Mod The Sims - The Sims 2 vs. The Sims 3 (not a hate thread!) your thoughts?

kennyinbmore

18th Sep 2009, 10:18 PM

For example, you decide that today (in sim time) is the day your sim is going to try to make romance with a lady he's befriended. He's off work today and the time is ripe. (I REALLY miss the lightning bolts that tell you which sims are compatible). But the game keeps rolling wants for him that he wants to weed his garden, or deliver papers to corporate, or buy a new book. Before you know it the day (and soon his life) is gone because he's too busy looking for things to satisfy his needs to live his life. I've adopted more children in this game than I did the whole time I played Sims 2 because my sims don't have time to marry or mate and produce their own offspring :Pint: . My sims don't have time to live their lives. And I know that's part of the challenge, but the game is too EA directed for me.

That's not the game's or EA's fault, that just your style of play. Once my Sims become YAs I immediately send them into town for a mate. I find one and get them married asap. Takes me about 15 minutes

darkraven1753

19th Sep 2009, 12:14 AM

Even if I could get past things like rabbit holes, directed gameplay, and the story progression feature that I do not want, I simply can't stand the way the TS3 Sims look. I can't think of them as people like I do my TS2 Sims. They look too much like characters from a Pixar-type movie. There's a childish look about them that CC doesn't seem to be able to fix. Also, the graphics may be technically better, but the game looks ugly to me. The colors are over-saturated and the shadows are too dark. I love the way my CC smothered TS2 game looks.

The upcoming EP does sound interesting, but I just can't seem to care because I don't want to play a game that looks like TS3 does. I guess I'm more in it for the artistic and creative aspects than the gameplay. I'll just stick with TS2 and hope for better animations and beautiful characters in TS4, if the series continues.

summersong86

23rd Sep 2009, 05:41 PM

Just popping in to say hi and say not only have I moved back from Sim3 to Sims2 but I'm back all the way to Sims1 and having a blast! I am on vacation and took my laptop loaded with Sims 2 up to University and all of Sims 1. I'm rebuilding SOME custom content back into Sims1 and was happy to see I can still get all my favorite things from NightTime Sims and Sim Freaks that I used to play with. But mostly I'm playing the game not too heavily modded. All my conversations here and on the Sims3 discussion forum inspired me to dig Sims1 out of mothballs and fully explore the Making Magic EP and Superstar EP that I abandoned probably prematurely when Sims2 came out.

When I see all the features and funny little items we lost out of Sims1 in going to 2 and 3 I could just weep. I had forgotten we had roller coasters and all kinds of crazy things like bread ovens and loads of farm stuff I still haven't rediscovered yet.

Sad to say I like Sims1 much much better than Sims3. But I hold out hope 3 will eventually become full of quirky fun and better interactions. Sims1 and Sims3 seem more related to each other than Sims2 does. To me, my opinion only, Sims2 stands apart from both. Anyway it is so much fun to have all three back up and operational and accessible to me again. I'm not sure I will put Sims1 back on my desktop when I get home. My laptop is XP and my desktop is Vista. I think I'll just save myself the headaches and be content to play on my laptop. It works well with Sims1.

Happy Simming everyone!

iCad

23rd Sep 2009, 06:11 PM

summersong86

23rd Sep 2009, 11:11 PM

I have not actually played TS3 myself, but my daughter got it as a gift for her birthday in July, and she loaded it onto her laptop and plays often when she's done with her schoolwork. (We homeschool, and she's FAST at her work, so she has lots of Sims time. ;) ) For now, she says she likes TS3 better. (Because she's 10 and it's shiny new. She's like a crow: She likes shiny things. :) ) But the other day, I caught her playing her medieval royal kingdom 'hood that she's been playing in TS2 for over a year now, so I'm thinking that the shine is wearing off the TS3 apple, probably because TS3 doesn't have the CC that she adores from TS2.I liked it a lot when I first got it, too. In fact I happily sang its praises here. And I really enjoyed playing and developing 4 characters. The nature of the game play really forced me to stick with these 4 same people whereas my natural flighty nature of gameplay is to play everybody in a whole town and go on to make another neighborhood before I finish out one person's lifespan. So that was a novelty for me. But once I did this, with no cheats other than an occasional infusion of cash, I was shocked at how shallow their lives were within the limitations of the neighborhood, the few objects with limited interactions and the over reliance of the game on rabbit holes for public venues. Relationships without memories really bothered me. The significance of a first lover was lost without the ability to remember who the person is.

Anyway I will not be surprised if your daughter ends up liking Sims2 better. I did enjoy the beauty of the Sims3 town. I still load it up just to go exploring on my own without actually trying to control a sim--I put my sim to sleep or stick them in rabbit holes while I take the game camera and look at the town.

I still have my original 4 characters in a kind of limbo. I'll go back to them again someday when we get more objects for them to interact with, more venues to interact IN, and more social interactions with other characters. I don't want them to age and die or go any further when their available world is so played out already.

Thrior

25th Sep 2009, 03:00 PM

I don't have any interest towards TS3. It's funny really, the more I saw pics of it, the less interested I was. At first I was actually considering getting it but the I just lost all enthusiam I had. Can't really say if it's better or not since I haven't played it at all and probably never will. There's just too many features I don't find that appealing and I really have no interests to start everything from the beginning again after I FINALLY managed to make TS2 the way I like (with CC). I also have so many funny stories, characters and relationships in TS2 that it's hard for me to let go of them. I'm one of those players who gets pretty attached to her sims and mostly plays with the same families all the time.

I haven't been active in this community after TS3 came out though. I have moved to the Livejournal and will rather be spamming my TS2 stuff there.

HaphazardSim

25th Sep 2009, 05:53 PM

I have played it and prefer The Sims2, I just recently bought FT, AL and BV and have yet to explore the Eps (and buy Pets and Seasons and maybe the stuff packs) and from what I've experianced of 3 I'll be sticking to 2. It's more fun and I never minded playing several households to keep the community at the same age.

I admit I want to go back to 1 after reading some of the posts...it sounds more fun than I remember.

Revs

26th Sep 2009, 05:06 PM

I've not played it yet, it just doesn't appeal to me like TS2 does, graphics and stuff look nice but thats not enough for me it seems! In all the years i've played TS2 there is still ALOT i've yet to do and try.

I wouldn't mind checking it out but i wouldn't go buy it just to do so, none of my mates play either so i'm with TS2 for the foreseeable future!

Bellasaurus

26th Sep 2009, 08:00 PM

I played TS3 for a few months after getting it, gone back to TS2 now, got so bored so quickly! I reckon at some point I'll go back to TS3, but only because of the story progression. Apart from CAS(&CAST) & the open neighbourhood it's the only thing I like about it.

It'll be a while though... TS2 rocks :P

diaantje61

27th Sep 2009, 08:39 AM

Funny that this question is being asked in TS2 section. Those answering are those that at least still play TS2, or play only that.

I haven't and will probably not buy TS3. I do love my game and still and will play it at least once a week for another few years. You know, I was still playing TS1 just 2 years ago, before I bought TS2 :)

Yesterday I visited the Sims 3 site and noticed that Sim 3-lovers are fed up with us Sims 3-haters complaining.They don,t want to hear about our complaints anymore.Myself,I think it's important to let everyone ( especially EA ),know why we dislike TS3 and hopefully EA will listen and maybe bring out a Sims 2 EP wich opens up the neighbourhood.That would be so cool!And check out Amazon.com for the numerous bad critisizms on TS3.

* * *
TS2 has a certain... lure, immersiveness, sense of humour even?... that TS3 lacks.

You said it,my sentiments exactly,the humour is missing in 3,also the energy and overall happiness.Sims 2 feels ''alive' !!!
* * *
Judging by the information we got on the new expansion pack they're going downhill without brakes. I think with the sims 3 and World Adventures they are trying to appeal to a wider audience ("man who is too greedy can never be satisfied"), but somehow in the process they have managed to alienate many old sim fans.

You're right,the upcoming EP is what made me decide to stop playing TS3,it sounds like a search and adventure game to me and thus holds no promises of improving the current crappy gameplay.No,I'll just wait for either an enhanced Sims 4 or an EP for TS2.In the meantime I'm a happy Sims 2-player.

CuteLilDeadGirl

29th Sep 2009, 12:36 PM

I haven't played Sims 3 since about a week after it was released. It bored me to tears almost immediately and I have no compulsion to play it again. Instead I've been building my Sims 2 up with about a million new downloads. Just wish there were some really amazing mods that allowed for some completely new gameplay behaviour (eg. I'd love my sims to be able to truly get drunk/take some very naughty drugs for some realism and I'd love some kind of mod that could make certain sims insane to make the asylum challenge more exciting). I'm pretty sure I'll stick with Sims 2 forever, regardless of the fact that there'll never be another expansion :(

sephiroth1

29th Sep 2009, 03:39 PM

I have played just a few days. I didn't like it.
Eventhough I have made good looking male sims in CAS, they were ugly in game.
I didn't like the huge head. Very huge!!
I didn't like bandy leged female sims.
Of course I didn't like sims face.
TS3 is not for gaming character player because can't make them close enough.

iDorkette

1st Oct 2009, 11:04 PM

I really like some of the new features in TS3, like the option to decide a set weight, and not just choosing fat or fit. I was actually able to make a Sim of myself that actually looked almost exactly like me. I like the customization feature, too. Although, I did not like how I had to move the camera at first...edge scrolling wasn't available for like a month after I bought the game. I had to use the "wasd" directions constantly. I don't like the extra lines in the building grid, either. It makes it harder for me to build. There's still a whole lot of stuff in TS3 that I don't know how to do, because I haven't played it half as much as I play TS2.

In TS2, I still have a few stuff packs and an expansion pack left to get ahold of. Also, I really like being able to create my own neighborhoods, deciding where I want certain lots to be. I can make Sims of certain people whom I know on TS2 that actually look like them, but not on TS3. :|

JRD7

3rd Oct 2009, 11:01 PM

I really like some of the new features in TS3, like the option to decide a set weight, and not just choosing fat or fit. I was actually able to make a Sim of myself that actually looked almost exactly like me. I like the customization feature, too.

I can make Sims of certain people whom I know on TS2 that actually look like them, but not on TS3. :|

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Jasumi

3rd Oct 2009, 11:15 PM

The Sims 3 base game is quite boring, but I do find creating sims in Sims 3 is easier due to the fact that they rely more on geometry and less on skin texture.

Sims 2 + All EPs > Sims 3

Though World Adventures does look promising now that I've seen the China trailer...

Willow's Tara

8th Oct 2009, 01:54 PM

I never played 3 but I heard not so good things about it and seen some pictures. There are some things I might like but I think I will stick to the The Sims 2, it's feels better and good.

Sims3Lover2

8th Oct 2009, 04:27 PM

Actually, I bought TS3 BEFORE I bought TS2 so yeah, I never play TS3 anymore....

ZombieTongues

9th Oct 2009, 04:38 PM

I can't run TS3, so I prefer the one that actually plays on my computer right now.

Yeah, you're not the only one.
Sims 3 looked totally awesome, and
I loved how much you could customize
your Sim.. but things took forever to load.
So in the end, after I placed them in a
lot that took 5-10minutes to load, I
uninstalled the game. :[

I might give it a try some other time,
but for now I'm content with my expansions
and all the totally rad downloads I've spent
hours finding and getting.

smorbie1

9th Oct 2009, 09:30 PM

I have SO got to stop reading this thread. It just reminds me of how wonderful the sims used to be. My sims 2 stopped recognizing my cc and I can't fix it. I've tried everything including all the steps on mts. My love for customizing my game was the overriding reason I bought Sims 3. I've learned to make the game playable by installing various mods and ignoring the simmies wishes and opportunities until they have accomplished what I want them to do. So, I've made the best of it. BUT, I REALLLLLLLLLY miss the wonderful sims 2 play. I miss swimmable oceans and real babies instead of pink and blue larvae. I miss vampires and aliens and the fantasy worlds I could create. I miss creating and maintaining neighborhoods that were varied. I could choose the setting and the terrain.

I miss it all. Doggone it, I'm going to try it again. Any cc-recognizing suggestions????

vicarious70

9th Oct 2009, 09:40 PM

I'm sticking with my sims 2 for right now too. I started playing about 2 years ago and there is so much I haven't accomplished yet so I'm not ready to give it up yet and I put to much money in buying all the expansions and stuff packs. Eventually I would like to buy the sims 3 but until I see alot more custom content and improvement I'm just not going to waste the money.

Cinnabunny

9th Oct 2009, 10:00 PM

I love Sims 3. It just feels more "open", given that you can actually walk around and visit neighbors or actually discover them going about their business on some community lot. I think that alone gives it a heightened sense of realism.

I think Sims 3 is great for game play, but Sims 2 still comes in handy when I make music videos. No way will I ever uninstall that one. :) That and the sims in sims 2 still look more detailed, imo.

Tuber101

9th Oct 2009, 10:04 PM

Sims 2 > Sims 3 in every way (except CASt)

Lovableliljesse

9th Oct 2009, 10:25 PM

I basically like everything in the sims 2 better than in the sims 3. but i did like the seamless neighborhood.

Bellasaurus

10th Oct 2009, 10:46 AM

I have SO got to stop reading this thread. It just reminds me of how wonderful the sims used to be. My sims 2 stopped recognizing my cc and I can't fix it. I've tried everything including all the steps on mts. [...]
I miss it all. Doggone it, I'm going to try it again. Any cc-recognizing suggestions????

Have you tried a complete re-installation? I know how long it can take, especially with all the EPs, but it could be worth a try. Just don't forget to make copies of everything first. (I'm assuming you've tried creating a shiny new 'hood - if I'm wrong in that assumption, try that first!)

smorbie1

10th Oct 2009, 12:34 PM

Yes, I tried a complete install, and creating new neighborhoods. You know how when the game is loading, a screen comes up telling you there is custom content that is enabled or disabled? That screen never comes up. Since the default is disabled, I can't enable it.

Anyway, this will be a complete install again because I took it off when I bought sims 3. I can't do it right away; I have to wait till the first of the week cause I'm working all weekend. I hope whatever weird little problem I was having will have been miraculously solved by not having the game installed for a few months. I'm going to install the base game first and come on here and something completely safe for the base game. I'll see if that shows up before I install the whole thing again. If it works, I won't mind the long install and the set up to get it the way I want it. I just really miss that game!

arathea

10th Oct 2009, 02:34 PM

smorbie1

10th Oct 2009, 09:07 PM

Thanks! I tried that too, but no soap. But, I'm going to try it ALL again next week. I'm hoping my computer will have "forgotten" that it wouldn't let me enable the cc and will find it this time. Wish me luck!

JaypawFan

10th Oct 2009, 09:32 PM

I like the sims 2 better because it allows me to have CC and other things. Everything is more detailed, and you can have videogame/book/tv/movie characters in it =P

ForeverCamp

13th Oct 2009, 12:58 AM

I like my Sims 2 much better because it doesn't crash. I was one of the many people who got a game which crashed randomly, for no particular reason. Never got more than an hour and a half out of it (once only got ten minutes) before it *poof* disappeared. No blue screen of death, no error message, no aggravating Windows "Ooh-oooh-ooh, your game stopped working" message, just went straight to desktop. I gave up on it in August after three or four EA patches didn't fix it. Wish I'd never gotten it, but I did sort of like the Story Progression. And the Town Hall's option to "Change Name". That was awesome for editing children's family names (unmarried parents, but child needed to have father's name, hyphenated names, wife keeping maiden name, etc...). Wish we could get that in S2 without going through SimPE (because SimPE scares me, :P)

tacoshot

13th Oct 2009, 01:17 AM

sims 2 better because it is easier to create clothes but i have never played sims3 but it looks more fun??? so i dont know!

callieishere11

13th Oct 2009, 04:39 AM

Tsk, you can't even have good looking quality unless with a 2k computer.

Prosthetics

13th Oct 2009, 05:15 AM

callieishere11, there is an edit button on all of your posts. Double posting is generally frowned upon.

gm2dogs

13th Oct 2009, 05:35 AM

TS2 is waaay better. TS3 won't let me get content in, even if I've tried everything. TS2 is just funner.

Maranatah

13th Oct 2009, 10:30 AM

That was awesome for editing children's family names (unmarried parents, but child needed to have father's name, hyphenated names, wife keeping maiden name, etc...). Wish we could get that in S2 without going through SimPE (because SimPE scares me, :P)

You know, we can have that in TS2 with couple of hacks ;) both can be found here at MTS. One let's you choose the name for married couple and another let's you change names how ever you want to. So no need to go with SimPe :)

I installed TS3, again (I think it was third or fourth time...) and this time actually played it about 5 hours (in our time). And the final result? Boring! I didn't enjoy it at all. Some things were nice, like landscapes but there wasn't really much time to enjoy that because you are have so much more stuff to figure out. All sims look the same, puddings. So, since that one playing day I haven't played it anymore. I still have it installed though, as all previous Sims-games. And every day I choose to open TS2. ;)

Phoeberg

13th Oct 2009, 02:22 PM

Tsk, you can't even have good looking quality unless with a 2k computer.

This is partly why I play TS2 way more than TS3, my inbuilt graphics card isn't quite good enough for TS3, and I can't keep on buying new computers just to play a game...When I bought the Seasons EP and my computer wouldn't run the colors properly, I bought a new computer...when I bought my new laptop I admit that a huge factor in the one I chose was TS2 and which would play it the best and have the most room for custom content. I'm just not going to buy another computer again, and frankly I can't see myself buying a new one in the near future either, unless this one completely breaks, so until then I probably will mainly be sticking to TS2.

I think that with more EP coming out TS3 will start to seem way more appealing though, I have liked it when I've played it, the lighting is great and I do love the way everything can be customized to how you want.

kennyinbmore

13th Oct 2009, 02:29 PM

callieishere11

13th Oct 2009, 03:02 PM

This is partly why I play TS2 way more than TS3, my inbuilt graphics card isn't quite good enough for TS3, and I can't keep on buying new computers just to play a game...When I bought the Seasons EP and my computer wouldn't run the colors properly, I bought a new computer...when I bought my new laptop I admit that a huge factor in the one I chose was TS2 and which would play it the best and have the most room for custom content. I'm just not going to buy another computer again, and frankly I can't see myself buying a new one in the near future either, unless this one completely breaks, so until then I probably will mainly be sticking to TS2.

I think that with more EP coming out TS3 will start to seem way more appealing though, I have liked it when I've played it, the lighting is great and I do love the way everything can be customized to how you want.
Yep i agree, it sucks that i expected so much from this game and now i hate the game, im glad i have all 16 of thesims2 games.

RuthStar

13th Oct 2009, 08:34 PM

Yeah, I do. I've just reinstalled sims 2 today (Joined this forum today as well actually =) ), and i plan on playing tomorrow, Sims 3 Doesn't hold a candle to how awesome sims 2 plainly is.

I feel silly now, i spent months before sims 3 came out defending it to other forums i'm on, to people who bashed it and said it would be a disappointment, I feel disappointed maybe i've gotten used to all the EPs and SPs, and all the Custom Content, but Sims 3 isn't all its made out to be, I started a legacy on sims 3 and got to Gen 3 and to find all my sims in my neighbourhood seemed to dying out and unable to get to gen 4, all the plans i had for morty/kaylynn/bella gone.

I can't figure out how to download CC from website for sims 3 either, only CC i have is from the store.

I'm going to start downloading custom content and enjoy sims 2 like i used to before and enjoy playing a game i really love <3.

Helmasaur

13th Oct 2009, 08:44 PM

Ooh, ooh, I do. The Sims 3 was just so empty...

ForeverCamp

14th Oct 2009, 03:18 AM

Sounds like your computer sucks. TS3 has never crashed on me. Well with the exception of my awesomemod experimentation

Kennyinbmore: No, my computer doesn't suck. It was built with Sims in mind in June 2006, so it's still fairly new, meets specs. Besides, as you can see in the link below, it's not just me. I'd say probably a good portion of Sims 3 owners have had this problem - I'd almost venture a guess at about 50%. Unless you want to tell more than one person with $2000+ gaming computers that THEIR computers suck, it's not the computer. It's the game.

And FYI, if it HAD been my computer, I would've mentioned that. I went back and forth with EA (who were extremely unhelpful, though they DID admit at about fourth email in a month that numerous other people have had this issue) for almost three months. They tried all the usual hardware fix-its with me - it's definitely not my computer.

See below: a link to the thread on Sims 3 Community Forums ("Sims 3 crashing randomly during gameplay")

http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/10110.page

(In particular, read the post by Symanteco on Page 8:
Well now I know it isn't because of people's computers not being up to spec. I just installed it on an Intel i7 975 and it STILL crashes to the desktop!

Intel 17 975
NVIDIA GTX 295X2 SLI
1200 WATT PSU
4TB HDD
12GB RAM

So don't say it is because of people's computers, unless this ****** only runs on a CRAY Supercomputer, cause I can't upgrade any higher at present. )

In fact, here's a quote from EA Customer Support on the subject - yes, I kept every single correspondance I had with them:
I really apologize for the inconvenience causing to you. We have received reports from players with ATI Radeon graphics cards experiencing graphics issues, such as boxy or blocky graphics. To fix this graphics issue, follow the steps below: (Notice the bad grammar - they then proceeded to tell me to do everything I'd already done.)

Ref # 090611-012676
Game purchased: June 9 PM. Crashing commences.
Self-directed troubleshooting: June 10 AM-PM.
First trouble ticket submitted June 11 AM.
EA Auto-Response same day: retried troubleshooting suggestions June 12.
DX Diagnostics submitted: June 13.
EA Patch downloaded and installed (with no success): June 25.
Second email sent to EA: June 27.
First EA Response (NOT Auto-Response): July 3.
I’m very sorry for the inconvenience caused to you and for the delayed response due of our new launch 'The Sims 3' we are getting a little higher than normal volume. I am again sorry to hear that you are facing problem while downloading the latest patch. This problem may occur due to various reasons. First of all, I would recommend you to run the patch as an Administator. (Again, notice the bad grammar, and then they proceed to tell me to do everything I've already done.)
Retried troubleshooting suggestions (including complete uninstall and reinstall - twice): July 4. No success. Third e-mail sent to EA.
Second EA Response: July 5. More troubleshooting suggestions that I'd already done. (This was where the first quote came from.)
Downloaded random drivers: July 6. Game seemed to be working.
Installed patch: July 7. Game still seemed to be working.
By July 17, the game was crashing again.
Fourth email sent to EA: July 17. Had to start a new ticket, because they closed the previous one.

New Ref # 090718-002262
EA Auto-Response: same day.
Third EA Response: never received. They closed the ticket due to lack of updates. Ironic, eh?

The supposed fix AMD has 'released' for graphical corruption issues on their Radeon cards - isn't even for my graphics card series. In fact, here's what AMD has to say on the subject:
Note! This driver is provided as is and is not supported by AMD. It has not completed full AMD testing, and is only recommended for users experiencing the particular issue described above.
In fact, I'm not even sure that crashing counts as graphical corruption. The only 'intermittent crashes' they mention is on Company of Heroes - Tales of Valor when entering a skirmish with graphics setting on Ultra.

*rant done* Sorry to everybody else for having to listen to that, my poor best friend (who's in computer programming at college) had to listen to me screaming and yelling all summer and she was just astounded at what was going on. And Kennyinbmore, be glad there's been a few hours for me to cool down between your post and mine. I don't like having **** products that I can't get refunded, and that's what this game is. I'd sell it back at a second-hand store, but I won't inflict this on another unsuspecting consumer.

wndy26

14th Oct 2009, 03:28 AM

callieishere11

14th Oct 2009, 03:28 AM

callieishere11

14th Oct 2009, 03:29 AM

ForeverCamp

14th Oct 2009, 03:35 AM

Well it crashed with me and i was using my friend's 2k computer and it was fairly new, so yes randomly it does crash. Mostly the reason why is the graphics. Because when it crashed it ruined my friend's computer pixels and a pop-out came up and said, 868907 FILESERVER HAS CRASHED CAUSE OF SLOW GRAPHICS, or sumthin like that. Its not because our computer's suck, its because of the game. Good comeback ForeverCamp.

*Sigh* At least you got an error message. Mine wasn't even nice enough to give me that. :cry:

Yes, yes, I've returned to TS2, bought SC4 and am now happily exploring life as a creator - still hasn't made anything I've found worth uploading, but I'm having a blast doing it!!! :lol:

smorbie1

14th Oct 2009, 08:11 AM

I can't seem to get into Sims 3. I like being able to have mulitple families in one neighborhood but I can't figure out how to get to let me keep my families in the neighborhood. My families move away or get all screwed up. I guess I have a major God complex....lol. So I am sticking with Sims 2.

Awesomemod at more awesome than you.com :deal: It will allow you to "bless" the families you want to control. I don't know whether there is a limit, but I have blessed up to 5 families at once. It's the only way to play this mess of a game. :llama:

callieishere11

14th Oct 2009, 03:08 PM

*Sigh* At least you got an error message. Mine wasn't even nice enough to give me that. :cry:

Yes, yes, I've returned to TS2, bought SC4 and am now happily exploring life as a creator - still hasn't made anything I've found worth uploading, but I'm having a blast doing it!!! :lol:
lol your lucky you didn't get messed up pixels! Also good for you being a creator! :lol:

sayyadina

14th Oct 2009, 03:19 PM

I like them both, but somehow I prefer the sims 2 over 3 when it comes to building and decorating. With gameplay its the other way, sims 3 is funnier to actually play. I have them both installed, and switch between them depending on my mood.

ani_

15th Oct 2009, 10:34 AM

Awesomemod at more awesome than you.com :deal: It will allow you to "bless" the families you want to control. I don't know whether there is a limit, but I have blessed up to 5 families at once. It's the only way to play this mess of a game. :llama:

Very true. I don't have story progression on, but I do have TS2 style aging, so only the family I play will age. Before awesome, i plaid with aging on in one family, and aging off in the others, so the other families would age when playing the main family, but I was never happy with this style. I really never got the logic behind why they decide that all players want their sim spawn to grow up and live without any input from the player. Control freakism is quite a general disease among sims players.

In sims 2, I always eventually got bored, and would re-start my hood after a few months. But now I'm still in the same Riverview town my founder inhabited on the first day the game came out. I find that there are so much to do in the game. There were tons of things that bugged me in sims 2, which I had hacks for, but that are now fixed (for example more object placement lots on surfaces, being able to use the corner counters and much more). TS2 is a bulk game, grow tomatoes and you can make lobster, or pick up any random book and you can study any subject. There are still tons of things I have not done in the game, for example be a doctor, use the virtual reality glasses, have a hacker, or something I really want to do, is a celebrity sim.
The only jobs I'v so far climbed to the top is the business. Of course my sims go to work, but reaching the top of a job, is not something that suits everybody.

Just the idea of going back to TS2 bores me. The loading screens are not an issue for me, but not being able to visit other sims or simple things like not being able to shop seperate ingrediances, are such a turn off.

stygia2002

16th Oct 2009, 08:22 PM

I've noticed that I never get bored playing Sims 2, but I do get bored after playing Sims 3 after a couple of hours. In all fairness to Sims 3, however, I think it's because, due to all of the EPs I have for Sims 2, there is more to do in TS2 and more variety IMHO. I'm looking forward to World Adventures and I'm anticipating being totally addicted with the Egyptian destination. :)

ForeverCamp

17th Oct 2009, 02:59 AM

Well, gave Sims 3 another shot just to be fair this afternoon (it went into the shop this evening to get a new video card and power supply installed) - and I have to say, I still don't like it. Crashing quite aside, it got boring very fast. I had one family patiently waiting in-game for me, and I played them for a while before going to CAS to make a new family - and I just didn't care about any of it. I'm not quite sure what exactly it was - definitely wasn't the lack of CC, because I keep my downloads to a minimum, mostly a couple of indispensable mods and no CAS stuff. It just... doesn't have the same allure.

Oh, well, my tower will be waiting for me when I get home from work tomorrow afternoon and it'll have a flashy new video card and my Sims 2 will run better than ever!

warrete

17th Oct 2009, 12:35 PM

I do,TS2 is more hilarious -for me- than TS3

Prosthetics

17th Oct 2009, 07:12 PM

Those kind of questions need to be asked in the WCIF forum

Gingerxyz

17th Oct 2009, 09:25 PM

Well, gave Sims 3 another shot just to be fair this afternoon (it went into the shop this evening to get a new video card and power supply installed) - and I have to say, I still don't like it. Crashing quite aside, it got boring very fast. I had one family patiently waiting in-game for me, and I played them for a while before going to CAS to make a new family - and I just didn't care about any of it. I'm not quite sure what exactly it was - definitely wasn't the lack of CC, because I keep my downloads to a minimum, mostly a couple of indispensable mods and no CAS stuff. It just... doesn't have the same allure.
Thats exactly what I thought. I just didn't get attached to the sims I created. I tried to give the game a chance. I actually played it a few times, even though I didn't really want to play it. But I just couldn't help going back to the sims 2.

Deestar

17th Oct 2009, 10:37 PM

I have not opened up Sims 3 in nearly a month. Realistically, as long as you are willing to use HystericalParoxysm's Uber Mega Hood, and Visitor Hacks (there is one that allows people from the neighborhood to visit regular residences not just apartments just don't remember who made it or where I got it), you have the same capabilities as you have with the open hood- except for having to deal with load screens. There are no more people on TS3 Community lots than there are in TS2, and I like being able to go into stores and buy things, and to have things like dates and non TS1 baby larva. So unless TS3 improves significantly with the new EP and SP that are coming out- I won't be bothering, and I won't be buying those new if I waste the money at all.

Tuber101

18th Oct 2009, 12:11 AM

Shorter list: Does anyone NOT like TS2 better than TS3?

I like TS2 better, but anymore I'm so fed-up with the games (TS2 with the loading times, TS3 with, you know, sucking) that I create a Sim in TS3 and then don't even bother playing.

smorbie1

18th Oct 2009, 03:55 AM

Yeah, I know I should have asked in WCIF, but no one ever answers me there. I did go post the question and it's not there now, so.....

Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to edit my profile to allow private e-mail. If anyone can help me, please e-mail. Thanks!

arathea

18th Oct 2009, 04:13 AM

As I posted in another thread, my biggest problem with TS3 is, that I can't enjoy it as it is.

I never downloaded things for TS1 and when I finally started downloading for TS2 it wasn't to fix a broken game, but to make a great and wonderful game a bit better, to spice it up and bring back the new and shiney.

In the beginning the new TS3 features are fun to explore. I sent my Sims through the open neighborhood, they collected gems and seeds and found out how to make Ambrosia.
Even CAST (what is not my favourite) was fun to explore.

Then happened the same as with TS2 EP's before - the first new and shiney was gone, back to the basics. 90% of my gameplay is base game stuff - and I don't talk about objecs. It's all about family structure, relationships and making my simmies lifes successful (or not).
In TS3 these things are, well... not in balance, like every detail was programmed by another person but nobody talked.

I can't even get attached by these Sims, and it's not because of the looks! There are loads of interactions, sometimes too much to keep track of them for all the traits, but no emotions. Playing with TS3 Sims is not like playing with dolls, it's like moving chess figures and making strategical decisions.

What do I do now that I don't like TS3 and I'm a bit bored playing TS2? I'm playing Castaway Stories! Yes, Sims2 light, an unmodded vanilla game - and I'm having much more fun than I've ever had with TS3! :rofl:

parrot999

18th Oct 2009, 11:47 AM

I will never go to TS3, after the way they botched all things that make TS2 a leap from 1.

No memories, aspirations, actual fears, influence, etc...

Are you aware they even botched genetics? They are only skin deep! If your sim dyes it's hair, it's child can inherit the dye!

Shaniah29

18th Oct 2009, 07:06 PM

I never played TS3, but the first thing I can't stand is the way the sims look like... That's not the textures, that's not the colors. No, that's the faces who look terrible to me.
Too much clay-like.

clevorxtenor

19th Oct 2009, 02:25 AM

I've tried playing TS3 at my friends house and I could barely get through the CAS let alone making a house. Also, the sims are creepy looking.
-I do like that you can have objects on angles, however. (that is TS3, right?)

Maybe I'm just too used to TS2 but I would play that any day. I have almost all the expansions anyways :)

ForeverCamp

20th Oct 2009, 06:23 AM

Are you aware they even botched genetics? They are only skin deep! If your sim dyes it's hair, it's child can inherit the dye!

I DID NOTICE THAT!!! I was playing the Lupins (from HP series), and every single one of their later babies after Teddy (who was handcrafted in CAS) ended up with bright pink hair. Very distressing. I had to go and change it to Tonks' natural auburn (and then the game kept crashing).

gwynne

22nd Oct 2009, 01:14 AM

-I do like that you can have objects on angles, however. (that is TS3, right?

You can place furniture on angles the same way in TS2 with a cheat-console command. I'm sure someone else knows it by heart. :)

Tenielle

22nd Oct 2009, 02:37 AM

I had an urge to fire up TS3 last week, and although it was an enjoyable play, I still prefer TS2. I know that the two games cannot be compared at this stage, what with the lack of some CC and EPs for TS3, but TS2 just appeals to me more. I prefer the crisper graphics, and the non-pudding TS2 Sims. The loading screens of TS2 are slightly annoying, but my game loads fairly fast, so it's not really an issue. I have nicely landscaped neighborhoods, so I have pretty neighborhood views from the lots. What I do prefer about TS3 is the gardening and collecting aspects of the game.
I'm hoping TS3 improves as more content and EPs are released, and then I'll give it another try.

Prosthetics

22nd Oct 2009, 02:43 AM

You can place furniture on angles the same way in TS2 with a cheat-console command. I'm sure someone else knows it by heart. :)

boolprop allow45degreeangleofrotation true

ani_

22nd Oct 2009, 05:07 AM

non-pudding TS2 Sims.

The pudding comment was always something I never understood properly. Sure Eaxis made sims are fat headed, but eaxis made sims have always been on the ugly/plain side beucase the creators don't care how they look.

Picture spam:
- Forth generation (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/aniradeth/Sims%203/Screenshot-23-8-1.jpg) ingame born sim
- another forth (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/aniradeth/Sims%203/Screenshot-5-9.jpg) generation kid
- yet another forth (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/aniradeth/Sims%203/Screenshot-75-2.jpg) generation YA.

This (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/aniradeth/Sims%203/Screenshot-33-4.jpg) guy is a second generation spawn of two maxis sims, and yes, my picture taking skills suck, way too far, way too little close ups.

This (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/aniradeth/Sims%203/Screenshot-7-1.jpg) this is my cas made founder, from whome those forth generation kids have resulted of. I made him on the first day I got the game, and the one next to him is his EA pre-made wife, who I agree, is not that interesting. But my point is, even before the slider hack (which I still don't have), it was up to the players to make the sims as interesting looking as they wanted. And even thou Eaxis premades almost all looked the same, there were exceptions, for example Constante Shelby who was quite grr.... for a maxis sim.

Tenielle

22nd Oct 2009, 06:46 AM

ani- Although I understand where you're coming from, I still don't like the look of TS3 Sims, even slathered with CC skin, eyes and hair. Unless a slider hack has been used to achieve dramatically different facial structures, many TS3 Sims just look the same, and lack the character I have come to expect with TS2 Sims.

parrot999

22nd Oct 2009, 11:44 PM

Amen to that.

Every time I get the urge to move on from TS2, I just look at some pictures of 3. :lol:

onimenojr

23rd Oct 2009, 12:33 AM

I could never get into either 1 or 2. They were just way to boring? maybe is the word. I have hadd all of TS2 and i seriously could not stand it for more than 10minutes. I dont know what it is i like about TS3 more, maybe its the personality traits. Out of the box I can make the Evil Insane sim, easily, its 2 of the traits. I also like the gameplay itself more, I can say that TS2 sims look not so claymaysion (sp?), but since I dont care what a game looks like, (i still play asteroids on my atari), its the rest that gets me.

smorbie1

23rd Oct 2009, 11:50 AM

I went back to TS2 and am having a BLAST! I had forgotten how much fun the sims could be. All I want to do is play.

acid_fairy

25th Oct 2009, 04:22 PM

I hated TS3 when I first got it. I have recently tried to play it again, and whilst it's ok, I still prefer TS2 so much more. I hate the story progression in TS3. I know that is meant to be the main allure of the game, but I like to play one household for 7 days, and then the next etc. In TS3 I find myself playing just ONE family, and then if I do go and play another one and then come back to the original family, things have happened that I dislike. I am a control freak and don't want them to change!

I also dislike the way they look. Especially their hair. It's rubbish! I hate the way jobs work and how difficult it is to get your sim to skill up, especially with the guitar. They rarely have time to do anything other than work!

I will be getting World Adventures as I'm intrigued to see what direction the series is going in. But I am still playing TS2 a lot more.

tribebohemian

26th Oct 2009, 04:42 PM

There's no denying that Sims 3 has some cool shiny features that I admire, but they each have a downside for me. Story progression is like a double edged sword. It doesn't give me the complete control or flexability I require as a player. I wish they had finetuned that tool so that we didn't require community hacks in order for it to work properly. While the CAS tools are far more extensive this time around, I don't think they cater to those who don't want to spend hours making believable looking sims. So they're stuck with pudding faces unless they are willing to really work at it.

Mostly I'm disappointed with how unpolished Sims 3 is. Between Sims 1 and Sims 2 there was a major leap in graphics, gameplay, all around userability. It seemed as though they took all the progression Sims 1 had made (including the expansion packs) and moved forward. I didn't sense that jump this time around. And it also feels sloppy. If you're going to create new features and make a big deal promoting them, they ought to be flawless. And by this time in the game, the creators should be able to do this. They should not require community made mods to fix their work. Mods are always going to be needed to finetune a game to one's specific needs. But they shouldn't be required to fix bad code. I mean the creators at EA are being paid to produce product and I seriously think they've become lazy and complacent.

I love my Sims 2. And not only because of my CC or the expansions, though they do make a big difference for me. I think out of the three, Sims 2 is the most user friendly. It can be modded to the point that each player can make it unique to their own specific tastes and desires. It really is the perfect game for creators, regardless of what they want to create: stories, pictures, neighborhoods, clothing, skins, movies, homes, destinations, hacks...

The Sims 2 is my world and because of the wonderful creations made by the community, I have complete control and no one else has a world exactly like mine. While I find the Sims 3 to be a 'good' game, I expected more this time around. I think the expansion packs will need to be exceptional in order to make up for the base game faults. And that's the major problem. I don't think you should 'require' expansion packs or CC to make a good game stand on it's own feet. Sims 1 and Sims 2 can hold their own. Sims 3... I don't know. I'm not feeling it.

But that's just my opinion. I'm glad others are pleased with the game and in no way am I putting them down. Play what makes you happy :) It is a game after all.

iCad

26th Oct 2009, 06:42 PM

OK, so on the advice of my thoroughly evil 10-year-old daughter, I went ahead and installed TS3 on my laptop yesterday to try it out, and I played for a couple of hours on and off. It told me right off the bat that my video card isn't supported, which isn't surprising, since my laptop and its video card (yes, it has a separate one) is older. I thought it wouldn't play at all once I got that message -- and it did crash my video driver after a few minutes when I had the graphics set higher -- but once I tweaked the graphics down it ran fine, and looks...eh, OK in windowed mode. It looks a lot better on my daughter's brand-new Alienware machine but...meh. :) It's good enough for just checking it out. So, the things I discovered:

1) I like the music a lot better! :lol: My daughter always plays with headphones on, so I hadn't heard the music before. The more "symphonic" feel appeals to me, as a symphonic musician. ;)

2) I still think the Sims are ugly as all get-out, but on the other hand the aesthetic in general seems more cartoony and, in that sense, the look of the Sims is appropriate. More realistic-looking Sims, the kind you can get with TS2 with tons of CC, would look funny, IMO, in combination with the rest of the game's aesthetic. Heck, they sometimes look funny even in TS2. :lol:

3) I definitely like the trait system and the specialized interactions you get for each trait. I've always thought that TS2's system of generating personalities is a bit simple. If I could have TS3's trait system in TS2, that would be sweet.

4) I think I'm liking the "open" concept more than I thought I would, but I think I will get bored quickly if I can't make my own 'hoods from scratch. That's the thing I like most about TS2, building up neighborhoods from scratch. But for now I guess I'm happy enough dinking around in Sunset Valley. I'm not yet sure how I feel about story progression, but I sense that it will annoy me. I'm not really a control freak, but I'm not sure I like the idea of an entire town developing and me not knowing what's going on. :lol:

5) I like that things are harder in TS3. It's harder to make friends, harder to advance careers, harder to keep moods up, etc. In TS2, I do this myself by limiting friend-making (i.e. only letting a Sim talk to a person on the phone for a very short period of time, for instance) and promotions (i.e. limiting the amount of time a Sim can work on a required skill per day) and such, to make it harder on myself. With TS3, I don't have to, so much. In a similar vein, I think I like the wishes and opportunities thing. I never did much with fears in TS2, so I don't miss them, and I rather like that you get wishes only intermittently. Again, because it makes things harder. And I like that the rewards aren't as silly as TS2's aspiration rewards, which I never use because they are silly. If I could have these and the trait system in TS2, I would be one happy camper.

6) Haven't tried to build anything yet, so no comment on that aspect. :)

7) Maybe this would be better if I had more than one Sim in a household, but when my one and only Sim is at work or at an event in a rabbit hole...it's boooooooring. And the highest speed isn't nearly high enough, like for instance when my single Sim is asleep. I fell asleep waiting for her to wake up. ;)

Overall...While TS3 is fun for the moment because it's different, I really don't think that it will hold my interest for long. As I said, the main thing I like to do is to build communities from scratch and rotate through playing the different families, watching the community grow and the founding families begin to interact and interbreed. Loading screens don't bother me at all; at worst, I have a 1-minute wait, usually much shorter unless it's a really big/complex lot that's loading. But it doesn't seem like that's really the point of TS3. Seems like you're more supposed to just focus on one family for the duration, and that's not really what I like to do. Maybe if I play more I'll figure out how to make it have more of a "multi-family" feel, but for now...Meh, I definitely like my very pretty TS2 game much better. Especially because I don't think my machine will be able to handle expansions for TS3, and I'm not going to buy a new machine just for that. :lol: So, I think I'm going to finish out getting expansions for TS2 (I still don't have two of them), and then I'll be set. I might play with TS3 when I want something different, but I don't think it will become the game where my heart is, if you know what I mean.

ForeverCamp

27th Oct 2009, 03:54 AM

Tried playing TS3 with my shiny new graphics card, and while it didn't really run any better, I discovered a new glitch in the game: there's no in-game families and no empty lots! They somehow all disappeared. Oh, there's blank areas where the empty lots WERE, but the lots are gone and so were the families that EA pre-established in the neighbourhoods.

I was wondering why there were no townies walking around and nobody spam-calling my Sims... now I know why.

And that totally killed it for me, especially with no ability to create any new lots. I uninstalled the game the same night. Woohoo, seven gigs of hard drive space back!

aurian

27th Oct 2009, 04:44 AM

*smiles* And here I thought I was the only one who actually prefers TS2 over TS3.

I was too embarrassed to post! :P

gazania

27th Oct 2009, 04:52 AM

Now, first of all, I must admit I haven't played the Sims 3, so perhaps my view is extremely limited. But the game just doesn't grab me. I am eagerly awaiting certain other console games that somewhat echo The Sims, so I know that I still LIKE playing Sim-like games. But no matter how hard I try, I just can't drum up a lot of interest for this one.

Maybe one reason is that I get the impression that this was a rushed effort put out to help a company that is gasping for profits. The game has a sense of incompleteness to me. Reading this doesn't help that feeling, either:

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/just-heads-up-c215890.html

Now maybe this writer is lying. But if she is, she is an awfully-convincing one.

Sims 2 has a lot of bugs. EA rushed out copies of Sims 2 as well in its drive to make money, lots of money. This game can go flaky if you so much as sneeze in its general direction. But as I was deliberating on getting Sims 2 after playing Sims 1 on console, I never got the impression that the game was missing chunks of "something" ... even the base game.

I wish I can get rid of that feeling. But it's still bugging me.

Add to this the alleged problems with my particular video card, and I think I might be looking at other online Sim games before buying this one. Oh, and stick with my Sims 2.

Prosthetics

27th Oct 2009, 06:18 AM

Personally, that complaint doesn't move me in the slightest. I guess it has to do with the fact that I felt that EA had released TS3 preamturely, and I didn't want to push for it at all. I mean, Jesus, I didn't even own all of the Sims 2 expansions when the Sims 3 was released! I don't know, at this point it doesn't matter. The game has been released and people like it and people hate it.

ani_

27th Oct 2009, 10:36 AM

First of all, I don't want my comment to be a "convert to sims 3" type of comment, or to judge ts2 players, becuase "difference of oppinnion" comments can easily turn into those as well as be missinterpretated. Sure ts3 is my drug of choice, but I still enjoy hanging around and reading this forum, and spesially the what's happening in your game right now thread, because in the end, it's all the same game, the sims. But tribebohemian's had a few comments that completely jumped out and I had to respond, so here it goes.

Mostly I'm disappointed with how unpolished Sims 3 is. Between Sims 1 and Sims 2 there was a major leap in graphics, gameplay, all around userability. It seemed as though they took all the progression Sims 1 had made (including the expansion packs) and moved forward.
I agree on the graphics part, from 2d to 3d is always a huge leap. But the rest of the comment, i completely dissagree. They took some (not all) things from ts1 and brought them to us via expansions, and if this would have been a complete transfere of ts1 + ep to ts2 + ep, then we wouldn't have people whimpering how they miss superstar. Actually ts3 is one step closer to having superstar considering you can have rockstars in the game.

They should not require community made mods to fix their work. Mods are always going to be needed to finetune a game to one's specific needs. But they shouldn't be required to fix bad code. I mean the creators at EA are being paid to produce product and I seriously think they've become lazy and complacent.

This "They should not require community made mods to fix their work." part is something that has been mentioned after almost every ts2 ep that came out. There has always been huge ugly bugs that broke the game and your city and that the community had to fixed before the original fix was given by EA. But what I think has happened to many people, is that time (even thou not so much has passed) hase golden the memories. The spawning of npcs in BV, the spawning of npcs/townies in AL are some things that fast come to my mind. When ts2 first came out you had neighbors stealing your kids and the bug that every kid looks the same unless you roll the pacifier, I might be mistaken here, but I think was never fixed.

I love my Sims 2. And not only because of my CC or the expansions, though they do make a big difference for me. I think out of the three, Sims 2 is the most user friendly. It can be modded to the point that each player can make it unique to their own specific tastes and desires. It really is the perfect game for creators, regardless of what they want to create: stories, pictures, neighborhoods, clothing, skins, movies, homes, destinations, hacks...
Call me crazy, but simpe was never an easy tool to use. I also like CC, as well as hacks and mods, and thanks to the community, it hasn't even been six month yet, and we already have all of that. I think the only thing we don't have yet is custom animations. But it took years for ts2 to reach the point ts3 is now in hacks and mods. And of course the reason ts3 is so very well hacked, is because what they learned in ts2, didn't go to waste.

And that's the major problem. I don't think you should 'require' expansion packs or CC to make a good game stand on it's own feet. Sims 1 and Sims 2 can hold their own. Sims 3... I don't know. I'm not feeling it.
I don't agree on ts1 and ts2 could hold their own without cc and ep's. Unless you have played the base game, no hacks, no cc, no eps, for all these years then you are right - EP's are overrated.

mangaroo

27th Oct 2009, 11:02 AM

I don't agree on ts1 and ts2 could hold their own without cc and ep's. Unless you have played the base game, no hacks, no cc, no eps, for all these years then you are right - EP's are overrated.

I played the TS2 base game for 18 months before picking up my first EP...which probably doesn't sound that amazing to people who bought the game when it first came out, but by the time I started playing TS2, 5 EPs had been released. I considered EPs overrated for the longest time, I just really wanted gardening and fishing. Which I can't help but note that the TS3 base game provides.

However, by the time TS3 was released, I had a play style that was incompatible with its repetitive questing and its endless skilling and its -- to me, anyway -- unsatisfying characters and relationships. My biggest problem with the game is the poorly thought out story progression, but a close second is the way they have stripped back the depiction of babies and toddlers. I honestly believe the second bit is because customer feedback convinced EA their target audience was annoyed by the care required for those lifestages in TS2. Since they're targeting an audience other than me, I am more than happy to stay with TS2 as long as I have a system that can support it.

arathea

27th Oct 2009, 11:06 AM

I don't agree on ts1 and ts2 could hold their own without cc and ep's. Unless you have played the base game, no hacks, no cc, no eps, for all these years then you are right - EP's are overrated.

I don't agree with that. A base game gives you the basics, with EP's you get more options what you can do with this basics, they usually don't change them. If I don't like the basics, no EP can change my opinion about the game.

As an example:
I don't like how the relationships work in TS3. In TS2 there are LTR/STR bars and they aren't necessarily the same for both sims, in TS3 is one bar and it is the same for both sims. No more Sim A likes Sim B very much, but Sim B is not interested.
EP's will give me more interactions, but as long as they don't change the one-dimensional way how relationships work, I won't see it as an improvement.

iCad

27th Oct 2009, 05:03 PM

As an example:
I don't like how the relationships work in TS3. In TS2 there are LTR/STR bars and they aren't necessarily the same for both sims, in TS3 is one bar and it is the same for both sims. No more Sim A likes Sim B very much, but Sim B is not interested.

Having played TS3 a bit more now, I have to say that I agree with this. And I think this is one of the reasons that I don't feel a connection to these characters. I immediately did so when I started to play TS2, even before I knew about CC and, indeed, EPs. TS3, to me, feels like watching a cartoon, in a way. Very...cardboard and one-dimensional. Also, the Sims don't seem to have much "free time," in a sense. It always seems like there's something that they need to do. Like, their needs drop faster and, maybe it's just me, but it feels like it takes longer for them to do things, especially cooking. So between that and skilling and such if they have a job...Well, it just feels like I don't have time to develop the characters like I want to because I'm so busy with other things or waiting forever for them to make and eat some mac and cheese. So in that sense, it has more of a feel of a "directed" game, even though it's advertised as not being that way. Maybe it's just my lack of experience, but that's how it feels to me, and it's definitely not a feeling I had when I started playing TS2 back in early '08.

I do still like a few things better about TS3 than TS2: the trait system vs. aspirations, the greater difficulty in making friends/getting promotions, the opportunities vs. chance cards. But I can make things more difficult on myself easily enough in TS2, and I can live without the other things. Because otherwise, I generally like TS2 a lot better. Of course, this is just my own personal opinion, formed mostly because the style of play the TS3 steers you toward conflicts with the style of play I've developed over the course of playing TS2, and I simply like my play style better, is all. Sooooooo...I think I'm going to be uninstalling TS3 shortly, especially because it started crashing my video driver again last night. (Not the game's fault; my laptop's video card isn't supported. It's OK, though, because I was just checking things out.)

smorbie1

27th Oct 2009, 08:31 PM

I totally agree with Icad. The beauty of the Sims franchise is that each game is individual. You play the way you want to play. i was endlessly frustrated by the need to deliver papers to corporate or pick up goshdarn rocks. My sims had no life; they just satisfied their needs, went to work, and performed whatever stupid task was given to them (making cookies, etc).
I finally just started ignoring the opportunities almost altogether. I would accept them just in case I decided to do them, but mostly let them expire. I found myself clicking off or ignoring their wants (find a seed, etc). This helped free up some time for them to meet other sims, start families, and live.
But you know what? Just like Icad, I found I didn't care about them. I just let the larvae cry. Most of the time I didn't even bother to buy them beds. Ditto for the toddlers. I would just shift click the mailbox to make them happy whenever I got the social worker warning.
In the end, for me, anyway, it's not the expansions, and it's not the cc. I just couldn't learn to care about my sims. In 2 (which I went back to) I bond with my families. I remember their likes and dislikes. I care about them, and am sometimes sad to see a favorite die. In 3, I would make sims, play them for a while and just delete them. Often I would become convinced the family was corrupt because of the lovely random crash syndrome and error 12/13 problem. I would delete the family and start over without blinking an eye. By the time I reinstalled sims 2, I had just 2 active families in 3, and I could not have cared less about them.
I mean I know it's just a game, and they're just pixels, but they're my creations and I want to care about them.
Look, many of these threads seem to be becoming a them against us kind of thing, 2's against 3's or whatever. I don't want to contribute to that.
If you like and prefer 3, that's fine. I just prefer 2.

iCad

27th Oct 2009, 10:00 PM

*nods* It does seem to me as if there's an "us-vs-them" thing now. I think it's because 3 is taking a lot of heat in various ways, but it otherwise has some devoted players, and those players feel a need to defend it. Really, I don't think it (or 2) needs defense. It's just a matter of personal preference. Me, I've developed a way that I like to play. It's a way that really makes me feel connected to the characters and their community because I'm usually trying to build a diverse yet self-contained community from scratch, using a few foundational families, even now going so far as to build everything from scratch. I can't play that way in 3, even with story progression off, and this has resulted in me not caring about any of the dozens of characters I created to test out TS3, even the one family that I intended to keep playing before technical issues due to my unsupported vid card made it rather frustrating to play.

So while I really like some of 3's features, it just doesn't mesh well with how I like to play. Me, specifically. Meaning, it's my opinion only. I'm not going to whine about 3 being horrible because it isn't at all. Even as just a base game it has some great features. But it's just...different from what I've grown to like, is all. And I'm an old curmudgeon who digs in her heels and resists change. ;)

MaxQBaker

28th Oct 2009, 03:45 AM

I also vote for TS2.
TS3 has a certain slightly 'extra polished flashiness' to it that has no soul or depth.
After learning to tweak my CAS creations so that they aactually look pretty decent, I still couldn't find any compelling reason to play a family for more than a few minutes without getting bored.

On one hand I'd love to see what the EPs and SPs will offer, but I feel cheated buying TS3 and am not sure I want to shell out the extra dollars just in the hope that they eventually get it right.

smorbie1

29th Oct 2009, 12:45 PM

I hear you summersong. I've been thinking that I wish EA or a super-great modder would find a way to make a createastyle in Sims 2. I would pay a BUNCH of money for that feature alone. As it is, I don't see myself ever buying an expansion pack for sims 3; I'm staying with 2. After reinstalling Sims 2 a couple of weeks ago, I almost hugged my computer when it booted up and I saw the old, familiar neighborhoods. I felt like I'd come home.

That said, there are things I DID like about Sims 3. I LOVE, LOVE LOVED createastyle. That was tons of fun to be able to recolor clothes and furniture. I really liked that the kids had their homework in the their inventory and worked on it autonomously. I also liked that you got to write different kinds of books and sell them, getting residuals.

But, for me, story progression was a big problem. I had awesome mod and that helped that problem. I didn't like the way the sims looked. I hated the larvae and the fact that toddlers and children all looked the same. The kids especially, with those large, watery eyes, looked kind of evil, and not in a good way. I love in Sims 2 looking at the toddlers and seeing which traits came from what parent.
I didn't mind the way the adults looked until I realized they all kind of looked the same. No matter what I did in CAS, the people were very similar to each other, even when I tried to make an ugly one.

Anyway, back to my original point, a createastyle feature for Sims 2 would sell like hotcakes I think if EA would just consider making it. I'd pay as much for that as for the original sims itself.

arathea

29th Oct 2009, 01:19 PM

I didn't like the way the sims looked. I hated the larvae and the fact that toddlers and children all looked the same. The kids especially, with those large, watery eyes, looked kind of evil, and not in a good way. I love in Sims 2 looking at the toddlers and seeing which traits came from what parent.
I didn't mind the way the adults looked until I realized they all kind of looked the same. No matter what I did in CAS, the people were very similar to each other, even when I tried to make an ugly one.
I never thought that the toddlers/children are looking evil. For me they look like a childhood in Sunset Valley/Riverview must be very sad and they should better all be taken away by the social worker to live in a happier place.

Back to TS2 I recognized that when my sims are visiting a community lot and I zoom out to see the whole lot, I usually can say who is who, with only a few exeptions. In TS3, despite all in-game customization, I had to hover the mouse over them to be sure.

Liza495

29th Oct 2009, 02:14 PM

I heard and read a lot about The Sims 3. I haven't bought the game until today. I'm a Sims 2 fan and find Sims 2 thrilling (but sometimes boring too). I don't find Sims 3 Sims really attractive and that's it. With the Sims 2 I have still many possibilities with CC for Sims and lot building, etc. I learned so much with the Sims 2 that I wouldn't be able to keep up in time playing and testing CC with the Sims 3.

tribebohemian

9th Nov 2009, 04:28 AM

ICad :

*nods* It does seem to me as if there's an "us-vs-them" thing now. I think it's because 3 is taking a lot of heat in various ways, but it otherwise has some devoted players, and those players feel a need to defend it. Really, I don't think it (or 2) needs defense. It's just a matter of personal preference. Me, I've developed a way that I like to play. It's a way that really makes me feel connected to the characters and their community because I'm usually trying to build a diverse yet self-contained community from scratch, using a few foundational families, even now going so far as to build everything from scratch. I can't play that way in 3, even with story progression off, and this has resulted in me not caring about any of the dozens of characters I created to test out TS3, even the one family that I intended to keep playing before technical issues due to my unsupported vid card made it rather frustrating to play.

Well said. You made my point better than I did. I don't want to fault anyone for enjoying 'Sims 3'. And I feel awful for anyone who spent the money and is now disappointed with their purchase. I don't even think it's a bad game. Just incomplete and not right for me. Like ICad so eloquently explains, the new game just doesn't suit my game playing needs. Which is sad but I've still got my 'Sims 2' and am no where close to being bored :giggler:

Vintage_Eve

9th Nov 2009, 04:57 AM

For me, I dont like TS3, the fact that its a seamless environment and so many things lacks in that neighborhood not to mention the swimming, castle building at the shore, sunbathe,...and geez... :blink: it really freaks me out...

Honestly I just played TS3 for 1 whole week and it turns me off while Im playing it...TS2 is way too addictive than TS3 to me... and now TS3 is just here in my harddrive sleeping...

yea its really disappointing to have TS3,the fact that what you expect is not the outcome... :cry:

I actually ask myself why did they produced TS3 "INCOMPLETELY" ... considering its just a base game like TS2 only not with expansions... why would they put a seamless environment without giving much details and things you can do around it... ;)

and I watched its trailer it says "MAKIN MORE REALISTIC" i heared that from a guy in the trailer entitled "TS3 THE MAKING" ...
well ....TS3 is all boring... I...I cant be rude but I think it is!... and really not satisfied with the outcome...and thats why Im sticking at TS2...

queenoftheblackroses

9th Nov 2009, 09:33 PM

I like the Sims 2 better. There's more CC, more hacks and your Sims seem to have more 'soul'. The Sims in TS3 are more like bubbleheads, in both appearance and mind.
Also, in the Sims 2 you can create dystopian societies! I want my '1984's and Pretty Towns!
You can't do that in the Sims 3. Unless you count Sunset Valley as a dystopia where everyone has brain damage which makes them all so friendly.

SuicidiaParasidia

9th Nov 2009, 09:52 PM

i like TS3. *is pied and tomatoed*

but really, i dont think people give it a chance. its the BASE GAME... TS2's base game wasnt all that wonderful either.
and its a seamless neighborhood. i especially love that i dont have to play all the other families for them to get old and die. never liked that aspect of TS2. loading screens that took 15 minutes at a time i do not miss, either.

of course there are things i dont like about TS3, but when i tried to go back to TS2 a while ago, it all just seemed so dated and too annoyingly complex.

of COURSE TS2 has more to offer.
of COURSE TS2 has more CC.

why? because TS2 is YEARS OLDER than TS3! logic, much...

a fairer argument would be if BASE GAME -CC TS2 pwned vs TS3. and it really doesnt, i think.

EDIT: id also like to add that while it took me a little bit to get accustomed to, ive come to LIKE the "one dimensional" relationship bars. at least then im not guessing as to what the other sim thinks...though, to be fair, i dont like it when its entirely the cause of 1 sim. say a sim likes another, and in TS3, if one REALLY UPSETS the other [ say, catches them cheating ], then BOTH their relationships go down, when i feel it shouldnt, due to that 1's reaction. >>;

arathea

9th Nov 2009, 10:24 PM

a fairer argument would be if BASE GAME -CC TS2 pwned vs TS3. and it really doesnt, i think.

I went from TS1 + all EPs to TS2 Base Game and was addicted at once. I played it without any CC and mods until uni came out and didn't missed a thing.

I went from TS2 + all EPs/SPs + CC to TS3 Base Game and was frustrated at once. I played it for about 5 weeks and constantly added mods, tweaks and fixes. I played this game so long because I followed the developement of ISM which was actually more fun than playing the game, when ISM stopped I stopped playing TS3.

Maybe I'm wrong, but whenever someone says that we should compare TS2 Base Game with TS3, I'm under the impression this means to compare TS2 Basegame with TS3 + Awesome Mod + Story Progression Mod + Slider Hacks + several tweaks and fixes.
During the time I played TS3, I had more mods and CC in my game than with TS2 up to Free Time.

SuicidiaParasidia

9th Nov 2009, 10:41 PM

hmmm no thats not what i meant.... but your opinion is your own. i still like TS3 base, no hacks or mods, more than TS2 -CC, etc..

tribebohemian

11th Nov 2009, 12:32 PM

If I had to choose between base game TS2 and base game TS3, #2 wins for me. I can still remember the first time I played it after leaving TS1 behind. I knew I'd never return :) I played base game for a long time before buying any expansion packs or becoming a CC junkie. And while the CC and expansions help me customize the game to within an inch of it's life, I still feel that the base game can stand on it's own. TS3 just hasn't given me that feeling. I'm nowhere near as impressed and can't help feeling like there should be more. I decided to return to TS2 and just accept the financial loss of #3.

Bellasaurus

11th Nov 2009, 05:33 PM

Unless you count Sunset Valley as a dystopia where everyone has brain damage which makes them all so friendly.

It should have been called Stepford Valley... ;)

Prosthetics

11th Nov 2009, 07:29 PM

The moral of this story is that everyone has their own opinions. I'll only say that TS3 is competing for my attention NOW, not further on down the line when it has more EP's and such. And I am not impressed.

Tenielle

11th Nov 2009, 09:24 PM

I have had a hard time adjuisting to TS3, and seem to play it for a few days, get bored and go back to TS2. However, I've been seeing so many great pictures lately, that I'm wanting to give it a second (third/fourth/fifth...) chance. After I'm finished uni for the semester, I'm hoping to explore the CAS more, as opposed to gameplay and see if it makes a difference.

vhanster

12th Nov 2009, 11:47 PM

I just played TS3 recently (though I've installed the game months ago), and I honestly prefer TS2 because it has more neighborhood- and objects too. Also, I prefer the CAS system in TS2, because the system in TS3 is somewhat too "free". Also, I don't like the way I have to play a new game just to play another CAS sim.

mangaroo

13th Nov 2009, 02:08 AM

vhanster, that last bit is a misperception. You can populate the whole town (the same town) with your CAS-made Sims and switch between houses. You simply need to go to edit town mode in the options menu first.

Creator K

13th Nov 2009, 03:47 AM

Sims 3 is okay, but I got all hyped up for buying it and I got to play it, but it just didn't have that spark like the sims2.

xxGuyxx

14th Nov 2009, 03:22 PM

Joyius

20th Nov 2009, 09:08 AM

I like TS2 Better then T23. I played TS3 for a while but it messed my computer up, and wouldn't play at all a week after I had gotten it, I liked the whole never ending neighboor hood, and the advertisings were what got me really excited for it but when I finally got it, it was almost the same as TS2 and I hated it cause I couldn't make two families in the same neighboor hood without having to just play one I like to work on sims individually, and I thought we would at least be able to swim in the beaches and rivers but no, none of that, nothing, I was severly dissapointed by TS3

WayBack

20th Nov 2009, 09:20 AM

...I hated it cause I couldn't make two families in the same neighboor hood without having to just play one...

You can play more than just one family in the same neighbourhood.

Joyius

20th Nov 2009, 09:21 AM

You can play more than just one family in the same neighbourhood.

I know but then the other sims aged and then died while I was working on one family, that's what I meant duh.

ani_

24th Nov 2009, 09:42 AM

I know but then the other sims aged and then died while I was working on one family, that's what I meant duh.
Well duh, you can
1. turn off aging completely and age them manually if you feel like it or
2. get awesome mod and turn on the ts2 style aging

EsmeraldaTheBohemienne

24th Nov 2009, 06:02 PM

Esmeralda

24th Nov 2009, 06:13 PM

I prefer TS2 over the 3. I don't have the game,though, but I'm not going to buy it for now.

Along all these months,I've almost been spending half of my free time watching a lot of videos made by the fans and they really disappointed me.

First of all I don't like their pig-like faces. It's the 1st thing I notice since I'm kind of obsessed with sim look. These faces look all the same,they are all piggy. In TS2 there are many different ranges of faces and you really have fun while choosing the one you like the most.

Secondly, yeah there's a lot of new stuff,you can put forniture in the direction you want for example or the other burocratic things that make the game more realistic,yeah, but what's exactly new? You can't even see while they go eating in the pubs.

And what about the flow of time? It's so terribly slow. And sims suddenly need to rest when they come back from work. So all these sims can do is to sleep and go to work.

And don't tell me it was the same with TS2 base because I remember I had a lot of fun even without all the expansion packs! And TS2 was definitely a novelty compared to its previous.

I think creators could have saved a lot of time by working more on TS2

From one Esmeralda to another, I absolutely agree with everything you say. TS2 was such a quantum leap forward from TS1 and was so exciting to play for the first time (even just the base game), but TS3 felt like a huge leap backwards. My first impression of it was 'Meh...' coupled with downright horror at the piggy 'pudding faces' and their terrible cartoony facial expressions - it seems more like a kid's game whereas TS2 seemed more adult. I can only hope it will improve once they iron out all the bugs of both the base game and now also the new bugs of the WA expansion pack, but I somehow doubt it will ever be as good as its predecessor.

Deestar

24th Nov 2009, 06:21 PM

iCad

24th Nov 2009, 07:23 PM

Meh, I ended up uninstalling TS3.

I could deal with the constant crashes due to my laptop's unsupported video card. It wasn't a big deal and the game re-loaded really quickly, so that issue I could have lived with. What I couldn't live with was the lack of connection with the characters. For all that they had more individual personalities, with the trait system and such, I just didn't feel the sort of connection with them that I feel with TS2 Sims. I didn't care if they achieved their wants or not. I didn't immediately have a plan for them. Overall, it just felt like a game with an objective, whereas TS2 to me feels more like a world to build with no ultimate goal, particularly because I never play the Maxis 'hoods. I always create my own from scratch, and that doesn't seem to be the direction that TS3 is heading. And I simply prefer the "world-building" aspect, is all. It has nothing to do with how the Sims look or CC or expansions or any of that. It's just how the game "feels" to me, personally. So, I'm completely back to TS2 now. So is my daughter, for that matter, although she hasn't uninstalled TS3 yet. I think she will, though.

parrot999

24th Nov 2009, 08:46 PM

...and the Visitor Hack created after AL that allows you to visit neighbors...

Where can I get this?

wthrwthoutyu

24th Nov 2009, 08:57 PM

You know, I haven't played Sims 3. But I like to investigate any software before I decide whether or not to get it, and I haven't really heard anything about TS3 that makes me think it's worth it for me. It just doesn't sound like it would support my style of play at all, so I'm sticking to TS2 until TS3 either gets cosmically more attractive, or TS4 comes out. :D

ani_

24th Nov 2009, 09:22 PM

I had Ts3 and WA. After 6 failed patches, and a game that was broken to begin with that I needed a major mod like Awesomemod and about 20 other mods to fix the problems - and an Expansion I cannot play since the latest patch borked my game (and yes removed cc/mods SOP I have after all been playing the Sims since Sims 1)- I definitely like TS2 better. Realistically other than load times what does Ts3 have that does TS2 doesn't - open neighborhoods- care of the modders like HystericalParoxysm and Mixed Reality who created and improved the Megahood, and the Uber Megahood and the Visitor Hack created after AL that allows you to visit neighbors - just like they do if they live in an apartment or if you have TS3, better lighting- thanks Gunmod, prettier Sims thank you Bruno, Pooklet, and PeachT, and guess what I could edit my neighborhoods and build my own without any super special tools from EA- other than lot size which was fixed by Moothilda - with the base game. Would you like to ellaborate what bug exactly needs awesome mod + 20 other hacks to fix, do you have? Yes, story progression was borked when the game came out, but the quick fix for it came really fast, a community fix for it came even faster, and the patch didn't come so much further behind. Considering you obviously have a "few" hacks for TS2 to make it more fun for you to play, using the argument that needing hacks for ts3 is a reason to hate it, is a bit silly.

TS3 is no longer a want for me in other words this game is to frustrating because of being borked and glitchy and my fun motive is decaying to quickly. I don't know which one of your 20 plus mods is borking your game and making fun decay so fast, but my experience with the fun bar is just the opposite. In ts2 my kids were always drained after school, and needed a few quicky red hand games just so they can do something usefull instead of the constant whining. While now keeping fun up is 100% easyer because of it's slower decay.

Not to mention the pig-faced puddings who even with default skin and eyes, custom clothing, and extra body sliders are graphically- not an improvement - not even the weight sliders are really an improvement because of the fact that you don't have sliders that make boobs and butt proportionate with weight or height- or fitness. Yes, Delphy, Jonha, and CMaryC are working on them but, that isn't something that should have to be modded- if this was supposed to be an improvement on TS2 it should have been there from the get go- just like the hood creation tool.. So having a slider to determine a sim's weight is a step down from having three static bodyshapes?
And big deal if it needs a modder to make the sims ass fatter than what it now is, it's not like you are playing a virgin ts2 game, you are playing a modded game darling.

An improved game would have been one that gave us exactly what was offered in base game TS2 plus improved But we got this. The base game gave us cars, gardening, fishing. Which are things we didn't have in ts2 base game. You even got restaurants, they are rabit holes I know, but it's still way better than the flip your own burger places we had in ts2 before nightlife. We even got the toddler table and park playing equipment for kids, and this is just the base game. Surely you were not expecting every single object and interaction in ts2 + eps and then got dissapointed because all was not included?

and more challenging gameplay (the traits system, new jobs etc are improvements) which Ts3 simply does not. I might re purchase this game once several more EP/SP's have come out, and it is cheaper but not right now.
What exactly do you mean by more challenging gameplay?

Switching from ts2 to ts3 didn't change the way I play the game at all. It's still a life/drama/story simulation.

I have no intensio of converting you, or to mock your choise, ts2 is a great game. So you played ts3 + wa and didn't like it then went back to ts2, good for you, because you are now playing a game you like. But why did you have to exaggerate to validate your choise, i don't get.

Alistair

24th Nov 2009, 09:55 PM

I kinda like both games equally, although I think I'll hold off on playing TS3 until either there's a fix for my graphics card (game always gets dark on me when I start playing a sim) or I get a compatible card.

I'm really big on realism, and so I love how an entire neighborhood loads all at once.

I'll still most likely be playing TS2, because it's so much easier to do challenges on there, and I can't live without most of the stuff from the expansions.

My sentiments exactly. Well, except for the graphics card, part.

I also love venturing around the neighborhood in TS3 to collect things, but on the same hand, I also loved forming more dynamic relationships in TS2. Each game has their own pitfalls, and I love each game with them. And yes, I am one of those people who does like to play with only the base game, even though I have all the expansion packs and stuff packs.

Jackathyn

25th Nov 2009, 04:51 PM

I do. TS3 feels... soulless to me. Like it's polished up, it looks beautiful, but... there's no heart? It's missing that quirky, funny character that draws me to TS2, that feeling of lighthearted humour.

I'm also not a fan of the TS3 sims themselves. Physically, they look doughy to me, and even replacements don't really fix that. I was never one for realism, and all of my Sims have emphasis on the cartoony sides of them. They're often dressed the way I do in real life- dramatic makeup, giant ribbons, fun hairstyles. There's less option for that kind of thing yet in TS3.

The gameplay feels more generic, too. I thought I'd love the seamless neighbourhood, but I don't as much as I anticipated. Visiting people ended up meaning a lot less to me than it felt like it was going to, and, call me crazy, but I enjoy collecting bugs in TS2 more than I do in TS3.

The traits system also doesn't draw me in. But, who knows. Maybe expansion packs and modded material will change the way I feel about it later on. But, I play games for heart and sentimentality more than anything... and I've been playing this one a long time. I still play games I finished when I was eight, so who knows if I'll ever really step on.

stygia2002

26th Nov 2009, 07:45 AM

Well, having gotten World Adventures and spending some time messing with it, I can truly say that it didn't make me like TS3 any better than before...I still prefer my TS2.

Esmeralda

26th Nov 2009, 10:01 AM

I do. TS3 feels... soulless to me. Like it's polished up, it looks beautiful, but... there's no heart? It's missing that quirky, funny character that draws me to TS2, that feeling of lighthearted humour.

This, exactly. It's the main reason I'm unhappy with TS3, even more so than the awful fat double-chinned pudding faces that horrified me so much when I first got the game. The faces can be overcome with slider hacks and default skin & eye replacements, and I've been able to create some surprisingly attractive sims that look more like TS2 sims rather than fat puddings, but there has been no way of overcoming the dreary lack of heart, soul and quirky humour that TS2 had.

Nova

26th Nov 2009, 06:24 PM

I've started playing TS2 again recently and have to say I enjoy it more than TS3. I know this is an unfair comparison but I love the TS2 for it expansion packs. I like having pets, seeing the snow and rain fall, and so on. My only complaint is that needs decay so quickly (I currently trying to find a mod that slows that down with no luck so far) that it feels like I only have enough time to boost their needs and not enough time for anything else.

vicarious70

26th Nov 2009, 10:16 PM

My only complaint is that needs decay so quickly (I currently trying to find a mod that slows that down with no luck so far) that it feels like I only have enough time to boost their needs and not enough time for anything else.

There's 2 methods that I know that you're able to control your sims needs:

1.Open cheatbox and type in maxmotives and that will put all needs to max.

2. Or if you want to indidviually control each need just type in the cheatbox, Testingcheatsenabled false while in neighborhood view and make sure when you go to the sim family your playing with, to open cheatbox once again and type testingcheatsenabled true and then you can click on any needs bar that you want to control individually. I hope I explained this well :)

Esmeralda

26th Nov 2009, 11:12 PM

You can also use Merola's Energizer Painting (http://www.simchaotics.com/, click on 'Merola's Sims 2' in the left-hand pane and scroll down to the second to last item on the page that comes up) - you just put this up in your sim's house like a normal painting, have your sim 'view' it, and all of his/her motives will instantly go to maximum. I swore by this in my Sims 2 game!

Deestar

27th Nov 2009, 05:43 AM

Or use the Mood Boosters that Sandy made over at Around the Sims - she has several varieties including, soup, tea, orange juice, beer, wine, blood for Vampire Sims and they make rather pretty deco clutter for your Sims homes as well.

ekrubynaffit

2nd Dec 2009, 09:11 AM

I have no desire to get ts3 after seeing that majority of the content is content from the sims 2, plus the sims I have been seeing in pics are to me all looking the same and can someone please tell me why they all look like thay have double chins??

A N G E L S T A R

2nd Dec 2009, 10:39 AM

I haven't played The Sims 3 but I love love LOVE TS2 so much. I love the gameplay and the quirkiness of it. Also, in TS2 added with a sprinkle of CC (or not!) you can create STUNNING sims! Believe me, I've seen some on here. I like how TS2 is just so funny and quirky and even though it is a game, we become so fond of some of our simlings :D Nothing beats TS2!

I would buy TS3 if it had more curly/natural hairstyles. I saw the locs that the girl in the TS3 commercial was wearing and I thought that only locs just weren't going to cut it! I can't make a simself without my signature coily sphere around my head :D In TS2, there are also amazing things to download and not have to buy a whole new game just to have. x

ETA: All the sims in TS3 look fat, and the toddlers look strange. I'm just sayin....

littleminx01

2nd Dec 2009, 10:45 AM

I like ts2 better than ts3 because try as I might, I don't get protective over a sim I have created in ts3. It maybe weird, but for the longest time I had a bodyshop-sim I used for everything. Normal game, legacies, story-making, challenges -- you name it.., I used that sim. (I retired her a while back because I thought ts3 would swallow me whole and am currently trying to find a new sim-buddy)
When I got ts3 I almost immedeately ran into walls. Women don't have boobs. Women stand like irritated Ultimate Fighters. Every ts3 sim has obesitas. Rabbitholes (WTF?). In game challenges are too stupid to consider doing them. No more in-game story-creator. (WTF x2?) Building homes in ts3 is not fun. Can't put a finger on it -- I just feel I should be doing it in ts2.

Actually, now that I think about it and after writing all of the above:

I like ts2 better than ts3 because everything I do in ts3 make me feel like I rather should be doing it in ts2.

thatsong64

2nd Dec 2009, 02:43 PM

I don't have any interest in TS3. When TS2 came out, I went insane. I guess because I thought there was so much potential in sims 1 and so much to improve upon. Just the aging thing, wants, and having weather/seasons I thought was SUCH an improvement and all I really ever hoped for. But I haven't seen anything about TS3 so far that I'm at all excited for. And I really don't like the way the actual sims look. They seem to all have the same chubby cheek faces.. I don't see myself ever getting TS3..so I better get my downloads while I still can :(

Prosthetics

2nd Dec 2009, 06:21 PM

I don't think you'll have to worry about missing any sims2 downloads. I think they'll be available for a while yet (even now, everyone is still creating for TS2.)

Maranatah

2nd Dec 2009, 11:58 PM

I agree with that, I think there is always going to be people who like playing Sims 2 more and also create stuff for it.

Well, my own latest experience was that I had Sims 3 installed some time ago, I played it few days and then it messed up my graphic card. So that's it for me, now it has been out of my pc for some time and haven't missed it at all. Sims 2 works great, there's so much new things to explore (since I haven't even played it longer than a year) and even when I get bored with it sometimes, I always find myself opening the game every day. :)

aeval99

3rd Dec 2009, 01:17 AM

I could never go back to Sims 2 now. I just don't have the patience to install all the hacks I need to stomp all the annoyances. I'm actually running 3 without a single hack at the moment, and the only thing that's bothering me is all the coughing and choking when they eat. And the idea of having to go look on the internet to find a bedspread that matches my chair just seems so ridiculous now. I do miss the weather though.

christx101

3rd Dec 2009, 03:56 AM

I will always play the TS2 along with TS1 the TS2 were so easy to customize they looked so much more realistic with CC.TS3 are funny looking its takes forever to make halfway descent looking sims I hate how fat and bloated there faces are.Kinda reminds me of TS1 allover again I hated the sims looks but loved all the other aspects of the game.

But then on the other hand I love TS3 for all the new traits the TS3 have much more realistic personalities and more body type options.Then the graphics are so much better and plus no annoying loading screens.

allplaynowork

6th Dec 2009, 10:35 AM

Stupid as it sounds, I like the Sims 2 better because it is less realistic. Games for em are about escapism s if you make them too life-like it becomes somewhat disappointing. Of course playing Sims 3 is cool but like everyone else I miss the expansion packs. Plus I like having my sims interact with other households I have made and controll which is impossible to have in Sims 3. Also, despite load time, I like how individual lots have their own 'time-zones' as it were... Then again maybe I'm just stuck in my old ways...

wheezat

6th Dec 2009, 12:10 PM

:help: My Sims 3 game is currently bugged after installing the new expansion pack. My sims can't buy groceries or cook, and when they open the refrigerator the only option is "Open". The only way my sims can survive is by ordering pizza and saving the leftovers which spoil almost immediately, or going on vacation and buying massive quantities of dry food to last until the next patch fixes this. I really prefer the Sims 2, always have and keep getting more and more reasons to give up on the Sims 3. I can tell you this; there is NO way I will buy any additional expansions for the Sims 3.

mangaroo

6th Dec 2009, 05:33 PM

wheezat, you very likely have conflicting or outdated cc. Please read "Before you Begin" and "Common Errors" from Game Help:TS3 Patching. If you would like further help fixing your TS3 game, please go to the Game Help subforum for TS3.

Of course, if you just want to enjoy TS2 instead, that's good, too.

hlvspomtactfr

7th Dec 2009, 07:32 PM

This is just my two cents to this already massive thread. Just because I've been thinking about this a lot.

If I had to choose one right now, I prefer Sims 2.

-The expansions add so much to gameplay. Despite being shiny and new and offering a fair bit more than base game Sims 2, I find myself with nothing to do except work and make babies in the Sims 3--not my cup of tea.

-There are no community lots. No restaurants or stores. I don't doubt at some point this type thing will be added in an expansion though.

-The view of the neighborhood is gorgeous, but the sims themselves are lacking. The lighting doesn't suit them at all and even on highest setting the skin looks pixelated.

And the real kicker for me is that, I don't care for the characters nearly as much. I like to take pictures and tell stories and Sims 2 sims are much better suited to this. The animations are nearly the same between the two games and the sims, themselves, look many many times better in the sims 2.

I have high hopes for the game after a few years. I never played the Sims 2 basegame, by itself. I played after the first three expansions, which added A LOT.

christmas fear

9th Dec 2009, 06:11 AM

i agree 100% with the poster above me. :)

21stcenturyman

9th Dec 2009, 09:52 PM

I have played TS1, TS2, and all the EP's for both. The TS3 base game will be the last Sims game I buy. I will not buy World Adventures. TS3 has some new features I like, but they are NOT worth the hassle the TS3 has been for me. I love using custom content but TS3 does not seem friendly to it. You have to remove CC, certain hacks before using any patches. Make a mistake on this and you could have problems, like being unable to uninstall TS3 and start from scratch. TS3 in running on my PC now after a reinstall due to a problem with an EA patch. It just started acting up again this week. This time it's the game launcher. I can still play the game if bypass the launcher and use the main TS exe file. This is why I went back to playing TS2 as of this week. I have all my beloved custom content from MTS2. If TS3 crashes again, thats it for it. TS2 remains my favorite.

suikostar108

12th Dec 2009, 07:20 PM

I don't like the Sims 3...I can't stick with it and I not only don't like the the way the sims look, I don't care about them. I play ts2 and ts1...love both of them still.

I just wanted to add...this has nothing to do with ts3 not being ts2 or waiting until the expansions have come out, more cc, hacks, mods, etc. I own every sim game out there from stories, consoles, ds and gba and love all but the one of the ds versions ....and there's no cc. hacks or mods in those. Also, as far as Sims 3 being quest oriented, all of the Sims and Sims 2 console and portables are quest oriented (except for Sims 2 Pets) and I liked those. Sims 3 is not for me. I am still having lots of fun with the other versions and don't give a rat's you-know-what about it...

PurpleCrow

12th Dec 2009, 08:16 PM

I dont like TS3, once I have a better computer and there are a fair few EP's out, I will try it again, but for now I'm certainly sticking with TS2

xanthippe1111

13th Dec 2009, 08:46 AM

I'm angry at Sims 3 at the moment as I've tried 5 times following the wiki how-to for CC on a Mac and the game won't load, but even aside from all that, I prefer Sims 2. For starters, it's really annoying when you're trying to make friends with someone and they go and die on you. How rude!

However. I'm in love with the ability to make pretty much anything pretty much any colour/pattern I want. (Pity the Sims themselves are so fugly.)

tralaladida

14th Dec 2009, 01:10 AM

I've already posted here, but I just wanted to add that I think a lot of the disappointment in Sims 3 comes from the expectation that it is the next generation sims game, like TS2 was to TS1.

It isn't. You cannot play Sims 3 like you can 1 and 2. It is a goal-oriented, quest driven game, with the latest EP only reinforcing those aspects. How your sims relate to each other, how genetics work, all of that is secondary to the quests and the story line that you have no control over.

I have no problems with RPGs and adventure games. I love Oblivion and I've played too many MMOs to name them and I enjoyed every one. However, sometimes I want a break from all the questing and that's when I'll load up my sims.

The sims, to me, is about a story that I create. It is about controlling every little aspect of my sims lives. It is a virtual dollhouse expanded into a world in miniature. I don't want anyone interfering in that, and EA does so in a big way in TS3.

By the way, to those concerned that there won't be new TS2 CC, don't worry about it. There is a creator who is making true 3D clothing that floats over your sim's body. There is a working hospital mod as well, where you can have a true, working hospital that you can visit and actually go inside.

I'm not saying TS3 is an awful game. It is a different game that doesn't suit me, as a simmer. To truly enjoy simming, I have to stick with TS2.

deluxe206

14th Dec 2009, 11:41 PM

I was actualy planing on buying sims 3. I do like sims 2 but I dont have all the EP's and all the mods r killing my computer. I think I will give sims 3 a try, I probally have seen too many CAS videos. That itself will keep me amused for hours.

isa_love_anime

17th Dec 2009, 05:22 PM

I already gave my opinion here, and now, after reading all those comments, I'm really happy with what the other people think.

What can we say? We don't like TS3 because... it's not TS2. Period.

candiiee

17th Dec 2009, 06:34 PM

I like TS2 better because of the CC, and I don't really like the way the sims look in TS3. Plus, I think TS2 is easier to play, and there's more expansion packs and everything else, so that would have to be why I prefer TS2. :)

ani_

19th Dec 2009, 02:54 AM

It isn't. You cannot play Sims 3 like you can 1 and 2. It is a goal-oriented, quest driven game, with the latest EP only reinforcing those aspects. How your sims relate to each other, how genetics work, all of that is secondary to the quests and the story line that you have no control over.
This actually depends on the way you play, not the game itself. I have one lady who I play adventures with, another guy who is doing collecting bugs/gems for living. But the rest of the families, them I play the same way I played ts2 sims, where the story/drama is what keeps them going. Even thou WA gives you the ability to do adventures, I'v had many of my normal (none adventure) people go on holidays, where they didn't do any adventures, and still felt that the three days you can spend in the destination was too short. In ts2 BV, the traveling part was so boring three days were way too much, and my sims only spent one night in their destination if they went on a trip.

The sims, to me, is about a story that I create. It is about controlling every little aspect of my sims lives. It is a virtual dollhouse expanded into a world in miniature. I don't want anyone interfering in that, and EA does so in a big way in TS3. Same here, it's all about the stories, and controlling their lives. The only thing I do not like about ts3 is that by default, you can't have other houses stop from aging while your active house ages, you can either have no aging at all, or town aging on. But thankfully there's a mod to fix this, so this major issue is a none issue at the moment.

Captain THPS4

19th Dec 2009, 03:40 AM

I think it's much too early to say which game is "better." TS2 has 8 expansions while TS3 only has 1, so of course a lot of people are going to be quick to say that TS2 is better because at the moment that game has a lot more stuff to do and it's easier to make mods for. As it stands for me right now both are equal, TS3 for its open neighborhood and the improved graphics, and TS2 for the sheer amount of content. Once 5 or 6 TS3 expansions are out though I'll most likely find TS3 to be better by leaps and bounds.

It seems that with each installment there's less and less of that Sims charm however, maybe because I've been playing since TS1? That's probably one way that TS2 will always be better than TS3. Although TS3 keeps some of the basic things like the llama appreciation I doubt we'll ever get penguins, cow plants, or flying pigs again.

Prosthetics

19th Dec 2009, 04:40 AM

It's not to early, TS3 isn't competing for my attention later, it's competing NOW.

tralaladida

19th Dec 2009, 05:44 AM

I was playing my Sims 2 again tonight and I noticed something else that is superior in TS2 as compared to TS3: the animations for the guitar playing. In TS2, the animations run in perfect synch with the music. This is not the case in TS3.

Which brings me to my main point: in TS3 the scenery is breathtaking and in this there is no doubt that TS3 is superior. But for pretty much everything else, from the relationships, to the animations, to the way the sims look, TS2 beats it out every time.

It seems to me that EA spent a lot of time on the scenery and the sims themselves were an afterthought. No amount of CC or EPs will ever make up for this lack.

MaryseDynasty121

25th Dec 2009, 05:02 AM

Another thing i don't like about sims 3 is that.. the story line is messed up. Bob Newbie and Betty Simovitch ar teens , Skip Broke is ALREADY a child, There is no Caliente's; ( I was hoping TS3 would have Nestor, Dulencia, Flamenco, Tango, Tariq, Benazir, and Nighat all alive!) if the Caliente's were in TS3, the twins Dina and Nina would at least be Toddlers. No Pleasents, Burbs, and no brandi Newbie reasoned from earlier. In other words, TS3 Story line is just messed up. :cry: these are other reasons i dont really play TS3!

Winsyrstrife

25th Dec 2009, 10:37 AM

I just started playing Sims 3 for the past 3-4 weeks. So far, I'm having a great time. I haven't played TS2 for a long time due to burnout from working on mods. While I would agree TS3 needs more time to show what it's capable of, some things are not looking too good.

To be fair, I'll start off with the things I like. Fishing is wonderful. Cooking with ingredients is great. Gardening is cool. Jogging is very enjoyable. Due to the open-world nature of TS3, you can jog down to wherever you please, maybe you run into a friend, catch up, stop by the beach, have a BBQ in the park. Being able to angle down the camera so I can see the stadium or the ocean way out, and most of the house/landscape detail in between, was something special, to me anyway. It adds a feeling of completion. Create-A-Design is fantastic, hands down. Dealing with a continuously aging/progressing population was something I did not think I'd enjoy, but I've actually enjoyed it.

Things I do not like. I'm quite forgiving normally, but the abomination that is the painting camera cannot be forgiven, by any means... there is a mod to edit your paintings, but when you need a mod right off the bat to correct basic functions of a game, you have problems... - Then, there's the portraits a la maniac...you can't even choose the stylization, you just sit and hope it's somewhat intelligible. So much for my family portraits :cry: , and heaven forbid you're painting a dark skinned Sim... - Way to many social interactions to achieve a best friend status. Goodness it's brutal...Heck my Sim has to go through a gauntlet even with his wife, to open certain interactions. :blink:

I detest the rabbit hole design. I understand how much they help the game in terms of performance/function, but why the food establishments? Some of the Charisma achievements cause you to end up with countless # of friends/associates. Wouldn't you run into at least 1 of them in an eatery?, resulting in a conversation & possibly something interesting? My expecations of a Sim filled stadium were unrealistic, so I forgive EA for that rabbit-hole. Would have been beyond awesome though (and beyond system requirements for many).

I can't speak much for other issues with Vanilla TS3, no mods whatsoever. I only played that way for about 1 week. Since then I've been using Twallan's Story Progression & Super Computer, which has allowed me to fix 90% of the problems I've encountered due to EA's shoddy work.

The fact that TS3 tries to run your graphics card like a race horse right out of the gate, for no reason whatsoever - aside from bad programming, resulting in stability issues, is not helping the public image of the game.

acid_fairy

26th Dec 2009, 01:25 AM

Same here, it's all about the stories, and controlling their lives. The only thing I do not like about ts3 is that by default, you can't have other houses stop from aging while your active house ages, you can either have no aging at all, or town aging on. But thankfully there's a mod to fix this, so this major issue is a none issue at the moment.

What mod's that? It's not awesomemod is it? If so, how do you get it to do that?

Bingo118

26th Dec 2009, 02:25 AM

I prefer the sims 2. I feel more attached to this game, and I don't feel the same way about the sims 3. It's more fun to play the sims 2 b/c there are so many custom contents and things to explore every time I play the game. It's cool that there's seamless neighborhood and personality traits in the sims 3, but that's about it for this game. What bugs me the most is sims cannot go to the grocery store and shop like they can in ts2. I doubt that they cannot go shopping at all in the ts3 since you can pick any cloth for your sim in CAS. I know this is convenient, but it's so boring.

I'm not trying to be cynical or anything, but i'm not very impressed with the WA either. The game is extremely buggy and it contains tons of things that I never ask for. Why can't they just make it a vacation expansion pack so sims can visit different places and enjoy themselves? The whole adventure thing is just plain stupid.

dennis

26th Dec 2009, 03:23 PM

I've tried TS3 but many things that make me not satisfied. Unrealistic. And I go back to the TS2 ...

VacuumMelon

26th Dec 2009, 04:15 PM

Yeah, like many others I, too, like TS2 better.

As most of you have said, my main reason is also cc. I don't care if TS3 sims look better without cc than TS2 sims or not. The fact is, with cc TS2 sims beat the newcomers any day. I want my game to look pretty, not like a village full of play-doh figurines.

I like the new traits system, but I like memories more. I loved TS2 social interactions, the amount of them. In TS3 they're very limited and communication gets boring very quickly.

Also, TS2 currently has more activities. If I want to, I can go on a proper vacation. Or visit a nightclub and make friends with a vampire. Or open a business, become a witch, live in an apartment, adopt a kitten etcetc.

Of course it's not fair to compare these two right now, knowing that one is old and has 8 EP's while the other is new and has only one. However, right now I don't want to waste my valuable gaming time to wait and see if TS3 gets better or not. So, for now I'll stick with TS2.

tiffyandthewall

26th Dec 2009, 05:57 PM

i like them both in different ways. i like the sims 3 because it's newer, and i haven't been playing it as long. i love the seamless neighborhoods, and i like the little things they've added into it - the gems and seeds, etc. but sims 2's expansion packs are awesome. honestly, the main reason i haven't switched back to sims 2 - at least for a little while - is because my computer would explode if i tried to add in a game AND like 10 expansion packs.
also i think the sims in sims 2 are a lot better looking and easy to manipulate the appearance of than the ones in sims 3. i've had some attractive sims in sims 3, but they're never exactly how i want them. in sims 2, i found the cas a lot easier, and more satisfying.
oh oh oh
and the custom content in sims 3 is a pain. i'm probably just doing something wrong, but my custom content is always screwing up/not appearing in sims 3, but in sims 2 i rarely had lasting problems with cc and custom music.

lizziy11

26th Dec 2009, 11:14 PM

i play TS3 at my friends and i think the sims look more realistic in TS2! so i'm gonna stick wit dat! but i do like the personality thing on TS3 tho...

KittyKuba

27th Dec 2009, 01:26 AM

i play TS3 at my friends and i think the sims look more realistic in TS2! so i'm gonna stick wit dat! but i do like the personality thing on TS3 tho...

Looking around here with slider hacks, TS3 sims look more realistic.

Howlmoony

27th Dec 2009, 03:38 AM

I definitely prefer Sims 2!! The really sucky part was my sister gave me Sims 3 for my birthday so I felt obligated to play it. The only thing I like better is the fact that you can easily make furniture the same color and texture. But that isn't enough to keep me playing. I finally got the nerve up to tell my sister that I just didn't enjoy playing it and I was going back to Sims 2. She was OK with it. When Sims 3 has pets, seasons, and witches I will start playing it.

brwetherell

27th Dec 2009, 06:56 AM

I love the Sims2. I tried out the sims 3, i got it on my birthday which was in june, but all the excitement left once I had it installed and running. It took me forever just to create a sim and then I ended up not even wanting to play anymore. I liked the idea of a seamless neighborhood and being able to recolor everything inside the game. I wish we could take stuff from the sims 3 and add it to the sims 2. I decided to reinstall the sims 2 shortly after, I just missed it!

amora_selvagen

27th Dec 2009, 05:06 PM

As someone told before. I also see ts as a dollhouse virtual...I hate that I dont have total control of they. TS2 is the bet so far. And I got all 3 version of TS. EA should not stop to make eps.

Mayo550

27th Dec 2009, 06:44 PM

I prefer TS2 because I didnt like the faces in TS3. They were so round and I didnt really know how to make them beautiful like in TS2,

also I have 2GB worth of CC for TS2, so it was a lot more fun creating sims in TS2 than TS3, and they looked a lot more real than the sims in TS3.

Although I liked the seamless neighbourhood and personalities (The voice option was pretty cool), I'm sticking to TS2 because I'm too attached to my sim families and CC in TS2.

oh yeah, forgot to mention. I also stopped TS3 because my graphics card couldn't take it and kept crashing.

staciew1

27th Dec 2009, 09:01 PM

When the sims 3 came out i was so excited. I uninstalled my sims 2 and my CC. Put the sims 3 in and expected to be wowed. After a few weeks, I found myself complaining, even though I knew it was the first game in the new series. Then WA came out, bought it and found that my excitement had dwindled. I longed for seasons, weather, being able to take my sims on a date and actually go inside a restaurant, sit in a booth and flirt and schmooze my date (remember that?). I missed taking the family on vacations and meeting other vacationers at the hotel (Sims 3 their are no others staying at the base camp or hotels). Building!!!! I missed building things, putting lots where I wanted them to go and having my own business.My sims don't randomly move out of the house I spent hours to build and decorate for them. Yea, you can go to work, school, and shopping with yours sims in sims 3? No you can't, you wait outside like some shmuck. So, I switched back, and let me tell you I'm having sooooo much fuuunnn!!!!! I look forward to simming again. I might go back to Sims 3 after they clean up the bugs(which are a lot!), and pout in the things that make us love to sim but for right now, I'm going to have my sims go on a date, then marry and watch them run out to the limo for their honeymoon!

Essa

27th Dec 2009, 10:22 PM

I gave TS3 another try by doing challenges (Pinstar's Sim of the month and a french one based on gardening and fishing). While I like opportunities, the open neighborhood and the scenery, I still can't stand the look of the sims and how genetics is handled.
I tried Twallan's Story Progression and his Supercomputer, but still...

I always miss the families of my TS2 game. TS3 can't do that.

saphfire27

28th Dec 2009, 11:35 AM

I've been playing sims 3 and got WA for xmas but I'm doubting whether I'll even play it. I've had just about enough of EA and I'm not buying anymore of their games. So I'm probably going to go back to the sims 2. Its less buggy and my game isn't in danger of exploding every time I play. Plus everything is patched properly, unlike sims 3 where its more likely to break more than what it fixes.

gwynne

28th Dec 2009, 06:10 PM

I've been a longtime and vocal disliker of TS3, but over the holidays I had some spare time and I decided to take another look. I figured by now perhaps between the xpac and custom content, maybe the game had become more playable.

The first thing I did was go to one of the flashier CC sites--the kind that typically photoshops their sims and hairstyles way beyond anything you will ever actually see in the game--just to get a feel for how the CC was going so far.

I clicked on a new Sims 3 hairstyle--and that was pretty much the end of my possible Sims 3 adventure. Somehow I had completely forgotten about the horrible, doughy faces. If even the photoshop-heavy mega-paysites can't get rid of the down's-syndrome look to Sims 3 sims, it's probably not ever happening.

I guess I just can't get past the round-faced, double-chinned look.

mangaroo

28th Dec 2009, 06:51 PM

can't get rid of the down's-syndrome look to Sims 3 sims

This is an unfortunate, insensitive choice of words. Are you sure this is how you want to present yourself to others? I hope you'll reconsider and edit your post.

I think some players have been able to achieve amazing things with the use of slider hacks in TS3, but I have no patience for hacking up that game...and no patience in CAS, in general.

Tempscire

28th Dec 2009, 07:19 PM

I was skeptical of TS3 for a long time. When I finally played it, it actually was not as bad as I expected (though I have only played it for about 20 hours total, last play session over a month ago) but it didn't drive TS2 from my head.

I even went looking for CC for TS3 but it just wasn't as fun as for TS2... with TS2, I download a variety of furniture, clothing, etc styles to accommodate those Sims I see as being more grunge or modern or girly or whatever. With TS3's restrictions on playing multiple families, it just feels pointless to try to get CC for families outside of my main one.* They have their little personality traits now, but I just feel like I can make TS2 Sims more visibly unique on the whole, since I can actually cultivate their styles individually.

*note, I played on my boyfriend's Mac and I am only a strong Windows user, so I wasn't much successful at getting AwesomeMod, etc or even some normal content to install. For all I know, that's all I need to redeem TS3 in my eyes.

oscarzoa

28th Dec 2009, 08:15 PM

I have both Sims 2 and Sims 3, and I Sims 2 is SO MUCH BETTER! In my opinion, Sims 3 sims have very cartoony, doughy faces. I haven't downloaded anything for TS3 yet, but I might. So, occasionally I play Sims 3, but Sims 2 is better.

kevmp1198

28th Dec 2009, 08:23 PM

i like them both in different ways. i like the sims 3 because it's newer, and i haven't been playing it as long. i love the seamless neighborhoods, and i like the little things they've added into it - the gems and seeds, etc. but sims 2's expansion packs are awesome. honestly, the main reason i haven't switched back to sims 2 - at least for a little while - is because my computer would explode if i tried to add in a game AND like 10 expansion packs.
also i think the sims in sims 2 are a lot better looking and easy to manipulate the appearance of than the ones in sims 3. i've had some attractive sims in sims 3, but they're never exactly how i want them. in sims 2, i found the cas a lot easier, and more satisfying.

i completely agree with you on that one tiffyandthewall, i been playing sims 3 more now that WA came out but it got oring kinda quick, i miss the hobblies and craftables and the fact the you can have a buisiness in the sims 2. and the witches, worlocks, pets, etc.

Rider31

29th Dec 2009, 02:51 AM

I like Sims3's open world and traits. But when it comes down to it, I dont leave my lot enough for a open world to be worth my while, and I'd rather not give up the new traits but playing Sims3 is just painful. I love the whole create a style thing but its just slow and I swear if my sim falls through the floor one more time, or tell me there's something in his why when there's really plunty of room for him to walk. I may go crazy...

Also I very much miss weather, pets and my amazing CC.

tralaladida

29th Dec 2009, 04:30 AM

Several people have mentioned the slider hacks and how people can make decent looking sims with them, but I still don't see it. I've tried downloading other people's sims who appear to look semi-decent, thinking its just that I can't make decent TS3 sims, but I get them in my game and they become instant fug.

There is just no way to make TS3 sims aesthetically pleasing to me. They are far too cartoony and puddingish. The way they stand, both male and female is also extremely ugly. Even the custom hairstyles are immovable hair helmets..no animation!

Sorry, I have zero desire to play TS3 or WA. I am having too much fun with my fully modded TS2.

ForeverCamp

29th Dec 2009, 05:53 AM

In update to my so-called adventures with TS3:

It has now cost me close to 350$. Why, you ask?

1. Bought the game in its first week of release for 50$.
2. Because it still crashed like a maniac after six patches and absolutely no CC (not even Sims Store CC), I elected to get a new graphics card, having been told that this was likely the issue (my old graphics card was still compatible, but close to four years old). So I got a new graphics card (not totally new to the market, but very high-end and much newer than the previous one), which cost me 200$.
3. New graphics card also required a replacement power supply in my tower, which cost me 90$.
4. Oh, yeah, and because I'm not nearly tech-savvy enough to start poking around inside my tower to install things myself, I had to pay the service centre 90$ to install said graphics card.
5. Because said new graphics card is now chewing up all of my RAM, I need to get another 2 GB of RAM, which is going to cost me 40$.

Total cost for TS3 Vanilla: 470$ (wow, it cost even more than I thought it did! Now I'm even more disgusted...)

End result: GAME STILL CRASHES!

Anything else about the game I could deal with - I didn't even start playing with mods in TS2 until a year or two ago, and I still keep it to a minimum. (At the moment, I have InSim, InTeen, ACR, LotFullOfSims and the School Chooser thing from Simlogical. That's it. No CC, no other hacks - I barely even use cheats.)

But if I can't even play the game reliably, what good is it to me? I'm sick of conferencing with Tech Support (they weren't even nice enough to reply to my last request at the end of July - actually, they cancelled the request entirely...), I am NOT buying a new processor - by that point, I will have more or less bought a new computer, I am NOT buying Windows Vista or Windows 7 to upgrade the XP that my desktop runs (one of the techs at my computer store I deal with suggested that it might be that TS3 was developed with Vista in mind and XP doesn't like it or something). I can think of better things to spend a few hundred dollars on in 2010 - tuition, bills, university textbooks...

Gone back to TS2 - now my graphics are lovely and I can play with highest-quality setting, and my Sims will probably stop pausing before they move in hyper-speed when my RAM gets installed.

Oh, yeah, and why does everybody complain about fifteen minutes to load a lot in TS2? Dude, NEVER took that long for me in all the years I've had TS2. Within five minutes of booting up the game, I was in my chosen lot and playing (and I didn't exactly have a top-of-the-line gaming computer, either). I spent more time waiting on TS3 to boot up, and then load the neighbourhood, and then load the family, and then realize it was supposed to be playing...

x-tashi-x

29th Dec 2009, 05:58 AM

[QUOTE=gwynne] If even the photoshop-heavy mega-paysites can't get rid of the down's-syndrome look to Sims 3 sims, it's probably not ever happening.[QUOTE]

What kind words. Not. My first thoughts when I read that was "what a tool!" I bet I'm not the only one who thinks that.

After reading this post and playing TS3 since it came out I am considering hunting down ALL my TS2 games and reinstalling. And reinstalling all my expansions.

The main reason why I haven't is because I have been blinded by fancy advertising."We get to explore the neighbourhood... wow!" um, no. We follow our sims to stupid rabbit holes where we stand outside for ours.
"The sims are all unique with the trait system."
I love the trait system but the sims aren't unique. They just have some different annoying behaviours.

I am installing my oldies again now. And getting all my old CC back!!!

RadicalKirsten

29th Dec 2009, 06:02 AM

I just got through taking Sims 3 off of my laptop. I got bored of it after 5 days and now I wish our home computer didn't mess up so I'd still have my old CC. D:

ani_

29th Dec 2009, 06:15 AM

Several people have mentioned the slider hacks and how people can make decent looking sims with them, but I still don't see it. I've tried downloading other people's sims who appear to look semi-decent, thinking its just that I can't make decent TS3 sims, but I get them in my game and they become instant fug.

Did you have the slider hack installed in your game? otherwise they won't keep their modded features if you install them to a game that doesn't have it.

tralaladida

29th Dec 2009, 06:57 AM

Did you have the slider hack installed in your game? otherwise they won't keep their modded features if you install them to a game that doesn't have it.

Yes, I did. I use Awesomemod's slider hack. I have the bodyshape one and the elf ears one in as well.

arathea

29th Dec 2009, 07:32 AM

tralaladida

29th Dec 2009, 08:05 AM

@tralaladida: I haven't TS3 installed anymore and never used slider hacks, but I remember that how the sims looks can depend on the screen settings. I've tried some settings and IIRC on my computer they looked best with 1600:900. Even pre-made sims looked half-decent for me that way. (maybe I'm not very pretendious :lol:)

Well, that would be above my monitor's native resolution (flat screen.) :)

It really is a matter of taste, though. And really, TS3 isn't a horrid game...it just isn't my cup of tea. :)

CuteLilDeadGirl

30th Dec 2009, 03:31 AM

I love TS2, I stopped playing TS3 after the first week and was so underwhelmed with it that I never played it again. I actually uninstalled it recently...

So yeah, after a semi-rant, I like TS2 way better and I don't think I'll ever stop playing it... as for TS3, I don't think I'll ever reinstall it and I've put it on the shelf as money badly spent....

Bingo118

30th Dec 2009, 03:43 AM

Even if I only compare the base games, I would still prefer ts2. ts3 leaves out so many interactions and animations that I enjoy watching sims do. And I really hate how the sims look in ts3 with chubby face and fat neck, they're so retarded looking. If I could return the games for a refund, I'd would do so in a heart beat.

Simgaroop

31st Dec 2009, 04:49 AM

I tried to enjoy the Sims 3, but the fact that the game lags like crazy in my four month old computer (and with no CC) is a huge turn off for me (it eats resources like anything I've ever seen, I hoped they'd fix that issue from the Sims 2).

Then there are the buggy patches and the fact that adding CC to the game has become a chore instead of something fun. I'm still confused about where I'm supposed to install anything. Why did they have to change the "just dump everything to the downloads folder" method?!

My Sims 2 game runs smoothly with tons of CC, on the other hand. It's not as pretty, sure, but it gives me freedom to do anything I want with it, from storytelling to creating lots and custom content.

I don't the have the skills to make Sims 3 CC (because recolors and retextures are now obsolete), so that's a side of this hobby that I can't enjoy with this game.

So yeah, I'm sticking with the Sims 2. It's sad because sometimes I feel I'm missing out the fun that so many people and creators I admired are now having with the new game, but I just don't like this game as much as I wanted.

dbcheer15

31st Dec 2009, 05:05 AM

TS3 runs SUPER slow on my computer, and the graphics suck. I like The Sims 2 SO much better.

KelluLellu

31st Dec 2009, 11:06 AM

I would love The Sims 3 if i had better computer. Only thing what keeps me playing sims 2 is my old computer with old videocard.

Second, i have fallen love in sims 2. I dont wanna leave my good old families :D

And there is one thing i absolutely love about sims 2. There are lots of careers in sims 2. Sims 3 has only few careers, basic careers. Maybe it is just because sims 3 doesnt have lots of expension packs yet.

kennyinbmore

31st Dec 2009, 11:47 AM

Man you guys must have some crappy computers lol

ForeverCamp

31st Dec 2009, 04:14 PM

Man you guys must have some crappy computers lol

Oh, I'm not even replying to you with what I did the first time. I remember you from the Sims 3 Community from back when I first got the game and had issues (and had a hope that it might be fixable).

I believe we established in the thread about the game's lovely habit of crashing randomly that it is largely not due to people's computers. Maybe you have a Cray Supercomputer, but about 99% of the world can't afford one and has no use for one.

I'll repeat the essentials: my computer is not crap. It was designed to handle the high-power graphical requirements of the Sims collection - my tech specifically asked if I had Sims 3. And actually, here's the link in case you've forgotten about the thread:

Sims 3 Community: Game crashing randomly (http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/10110.page)

christx101

3rd Jan 2010, 04:28 AM

I've had some time over the holiday break to play TS3 more,and I love it after playing for hours I can't go back to TS2.If I had too choose I would rather play TS3 with no CC than to play TS2 with all my hacks/CC Its that darn good TBH!

shadowfan360

3rd Jan 2010, 07:05 AM

TS3 just feels flat to me. I don't feel attached to my sims like I did in TS2. And while I love the traits and the moodlets, there just isn't enough to keep me interested and I get bored very quickly. I even tried some challenges, but I still got bored. I hate how long it takes to make a sim, as soon as I complete a family I don't even want to play anymore.

So now I'm back to playing the lovable TS2.

MasterDarkNinja

3rd Jan 2010, 03:00 PM

I played the Sims 3 for a few days, made two families. I definitely love how you can walk anywhere in the neighborhood and in other people's houses, and the opportunities at work/home to for extra cash, etc. I also love being able to upgrade objects to be self cleaning and such, it makes mechanical a much more useful skill.

But at the same time, I think the Sims looked better and more realistically human in the Sims 2 then the Sims 3. I mean when I first got the Sims 2 I made a Sim that looked just like me, to the point that it was almost scary how much he looked like me, it was kind of weird looking at a Sim that close to how I looked. The first sim I designed in the Sim 3 was also a sim that was supposed to look just like me, but I soon noticed I had a lot less options then I did in the Sims 2 before any expansion packs/CC for stuff like hair styles.

Another problem in the Sims 3 I've noticed is that young adults and regular adults look too similar, to the point that you can't really tell which a Sim is. I mean shouldn't older adults be starting to gray a little? I created 2 different young adult sims, one male and one female, and when they aged to regular adults they didn't look different in any way. Worst yet, my young adult sim married another sim, but then boy did I get a surprise like 2 sim weeks later when he aged into an elder Sim!

heartya12

3rd Jan 2010, 07:00 PM

Sims 2 vs Sims 3:
I was a avid Simmer from day 1. I played the Sims since third grade. Then TS2 came out, and I was hesitant to buy it, because I though Sims was already as good as it could get. Then, after much debating, and several years, I bought TS2, Happy Holiday Stuff Pack, and Seasons, and was blown away. I currently have Nightlife, University, Seasons, Bon Voyage, and Happy Holiday Stuff. I was extremely dissapointed when I realized I couldn't get Free Time or Apartment Life (I'm a Mac).

Then TS3 came out, and i bought it within weeks of its release, not wanting to hold back like I did with TS2. I installed it, played for a few weeks, completely in love, then it got old fast. I was making two parent families, killing off the dad after the mom got knocked up, then got bored after the kid grew into an adult. I didn't like making legacies because it was too much work.

TS3 hairstyles/ clothing/ furniture is a little weird, too.... anyone concur?

So now, my sims 3 is up on eBay, and I'm back to TS2. Overall, the Sims 2 rules! :Pint: cheers!!!

Babahara

3rd Jan 2010, 10:26 PM

At first I loved TS3, because everything was so new! Played for a few months and didn't think that I'd ever go back to TS2. But eventually I felt compelled to go back to Sims 2, and guess why, the reason was OFB! I can't live without that EP, my sims are doing businesses all the time, all kinds of them. Without OFB, it feels like TS3 is lacking a larger part of the game for me.

edejan

5th Jan 2010, 03:56 AM

Well, I've played S3 since the day it came out, and I usually wait to play a game for some time after buying it! But I was pretty anxious to check it out. I had to buy a new computer last year so I got one built to play S3 very well. So I put all my S2 cc on thumb drive which I can't find now. Bought WA and had all the problems with patching, repatching, installing and reinstalling the game and my store cc. With the last mess-up patch which wouldn't let me use non-store packs, I finally gave up trying to deal with the game. Some creators have made nice looking sims but even when they look good in CAS they all look the same in game. I've had to kill off so many family because of the messed up aging, when Indie Stone stopped working, then AweseomMod patch problems. It's too much!!!l Plus, while I did enjoy the adventures in WA, it's just not my type of game. After a week or so I reloaded my S2 and I'm trying to track down some of my favorite cc and mods, and I'm happily building my new 'hood in Veronaville. I don't think I'll ever really get tired of S2!!! :D I feel kind of bad about S3, tho'. What EA should have done was just add the CAST tool (thre recoloring tool) to S2 and sold it as a new game. That would have been the perfect compromise!!

Simonut

5th Jan 2010, 06:10 AM

I am not a bit surprise at some members not liking Sims 3 everything new do not mean it is great. I just can not see people collecting all their Sims 2 and putting them in a box and in a closet, too much money just going to waste.

Sims 3 will NEVER out sale Sim 2 by some polls, also Sims 2 offers so many things to do in their expansions packs. You also have more control of your sims like aging etc where else can you find Vampires, Werewolves, Aliens, Plantsims and other strange sims? Not to name the many wonderful stuff packs and Ep's like Seasons, NightLife, the list goes on. Sim 2 get a big "YES" Sim 3 get a ZERO. But each to it's own that your choice.

Babahara

5th Jan 2010, 12:22 PM

Does anybody else think that graphics in TS2 is better than TS3? I understand nothing about technology of graphics, but I can see that it's different, and not in a good way. While TS2 has a nice cartoony look to it, TS3 has a more realistic look to it, but it's oh so ugly.

Amtram

5th Jan 2010, 01:18 PM

I can't even tell you how excited I was about Sims 3. The moment it arrived on my doorstep. I had pre-ordered it on Amazon, so it arrived on release day. In the beginning, there were a lot of things I liked. I liked the additional personality traits. I liked being able to visit other houses. I liked the customizable surface and clothing textures (although most of them were fugly, I knew that eventually modders would find a way to add more.)

Then I actually played it. My sims would go to buildings and disappear. You couldn't go in with them, see what they were doing, have them interact. . .you got to watch the outside of a building for however long your sim was inside it. Oh, how fascinating that was, especially since all those opportunities for building skills, earning simoleons, and socials with other sims took place inside buildings. And sending them to work every day was the same thing. The fun thing about the sims is being able to decide whether to let them perform actions and socials on their own, or deliberately making them do so, and Sims 3 essentially disabled that for a good portion of gameplay by hiding the sims in buildings.

The other thing I liked about Sims 2 is that I played entire neighborhoods. Depending on how I liked a family, some would age more than others, and some would get to live forever. Initially I thought that the universal time passage would make Sims 3 more interesting, but when I realized how difficult it was to switch families, and how much changed when I wasn't paying attention, I wasn't terribly happy about it. Yeah, I could turn aging off, but it was just one more indication that Sims 3 was designed to be played as a one-household game. Heck, as a one-sim game, because when I sent one member of a household off to do something, I'd come back and find that all kinds of things happened at home while he was gone that had been completely out of my control.

So for me, the problem is mostly that I enjoy not only watching my sims, but controlling their destinies. Sims 3 took a good deal of that out of my hands. I tried playing it with a single sim, but there's only so much you can do. You can't see how differently a sim with a different personality will behave, what options come up for sims with different aspirations or jobs, all the other fun little hidden things, because you've got only one sim, and you can't even see him a third of the time. You can't even play around with seeing how his interactions will change and the results will change based upon the traits of other sims, because all you've got is townies, so you don't know what they're like.

If it weren't for that, I might have even been able to get past the utter fugliness of the sims, but when they're both boring AND fugly, what's the point?

dandello

5th Jan 2010, 01:56 PM

Ziva_David_Ncis

5th Jan 2010, 06:04 PM

I'm in the process of re-installing my sims 2. I miss it SO SO much! The sims 3 sims are ugly. Too cartoony. I loved the sims 2 sims, I loved the endless combinations. Yeah, create-a-style and the seamless neighborhood were nice, and I sort of liked how things progressed around me. But its more about the look for me. You could make beautifully unique sims in the sims 2, where as I find all my sims in the sims 3 tend to look the same. No matter what defaults I use, always pudding.

Yay for TS2! <3

edejan

5th Jan 2010, 11:32 PM

astarli

6th Jan 2010, 12:34 AM

THe only thing I like better about Sims 3 is the ability to change colors and patterns within game. Everything else seems really fake

Simonut

6th Jan 2010, 11:55 PM

The only thing Sims3 seen to have is a more for real Landscape look maybe, Will I buy it NO! I do not think Sims2 Sims look like cartoon I think the Sims3 look like cartoons with pie faces lol Control, control, control you lose it with Sims3. Sims2 you have far greater control of your sims and Households. Plus you can see them go into stores and buy clothes or order food and sat down and eat. Like I said in another thread are we to take all our Sims2 Eps and just put in a box and not play ( Too Much money to waste ) Sims2 have too much to offer. I see some of the Modders are now taking some objects from Sim3 and making them so they work in Sim2.

That in itself tell me Sim2 is better and people will continue to play Sims2 and maybe add some objects from Sim3 when the modders change them to work in Sims2. I already have somethings like curtains and hair. :) Thumbs up to "SIM 2" live forever.

schitzwa

10th Jan 2010, 08:26 AM

I bought Sims 3 on its release date and loved it. I loved the seamless neighbourhood, patterns, moodlets and the fact that I could stick loads of stuff onto one bedside table. Now, I am considoring selling my game to fund a couple of EP's for Sims 2 I am missing. Its boring and I feel like my sims have no personality, I could go on and on with more.

I have been playing Sims 2 again for weeks now and I am loving it. I have been making a point of doing stuff that I didn't bother with before. I do not see myself going back to Sims 3, not unless EA release a Sims 3 " Sims 2" EP.

Sims 2 forever.

saphfire27

10th Jan 2010, 03:04 PM

TS3 just feels flat to me. I don't feel attached to my sims like I did in TS2.

I feel much more attached to my sims in sims 2 as well. They're just so quirky, silly and random, which is what made me love the sims in the first place. The game was fun and funny ;) I love and deeply missed the facial expressions and emotions in sims 2.

IloveNick

18th Jan 2010, 01:55 AM

darkwarrior5558

18th Jan 2010, 02:09 AM

Sims2, deffinitly....

Astrognash

18th Jan 2010, 02:49 AM

TS2. Every time.

IloveNick

18th Jan 2010, 03:00 AM

TS2 all the way!

LittleFallenAngel

18th Jan 2010, 03:05 AM

I've not actually played TS3 yet and honestly have no desire to at this point. The price seems a bit high for my budget at this point as well as the WA expansion being next to the same amount. (I realize I could just not purchase the expansion but I'm one that likes to add to the game play with one.) And it just doesn't look very visually appealing to me.

I'll stick with TS2 for quite some time.

ACFan

18th Jan 2010, 03:09 AM

I bought Sims 3 for half price, and to be honest I think i overpaid for it! :)

I am really big into designing new houses for my Sims, every new sim gets their own unique house. While I enjoyed making the new Sim, once I went into build mode, my satisfaction with Sims 3 dived into the gutter. The clear concise layout of the Sims 2 Build mode was gone, and quite honestly I only managed to make it 1/2 way through the new lot before hitting "Close" and beginning my search for my Sims 2 disks. (Newly-built computer running Windows 7... so nothing else installed on it.)

While admittedly sometimes it's an adventure finding the location of content in Sims 2, at least it is somewhat logical and broke down into manageable sections to look through. EAxis has taken a proven interface and 'dumbed' it down to the point that it is unusable for people who want total control over the appearance of their lots.

Until such time as someone can find a way to bring back the 'classic' build mode, Sims 3 will sit on my shelf. The only use I have for it is if I want to create an image of a person for an avatar or something similar... and even then, it will take some custom content to make it worth my time.

Sims2 is my choice, and will stay that way for a while.

Simonut

18th Jan 2010, 03:32 AM

Just a curious question for all you Simmers out there which game do you prefer?

I started playing Sims 3 and grew tired of it, and I ended up switching back to Sims 2 and am still addicted to it. maybe its just cause I have almost all the games. So what are your opinions. :bunny:

I Vote for Sims 2!

I love Sims 2 100% percent, I can not do without Nightlife, Seasons well really I have all of the Eps up to Seasons ( And also the official game guide book for each, which prove to be very helpful ) I do have Bon Voyage but once installed I had so much problems with that Ep.

So out it went, it now sat in a box ( wasted money ) I do have the game guide for BV I use it for it shows all the newest Careers where in earlier books sometime do not show all. All in all I love Sims2

CodeSpy

18th Jan 2010, 01:57 PM

I actually played TS3 first, then went to TS2 to see what it was like. At first I thought "Why are there loading screens? AND WHY CAN'T DELETE I MULTIPLE THINGS!?" so I had thought "Oh, TS3 is much better because I don't have to wait for loading screens." (It also took me awhile to comprehend that ALL CC in TS2 goes in the dl folder)
Then I played 2 for a little while longer, and loved it. For me, there's more too love in TS2 than three. Because with 2, I don't have to worry about body sliders that'll make my Sim's shoulders look too wide when I put skinniness all the way down.
Sure, TS3 is loading screenless, but all or most of the EA sims look kinda the same(as someone had said earlier).
I also noticed TS3 focused more on graphics, while TS2 focused more on socials. EA took away a lot of the interactions when they made 3, and I love how difficult it is to make friends in 2. In 3, you can be their best buddy, or even wife/husband in a DAY. No EA, that's NOT how it works! D<

TS2 for ever!

Nepheris

18th Jan 2010, 03:41 PM

I prefer TS2 as I love making my own neighbourhoods and decorating them, and you can't do that in TS3. Also, the pick your own patterns and colours seems like a nice idea at first, but it just ends up being *too much* choice and I spend way too much time on customising everything. I also dislike the lack of control I have over the other families that I'm not currently playing in TS3.
TS3 has got a bunch of very fun features that I love (the collecting system, assignments you can do, etc), but overall I much prefer playing TS2.

JudeMG

21st Jan 2010, 04:27 PM

I feel much more attached to my sims in sims 2 as well. They're just so quirky, silly and random, which is what made me love the sims in the first place. The game was fun and funny ;) I love and deeply missed the facial expressions and emotions in sims 2.

This is exactly how I feel. When I first got Sims 3, I played it a lot. I liked the seamless neighborhood business, and being able to walk to places. I liked the seeds and the rocks, and being able to change the colors and patterns of furnishings and clothing so easily. But THEN...

It started to get boring. The sims themselves were basically pretty ugly (as so many have said), and I suddenly realized that they didn't interact with me at all. My TS2 sims would often look up at me and be annoyed if I asked them to do something they didn't want to do, or look at me with a thrilled and thankful expression when I got them something they wanted. And when I would be hesitating, thinking what to have them do next, they'd look up at me as if to say, "So...what now?" The Sims 3 sims don't even interact with the player at all. All they do is stand there with their stupid hands on their stupid hips, tapping their stupid feet. It's SO annoying!

And the babies and toddlers! UGH!! In TS2, the babies all look different -- you can tell what color eyes they'll have, and even what color hair by the color of their eyebrows. Sometimes, if you have a particularly unique custom skin, you can even tell what skin they'll have. Not the Sims 3 babies -- they all look like identical little grubs, all swaddled up in their blankets. And the toddlers aren't much better -- they all look alike as well. I liked being able to change diapers at a changing table; the lifting up and spinning around thing to change them is kind of ridiculous. And as someone who likes to "breed" her sims, TS3 is nowhere near as good as TS2. Can you even get a mixed pair of twins in Sims 3? I don't think so, because I only ever got same-sex twins and triplets.

And finally, being unable to easily switch from one family to another pretty much sucks. It's such a huge deal that I think the game really discourages the player from doing it. Even with the hacks I have in Sims 3, the game still isn't as easy to play for me.

So I'm back to playing TS2 with my beautiful sims -- and I just don't know that I'll ever go back to TS3 with its weird-looking, boring sims who never interact with me. My Sims 2 sims could still surprise and entertain me, even after years of playing the game. I doubt that will ever happen with the sims from TS3.

midnightmonkey28

23rd Jan 2010, 01:59 PM

I agree with the original poster. :)

Well i went back to The Sims 2. :) Beacause it has alot more to do than The Sims 3 and it also has alot more content and have you seen the hairstyles in The Sims 3 they're all garbage. And don't even get me started with rabbit holes! Also i hate how sims pop in and out of their cars and how cars just go straight through other cars. :(

tbobnyc

23rd Jan 2010, 02:37 PM

Same here. Mostly, I like the Sims 2 because:

1. The Cute Characters
2. More stuff with boolprop

And my Sims 3 got trashed.

Coby90

28th Jan 2010, 12:11 PM

The Sims 2 is the best and I don't see it getting beat while EA is in-charge of the Sims. Don't get me wrong the Sims 3 has some cool features, but it has so many problems that make it difficult to enjoy it. My computer meets the requirements that MTS recommends (not the minimal) and I still lag like no tomorrow. I view the Sims 3 more as a spin-off to the Sims 2 rather than a true sequel.

fakepeeps7

28th Jan 2010, 06:13 PM

I haven't had a chance to play The Sims 3 because my computer sucks (even running TS2 is a challenge at times). But I'm not too bothered by that because I haven't seen anything that really makes me want to run out and buy the game (and a new computer to play it on).

Plus, I enjoy making CC. It took me long enough to learn how to mesh clothing for TS2; I don't want to have to go through all that frustration again. In addition, the age groups that I design for (children and toddlers) are just plain ugly in TS3. It's hard to feel inspired to create something cute when your model is so homely and homogeneous.

refox_14

28th Jan 2010, 09:45 PM

I Support Sims 2 All The Way.

DazzaJay

30th Jan 2010, 02:59 AM

i played TS3, and i must say, it is Faster at loading, and i get higher framerates than TS2, but, its FAR too limited, and WAY too buggy. Also it installed SecuRom on my PC without telling me, used 3 of 5 activation limits while installing because the servers kept not responding, and needs online authentication. [redacted by moderator]

Funnily enough, i paid for Sims 2 on Ebay and received.... well, it wasn't genuine. but hey, it didn't infect my PC with SecuRom

:::EDIT:::
i guess i worded it wrong.
Either way, let me try to explain.

i PAID for Sims 3, and it infected my PC with SecuRom, and because uninstalling the game does not get rid of SecuRom, i had to format. i no longer have the game installed, nor do i play it, because installing it will just put that RootKit (SecuRom) back on my PC.

i PAID for Sims 2 on Ebay, and received a fake, i did not know it was a fake, the listing said it was genuine. i reported the seller to ebay.

i hope that clears up any mis-understanding.

MekMek

30th Jan 2010, 10:14 AM

I like both in one way or another, but if I have to choose I'll pick TS2 without doubt.
TS3 didn't quite grab me as much TS2 have. I'll however spend time on both games.

wlionrjl

30th Jan 2010, 02:05 PM

I finally got the Sims 3 basegame (no mods) a week ago mostly out of curiosity of the vastly different opinions on the game. At first, when I checked out all the shiny new features, I was like what is everybody complaining about, Sims 3 is COOL!!! I changed my opinion after a few hours into the game.

CAS allows the creation of realistic, unique Sims more easily than its predecessor but it is also difficult to tweak their faces to the unique face that *I* want. Because while I may be a control freak perfectionist, I am also very impatient. I ended up making some Sims that I didnt quite like because I just couldn't be bothered making them perfect anymore - I wanted to start playing right away. Same thing with the houses, sure you can furnish your house very uniquely with the colour picker thing but it just takes way too long to get everything right- I got bored right away even though decorating houses were one of my favorite aspects of the Sims series. Prettifying my Sims and their houses weren't as fun to me anymore.

The open neighbourhood is okay. I never really minded loading screens anyway - as long as the community lot provides fun things for my sims to do and allows them to meet townies and neighbours I am happy enough. I also prefer building my own community lots. Sims 3 seem to take the creativity away from the player - I don't use my imagination as much while playing Sims 3. Everything is already thought out and I feel like the game is just me commanding my sims to do stuff.

If anything, Sims 3 made me realize how cute sims 2 sims and their little mannerisms are. Sims 3 does not appeal to someone who weighs in cute
factor heavily. Lol I actually got the urge to watch all the official Simlish music videos on Youtube made with Sims 2 after playing Sims 3. Sims 2 sims are just too cute! The trait system is great though, but meh thats about all I can think of that I like more compared to Sims 2.

My opinion is: It is obvious that the developers put in a lot of effort into the game but even with all those of new features and interactions, somehow EA manages to make Sims 3 boring. Too much boring stuff that I have to do to get my Sim's life to perfection. I might get into it, maybe, with new expansion packs but I just don't have much interest to even play it or get WA at this point. Back to Sims 2 for me :up: .

The boredom I felt in Sims 3 is definitely not due to a lack of expansion packs. I've played Sims 1 basegame for almost 2 years and I've never gotten as bored as I have playing Sims 3 after a few hours. And this is coming from someone who can be entertained with old, simple simulation games like Sim City, Sim Tower, Sim Park etc for hours.

Le sigh, I really want to like Sims 3 because everyone is moving on with it but I guess I already expected that it wouldn't suit my playstyle well.

katblu585

6th Feb 2010, 12:10 AM

LOVE ts2 better, especially after playing 3, it just wasn't the same. its like something was just missing. I HAD to go back to ts2.

sayyadina

6th Feb 2010, 12:39 AM

I disliked ts3 at first, everything was so different. The build-tools made me very nervous, the sims themselves where ugly I thought, and I hated how they ran around town instead of walking like "normal" sims...However, the Create-a-style tool won me over to ts3; decorating was my main focus in ts2.
I love the new colors and textures, and being able to change them instantly to my liking is the best that ever happened to the game. Once I got used to the slightly darker atmosphere in ts3 I liked it more and more. Lately I found pics from ts2 on my harddrive and felt nostalgic, but when I played Strangetown again it seemed dull in comparison to all the activity in Sunset Valley. Its been a transition. I kept ts2 installed, and I still build and decorate sometimes in there...but ts3 is the game. Still, I think some of the "magic" is lost. The Sims3 can never touch my heart as 2 did.

Astrognash

6th Feb 2010, 01:21 AM

You know, I think it funny that this is here. It's like debating whether a school is better than its rival at one of those schools. It's going to be, for the most part, biased based on location.

vhanster

6th Feb 2010, 02:05 AM

Yeah, I think that, even with custom body shop contents, the Sim I made never really suit my taste.

christx101

6th Feb 2010, 03:33 AM

TS3 its much better funner gaming style,TS2 is still a great game but I no longer find any interest in it.

Kinen25

6th Feb 2010, 03:44 AM

I pick the Sims 2 because ultimately I found the Sims 3 to be pretty boring. I was so excited about the personalities and whatnot but when I actually played it, I concluded that my sims on Sims 2 had more personality than the sims on Sims 3. I hate commercials because they made it seem like the personality you choose for them will greatly influence them but to me, it didn't and that was the thing I looked forward to the most.

Scobie26

7th Feb 2010, 11:54 AM

With the Sims 3 it's just too realistic with the pudding faces :( They look too babyish. But...if they crammed the best sims 3 things and the best sims 2 things into the sims 4( if they ever make one) it would be great!

A n i s s a

9th Feb 2010, 10:30 PM

Sims 2 without a doubt.

I'm a "down to the bones" customizer and without that I feel trapped and bored. I know that stuff is slowly coming along but even still... I don't want to! The Sims in 3 are so freakishly homogeneous with their syndromal "special needs" faces, that I don't even care.

As far as game play goes, I feel like a guest in my own house, if that makes any sense.
It's a fun game... if your at somebody else's house. 'Cause even playing at home... I feel like I'm at somebody else's house, playing their copy.

thegamefan

10th Feb 2010, 12:28 AM

I definitely prefer TS2 for most of the reason spelled out here. Although there are a ton of visual customizing options, I still can't get anything to look right. Plus, I'm pretty much stuck with 100 different coloring options for 2 different chairs, no thanks.
Also, as was mentioned, TS3 sims seem to be in their own world and don't interact with the player.
Finally, everything is so shallow. They tried to do everything, but didn't do anything well. The socialization options are just spamming the same stuff over and over.
Maybe after 3 more expansion packs it'll be fixed, but I really don't want to spend $160 to put TS3 on par with a game I am already playing.

kewpie

10th Feb 2010, 01:59 AM

thegamefan

10th Feb 2010, 09:58 PM

I'm trying to re-install Sims2 on my machine, but I can't remember how to get it to work on Vista. Since I last played TS2, I had to get a new laptop and XP wasn't an allowable option (GRRR!) Once I get TS2 running on Vista I'll likely not go back to TS3.

I just find that there is a lot of blankness about TS3. Even with high autonomy, my sims don't DO a whole lot on their own. In TS2, the townies and NPCs were a riot to watch. Many times, they were more exciting than whatever I was doing with my own sim. Sometimes it would really aggravate me when my sim would be in a fancy restaurant and the customers would just start duking it out or get into a pillow fight in the middle of the place, but I'll ahve to say at least it made me laugh.

In TS3, I'm amazed at how often they just STAND AROUND and do nothing for hours at a time. Even with their different traits, they tend to end up all the same for the most part. I don't feel much attached to them at all.

Explore the disk from "My Computer", then open Setup.exe using "Run as Administrator". With the base game, I had to run it as Admin also. However, once I added EPs and updated, I was able to run it as a non-admin. Keep in mind, running as Admin will locate your saved games and "Downloads" folder under the Admin "My Documents" folder, running without Admin will be under your regular "My Documents" folder. (I had to move my files accordingly.)

kewpie

11th Feb 2010, 12:42 AM

Thanks for that advice, but it didn't work. I have that NVidia card problem I kept hearing about and was relieved that I did't have back when I had my old laptop. I have lots of black screens and blue screen crashes.
--

Anyway. I put it back on my mac that is running XP and it's been great. I have a sim in college and I love watching the dormies DO stuff. Instead of standing around and staring at my sim or staring at each other. After moving from TS3 to TS2, I have to admit some of the motions seem a bit mechanical (I wanted to kill the mascot and cheerleader after about 10 minutes of looping "Badda Sooda Cort" over and over slightly out of synch with each other.)

But its still more fun to watch than the TS3 townies. I really wish they would DO more. I can't stand how they just stand there like idiots forever -- or even worse -- the ones that will just stand and stare at my sim (their heads are like cats and move with every single motion my sim makes) That's creepy as heck.

CleoTheMuse

22nd Feb 2010, 03:08 AM

I'm sooooo glad I found this thread. All this week, I've been thinking about reinstalling TS2.

I have TS3. It's beautiful. The graphics are amazing. My Sims are gorgeous. The customization is unbelievable...and all of it adds up to nothing. I can't get emotionally invested in my neighborhoods. My families are frustrating. The "achievements" make me feel like I'm a hamster stuck on EA's wheel.

In TS2, my Legacy families were often ten generations long. I took pictures and wrote stories (which I kept in the photo album). My RL family read them, and loved them.

Since buying TS3, I have progressed my family (ONE Sim family) exactly TWO generations. Sure, I posted a couple stories to the Exchange...but they were flat, boring...nothing like my TS2 stories.

Wanting to reinstall TS2 makes me feel guilty, like I didn't give TS3 enough of a chance. Seeing so many people say the same things I've been thinking has inspired me to reinstall tomorrow!

(Yipppeeeeee)

ForeverCamp

22nd Feb 2010, 04:05 AM

@ CleoTheMuse: Yeah, I actually re-installed TS3 on my desktop this week (third time retrying). The 'storytelling' did seem a little flat to me, and though I might have (temporarily) fixed the game's stupid habit of crashing without warning or error notices by putting it in windowed mode, it makes it nearly impossible to navigate, because I can't use Edge Scrolling and the window won't enlarge, so the family I chose to start up needed to be stuck in the same two rooms of the house. Drove. Me. Nuts.

I'll leave it there just to play around with from time to time, but I think I'll stick to TS2.

thegamefan

23rd Feb 2010, 11:58 PM

I bought TS2 the day it came out, but never bought one expansion. When TS3 came out, I bought it at launch as well. After playing TS3 for a few days I got bored and went back to TS2. Then I noticed how cheap all of the TS2 EPs are now, so I bought all of them. I've been playing TS2 again for about a month now and don't miss TS3 (except for the Awesomemod story progression). TS2 is just has far more depth than TS3.

darkwytche2006

24th Feb 2010, 12:43 AM

I bought and installed S3, played it for a couple of days and reinstalled Sims2. 3 didn't go far enough in its difference. The NPC and neighbours are more fun in 2 as well.

WinterMoon

24th Feb 2010, 08:56 PM

Months have passed, and I still like TS2 better. Maybe once we get more stuff to do around town, when we get weather, pets, swimmable beaches, proper community lots etc., I'll like them equally. If the graphics are ever updated to look less smudgy, the facial expressions are improved and I finally figure out how to make a Sim look like what I have in mind again, I'll like TS3 better. As of right now, I don't really like the look and feel of the Sims themselves. As many others have said, they are more spontaneous and fun in TS2. I'm keeping it!

thegamefan

24th Feb 2010, 09:09 PM

ForeverCamp

25th Feb 2010, 12:48 AM

Yeah, why no llamas? :( That was sad.

Sixth

26th Feb 2010, 04:18 AM

Sims 2 hands down. I can't wait and really hope they make a full complete collection like was done for the original.

I have one thing to say, Will Wright made Sims 1 and 2, he had nothing to do with Sims 3. Enough said.

simetra866

28th Feb 2010, 05:24 PM

I downloaded and installed sims 3 a few days ago and got it to work the next day. I spent probably around 4 hours creating a starter sim and building him a house, which is something I could probably do in about an hour on sims 2. I started playing sims 3 today and only made it to about a half-hours worth of playing before deciding to screw the game and quit because it's so painfully slow. I think sims 2 is a thousand times better than sims 3 will ever be.

CaponeSim

28th Feb 2010, 08:38 PM

I despise The Sims 3. I played it one time, hated the graphics, the fact that you can't follow your sims into buildings and so much more. The Sims 2 is what I'll play until I can't play anymore. I'll never touch The Sims 3 again.

akksgurl

28th Feb 2010, 09:29 PM

I had both installed on my computer until I got a virus and my husband managed to restore the computer back to the way it was over the summer, pre-Sims 3. I have decided not to reinstall. I hadn't even touched TS3 since August anyway but just couldn't bring myself to uninstall it for some reason. It's so slow and clunky and it gets miserably boring very quickly. All of the sims end up looking exactly the same no matter what I do. I've started 7 families and every single one of the neighborhoods corrupted within a few generations - the longest made it to generation 5. 7 families from release to August! That's ridiculous! Sadly, TS3 lost me. I won't be following the franchise any longer. I'll play TS2 for as long as possible and once it's no longer an option, I'll find something else to occupy myself.

thehoff2

1st Mar 2010, 03:24 AM

I do :)

I liked the Sims3 for a few reasons...create-a-style, more in-depth CAS, seamless gameplay, personalities...But for whatever reason I can't get into these sims' lives.

I'm quite attached to all of my Sims2 sims. Not to mention that with all of my CC, they're effing beautiful. TS3 sims look too pudgy and cartoon-y for my taste, although I suppose it'll get better once more CC is available. And I have managed to make some pretty sims, even with the bad materials available
I also love memories. I actually got upset when I realized that there were no memories in TS3.

Overall, I think there's just something about TS2 that's missing from ts3, for me.
Sure, I enjoy it, and I'm getting my money's worth out of it. But if I had to choose, I'd go with ts2 every time :)

Maranatah

1st Mar 2010, 08:38 AM

3th time is a charm... Or how it goes in english? Well, about a week ago I installed TS3 for the 3th time. Last time it messed up my graphic card, and I guess this time there was enough time to make me curious again so of I went... And this time was no exception to other two times. I noticed, that NONE of the hacks, cc's or anything works. Yes, I tried everything. I re-installed the game about 3 times in a row and followed instructions to make them work. But not such luck. On top of it all, it still messed up my graphics. After couple of days in frusteration I gave up, for the last time. If I want to see pudding faces and get annoyed with the clumbsy and boring things, all I have to do is look in to the mirror and live my life. ;) and if I start to get curious again, all I have to do is look TS3 picture threads. There's enough puddings to make me puke.

phlashman

4th Mar 2010, 10:21 PM

For what its worth (and I'm sure this has been covered ad-nauseum) but I love the new graphics in TS3...but gameplay needs to be tweaked some, its hard to describe but its just not as much fun, and quite frankly theres just not nearly enough custom stuff or mods to make me happy yet...Lastly I find it difficult to get the characters to look more "individual"! They always seem to look like cousins or something no matter what I do...TS2 seems to have a better look to it when it comes to this...I can usually get my Sims to look more "unique".

Prosthetics

5th Mar 2010, 12:13 AM

I think everyone needs to stop referring to how terrible the graphics are. I'm not a TS3 fan, myself, but you can't expect amazing graphics on a game that requires a much better graphics card than TS2. Because I doubt everyone bought a new graphics card when they bought TS3, so you can't blame your dislike on the graphics.

Say that you don't like the way your sims look, sure, but the graphics? Uh, TS3 is beautiful on a really high end graphics card, because my friend just built a computer (literally, from the ground up) and installed TS3, and everything was crisp and clear. This didn't cure ugly sims, but it made everything else that much more bearable.

There is definitely a bit of a cartoony feeling to TS3, but then again...that's to be expected. Things were a big wacky in TS1 also, and since TS3 is a prequel...well..you can see where I'm going with this.

Ghost sdoj

5th Mar 2010, 01:27 AM

Now that I have both and can play them I like them both about the same. Trying to compare them is like apples and oranges.

ForeverCamp

5th Mar 2010, 01:08 PM

Prosthetics:
I get what you're saying. The qualities with my old graphics card and the qualities with my new graphics card were very obvious. Besides, all you need to do is take a look at the Sims 3 Neighbourhood Landscape thread over in the pictures forum to see how good it can look.

Nalia

5th Mar 2010, 06:00 PM

Recently I built a new computer myself for two reasons: first, because it was about time (I had been with the same PC for 5 years), and, secondly, to be able to play TS2 -at last-- with shaders turned ON.

Surely TS3 has excellent graphics; the open neighbourhood is innovative... but the Sims themselves? ..... Maybe one day we reach a point that talented creators make them look completely different than they do today. I'm not holding my breath though.

Alraris

5th Mar 2010, 09:27 PM

I even don't have TS3, but still and often play TS2. I can buy TS3 if I only want to, but I don't. In my opinion TS3 sims looks terrible, they have a clay-rubber-like faces. And as far as I see, that game has more round-like-face templates. I love the TS2 version of sim faces, bodies, and...

And I have 5GB of CC in my TS2 game. How could I convert them to TS3? Some creators do it, but I have even things from dead sites. And I can't play without them...

And my families. I play mostly because of them. I'm running their own life-stories. I don't post it anywhere, It's just my own fun. But for me they are important. I can't rebuild them in TS3. I have no time and will.

If TS3 will be MUCH MORE different and better than TS2 maybe I would play it. But it seems it insn't. Are there rideable horses? If not, they didn't cross Rubicon with it.

GreenTea

6th Mar 2010, 12:51 AM

I don't have TS3, so I enjoy TS2 more ;)

I discovered that my graphics card isn't necessarily up-to-par for these games, and I can't see investing in a new card and installation just for one game that I don't even play too often. So if I invested in TS3, it probably wouldn't run well on my computer and I don't want to put the money into it and then have it just sit there unused.

So for now I will stick to TS2. There is still so much of it that I have not explored!

Miss Simpleton

6th Mar 2010, 01:05 AM

I totally agree specially about the faces. When EA first gave us a preview and I saw those pillsbury dough faces, it was quite a let down. My sims 2 people are all so different and realistic looking. These Sims 3 look like the Pillsbury dough boy went out and propogated the world with his devil spawn. tee hee
Some of the features of TS3 do look interesting though. If it ever gets less expensive I may give it a try. But to me its a totally seperate game and wouldnt replace TS2.

I even don't have TS3, but still and often play TS2. I can buy TS3 if I only want to, but I don't. In my opinion TS3 sims looks terrible, they have a clay-rubber-like faces. And as far as I see, that game has more round-like-face templates. I love the TS2 version of sim faces, bodies, and...

And I have 5GB of CC in my TS2 game. How could I convert them to TS3? Some creators do it, but I have even things from dead sites. And I can't play without them...

And my families. I play mostly because of them. I'm running their own life-stories. I don't post it anywhere, It's just my own fun. But for me they are important. I can't rebuild them in TS3. I have no time and will.

If TS3 will be MUCH MORE different and better than TS2 maybe I would play it. But it seems it insn't. Are there rideable horses? If not, they didn't cross Rubicon with it.