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Mad Poster
#26 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 3:38 PM Last edited by igazor : 6th Oct 2017 at 11:25 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by Goldenbtrfly
@igazor
I loved reading your post, and thank you for making it! I want you to know that I didn't say. "I don't know what an NRaas is". I said, "I don't know what an NRaas Returner is." VERY big distinction in being a snotty twit and just being a person new to mods who doesn't know what something is.

Yes, I know that's what you said. This is a game forum. We tend to exaggerate and twist things around at least a little bit just in the course of everyday conversation, usually just for fun but it's also how we communicate. I must have mentioned this at least a billion times here already.

Just to answer the question for when you are ready to expand your horizons a bit (even if you don't want the mod, that's fine too), it's Retuner and not Returner. It's purpose is to help tune the game in ways that can also be done with standalone Tuning Mods, only with more flexibility and without the overhead of having to add many such Tuning Mods in separately. It's not what I would recommend as the place to start with NRaas necessarily though, all of this comes in good time for those who need it.
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#27 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 3:50 PM Last edited by Ghost sdoj : 6th Oct 2017 at 4:01 PM.
Random zombies: They are NOT zombies! They are were-rabbits that look like zombies. They go back to being your neighbors when the sun comes up. (Which means that practicing your newly discovered Fire Blast on them is a great way to make enemies.) But yes, there are numerous ways to protect your garden, even if putting it behind a locked gate doesn't suit the aesthetic of the lot. Even a Moodlet Manager can cure them. (Although you might need to zap them a couple of times.) There are also potions and spells that cure them and send them away, and you can often distract them with a mood light from the Party menu, or even by pulling out a WA camera and asking them to pose for a picture which you then don't take. I've even had them leave by talking to another (non-zombie) guest and asking everyone to leave.


Installing CC: If it's in a Sims 3 Pack, put it in Downloads and start the Launcher. Or just Double-click it. Or, if it's not a world, pattern, or counter, convert it to a Package file. If it's a Package file, copy it and paste it into your Mods/Packages folder. (or a subfolder in Packages) Yes, you do need to set up the Mods folder first, but that is as simple as downloading the Framework Setup from the Blue "Download" link in the center of this page http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title...Setup_and_Files and extracting the contents to your Documents/Sims 3 folder. If it's a sim, it is either in a Sims 3 pack, which you handle like any other sims 3 pack, or it's a Sim file that gets copied into Saved Sims. The big hurdle is learning where things go. Which was also a hurdle in switching from Sims 1 to Sims 2.

If the random person calling for a date is a good friend, is not calling from work, and doesn't have a moodlet like "Hungry" or "Tired" they are less likely to cancel. (Admittedly, the moodlets are hard to check up on. ) If it's a random stranger, give your sims the same degree of caution that you would have in real life if a random stranger is calling you for a date. Or even someone you only know online.

My Sims 3 game loads more quickly than Sims 2. Of course, my Sims 3 game has about a quarter of the amount of CC that my Sims 2 game does, and I have the Complete Edition of Sims 2, so I'm not missing half of the EPs there. Are you sure you don't have some Sims 2 packages in your Sims 3 game? They don't show up, but they do slow it down. And, as has been mentioned before, you only have one load unless you send your sim on vacation. There is no loading time for crossing the street.

Yes, if you switch houses you can have the other sims still carrying on with their lives. This can be solved by turning Story Progression off, and by using Master Controller with the Cheats module to give them back the days that you spent in the other lot (And by making sure that you always leave enough time to get back before someone ages up.) Or just turn aging off. Or you can use NRAAS Story Progression, adjust it so that there will be no job changes, marriages, break-ups, etc. while you are away, and then activate TS2 style aging. If you use NRAAS Master Controller and have the Dreamcatcher mod, they won't even lose their wishes. (Be careful, losing promised wishes is a way to keep the saved game from getting so big that it explodes.) EDIT: There are multiple ways to change households with Master Controller. Some keep wishes, and some don't. Read the documentation for which is which.

Sims performing weird actions that are a turn-off is a subjective matter, but there are mods to nerf most of the really egregious ones, and even some mods to nerf ones that I think are cute. And it's not limited to Sims 3. Give a pair of playful, shy sims in Sims 2 a handheld game and an MP3 player and send them on a date... The date timer is likely to run down before they even get to say hello to each other. (Especially if you also have a remote control car in the room. )

I'm missing half of the EPs for Sims 3, including Pets and Seasons, but getting hot when wearing clothing that can also be outerwear when it's not cold outside, catching fire from woohoo in the hot tub, making sure the cat was in a good mood to go to her job, freezing to death from being in the attic in winter, starting to cook and then wandering off to let their recipe burn down the kitchen while they dance in front of the fire and prevent the firefighter from getting near it, and several other annoyances were all in Sims 2. They aren't needier, but the needs are different. (But you don't lose anything if you cancel a promised wish. They just don't get the Lifetime Happiness points they would have gotten if you had completed it. And there is a small possibility that they may eventually learn to stop asking for it.)

It's just as easy to "fridge shop" in Sims 3 as it was in Sims 2, unless you get a mod that nerfs that so you need to actually have cheese in the fridge or inventory before you start cooking mac and cheese. (which can be a wise precaution. It's a very simple way to nerf cooking of recipes that you don't want them fixing. A family with a vegetarian sim doesn't need to be cooking tri-tip steak for a family meal.)

Limited lots: Sims 2 limits your lots to what would fit along the roads you were using. If you really have more than 200 lots (that are bigger than 20x30) in your Sims 2 game, I would like to know which map you are using. In Sims 3 you can drop a lot anywhere that has enough room for it. Of course, using the in-game world editor does break routing, but EA has broken routing in a lot of their worlds anyway. If you don't want to (or can't) use CAW, and you really, desperately want another lot in your world, you can add it. (Although I would keep a copy of a save from just before you did that, in case you decide that the new routing lag is too much to deal with. The only way to undo adding a lot to repair the routing that I know of is to restore the backup.

It IS harder to make a new world in Sims 3 than in Sims 2, although it's also less likely that you will get distracted by playing Sim City and forget that you were actually planning to work on the map.

I am Ghost. My husband is sidneydoj. I post, he downloads, and I wanted to keep my post count.
Group for Avatar Makers* Funny Stories *2017 Yearbook
Department of Post-Mortem Communications
#28 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 4:22 PM
Before I modded the zombies out I had a simple solution that was also quite entertaining at times: every full moon I packed the whole family and had them spend the night in the "hotel"; in Moonlight Falls I had a Nectary, for example, with enough beds and furnished such that a whole family could spend days there if they wanted.
Zombies spawn wherever your active Sims are. So while they destroyed the nectary garden (it mends itself on community lots anyway) my garden at home remained untouched and I could always make a story out of that. It was actually quite fun and sometimes I miss the pre-full moon panic and the ensuing peace at the fireplace while hell breaks loose outside.

In Isla Paradiso they could spend the night at the resort, in Lucky Palms there is an abandoned resort that can easily be converted into a community lot. The possibilities are nearly endless, and if these don't satisfy you, well,then there are still the mods.
Mad Poster
#29 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 4:24 PM
There is nothing in the entire world that could make me remove the No Zombies mod from my game.

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Top Secret Researcher
#31 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 5:27 PM Last edited by SusannaG : 6th Oct 2017 at 5:40 PM.
1. Garden fences.
2. Depends on format. Some is as easy to install as Sims 2 CC.
3. ?
4. If you're a CC pack rat (I stand guilty), it's going to take a while to load any Sims game. And in both 2 and 3, there are options to pare the time down.
5. Yes, this bugs me as well. However, you can start another family. But no, my control freak tendencies are better suited to Sims 2. (Which is why I play both.)
6. ?
7. Sims 3 sims are nowhere near as hard to take care of as Sims 2 sims. Even the pregnant ones.
8. This has never bugged me (actually, I like it), but I believe there are mods for this.
9. "Edit town" is your friend. You can add new lots with it, among other things.
Top Secret Researcher
#32 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 5:30 PM
igazor, you got me! Haha, I butchered the name right good, I did! Thank you though, and I think I may step deeper into the world of Sims 3 mods sooner than I anticipated. You guys have done some awesome stuff.
Forum Resident
#33 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 8:12 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Goldenbtrfly
igazor, you got me! Haha, I butchered the name right good, I did! Thank you though, and I think I may step deeper into the world of Sims 3 mods sooner than I anticipated. You guys have done some awesome stuff.


I enjoy Sims 3 a lot, with the help of some great mods and store content. There are some helpful things you can do to make your game load faster, and they aren't too hard to do (I am an intermediate noob - I can figure out most programs, but I am not an absolute authority). Sim3pe is a great program you can use to merge package files in your mods folder (my mods folder only likes so many files, but works great otherwise), Sim3pack cleaner will help you get rid of corrupt content in houses and sims, and Delphy's dashboard for sims 3 is a must.

Please post questions - your Sims 3 experience can be really fun, but it can be frustrating when you are navigating pretty content that may end up being worse for your game. There are also great content creators whose content may be difficult to find because they are inactive. I am one of many who can assist with that as well.

One of my favorite things about Sims 3 is the ability to create palettes and download patterns in the game. Being able to make game content less wonky looking is a plus.

I hope you have fun with the game
Mad Poster
#34 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 8:23 PM
Let me take a jab at this.

1.) Random zombies showing up to run EVERY &$*%(#* PLANT!
True, but TS2 has stalkers, omnipresent witches, the Clairvoyant Charlatan or whatever, and that old hag who gets really angry at everything. TS2 is the undisputed king of annoying and unnecessary NPCs.

2.) How hard it is to install cc.
You unzip a file into a folder. Look at me, I'm a computer fuckin' scientist!

3.) Every random date cancelling.
Mine always show up. Maybe work on that charisma.

4.) How long it takes to load.
Short enough, considering the sheer amount of shit this game has to load.

5.) You can't play multiple neighborhoods or houses without switching them and losing whatever.
Sure you can, you can have multiple saves...unlike TS2.

6.) How many actions your sims perform that make them a turn off.
Maybe work on the charisma some more. Work out more. Eat healthier.

7.) How much more needy they are (they get hot in certain clothes, etc.)
It's a life simulator, not a life simulator but only when it's fun and convenient.

8.) How you have to buy individual ingredients.
I've never had to. They just charge you extra.

9.) How there were a limited number of lots.

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Mad Poster
#35 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 9:09 PM
So many answers and it will be interesting to see if the original poster ever gets back to this or not?
Mad Poster
#36 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 9:14 PM
(S)he probably won't. Like with so many other things, the only way to learn to love TS3 is to get there yourself. All we can do is provide information that may potentially excite OP about TS3. When I see someone talking about TS3 on reddit, I usually can't help but write them a short essay about it and a bunch of times, it's resulted in them getting hooked on the game again.

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Mad Poster
#37 Old 6th Oct 2017 at 10:02 PM
For me, I just had to get soooooooooooooooooo bored with 4 to go back to 3. Was just working on a house on a sloped lot. I love building in 3 and the less cartoonish look of the game. I loved 3 the day it came out and still do. And getting to see all in 4 seasons makes it all even better. And having a gap in playing it makes it like playing new again in some ways. I have forgotten a lot and am having fun rediscovering how much it has. I even want to redo all the tombs, and, and, and.....
Theorist
#38 Old 7th Oct 2017 at 1:00 AM
I've mentioned this before but as long as we're reminiscing, I played TS1 then TS2 and loved them both. Only PC game I really ever got in to. But I got TS3 right away, maybe a week or two after it came out. Man did it have issues! Lots of stuff was borked out of the gate, so as soon as AwesomeMod was ready to go, I used it and it made the game better! Also used Indy Stone and Super Computer (precursers to NRASS MC and SP) but over time switched over entirely to NRASS mods because there is so much customization possible.

Also, I was no stranger to mods because I'VE NEVER PLAYED A SIMS GAME I DIDN'T MOD. Not yelling, just emphasizing! I hated the vampires and witches and other creatures that made my simming experience in TS2 miserable every time they went shopping! So luckily Pescado had lots and lots of useful mods for TS2 that I used to get rid of annoyances in that game. I used mods for TS1 too, but don't really remember what kind now. But I've never looked back once I switched to TS3, in spite of the disaster it was on launch. There was always something about it - open world probably had a lot to do with it, with the sims in town going about their business simulating their own lives, like Igazor said. Just the other day I was playing and something happened; could not even tell you what it was, but I remember thinking, "God I love this game!". This, after how many years? Pretty incredible, actually.

But yeah, also heavily modded. No zombies in my game at all, along with a lot of other things that annoy me like aliens kidnapping my sims against my will (I AM THEIR GOD, TO YOU HEAR ME EA?!?). Oh I know I'm an unusual case since I don't like the supernatural stuff (and never have in any of the games!), but the point is that nearly everything can be customized in TS3 and that alone makes it superior to all the other games for me. TS2 has come a long way in that regard with all the CC that's out there now but personally I can't be bothered to re-learn how to use it all now.

But if someone is not into the creative aspects of building or town management or open world, and just want to play dramatic sims who they have complete control over (especially TS2) and are clownish in behavior (especially TS4), then one of those games is no doubt the better choice for those preferences IMO.

¢¾ Receptacle Refugee ¢¾ ~ Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket!? ~
Laura's Legacy
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retired moderator
#40 Old 7th Oct 2017 at 2:03 AM
@Kaiko Espurr Mikkusu Please put your pictures behind a spoiler. I hailed you before, but apparently I didn't copy paste all of your name-so my bad sorry.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Forum Resident
#41 Old 7th Oct 2017 at 2:58 AM
As someone who played The Sims on console. PC gaming was something new to me, so when I saw the The Sims 3 I remember having fun with the first Sims game on console and thought what the heck!! The description on the back of the box looked interesting. Mind you, this is before I knew the Sims could actually grow up, or I knew about open world, and genetics etc. So I bought it.. And I was floored. Omigod my baby just turned into a toddler.. That was a thing? Then it turned into a child and so forth. I was hooked. What made me get into actually modding it was, I saw someone's sim game and characters on Deviant Art. I was like WHOAH!!!! how did you make your sims look so realistic and better looking? They gave me two links, one to the Inseminator and the other Mod the sims. I asked questions, followed directions, and have been a Sims 3 player and custom content hoarder ever since. The creativity in this game is way above all other Sims game in my humble opinion, and it's beautiful. Plus this community is amazing!! The creativity that comes out of this community is awe inspiring. So although the glitches, Error 12, and corrupted Save files have driven me insane a few times, it's still my favorite hobby and pastime.
Scholar
#42 Old 8th Oct 2017 at 1:41 AM
To be fair, several of these points in the lists are things most of us probably never experience/notice anymore because we always use mods or are used to it. The loading time is long for most TS3 players I suspect. Especially compared to most other games (and TS2/TS4). I also hate the plant zombies (even just for them being plant zombies). Then there are things in vanilla TS3 that are annoying to the point of being almost useless (dates, parties, opening times for clubs etc).

It is telling that @nitromon lists his TS3 loading times as if they are somehow ok 2.5 - 5 minutes is a lot of time to load a game. Even Minecraft with 150+ mods doesn't take me 5 minutes to load (and this game is known for long loading times when modded).

But on the other hand, the OP also seems to expect TS2 with an open world and CASt and the rest staying the exactly same. He/she maybe needs some time to adjust to the differences.
Mad Poster
#44 Old 8th Oct 2017 at 2:34 AM
You mean the 1989 version? I had no problems waiting five minutes for Tetris Classic to startup. The story progression mods really added to the save file bloat back then. At least we didn't have routing issues with that game because, well, that would just be silly.
Site Helper
#45 Old 8th Oct 2017 at 4:42 AM
But in Sims 2, you buy "groceries" which adds food points to your fridge. Then you use up food points when you cook. (Unless you have Seasons, and can stock the fridge with fresh fruits and veggies from the garden or fresh fish to supplement your food points.)

In Sims 3, you can go to the store, buy food for the fridge, and still end up having to fridge shop because you have the wrong ingredients. It annoyed me at first, too.

(Then I found a no fridge shopping mod and realized that this plus a box next to the fridge for ingredients to food I only want them making single servings of is actually quite handy. )

I am Ghost. My husband is sidneydoj. I post, he downloads, and I wanted to keep my post count.
Group for Avatar Makers* Funny Stories *2017 Yearbook
Department of Post-Mortem Communications
#46 Old 8th Oct 2017 at 10:17 AM
Quote: Originally posted by mithrak_nl
(...)
It is telling that @nitromon lists his TS3 loading times as if they are somehow ok 2.5 - 5 minutes is a lot of time to load a game. Even Minecraft with 150+ mods doesn't take me 5 minutes to load (and this game is known for long loading times when modded).
(...)
My TS1 game took much longer to load, and both computers back then were above the recommended specs. I could do the dishes and make a sandwich during the time it took for travelling to Magic Town. Long initial loading times are sort of something I expect to happen in The Sims, and I was actually surprised that with TS3 I couldn't finish the sandwich, let alone the dishes, anymore. :looks at current pile:
At the time I got Sims 3 I also still played the Witcher. Loading times for each location was much more annoying than the minutes I spent waiting for my Sims save to be ready.
Test Subject
#47 Old 8th Oct 2017 at 10:25 AM
Quote: Originally posted by mortschool1
9.) How there were a limited number of lots.


There were?
Mad Poster
#48 Old 8th Oct 2017 at 10:26 AM
Quote: Originally posted by SharksAreCool
There were?

Nope.⁣⁣⁣

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( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Lab Assistant
#49 Old 8th Oct 2017 at 10:34 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Ghost sdoj
But in Sims 2, you buy "groceries" which adds food points to your fridge. Then you use up food points when you cook. (Unless you have Seasons, and can stock the fridge with fresh fruits and veggies from the garden or fresh fish to supplement your food points.)

In Sims 3, you can go to the store, buy food for the fridge, and still end up having to fridge shop because you have the wrong ingredients. It annoyed me at first, too.

Sure, but it does not prevent you from cooking, since the shopping from the fridge is automatic and immediate. In Sims 2, you had to order it and wait for it to arrive, which was much more of a nuisance and could even have consequences for sims that had been starving for some time. So you may not have had to "buy individual ingredients" in Sims 2, but it was much more of a hindrance.

With the automatic fridge shopping in Sims 3, I seldom bother going to the grocery store. The ingredients cost money regardless of whether you buy them from the store or from the fridge, but it saves time not having to go to the town every time you need to cook.
Lab Assistant
#50 Old 8th Oct 2017 at 11:04 AM
When I got sims2 I thought that if I left my household unpaused they would continue living without me playing them. So for me, sims3's open world is super important, the single thing that means I will never buy sims4 and probably won't go back to sims2, even though I loved the game.

The fridge shopping in sims3 is super important for people like me who didn't realise in sims2 that the fridge could run out of food. I don't remember where I found the mod that allowed fridge shopping for sims2, but I do remember that it was one of the first mods I got. In fact, I think most of the mods I got for sims2 were pretty much included as features in sims 3.

Don't get me wrong, I have a LOT of complaints about sims3. But you'll pry the game from my cold, dead hands before I give it up.

Now if anyone is interested, I have the complete collection of the sims2, all eps & sps, as well as the PRIMA guide, and the base game is one of the xmas specials ones. Make me an offer ($AUD, plus postage)

Thanks, I hate it.
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