When I was posting and sharing CC of my own, I admit, I often kept my mouth shut and skirted the edges of conflict for my own preservation and peace. But the things I've seen just from a single scroll of my feed today are truly, truly awful.
AI generated CC previews, early access CC for Paralives (an indie game IN early access), and low/questionable quality CC for sale in the Sims marketplace.
What the fuck happened where folks think any of this is okay or normal?
If we don't speak up, hold people accountable, and examine why these things are harmful, it's only going to get worse. Keeping the peace is one thing, but staying silent in the wake of the pure bastardization and exploitation of art is another.
There are already a bunch of negative reviews for Paralives that are only about the game's performance issues and bugs...
Saying you shouldn't play an early access game because it's unfinished fundamentally misunderstands the point of early access
The Sims 4 has been broken for over 10 years and that doesn't seem to stop people from spending hundreds of dollars on it every year
By leaving a negative review you are hurting the game's sales and consequently making it harder for the devs to actually afford improving the game
I need people to understand that this is a (formerly) crowdfunded early access indie game and holding it to the same standards as a finished AAA title makes no sense.
Welp, here we go. Letโs shape this to be different.
Comment here.
Update - As of 5/28/2026 Plumlace has blocked me and others. That is the only comment I made and it had more than 30+ notes on it last I saw. Please keep momentum. We've got this.
i had the post open in a tab and was able to grab these
So, I assume most of you don't know, but there is a bit of drama inside the Paralives community. It's funny because this whole thing is revolving around The Sims 3.
TwistedMexi made his first paywalled "early access" mod called Sims 3 Camera, and I've been working on the same thing as he was.
1. Let's get the "clone" allegation out of the way first.
(Source: TwistedMexi's discord server)
TwistedMexi is accusing me of cloning his mod, but letโs look at the facts. Thankfully, I always use GitHub, so the commit dates are there to prove it.
(2026-05-26 22:27:02 +0200) is a timestamp of the first commit with hash d82ddd909e06833b0f8d5d439ad602d04a4f3e08
(2026-05-27T19:57:44.000+00:00) is a timestamp of the publication date of his Patreon post.
Honestly, I didn't know I could see the future, but ok.
2. The second thing I want to address is that currently there are a lot of awful comments directed at Tmex. PLEASE do not harass other creators.
3. Regarding early access and paywalls: My mods are developed in my spare time as a passion project. I believe in keeping my work accessible to everyone, which is why all of my content will remain completely free, forever. I believe the community should play a role in maintaining projects if the original creator steps away, which is why I always share the source code for my projects
Free mods are a pillar of a healthy community, whereas paywalls only lead to gatekeeping and unnecessary drama. My hope is that more creators choose to release their mods in a way that prioritizes community growth and shared resources.
A reblog would be greatly appreciated to help spread this message.
Thanks for reading,
xoxo, Arro
Ps. If you want to see a broader discussion on this topic, I recommend this Reddit post that goes way more in-depth than I do. It's a good read.
The United States healthcare system is a joke. I need an ultrasound for my heart which is $730 out of pocket. They said I owe an additional $4,000 thatโs in collections.
Today my doctor recommended me applying for disability because work is that hard on me and Iโm at the risk of being fired despite my FMLA.
All of this to say that Commissions are now open and appreciated again because I have no idea what else to do. I know itโs hard for everyone. Im sorry. Thank you.
Iโm sad because a lot of blogs I like are choosing TS4 and completely dropping TS3. I just want to know if at least some people are sticking with TS3 or both TS3 and TS4
Hi guys! I made a post on Reddit comparing some of the most popular lighting mods for The Sims 3, and I thought Iโd share it here on Tumblr for my first post.
I mainly did this for myself to see how each mod affects the Sims and the environment.
Itโs not 100% accurate, since the position of your Sims can have a big effect on the lighting and many of these mods have unique colours/weather transitions over the course of each day.
All of my testing was done during Summer! Unfortunately, I was only able to add the EA lighting into my second comparison, which was strictly on Sims only.
The lighting mods I used to do my comparisons are linked below:
Uranesia by @nilxis
St. Claires by @brntwaffles
Pudding's Lighting by @pudding-parade
Perfect Day by @brntwaffles
Monte Vista by @dystopianam
Fresh Cut Day by @brntwaffles
Clear & Bright by @potato-ballad-sims
Blue Skies & Sunshine by @brntwaffles
Beta V1 by @boringbones
Hopefully this helps anyone trying to decide which lighting mod to use in their game. Also, a big thank you to these amazing creators who keep this game looking awesome! Have a great day. :-)
As a big thank you for the love I received on my last post, here's some gifts for u <3
Bobbie Sim and Custom Skin
I made this cutie to model some clothes for the amazing @suteflower and fell in love with her. Bobbie is Teddie's sister and she's a very shy little bebe so take good care of her ๐ฅบ
Bobbie: .sim | .package (no skin or clothes)
my slider folder (seriously, you need it or she won't look the same): dl
this is how she looks in cas
TOU: don't reupload/claim as your own/put behind paysites, other than that do whatever you want with my sims. Don't forget to tag me if you use her (pleaseee I wanna see her in your beautiful games) ๐๐ฅบ
Bobbie's skin: dl
Info: handpainted parts by me and my crusty graphics tablet, other parts taken by @sims3melancholic beautiful toddler skins. It has a color seam in the neck and I'll update the file when I fix it (lazy ass smh).
CryBaby Wednesday MaryJane Shoes 4t3 conversion
info:
polycount: 10k (sorry, I wish it was a lot lower but the original mesh was almost 35k...likeee the sims 4 creators what is u doinggg)
for toddlers, unissex (little boys can be fancy too)
It has some flaws on the socks as I had to decimate and edit it a lot, looks best with patterns and dark colors
dl: simfileshare
credits: crybaby
I think that's it, please let me know if there's something wrong and always remember: FUCK EA AND FUCK AI ๐๐
Mini-Tutorial: How to fix Cmar XCAS Skin Panel Scroll Bar
I love Cmar's Skin Panel mod, but for years the scroll bar hanging outside the skin tone drop-down menu has been a bit of an eyesore for me, and today I'll show you how you can fix that!
This tutorial does not apply to you if you do not use Cmar's Skin Tone Panel mod.
Depending on which flavour of Skin Panel mod that you have installed from MTS, you should have access to only one of these:
Step 1:
Open either "cmar_SkinTonePanel_BodySliders1.38.package" or "cmar_SkinTonePanel1.38.package" with S3PE.
Step 2:
Locate the entry tagged LAYO within the file. Again, depending on which flavour you have downloaded, its name will be either "CASBasics_SkinTonePanel_BodySlidersx2", or "CASBasics_SkinTonePanel".
Step 3:
Right click on the entry, and select: Notepad.
Step 4:
Hit "Ctrl +G" and type in "4267" to jump to that line.
Step 5:
Locate the third number of "230", it controls the length of the rectangular UI panel for the drop-down menu, and we are going to increase this number.
We're changing it to "255", but you are free to experiment with other bigger values and see which ones you prefer.
Step 6:
Hit "Ctrl+S" to save the edit, and save the package file.
.... and you're all set! Load up your game and check the drop-down panel :)
I've tested it with custom UI made by @cowplantcartel's tool, and since the recolour tool doesn't modify layout files with an instance ID of 0x97DB9E9DDA2D2671, it is fully compatible and looks perfectly fine in-game.
There are few existing UI mods that directly modify this specific CAS layout, so it should work well with many (if not all) of them.
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)
Yay! So excited to collab with my lovely @sushiikinsss! Chloe and Ellery have been pen pals for a while, and now they finally got the chance to meet in person. Chloe can't wait to introduce Ellery to the rest of her family!
With DXVK and S3SS living their high days, older Sims 3 installment guides are rapidly starting to become outdated. So here's a brand new and up-to-date step-by-step guide to go through when you do a fresh install of your game that will help you get the best performance you could possibly imagine for this old and laggy gem of a game.
Have Sims 3 installed, but is it performing abhorrently? I highly recommend a fresh install. You don't have to delete your saves or mods. Just get yourself a fresh bin to work with by uninstalling, going into your program files The Sims 3 folder and deleting any remnant files still in there. Then follow my guide!
All of the steps to follow are below the line ->
Step 1: install your game through your respected platform.
Just follow the regular steps and install the game without adding any other stuff yet whatsoever.
(I personally have a legit copy of the Sims 3 on Steam. If you use another app and have any questions, I'll probably not be able to help you.)
Step 2: run the game once through the official launcher. Once you get to the main menu, you can quit again.
It is very important you run your game through the original launcher at least once after installing it. Not doing so can cause problems with programs like CC magic. You only need to do it the first time. After that, we'll be skipping the launcher entirely.
Step 3: Create a short cut of TS3W.exe on your desktop.
You'll be skipping the launcher from now on. This helps with performance and it starts up your game much faster. It is also important to do this because of DXVK.
You can find TS3W.exe in your bin folder. For me (Steam version) it's in this location:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin
Right click TS3W.exe, click 'show more options' and choose 'create a shortcut'. Place this shortcut on your desktop and Run Sims 3 from there from now on.
Step 4: Run the GPU Add-on Support patcher
You can find this patcher here. It is essential to run this because Sims will otherwise not recognize your graphics card unless it's over 10 years old. This patcher helps to get your GPU recognized.
The patcher will create a new Graphicsrules.sgr and new Graphicscards.sgr for you in your bin folder. After installing this, you can move the ones that have _old behind them somewhere else (or delete them).
P.S.: if you pirate your game you'll have to do this manually, there's guides online for it but since I have a legit copy I can't help you here.
Step 5: Install DXVK
Make sure you follow this guide by Nornite and do every single step. Don't skip anything!
I'd say DXVK is pretty essential nowadays, especially if you have a modern graphics card with 6GB of VRAM or higher. It'll greatly help to keep your game stable and can prevent a lot of crashes. The way Dxvk works, is that it loads textures through your VRAM instead of your RAM. Especially when you use a lot of CC or HD textures, this will make a huge difference for your RAM usage. Sims 3 can only use 4GB of RAM at once and will start crashing once you hit the 3GB mark in your task manager. With DXVK, you will use a lot less RAM and it'll take much longer for your game to reach this hard cap.
When not to install DXVK: if you have a shitty GPU (like an integrated graphics card on a laptop, or one with 4GB of VRAM or less).
Step 5: Start up the game
Use your new desktop shortcut that also has 'run as administrator' permissions now if you followed the DXVK guide properly.
Step 6: set up all your settings through the ingame options menu
The best graphics settings for you will highly depend on what computer you're using. But there are some things you should always turn off because they negatively affect performance. I will share my (relevant) settings with you (I use a custom UI so your screen style will look a little different from mine). Click on the images to enlarge them so you can read them:
Things of note about these settings:
I recommend you play in windowed mode, especially if you plan to use ReShade. Playing fullscreen is possible, but it does make Reshade presets behave differently in your game. I will include a step in this guide that you can follow to play windowed borderless. So, when you plan to do this: make sure you set the resolution to your display resolution.
Enable object hiding helps with performance. Advanced rendering is essential because otherwise your game looks like absolute shit.
Set your High Detail Lots to any value between 2 and 4. Don't go lower or higher, because you'll get rendering issues that lag out your game.
All other graphics settings can be set to your heart's desire. I'd say start with the highest settings and only go down if you notice your frames per second are bad.
Disable shop mode and lessons and fully disable memories or use this mod to severly limit them. Disable interactive loading screens as well. These are all performance eaters. Interactive loading screen also causes crashes. Memories also don't do anything for your sim, it's just a scrap book with no in-game effects.
Disable any online mode feature. This also lags out your game. Unless you really want to use these features it's best to just play fully offline.
Save your settings, close the game again.
Step 7: Install Sims 3 Settings Setter
This is the most recent magic genie that Sims 3 was blessed with. Especially combined with DXVK it is a life changer. Installing it is simple. You download the most recent version here and drop the .asi file in your bin. Also grab 'wininet.dll' from here and drop that one in your bin too.
Start up your game and load up a save. Once you're inside your save, you press 'insert' to open up the menu for Sims 3 Settings Setter. Go to the 'patches' tab and enable what you like. These are my enabled patches and they all work really well for me, but feel free to experiment with them to find your own performance sweet spot:
Only enable uncompressed textures if you have a GPU with at least 8gb of VRAM. My game will use over 6gb of VRAM easily with this enabled, so you've been warned.
Once you have everything you desire enabled, press 'file' in the top left corner and click 'save settings'.
Step 7.5: if you're playing windowed mode: go into the Other/QoL tab and enable 'Borderless Window'. Set it to 'Full Screen'.
Save your settings and close your game again. No need to save the game you entered for this unless you want to.
Step 8: Install Nraas Errortrap, MasterController and Overwatch
These 3 mods by Nraas are pretty much essential to keep your game from breaking down in the long run. You can download the mods here. Have you never installed a mod for Sims 3 before? Here's a guide (skip the part about Sims3pack and go straight to the part where it explains how to install .package mods).
That's it! You can now play The Sims 3 and it'll be as smooth and stable as it'll ever be. From here on, you can stock your game with more mods and CC (check out my mods masterlist!), or you can install Reshade (here's a guide).
Some important things to keep in mind while playing:
Clean up your game regularly. You can easily do this by using Regul Save Cleaner.
When you install a new mod or update/change Sims 3 Settings Setter, always restart and clear your caches.
Use CC Magic for installing CC, because it merges your files and this really helps with performance. Here's a handy guide on how to use it. Don't put your script mods in here, just your CC.
If you plan to travel to vacation destinations in the EP World Adventures, Nraas Traveler is a must to prevent most of the bugs and crashes that happen in this expansion.
Always keep in mind: mods and corrupt CC can still break your game, make it laggy or unplayable. Always be mindful of the mods you add, so you can always trace any issues you're having back to the mod causing it. I highly recommend not downloading a ton of mods in one session, but adding them step by step and see what they do to your games performance.
Use 'Reset the entire town' from Nraas MasterController at least every other sim week. It'll help clear up any lag that happens because of NPC sims getting themselves stuck routing or annoying stuff like that.
Got a slow CAS? Use Nraas MasterController Compact mode! (Make sure you have the Nraas MasterController Integration module installed).
Navigate to NRaas > MasterController > Settings > CAS.
Set the following to True:
Show in Compact Form: Accessories
Show in Compact Form: Clothing
Show in Compact Form: Hats
I know this might be a sensitive topic, but I canโt stay quiet about something that has been making me uncomfortable for a while now โ especially since Iโve personally received comments and messages like this.
Iโll admit that Iโve made mistakes in the past too, but Iโve grown and realized how important it is to approach this differently.
I truly love this community, the people in it, and TS3. Thatโs exactly why I worry about what this space could turn into if we start treating it like a competition or a monopoly.
Iโve received comments like โI already converted that CCโ or โIโm going to convert that CC haha,โ said in a way that makes it feel like the content somehow belongs to that person โ as if others donโt have the right to convert it too.
Iโve never liked stepping on anyoneโs toes. Most of the time Iโll say, โThatโs okay, you can do it.โ But lately things have escalated to the point where it feels like Iโm being told Iโm not allowed to create content from certain creators because someone else plans to.
The truth is: most of us are converters. We didnโt create the original mesh or texture. We all have the right to convert CC โ even if it overlaps. Everyone works differently, and thatโs okay.
For example, I know several creators here convert hairstyles from the same creators like me (Hezeh, Mood...), and Iโve never seen that as a problem. I celebrate their work instead of viewing it as something that was โmineโ to begin with (actually it makes me happy because I'm like "oh yeah, less to do ๐๐ฅณ")
Of course, if someone wants to step back out of respect when they know another creator is already working on something, thatโs completely valid. What isnโt healthy is trying to claim ownership over CC or sending passive-aggressive messages as if someone has exclusive rights over converting a specific creatorโs work.
Iโve stayed quiet until now because I genuinely dislike conflict or public drama. But recently, Iโve been feeling increasingly uncomfortable, and today felt like the tipping point.
Anyway, I want to clarify that if anyone didnโt intend to make me feel this way, I sincerely apologize for any misunderstanding. That said, I still felt it was important to address this.
I understand that for some people this has become more than just a hobby. Still, at the end of the day, this is a game. Weโre here to create, to share, and to keep this community alive in a positive way.
CASt button is back (only when more than 1 column)
Optional SmoothPatch compatibility
Installation guide:
1. Download Arro_MCR_2.1_Beta.package and place it in your mods folder (make sure to delete v2.0)
2. Go to https://arro-mods.cc/MCRGenerator
3. Type in your desired rows and columns count and press "Generate".
4. Place "Arro_MCR_Clothes(R)x(C).package" in your mods folder.
If you use "ld_SmoothPatch.package" then also download Arro_MCRSP_2.1_Beta.package (this requires MonoPatcher)
5. Enjoy
My display is 1920x1080 and I like 6x2 grid
Please remember, this is a testing version!
If you find any bugs please DM me here or on discord.
