Thread for new members to post their Sims 3 game issues (2020-22 version!)

Okay, not sure where to post this but I've been having this issue for a long time and have no clue how to stop it. Also, to preface, it's more of an annoyance than anything else.

When my Sim is going around town they will clap/cheer and produce a thought bubble of any random Sim with a yellow smiling face. Almost as if my Sim is excited to see their best friend but the sims are total strangers.

Why is this happening and how do I stop it?

@LizzyBee That one would definitely work. I was set to link you the Newegg listing for the same monitor, as it was $30 cheaper than on Amazon, but it looks like Amazon found out and dropped its price.

You're probably aware, but just in case, the 21.5" measurement is the diagonal, not the width. As an example, the Asus monitor's dimensions are 19.60" x 14.96". The 23.8" version is 21.28" x 15.89" (or 12.79" without the stand).

https://www.newegg.com/asus-va24ehe-23-8-full-hd/p/1FR-000R-00024?Item=1FR-000R-00024

As far as resolution goes, there are hardly any 21-22" monitors with a higher res than 1920x1080 (FHD). It's when you get to the larger sizes, usually 27" and up, that FHD can start to look grainy, and a higher res monitor would be better. But if you're not looking for that size, FHD would be fine.

@RuthAB - I am afraid that I have to answer in English as this is not a Spanish speaking forum. One solution that solves that problem is a mod from NRaas, but you would have to ask about it on our site as unlike most of the others we offer, we are not allowed to discuss that mod here (hint though, its name begins with a "W").

https://www.nraas.net

Hi there, I am not new to the game but have just bought a new MacBook Pro 16" 2020.

I have bootcamped a Windows 10 Professional and installed the base game to try as using MacOS doesn't not even install. So I managed to install the base game, loaded it up and the User Interface is just too small that it renders almost unplayable. I have already made the game recognise the graphics cards and changed settings in the AMD programme to turn on GPU Scaling but still doesn't work. I am at my wits end because I thought this crazy new graphic card and processor would help load sims. Can anybody help please?

2.3GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor
Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz
AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory
16GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
1TB SSD storage
16-inch Retina display with True Tone

@wongzilla101 Try lowering the in-game resolution in graphics options. Or if the game doesn't give you the setting you want, it's easy enough to edit options.ini instead, in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3. You can find a list of resolutions your monitor supports here:

https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro-16/specs/

If you'd prefer to play in windowed mode, you can use Windowed Borderless Gaming (free download) to get the fullscreen effect.

Nice Mac, by the way.

@wongzilla101 - The problem you are facing there isn't with your graphics card, that and the rest of this hardware should be over the top great for TS3 on Windows with some minor care and tending to in the beginning such as getting fps rates capped. And yes, if your Mac is running Catalina for the macOS, that would explain why it is impossible to install or run the Mac version of the game currently as unlike Windows or the prior macOS iterations, Catalina will only run 64-bit applications. TS3 is 32-bit only. A fix for that has been promised by EA and, as of a few days ago, has been reported to be delayed but still in progress.

Anyway, the problem as described is that the UI for TS3 is not resizable and does not scale down properly. I take it you are talking about the scenario where the sims may look fine but you need a strong magnifying glass or two to actually see the interface? The solution there should be to alter the screen and/or the game's resolution to a less strong one (meaning make everything larger) as on the ultra high ones this is unfortunately bound to happen. It's really more of a programming/design shortcoming than a hardware issue because when the game was designed in 2008-09, no one really envisioned trying to make it run on 4k or higher resolutions.


Edit: Bah, or you could do what @puzzlezaddict said, which is the same thing using about 85% fewer words and today, at least, she seems to be typing faster than I am. :)

Hello all! I have an AMD radeon vega 8 graphics card and am getting an "unrecognized video card" error on the sims 3 when i get in game. if anyone could help i'd appreciate it so much!!

@lalalaain - An AMD Vega 8 is an integrated graphics chip, it is not a dedicated graphics card. Seeking formal recognition for it is I'm afraid not going to do much of anything for the game except perhaps silencing the warning. The warning should only be appearing one time though, does it really return each time you launch the game?

There are limits as to how far we can take TS3 on integrated graphics and some of the heavier EPs (Pets, Seasons, possibly IP, ITF) might be too much for it to handle. Does the game play at all as it now is?

https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/categories/general-discussion
I was sent here by EA Games to fix my sharing memories error. Only the work-related memories will post. They say they're posted but they're not. I've tried turning off and on sharing, clearing the cache, and contacting EA Games. They're the one that said I have an error when sharing. Thank you for your time and help.

@enchantress6274 - Just to clarify, the scrapbook memories are forming properly on your end but they just cannot be shared (posted)? There may not be a solution for that other than repeatedly trying again at different times in much the same way many players have to do when they wish to upload something to the Exchange. EA's servers for things like this have always been unreliable and they haven't really improved much with the passage of time.