The Sims 3

The Sims 3 is the third installment of The Sims franchise. Its creation was confirmed on November 2, 2006, by EA chief financial officer Warren Jenson who said, "Yes, there's a Sims 3 in development and it's likely to be a fiscal '09 title." In July 2007 AI researcher Richard Evans, who is part of the TS3 team, gave a talk at the annual AIIDE (Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment) conference in California, notes from which can be read here. The title was to be released on February 20, 2009 according to the official The Sims 3 website, but was delayed worldwide to June 2, 2009. Electronic Arts cites the reason for the delay was to "create awareness for The Sims 3".

Before it was delayed, it was originally to be released only on Windows but after the delay, it is available on both Windows (Windows 98-7) and Mac OS X, which makes this the first time EA released The Sims on both Windows and Mac OS X (EA only made the Windows version of The Sims, The Sims 2 and The Sims Stories; Mac versions were made by Aspyr Media).

It is primarily produced by Ben Bell.

In The Sims 2: FreeTime, a computer is delivered by Mr. Rod Humble to every household that a player plays. On it, Sims can play The Sims 3 game. A video of this can be seen on YouTube. It shows something towards a continuous, panning neighborhood, diagonal placings for objects, better lighting systems, and the ability to change shoes in the CAS, an ability previously limited to only console versions of The Sims. The preview only lasts about one minute, and has poor resolution.

The Sims 3 official site also reveals that players now have greater customization options. Such things like personality, Create-A-Sim, and build mode have been expanded. The Sims 3 also is the first game to feature an open-world concept: players are no longer limited to single lots; they are able to explore the world in between and travel to lots without loading screens. The game compromises this by having much longer initial loading and saving screens.

The game has disc-based copy protection – there is a Serial Code just like The Sims 2. To play the game no online authentication is required. This was done in response to consumer complaints with EA's other games that made use of SecuROM DRM, such as Spore.

Description
The freedom of The Sims 3 will inspire you with endless creative possibilities and amuse you with unexpected moments of surprise and mischief! Create over a million unique Sims and control their lives. Customize everything from their appearances, to their personalities and even the home of their dreams. Then, send your Sims out to explore new locations around town and to meet other Sims in the neighborhood. Go online for exclusive extra game content and robust online features including $10 worth of free SimPoints and a bonus downloadable town. With all-new quick challenges and rewarding game play, The Sims 3 gives you the freedom to choose whether (or not!) to fulfill your Sims’ destinies and make their wishes come true.''

Neighborhood
The neighborhood that ships with the game, Sunset Valley, is a beautiful setting with 97 lots full of characters. The description of this neighborhood reveals that The Sims 3 is indeed a prequel to The Sims and The Sims 2 (Although The Sims 3 is the successor to both games), as Sunset Valley was apparently built before Pleasantview, and founded by the Goth family.

A second neighborhood named Riverview is available as a free download in The Sims 3 Store when the game is registered.

The Sims 3: World Adventures introduced three sub-neighborhoods, Champs Les Sims, Shang Simla and Al Simhara. Each sub-neighborhood is a unique, exotic environment that is as large as a regular neighborhood. The Sims 3: Ambitions and The Sims 3 Deluxe compilation pack come with Twinbrook. The Sims 3: Late Night comes with the neighborhood Bridgeport. The Sims 3: Pets and The Sims 3 Plus Pets compilation pack comes with Appaloosa Plains. The Sims 3: Showtime comes with Starlight Shores. The Sims 3: Supernatural comes with Moonlight Falls. The Sims 3: University Life introduced a fourth sub-neighborhood named Sims University, where Young Adult or older Sims can go to University. The Sims 3: Island Paradise comes with Isla Paradiso. The Sims 3: Into the Future introduced a fifth sub-neighborhood named Oasis Landing.

Aside from Riverview, more downloadable neighborhoods are available for sale from The Sims 3 Store. Barnacle Bay, a pirate-themed neighborhood, costs 2,000 SimPoints. Hidden Springs is a mountainous downloadable neighborhood on The Sims 3 website and costs 2,250 SimPoints. Sunlit Tides is a group of islands which has two versions: standard version costing 2,450 SimPoints and gold costing 4,350. Lunar Lakes is a neighborhood located on a foreign planet and costs 2,200 SimPoints. Lucky Palms, a desert-themed neighborhood, has two versions: standard and gold; the standard version costs 2,450 SimPoints, while the gold version costs 4,350. In December 2012, Monte Vista was available to download from The Sims 3 Store, and only came in a standard version. In February 2013, Aurora Skies was released to download from The Sims 3 Store. The standard version costs 2,450 SimPoints while the gold version costs 3,900 SimPoints. Dragon Valley, a medieval themed world, was released costing $20 for the standard version, and $30 for the gold version. In September 2013, a Gothic themed world, called Midnight Hollow costs 2,450 SimPoints for the standard and 4,350 for the gold. Roaring Heights featured a 1920's to 1940's world, costing $20 for the standard and $35 for the gold.

Neighborhood Continuity
"Before Pleasantview, there was Sunset Valley, founded by the Goths and built up by the Landgraabs to be a quiet, peaceful town. But when the Altos arrive with uptown ideals, will the townsfolk feel the need to choose sides?"

Sunset Valley, Riverview, and Twinbrook all take place before the events of The Sims (although at different times). Barnacle Bay is set after the events of The Sims 2. Although all other neighborhoods are not explicitly stated, they can be considered to take place before the events of The Sims.

In an interview with producer Ben Bell and members from the EA Forum in UK it's written "He said that Sunset Valley itself is set before the neighborhood we see in The Sims, as if it's a prequel to the story we already know. He said the Goths are in the town, as their younger selves obviously as well as other familiar names and faces. Lots of new characters too."

Agnes Crumplebottom does make an appearance as her younger self in Sunset Valley and players soon discover that the source of her crabbiness is due to the death of her husband who features as a ghost. Other families in Sunset Valley are the Landgraabs which are a very affluent family; the new Alto family, the Keaton family, the Wolff family, the Hart family, the Ursine family, as well as many others.

Open Neighborhood
According to the Games for Windows magazine, "The biggest change to The Sims 3 is that it takes place in a wide-open, constantly changing neighborhood — a much bigger sandbox." It was confirmed that the game would be an open neighborhood by the official website. The neighborhood is as such, and its neighborhood can be compared in vastness to the ones featured in other titles like Grand Theft Auto, Bully, Need For Speed Carbon and Burnout Paradise.

The loading of lots during play and lot-based playing has been eliminated. Now every action takes place in a seamless living neighborhood. In that Neighborhood there are lots, parks, shops and other places Sims like to explore. All Sims, and their Sim friends and family are in this Neighborhood. They can dine, visit, shop, and relax. Map Tags help players navigate the neighborhood, find interesting places to visit, and locate their Sims.

Also, on the map, icons for buildings are different colors. Red icons are career buildings, royal blue icons are public places, light blue icons are for the location of Sims in the active household, orange icons are for other Sims' homes that the selected Sims knows, and green is the active household's house.
 * Sims farther from the center of the neighborhood spend more time commuting to work.
 * Sims can have parties at public venues, such as pools and parks.
 * Sims have many more places to "public WooHoo" and the chance of getting caught in their underwear.
 * The area of the town where Sims choose to live now depends on income. For example, Summer Hill Court is a more expensive residential lot

There are also new public events in The Sims 3, such as music concerts, movie premieres, pool parties, barbecues, sporting events, outdoor fishing, and the most civic-minded public activity in a Sims game to date, attending a public protest at the City Hall, where Sims can voice their discontent with the administration's legal mumbo jumbo by angrily shouting their own nonsensical Simlish mumbo jumbo.

When a child or teen Sim finishes school, there's a chance he or she may bring a friend home; there's also a chance the child or teen Sim may get invited over to a friend's house. The player has the option to accept or decline. Accepting, the player can then follow the Sim to their friend's house. Depending on how high their relationship is, the Sim can "Request to Sleep Over". If the friend accepts, they'll say, "Sure, make yourself at home".

EA released a Create-a-World tool in December 2009, so players can create new neighborhoods for their Sims to live in.

Buy Mode

 * There are 10 Base Game TV Channels: Sports, Kids, Action, Shopping (can't actually buy anything), History, Horror, Fishing, Gardening, Cooking, and Romance. The amount of stations received depends on the television set bought and on the upgrades given the television. The highest level for a TV is 3 stars. When the Seasons expansion pack is installed, the Weather channel is added, which brings up a 5-day forecast for the player to view.
 * When a Sim opens a fridge, cold air coming out can be seen. The fridge can also have stink fumes coming out that mean Sims need to take spoiled food out.
 * The fire alarm is lower, and changed to allow the player to hang a wall lamp above it.
 * On the easel, there are three sizes of paintings; the Sim can also choose to paint landscapes, portraits, and scenes from memory or taken on their cell phone depending on the Sim's skill level.
 * If a Sim tinkers with some objects they can get upgrades such as "Fireproof", "Self-cleaning" and "Unbreakable".
 * Players can buy a rubber ducky and a bubble bath for the bathtub which give positive moodlets.
 * On a computer, Sims can browse the web, play chess (on higher quality computers), play computer games, tinker, and get a job. Frugal Sims can find coupons, Computer Whiz Sims can hack and overclock, Evil, Grumpy, and Mean-Spirited Sims can troll online for the Fiendishly Delighted moodlet, Inappropriate Sims can make inappropriate forum posts, and Genius Sims can solve the unsolvable for cash.
 * There are 10 different purchasable cars in the base game.
 * There is now a new "Accents" Section, which includes miscellaneous decor and trinkets (basically props).
 * When a Sim dies, all of his/her belongings are added to the family inventory, so the player won't lose them.
 * Diving board is featured in the game via patch 1.42.

Build Mode

 * When moving a family into a lot the player can choose to buy houses furnished or unfurnished.
 * The sledge hammer tool has been enhanced, the player can now drag an area to delete multiple objects.
 * When placing objects against a diagonal wall the object will snap into place perfectly.
 * There's a roof height slider.
 * The biggest lot size is 64x64 (same as a 5x5).
 * There is an option for Auto-Roofs. So, while the player builds, the roof automatically appears.
 * There’s a button that paints / carpets the entire room (instead of holding Shift, though this option is still available). This can also be found on the left hand side of the tab.
 * The player can set light colors and brightness levels (both indoor and out) in live mode. A black light is also available on all light fixtures.
 * There is now a square terrain paint brush. Imagine using it to paint a sidewalk.
 * The player can change the floor and walls of a pool. (Note: This is also available in The Sims 2: Seasons.)
 * The maximum width of a set of stairs is 8 tiles.
 * There are single tile doors, double tile doors, single tile doors that center on double tiles, and even three tile doors.
 * There are ceilings under ANY floor tile placed. At this time, the player cannot recolor the ceiling without Ambitions.
 * The maximum number of floors is 5.
 * 1/2 walls were released at the same time as Late Night.
 * The player can move many wall objects up and down on walls as of Late Night.
 * As of November 2010 players can create round pool edges.
 * 45 and 90 degree rotation comes with the game. Holding the ALT key allows free placing and rotation.
 * The player cannot import patterns into the game without a mod.
 * The player can move the mailbox and trash can anywhere on the lot.
 * The player can click on any external door on the lot and set it to become the new front door in live mode.
 * Fences rise with terrains.
 * There is a tool that allows the player to push walls in or out without the wall and objects having to be removed first. Instead, they move with the wall(s) The game will not allow this if counters or sectional sofas (added in Late Night) are against that wall.
 * Career buildings and some community lots are rabbit holes in the base game.

Creatures

 * In The Sims 3 ghosts do exist. They float, and Sims can talk with them. As in The Sims 2, they can go upstairs. Ghosts whisper all the time, can become invisible, and can move the furniture. Ghosts can be turned back into playable characters through a random opportunity at the science lab; allowing the ghost Sim to be added to the household, like a family member. (See Oh My Ghost!) If a Sim decides to have a baby with a ghost, it has a chance of being a ghost baby.
 * Mummies are introduced in The Sims 3: World Adventures. They are found in pyramids and tombs, and can be either NPCs or playable characters. Players may transform a Sim by into a mummy by having him or her sleep two nights in a special sarcophagus: The Cursed Sarcophagus of the Kings. As a playable mummy, the Sim has slower motive decay and a lengthened lifespan, but moves at a slower rate, and will die instantly if they catch on fire. However, if cursed by a mummy, a Sim will die in 14 days if the player does not successfully remove the curse. Ways to remove The Mummy's Curse include successfully performing the snake kiss, or pleading to the soul peace statue within the Sphinx before the time expires.
 * SimBots are introduced in The Sims 3: Ambitions. They can be only invented with an inventing skill of level 10, and gaining the ability to make them also requires an opportunity. SimBots require 1 Palladium, 1 heart-shaped cut Pink Diamond, 10 Life Fruits and 100 units of scrap.
 * Vampires are introduced in The Sims 3: Late Night. They are similar to those in The Sims 2: Nightlife, however they now only live off Plasma. They can gain it through plasma packs, Sim blood, or plasma fruit which is one of the rare fruits. Vampires and regular Sims can have children, and the offspring can be a vampire hybrid, because Vampirism is hereditary. In the relationship tab, a vampire baby will have a red glow around their picture. Sims will gain a memory of having a Vampire baby. Vampire toddlers will bite the neck of teddy bears.
 * Imaginary Friends are introduced in The Sims 3: Generations. At first they start as a toy doll in a toddler's inventory. However if the toddler plays with it long enough the doll will turn into an imaginary friend. Imaginary friends can become a real Sims using a chemistry set.
 * Horses, cats, dogs, and many small animals are introduced in The Sims 3: Pets. Pets do not count toward the eight Sims allowed in a household, and small animals which live in terrariums (or briefly, in Sims' inventories) are not playable. Unicorns also exist as a life state of horse.
 * Genies are introduced in The Sims 3: Showtime. A genie can grant wishes to Sims. Sims can also release free a genie through a certain opportunity and high relationship with the genie. Genies have special abilities and their offspring can be hybrids, as well.
 * Fairies, Witches, Zombies, and Werewolves are introduced in The Sims 3: Supernatural. Players without Late Night also now have vampires, and Late Night vampires have expanded features. Much of the functionality of witches is similar to Makin' Magic.
 * Aliens are introduced in The Sims 3: Seasons. Aliens have brain powers that can be used to manipulate and read Sims' minds. They ride UFOs and appear to come to the neighborhood from space.
 * PlantSims are reintroduced in The Sims 3: University Life, though they are changed from their original appearance in The Sims 2: Seasons.
 * Mermaids are new creatures introduced in The Sims 3: Island Paradise. They are playable just like other occult life states. Mermaids can be male or female and possible to Sims become a mermaid by buying a "Mermadic Kelp" in lifetime rewards or obtaining it from another mermaid.
 * Plumbots are introduced in The Sims 3: Into the Future. They can be programmed by Sims with traits just like regular Sims with trait chips. The number of trait chips that can be put into a plumbot depends on the Sim's Bot Building skill.

Live Mode
The player has the ability to control one family at a time and can easily switch from one family to another. All the Sims of each city evolve together, but it is possible to stop the aging and the story progression so the Sims that the player doesn't control won't get married or evolve. Aging and story progression are different settings, and can be set independently. Both options affect the entire city and not an individual family.

Free will can still be turned on and off, but also now has varying levels of High, Medium, Low, and Off. This setting is a game-wide setting rather than a save-specific setting. Currently, free will in The Sims 3 affects the entire city, not only the family the player is playing, which can cause non-player Sims, such as neighbors, to be passive. This was fixed with patches.

The player can choose the length of a Sims life, from 25 Sim days (brief) to 960 Sim days (epic), and can also extend their life by eating a life fruit, a growable garden item. All Sims within the city will age according to the player's settings.

Difficulty Levels
Families are rated by how difficult they are to play. Difficulty is based on Sim relations, traits, number of family members, and children. There are six levels of difficulty.

Interactions with Other Sims
As Sims interact with other Sims, they learn about them. The opinion the Sim has with the Sim they are currently interacting with and their traits are displayed on the screen. The type of relationship a Sim has with another is displayed in the relationship panel. Each Sim has different interactions based on their traits.

Sims
Improvements to Sims include more customization options, a trait system that creates unique personalities, Sims that take care of themselves, and wishes that allow the player to set short- and long-term goals.

Create a Sim
Create a Sim now has more customizable options for Sims than the CAS in The Sims 2. The player now has a larger selection of body types for Sims, and are able to create different hair styles for every Sim. The player is now able to pick their Sim's shoes.

There are a total of 22 hairstyles for female Sims and 17 hairstyles for male Sims. There are a variety of hats and hair accessories that the player can use, but they all come with set hairstyles. Each of the hats and accessories can also have their colors and textures altered. Hairstyles can be chosen separately for each outfit.

Compared to previous games in the series, a lot more things can be modified. It is possible to just change the nose, for example, and it is possible to use the 'dot' system to go into more depth, i.e. change nostril definition, nose tip scale, bridge height, etc.

Accessories can also be added (gloves, socks, eyeglasses, bracelets, earrings, shoes, watches...) and customized with Create a Style tool. There are more styles for hair than ever before. Changing hair/clothing/face is easy, as all can be customized. The player cannot add layers when customizing clothing, but if the clothes already have layers then the colors and textures for each layer can be altered. The player can also click on any part of the Sim and the Create a Sim tool takes them directly to the right menu for editing whatever is selected. There is an eyelash length slider bar. Socks and shoes are also fully customizable.

The player can choose the Sim's full name, age, gender, skin tone, weight and muscle tone.

There are six possible skintones but only three of the six are realistic. The other three are green, red, and blue. There is a slider so the player can edit how light or dark the skintone is. For example, they can make a light green Sim with a dark green mother and a light skinned father.

Body modifiers also use sliders that adjust weight from thin to obese and muscle size from flabby to muscular. With patch 1.17.60, sliders for muscle definition and breast size (female only) were added. Height still cannot be changed (due to conflicts with animation).

Five personality traits can be chosen for each Young Adult Sim and above, with the chance to change them with a Lifetime Happiness reward. (Younger Sims have fewer traits. A teen has 4 traits, kids have 3 traits, and toddlers have 2 traits. Some traits are not available for younger ages. For example, toddlers can't be Flirty. One Lifetime Wish is also chosen. In CAS, only young adults, adults, and elders can choose a lifetime wish, but in the game, children and teens can also choose to pursue a certain lifetime wish early.

Players are also able to choose from three types of voices and a slider to choose the pitch of a Sim's voice.

Ages
Age types of Sims within the game are baby, toddler, child, teenager, young adult (default age). Adult (middle age) and elder. The lifespan of a Sim can also be edited, making it any number of days between 25 and 960.
 * Short (25 Sim days)
 * Medium (50 Sim days)
 * Normal (90 Sim days)
 * Long (190 Sim days)
 * Epic (960 Sim days)

Default life phase lengths are as follows:
 * Toddler - 7 days
 * Child - 7 days
 * Teen - 14 days
 * Young adult - 21 days
 * Adult - 21 days
 * Elder - 17 days (vegetarians live up to 25 days)

Age Duration Per setting

 * Note

Adult and Elder Sims can be married to Young Adult Sims. A birthday cake is available for purchase to age Sims before the natural end of the phase. As of patch 22, players can adjust individual length of each life stage.

Needs
Sims in The Sims 3 have six needs: hunger, bladder, fun, hygiene, energy, and social, omitting comfort and environment, two motives found in The Sims 1 & 2. (Though their function is replaced by certain moodlets.)

Sims are able to take care of themselves, allowing the player to concentrate on what happens in their lives rather than balancing their needs. Sims now have wishes which can be fulfilled or ignored, and these often correspond with their needs (for example, a Sim may develop a wish to "Order Pizza" if they are hungry).

Pregnancy
Pregnancy in The Sims 3 is similar to pregnancy in The Sims 2. Pregnant Sims experience the same belly expansion, though in The Sims 3 the expansion is gradual. Sims can now read books about pregnancy and get medical advice at the hospital. Sims can also announce they're pregnant to their husband/lover, family, friends, and just about any person they meet. A Sim relatively high in the Medical career track can also give the pregnant Sim some medical advice and determine the gender of the baby. Pregnancy lasts 3 days and during that time the Sim will have backache moodlets, cravings, and in the earlier days, morning sickness. They also have a positive "Pregnant" moodlet throughout the pregnancy. When the day comes, a message box will alert the player that the baby is on its way. Wherever the pregnant Sim is, she will have contractions. The player can have another member of the family drive the to-be mother to the hospital, or tell her to go on her own, (the father of the baby will join the mother at the hospital separately, after she has entered it, and this applies for if the father is in the active household or  not). After a few Sim hours the Sim will emerge from the hospital with a little bundle of joy. Boys are wrapped in blue blankets, while girls are wrapped in pink ones. If your Sim gave birth at the hospital and had twins,each parent will carry one; if she has triplets, the mother will come out with a baby basket and remove the babies when she gets home (the basket will disappear). Depending on how the pregnancy went, the player can get to choose one of 2 traits, both, or none. After birth, the Sim gets an "It's a Boy!", "It's a Girl!", "It's Twins!" or "It's Triplets!" positive moodlet which lasts for 2 days.

Both young adult and adult women can get pregnant, but young adults are more fertile. Sims can give birth at home or in the hospital.

There is a possibility that a Sim will have twins or triplets. There are higher chances if the Sim has the "Fertility Treatment" Lifetime Reward or watched the kids channel on TV frequently or listened to kids music. Triplets, when born in the hospital, are carried out in a large basket by their mother/father.

Traits
Traits are like segments of a whole personality that the player can assign to their Sims. They can combine to create increasingly complex personalities. There are 63 traits to choose from in the base game, with Expansion packs adding more,plus some hidden traits which can be passed on to the offspring of service Sims (firefighters, police officers, etc.) or from Sims in certain careers (such as the Criminal career). When the player assigns Traits to a Sim, that Sim will look and act the part. Toddlers, Children and Teens get a new trait at their birthday. If children had a good childhood, then the player can choose a trait. If not, the game will give them a random one, which is usually negative. They’ll have unique behaviors, preferences and advantages. Some traits give special abilities. They can be useful towards skill improvement (Artistic and Athletic traits, for example) and special interactions (Childish Sims can play with toys. Mooch Sims can ask for food.)

Young adults and up have 5 traits, teens have 4 traits, children have 3 traits, toddlers and babies have 2 traits. With University Life expansion pack, Sims might be able to earn additional 6th and 7th traits by graduating from the university or reaching level 8 of a social group. The fewer traits a Sim has, the less complex that Sim's personality will be. For example, giving a Sim the Kleptomaniac trait only will result in him constantly stealing while giving a Sim 5 traits will result in more balance. A Sim can have any combination of traits as long as they do not contradict each other. For example, a Sim cannot be both "Good" and "Evil".

Traits are genetic and what occurs during pregnancy can affect what traits are passed on. The parents also help pick the traits. For example, bad parents don't get to pick their own traits and will have randomly assigned ones that are generally unfavorable. NPCs can also pass on secret traits that only their children will get.

The Lifetime Reward "Midlife Crisis", costing 20,000 Lifetime Rewards points, allows the player to choose a Sim's traits again.

Wishes
Wishes are exclusive to The Sims 3 and provide the player with a wide selection of requests that keep their Sims happy as well as working towards some short and long-term goals and rewards. Wishes come from anywhere and everywhere, based on the Sims’ Traits, their job, their skills, their friends or coworkers, where they are in town, or what they might be doing. The player can promise to help their Sims with a wish or throw it away. Satisfying these basic tasks will unlock minor rewards and increase the Sim's overall morale with a "moodlet"—a minor condition that contributes to the characters' overall mood. Evil Sim just stole candy from a baby? This is considered a positive moodlet for this Sim. Having to listen to the annoying sound of the crying baby? This is considered a negative moodlet. Working toward a Lifetime Wish will win the Sim "Lifetime Happiness Points" that can be spent on extremely powerful items, including the teleporter

The player is now free to pick or ignore their Sims’ wishes without fear of some sort of mental breakdown. Instead, they really get to focus on telling the story and making decisions; the Sim just makes suggestions along the way.

Lifetime Rewards
Points gained from wishes may be spent on rewards, either in the form of an object or a permanent change in the Sim. For example, with 20,000 points the player can choose to buy the lifetime reward "Mid-Life Crisis" for their Sim, which allows them to pick their traits again.

Skills
Skills have been expanded on from previous versions adding two skills that were Talent Badges in The Sims 2 (fishing and gardening), and two that were hidden skills (writing and painting), plus 18 more skills added by various expansion packs. Four additional skills were also introduced from The Sims 3 Store and they include Artisan, Dancing, Gambling, and Violin. They still have 10 levels of proficiency with the exception of collecting.

Sims with high levels in a skill will unlock new abilities. For example, having a high level of logic allows a Sim to tutor other Sims, cooking unlocks recipes, fishing unlocks bigger fish, etc.

Sims get a "Power Study" moodlet if they study at the Library, which helps with skill-building. Some skills have a series of books, many of which can be found at the library. Reading these books increases the Sim's skill level for the skill in question. For example, reading a book about charisma will increase the Sim's level in charisma.

The player does not see the skill in the interface until they unlock the first point, which can be done by attending a class or reading a book about the skill. The player can then view the skill journal. The skill journal displays statistics and information about challenges, for example, the Athletic skill journal displays the number of hours of cardio workout, hours of strength workout, and distance jogged. The skill journal will display other information depending on the skill. For instance Cooking will display the recipes learned and the quality at which the Sim can produce that meal. The statistics and challenges for Collecting are available in the skill journal.

Also when Sims reach level 10 of a skill, they will get a certificate in the mail to display on a wall or sell for 1000 Simoleons.

Careers
Many of the careers from The Sims 2, such as the Law Enforcement and Professional Sports tracks, are in The Sims 3. Of course, there are also some new ones. Sims can look for these jobs in the newspaper or apply right at the building where they’d like to work. (Every career has a building in the neighborhood.) Sims are also able to make a living at home selling paintings, writing novels, or growing fruit and vegetables. To get some extra cash on the side if the Sim also has some cash to spare, they can buy out businesses and receive a percentage of the profits they earn. If Sims are less inclined towards pursuing a full-time career or are too busy skill-building, etc., they can get part-time jobs at certain career locations within the town. (Part-time jobs have a lower pay than full-time jobs and do not give career opportunities.) Part-time jobs are also available for teen Sims.

Advancing in a career still depends on mood and skills, but also relationships with colleagues/boss and even certain goals that have to be fulfilled. The player can decide how hard they work while on the job. The option to work hard will increase the Sim's performance faster at the expense of their mood. Taking work home, schmoozing the boss, reading medical journals, or completing opportunities also have an impact on a Sim's job performance. Chance cards and at-work events can still cause the Sim to lose their job, but may actually help them get a better job in another career track. Reaching the top of a career doesn't mean they're done, either. If a Sim keeps excelling at their duties, they can rake in extra Simoleons through additional raises.

A new feature The Sims 3 offers is branching careers, which allows Sims to choose a certain path in their career (for example, a Sim in the Music career can eventually choose to specialize in Symphonic music or Rock).

The Sims 3: Ambitions introduces professions, careers that allow the player direct control over their Sims’ work and how they spend their days, and the ability for Sims to register at City Hall as self-employed in a skill career.
 * Some careers include Business, Culinary, Criminal, Journalism, Law Enforcement, Medical, Military, Musician, Political, Science, and Professional Sports Career.
 * Ambitions professions include Firefighter, Ghost Hunter, Investigator, Architectural Designer, Stylist.
 * The part-time jobs available include such positions as Bookstore Clerk, Grocery Store Clerk, Receptionist, Spa Specialist, and Mausoleum Gravedigger.
 * If the Sim is a Rockstar, other Sims recognize this and react. The same if he/she is at the top of other careers, like the Military career: Sims use their military greeting and their children can then also use the military greeting. There are some banners that can be found depicting them.
 * Careers and part-time jobs pay hourly, not daily. Sims in a professions from Ambitions, will get money for performing each job, while receiving a weekly stipend.
 * NPCs such as the maid and repairman, when asked about their career by a Sim, will state Maid and Repairman, but if they move into a household they will be listed as unemployed. So far most service NPC jobs are off limits to the player.
 * A new profession is added in Generations-The Daycare profession

Features added with patches
Game Update 1.5/1.6 on 11/16/09 introduced several features from World Adventures such as the new basement tool that allows players to build basements up to 4 levels deep under a lot, new Pagoda style roofs, and the ability to place decorations on roofs. It also added the ability to customize stairs, fences, and gates with textures, as well as being saved and shared with others and a ‘Sell All’ option for a family’s inventory.

Game Update 1.8/2.3 on 12/15/09 added the In-Game Store Browser allowing players to access store content through buy mode.

A free patch for The Sims 3 was released around the same time as Ambitions. It introduced the tattoo feature in Create-A-Sim from Ambitions although with a smaller number of available tattoos. It also introduced new Build Mode features such as the ability to make certain columns multi-storeyed and allows players to adjust the pitch of the roof. Players also have greater control over editing their towns.

A free patch for The Sims 3 was released around the same time as Fast Lane Stuff. It introduced the Vehicle Enthusiast trait which was originally shipped with that game.

A free patch for The Sims 3 was released around the same time as Late Night. It introduced three new features to Create-A-Sim from Late Night, the muscle definition, breast sliders (teen females and older only) and the return of astrological signs. It also allowed players to choose their own Lifetime Wish rather than having to choose one of five predetermined ones based on the traits chosen. Build Mode added the ability to build stages, fountains with spurts, half-walls, make curved swimming pools with curves being adjustable in size and gave players the ability to move wall hangings, photographs and paintings up and down walls. Urinals were also made available in Buy Mode.

A free patch for The Sims 3 was released around the same time as Generations. It introduced the ability to apply body hair to Sims (male teens and older only), the memory system, dating, and the ability to adjust lifespan and individual age lifespans through the options memory.

A free patch for The Sims 3 was released around the same time as Showtime. It introduced the Simport feature from Showtime. The patch also allowed players to choose two new outfits per outfit category including Career Outfits once a career is chosen for a Sim.

A free patch for The Sims 3 was released around the same time as Supernatural. It introduced population controls to the Options Menu with the ability to control the appearance of Celebrities and Vampires from Late Night, stray pets and wild horses from Pets, as well as Werewolves, Witches, and Fairies in Supernatural. It added new decorative objects to Build and Buy Mode such as drainpipes, wall patterns, roof cornices, a bookcase, and neighborhood rock objects in Edit Town. Create-A-Sim also gained 6 new skin tones and 5 new Looks sliders (Ear Orbit, Ear Point, Jaw Underbite, Brow Definition, Nostril Rotate). Fangs and bite marks could also be applied to Sims in the Accessories tab. Online gift giving was also introduced and implemented within gameplay.

A free patch for The Sims 3 was released around the same time as Seasons. It added many new features such as the ability for Sims to swim in oceans and rivers, an attraction system and the ability to take greeting card photos. Build Mode featured the return of diving boards to the swimming pool section and a new Blueprint Mode was added allowing players to quickly drop down and build customizable premade rooms together. In Create-A-Sim, an alien skin tone was added, the ability to create Alien Eyes and Alien Ears in the Looks section and the option to make Sims fully bald and have no eyebrows.

A free patch for The Sims 3 was released around the same time as Island Paradise. It added the ability to place lots partially on water, moving to a new town, purchasing additional homes, having more control options when importing a lot from the bin to a larger empty lot. It also added objects, such as a spiral staircase and a ladder.

A free patch for The Sims 3 was released around the same time as Into the Future. It added interactive loading screens which players can gain lifetime happiness while the game loads. In addition, 15 new patterns have been added to Create a Style.

Community features
Producers claim that The Sims 3 Exchange makes it easier to create and share custom creations.

Features:
 * Better searching and browsing in the Internet.
 * The ability to make recommendations with an all-positive rating system.
 * The ability to run the in-game Launcher and see the latest news.
 * The ability to use the in-game Launcher to browse and download featured game items that members have created.
 * The ability to "favorite" areas of the site directly from the Launcher.
 * The ability to utilize the "Movie Mashup Tool" and upload the player's own video clips and screen shots and use them to make movies about their Sims. It provides a library of video clips and images that they can use along with their own, as well as a music library with hundreds of tracks. The tool lets them choose transitions and effects to use on their clips and can also use text captions to add narration and dialog.
 * The Story Tool lets the player create their own stories using uploaded and common screen shots.
 * The ability to share anything the player makes via email or blog posts on sites like Facebook and MySpace and through blogs and fan sites.

The Sims 3 Store
The Sims 3 Store launched at the same time as The Sims 3 and offers exclusive content that can only be found at The Sims 3 store. The Sims 3 Store has ongoing, regular releases of new content that is only available through The Store. When the player purchases an item from The Store, it automatically gets added into their game Launcher when “Download Now” is clicked. From the game Launcher, the player can then install the item into their game with a single click. With another recent game update, the player can purchase items inside of the game via the Store's button.

SimPoints
SimPoints are the virtual currency used on The Sims 3 Store. Players may buy SimPoints in bundles of 500, 1000 or 2000 SimPoints using international credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, national credit cards including Carte Bleu, Carte Si, Dankort, Maestro, Solo and Delta, cash cards (North America), or PayPal. The Sims 3 Store accepts a number of currencies for the purchase of SimPoints including USD, GBP, EUR, BRL, SEK, DKK, AUD, NZD and ZAR. With SimPoints players can buy in-game items from The Sims 3 Store.

Registering the game online gives the player $10 (£6) worth of SimPoints to start customizing their game.

World Adventures, Plus Late Night and Plus Generations also include a $10 card worth 1,000 SimPoints.

The Leak
The Sims 3 launcher notifies the user if the user has an unauthorized copy of The Sims 3.

On May 19, 2009, about 2 weeks before the release, a pre-release version of The Sims 3 was leaked onto the internet. The game was essentially as feature-complete as with the final retail build, but it was, according to EA, "buggy" and "pre-final", with certain features missing and is considered by the developers to be unstable. It was previously stated that players who own the leaked version of The Sims 3 would not be able to access The Sims 3 Store and would not be able to buy items from it.

It is possible to report illegal copies of the game to EA.

Expansion Packs
There have been 11 expansion packs for The Sims 3 developed by Maxis between 2009 and 2013.
 * The Sims 3: World Adventures
 * The Sims 3: Ambitions
 * The Sims 3: Late Night
 * The Sims 3: Generations
 * The Sims 3: Pets
 * The Sims 3: Showtime
 * The Sims 3: Supernatural
 * The Sims 3: Seasons
 * The Sims 3: University Life
 * The Sims 3: Island Paradise
 * The Sims 3: Into the Future

Stuff Packs
There have been 9 stuff packs released by Maxis for The Sims 3 between 2010 and 2013.
 * The Sims 3: High-End Loft Stuff
 * The Sims 3: Fast Lane Stuff
 * The Sims 3: Outdoor Living Stuff
 * The Sims 3: Town Life Stuff
 * The Sims 3: Master Suite Stuff
 * The Sims 3: Katy Perry's Sweet Treats
 * The Sims 3: Diesel Stuff
 * The Sims 3: 70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff
 * The Sims 3: Movie Stuff

Downloadable Worlds
Maxis also has a development team dedicated to creating premium neighborhoods for The Sims 3 available on The Sims 3 Store and in retail stores. There have been 11 worlds released by Maxis.
 * Riverview
 * Barnacle Bay
 * Hidden Springs
 * Lunar Lakes
 * Lucky Palms
 * Sunlit Tides
 * Monte Vista
 * Aurora Skies
 * Dragon Valley
 * Midnight Hollow
 * Roaring Heights

Editions
The Sims 3 Collector's Edition was a limited release of The Sims 3. In addition to the game itself, it also included:
 * 2 gigabyte The Sims plumbbob™ USB drive
 * European-styled sports car download
 * Theme music from The Sims 3
 * An exclusive Prima tips & hints guide

The Sims 3 Collector's Edition was replaced by The Sims 3 Holiday Collector's Edition, which offered bonus holiday content during the 2009 holiday season.

Game tools

 * Create a World is a download released after The Sims 3. It allows players to create and share neighborhoods. The tool got criticism from Mac users as the tool is only released on Windows.
 * Create a Pattern is a download released in 2010, after the release of The Sims 3. It allows players to design a pattern quickly using dozens of images available in the Sticker Library or layer and modify their own images to create unique patterns.

Game comparisons
A few features from The Sims 2 are not in The Sims 3. Some of them are the cleaning and creativity skills, the Slacker career, and aspiration rewards. See The Sims 3/Removed features

System requirement differences between The Sims 3 and The Sims 2

 * Unlike The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims Stories, The Sims 3 requires a Service Pack (for Windows XP and Windows Vista only)
 * The amount of hard drive space required has raised from 3.5 GB to 6.5 GB.
 * The RAM requirement has raised from 256 MB to 1 GB and 512 MB to 1.5 GB.
 * The processor requirement has raised from 800 MHz to 2 GHz and 1.3 GHz to 2.4 GHz.
 * The amount of video memory required has raised from 32 MB (Free Time and later versions 64 MB) to 128 MB.
 * The video card now requires Pixel Shader 2.0 while The Sims 2 and The Sims Stories did not.
 * The game no longer runs on PowerPC-based (G3/G4/G5) Mac systems.

Trivia

 * This is the first game where:
 * The DVD is released on both Windows and OS X although download versions of The Sims 3 were originally Windows only but Origin was released for OS X as of 2013 allowing The Sims 3 download versions to be used on OS X. However, the Steam version and Create a World are Windows only.
 * However, this isn't the case with The Sims 4 as Origin and other stores only have the Windows version. The Sims 4 Create a Sim Demo is also only available on Windows.
 * A Service Pack is required.
 * Displays the May contain content inappropriate for children (See exceptions below).
 * The player must accept the EULA (Most Sims games released prior to The Sims 3 lacked an EULA).
 * Has no PowerPC Support on Mac OS X.
 * As of Ambitions, the All Rights Reserved after © year Electronic Arts Inc. has been removed.
 * Limited Edition items (which can be permanently missed) and Origin exclusive items as of Pets.
 * The Sims 3 is the first game in the series that has multiple expansions representing a similar theme.
 * Late Night and Showtime have a celebrity theme; World Adventures and Island Paradise represent vacationing.
 * The Main Theme is a remix of the Main Themes of The Sims 2: University and The Sims 2: Open for Business.
 * In the Action Channel, the player can see the opening video of The Sims Castaway Stories.
 * On the "Channel Trowler 27" Deluxe TV" television, copies of both MySims and The Sims 2 Castaway can be seen in the lower area.
 * The Sports Station uses clips from Madden NFL 10 as the highlights. The teams are the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
 * If a Sim plays a video game it will show clips from Madden NFL 10, Skate and Burnout Paradise.
 * This is the 3rd Sim game to require a Service Pack. The first is SimCity Societies, 2nd being MySims and the 4th being The Sims Medieval.
 * The Sims 3 is the first game in The Sims series where its trailers display the disclaimer May contain content inappropriate for children. This also occurred with most of  The Sims 3' s EPs (e.g. World Adventures), The Sims 3 (console), The Sims Medieval and The Sims 4. Games prior to The Sims 3 simply said Visit www.esrb.org for updated rating information.
 * However, The Sims 3 High-End Loft/The Sims 3 Design &amp; High-Tech, Outdoor Living, Generations and Town Life are exceptions to this as they do not display the disclaimer.
 * On older releases of The Sims 3 for Windows and Mac OS X, the cover has a diamond pattern which resembles the PlumbBob. However, later releases of The Sims 3 have a cover which is similar to The Sims 3 Deluxe. The mentioned covers can be seen in the infobox.
 * Interestingly, many downloadable towns for The Sims 3 feature Sims from The Sims 2 starting with Riverview featuring Don Lothario and the Broke family, Barnacle Bay having Nina and Dina Caliente, Lucky Palms with the Dreamer family, Sunlit Tides with Daniel and Mary-Sue Pleasant, Monte Vista with the Monty family, Aurora Skies with the Beaker family, Dragon Valley with Jennifer Pleasant and John Burb, Midnight Hollow with Olive Specter, and finally, Roaring Heights with the Capps.
 * Although Daniel, Jennifer, and John appeared in The Sims 2, Daniel and Jennifer actually made their debut in The Sims, while John first appeared in The Sims: Unleashed. This means that as of Roaring Heights, Daniel, Jennifer, and John are the only Sims from the original game and its expansions to appear as living Sims in both The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 Store towns.
 * Some The Sims 2 base game Sims didn't make an appearance. Among them are the Oldies from Pleasantview, the Smiths, Grunts, Singles household, and Ajay Loner from Strangetown.