I've owned the original Sims and Sim 2 with all the expansion packs, but this game is a complete revamp of the series by creating a community experience verse a solitary experience.
I also want to mention that you do not have to use the Amazon downloader, you can enter your keys at EA, and use their download manger to download the games. It took about 12 hours to download both copies of the game.
---UPDATE PROBLEMS!!!!---
To update the game, do not use the EA download manager (EADM) that installs with the game because it will make it so your game is unable to update the expansion pack, which I happen to learn the hard way :(
Follow the steps below to properly update the game:
1. Install Sims 3 (do not update)
2. Download the new EADM at the EA website.
3. Open Sims 3, and update
4. Install Ambitions and update
If you failed to do this, then just uninstall everything (select cancel to de-authorizing this computer) and reinstall in the order I listed above.
---MODS---
The base EA game is pretty lame. EA has this mode called story progression were they programmed the game to just randomly delete Sim families and add new ones. This means that one of your Sim families could disappear. Luckily modders have fixed this problem.
There are two major mods which are must for this game:
1. Awesome Mod, which add new interactions and fix a bunch of bugs that EA left behind.
2. Nraads' Story Progression Mod, which is a complete revamp of EA's crappy story progression. This mod will not randomly delete Sim families, but instead have Sims interact with the neighborhood based on their personality. This makes the neighborhood feel more life like, as NPC Sims will actually do stuff while your playing your Sim.
However, to use both mods, you must turn off Awesome Story Mode, which is Awesome's version of trying to fix story progression. I also suggest most of Nraads' other mods as they improve the gameplay experience.
---FINAL THOUGHTS---
Why 4 stars instead of 5? Well if it wasn't for Awesome Mod and Nraads' mods, this game would only have 3 stars. If it wasn't for EA nickel and diming us for every piece of Sim stuff, then this game would get 1 more star. If this is your first Sims game, you will quickly realize that Sims 3 and Ambitions is only the tip of the iceberg, and if you really want to have more options you need to buy more stuff and expansion packs.
Fortunately with the new create your style option (allows you to add patterns and colors to objects and clothes), the 15 shirts they give you actually ends up being like a thousand different shirts, but still EA shame on you! The Sims 3 Deluxe [Download]
I purchased the game, and played for hours, just like the old sim games. I like the improvements, some do not make sense though. I make more with a job, than a career?! But hey, its more than I made in older versions. And there are certainly better options to earn that bankroll. If EA would release a demo, this game would take off in sales. Now Im looking for other add ons that may be useful to me.
Works on my Win 7 Home premium 64 bit, no download or install errors.
I almost decided to get the regular Sims 3, no expansions, because it was about fifteen dollars cheaper. I ended up figuring, why not get the deluxe, I'm getting a discount on an expansion pack so what the heck. TOTALLY WORTH IT. One, before this, I played Sims 3 console on my xbox. I thought it was amazing then, but it's so much better now! No ridiculous loading screens. Free roam of the town! It's awesome. It's got so many more perks on the PC, since it's made to be played on the PC. Don't even get me started on the expansion pack, ambitions. The extra careers and objects (furniture, clothes, hairdos) are so worth the extra money! Can't stop playing it, but I do have other things to do. Always makes me sad to leave my smith family behind. I've only tried one new career so far - stylist. Can't wait to try the others !
I've come to know the sharp lines and colors of the Sims 2 quite well.
This new Sims 3 thing (new for me anyway) was rather odd in the beginning since the image quality seems rather low grade. Maybe it's just my computer or settings or something; but either way, this game is addicting and it stays true to it's Sim roots. :]
This game is incredibly complex, which on one hand makes it a bit more interesting, but on the other hand makes it a bit less fun to play than the Sims 2, for even though there are many more functions available, this leaves a little less to the imagination in my oppinion. More importantly, the incredible complexity also makes the game almost too engaging. It sort of seems like instead of setting up the game and having fun watching as the story unfolds as was in the Sims 2, there's too much you have to pay attention to and manage all at once. It's much more realistic than the Sims 2 which on one hand makes the game more interesting, but on the other hand makes the game a bit too realistically stressful.
The download took several hours, the game worked for about a week then got inialization errors, after looking online at several blogs, this is an ongoing issue with everyone who buys this game through a download.
I have a fairly new laptop, bought in April '11, and cannot get this program to run correctly. I loved Sims in highschool and was really excited to get this. But it always freezes and closes 'unexpectedly'. I tried uninstalling and re-downloading/installing. I tried just downloading the basic Sims and tried running that w/o the Careers add on or whatever its called that comes with the Deluxe Ed. All to no avail, guess I have to just try harder to be satisfied with 'real' life, lol.
hello again i really like this one too and its even better if you have a few expansion packs to go along with it .and at first i thought i was not going to be able to play it cuz it would not download i had tried and tried over and over but then i said to myself let me turn off my internet security and then it did work and i have no problem's as of yet... :) - Electronic Arts - Simulation'
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