The Sims 3 Little Details

"waterywatermelon;c-17784704" wrote:

"Deshong04;c-17784550" wrote:
You know, upon further analysis, I now recall why in TS2 I could never really got into generations despite it was one of the main reasons of wanting the game. I absolutely despised the static nature of Sims. Only the active household would age which means everyone else around them would remain the same. And to micromanage them all was really annoying and just undesirable for me. It was completely unrealistic and I didn't like it at all. Completely lost the immersion of the life simulator part.

Because I could not play the way I wanted, instead I rarely ever played with generations at all and kept aging off and played similar to The Sims (2000) style. TS2 method of generations is like half a step forward and then sideways. I was excited but then that excitement wore off when I kept internally complaining and just quit trying to play with generations altogether.

When TS3 came out...this...this is what I wanted for so long after being teased about generations with TS2. TS3 came along with the reputation and gameplay mechanics to back it up as a REAL LIFE SIMULATOR of it's kind. The whole neighborhood is simulated in real time all the time which is exactly what I wished for back in TS2 early days. I can still switch households if I want and that's amazing because I love as many options as possible to play the way that I want. I enjoy catching up with the other Sims to see how they are doing, though I do tend to have my favorite households. Just wish story progression was so much more than it was in terms of allowing players to choose what it can and cannot do based on individual Sims and households, etc. And of course the A.I. completely impressed me since day 1 and still impresses me 11 years and counting.

But yeah, there are many details in TS3 compared to TS2. Personally, TS3 is my favorite and I honestly doubt there will ever be anything that even comes close to TS3 in comparison. No one seems to care about the life simulator genre that is on par but better than TS3. Oh well.

I feel the same way. The Sims 3 does feel like a real life simulator, while The Sims 2 will only age up Sims who are active in a particular household. Inactive Sims will not age up, period. However, I have the Ultimate Collection, which includes FreeTime EP, and it introduces NPC aging, and that can allow known NPCs to age up and grow up with the child Sim. So, if a child befriends a Townie child, then the 2 children can grow up together and eventually marry and have kids together. What The Sims 2 does really well is really expand on the storytelling capabilities and the lore. You have Family Bios, Sim Bios, Family Albums and the overarching Neighborhood Album, and if you register the game to the Exchange, you could share the Family Albums like picture stories. That's what I miss most from The Sims 2. Your Sims all feel alive and connected to each other through the stories, as if they are living in an open world. Even if you watch The Sims 2 EA-published music videos, you can definitely see how The Sims Team has created the illusion of an "open world" in The Sims 2.

Many objects from The Sims 2 have been recycled and reused in The Sims 3, which I feel is the true masterpiece of franchise.

People who do not like The Sims 3 and are in favor of The Sims 2 may say that (1) The Sims 3 Sims look ugly, and (2) they can't do rotational gameplay like they could in The Sims 2.

Personally, I think The Sims 3 has a different focus. So, instead of micromanaging the Sims as you would in The Sims 2, The Sims 3 has Story Progression and Neighborhood Aging, so you don't have to. You can just allow everything come to life and watch the simulation unfold right before your eyes! Sims can pretty much take care of themselves at this point; they are wholly sufficient beings. So, it's fun to see how they progress autonomously in their own simulated lives.

As for the "ugly Sims" part, I actually like The Sims 3 Sims' appearances. They look pretty nice.

Back in TS2 days, I only had the base game and University for many years and skipped the rest due to financial hardship. I collected a few of the other physical discs many years later like Late Night, Pets, Open for Business and a few stuff packs. I do have TS2 Ultimate Collection but refuse to use Origin anymore so there are a lot of features in TS2 I wouldn't know about. I have played more of The Sims (2000) than I ever have TS2.

The family album was also a favorite of mine that I wished they included in TS3. Personally, I think TS3 also expands on storytelling in ways that are subtle that most don't even see it. I think most look for things which are physical in terms of if it's something they cannot see in the U.I. or is a known feature then it doesn't exist. Though playing TS3 for so many hours with high free-will and mostly observing has lead to many hidden discoveries about the Sims themselves and how they interact with me, the player (yes, they can break the 4th wall more than just looking at camera and actually attempt communicating what they want me to do and how to guide them/very much the A.I. is self-aware), other Sims and the world around them.

I usually play by switching households whenever I feel like it. During each session I spend with various Sims and households, the more I learn how their stories interconnect. There are often all kinds of small and big dramas going on that most probably are not even aware of. It depends on whether if they are good at reading people and know a bit about the psychology of why people do what they do to see all the complex human-like behaviors. Also, being observant you see all kinds of things not officially stated as features such as unrequited love. In my game, I usually let the Sims create their own stories, their own dramas. This is a huge part of not getting bored with TS3 because there is literally always something new. This game is always dynamic and never static...just like the A.I. designer mentioned and I can clearly see it in my gameplay all the time. By the way, I do not play with story progression, just aging on.

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Yeah, everyone has their own preference for aesthetic. Personally, I don't mind the way TS3 Sims look either though I do use custom content to give a more realistic appearance. Also, the claim the Sims look all the same is false and is based on the player's creativity and/or conscious or subconscious idea of beauty. Meaning, that some don't even realize that they are always creating Sims to look the same of their own accord without realizing the underlying issue despite wanting to create different looking Sims. Or so that is what I observed.

And of course as already mentioned, the generated Sims do all look the same despite different physiques, hair/eye colors, skin tones, etc. I'm not sure why generated Role, Homeless and Service Sims genetics are not randomized to create unique looks. I don't know but I think it might have something to do with putting more stress on the CPU with how many seems to get generated. So it might have to do with performance reasons.

All three of these Sims I created with no custom anything and then switched them over to my modded game.

https://i.postimg.cc/PxBkgtVT/Natural.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/d3tXSgHh/Screenshot-67.jpg

Here are some more without any custom content.