The Sims 3/The Sims 3/Patch 3

Patch 3 for The Sims 3 was released on August 5, 2009. It fixes a wide variety of bugs in the game. You can download it through The Sims 3's Launcher.

Release Notes

 * Base Game
 * After getting promoted in a job with a night shift the Sim will only receive the day off if their next shift starts within 8 hours.
 * Exporting and Sharing a Level 10 Gardener Sim properly maintains their special abilities.
 * Fixes to Story Progression. Babies will no longer be born to single parents. Player created or controlled households are now "protected" and will no longer be removed through "Story Progression." Warning: Story Progression will no longer remove previously player controlled Sims. Users who take control of too many Sims in the same game may experience poor performance as the neighborhood can become over populated.
 * Switching between multiple saved outfits of the same type no longer has the potential to wipe out saved outfits.
 * Waterlilies now have a smoother level of detail transition when zooming the camera.
 * Camera memory hotkeys now properly remember floor level.
 * Certain situations will now properly stop socialization and disallow asking other Sims to join.
 * Bait picker for fishing has been improved.
 * Sims no longer automatically exit the bathtub before receiving the “Bathe until Tranquil” moodlet.
 * Sims can no longer interview non-playable ghosts.
 * Addressed an issue where distant audio could occasionally be heard while the player is focused on a Sim is inside their own home.
 * Changing jobs no longer fulfills the "Meet All Co-workers" Wish.
 * Playable ghost teens and children are now properly assigned to a school.
 * Custom paintings can now be properly placed above objects that are placed up against a wall and leave enough wall space.
 * The "Call Over" Interaction is now available on seated Sims.
 * Reduced the urge for neat Sims to put away fire pits.
 * Neighbors will no longer gather to watch a burglar that hasn't yet stolen anything.
 * The "Maywood Glen" community lot is now properly classified as a park.
 * "Omni-Plant" opportunity has a higher chance of appearing.
 * Painting valued painting wishes are easier to fulfill.
 * Number of Books Read in the writing skill journal now counts number of books finished instead of the number of books started.
 * Sims will no longer attempt to use laptops when they are ungreeted visitors.
 * "Befriend All Co-workers" wish is no longer fulfilled by switching to a job with no coworkers.
 * Fixed a problem where the incorrect clothing was displayed on a Sim in the game launcher icon.
 * Harvestables on harvest ready plants will not get occasionally lost during import/export.
 * Opportunity to improve athletic skill will no longer appear when athletic skill is full.
 * "Play a Game with Sim" wish now fulfills from "Playing Foosball."
 * Sims will now get the "Witnessed Divorce" moodlet from watching other married Sims break up.
 * Stocked ponds are properly preserved when shared.
 * Sims will no longer occasionally fail to walk a path involving four or more flights of stairs.
 * A player is now able to complete the "Upgrade Audio Lite by LoFi" Wish.
 * Prevented a game freeze that occurred when placing a lot while in "Cameraman Mode."
 * Sims no longer have the rare chance of getting permanently stuck while socializing.
 * Non-player Sim autonomy now runs more quickly for Sims on screen and nearby (neighbors won't spend time standing in their front yards or not moving on community lots)
 * Fixed a rare case in which the skewer thumbnail of an NPC could disappear during a private wedding.
 * "Become Enemies with Child" wish no longer appears.
 * "Quit Job" wish will now fulfill if Sim gets a new job and is forced to quit the old one.
 * Stairs are no longer allowed to be deleted while in use.
 * Prevented a case where toddlers were allowed to escape a lot and wander freely.
 * Fixed a rare case where a toddler's teddy bear could get permanently stuck in their inventory.
 * "Clean High Chair" wish properly fulfills.
 * "SimLife Goggles" are no longer duplicated after moving.
 * The "Raid Criminals" interaction can now be properly resumed after saving and loading while it is in progress.
 * Sims will no longer get a wish to ask their husband to be their boyfriend.
 * Fix for a possible crash when disconnecting headphones during gameplay.
 * Relationships are properly preserved when merging a newly created household into an existing household.
 * "Play with Toy" wish properly fulfills when a child Sim plays with the teddy bear.
 * Fixed an error that occurred when deleting an outfit preset that a Sim was wearing.
 * Lot pricing was corrected in edit town. The price of trees and bushes is now properly accounted for. Various community lot objects no longer provide negative value to a lot.
 * "Woohoo" interaction now counts as a romantic interaction.
 * Wish to "See Child Become a Genius" now auto cancels once it is no longer possible to fulfill.
 * Sheet music can no longer be chosen from the bookshelf interactions. This prevents a situation in which Sims could no longer learn particular songs.
 * Fixes a rare case where a revived ghost could become stuck in the science lab if a household was split.
 * "Eat Food at Park" wish now fulfills properly.
 * Parents will no longer wish to "See Sim Get Married" for their already married children.
 * Kleptomaniac Sims can no longer return items currently being used by other Sims.
 * Fixes a rare case in which a blank thumbnail could appear in the family inventory after a Sim had been kicked out.
 * Fixes a rare case in which a blank thumbnail could appear in the family inventory after a Kleptomaniac Sim swiped something.
 * ATI video driver's "Adaptive Aantialiasing" option conflicts with ingame "Edge Smoothing." The combination causes visual corruption. A note has been added to the readme encouraging players not to enable these two features at the same time.
 * Medium-sized, high quality in-game videos can now be successfully uploaded via the launcher.
 * Fixed a case where "Breakup with Sim" wasn't correctly fulfilling.
 * Fix for a case where rapidly clicking on Sim traits could crash the game.
 * Toddler's body no longer deforms when "Watching TV" after "Learning to Talk."
 * Sims can now use "Charming Introduction" on Sims invited over to a home lot.
 * Gardening skill gain no longer continues if gardening channel viewing is interrupted.
 * Child Sims no longer deform after "Watching a Concert."
 * Eating specific prepared meals no longer has an impact on an unborn baby's gender.
 * Fixed a hang that could occur when moving away from a house with harvestable plants growing on it.
 * Merge household bed and fridge requirements are no longer enforced on lots that are being abandoned.
 * Fixed a problem, where through specific timing, objects could become unusable if the game is saved while they are being placed in a Sim's inventory.
 * The Sims 3 is now properly categorized as a game in the Windows Vista Games Explorer.
 * A selected object in buy or build mode now stays attached to the cursor as the player scrolls the camera with the direction keys.
 * Fences no longer occlude sound.
 * Terrain enclosed by walls and a roof is now properly lit.
 * Puddles will properly conform to uneven terrain.
 * Prevented problematic routing behavior that occurs when replacing an object mid route.
 * Corrected various grammar and spelling mistakes.
 * Deleted screenshots no longer remain listed in the launcher.
 * "Dance Together" and "Tutor Sim in Skill…" no longer appear on Sims at inappropriate times.
 * "Non-hydrophobic" Sims will no longer panic while swimming.
 * The Magic Gnome text notification now displays the proper icon.
 * Exposed floor tile edges have changed in color.
 * Fixed a problem where counters would occasionally turn black while selecting certain objects in build mode.
 * Fixed a rare instance where at map level the bulldozer tool could leave a blue hole in the ground.
 * The option to "Adjust Tree Detail" now properly displays a "Restart Required" message.
 * "Spying on the Cuisine" opportunity can now be fulfilled by selecting to "Eat Outside" at the Bistro.
 * Refreshing doors no longer causes them to lose their front door status.
 * A child that ages to a teen will no longer receive the wish to "Talk about New Job."
 * "View" interaction will not be duplicated when placing objects on the "Nearly Perfect Pedestal."
 * Up arrow can now be used when placing a house from the library.
 * A faint line is no longer visible on the heads of babies.
 * Fish are no longer duplicated in the fridge when moving homes.
 * All dfc-gorilla (update installer) messages will now appear properly translated.
 * Fix for a rare case in which a Sim could be teleported to an invalid location if the game was reloaded while they were "Changing Outfit."
 * Fixed a problem where bulldozed lots were not being properly lit at map level.
 * Sims who run into obstacles placed directly in front of them, no longer get stuck.
 * Babies and Toddlers will no longer be left alone if the household is split up or merged through edit town, a babysitter will be called.
 * Fixed a rare case in which a Sim remains on the wrong lot after moving.
 * Guitar Skill level 10 text notification no longer mentions purchasing new songs from the bookstore.
 * Fixed a rare case where the social worker's vehicle could be left behind on a lot.
 * Korean GRB rating is now available to use in Windows Parental Controls.
 * The Sims 3 now supports more than 2000 concurrent save games.
 * Custom Music will no longer be assigned as a favorite randomly.
 * Fixed a rare case where "Accept" would be unavailable in Create-A-Sim after undoing while accepting a Sim from "Play with Genetics."
 * Children Sims will no longer attempt to knock over blocks at the same time.
 * Fixed child animation when putting away the birthday cake.
 * Fish no longer appear on dry ground of lots that have been coverted to residential lots.
 * Bulldozing a lot with collectable spawners no longer destroys the spawners.
 * A family with only a toddler is no longer allowed to be saved to the library.
 * Placing small objects on the front slot of the dresser will no longer block the dresser from being used.
 * Sims no longer fail to view decorative objects placed on a fireplace mantle.
 * Sims now build relationship through the "Tutor" interaction.
 * Fixed a minor error that occurred while loading a game where the dresser was in use.
 * Fix for misaligned water effects on a particular sink.
 * "Likes Work" moodlet is now properly removed if "Workaholic" trait is changed or removed.
 * Purchasing "SimLife Goggles" now fulfills the "Buy Video Game" wish.
 * Canceling the installation of a queue of downloaded items now works properly.
 * "Collection Helper" is properly displayed when picked up in buy mode.
 * Fixes some cases of objects being improperly assigned type in the launcher.
 * The player can no longer delete a tombstone that is being used by a ghost.
 * Fixed a rare routing failure that could happen when attempting to route to an enclosed object on an inactive floor.
 * Televisions no longer play video after they are burned or broken.
 * Under certain circumstances, Sims will now choose smarter lot entry locations.
 * "Amateur Olympics" Opportunity notification now mentions event times.
 * Sims can no longer "Try for Baby" with the Grim Reaper.
 * Fixed a rare case where a Sim could start painting but the canvas was not visible.
 * Fixed a rare case where the police cruiser could be left in front of the police station.
 * "Sabotage" interaction is now available under more conditions.
 * Deeds will now stack in the inventory and a "Collect All" interaction can be used on them.
 * The Riverview download now displays the proper size for the entire duration of the download.
 * Fix for children playing improper animations when trying to cook.
 * Fixed an error that occurred when removing the moodlet manager from the inventory of a Sim that was in the process of using the moodlet manager.
 * "Upgrade Object" wish correctly filters out gates.
 * Various premade Sims downloaded from the exchange are now sorting into the correct age category.
 * Buildings will keep the appropriate lights when zooming in and out at nighttime.
 * Fixed a very slow memory leak triggered by the "Fertilize" interaction.
 * Adding support for the NVIDIA Ion.
 * Roofing is now visible on low end Intel video cards.
 * Replaced a duplicate hat style for elder females.
 * Game speed no longer affects the playback of audio stings.
 * NPC's automobiles are no longer purged from inventory.
 * Added support for the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250.


 * Mac only
 * Custom Content, Screenshots or video added to Documents/User/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/… while the game is running will now show up in the Launcher.
 * The Mac version of The Sims 3 now supports Shader Model 3.0 graphics features. (excluding the NVIDIA GeForce 7300GT and 7600GT cards)
 * The high lighting quality Sim shader has been enabled in Create-A-Sim.
 * Added a warning message upon attempting to delete a downloaded world (Riverview) that associated save files will be lost.
 * Enabled depth texture support (shadows) on all supported video cards.
 * The user interface is no longer improperly displayed in ingame reflections.