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Test Subject
#501 Old 10th Mar 2010 at 7:41 PM
So far I haven't come across anything that boils my potatoe with rage over something from TS2 that's not in TS3.

Though, I do wish there were diving boards for the pool.

And frankly, whatever quirks I've had with TS3, WA more then makes up for it! (Of course, I"m still in the honey moon period and haven't clocked it yet).
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Forum Resident
#502 Old 10th Mar 2010 at 8:57 PM
Quote: Originally posted by suzetter
Wasn't Downtown or University or Vacation Destinations subhoods in TS2? I'm not doubting what you're saying but I don't understand what the difference is. The files still retained the sims info from these other places. Where they treated more as lots than as neighborhoods?


Yes they were. Some of the differences between how Sims 2 and Sims 3 handle saves is with The Sims 2 each neighborhood had a folder. In that folder there was a .package file for the base hood and then a .package file for every subhood. Then, there were folders that held all the character files and all the lot files for the base neighborhood and every single subhood. This was present from the start, because each lot was a different save game. In The Sims 3 WA/patch 1.5/1.6 each neighborhood again has its own folder. In that folder there is a neighborhood data file that holds the save information for the entire neighborhood, because its all one save file now since its an open neighborhood. There is also a .package file for each sub neighborhood.

So really, the difference is The Sims 2 had many files for one neighborhood (a small one of mine has a total of 870), while The Sims 3 needs far less, my Sunset Valley folder only has 9 files.
Scholar
#503 Old 10th Mar 2010 at 10:24 PM
Thanks Gobot101. Your succinct explanation has clarified this for me. Much appreciated.
Instructor
#504 Old 10th Mar 2010 at 11:39 PM
I really wish you could build walls along the quarter-squares...
Test Subject
#505 Old 12th Mar 2010 at 2:37 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Ranissa
At the end of the day, it's all about style and preference. I spent most of my Sims 2 time building these incredibly complex, beautiful and often buggy houses. They would be filled with exquisite furniture, a family would be lovingly and painstakingly created and moved in ... and I'd abandon them within days to do the same thing again, over and over, because the gameplay was exactly the same. Each Sim was exactly the same, over and over again. Want to fall in love? Do these same interactions, over and over, until within Sim-hours he loves you. Want to grow a business? Do these same interactions, over and over, until the people in your shop are content. In Sims 3, the Sims themselves have my attention and capture my imagination, the houses and CAS are just extra bonuses.


That's exactly how I feel. All I did was build with Sims 2. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but I never got into actually "playing" the game. The thing that surprised me was that I actually liked "playing" Sims 3. It isn't as monotonous for me. Of course, that was due to my playing style.

What I miss the most from Sims to is apartment and Myne doors. I loved building apartments. I hope that we don't have to wait too long to at least get a Myne door. If they could create U, L, and T stairs, I would be in heaven. I'm not holding my breath. I do love the customization. I don't have to fill up my wall and floor folders with endless variations of the same thing in a different color. As a builder, I greatly appreciated that. I also like the simply basement creation.

I like WA, but I think it's mostly because I like old school RPG's and there is a similarity between them (in my mind at least). Of course my sim does not having to kill things. I have yet to take on a mummy. I'm training my sim in martial arts before taking one on. My sim rolled a want to defeat a mummy. I'm working on it. So, I guess that is killing something. With an RPG, I'm used to quests and leveling up. It works for me. I'm also planning to build a trap filled house adventure. I think that will be fun.
Scholar
#506 Old 12th Mar 2010 at 9:00 PM
Speaking of the Myne door, I would like it if EA included age assignable doors so the parents could keep the kiddies out of their bedroom.

Back on topic - TS3 Going Backwards

Genetics - People aren't born with blue, green or hot pink hair. This is probably something that could have been easily avoided when designing the game. Obviously somebody wasn't paying attention as usual so for the hair fiasco TS3 moves a step backward.
#507 Old 12th Mar 2010 at 9:31 PM
Quote: Originally posted by suzetter
Speaking of the Myne door, I would like it if EA included age assignable doors so the parents could keep the kiddies out of their bedroom.

Back on topic - TS3 Going Backwards

Genetics - People aren't born with blue, green or hot pink hair. This is probably something that could have been easily avoided when designing the game. Obviously somebody wasn't paying attention as usual so for the hair fiasco TS3 moves a step backward.


I know...lol. I've had babies born with white hair, green hair and highlights. I guess everyone wants to be a rock star?
Forum Resident
#508 Old 12th Mar 2010 at 10:58 PM
As taco17 said in the "Better Genetics." thread, some people like to create odd sims. If they made a genetics system that made your sims be born with natural colors, every time an odd sim had a baby, they would have to go in and change its hair color.
Scholar
#509 Old 13th Mar 2010 at 6:23 PM
Quote: Originally posted by gobot101
As taco17 said in the "Better Genetics." thread, some people like to create odd sims. If they made a genetics system that made your sims be born with natural colors, every time an odd sim had a baby, they would have to go in and change its hair color.


Hi Gobot101!

Listen, I just looked at the thread--there's 11 comments regarding genetics.

1 hated it but didn't specify
4 had a problem with the dyed hair in genetics
1 avoided dying their sims hair because of genetic mutations
1 used awesome mod to correct the genetics
1 said the skintones didn't blend in the offspring (it was either/or)
1 called it borked due to bad programming
---------------------------------
9 unfavorable replies regarding genetics

1 liked weird hair
1 said the skin blended fine in their game
-------------------------------
2 favorable replies regarding genetics

9>2 - sorry, the step backwards stays.

Field Researcher
#510 Old 16th Mar 2010 at 1:37 PM
Quote: Originally posted by suzetter
Genetics - People aren't born with blue, green or hot pink hair. This is probably something that could have been easily avoided when designing the game. Obviously somebody wasn't paying attention as usual so for the hair fiasco TS3 moves a step backward.

Generally agreed. Two seemingly simple things could have made genetics much more interesting in TS3:
  1. A distinction between genetic and dyed hair. I don't mind my Sims inheriting blue, green, or hot pink hair - if that is one of the parent's natural hair colors (a possibility in my Sims' world). But I do wish the game made it possible to add color to Sims hair that didn't become part of their genetics.
  2. Better blending of inherited skin tones. We know this is possible because Awesomemod does it.
I sort of miss the recessive/dominant traits as well, but can understand why they don't make as much sense now that we can basically choose any hair or eye color we want for our Sims (which is a nice step forward for the game).

So I'm like, "Cool! What should I get? Brain in a jar... monkey's paw... ooh, pie!"
Scholar
#511 Old 16th Mar 2010 at 9:53 PM
I think we can make many any color skin now because of mods (yay Fawkes!) and before we could make any skin color because of Mods -- so no step forward. Actually, I have to admit I like that we can futz with the hair color to infinity--so, okay only a half-step back. LOL.

But I'm curious how it would work with two different skin colors (as opposed to regular skintones which are light and dark variations of fleshtone), So if cute green chick has a baby with cute blonde boy won't the babies skin tones be either green or tan or will the kid's skintone actually be a color combination of the two?
Lab Assistant
#512 Old 13th Apr 2010 at 12:02 AM
Quote: Originally posted by suzetter
Tried to make a sex bomb criminal sim only to discover that faces aren't the only thing to get mushed once out of CAS. Poor girl.





That looks like medium or high quality sim textures. You have to set them on very high quality to get enough polygons going in the boobs to not make them blocky like that.
Scholar
#513 Old 13th Apr 2010 at 12:30 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Nobody
That looks like medium or high quality sim textures. You have to set them on very high quality to get enough polygons going in the boobs to not make them blocky like that.


Ridiculous, isn't it? But they don't always look like that in game. They look fine in CAS and okay in the game for the most part but then every so often she develops a case of cube boobs. It is like the faces getting smooshed periodically. Sporadic cases of flat clay face or cube boobs. Why do these things sometimes look good and sometimes look completely different?

On another note, I mentioned this elsewhere but it belongs on the list of step backwards. I recently discovered there is no in game photo album. Step Backwards making us get out of the the game to see if we captured the image we want.
Mad Poster
#514 Old 13th Apr 2010 at 5:30 AM
Even thou I'm really happy with TS3, there are two things that keep annoying me and could deffinately call it a step backward and that is pausing the game and no free will.

The thing about pausing is that I hate that sims keep moving their head even after you paused the game. It's really hard taking a good shot of your sim when they don't keep still.

No free will: When I play the game I have free will to the highest, but when I'm testing mods I usually turn it off so sim's wouldn't wander off and do stupid unnessisary things. But that's the thing, sims still wonder off even with no free will. Not far, but they are constantly moving and walking around a bit. I don't know why it ticks me, but it does.
Field Researcher
#515 Old 13th Apr 2010 at 6:21 AM
@the original poster: Basegame TS2 was definitely bare-bones...much more so than TS3. Pool tables, college, and seasons were added in EPs. We can't reasonably expect EA to include all the popular items from TS2 and all its EPs and SPs in the TS3 basegame, and the presence or absence in the Sims 3 basegame of our favorite objects and gameplay features from Sims 2 hardly constitutes a step backward. Instead of considering how many things were excluded from Sims 3 from Sims 2, how about considering how much more was added?

The TS3 basegame already incorporates many items that were only released in EPs for TS2: playground equipment, cars, gardening, etc. For a whole host of other reasons, I'd say TS3 is a huge step forward: working Story Progression, seamless neighborhood, Create-A-Style, traits, adjustable agespans, added Build Mode controls, etc. Only one EP has been released so far, and so far the game has enormous potential.

@suzetter: Although there is no in-game album (unless you count opening the Launcher in-game to sift through the snapshots), you can put the game in windowed mode and go to the Screenshots folder to check immediately. If you don't like one, simply delete it; it'll disrupt the numbering, but that's a small issue.
Lab Assistant
#516 Old 13th Apr 2010 at 3:34 PM
Quote: Originally posted by suzetter
Ridiculous, isn't it? But they don't always look like that in game. They look fine in CAS and okay in the game for the most part but then every so often she develops a case of cube boobs. It is like the faces getting smooshed periodically. Sporadic cases of flat clay face or cube boobs. Why do these things sometimes look good and sometimes look completely different?

On another note, I mentioned this elsewhere but it belongs on the list of step backwards. I recently discovered there is no in game photo album. Step Backwards making us get out of the the game to see if we captured the image we want.


Well the flat clay face I can't understand. The cube boobs can be caused by the engine wanting to use a high polygon render while a piece of clothing over it wants to use low poly and a simple texture fill. So it's simply the boolean logic of it all saying cube boobs has higher priority than smooth boobs. You can get rid of some of it by getting rid of breast enhancing clothing but some of them are just too nice of items or somehow perfectly stylized to fit your sim that you can't part with them. But the best way to override it is to set sims to very high resolution.

But the step backwards you can just alt-tab out of the game and check the pics folder with your photo viewer as long as you have 2 gb of ram or else windows has to try to page almost all of itself into virtual memory before letting you do that. It's definitely a step backwards.

However my most hated is the online store and the launcher. EA compared to community is like comparing freshman to seniors. All I ever want from EA is riverview. I don't want anything else from you and I sure don't want patches except for the rare few ones that work. I have EA blocked and the stupid launcher plays with network for 5 minutes before finally giving up and loading. Unless I turn off modem and make it give up sooner, which I usually do, because if your not browsing you're just getting hack attempts anyway. :cylon:

My second most hated is using create a style. Even if you have enough ram the game won't use it. It makes you sit and load these stupid color or style profiles one by one. Create a style is awesome but using it shouldn't be such a pain.
Fat Obstreperous Jerk
#517 Old 13th Apr 2010 at 8:29 PM
The flat clay face and cubeness is caused by a single thing: Low detail modelling. It's not a permanent effect and it won't stick. The game uses low-detail models when it expects that the sim will be viewed at a distance. When you rapidly move the camera and zoom in on something unexpectedly, the game has to catch up, by loading the "good" models in the background. Meanwhile, you see really crappy, blocky things, and white textures.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I cannot accept, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those I had to kill because they pissed me off.
Scholar
#518 Old 13th Apr 2010 at 11:56 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Nobody
....But the step backwards you can just alt-tab out of the game and check the pics folder with your photo viewer as long as you have 2 gb of ram or else windows has to try to page almost all of itself into virtual memory before letting you do that. It's definitely a step backwards.


I have 4gb so I can click on the pics folder to look but it was just so much easier and speedier to click on the corner of the screen and have the album pop open. Diminished convenience is a step backwards.

Quote: Originally posted by Nobody
However my most hated is the online store and the launcher. EA compared to community is like comparing freshman to seniors. All I ever want from EA is riverview. I don't want anything else from you and I sure don't want patches except for the rare few ones that work. I have EA blocked and the stupid launcher plays with network for 5 minutes before finally giving up and loading. Unless I turn off modem and make it give up sooner, which I usually do, because if your not browsing you're just getting hack attempts anyway. :cylon:


Me too. Could they be anymore intrusive? Everytime I open the internet the EA Download Manager tries to connect. For what? I hate that. There's something creepily big brother about the whole thing. I just block it as well. That store link is turned off. If I want something from the EA store I'll go there myself, thank you very much. Though I have to admit I was there a lot recently as they had a bunch of freebies. LOL.

Quote: Originally posted by J.M.Pescado
The flat clay face and cubeness is caused by a single thing: Low detail modelling. It's not a permanent effect and it won't stick. The game uses low-detail models when it expects that the sim will be viewed at a distance. When you rapidly move the camera and zoom in on something unexpectedly, the game has to catch up, by loading the "good" models in the background. Meanwhile, you see really crappy, blocky things, and white textures.


Thanks. I notice it happens mainly when I am building. I tend to test lots with a bunch of sims so I am constantly zooming in and out, back and forth. I should check my settings as well.
Lab Assistant
#519 Old 14th Apr 2010 at 12:46 AM
[Me too. Could they be anymore intrusive? Everytime I open the internet the EA Download Manager tries to connect. For what? I hate that. There's something creepily big brother about the whole thing. I just block it as well. That store link is turned off. If I want something from the EA store I'll go there myself, thank you very much. Though I have to admit I was there a lot recently as they had a bunch of freebies. LOL. Quote Suzetter]


Reading that just makes me glad my EDAM never worked . I just download the patches from here. But I have to say I really love the seamless neighborhood and the fact that they all age at the same rate. The fact that only the family you played aged in The Sims 2 annoyed the hell out of me.

That being said, I agree with the poster that mentioned the instability of the Sims3 Game. I'm only on my 2nd and 3rd generation, and I'm already dealing with a flagrant system error (which Awesome mod told me about) where the Seltz family tree is blank. And, the error only grows bigger with each succeeding generation. If I can't find a solution it's going to force me to delete my neighborhood and start again from scratch. So EA needs to get its act together. I paid my money so I want a game that works. That's it. I don't think that's too much to ask.
Scholar
#520 Old 30th Apr 2010 at 8:45 PM
Default What is with flushing the toilet forever?
For ten years Sim toilets have been backing up--however in TS3 there is the additional annoyance of the Sims hanging over the toilet repeatedly flushing and fretting over non-backed up toilets. They do this A LOT! It is a time-wasting, purposeless, and assinine animation. WT?!! Wasting game time and animations on having the TS3 sims stress out over flushing a toilet is not only A STEP BACKWARDS but also reflective of a poor comedic sense.
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