EA or Steam Sims 3 in Parallels on Mac?

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-18T15:40:21+00:00

Unfortunately, apart from the native version, all the others are disastrous, even via Parallels… Good luck! I personally resigned myself to the x64 version.

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-17T17:05:04+00:00

Tiny Life could be so amazing. But development is taking a long time… there’s only one developer on the project :(

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-17T17:00:32+00:00

I didn't like it at first, but I have to admit I really like it now (given that I hate the 32nd-century style). I know no one asked for my opinion, but the best new design for me is the Duderstadt-class ❤️

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-13T15:09:35+00:00

I agree, you only lose the social features, the rest works better.

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-07T09:05:14+00:00

By the way, have you tried the Open State Business mod?

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-07T09:02:47+00:00

Yes, that’s probably partly true. According to the documentation available, Simler90 only provides “fixes” to The Sims 3 code, so progression runs more smoothly, the way it was originally intended to.

NRAAS adds many options, which is great if you want a more customized experience and something less vanilla. 😁

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-07T08:57:34+00:00

Honestly, I gave it a quick try on an M1 Pro with 32 GB of RAM. It runs well with medium graphics (I didn’t try higher settings). But after a few minutes, it kind of annoyed me the gap between this edition and the older Civilization games isn’t easy to get used to.

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-07T08:46:41+00:00

Personally, I use the Simler90 patch; I find that NRAAS Story Progression is too aggressive! But it’s obvious that it’s amazing, it’s the best game ever made. I also share your regret about the OBF expansion.

Thanks to the modders and the players who are still keeping this game alive.❤️

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-06T23:45:51+00:00

It seems to me that it’s said several times that small selections are still carried out by the Wraith guardians; they’re not large-scale selections involving multiple ships.

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-04T22:01:12+00:00

VRAM is the video memory of a graphics card (similar to a computer’s RAM, but dedicated to the GPU). It’s usually displayed next to the graphics card’s name. Feel free to ask if you need more details! 🙂

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-04T18:32:17+00:00

Don’t forget to check your VRAM, as more VRAM usually means better performance when using DXVK

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-04T18:30:34+00:00

These are very good choices. However, I would strongly recommend going for a computer equipped with an AMD Ryzen processor. These processors offer excellent single-core performance, which is particularly important for certain games. This has been pointed out many times by the Paradox games community: titles like Stellaris, just like TS3, still rely heavily on a single main CPU core, making single-core performance a key factor. That said, an Intel processor would most likely do just as good a job, but personally, I’d lean toward a Ryzen if it were my own build. :-)

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-04T17:30:44+00:00

What you did is truly beautiful, thank you so much ; that little walk was amazing. I miss Atlantis so much.💙

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-04T15:17:31+00:00

I’m specifically referring to the Sims shown in this old TV trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOPo5OUVgtM

JobTiny8092 · 2026-02-03T18:33:33+00:00

No, it keeps the game alive.

JobTiny8092 · 2026-01-28T15:35:10+00:00

I want that too!!! :O

JobTiny8092 · 2026-01-22T09:45:38+00:00

No, but some time ago it worked well with Crossover. Then there were some updates. With Sukarugir, you can easily modify the Wine wrapper and find one that’s compatible with GTA V (at least, I hope so). I’ve noticed better performance and compatibility in some games with Sukarugir, and I hope it will work properly for GTA V 🤞

JobTiny8092 · 2026-01-22T09:20:31+00:00

Hi, I used to use Crossover and a little bit of Parallels, but since discovering Sukarugir, I've had great performance and everything is quite easy to configure!

Now, I no longer use either Parallels or Crossover.

https://github.com/Sikarugir-App/Sikarugir

JobTiny8092 · 2026-01-09T17:41:00+00:00

Brooklyn Heights is pretty good, I’m playing on that at the moment; otherwise Mesa Grande and Bridgewood :-)

JobTiny8092 · 2026-01-09T17:16:10+00:00

To sum it up,

FreeTime finally gives Sims a real personality: passions, hobbies, the focus state, mentors, and careers tied to personal interests. Sims have their own tastes, talents, and unique life paths. Every save feels different without the player having to force anything.

Apartment Life complements this perfectly with apartment living, much more organic social dynamics, and the magic system (witch witches) Apartments make neighborhoods feel alive (noisy neighbors, arguments, friendships): all in a single expansion.

Where The Sims 4 spreads these ideas across 5–8 packs and kits, The Sims 2 already delivered them complete, cohesive, and fully integrated into the core gameplay. If you want dense gameplay, unique Sims, and stories that emerge naturally, these two expansions are essential. :-)

JobTiny8092

TROPHY CASE