Because the game is bugged and clicking the check button doesn't actually turn it off.

First of all, TS3 does a lot of things right- enough to pretty much guarantee that I won't be able to go back to TS2, though I do miss it dearly. Little things like being able to go wherever I want whenever I want, collecting rocks and metals to earn extra money, no more arbitrary friend requirements for jobs.. I'm certain that my opinion of the game will rise exponentially once I can finally start playing as ghosts.

Still, I have a lot of complaints. I know I should be patient about content, considering that this is just the base game and expansion packs are soon to follow, but.. I can't stop myself from complaining regardless.

First of all, clothing. It's blatantly obvious that the people who made this game are Californians. I'm a Seattleite, and on top of that my aesthetic and fashion senses were born a century late. I like 19th century styles, and I prefer leaving things to the imagination, in terms of clothes. That being said, figuring out which outfit is the least of all evils for each sim in CAS is the most painful, wince-inducing part of the process. It's as though EA thought that having a long-sleeved, fully buttoned, tucked-in shirt would be blasphemous somehow. It's bad enough for men, where making a business-casual combination is tricky at best- it's near impossible for women, where 80% of the shirts show their midriff- even athletic and formal outfits! As I said, I live in Seattle- no one here would dress like that, it would be reckless and uncomfortable! On top of that, I myself dress in men's clothes, so making a sim doppelganger was painful, at best. My point is that I would like clothes that don't look like they came off of a Californian college campus- or even actually cover the sim. It doesn't seem like too much to ask for, just something a bit more formal and classy. I'm not going to touch on hair, since others have properly criticized the subject.

Now for story progression. The biggest feature EA harped on before releasing the game was story progression; 'Make your own story exactly as you want it!' they said. In reality, it makes creating stories impossible. The toggle feature originally came broken, which was a poor sign. The horror stories this 'feature' has created are prevalent and wide; families disappearing, single parents asexually reproducing, people getting married or dying without intervention or notice... I intended to make a few celibate characters, went to another household to improve the sim's job, and then turned around to find one of my celibate sims had gone off and married an NPC- and had a child! Same thing, with an unflirty sim. No sim is safe! I also had several families disappear. Who thought it was a good idea to make families you created go away?! Who could possibly think that losing all those hours of hard work and buildup- for the story you wanted to create in the first place- was smart?! It's simply unfathomable! Even worse, awesomemod came out before the official patch just to turn off story progression, and it does a better job of it. I dearly hope EA learns a few lessons from this.

Even though it's still quite buggy, difficult to keep characters in character because the game wants to play with them behind your back, and most of the sims are poorly-dressed and little to look at, I still find myself playing it, however. That must count for something.

That's not entirely accurate. I lived in your area for quite a while and yes, people did dress like that. I understand that perhaps you wouldn't choose the clothes that are in the game for yourself but there are others who would. I'm not from California and I see many of those styles on people around me where I live now, in the Midwest. Remember to each their own.

I understand that this sort of fashion might appeal to some people, (none that I know of, however,) but the problem is that it lacks variation. That's what I don't like about it; they all look the same and I dislike the style.

Also, yes, a few people do dress that way around here; they're typically the ones wearing miniskirts and tanktops in 50-degree weather complaining that it's cold.

Edit: I apologize for the caustic nature of my replies; I'm still quite vexed about having to start over my sims.

Well, I'm from Portugal and people don't dress like that. In fact, I end up using the most nondescript clothes over and over again, only changing the colors and patterns. Because that's what sensible people do around here. For men at least, but even women, mot of them don't go and dress like sims 3 char... :\

In any case, I'm not one for copy pasting reality. I like my sim women hot and flashy and I can't have enough short skirts and hot tops :D

hihi

Newbie here. I've been playing Sims for years, started with Sims 1, the Sims 2 plus most of the expansion packs. I've dowloaded heaps of mods from this site, but under a different user name which I have now totally forgotten.

My humble opinion of Sims 3 is as follows:

Don't Like:
- The slowness of the game. I think I need a new pc to play Sims 3.
- The hairstyles suck!
- The clothes suck!
- I can't modify body shape to my liking.
- The Custom Furniture Style creator sucks because it is way too fiddly and time consuming.
- No aliens!
- EA forcing us to pay for content downloads. *whacks EA on the head*


Likes:
- Playable Ghosts
- The concept of a seamless neighbourhood
- Options on how to behave at work
- How traits really do affect sim behaviour
- The view really does have an affect on a sims mood
- Buyable/learnable recipes, collections etc. A sim can actually earn a living by doing nothing other than searching for collectables. How cool is that!

Summary:
I really do like the Sims 3 but I need to spend much more time playing the game before I really appreciate it. Like so many others on here, I'm slightly disappointed on the whole because I listened to all the hype and it raised my expectations way too high!

I think the game is really very well done, but could be heaps better. I especially agree with the member (sorry I forgot who) who said the gameplay needed random events like alien invasions, earthquakes, recessions etc. A neighborhood update or rumor/gossip section would be great to. Maybe even a way for adopted sims to trace their biological families.

To be honest, I think I'm really wanting Sims 4 to start production...

I think I will simply wait for the amazing modders on this site to create the mods and objects that I really want. That's what made TS 2 so much fun.

I can't wait to start tweaking and changing my game the way I like. I also can't wait for the next expansion packs, which will hopefully include seasons... and aliens.

The game is depressing. Watching the new Sim-faces (people are trying so hard to give these pudding-face creatures some beauty or uniqueness) - makes me return to the Sims 2. For the time being - there isn't any hope.
I am really angry with EA , they have done their best to tempt us to by a new "fantastic" game..... the results are sad!

Like:

Seamless neighborhood
Customization

Dislike:
Actions take forever. I hate how long they take to shower, sleep, etc.
The Sims 3 Store

These are my feelings exactly. I love Sims 2 because I could control the story progression of the whole neighbourhood - sims I created, pre-made ones, etc. The characters interacted according to my plans (affairs, disputes, etc). Now I just feel stuck with my legacy family, which is entertaining to a point, but I know I'll be bored soon. The genius of the Sims 2 is that the entire thing is a story with a plot you create. This is boring in comparison.

Corpsetorn,
Thanks for the heads up! You really helped with my decision. Instead of buying S3, I'll just give the money to MTS2.....right from the start, it didn't look encouraging for someone who loves to build. It's funny, but I have a very pricey architectural program....and it is lame, compared to the things I can do with the CC I have for Sims2.
I feel that concidering all the technology Maxis has aquired since the games creation, and concidering all the mindbendingly brilliant work that contributers have done, (especially the creators of this site) Maxis could have offered us something that a little more "advanced". Granted it is a game for play......and I have played the characters in 2, and it is fun having such a variety of interactions......but I think they could have done more by creating new expansion packs for 2...
I'm curious.....for anyone reading this, that thinks they dropped the ball.......what Expansion packs could they have developed to hold our interest? What would you have liked to see?
( Is there a thread addressing this, I wonder?)

1. Ability to recolor almost everything. I really love this feature but I do think they need to expand the buy/build items available. Most of them are recycled from Sims 2 (tho' I still like them but I expected new styles).

2. More versatility in facial sliders. I especially love that you can sculpt cheekbones much better than in Sims 2 CAS (I never used bodyshop much). That being said, I hate the way that you cannot reduce the double chin look on all sims no matter how slim the face is. The shadow under the chin is narrow with no shadow on the underjaw between the chin and neck, making it look like they all have turnkey necks. I really HATE that look having trouble with a double chin myself.

And, no matter how "unique" the sim looks in CAS, they all seem to look alike in game.

In addition, all my toddlers look like clones. The only differences are the slim selection of hair styles, but the faces seem identical.

3. The whole story progression thing. In Sims 2 I loved to have many families that I played on rotation because I'm easily bored. I can't do that in this game. So I've resorted to having several games with one controllable family in each but so far I'm not too satisfied with that solution.

4. Hairstyles are limited and atrocious. And I cannot colorize a hair to make it look like Nouk's. They simply look "dead." Could be my lack of talent but the crappy and limited hairstyles are EAs fault.


5. Lack of pointed ears. No Spock.

I am enjoying the game, however, so there are a lot of things I like about it. I'm wondering if I'll be able go back to Sims 2. I miss my Star Trek hood.

I've had zero problems going back to Sims 2 when Sims 3 aggravates me. The movement of the sims themselves is spectacularly more smooth, even base game only hairstyles are better, and of course, there's the base game piano and hot tub.

Overall, I really enjoy the game a lot.

In create-a-sim, I really like how there is a sliding bar for body weight and muscle mass. But, it still really bothers me that you can't change the size of PARTS of the body, as opposed to the body as a whole. I would really enjoy it if you can make breasts, waists, hips, legs, arms, bigger or smaller. You can't do this in sims 3 for PC but you could do it in sims 1 for PS2 (if I'm not mistaken) which is just...well...dumb. I also think that we should be able to change the height of sims. Does anyone know the reason for this? Or have any comments?

i LOVE the beautiful seamless neighborhood! Wonderful! :0)

I HATE the fact that the appliances and the plumbing break almost every other day. How ANNOYING! And it's the expensibve stuff too! Not the cheap stuff!

A warning if your sim is an 'International Super Spy' type cop:

"Charlie was undercover and was almost found out when he came into contact with and inventive trap involving the world's most delicious-looking doughnut. Luckily, Charlie mastgered his desire and completed the undercover sting. With such a close call, Charlie is working extra hard to improve his job performance!" :P

I am incredibly upset that we can't make NEW objects for our sims. So we have unlimited 'patterns' to paint the existing stuff with. Peachy.

That doesn't stop me from wishing ten times a game session 'if only I had a xxx'.

I like it a lot, but I would absolutely love it if we had more variety. More traits, more career paths, more accessories, more miscellaneous decorative objects (they add a little touch that I adore), more sport objects, etc.

It'd be nice if in CAS, we could adjust more. I'd like a fat distribution tool--like a lollipop vs. pear shape slider. I agree with whoever said that we should be able to make specific body parts bigger or smaller. We should be able to change height slightly.

More instruments should be incorporated. A "guitar" skill? Really? It should just be a music skill, with at least the classic piano in there too.

I also think that we need better objects designed for sims' bodies. The clothing choices are not that great, and I wish they were both more attractive and more in quantity. Only a few hairstyles look decent, and it gets tiring to use the same ones over and over again. When someone cracks how to make custom clothing and hairstyles, I'll be happy. (:

there are two bugs I don't like about sims 3, first you can't move from left to right with your mouse cursor and if any one has a mod for that I would be truly grateful. Also you can't wash the baby like you can do in sims 2

You can move left and right using the mouse. Just turn on side-scrolling.

I just want to know why my sim neighbors are standing still in their homes, is it just my game?

LOL - neighbors??? Maybe they don't "come to life" unless your playable sims has to ihnteract with them??? Kind of creepy and Stepford-wifish. Really stupid. My playable sims seem to randomly just stop doing anything and stand staring into space. If it was Sims 2 I'd say reset them, but I don't know what to do yet in Sims 3. Maybe it's the "absent-minded" trait.

I've been neglecting both WoW AND Lotro since starting to play Sims 3. Had to log into Lotro the other night and play for an hour just to get the $$ to keep my home upkeep up.

I was sooo excited about getting Sims 3 for my birthday and when I started playing it was a giant let down I hate the fact you can't switch between households easily and if you return to a family it's completly different! I get bored playing the same family for more than 20 mins. The idea of a seamless neighbourhood seemed like and awesome idea, but I don't think it really works.

The game is all right, but I'm very disappointed in the lack of an education career track! What about those of us who want our characters to work as teachers? I really wish they'd added an education career track...

And I also am pretty disappointed in the fact that it's so difficult to switch between families... I mean, I can understand taking away wishes related to other people, but there's really no need to remove wishes like wanting to have a baby girl or wanting to go swimming...

Other than that, the game is pretty amazing! There's a wide variety of possibilities when creating characters, and the ability to build and decorate your own home any way you want it is amazing.

I too am sorely disappointed in Sims 3. I loved the variety in Sims 2 I made skins with fur and scales we had aliens and neighborhoods that were Victorian, Medieval, SF, you name it it could be made or moded. Nothing seems modable in Sims 3 no meshes no clothes. I have to agree I hate the inability to have a custom neighborhood and create stories. I loved setting up a neighborhood and playing out story-lines something that seems impossible in this new disaster of a game. I have genuinely tried to like the game I have played it since the day it came out giving it the old college try but nope after reading this thread I am going back to Sims 2 until the bugs are worked out and the game is fun.

I don't know if it is a personal problem of my computer or not but my game has a tendency to crash when making sims in CAS. Very frustrating and not at all helpful to my enjoyment of this incarnation.

The Sims 3 is yet to grow on me properly. I've been playing TS2 a whole heap lately, tying up loose ends etc (not that you can officially finish a game of the sims lol).

What I Like: (so far)
Create A Style - for the CLOTHES only
SCENERY!!!
Hospitals (well, going to hospital to have a baby), Schools etc
More realistic body weights - not just fat, or thin. there's an inbetween and an extreme now
All the personality options - favorites, voice, traits etc. Fantastic.


What I Don't Like
Create A Style for furniture. Kill it now! Too much effort. Sims 2 had the furniture organisation down for serious!
The camera controls - extremely fiddly! I bump the mouse half a millimeter and i go flying to the other side of the neighborhood. The game is IMPOSSIBLE to control!
Buy/Build Mode - objects are hard to place, things are hard to build. Very, VERY fiddly and bad for my temper. TS2 had build/buy perfected.
Slow. I went and upgraded to 2gb of RAM and i'm still slow, whereas Sims 2 now runs like a dream.
Changing households. It's all very confusing and annoying and involves alot of effort. I don't particularly like the seamless gameplay throughout the neighborhood.
The entire neighborhood feels restricted and limited.
I don't know if its a bug - but i stopped playing one family while they were out fishing and I moved in a new family to a lot close to where they were fishing, and those other sims stayed there. They didn't go home, they just kept fishing for days on end until I couldn't stand seeing them in the background anymore!

The list of dislikes is bigger than the likes. I think it'll take a fair bit of time to adjust to the sims 3, because sims 2 was almost perfection in my opinion. not saying i hate it though. i just prefer sims 2.

one more thing

ALL MY SIMS ARE RIDICULOUSLY UGLY. i cannot seem to make a pretty looking sim. they all have this sad pouty droppy look about them! and no matter what I do, I cannot make them look any better.