Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#1 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 5:59 PM
Default Pets First Impressions
My first impressions after playing for a couple hours...

It looks like the EA team put A LOT more effort into this expansion pack. Even the write-ups for the family's backgrounds in the new town are charming and funny.

The animals move way too slowly. Sims walk around slowly enough as it is, but the dogs and cats just amble.

There's a real lag problem I've never had before. My specs exceed those necessary to play the game. I turned down my graphics settings... restarting now and hope that will help.

Good luck placing anything in Bridgeport! I managed to stick in a horse park, dog park, and equestrian center. That's all I can fit in for now.
Advertisement
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#2 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 6:03 PM
Oh, I was also surprised that my CD box didn't come with the usual briefing pamphlet. It came with no info except install instructions and a sheet with my registration code!
Scholar
#3 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 6:17 PM
Try seeing if you can compress some of your Hard Drive stuff (D disk), Pets is taking up about 3 GB out of my possible 41 GBs for everything 0_o
Sims 3 hasn't had a good phamplet for a while, since OLS? It bugs me.
I'm still installing myself, I'll let you know my first impression
Test Subject
#4 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 6:33 PM
My first impression is it's okay. The combo rabbitholes are awesome. It lags my game though. I don't like that I can bathe a pet, yet not a baby. I played a house with a lady and her dog, the dog kept peeing on her. I found that funny.
Theorist
#5 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 7:06 PM
Well, it was laggy and progressively got faster..Uh, Create a Household was a paint switching from Sim to Pet, and other than that, it's pretty good, I'll have to get more in depth when I get the time to play more this weekend!
Scholar
#6 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 7:23 PM
my game runs fine...i have 2 outdated mods i am using and 1 updated one....it loads fine...saves fine...i
am playing in HS...got a horse and a bird....
Instructor
#7 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 8:20 PM
I've had Pets since this morning.

Mind you I've only been playing for a few hours but I'm not as impressed as I thought I would be thus far.

First of all the first thing I did was hit the new town. It was alright. It didn't thrill me as much as I had anticipated. I explored a bit, looking around. I then went and adopted a horse. As soon as I did, my memories of the Sims 2 issues started to come back. I told him to brush the horse and so on and after a moment of standing around the horse moved towards him and somehow managed to wedge himself into a small gap in the barn he had been in at the time. Then it started. The no path complaint. The horse would move a step, he would move, the horse, him until finally I just crossed out the animation and tried something else.

When he finally got on the horse I chuckled to myself because I had been waiting for this, but it was a bit anti-climactic. He rode a few steps (the horse walked because he hadn't built his riding skill up enough to trot, etc.) He went to the end of the road and stopped. Turned around and walked back a few steps. Finally after a few minutes of watching this play out I had him get off the horse and go to pet it. He moved a step. The horse adjusted himself. Another. Another.

I gave up and clicked to mount and go home. (By the way I should put in when you go to mount you can saddle and if the saddle is not on the horse will spin like the sims do before the change clothing to put on it's saddle). I should also add that this can take a while. I sat there for quite a while before the horse did his magical spin and put it on. Then he mounted and started the long walk home. Like I said, the sim's riding skill was low so it was a slow pace.

Halfway there - because he lived all the way across town - I got annoyed and dismounted calling a taxi.

I decided to try a new family then. Husband and wife - Animal lover trait. (You can not pick cat, dog or horse lover trait if you have animal lover trait becuase it includes them all.) I made him a want to be a Jockey - a cool career choice - and created his wife and the horse. After moving them into a house I had him work on his riding skill. Of course, since you can control the animal now I saw the horses needs as well. It's basically just like having another sim in your household if you choose to control it. Like every other sims in the game you can leave them to their own devices and they will eventually take care of themselves, but many sims in this game don't appear to be too bright on that front, so I have little faith in the animals.

So, he was out riding and his wife adopted a cat via the phone - or paper. At the time there was only 2 choices, an elder cat or an aggresive kitten. She took the kitten. It arrived shortly thereafter like an adopted child. She awwwwwwwed and held it in her hands like a little football, sitting on the couch and watching TV. Meanwhile the husband reached his next level in riding and could trot. So he is riding around the town and she decided to hit the sack. As soon as the kitten was on her own the furniture started to take a hard hit even though I had bought the scratching post (Considering I have 7 cats IRL, I should have seen this coming). Not wanting to bother to have my sim get up and scold it since she was sleeping I allowed the cat to desimate the couch. It then promptly ran into a a bag my sim had bought for it and stayed there until her husband came home where it scratched him in greeting when he went to investigate the new addition to the family.

Before this, however, he came home and I told him to lead the horse into the makeshift corral I had made for it. A ton of path problems later the horse was napping and my sim who was saddle sore as well as I was only too happy to be done with it.

Since everyone was sleeping - except the slightly brain damaged kitten, I promptly got rid of the family and made another. This time he was just going to be a chef. I would do the Jockey thing later.

So, a short while later, his wife is sitting on the couch and a deer pops up outside her house. YEAH! Excited, I clicked on "Watch deer." She ran outside the house, back in, back outside, around the corner and onto the next lot to do this. After that I clicked on "Pet Deer." Of course, the deer wanted nothing to do with that but that didn't stop it from walking a few feet away, turning, walking away, turning, turning, and turning once more before it stopped and she walked up to it. Face to face it turned again and continued to do so, apparently trying to find a path to run. I sighed and made her go to bed while the deer eventually disappeared into the brush.

I've only been playing for a short time, but am a little less excited then I had been this morning. I've also noticed several lag issues cropping up. It has got smoother with time, but the freezing came back again like it did when I had the Late Night expansion in. I'm in no way giving up because I've waited too long for this.

I'll just wait and see what happens in the future.
Test Subject
#8 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 8:23 PM
Good so far! The game definitely messes with CC furniture. I backed up my files but was too excited to install the game to deinstall and reinstall CC. Sims can't sit on chairs and couches properly. I'll have to tinker around with reinstalling.

I made an English bulldog and dropped him in with my family in Hidden Springs. (I had to create him connected with another CAS sim though, and then ditch her, does anyone know if you can just create pets alone?) I didn't want to get too wild with new stuff so I'm just letting things unfold and discover things as I go along.

For all the great details you can go into customizing a small dog, they are sooo tiny! The proportions of an English bulldog are way too small, like, pug status. But I guess can live with it. He's already peed in the house once. How does one housebreak?

One of my Sims wandered to the park and found a wild guinea pig (not sure what they are calling it in English) a wild Amazon parrot and a wild cardinal! You can collect them just like bugs and butterflies and, oddly, the Sims just cram them into their pockets/backpacks for later storage. I got bit playing with the cardinal (funny!) and let it free, but took the other two home. I set the parrot up with a perch and it hangs out there singing and such. The stupid guinea pig escaped before I could get a cage for it! I hope to find him soon. Strangely, my Sim's sister came and played with the bird, and then stuffed it in her pocket.

I'm not sure how I feel about these poor birds getting shoved in Sim pockets!!

Edit: Pet stuff in buy mode: some neat new stuff. I bought "Sir Bricks-a-lot", which I assumed was some sort of brick shaped chew toy, but my Elder Sim promptly scooped it up from the floor and has been carrying it around with him. Several times already he has pulled it out, cuddled it lovingly and keeps talking and coo-ing at it. Bizzarre!
Instructor
#9 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 8:29 PM
Nice to see my high hopes have NOT gone up in smoke

besides I'm getting it in about an hour! (for me, anything that is not LIEK, THIS EP SUX BAWLLLLSSSS!!!! is a good thing)
Instructor
#10 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 8:49 PM Last edited by Ladyhawke976 : 18th Oct 2011 at 9:18 PM.
I'm trying the Jockey thing again. I have one question I'm not sure if anyone has noticed.

When my sim is learning to ride, there is no XP meter above his head to show me how far he is to the next level. Anyone else?



Ahhh...I just got it after he learned to gallop.
Is Claeric
#11 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 9:10 PM
Sir Bricks-A-Lot?! From the Sims 2?!
Alchemist
#12 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 9:12 PM
Ladyhawke976, that story of your first play was so funny! Thanks for that.
Instructor
#13 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 9:17 PM
Quote: Originally posted by coltraz
Ladyhawke976, that story of your first play was so funny! Thanks for that.


lol, no problem it's a work in progress...
Test Subject
#14 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 9:17 PM
just got the game...removed my mods ...left in hair and clothing and the few objects i have...install went just fine...made up a lil family...lindsey mae and carson hicks, and thier custom edited dog fenris...got them into a piece of property...no issues to report as of now...really enjoying the game though ive only just started playing...going to go get a horse in a bit...lindsey is teaching fenris tricks...carson is working on his handyness skill...ill post more as i learn more
Test Subject
#15 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 9:32 PM
I was looking forward to the new town, but I ended up really disliking it. It turned out to be pretty ugly and looks like a CAW newbie made it.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#16 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 9:37 PM
Ladyhawk, I agree with pretty much everything you wrote. For some reason, I'm enjoying Sims 3 pets less than Sims 2. I've only been playing a few hours and I'm already getting slightly sick of it. There's definitely some routing problems with animals.

I wish more furniture came with this pack. The stuff they added was a little weird and most of it didn't mesh well with the general theme. Why so much Moroccan stuff? The new construction items are pretty great, though.
Scholar
#17 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 9:55 PM
THIS is my true first impression.

NOT IMPRESSED right now!
Screenshots
Test Subject
#18 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 10:05 PM Last edited by Honshu Wolf : 19th Oct 2011 at 3:03 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by astridcoleslaw
I'm not sure how I feel about these poor birds getting shoved in Sim pockets!!

I've seen sims putting cars, drillers, time machines and a whole universe of fruits, gems and scraps into their little multi-dimensional pockets, so the birds are gonna be just fine.

I'm gonna have my sims store a menagerie inside their pockets later on just for the lulz.

Also @CinderEmma above: That cat looks like a trainwreck: Horrible but I just can't look away.

Inexperienced Sims making baked alaskas = Molotov cocktails.
Field Researcher
#19 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 10:07 PM
It's officialy . EA is not capable of doing something right with The Sims franchise. This EP is a total dissapointment. All dogs almost look the same. Their sizes are identical , dogs like bull terrier and british bulldog are found on small dogs category like chiuaua . Tha same things is with the cats but is less noticeble because cats in real life are almost same size. But the biggest dissapointment are the minor pets like snakes, lizards, etc. I had such high hopes for these ones but instead they look like some lifeless zombies repeating same actions in a loop over and over again . You can't observe them because it becomes annoying how they're doing same thing over and over again !. And they can't be put on the ground , instead you can carry birds, snakes IN THE POCKET like the wallet .

I have so much negative toughts about this.... I will never put high hopes on an expansion pack anymore untill it will be made by Maxis again .
Alchemist
#20 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 10:41 PM
You can carry snakes...in your pocket?

Quote: Originally posted by Sprue
I will never put high hopes on an expansion pack anymore untill it will be made by Maxis again .


Well, that's never gonna happen.
Field Researcher
#21 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 10:58 PM
Quote: Originally posted by coltraz
You can carry snakes...in your pocket?



Well, that's never gonna happen.


yes you can carry minor pets in the pocket, including birds. I tried to put a parrot on the shoulder of a sim and after that it dissapeared. I tought it was a bug but it went in the pocket of the sim , very realistic....

And I can't believe how bad the bahaviour of minor pets was done. I mean they run 2-3 seconds then they stop. Then again and so on in the exact same places, even the hamsters on sims 2 had a better and more realistic behaviour .
Inventor
#22 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 10:59 PM
Not happy right now. My fluffy pets show no fuzz



All settings at highest, tried no mods. Still no fuzz.
I'm so mad because my pets were so fuzzy in the demo/twallan mod and now they look blocky like in TS2.
Field Researcher
#23 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 11:00 PM
That's because of your pc and video card.
Test Subject
#24 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 11:04 PM Last edited by lemonez13 : 19th Oct 2011 at 10:57 AM.
After playing for a few hours and having never played Sims 2 Pets:

Love the new clothes (especially the equestrian stuff - loving those boots :D)
Wild Horses apparently know how to use sidewalks (even in Apoolsa plains, this is awkward to me - might just be where my house is located)
Teaching pets and scolding is pretty cool (not sure if I can let my dog just be destructive to the newspaper when I am trying to tell him he shouldn't be overly destructive...I need some use for those newspapers I rarely pick up ._.) There is a lack of skill bar, like when you teach toddlers. But assuming its cause its not really a skill? Idk.
Small dogs look silly...but not overly weird.
Sadly collars still clip with overly fluffy animals. :<

Overall: it is what I expected, and will offer me some more fun in the game. No real bugs as of yet (other then obviously broken mod objects - but no real issue there).

Also, I love the pet bladder lifetime reward...now if only I could get that for sims...
Test Subject
#25 Old 18th Oct 2011 at 11:08 PM
Sounds pretty much what I expected, so I'm relieved I probably won't be let down :D
Obviously it will be much better when there's more mods... For now though, I still have a few days to wait!
Page 1 of 11
Back to top