#sims3guide

This guide was made to help anyone who is wanting to play TS3 in 2024!

INSTALLING SIMS 3

You can find the sims 3 base game + DLC on this website for super low prices! (I promise this website is legit and works perfectly fine, try and use a PayPal account if you have one)

OPTIMISING YOUR GAME

The sims 3 has yet to be optimised for modern pc's which causes many crashing issues and bugs for players. This step is crucial in order to play the sims 3 smoothly. You can use this application to easily match your graphics card to the game. You can then follow THIS TUTORIAL from minute 21:17. Up until that time, the video explains how to manually match your graphics card which you can still do if you’d prefer, however the application does it all for you instantly . From minute 21:17 it will walk you through how to

match your CPU

limit your frame rate

RESHADE

You may want to use a reshade in sims 3. In order to use reshade in sims 3 you must download a modded version as sims 3 is technically an online game and reshade isn't supposed to be used on online games. Follow THIS TUTORIAL that guides you through the process of downloading the modded version of reshade for sims 3.

If you are wanting to use gshade presets (such as the preset, I use which is my simsvie preset) then the tutorial also walks you through making gshade presets compatible.

CREATING A MODS FOLDER

For some strange reason, the sims 3 does not auto generate a mods folder in most cases, which means you will need to make it yourself. Luckily you can just download the folder HERE (when downloaded you may need to right click and click 'keep' to allow the file to download). Drag the mods folder into Documents > Electronic arts > The Sims 3. There are some random folders inside the package folder so just delete those.

INSTALLING CC AND MODS

It's important to note that any cc/mods you download that end in .package gets put into the package folder. Any file you download that is a sims3.pack (it has the sims 3 logo as the icon) you should change into a package file. Sims3.pack files can cause lag and are just annoying to install, so to convert these into package files you will need THIS APPLICATION.

Create a folder on your desktop where you will put your sims3.packs into and open the application. Select that folder and then underneath select your Documents > Electronic arts > The Sims 3 > Mods > Packages folder and click extract. Your sims3.pack files will get converted to packages and will be ready in your game!

The downloads folder in your sims 3 folder is only for sims3.pack files and they need to be installed through the launcher if you do decide you want to use sims3.pack files.

Any mod you download that is a script file, will need to be in your packages folder as well.

MANAGING YOUR CC AND MODS

Sims 3 dashboard tool

This application will scan your sims 3 packages and will tell you whether they are corrupt, duplicates or a sims 2 or 4 file. Id suggest scanning your folder every time you install new mods/cc

*If your files show up as conflicts you don't have to worry too much especially if they are objects or cas cc. Its only really important if the conflicts are with your script mods.

MODS AND APPLICATIONS FOR SMOOTHNESS (click the titles for download links)

Lazyduchess smooth patch 2.1

refer to THIS VIDEO for a tutorial on how to install the smooth patch + how to edit the script file for best results (SKIP TO MINUTE 2:20)

NRAAS mods (master controller, error trap & overwatch)

refer to THIS VIDEO (SKIP TO MINUTE 39:54) for an overview of these mods. She does mention other nraas modules, but I have listed above the ones I personally have. These NRAAS mods pretty much catches and cleans any glitches, bugs or stuck sims etc to eliminate the chances of your game lagging or crashing. You can just drag the package files into your Documents > Electronic arts > The Sims 3 > Mods > Packages and nothing else needs to be done, however you can mess around with the settings in game, as demonstrated in the tutorial mentioned.

Sims 3 crash log analyser

This application can be useful to diagnose why your game is crashing, however I personally use it to clear my game cache every time I close my game. Cache files are just useless junk the game generates whenever its opened and they can cause lag, so this application deletes them for you. To do this click file at the top left corner and then click on "Delete all TS3 caches".

Regul save cleaner

This mod is super handy as it cleans up your save file! I don't use it too often, but I usually use it after a few sim weeks or if I have moved town etc. Anything you select under 'cleaning options' BESIDES PHOTOS (prom photos and greeting cards will be deleted) will be regenerated after a little while of playing in game.

IN GAME SETTINGS

These are just my personal suggestions that work well on my computer so modify them to what suits you

all my graphics are on high except for

reflection quality = mirros and water

edge smoothing = off (only because I use reshade as mentioned earlier)

Tree detail = low

High detail lots = 1

Under game options I also have shop mode, lessons, and memories disabled which helps to reduce lag.

STORE CONTENT

Sims 3 is quite old so who is wanting to spend their money on store content? Not me. Head over to HERE to download all the sims 3 store content as package files (yay package files <3) Be sure to read the instructions in the download file. Refer to THIS POST on further instructions

*downloading all store content can cause significant lag so you may choose to only download specific content you like which can also be found through their Tumblr page!

Okay so hopefully your sims 3 game is up and running well! I am planning on creating another guide on the best mods and cc creators etc for the sims 3 so keep an eye out for that!

If you have any questions or issues, feel free to let me know in the comments

Happy simming <3