[thedawning66]

My first Sims3 Lightingmod Mod｜Dive into Sky

I’m excited to share my first-ever lighting mod, named "Dive into Sky". True to its name, it aims to create a vivid, immersive atmosphere where intense sunlight merges sky and sea into one seamless view. After nearly a month of development and about 70 revisions, I’m finally happy with how it looks. Feel free to share your feedback or screenshots if you try it out!

This mod is a rework based on @boringbones ’s V2-Brighter-Lighting mod, specifically adopting his "Left-side Lighting" parameters. His left-side lighting is truly a brilliant innovation—it dramatically improves in-game shadows and contrast, adding depth and realism. It makes The Sims 3 look almost as visually stunning as The Sims 4! A huge thanks to Boringbone for generously allowing me to use his lighting settings.

Building on his left-side lighting, I customized the sky and water colors to better suit tropical/island maps. I also hand-painted sunrise and sunset transitions: golden-orange shines at dawn, shifting into dreamy pink-purple gradients at dusk. The mod includes a dynamic weather system—sky color, cloud shapes, and light intensity change in real time with the weather.

This mod comes in 13 variants for you to mix and match:

Water Colors (3 options):

Light Blue

Default Blue

Emerald Green Light Blue and Default Blue work well for coastal maps, while Emerald Green looks great on islands or lakes.

Night Sky (3 options):

Dark Blue Night: Brighter evenings

Black Night: Denser stars

Aurora Night: Black Night version with a 30% chance of aurora displays.

Recommend use with vaddish's star replacement (click here download)

Day Length Options:

Long Days (6:00–19:00)

Short Days (7:00–18:00) *Aurora versions simulate higher-latitude lighting with even shorter days (6:00–17:00).*

⚠️ Important: Only one lighting mod can be active at a time—whether it’s different versions of this mod or other creators’ work. They are not compatible with each other.

Installation: Place the .package file in: Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\Overrides\

Not sure which sky, water, or night version you prefer? I’ve included a quick reference chart to help you pick the right file.

Download Info:

V1 (Default Blue water + Black Night, no aurora) is public version to Download here

To access all 13 variations, download in patreon

[boringbones]

I'm delighted with the result. You nailed it! It's always a great pleasure when I discover that any mod I've created has been modified/improved and reworked by another creator. I subscribe to the idea that there's always something that can be improved, so seeing how you gave this version of my mod such special lighting means a lot! Congratulations on the incredible work and the persistence in finding the tones you were looking for!!

[dirk-dreamer]

Just saw the most upsetting news and i don't want to check bc i'm going to be very devastated seeing it. An end of an era and time. I really am upset by this

[ausimblr]

Garden of Shadows - Gone :(

[kreativeplumbob]

Using Collection Files For Specific CC, While Hiding Those Items in Buy Catalog:

Lately I’ve been on an organizing / re-categorizing kick with sims 3 and as I was contemplating what to do with all of my hospital clutter, I figured out a way to keep it in it’s own category without needing it in the overall catalog (de-cluttering the decor misc.)

What You Need:

Sims 3

A folder of specific ‘themed’ cc package files (i.e. Christmas, Hospital, Veterinary, etc)

S3PE

***Note: This tutorial is taking into consideration that you may have or want to sort your actual cc package files, and thus know what each file is.*** (Example Below in which I’ve located all my hospital files and renamed them so that I know:)

Step One:

Back up your CC before you do this, as anything can go wrong, this is the sims after all. Copy the files of the themed cc you chose and place them into your mods folder. It helps if you use S3PE to re-categorize them into a place you can easily find so you’re not hunting everything down. (I just stuffed all mine into Pets because it was the easiest I could identify the difference). Categorizing these right now is temporary, as ultimately after all these steps are done, you won’t even see these in your catalog, just the collection. 

**If you don’t know how to Re-categorize cc using S3PE  >>> CLICK HERE. **

Step Two:

Next, you create a collection file in game of all the items you chose in the first step, finding where you put them and clicking on them to add to a new collection. When you finish making the collection, close the game (You don’t have to save, it will still be in your folder under The Sims 3>Collections>User). You’ll find the correct collection you just created by checking the date modified, then you can rename it to whatever you like: (Example Below)

**If you don’t know how to create collections >>> CLICK HERE. **

Step Three:

After you’ve created your collection file for your themed cc, go into the folder you created of all the cc you just used and open each package file in S3PE. Find and click OBDJ, then Grid, and go through each Room & Function Category Flags and set it all to FALSE. This essentially “hides” the items from the catalog, BUT you will still be able to see these items in your collection file in game. 

And if you want to test that it works, head into game, click the collection you made and BAM! A new “category” for all those items you had laying around needlessly and scattered in misc decor or plants or wherever the heck they were. 

I hope this Tutorial is helpful to fellow OCD simmers. It may seem like a heck of a lot of work, but I assure you it will be worth it and also helps with game lag in Buy mode. 

(tagging @sims3tutorialhub )

Happy Simming! ~ Hope 

[piececake]

Stuck in cas buy mode recoloring? Can't click anything? "the current style is invalid." stuck on this interface? "testingcheatsenabled true" then "forcehud" i was told this cheat would bring me back to live mode but instead it actually takes you to edit town as if you were just starting a new save or you wanted to switch families, and that's what you have to do, simply select your household to play and jump back in. Source

[ausimblr]

Unofficial Game Patch Version Warning Fix/Solution How to fix it if you know the package causing you problems (Found by using the process of elimination)

[meowingcookie]

TS1 inspired UI replacement (WIP TESTING)

Some of you might have seen my TS1 inspired UI floating around twitter, tumblr, discord etc. I've been having people test it in the Lazy Duchess discord but i've decided to upload it here for others to test and so no one else can claim they made it themselves lol. Sorry for the lazy photos but basically it's a recoloured version of the original UI. Pretty much all the elements are done. I'll keep updating until it is done basically. It's made to suit my resolution which is 1920x1080 but I will add the options for wider screens at a later date. Also not sure how well it works with Legacy editon so just be aware that it might display weird

Things to be added:

-Animated loading screens (yes I worked out how to do it ;) )

-Updating some of the existing recolours to make them cleaner

-Fixing any bits I missed lol

Install instructions

Place the TS1 UI folder into your downloads.

These are the main files needed

Download

Then place this file into your base game UI folder which should be in a directory similar to this "Program Files x86\EA Games\Sims 2\TSData\Res\UI"

This file replaces the background on the main loading menu as it looks weird without it. It is a placeholder.

Download

Do not delete any of the files in your UI folder. (Please)

If you are already using Clean UI or any other UI replacement, Please uninstall them first. They cannot be used together

Special thanks to @greatcheesecakepersona for their templates as they were insanely helpful

[davinaojeda]

Not a mod to my preference but it doesn't stop it from looking cool as hell! Sharing for you TS1 enthusiasts

[naterxandersims]

Prima Game Guides - Sims 2

A gift to my followers for making this the perfect first week for my Simblr.

Sims 2 - DOWNLOAD

University - DOWNLOAD

Nightlife - DOWNLOAD

Open for Business - DOWNLOAD

Pets - DOWNLOAD

Seasons - DOWNLOAD

Bon Voyage - DOWNLOAD

Freetime - DOWNLOAD

Apartment Life - DOWNLOAD

[nuttydazesublime]

Hurray!!!! I found them!!!! These are extremely helpful!!!!

[ausimblr]

Frames-Per-Second vs Frame-Time

How to further improve your Sims 3/4 experience

To make a long story short - Here is a "must have" tweak I use in my game. I rarely see anyone talk about it so maybe it's common knowledge, but I'm leaving this here in case anyone else was like me and had no idea about it

Credits: I only know of this settings tweak based on these two popular YouTube videos.

You need steam installed and you need to add TS3W.exe as a non steam game. Be sure to make a desktop shortcut for yourself as you'll want to run the game using the steam launcher so we can take advantage of steam overlay Using the steam overlay, you should be able to use the in-game FPS counter to monitor your frame rate on a graph *We use steam overlay (not MSI Afterburner) because it is closest to the rendering stack as far as i'm aware

*You can toggle the highest performance detail level

You should play the game with the overlay on, just for a little while to get an idea of what kind of frames you get and how many dips you tend to see over the duration of your time playing. This will be for later comparison When you're done analyzing your performance on the graph you can go ahead and exit the game The next part will require you to have RivaTuner installed If you don't have it you can get it from the link here https://www.guru3d.com/download/rtss-rivatuner-statistics-server-download/ Once you have it installed and running we will change the settings to match the ones as below

then, click on the blue 'Setup' button

and change your settings to match the ones below

And you're all done! Minimize Rivatuner and let it run in the background. Launch the game using your steam shortcut. Once you're fully in game try panning the camera around, zooming in and out and keeping an eye on your frames. Hopefully, the game will feel like its running smoother and your frame rate graph should reflect that experience

I definitely have a different experience without it on. Right now i'm posting this from a different device than the one im playing on so I don't have pictures of my gameplay graphs to share and Hopefully this is noticeable for others and someone else can back up my claims Understanding the In-Game Overlay Performance Monitor https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/3462-CD4C-36BD-5767 Please let me know if you implemented this and noticed an improvement

[swiffyjk]

Getting Default Replacements to Apply Properly in The Sims 3

This issue and fix applies only to your base-game/expansion pack worlds, not custom-installed worlds or store worlds. It's also Windows/Linux only.

Do you have this issue with all of your Sims in any new base-game/EP world, where your Sims' hair looks really weird because it has an odd texture, skin/eye replacements don't load etc. until you pull them into CAS?

(Even when it's a new save and a supposedly fresh cache?)

I've figured out the solution! Your game actually still does have some cache... but it's not in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 like you'd expect.

The Fix: (Reduces a full game install size by >10GB too!)

Go to your actual game install directory, e.g.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3

2. Then go into the Caches directory and delete the .objectCache file inside (just named the name of the world if you don't have file extensions shown). If you use the discs, make a backup of this file!

3. Now, your game will actually load new textures from your default replacements! The new, modifiable cache will be found in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\WorldCaches and you can now delete that cache safely whenever you get new default replacements!

You'll need to repeat this for any EP world you have as well, if you want the fix to work on those, in the Caches folder inside their install directories:

The Sims 3, Base Game: Sunset Valley.objectCache

EP1, EP01, World Adventures: China.objectCache, Egypt.objectCache, France.objectCache

EP2, EP02, Ambitions: Twinbrook.objectCache

EP3, EP03, Late Night: Bridgeport.objectCache

EP5, EP05, Pets: AppaloosaPlains.objectCache

EP6, EP06, Showtime: Starlight Shores.objectCache

EP7, EP07, Supernatural: Moonlight Falls.objectCache

EP9, EP09, University Life: Sims University.objectCache

EP10, Island Paradise: IslaParadiso.objectCache

EP11, Into the Future: Oasis Landing.objectCache

Notes:

Be wary that using this method will make the first time you load into a world take a little longer, because the game needs to build the cache for the first time. This delay will lessen over time.

The EPX names with no 0 are for Steam, and the EPXX folder names are for EA App/Origin typically, but you might have them installed somewhere else if your install is old or via the discs.

Yes, the spacing in some of the filenames is inconsistent - yours might be different but that's how my Steam install looked

If something breaks (which I doubt would happen, but there's a possibility?), verify your Steam installation or repair your EA installation, then empty your Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/WorldCaches folder. (Just re-add your backup if you have a disc install.)

This isn't me promoting regularly clearing your cache for no reason! That will cause a LOT of lag/delay. As a rule of thumb, you should only clear your cache when you add new mods or default-replacing/overriding CC, or your game isn't working properly. Otherwise, you're making the game do extra work. The cache is there for a good reason! It makes everything faster. However, if you do need to clear the new caches, caches for ALL worlds will now be in WorldCaches.

Apparently, WorldCaches is a very sacred folder on macOS, so I still wouldn't mess with that if you're not playing via the Windows version.

Steam/EA App may detect your game install as faulty because these files are gone, and redownload them, but this is rare and shouldn't happen automatically.

This has kind of been half-discovered in different situations before, but I couldn't find anything like this on a Google search. The generally-accepted solution was to mess around in CAS and NRaas, which is so slow for an entire town! It also doesn't apply to objects, and I think this fix might even help with objects too?

love you all! this got me giddy to try defaults again because they were SO annoying to do before

Edit: Which items are actually affected? (Optional reading)

Above is a cached image that looks a bit like what you can find in the objectCache. So, as you can see, the CAS Parts that won't load their new textures onto old Sims without doing something finicky like the method above are...

Clothing (I think for every Sim outfit?)

Face Overlay (Eyes, mouth, teeth, eyelashes, facial hair, makeup)

Hair (Scalp, strands)

...so if you have a default replacement that changes out both the mesh and the texture for any clothing item or hairstyle that Sims are already wearing, it will present an obvious mismatch between mesh and texture. And, of course, even if the mesh is unchanged, the textures of the above parts will stick to the EA look.

Also, any texture for any object will stick to the EA look without doing a method like this one. So, again, if a mesh and texture of an object is changed, it will present an obvious mismatch. And, of course, even if the mesh is unchanged, the textures of the above parts will stick to the EA look.

[mariacherry]

How to Keep Your Saves Alive: A Complete Guide to Avoiding Errors 12, 13, and 16

📖 BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Let’s be honest: The Sims Medieval is a magnificent kingdom built on… let’s call it “fragile foundations.” The game was never truly patched for modern systems. It crashes. It corrupts saves. It has opinions about your hardware.

But here’s the truth: most disasters aren’t the game’s fault. They’re predictable. And what is predictable… can be prevented.

Before we dive into the sacred rituals of saving, one crucial warning:

⚠️ DO NOT use the “Populus” mod. ⚠️

Yes, it sounds tempting. More NPCs! A livelier kingdom! But the mod has one small, fatal flaw: its XML files are written incorrectly. It doesn’t just cause minor glitches — it actively breaks the game, making NPCs disappear from your kingdom. And once they’re gone… they don’t come back. Not without starting over.

So. Before you do anything else: check your Mods folder. If Populus lives there… remove it. Your kingdom will thank you.

Now. Ready to build a kingdom that lasts?

__________________________________

💾 1. “Save As…” – YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND

Forget the regular “Save.” Only “Save As…” from now on.

Why:

Creates a chain of saves at different moments. Something goes wrong? You have a point to return to.

Drastically reduces the frequency of Error 12 and Error 16.

The game loves to “accidentally” delete files. Don’t give it the chance.

Keep 3–5 save files. Name them like Kingdom_01, Kingdom_02… and cycle through them, overwriting the oldest each time.

*If you use an auto-save mod – set it to 3–5 slots. It works on the same principle.*

________________________________________

🚪 2. “Save and Exit” – A TRAP

This button is not your friend.

Why:

It saves over your existing file, not into a new slot.

This is the function most likely to corrupt your save beyond repair.

Avoid it. Just don’t.

__________________________________

🏰 3. SAVE IN “KINGDOM” MODE

Not in Live Mode. Not in Build Mode. Not in CAS. Only on the kingdom map.

Why:

Loading and saving are faster.

This significantly helps with Error 12 and Error 16 – the game handles saves differently here, without the extra processing load.

__________________________________

⏱️ 4. FREQUENCY IS KEY

Save. Constantly. Here’s when:

Before starting a quest – in case a goal freezes or glitches.

After finishing a quest – to lock in your progress.

Before building – routing issues can appear out of nowhere. Save first.

During long building sessions – the Create-a-Style editor will crash. It’s not a matter of if, but when. Save regularly.

Before entering CAS – the “blue eyes” glitch (where every Sim loses their textures) is a nightmare. A pre-CAS save is your lifeline.

__________________________________

🧹 5. CACHE CLEANING – THE REFRESH RITUAL

Even the most organized kingdom accumulates digital dust. Temporary files build up and start… interfering.

What to do: Every 2–3 days of active play, delete these files from:

[ Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims Medieval/ ]

Delete these (the game will recreate them):

CASPartCache.package

compositorCache.package

simCompositorCache.package

Leave the “Saves” and “Screenshots” folders alone.

Why:

Faster loading and saving.

Lower chance of Error 12 and Error 16.

Prevents “weird behavior” – freezes, disappearing UI, etc.

__________________________________

☁️ 6. CLOUD STORAGE – THE TREACHEROUS ALLY

OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive… they mean well, but with The Sims Medieval, they often cause Error 13.

What to do:

Disable syncing for your game’s save folder.

Or add the Electronic Arts folder to your cloud’s exclusion list.

Why: Error 13 (“file in use”) usually happens because the cloud tries to sync your save at the exact moment the game is writing to it. The result? A corrupted file. Don’t let your saves become collateral damage.

__________________________________

🔄 7. ROTATION – YOUR INSURANCE POLICY

You already know about keeping 3–5 save slots. Here’s the extra step:

What to do: Every 2–3 weeks, or after major milestones (building a castle, completing a difficult quest, a royal wedding), create a brand new save slot with a new number. Move the oldest ones to a separate backup folder outside the game.

Why: Sometimes, errors hide in old save files and get carried over when you overwrite the same slot. A fresh file is a clean slate.

__________________________________

⚙️ 8. RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR

Simple. Effective. Non-negotiable.

What to do:

Right-click the game shortcut.

Select “Properties” → “Compatibility”.

Check “Run this program as an administrator”.

Why: The game gets full access to its save folder and avoids conflicts with system permissions. Especially important for Windows 10 and 11.

__________________________________

🆘 9. EMERGENCY PROTOCOL – “WHAT IF I RUINED EVERYTHING?”

If your last save is from a month ago and your kingdom is in shambles… take a breath. Check your game folder for files with the extension .backup. Sometimes, the game creates a hidden backup before a crash. Rename it to .sims3 and pray.

And if that fails… start a new kingdom. It hurts. But sometimes, a fresh start is the cleanest solution. The old kingdom may be gone, but the lessons remain.

__________________________________

Save often. Save smart. And may your kingdoms stand eternal. 🏰✨

[mariacherry]

The guide has been updated and improved 💖

[mariacherry]

🪟 THE SIMS MEDIEVAL ON WINDOWS 11

📖 WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

After switching to Windows 11, reinstalling the game, and updating mods, I ran into… a few problems. Here’s everything I learned — condensed, structured, and ready to save your sanity.

______________________________________

🚨 CRITICAL FIXES

🔧 1. Alder Lake Patch (For 12th+ Gen Intel Processors & Win 11)

If you have a 12th-gen Intel CPU or newer, the game will crash randomly. This is a known compatibility issue .

Solution: Install the Alder Lake Patch. Originally designed for The Sims 3, it works perfectly for Medieval too .

Without this patch, the game may not launch at all — just a flash of the launcher and then… silence .

🖥️ 2. Graphics Card Recognition

The game doesn’t recognize modern GPUs out of the box. This can cause graphical glitches, freezes, or dark screenshots .

Solution: Edit two files in \The Sims Medieval\Game\Bin\:

GraphicsCards.sgr — add your GPU’s Device ID (find it in DeviceConfig.log).

GraphicsRules.sgr — replace the line with your card model (e.g., "1650") to get "uber" performance.

A full guide with screenshots is available on Mod The Sims .

Solution 2: Download the finished files, in which I have added almost the entire database of video cards

______________________________________

🎮 DISPLAY MODES: A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD

Fullscreen - Crisp text, no UI clipping Screenshots may turn out dark; game visuals can appear dim

Windowed - Fixes dark screenshots, more stable Text may be cut off at the top or bottom

Verdict: Choose based on what bothers you less. Lowering resolution in fullscreen can also help.

______________________________________

🎨 RESHADE & EA APP OVERLAY

The latest Reshade versions conflict with the EA App in-game overlay. Symptoms:

Reshade won’t activate

Performance drops

Effects don’t apply properly

Solution: Disable the EA App overlay:

Click the three dashes (top left) → Settings

Go to the Application tab

Scroll to In-Game Overlay → toggle OFF

______________________________________

🛠️ S3PE — FIXING THE LAUNCH ISSUE

S3PE may crash or throw errors on Windows 11 when opened normally.

Fully working workaround:

Download the Medieval-configured version of S3PE

Copy the folder to removable media (USB drive, external disk)

Launch S3PE from there only — do not create a desktop shortcut

This bypasses the permission issues that cause crashes.

______________________________________

✅ GOOD NEWS: EA APP IMPROVEMENTS

Languages now work properly out of the box

The game shortcut no longer points to a broken launcher

No more manually creating executable shortcuts — it just works

[mariacherry]

Updated 💗💗💗

[arro-now]

Main menu background overhaul

This mod dynamically changes the main menu background image based on the time of day. It includes a total of 14 unique images, each available in 4 different time-of-day variations!

Please note that the mod info dialog is hidden by default. You can use the cheat "mods" to show it anytime or change a tunable for it to show on launch.

• Download & unpack .zip, and place Arro_RandomMenuBG_1.3.package file in your mods -> packages folder.

Be sure to check out Clean main menu if you want your main menu to match the look shown in the thumbnail :)

This mod also lets you set a fixed image or ignore time-of-day entirely. It includes customizable hours and a built-in image validator, ensuring maximum convenience and ease of modding.

Feel free to use this mod as a base for your own project—modify it and share it (with a credit) as you like! A tutorial is available here.

Credits

A huge shoutout to the amazing community on the TS3CreatorsCave Discord server! Special thanks to Eca and everyone who contributed to testing—it wouldn’t have been possible without you!

S3PE, dnSpy, JetBrains Rider

A special thanks to gamefreak130, whose Overhauled Loading Screen was as a major inspiration for this project!

Download on MEGA, soon on Mod The Sims

[arro-now]

Loading screens before the release

The first one appears to be concept art, while the second looks similar to a screen displayed during content installation through a launcher. I'm certain I've seen it before in a media presentation some time ago, but I can't find it now.

[simspaghetti]

Thank you for the love on my Muted Maxis UI!! <3 I have another release for you all - this time it’s a bundle of two for you to take your pick

These were created with the CloudUIRecolour Tool by @cowplantcartel !

The first one is called ‘True TS2’ - it’s made to look as close to the Sims 2 UI as I could get

The second one is called ‘Softer TS2’ - it uses a more toned-down, easier on the eyes colour palette, while still being reminiscent of TS2

You can only use one UI mod at once so take ur pick :P

I also recommend using these alongside the TS2 font replacement - as seen in my previews - you can download that here!

➡️ Download Here! (SFS)

Download either UI as a .zip file (you can only have one in game at once!) and place the main package file in your: Sims 3 -> Mods -> Overrides folder

There are also patches for various mods included - if you have any of the following mods, plop the corresponding patch (.package) file in your mods folder (also check the readme files!)

Arro - CleanMainMenu, MoreClothingRows / Butterbot - LargerPatternsPanel / Cmar - XCASfull / Cowplantcartel - MoreObviousOccults, PrettyPauseFrame / Gamefreak - KarmaPowers / LazyDuchess - CatalogSearch / xFairyExterminatorx - LifetimeWishes, Likes

Credits:

Thank you so much to the wonderfully talented CowPlantCartel & their recolour tool which made this possible!

If you want the TS4 icon replacements as seen in my screenshots, you can find them here from xFairyExterminatorx on MTS

The TS2 CAS Background featured in the screenshots is by LamonTarte here

The town featured in the previews is Strangetown by aaronrogers8i3

CloudUI's Credits:

p182 (https://github.com/p182) for building the Python script to turn the recoloured output files into a .package file, and for building refpack_pipe.exe which compresses the file (https://github.com/p182/refpack-pipe)

David_mtv, coregirl, momomomomoi, sidereus23 and sims3loveforlife for translations used in the loading screen text

Arro, Butterbot, Cmar, xFairyExterminatorx, Lazy Duchess and gamefreak130 for creating the original mods used to create the Patches in this tool

emelie.ikj for the loading screen text base files

Additional Info:

The UIs will be incompatible with any other UI mod - and if you're replacing a previous UI you had installed, make sure you fully remove all the files associated with it from your mods folder

If you want to make your own cloudUI recolour check out the tool here

Also check out these TS2-style trait & moodlet icon replacements from MTS you might like to use them too if you use this UI

Let me know if you have any issues!

I'd also love to see if u use this in game & post it so feel free to tag me :)

I'm having loads of fun with this tool so more UI recolours may follow in the future!

[ausimblr]

We're still allowed to dream, right?

#ts2cloudui

[lifefruitz]

My favorite default replacements for TS3!

I know this is very subjective and there are tons of options out there, but I thought I would share my favorite default replacements! Big thank you to all of the creators! <3

Sorry in advance, this list is long! Some were already on previous lists but I wanted this one to be comprehensive, so these are literally all of my DRs (except hairs). Some are fixes and others are just enhancements!

Default replacements don't necessarily need to go in the Overrides folder. It's only strictly necessary if you're replacing something that's inside the Packages folder (like store content, CC, etc)

Lighting / Environment

Lighting

Dream Dimension 2.5 with Aurora Skies Water - I find this water type looks good in most worlds, but if there's a water version available for the specific world I'm playing I switch to that one! Such pretty sunsets and sunrises

Clouds

Dishonored to TS3 Clouds Replacement - These are new and are my favorite clouds I've tried in S3! They almost look watercolor-ish which I love

Stars

Twinkling Stars Night Sky Replacement

Snow

Snow but better! For less memory usage, there's a version posted by mat1122 on the NRaas Forum with reduced texture sizes, or a fix for EA snow by the same creator (only use one of these!)

Shaders

Shader Tweaks Eye Shader Tweaks - Removes the weird EA catchlights * These aren't really typical DRs but do replace EA shaders. They need to be installed through the Bin

Sims

Normal Map Replacement

YOU ARE HYPERREAL - Sooo nice and really makes bodies look more detailed (it's more on the realistic side)! Really could not play without at this point

Default Skin

Apple Cider Vinegar v2 - This has been my default skin for such a long time. It's pretty maxis match and not too shiny

Default Eyes

Ephemera MS93 Edit (No Spotlight Version) - I switch these out a lot, but I think these are my longest running eye defaults

Eye Mesh

re:Cerberus Default Replacement Eye Mesh and Sliders - I recently started using this and love it! It makes the irises a bit smaller by default and gives you sliders to adjust them

Teeth

Pearly Whites No Sclera - When I removed this one on accident recently the EA teeth were like a jump scare...

Facial Hair

Default Replacement Beards: Base Game & Expansions

Feet

Sexy Feet - The name is weird but I promise they're better than the blocky EA feet!

UI Poses and Expressions

New UI Poses (Retouched Flavor) TSM to TS3: Converted Facial Expressions

EA Fixes

EA Eyeshadow Texture Fix Muscle Slider Fix for Teens and Elders Fixes for missing pregnant morphs

Clothing

Outfits from Late Night, University Life, and Master Suite with maternity enabled Improved Maid Uniforms Kissing Booth Attendant Outfits Default Replacement Generations Shirt & Sweater Top - Channel Fix Unhidden Male Open Collar Shirt You've Got a Package! - Adds a bulge to EA underwear for male sims Various Store / EP Underwear - I use various ones from this creator, some are DRs and others are just edited meshes

Animations

Walk Cycle Edits - Fixes the weird smiley expression male sims always make when they walk due to an EA oversight Receive Text Edit Nicer Vendors + Ask Animation Edits (requires Mono Patcher)

S-Club Eyelash Fixes

S-Club TS3 Eyelash Hotfix (Balanced) - Reduces the polycount of S-Club lashes S-Club Eyelash Design 2 CASP Fix - Makes it so the lashes don't clip over hairstyles * These two are compatible by the way! Put both in Overrides if you have the S-Club lashes in Packages

Vampires

TS3 Vampire Neck Mark Default Replacement

In-Game Objects

Base Game

Default Base Game Bicycles Default Taxis No Flower Stencil Odor Free Toilet Castable Toy Pegbox White Formula Default Replacement Bottle Invisible Parking Space - This one makes such a difference! Sim Painted Painting Frames Made Castable! - Didn't know this existed until recently, this has been bugging me for a while! Default Easel Paintings - I re-uploaded this with a small preview in this post Horizontal Clapboard Fixed BG Altitude Quantizer Stairs Fix Base Game Half Walls FIXED!!!! Realistic Fish Mod V2 Fixes for Three EA Wall Sets from the Base Game and Ambitions Tileable Items Shader FIX Shiftable Skill Certificates Shiftable Curtains [Base Game - Island Paradise]

Expansions

Gravestone Plaque Edit V2 (requires Mono Patcher) Generations: Fixes For "Natural" Family Portrait & Dream of the Windrunner Paintings Default White Pillows for Fighting Fix: Asian Window emits light Champs les Sims Distant Terrain Tree Fix LN Celeb Fridge Texture Fix Elevator Shaft Placement FIX Pets Movie Poster Fix Fixed horse tails (no more shiny horses!) Default Replacement Ice Cream Trucks Default Seasons Beach Towels and Umbrellas - works with Buyable Beach Towels too! Plumbline Pro Phone Default Replacement (Silver) University Life Alpha Omega Door Fix IP Hanging Lantern Fix ITF Perigee Planter Fix

Store

Sharper Edge Window Fix - this one prevents crashes! Store Fixes: Route Fail Hang Ten Edit

UI

Dark Cloud Pink UI S4 to S3 Likes Icon Overhaul Pretty Pause Frame Subtle Build Grid Active Level Only The Sims Sans University Life Visual Fixes CAS Room Replacement TS2 to TS3 The Sims 4 UI Sounds for The Sims 3 Sims 2 Audio & Musical Cues Replacement * The last two will show as a conflict in the Dashboard but I haven't had any issues! I think in some cases one may override the other but nbd!

(thanks @simspaghetti for the sounds and CAS room recs! tried them out from your resource page and have been obsessed since)

[cowplantcartel]

Not sure why I’m torturing myself like this but I started making a new sims 3 UI today. Pretty much just done the backgrounds in Live mode as a semi-transparent light grey and a couple things in white with some shadows to add contrast.

I want to get rid of as much blue as possible and maybe simplify the icons.

I really dislike how a lot of the original UI components are blue on blue without much colour differentiation (makes it hard to read!), so I’m hoping to improve the contrast as much as I can and keep the interface as simple as possible.

I’m heavily inspired by the Sims 4 UI and the Sims 2 Clean UI. The final product will probably be some sort of blend between the two (in terms of colour schemes) with my own little twist ☺️