims 3 in like 10 years and I'm planning on getting a PC next year for gaming but here are my specs...I did upgrade my Mac's processor/graphics when I bought it to the highest available but I don't want to put TS3 on a setting that isn't viable...or maybe the tearing/graphic issues are still being sorted out
@fififoofoo3123 You should, in theory, be able to play on ultra settings. I have the same Mac as you (although not with the upgraded CPU) and play mostly on ultra in Windows. In practice however, water and high-detail lots have always been hard on the game engine, and it's best to turn those down to "mirrors only" and 2, respectively, unless you're taking screenshots. The framerates were also a lot worse in macOS than in Windows, although that should have improved somewhat with the new version.
I haven't had much of a chance to test this particular aspect of performance, but I remember in the previous version of Sims 3, putting tree detail on the highest setting had a startlingly large effect on fps. Perhaps it's something about how the trees wave in the wind, I don't know. Point is, try turning that down a notch and see how your framerates look. That's a good metric for performance, that is if your Mac can cool itself properly and isn't throttling performance.
What settngs you should use will also depend on the packs you have installed, and (if you have Seasons) what the weather is like. Rain, snow, and hail are more demanding than a sunny day; pets are stressful, and long-haired pets and horses especially so. You may need to turn down the graphics to adjust, but you'll need to experiment a bit to find out.
To see your in-game framerates, bring up the cheats console (now cmd-shift-C) and enter "fps on" without quotes. A number will appear in the upper right corner of your screen, and you can use it as a rough comparison.
The screen tearing is real, and difficult to deal with. Try different resolutions in both fullscreen and windowed modes; in fullscreen, be sure to use only resolutions with a 16:10 aspect ratio, the same as your screen. Unlike most of the other settings, you can change these with a save already loaded and not worry about restarting.
If you do settle on your preferred settings, I'd love to know what they are, along with the packs you have installed.
@puzzlezaddict wrote:@fififoofoo3123 You should, in theory, be able to play on ultra settings. I have the same Mac as you (although not with the upgraded CPU) and play mostly on ultra in Windows. In practice however, water and high-detail lots have always been hard on the game engine, and it's best to turn those down to "mirrors only" and 2, respectively, unless you're taking screenshots. The framerates were also a lot worse in macOS than in Windows, although that should have improved somewhat with the new version.
I haven't had much of a chance to test this particular aspect of performance, but I remember in the previous version of Sims 3, putting tree detail on the highest setting had a startlingly large effect on fps. Perhaps it's something about how the trees wave in the wind, I don't know. Point is, try turning that down a notch and see how your framerates look. That's a good metric for performance, that is if your Mac can cool itself properly and isn't throttling performance.
What settngs you should use will also depend on the packs you have installed, and (if you have Seasons) what the weather is like. Rain, snow, and hail are more demanding than a sunny day; pets are stressful, and long-haired pets and horses especially so. You may need to turn down the graphics to adjust, but you'll need to experiment a bit to find out.
To see your in-game framerates, bring up the cheats console (now cmd-shift-C) and enter "fps on" without quotes. A number will appear in the upper right corner of your screen, and you can use it as a rough comparison.
The screen tearing is real, and difficult to deal with. Try different resolutions in both fullscreen and windowed modes; in fullscreen, be sure to use only resolutions with a 16:10 aspect ratio, the same as your screen. Unlike most of the other settings, you can change these with a save already loaded and not worry about restarting.
If you do settle on your preferred settings, I'd love to know what they are, along with the packs you have installed.
thank you so much for this reply! i currently have Sims base game with late nite and loft stuff pack (included with metal) installed. i’m going to install supernatural but i don’t think i’ll ever want seasons/pets, so hopefully that’ll help with frame rate!
edit: i also have a cooling fan under my Mac just for longevity :-)
Have no idea what to do. Haven't played the game properly yet as I can't seem to remove the black borders from the game that are either side of the screen, could someone help? There isn't a fullscreen option so I can't just make it fullscreen either, would appreciate the help.
