I misjudged the game :'(

[YumiLovesMe]

Alright so the other night... I bought myself an official copy of The Sims 3. I was thinking to my self sh*t this is going to suck... why did I buy this again -.-. However once I started playing it I loved it <3 the load times were faster - everything was better, faster and stronger (steampunk :3). I kind of felt like an a*s for judging the game :/ because though The Sims 2 is awesome The Sims 3 is great too.

I know not everyone will like new game however it does have a large fan base... and even long time player of The Sims can't deny that The Sims 3 is a step up.

So does any one else feel like they judged The Sims 3 a bit too much?

[morphius1]

So does any one else feel like they judged The Sims 3 a bit too much?

I misjudged it one time (I had only played it for a couple of weeks at that time) and uninstalled it completely and reinstalled TS2. Needless to say, I noticed the difference immediately...and uninstalled TS2 and reinstalled TS3 and haven't looked back sinse.

[lisfyre]

Welcome to The Sims 3!!

I misjudged it in a sense that I expected a lot more and still do but overall, I just can't see going back to TS2. At first I had both on my computer. I couldn't live without my 3rd party CC at all. But as the CC started to get published and shared the less I was playing TS2. And don't you just love CASt? In TS2, I downloaded a gazillion tons of recolours - we all did and my downloads folder was bursting at the seams with 3rd party CC. In TS3, I have the same amount of 3rd party CC but they're all meshes because of Create-A-Style, and the biggest folder in my CC folder are patterns :)

It was a sad day when a year after TS3 was launched, I officially uninstalled TS2 from my computer and haven't looked back since. Hubby still has both games on his computer - I don't know why since he's never fired up TS2 since TS3 launch day when he got the game. He's strictly a TS3 player now. He was excited when TS3 was announced and got it on launch day for both of us. I was going to wait at least 3 months - after everyone else had more experience with the game and posted and of course after some CC came out but watching him play his game made me install mine a whole lot sooner. I think I watched for about a day and then installed it :rofl:

[qpldmff]

The Sims 3 base game is a great buy. What frustrates all of us so much is that after EA released the base game, they've pushed quality and hard work aside in order to focus on quick, easy profits.

[Ive]

I didn't initially but I feel that I can be a bit too judgemental about the game and expansions, even if I keep discovering new things every time I play. It's just the lack of a few things that gets me thinking it's missing a lot.

[Periandre]

While I miss items from TS2, I don't really miss the game. I think that the comparisons between the two are not accurate. TS2 is a finished product, whereas TS3 may not have reached the halfway point yet. Also, I think time has smoothed away some of the aggravations and frustrations of TS2 so that the "good" times remain strongest in memory.

Don't get me wrong, TS3 has issues... but I love it.

[YumiLovesMe]

Thanks for the reply's everyone :D - I agree with most of your points. I think that the Sims 3 base game is the best so far... the current expansions look ok but I personally want to see university come out... speaking of expansions I like them however I do not want to see the same exact thing repeated -.- over and over. Oh and another large thing NO MORE RABBIT HOLES!!!... that is so half a*s in my opinion... /END Mini-Rant/

Ok so another issue (more or less) is custom content... yes you can argue that there is a lot... however I find myself annoyed when I cannot find custom content for The Sims3 that was made for The Sims 2 - hey I do not make them but I am grateful for the makers of what I do have. I hope that the custom content data base will grow more and more...

Now that I have gotten the negative over with here are some things I like a lot about TS3...

*Load time is amazing and once the game is loaded everything moves swiftly.
*Build/Buy mode is much better then that of TS2
*Custom content is easy to install and manage (one could argue that TS2 was easy to use as well...)
*Sims in TS3 have more dynamic personality's

[kewpie]

I felt this way about WA. I ONLY bought it recently because I felt I had to. I had all of the other EPs and I couldn't really install custom worlds or do a lot of things because almost all custom worlds use WA. So I bit the bullet. I love my "new" EP. I love exploring and tomb raiding and downloading tombs that other people made. I am having a blast.

[YumiLovesMe]

^Well I am going to buy generations next :3.

I forgot to mention in my last post... I read a few people here are uninstalling The Sims 2 and all of its exspanion packs along with it -.-. Now why in the world would you do that?! I am going to be working on TS3 for a while but I am not throwing TS2 under the bus yet lol

[lewisb40]

I still like playing Sims 3 even with having to start over about 3 times since it came out. I am loving the premium items that come out the store, have added some nice touches and with Twallan's mods (story progression and the woohooer) my game have became a bit too interesting. I could never enjoy a vanilla Sims game, so I am sorry if you don't use mods.

I love the open neighborhood and how my sim's actions can resonate all over the sim world. CASt is the bomb! I can't go to having recolors that don't match my style of fashion or game play. Yeah, I will keep the game no matter how much I might complain. :D

[YumiLovesMe]

^Ya after playing the Sims 2 (with mods/custom content) I think I would not like the game as much without custom content.

[PunkyBreester]

I installed TS3 as soon as it came out, and very quickly found myself thinking "Wtf is this shite?!" It was uninstalled after a couple of days, and stayed that way for a long time. I just got back on the TS3 horse within the last year or so. With the EPs that have come out in that time, the game is so much more enjoyable... But, just as in TS1 and TS2, its the community and all of the CC & mods that really make the game what it is for me :) I could never enjoy a vanilla game, and certainly not vanilla and base-game only, so I'm not at all surprised that I didn't like it at first.

It took a while before I was comfortable uninstalling TS2 for the final time, but I haven't looked back since. Sure, I still reminisce about some of the old features I really miss (if they announced an EP that'd give us the functionality of OFB, along with bringing back the violin, sewing, and pottery, I think I'd cry), and some of the CC I see still being made for TS2 makes me a little miffed that its not for 3 ;) But I couldn't go back to being stuck on one lot all of the time, and looking back I have no idea how I ever enjoyed the game without story progression. I mean, for a life-simulation game... TS2 just doesn't make any SENSE!

[Zokugai]

When I first played it, I was unhappy with how much harder it was to make your own town and how they forced their storylines on you. Mostly just because back then there was really just Sunset Valley in terms of hoods and I got bored easily. It got better once the game got more expansions to it.

But I never went back, because being bored with one town over and over was still better than loading screens every time I want to go somewhere else.

[ani_]

I read a few people here are uninstalling The Sims 2 and all of its exspanion packs along with it -.-. Now why in the world would you do that?! I am going to be working on TS3 for a while but I am not throwing TS2 under the bus yet lol

Every person has their own reason. For me, it was that I noticed I liked TS3 much more and TS2 wasn't doing it for me any longer. It took a few months before I started uninstalling TS2 (guilt of loosing my Sims was what kept the game in the computer for so long even though I didn't fire it up since I got TS3). Even if I would still love TS2 I still probably only would have one game installed. I love making very detailed hoods and I like to concentrate on one game. So at the end I probably would have chosen the one I like the most and put all my effort into that.

Zokugai: Riverview was for download on day 1 TS3 came out. That's where I played because I never liked SV, not even on the first day, and still don't.

For me it was love on first sight. The only things I'm judgmenting right now is the Katy Perry SP. Maybe it's the best SP ever made but I'm not buying it. With the other EP's and SP', well, not all of them are to my taste (like SHT) but I've always found something good in them to make them worth buying.

[treeag]

It was a sad day when a year after TS3 was launched, I officially uninstalled TS2 from my computer and haven't looked back since.

A year? It took me a few days. Installed TS3, played it, loved it, fired up TS2 again to see if I still liked it (turned out I no longer did), uninstalled it, and haven't looked back since.

[YumiLovesMe]

It took a while before I was comfortable uninstalling TS2 for the final time, but I haven't looked back since. Sure, I still reminisce about some of the old features I really miss (if they announced an EP that'd give us the functionality of OFB, along with bringing back the violin, sewing, and pottery, I think I'd cry), and some of the CC I see still being made for TS2 makes me a little miffed that its not for 3 ;) But I couldn't go back to being stuck on one lot all of the time, and looking back I have no idea how I ever enjoyed the game without story progression. I mean, for a life-simulation game... TS2 just doesn't make any SENSE!

Well imo The Sims 2 makes sense however the characters seem a bit more odd... as for people still making custom content for the game I am happy about that :D. I am working on a lot that I am going to upload here sooner or later. Like I said in my first post some will hate TS3 and others will love it.

I think another reason why people will stay with TS2 (like I am still on the fence about completely switching over) is because they grew up with TS2. People who start out with TS3 and like it are more than likely going to like TS3 better. Kind of like how adults complain about kids liking rap that they think sounds bad (or whatever genre you like) personally I cannot stand my parents taste in music.

When I first played it, I was unhappy with how much harder it was to make your own town and how they forced their storylines on you. Mostly just because back then there was really just Sunset Valley in terms of hoods and I got bored easily. It got better once the game got more expansions to it.

But I never went back, because being bored with one town over and over was still better than loading screens every time I want to go somewhere else.

Eh? the storyline is any thing but forced... the game gives you the option to play a story but you can always make your own sim family and move on.

Loading screens is a complaint? really?! :blink: when I was a kid I was playing PS2 and playing old fps and the loading times suck... but once I could play it was amazing. Besides the TS2 has a lot of stuff to load up too. Granted it gets laggy at times but keep in mind that the game was being made around 2002-2003 (because it was released in 2004).

Honestly The Sims 3 is great but the graphics are still half-a*s. I hate to be rude to the makers and say that BUT the graphics don't look that much better compared to it predecessor (I know I will take on hell for that but someone had to say it...). I was expecting something a bit better (yes I know you can play TS3 in HD but it still does not blow me away...).

Sims 3 faults...

*cheap graphics (face it things could have been better)
*some expansions could be a lot better...

Sims 3 pros..

*better Sims (personality wise)
*has a large support base
*load time has been improved across the board :up:
______________________
So far... this applys to how I feel about the two..

Sims 2 [PC]

graphics: 8.5/10 (for the time it was released)
game play: 9/10 (this is after a lot bugs/glitches got fixed and the game got streamlined for the time)
replay value: 10/10 (w/custom content) / 7/10 (w/o custom content)

Sims 3 [PC]

graphics: 7/10 (this is scored compared to modern times - graphics in 2009 for other games were awesome! why did EA screw us? oh wait that is what company's are there to do -.-)
game play: 9/10 (still unsure how much I like it... but so far things are ok)
replay value: 6.5/10 (w/o custom content) / 8/10 (w/custom content)

Every person has their own reason. For me, it was that I noticed I liked TS3 much more and TS2 wasn't doing it for me any longer. It took a few months before I started uninstalling TS2 (guilt of loosing my Sims was what kept the game in the computer for so long even though I didn't fire it up since I got TS3). Even if I would still love TS2 I still probably only would have one game installed. I love making very detailed hoods and I like to concentrate on one game. So at the end I probably would have chosen the one I like the most and put all my effort into that.

Zokugai: Riverview was for download on day 1 TS3 came out. That's where I played because I never liked SV, not even on the first day, and still don't.

For me it was love on first sight. The only things I'm judgmenting right now is the Katy Perry SP. Maybe it's the best SP ever made but I'm not buying it. With the other EP's and SP', well, not all of them are to my taste (like SHT) but I've always found something good in them to make them worth buying.

Well I am just a bit sad to abandon my custom content and family for The Sims 3 :( I am trying to remake my new family at the moment...

A year? It took me a few days. Installed TS3, played it, loved it, fired up TS2 again to see if I still liked it (turned out I no longer did), uninstalled it, and haven't looked back since.

Like I said some love the new game others hate it - as for me I am still on the fence (and it sucks). I feel like the kid in that movie where he had to shoot his old dog :'(

EDIT: also... http://i.imgur.com/zMMma.png

[joandsarah77]

I guess I'm one of the few that play both and I still like TS2 more. I think if my computer could handle all the Sims 3 EP's (I only have Generations and Ambitions) and could handle more than a few cc items and the camera didn't zoom across the open world to each sim I would enjoy it more. The few pieces off cc that I did have seem to have vanished the last time I patched it. :( Right now with my graphics on medium things go invisible and then turn grey before looking normal. So if I move away from the house or back again I have to sit and wait while the game makes itself look right again. Due to my condition I can't watch the camera zip across town or follow sims anyway or I will quickly be nauseous. Those kind of things kind of take the fun out of it. TS2 loads slowly, but I have a ton of cc so that isn’t its fault.

I've been playing since sims 1 and still have all of my ep's for that too. :) For me going from TS1 to TS2 was the same game with a large improvement. I never had any thoughts of going back to TS1 after the first ten minutes of playing TS2. With TS3 I see this more as a different game rather than a step up. I don't see the need to hate on either one. Each has its own pros and cons with things that suit differing play styles. I can enjoy TS3 for its customization, its open careers such as fire-fighter and day care, for inventing and collecting. With TS2 I like owning businesses, being able to go into places like restaurants, having useable beaches and playing legacies.
I guess I'd really like what I like from both games rolled into one. TS4 maybe?

[PhenethyaSim]

Since I'd only owned TS1 and not TS2 it wasn't a problem for me but after I had been playing 3 I played 2 at a friends and realized what TS3 was missing but TS3 still has so much going for it.

TS2 had way more interactions and relationships were done better in my opinion TS2 had the human element the funny cute realness I still think Ts3 lacks and I think sims were more real looking or at least had more potential to look real with cc TS3 can look cartoony.

TS3 has everything else in my mind, open world which is amazing! better building in my opinion especially after the addition of half walls, stages, spiral stair, and other building things that came with later Eps I think some of the eps could have been better but what we got was great. And Pets which was huge to me the amount of customization we got with pets is LEAPS and BOUNDS above pets in Ts2 plus horses, minor pets, and wildlife. and of course CASt I ABUSE CASt.

I don't think CC for either is better although TS2 has just had longer to produce cc than TS3 I think TS3 will catch up with things like animation eventually. some good stuff already is out though.

It hard to say which one is better definitively because TS3 is a work in progress we don't know how many more EP we have they just put out SHT a bit ago and they already have one Sp out and another on the way before the next Ep and we know that a magic EP and a weather EP are on the way and those might not be the last. So Jury will be out for a while.

[YumiLovesMe]

Ya... well I have another question...

What happened to Maxis? :/ I remember as a kid I played Sim city a lot and such. Now I can find Sim city 3000 for $3 -.-. Maxis is one of the few game company's that I actually have some respect for...

[joandsarah77]

Maxis got taken over by EA. Or rather sucked up and gutted. If Maxis had continued putting out Sim games they would have been terrific, not full of bugs needing a million patches, making people pay for stuff that should have been in the EP. Remember the baby bouncer from TS2? How about how many things from Show Time should have been in Late Night? EA is only concerned with making money while maxis actually gave a thought to its customers. Not that I've played it, but I was just over reading how EA left Mass Effect 3 ending and how it’s done on purpose so players will buy another expansion.
.

[YumiLovesMe]

^So is Maxis is still its own company or is EA just the parent company? or did EA just take all of the Maxis employees?

[haricots]

I misjudged the game, yes. I thought it would not be disappointing, but the truth for me after I installed the game 2 years ago is...

GIMME BACK MY MONEEEEEEEEY!!!

[YumiLovesMe]

wow.... I hate to sound like a hypocirte now... however The SIms 2 is being a pain in the a*s -.-. The launcher is screwing up after installing generations... I launched the game from the bin but after the loading bar is complete it crashes immediately.

Final thoughts: the game is great when it wants to work... however when it wants to misbehave it can and is a tremendous pain in the a*s. I am going to uninstall The Sims 3 and try a clean install later and if that does not work I will wait for an update because at this point I am spending more time trying to get the bloody thing to work than actually playing it 0.0. I mean come on... The Sims 2 may be slower but at least it is playable -.-

[joandsarah77]

I think you mean Sims 3 is being a pain ^ I find Sims 2 graphics and play to be much smoother even with 34,000 files of cc. Just so long as you don't do something to make your game go kaboom. :faceslap: I find I can run Sims 3 so long as I am quick to click the loading arrow. if I leave it too long it always goes non responsive.

[YumiLovesMe]

Update: I am trying [another] clean install of The Sims 3 now... hopefully this forsaken game will work -.-;

EDIT: Update 2: I got The Sims 3 working again ^_^

EDIT 2: damn... EA is really messing with me... and I don't like it......

[itsamariokart]

I haven't even got The Sims 2 on my computer. I have The Sims Life Stories installed but that's just for when I have a small itch for The Sims 2.

I don't see why a lot of people dislike The Sims 3 yet love The Sims 2 :| Everything is an improvement. I admit, I miss the odd object from The Sims 2 but that's all.

[lisfyre]

A year? It took me a few days. Installed TS3, played it, loved it, fired up TS2 again to see if I still liked it (turned out I no longer did), uninstalled it, and haven't looked back since.

I was still building lots for a site that I was active in at the time. I think I actively played/built for about 3 months, maybe less until I finished all my projects. After that it was a chore to just fire it up and wait for all those loading screens. So I could have taken it down sooner but the sentimental attachment was still too much at the time.... all those lovely 3rd party CC specially all of Phoenix_Phaerie and Buggybooz's sets that I loved so much and miss a lot in TS3. I know both creators won't let anyone convert their stuff so I go back and take a look and drool over them every so often :)

[YumiLovesMe]

I haven't even got The Sims 2 on my computer. I have The Sims Life Stories installed but that's just for when I have a small itch for The Sims 2.

I don't see why a lot of people dislike The Sims 3 yet love The Sims 2 :| Everything is an improvement. I admit, I miss the odd object from The Sims 2 but that's all.

Now look I am not saying The Sims 3 is p.o.s. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=piece%20of%20shit) but the company that made it is definitly a p.o.s. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=piece%20of%20shit) for ripping off the customers... like in game when I am in create a sim they have items at the top saying buy me for 100 sim points... I did not pay for a game to have flipping advertisements placed in side of them :faceslap:. If I want EA's sad excuse for content I will buy it... besides if I really wanted content I would come here because generally the c.c. made by people here beats EA's by a long shot.

I know both creators won't let anyone convert their stuff so I go back and take a look and drool over them every so often :)

Why not? I do not see why they would have an issue with having their work live on :/

[Chocklitkiss]

I felt this way about WA. I ONLY bought it recently because I felt I had to. I had all of the other EPs and I couldn't really install custom worlds or do a lot of things because almost all custom worlds use WA. So I bit the bullet. I love my "new" EP. I love exploring and tomb raiding and downloading tombs that other people made. I am having a blast.

Regarding WA, I couldn't have said it better.

I just downloaded the Base Game this past October. I still have TS2 on my huge desktop...and have not ever played it again. I will, though. When I'm old, and I can't get around a lot, and can spend a lot of time tied to the desk. :rolleyes:

[YumiLovesMe]

I already have the base game and Generations... I am going to buy another expansion pack. Any recommendations?

[HarVee]

So does any one else feel like they judged The Sims 3 a bit too much?

The Sims 3 is one of those games where you develop a love-hate relationship with.

I already have the base game and Generations... I am going to buy another expansion pack. Any recommendations?

Pets and/or Late Night.

[lisfyre]

Why not? I do not see why they would have an issue with having their work live on :/

Each creator has a different reason to not want anyone to convert their TS2 items other than they themselves. You may need to go to their profiles to see why - and while you're at it, take a look at their creations. So... in the event that Phoenix_Phaerie and Buggybooz decide to play TS3 and create for it, many of us who are HUGE fans of both of them and their creations won't be getting it.

[jenieusa]

Now look I am not saying The Sims 3 is p.o.s. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=piece%20of%20shit) but the company that made it is definitly a p.o.s. (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=piece%20of%20shit) for ripping off the customers... like in game when I am in create a sim they have items at the top saying buy me for 100 sim points... I did not pay for a game to have flipping advertisements placed in side of them :faceslap:. If I want EA's sad excuse for content I will buy it... besides if I really wanted content I would come here because generally the c.c. made by people here beats EA's by a long shot.



Why not? I do not see why they would have an issue with having their work live on :/

and the advertisements ingame are taken care of with a simple CHECK under options...

[YumiLovesMe]

^Granted it is easy enough to disable but it should not be there in the first place.

Each creator has a different reason to not want anyone to convert their TS2 items other than they themselves. You may need to go to their profiles to see why - and while you're at it, take a look at their creations. So... in the event that Phoenix_Phaerie and Buggybooz decide to play TS3 and create for it, many of us who are HUGE fans of both of them and their creations won't be getting it.

Oh come on now... the fans are not totally useless... it is not like someone could not convert the originals for The Sims 3 granted it would tick off the creators but why should the fans depend on the creator?! the grand majority of us have... brains here read a bloody tutorial - do it yourself (ok I will admit easier said then done...). Lets say I were to take a Phoenix_Phaerie and Buggybooz creation(s) convert it and redistribute and giving them full credit for there original work... I do not see an issue with that. Same goes for if I were to make a work that people liked I would allow them to modify it as long as they gave credit where credit is due.

EDIT: When I download CC from the site I generally check out the creators profile and I cannot help but I sometimes feel they act a bit stuck up as if they are the greatest thing since pb&j... I think people forget the creators of the game... granted people will not agree with what I have just typed but thats life :p

[applefeather2]

^Granted it is easy enough to disable but it should not be there in the first place.



Oh come on now... the fans are not totally useless... it is not like someone could not convert the originals for The Sims 3 granted it would tick off the creators but why should the fans depend on the creator?! the grand majority of us have... brains here read a bloody tutorial - do it yourself (ok I will admit easier said then done...). Lets say I were to take a Phoenix_Phaerie and Buggybooz creation(s) convert it and redistribute and giving them full credit for there original work... I do not see an issue with that. Same goes for if I were to make a work that people liked I would allow them to modify it as long as they gave credit where credit is due.

EDIT: When I download CC from the site I generally check out the creators profile and I cannot help but I sometimes feel they act a bit stuck up as if they are the greatest thing since pb&j... I think people forget the creators of the game... granted people will not agree with what I have just typed but thats life :p

Firstly, I think it's simply a point of respect for the original creators.
Secondly, most of what I've seen is offered with a humble attitude and they seem just happy to share and be a part of the community.

[YumiLovesMe]

Firstly, I think it's simply a point of respect for the original creators.
Secondly, most of what I've seen is offered with a humble attitude and they seem just happy to share and be a part of the community.

You know what... you're right. I suppose the attitude I have towards the creators is wrong.

Sorry,
YLM

[lisfyre]

Oh come on now... the fans are not totally useless... it is not like someone could not convert the originals for The Sims 3 granted it would tick off the creators but why should the fans depend on the creator?! the grand majority of us have... brains here read a bloody tutorial - do it yourself (ok I will admit easier said then done...). Lets say I were to take a Phoenix_Phaerie and Buggybooz creation(s) convert it and redistribute and giving them full credit for there original work... I do not see an issue with that. Same goes for if I were to make a work that people liked I would allow them to modify it as long as they gave credit where credit is due.

EDIT: When I download CC from the site I generally check out the creators profile and I cannot help but I sometimes feel they act a bit stuck up as if they are the greatest thing since pb&j... I think people forget the creators of the game... granted people will not agree with what I have just typed but thats life :p

You're right - we have a lot of very talented people that do fabulous conversions and I know that there are a lot of TS2 - TS3 conversions out there. However, those conversions had the blessing of the original creator for them to be converted. However, out of courtesy, if a creator specifically states that his or her creations aren't to be converted from TS2 to TS3 or uploaded with a lot, posted to certain unnamed sites, then the community must respect that TOU.

[vhanster]

Well, I first didn't like how the people in TS3 looked like puddings- and is no where near as good as TS2; but then I realize that the people in Sims 2 don't look that good without CCs either. Now that more CAS CCs for TS3 started appearing, I like the game much better

I still play both though, and since my computer can run with both games installed, I don't have to pick one over the other...

[YumiLovesMe]

^Ya... well really any one can run TS2 (well not any one but a lot of computers can run it easily) and TS3 is also ridiculously easy to run on max settings. There are two issues I had when I first saw TS3 1) the Sims faces look too over sized like the two males (idk if the person with the black hair is a girl or boy) in your avatar the faces could not be done well in TS3 but I think I could make them easily in TS2.

I am not sure why some people complain that the two games together take up too much space :/ TS2 (w/all the expansions and a few stuff packs) only takes up 13GB and The Sims 3 with 6 expansion packs takes up 18.5GB so that is 31.5GB. For the amount of content that is a decent size... most people have at least a 150GB hard drive (I have 3TB combined space) so it is manageable :3.

[PunkyBreester]

My old computer couldn't play TS2 anymore, which is another reason I eventually switched. TS3 runs much better. Now we'll see if I'm saying the same thing 2-3 EPs from now, but I still think they made it a little more playable for those of us with "average" machines (meaning not those fancy uber-computers, like TS2 eventually required).

As for the over-sized faces/heads, I agree. There are sliders you can download to shrink the head size, as well as have more control over facial features. It makes a BIG difference :)

[YumiLovesMe]

^Wait just a minute....

Sims 2

If you have a T&L capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM then you need at least:
800 MHz processor or better
256 MB RAM if Windows Vista, XP, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 2000
At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

If you have a non-T&L capable video card (an Intel Extreme Graphics or a Radeon 7000/VE Series) then you need at least:
2.0 GHz processor or better
256 MB RAM if Windows Vista, XP, Windows ME, Windows 98, or Windows 2000
At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

Sims 3

FOR WINDOWS XP
2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
1 GB RAM
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
The latest version of DirectX 9.0c
Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2
At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB of additional space for custom content and saved games

FOR WINDOWS VISTA/WINDOWS 7
2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
1.5 GB RAM
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1
At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB of additional space for custom content and saved game
*******************************

So ya either I'm insane or someone forgot to fact check... I got The Sims 2 to run on max settings on an IBM Thinkpad T43.

I still think they made it a little more playable for those of us with "average" machines (meaning not those fancy uber-computers, like TS2 eventually required).

My specs.

Windows 7 Ultimate (64 bits)
AMD Phenom II X4 955 @3.20GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 <-this thing is laughable....
3TB combined space

^This is not a uber fancy computer ಠ_ಠ - by today's standards this computer is fairly weak the only real plus I have is in the ram department and hard drive department (and even then there is room for improvement)...

EDIT: fun fact... TS2 is *known for being a cpu whore*.

*in 2004-2006*

[Elyasis]

I don't choose. I have some days when I feel like playing one or the other or neither. I seem to spend more time looking at and dl'ing CC and managing than playing anyhow.

I only had TS2 uninstalled for a bit because I made myself a new computer.

[PunkyBreester]

So ya either I'm insane or someone forgot to fact check... I got The Sims 2 to run on max settings on an IBM Thinkpad T43.


I was speaking from my own personal experience and that of many other players I've talked to. And I wasn't talking about "today's standards" - I haven't played TS2 in several years, so of course we have better computers now with higher capabilities. My only point was that TS2 was known for being a demanding game, and I haven't heard many people with similar complaints about TS3.

[shaaaii]

I was speaking from my own personal experience and that of many other players I've talked to. And I wasn't talking about "today's standards" - I haven't played TS2 in several years, so of course we have better computers now with higher capabilities. My only point was that TS2 was known for being a demanding game, and I haven't heard many people with similar complaints about TS3.
I actually disagree with that one. I had a pretty crappy computer back in the TS2 days, and so much CC that I sometimes worried whether it would make my computer blow up. Now I have a better computer, and find it very difficult to play TS3 properly on it. I believe that 3 is the more demanding of the games.

[Simsdestroyer]

Sims 3 is waaaay more demanding, but it didn't have to be, they just keep coming up with awful programming ideas to make the game more "interesting", but it's killing it. Turning NPC's into vampires at 1:00 am (dumb move), giving celebrity points for just talking to a celebrity sim (dumb move), creating immigrant sims instead of letting the player make up our own population (dumb move and resource hog), assigning immigrants and NPC's for coworkers (dumb move and resource hog), let us assign our own sims to jobs or if they're already sims that are in that job, why does EA migrate new sims to the town (why is that even a fricken trigger, dumb retarted move). The game could have been good, but they were trying to do to much. It's like they tried to design a game that plays itself...That's not fun!!!!

[PunkyBreester]

Then maybe mine runs so well because of twallan :lol:

[SommarBlomma]

I switched to TS3 when there were a few EPs and SPs already released (Ambitions and WA), started playing in Twinbrook (hated SV at first sight), and was very fascinated with the realism of the landscapes, CASt, and open neighborhood. However, the pudding-faced fugly sims made me come back to TS2 a few times, untill I learned how to install CC, and found good replacements for skin and eyes, as well as sliders. After that, I started to really enjoy TS3, though I do miss some TS2 features now.