Sims 2 vs. Sims 3
Howdy!
It's still a really icky weather outside XD Icky enough for Spotty to refuse getting up and move her lazy ass around (I made her now, though. LOL).
Since a few people asked/were curious, I've collected a list of things about Sims 3 in comparison to Sims 2. I guess it'll be much easier as soon as the custom content comes out by people more talented than EA will ever be but so far? I feel a little bad that Mom spent so much money on it, to be quite honest, so I'd get it for my birthday. I prefer continue playing with Sims 2 at this point.
Let's start off with the things I do like about Sims 3:
I.
You honestly can go anywhere. Your Sim can knock at the neighbor's door or visit places in the neighborhood - cemeteries, groceries stores etc. You have the option to choose between seeing the house your Sim lives in or the map view where you can see the entire town and use options to make your Sim go somewhere. You want your Sim to go grocery shopping, make them hop in their car or go there to do so.
The game offers various options depending on where you wanna go. You go grocery shopping, you can watch your Sim drive/go to the market and you even get a list of things to choose from and buy - because Sims 3 needs you to have certain ingredients at home in order to cook specific meals, which makes it a lot more real than in Sims 2, where all you need is a filled-up fridge.
If your Sims go to work, you can choose what they do - do they wanna have a slow day, work hard, talk to colleagues or kiss the boss' ass? You can decide on that. It's two of the things I've tried out so far, apart from sending my Sim to the local art museum to have a nice day. Can't say much about other places, except that you can choose whether or not your Sim should take a full-/parttime job at some place, like a restaurant or the newspaper agency, with one simple click.
II.
When you want your Sim to do something, you get different choices for the action, depending on what it is. That is quite similar to Sims 2 - you can make a Sim walk, jump or run to a spot. Sims 3 has this too, with the difference that if you choose the action, you get a dropdown menu instead of having all options when you click on an empty spot. That makes it a lot more easier.
III.
Absolute fan of the visuals. You can see the difference between day, night, dawn and sunset. At nights, you even have starts at the sky :D It looks really fancy. Or your Sim sits at home and cars drive or people walk by, just like in any normal neighborhood.
IV.
Lifestages. A big plus - for me - is the fact that now you have "Young Adult" as an age you can always choose. In Sims 2, you only had a young adult when they were in college, and they grew up right after leaving it.
V.
I have no idea if it generally doesn't happen anymore, but my new Sim did not get any annoying neighbors welcoming them in the neighborhood. It could depend on the characteristics you choose for a Sim when creating him/her, but I was seriously glad it didn't happen because that's something I've always hated in Sims 1 and 2.
VI.
The Sim's mood depends on things that happen wherever they go, which I really like. A not-washed plate can make their mood go down, like it would for us because YUCK! and other things, like a good night's sleep, raises their mood a lot. The moods can stay for a couple minutes, hours or even days, whether they are good or bad, and influence their performances at work or their general behavior at home.
I think those would be the main changes about Sims 3 in comparison to Sims 2. But well, here's the list of things I absolutely DON'T like about it:
I.
You can't create another neighborhood. You only have one to play in - unless you buy an original copy of the game and register on their website, then you get a second (and much prettier, tbh) neighborhood that you can add to your game (which I did). But apart from this only option, there is no chance in hell that you could create your own custom neighborhood in order to make your created Sims live there. Nada. I find this to be rather stupid.
II.
Another thing that bugs me just as much is the fact that in Sims 3, you have a LOT less ways to customize the Sims you create. In Sims 2, I could change things like the hollow of their cheeks, the thickness of necks, thin or thick eyebrows, what have you. In Sims two? You have very few options to work with in order to make your Sim look exactly they way you want him to. As an example, I've created a Tomo Sim in Sims 3:
Tomo in Sims 3
Now, in comparison, the known Tomo from Sims 2:
The options needed to create custom Sims are...seriously missing. And I do wonder why EA decided to get rid of something so important and have Sims 3 look like fat dolls, because that is what they do. Apart from the fact that not as many heads, facials or hair is available - except that for hair, you have more colors to choose from now (I think 6). You can also give hair (colored) highlights and stuff but generally, I think the choice they give by default is seriously horrible.
And while we're at it, personally, I think you can forget the default clothes or furniture (of which a LOT less are available). They are fucking ugly. Even Sims 2 had better clothes or furniture, and a lot of more of the latter especially.
To make it even worse - there is no BodyShop anymore. You can only create Sims when in the game...and I haven't seen an option yet to pack your finished Sims up for later saving. Made me rather sour.
III.
In Sims 3, you're supposed to reach life goals the game offers especially through jobs. I've discovered a rather big problem with that, though. The needs of a Sim lower fast - they also rise just as fast when you do something against it. But when I sent my Sim working from 8am to 2pm, they were dead-tired and starving at 11 am and there's no chance in hell that you can do anything about it. Why? Because the cheats we have in Sims 2 for the motive decay are not available in Sims 3. The only thing I could do to avoid my Sim dying was to make them quit the job and send them home to eat and sleep. I have no idea how they are supposed to master a job with that "little" problem. Sims 2 was a lot better in that department.
And well, as for cheats - there aren't really any (so far). You can still give them money by "motherlode" or use the "moveobjects" cheats. Sadly, the latter does not allow anymore to delete mailboxes, which means, you can't escape bills (lol). The testingCheat cheat was supposed to be working, according to what I read on a couple websites. I did try it out and - nothing.
IV.
For those who prefer to play in window mode rather than fullscreen: I made the experience that it bugs horribly when you play it in a window =/ Another thing Sims 2 has never done for me (more like it sometimes was the other way round LOL).
V.
This might be a general game bug, but: My Sim had a dishwasher. Alas, when I made her go clean her plates, she kept hollering around and not cleaning anything...until she got a sink as well, then it suddenly worked *rolls eyes*
All in all...dunno. As it seems with the EA Download Manager coming along with the game, I assume they plan on updating the game and - probably - fixing a couple bugs etc. while they are at it. I'm pretty sure a first patch will arrive soon. Putting my hopes into (useful) custom content that will surely arrive sooner or later along with helpful game mods to get the qualities and stuff back that Sims 2 has offered us so far.
Those are just my 2 cents and opinions. I also haven't included all the possible new features etc. because I didn't sit here for 24 hours LOL. I just tried the usual things.
Now I need a shower and some peace of mind. Another week of work ahead. Good thing Thurday's an off day XD And my summer holidays aren't far anymore, either. Only a month away *G*
It's still a really icky weather outside XD Icky enough for Spotty to refuse getting up and move her lazy ass around (I made her now, though. LOL).
Since a few people asked/were curious, I've collected a list of things about Sims 3 in comparison to Sims 2. I guess it'll be much easier as soon as the custom content comes out by people more talented than EA will ever be but so far? I feel a little bad that Mom spent so much money on it, to be quite honest, so I'd get it for my birthday. I prefer continue playing with Sims 2 at this point.
Let's start off with the things I do like about Sims 3:
I.
You honestly can go anywhere. Your Sim can knock at the neighbor's door or visit places in the neighborhood - cemeteries, groceries stores etc. You have the option to choose between seeing the house your Sim lives in or the map view where you can see the entire town and use options to make your Sim go somewhere. You want your Sim to go grocery shopping, make them hop in their car or go there to do so.
The game offers various options depending on where you wanna go. You go grocery shopping, you can watch your Sim drive/go to the market and you even get a list of things to choose from and buy - because Sims 3 needs you to have certain ingredients at home in order to cook specific meals, which makes it a lot more real than in Sims 2, where all you need is a filled-up fridge.
If your Sims go to work, you can choose what they do - do they wanna have a slow day, work hard, talk to colleagues or kiss the boss' ass? You can decide on that. It's two of the things I've tried out so far, apart from sending my Sim to the local art museum to have a nice day. Can't say much about other places, except that you can choose whether or not your Sim should take a full-/parttime job at some place, like a restaurant or the newspaper agency, with one simple click.
II.
When you want your Sim to do something, you get different choices for the action, depending on what it is. That is quite similar to Sims 2 - you can make a Sim walk, jump or run to a spot. Sims 3 has this too, with the difference that if you choose the action, you get a dropdown menu instead of having all options when you click on an empty spot. That makes it a lot more easier.
III.
Absolute fan of the visuals. You can see the difference between day, night, dawn and sunset. At nights, you even have starts at the sky :D It looks really fancy. Or your Sim sits at home and cars drive or people walk by, just like in any normal neighborhood.
IV.
Lifestages. A big plus - for me - is the fact that now you have "Young Adult" as an age you can always choose. In Sims 2, you only had a young adult when they were in college, and they grew up right after leaving it.
V.
I have no idea if it generally doesn't happen anymore, but my new Sim did not get any annoying neighbors welcoming them in the neighborhood. It could depend on the characteristics you choose for a Sim when creating him/her, but I was seriously glad it didn't happen because that's something I've always hated in Sims 1 and 2.
VI.
The Sim's mood depends on things that happen wherever they go, which I really like. A not-washed plate can make their mood go down, like it would for us because YUCK! and other things, like a good night's sleep, raises their mood a lot. The moods can stay for a couple minutes, hours or even days, whether they are good or bad, and influence their performances at work or their general behavior at home.
I think those would be the main changes about Sims 3 in comparison to Sims 2. But well, here's the list of things I absolutely DON'T like about it:
I.
You can't create another neighborhood. You only have one to play in - unless you buy an original copy of the game and register on their website, then you get a second (and much prettier, tbh) neighborhood that you can add to your game (which I did). But apart from this only option, there is no chance in hell that you could create your own custom neighborhood in order to make your created Sims live there. Nada. I find this to be rather stupid.
II.
Another thing that bugs me just as much is the fact that in Sims 3, you have a LOT less ways to customize the Sims you create. In Sims 2, I could change things like the hollow of their cheeks, the thickness of necks, thin or thick eyebrows, what have you. In Sims two? You have very few options to work with in order to make your Sim look exactly they way you want him to. As an example, I've created a Tomo Sim in Sims 3:
Tomo in Sims 3
Now, in comparison, the known Tomo from Sims 2:
The options needed to create custom Sims are...seriously missing. And I do wonder why EA decided to get rid of something so important and have Sims 3 look like fat dolls, because that is what they do. Apart from the fact that not as many heads, facials or hair is available - except that for hair, you have more colors to choose from now (I think 6). You can also give hair (colored) highlights and stuff but generally, I think the choice they give by default is seriously horrible.
And while we're at it, personally, I think you can forget the default clothes or furniture (of which a LOT less are available). They are fucking ugly. Even Sims 2 had better clothes or furniture, and a lot of more of the latter especially.
To make it even worse - there is no BodyShop anymore. You can only create Sims when in the game...and I haven't seen an option yet to pack your finished Sims up for later saving. Made me rather sour.
III.
In Sims 3, you're supposed to reach life goals the game offers especially through jobs. I've discovered a rather big problem with that, though. The needs of a Sim lower fast - they also rise just as fast when you do something against it. But when I sent my Sim working from 8am to 2pm, they were dead-tired and starving at 11 am and there's no chance in hell that you can do anything about it. Why? Because the cheats we have in Sims 2 for the motive decay are not available in Sims 3. The only thing I could do to avoid my Sim dying was to make them quit the job and send them home to eat and sleep. I have no idea how they are supposed to master a job with that "little" problem. Sims 2 was a lot better in that department.
And well, as for cheats - there aren't really any (so far). You can still give them money by "motherlode" or use the "moveobjects" cheats. Sadly, the latter does not allow anymore to delete mailboxes, which means, you can't escape bills (lol). The testingCheat cheat was supposed to be working, according to what I read on a couple websites. I did try it out and - nothing.
IV.
For those who prefer to play in window mode rather than fullscreen: I made the experience that it bugs horribly when you play it in a window =/ Another thing Sims 2 has never done for me (more like it sometimes was the other way round LOL).
V.
This might be a general game bug, but: My Sim had a dishwasher. Alas, when I made her go clean her plates, she kept hollering around and not cleaning anything...until she got a sink as well, then it suddenly worked *rolls eyes*
All in all...dunno. As it seems with the EA Download Manager coming along with the game, I assume they plan on updating the game and - probably - fixing a couple bugs etc. while they are at it. I'm pretty sure a first patch will arrive soon. Putting my hopes into (useful) custom content that will surely arrive sooner or later along with helpful game mods to get the qualities and stuff back that Sims 2 has offered us so far.
Those are just my 2 cents and opinions. I also haven't included all the possible new features etc. because I didn't sit here for 24 hours LOL. I just tried the usual things.
Now I need a shower and some peace of mind. Another week of work ahead. Good thing Thurday's an off day XD And my summer holidays aren't far anymore, either. Only a month away *G*