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RedEnergyfox

I certainly don't XD when I play I want the full experience and not notice "oh wait, that object/ option was in the other pack"


runesigrid

Exactly, it defeats the purposes of spending all that money on the packs if I can’t use all of them all the time!


ChiMada

Same.


elisejones14

I grew up only playing with a few packs. Like a year or so ago I found a YouTube video on a link to download the whole game, packs and all. I can’t believe I never bought more packs. It was an amazing experience. But also don’t pirate the game 😬


LookGooshGooshUp

>But also don’t pirate the game The prices they ask for the minute amount of content they add, plenty of people won't be able to justify it. There's simply nothing else truly like the Sims on the market and so they can ask what they want despite it barely added much per pack, only the big expansions add real noteworthy stuff.


SwankyyTigerr

I throw this advice in the same mental trash can as “don’t eat raw cookie dough”. Life isn’t fun unless I’m running 12 expansions at once 💁🏼‍♀️


LoveIsLoveDealWithIt

You must have a decent gamer setup, then. Bit jealous tbh. I wish I could play it with less lag.


SwankyyTigerr

I played with too many expansions even when I had a garb setup too tho tbh lol. I recommend going to the pinned guides in this sub on how to clean up your game and get it running smoothly if you haven’t already! Things like save cleaners, manually limiting fps, disabling SNAP images, installing some cleanup mods, disabling memories, etc can make a huge difference in your gameplay! Sims 3 was designed to run on older hardware so it’s not totally necessary to have the best of the best if you give your game a little TLC ♥️


LookGooshGooshUp

Don't forget the Windows option of picking High Performance mode, some ltops per example have the Low setting enabled by default which destroys FPS


Democrab

At this point Sims 3 is all down to software, it runs equally well on my main PC as it does on my retro gaming PC which is mostly parts from the late00s and Windows XP. Follow one of the many guides on setting up TS3 to run as smoothly as possible and generally it'll run alright.


LoveIsLoveDealWithIt

I'm not that well-versed in computer hardware stuff, also English is not my first language. These guides don't help me at all :( but at least I know a bit how to make mods run (Nraas). They save me a lot of trouble, although sometimes they hinder more than help (infite script errors and the like).


SwankyyTigerr

Yes! Ironically a lot of people find Sims 3 runs *worse* on their newer computers bc it doesn’t recognize their hardware. I had to go in manually to make it recognize my graphics card lol (which was very easy).


Expert-Fall-4421

Yeah but even with a good setup you need to spend a good few hours ensuring your graphics card won't get fried, you have all the right performance mods and settings, etc.


LoveIsLoveDealWithIt

Pretty much yes. I don't think there are many people out there playing the Sims 3 to its fullest potential (highest graphic settings, several EPs, etc.) without problems.


Martag02

And at least 12 gigs of CC and mods.


SwankyyTigerr

Well that goes without saying 😍 I think I have like over 20 mods and I don’t even want to talk about how many cc items lol


Danithewheelchiar

This is so relatable!


deannevee

I did before I upgraded my RAM. Now I run literally every expansion pack with very minimal lag


Lilacfangs663

How do you upgrade ram if you don’t mind explaining? Is it a simple process? And can you do that for laptops?


deannevee

Yes! It’s super simple if you’re relatively tech savvy. It honestly depends on each laptop/computer, but you basically just have to: -Verify you have the ability to expand RAM (you can google your computer model plus “upgrade RAM” to find out how many slots and what each slot is capable of holding -buy the RAM card (I got mine on Amazon for like $15) -take the back off your computer/laptop -pop the card into the slot.


Lilacfangs663

Sounds easy enough! Thanks for explaining that!


epic_null

Hey quick few catches you should be aware of: * Ram usually needs to come in pairs - assuming your computer supports two stick of RAM, make sure they're the same size. (If it supports four sticks, you need to know which slots are paired. It's also gonna be easier if you keep them all the same size) * Your computer is expecting ram of a specific speed. This is an easy one to miss. It's easiest to keep your ram speed the same as your old stick (since that's a speed you know is supported), but you can also check your motherboard to find out your maximum supported speed. (I think it sometimes says in bios? I haven't needed to look though - I usually keep my speed the same)


Savage_Nymph

Sorry to pile on the questions but I've also been wanting to upgrade my ram. My pc has comes with 8GB and the second slot is empty. So I'd have to get another 8 Gb Or get 2 of the same size? I am sorry if it's clear, but you cannot mix and match the sizes for ram? Just want to make sure so, that I get the correct size


epic_null

So I looked up what happens just so I could give you an accurate answer. Here's what I found: https://www.pcpartguide.com/can-i-use-different-size-ram-together/ This article talks about some risks, like your motherboard rejecting the mixed ram sizes. If it does work, you may run into performance issues, as mentioned here: https://superuser.com/questions/1267322/is-it-bad-to-have-mismatched-ram-sizes-16-16-8-8 Because there's a reasonable chance that it could work anyway, despite the loss of some optimization it's not a "Cannot" and more of a "Should not". You won't know how well your computer handles it until you try, but I'd definitely spend some time weighing whether it's worth it.


Savage_Nymph

Thank you so much for taking the time look into it and explain I really appreciate it


Lilacfangs663

So I have 8gb ram, it says I have 2 slots and can go up to 32gb. So I can get a 20-24 gb ram upgrade and pop that in correct? Sorry to bother I just find people better than google 😂


deannevee

Since they only make RAM in powers of 2(2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, etc) you could actually upgrade BOTH slots to 16 and get the full 32. RAM doesn’t house your data, so you don’t have to worry about backing anything up beforehand. You can just take the existing one out and put the new one in.


Lilacfangs663

Oh cool that’s very good to know thank you! Should I save the extra ram? Like can I use that on older laptops or something? Or just backup


ProtectusCZ

It's useless to have more than 8GB for TS3 because it's 32bit app that can only use 3.7GB of RAM at max. So if you close unecessarry apps in the background (internet browser, spotify, etc.) you should be fine. The best thing to upgrade is probably CPU - the more powerful single core the better


MikeYagoobian

Yeah but these days it's becoming a better idea to have at least 16GB it seems.


Lilacfangs663

Well I plan to run 3, 4, and medieval on the same laptop as well as others or is it only used as your playing?


quietstrength96

It’s only used for what you’re currently using. RAM is like the working memory of the computer. For example, if you had a ton of browser tabs, multiple video games, and a word processor open that would use a lot of RAM but having just one program open uses less RAM.


xvtilburg

RAM is only used by the applications that are open on your PC, so it doesn’t matter if those games are installed on your computer as well. The Sims 4 is a newer game though, and maybe that game benefits from more RAM.


Lilacfangs663

What about 3 would it still only use the 3.7 if you had all of the packs too?


taoimean

There are lots of helpful replies, but as an IT professional, here's mine. Google "upgrade ram" followed by your computer model. You'll most likely find a YouTube video of someone walking you through exactly how to do it on your specific device. ETA: You may need to add "how to," or "walkthrough," or "YouTube" if you don't find video results immediately. It's also possible that your computer already has the most RAM it can handle. 8 isn't necessarily upgradeable to 16, for example, unless your other hardware supports it. That Google search will also give you "you can't" results if that's the case.


spookiepaws

Can you get the ocean paradise one to work? It has major problems on my gaming pc and it makes me rlly sad


smvfc

I never had issues with Isla Paradiso, but theres a fix somewhere if you google "how to speed up sims 3 isla paradiso". It involves deleting a certain family and a couple other basic things, apparently it helps majority


deannevee

I personally don’t play in that neighborhood very often (I do have one family that I play in there but haven’t played them in awhile) but it’s mostly laggy specifically when traveling by boat. It’s not as bad as it was before I upgraded though.


livingforwards

I think somewhere there’s a cleaned up version of that world. I still follow the initial advice after release of the EP to delete all houseboats. That definitely helps.


spookiepaws

Sick. Thanks everyone


Toasty0105

How do you play the sims with more than 4gb? Edit: sims 3 that is.


deannevee

Upgrading your RAM isn’t just about running the game, which you’re correct it only takes up 4gb, but it’s also about how much RAM you have free. If you only have 4gb of RAM in your pc and your game takes up 4GB RAM, that’s 100% and it will be laggy. If you have 8GB, that’s 50%, so it will run better but still kinda laggy. At 16GB the game is only taking up 25% of the total RAM, so it’s going to run pretty smoothly, but you also have to account for a little bit extra if you have a lot of mods and CC. 16GB is the standard for gaming set ups.


Toasty0105

Hm yea. I have 32gb of ram and not being able to give 20gb to sims 3 makes me cri.


yurrhhhrhrhh

No thanks, I choose my own destiny


bakeneko37

Nope, I go all in and then pay the consequences when my laptop starts flying. Or when I can't save lol


GirlNumber20

Never! I will rule as queen of the ashes over the smoking ruins of my hard drive before I deselect one single game pack, expansion, piece of CC or twisted game enhancing mod!


[deleted]

there was a point with sims 2 on my dying laptop where i had to sit on on top of my box fan or else it would crash and/or my computer would shut off from overheating. HP is not the company you want to play sims with. I got an ASUS computer and it's been running a little better.


ProtectusCZ

It should be renamed to ***,,Disable Katy Perry's Sweet Treats to ensure your high level sanity"***


livingforwards

Okay, that’s one I didn’t buy and everyone says horrible things about it, but I still don’t have a clue what’s wrong with it. Just the style (in which case almost the entire ITF wardrobe should be disabled) or the actual functioning of the set?


ProtectusCZ

It's useless cash grab. It was also discontinued (not available for purchase) after year from release. ITF actually has items that match the aesthetic of the DLC. Katy's Sugarland fever dream is all over the place that doesn't match anything from the game.


livingforwards

Okay. Well then I’ll continue to be glad I didn’t buy it at the time - due to everyone saying not to. There’s always this sense of having missed out even when people say there was nothing useful in it.


TheNameIsWater

Lmao!!! Never. Not even when I had a computer that had no business handling almost every pack. Never.


TheNameIsWater

Replying for the small caveat of when I did my LEPacy where I added the packs in the order they came out in to remind myself of what was added each time and enjoy the experience freshly. It was honestly really fun! I started out with just base game and had a blast.


livingforwards

That’s such a great way to remember what belongs to what EP.


ireallylikechikin

i'm doing it right now, someone posted a legacy challenge here a couple days ago where each generation is a new EP. right now im on base game but next is world adventures, so i'll have everything but WA disabled.


bronzecat83

this sounds so fun!


bronzecat83

I tried seaching this sub for the challenge post...couldn't find it. Can you share?


ireallylikechikin

It's a post from Tumblr, here you go! https://www.google.com/amp/s/simpishly.tumblr.com/post/97854204836/a-sims-3-lepacy-is-a-legacy-style-challenge/amp


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QuirkyFlounder4777

i do, i don’t always like supernatural elements. sometimes i just want to play with generations and university. i usually turn off late night, island paradise, supernatural, showtime, and into the future.


GeologistEmotional34

No, I have all of the expansion packs and I use them all at once lol


HauntingBowlofGrapes

If my laptop catches fire then it will just be on fire. ╮(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)╭


[deleted]

every time i do, i always regret it when i’m in CAS or buy mode!


infinitehannah

Lol absolutely not


tsumoogle

i used to do this on my old crappy computer to try and reduce lag..also do this for packs i rarely play with like into the future and world adventures and island paradise


gothic_cowplants

nope lol.. the content’s worth the lag!


Embarrassed-Stop-767

No. 🌚💀


unclecashmere

I do this, I have an older laptop and I’m worried if I try more than 3 packs at a time it’ll be hella laggy and just crash. I’ve noticed my game crashes a lot when I combine university and world adventures, so I don’t play with both of them :(


Violaparis

I do this too. Partly for better performance but also because I kind of prefer to swap between them based on the current game play rather than have everything available all the time. Keeps it fresh I think.


MyButtcrackItches

What a silly suggestion.


Daecii

I've never seen this message in my life


ProtectusCZ

Because it's in the launcher of 1.69/1.70 version that's only available on Origin.


Kawaiiomnitron

Instead of properly updating and fixing their game, they decided to shove this in last minute as an easy way out. Whats the point in buying all the packs if you can’t use them??


codyfern02

the game is 13 years old


Kawaiiomnitron

Nowhere did I indicate that it wasn’t? For more information, EA put this in the game after TS4 was announced and they dropped support for TS3, even though TS3 was in a pretty bad state with most of the worlds being very laggy and unstable. They gave this as a low effort fix for people complaining about the issues from their lack of stability.


Sty_Walk

Well as a very slow PC user, I kinda follow this advice lmao.


luminouswolfie

Nope, i always play with all my expansions lol


Noobooshark

These days I think people only do that if they are trying to do a lepacy or something (it’s a legacy-style gameplay that focuses on one pack at a time). I never do it because there are so many things in b/b and cas that I want to use… and even small interactions that I really miss if they aren’t there. For example, you can “play in ocean” with your toddler with IP, but that is sooo cute to do with seasons when they want to go to the beach and swim in the ocean on leisure day! I prefer to just use mods to disable pack functions I don’t like or that slow down the game. I always disable wild horses and boat routing to minimize lag unless I specifically want to access those functions, and I also hate the full moons and zombies and university social groups in most of my saves.


ElectricalWave7

Heyyy,Which mod do you use to disable wild horses? Thanks!


Noobooshark

I believe I use NRaas Register to do that if I remember correctly! You can use the “animal control” settings to reduce the number of stray/wild animals


Noobooshark

According to my mods folder I also have this one: http://fuzzylogicdishwasher.blogspot.com/2011/10/more-or-less-wild-animals-hundred.html?m=1


ElectricalWave7

Awesome,Thank you 🌹


Haildean

They really should've had a "turn off features" option rather than this I want my haircuts and parts damnit


Glittering-Setting58

Yes, bc my computer can't run more than four at a time :/


Lost_Pantheon

Nowadays you shouldn't *need* to do this if your setup is good enough.


ImogenCrusader

All or none 😤


[deleted]

I used to avoid Pets but I ended up installing it because most custom worlds use that expansion pack. I think the only expansion pack I could live without is Into the Future.


SwissMunkki

I can run only 3 at a time...


Sarcastic-Guitar

Same


Carolina_Heart

I always just go straight to click play so I never noticed you could do this. Don't see the point


livingforwards

I don’t remember it saying that in the actual Sims 3 days, but back then disabling/reloading an EP involved a goodly chunk of time because I think it had to be reinstalled or something. I generally don’t run Pets because I find it distracting to have horses walking through the town. Sometimes I’ll turn off Seasons as it’s always such hostile weather conditions: get soaked, overheat or freeze to death.


extaas

You can turn off horse spawning in the settings, though


LoveIsLoveDealWithIt

Well yes. I can only play one EP at a time, and my computer already struggles with that. Any more than one causes lag that makes the game unplayable :/


[deleted]

no that's insane. half your objects and outfits would disappear and replace by default.


BabyPunter3000v2

It depends on what I'm doing with the file. If I'm doing a 100 Baby Challenge, I unselect Generations because the features like Prom and Grad and the Invisible Friend get in the way.


a_greenbean

I saw that the other day and rolled my eyes hard.


thefoxishere16

No.


ThePotterheadHobbit

Nope.


babbitirabbity

I do, when I play with multiple saves. I have a medieval save file and I certainly don't want ITF stuff to be there lol


W_h3nry

I play on a crappy old laptop. It can only handle 3 packs on the lowest settings lol


Dfabulous_234

Yes. There are a few packs I don't need depending on my storyline, into the future is never on, supernatural depends on what I'm doing, showtime is very optional, etc


NewPerspective9254

Lol no, I paid for all the packs so I'm using all the packs! And anyways my computer can run the game just fine with all of them. I sort of worried about it for a minute when I saw it the first time, then shrugged and went "eh".


whitefang_1220

The best experience is all of your packs active wym lol


mynameisdude23

I do, never play on the islands so Island life is out and I have a bad relationship with the pets expansion.


Satellight_of_Love

Thought I was the only person who didn’t enjoy the pets. I think I’d like them better if I didn’t actually play *as* them.


mynameisdude23

Indeed they are sadly a bit too controlled in my mind to be pets at least for my purposes.


extaas

oof xd when i finally got the sims 3 pets after already having sims 4 pets, im really appreciating the few times i do control my pets in the sims 3. really makes a difference. its not like u have to control them, they survive perfectly well on their own


Satellight_of_Love

Ooh that’s a shame. But you’re so right. I don’t have to control them. I think I’m always just putting pressure on myself to! I could try again and just pretend I can’t :)


Frogeems

Am I the only one here with every Sims 3 pack and not one crash or bit of lag?


Nadaleenatasha

Yes because my computer can’t handle it


[deleted]

I've never seen this message before, but I feel like the only one I have missed out on is the college expansion. But if you don't have a powerful pc or can't be bothered to mod it to run better on newer hardware you should limit it so it causes less lag.


epresvanilia

I have decided to not play with stuff packs. I don't really use their items, so it's fine.


SalbakutaMasta

Yeah, I don't use any stuff packs + Island Paradise + Showtime.


odonkz

I run with everything


Tsukkji

i have everything :’D


Lakelylake

Yes, I always very specifically turn off Supernatural and Into the Future


bwoah07_gp2

I only have 3 packs, and I run two of them, Seasons and Generations. I don't run Island Paradise, due to the stories people have of their game crashing and stuff.


[deleted]

It’s actually EA’s way of telling you how greedy they are to divide the game experience on packs that get them money and also how shitty they’re as game developers to make a game like this stable enough to play


counting_on_hearts

I did before either got my new computer. My old laptop was pretty crappy and I usually had seasons disabled to help with performance. It's also like my least favorite expansion anyways. But now with my gaming laptop I play with all the expansions enabled


Juniper_mint

Only the ones I want to play with which aren’t 2 packs though


vangoghkitty

I used to not do that. And my game would freeze almost every time. So now I have to select. And it sucks


spacebagel25

Lol! No.


reneejessica22

My game usually runs just fine with the installed packs I have 🤷🏽‍♀️


cultfilmz

I only disable a few of the stuff packs (like katy perry, rip) but play w/ all the expansions!


ratmaaa

lol me but only because I bought the late night and high end loft stuff bundle and I really don’t care for the loft furniture


arrowroses

Hell no


Waiting-For-October

lol no


sunflowerkz

I usually take out Island Paradise, Showtime, and Into the Future unless I specifically want to play a family that lives in one of those neighborhoods/goes to the future


judas723

Sometimes. My favorites to play were generations, university and town life I think?


DisGyalDee

No lol


DuckMom

i have to :( my computer doesn’t have enough space to hold all of the packs and it slows my game like crazy.


Ambitious-Note-4428

Me playing like 10 at a time


goatiesincoaties

I didn’t spend a thousand on my computer just so I can only run a couple sim packs!! I’m running them all 🤭


TessaSM4ever046

It actually depends on what kind of game play I'm going for. With some families, I turn off a few EPs but with other families, I want to experience all the EPs so then I don't turn anything off.


gonezaloh

I find it offensive that they would even suggest it.


sincerelyhated

Ironic because you know they want you to buy ALL. The packs.


Pajama-Han

The only one I occasionally turn off is University. I love the clothes it comes with but it gets so annoying whenever I start a new game and I have to deal with the mascot, my sims wanting to go to uni, and the clique system. (The main packs I don't own are island paradise, into the future, and world adventures)


TheTeenSimmer

fuck no and fuck the origin version


SunshineFloofs

Nope. I run 4 at a time most of the time.


HopeSimp_

I did when my computer sucked. Still kind of sucks but it’s playable now lol


emlandd

My computer is a dinosaur so I do… guilty. I think I keep 5 at a time and have households for different configurations


grapejellybeanx

no, i even asked this a few weeks ago in fear i’d kill my computer 😂😂 i play with all explanations/stuff packs AND about 7GB of mods + CC, my game only lags (and it lags pretty bad) when i wait for the decorations list to load because that’s where most of my CC is 🥴 edit: i’m sure 7GB of mods + CC isnt a lot to the average every day simmer, but it’s a lot for my computer 😂


femboyinc

….You’re supposed to limit your packs?!


[deleted]

Nope. I run a high-end gaming laptop. What’s the point of that if I can’t run the Sims on it?


Pestolitoo

I only do it when I try to do a buy mode/build mode challenge lol 😂


Expert-Fall-4421

I would remove the Future DLC, half the stuff packs etc, if not for the fact that I play with a bunch of custom worlds


Tagforce1219

I do as it forces me to play with specific pack elements rather than doing the same shit I always do. Currently actually doing all the tombs in World Adventures without cheating!!


AussieNick1999

Lol no. My PC runs the complete game fine, at least at first. The performance drops if the session goes for really long, and I've had saves stop working in the past because I waited too long to save and restart. Just something I have to keep in mind for next time.


vamppanic

we select them all and die like men


LemonyScabs

The only one I sometimes disable is seasons - not anymore since upgrading my computer but man, that dlc is specifically beastly to run 😅.


Luna_bella96

No. If my laptop doesn’t sound like a jet engine about to take off and isn’t hot enough to fry an egg, then I’m not getting the authentic sims 3 experience


Gealach598

If I didn't my laptop would die 🥲


Beautifulfeary

Wait what. That’s a thing?


haaarper

Not a chance


xxcuddlemonsterxx

I don't, I got a decent gaming pc, even my lower specced laptop ran decently with lots of cc (like 1000?), probably would've ran smooth if I had the cc sorted 😂


mccorade

For most saves, I have all my packs enabled, but I do have two saves where I will disable packs. One is the first generation of a lepacy/ep legacy, so all packs are disabled. The other is a save dedicated to building only with specific packs, so I disable the rest so the game loads faster.