Sims 3 Performance ASI: EA App, Nexus, Source Code
Hey everyone, me again.
So that mod blew up. 1600+ downloads in about a week. I know many mods get far more, but stiiiill, it's exciting. Thank you for everyone who downloaded and shared feedback!
So here's a more-or-less finished version (might add more stuff if anything surfaces, or if anyone reports embarrassing bugs), properly uploaded on the Nexus. Source also included (not GitHub atm, meh, but you can download and see everything you need from the Nexus link).
Also...EA app support! Yaaay!
Special thanks to riperviwe over on Discord for being a test subject and sending live logs to make it possible. Also everyone who tested over at the Creators' Cave Discord server!
DOWNLOAD HERE!
And please let me know if anything breaks, thanks.
i get asked sometimes how my sims 3 runs so smoothly, so i wrote down the settings and little habits i personally use.
it’s nothing extreme — just gentle adjustments that let the game breathe instead of struggle.
this won’t make the game perfect, but it keeps it steady and cozy for long sessions, which matters more to me than max graphics.
sharing in case it helps someone else’s world feel a bit softer too ✧
this setup lets me play with all expansions installed without the game slowly melting after a few sim-weeks. it’s not ultra-maxed graphics, but it’s stable, pretty, and calm — which is what i care about most.
🎮 graphics settings i use
fullscreen: yes
high detail lots: 2
draw distance: ~60%
texture detail: high
sim detail: high
tree detail: medium
visual effects: medium
lighting & shadows: medium
reflections: water only
edge smoothing: low (2x)
object hiding: on
advanced rendering: on
uncompressed textures: off
high detail sims: 2
🔧 nraas settings i personally run
overwatch
clean up vehicles: true
recover missing sims: true
stuck check: true
turn off stereos/tvs: true
traffic (this one makes a huge difference)
max food trucks: 1
food trucks: false
ice cream trucks: false
limos: false
taxis: true
story progression
speed: slow
immigration gauge: 0
max residents: ~150–180
relativity
speed: 19
motive decay: 0.6
skill gain: 0.8
relationship gain: 0.7
saver
every 30 minutes
incremental saves on
☕ little habits that keep my saves healthy
i always use save as (never overwrite)
i clear cache files before long sessions
i quit every 2–3 hours
i avoid more than 2 high detail lots
✧ why this works (for me)
ts3 doesn’t usually lag because of graphics — it lags because the game is thinking too hard about too many objects and vehicles at once.
so instead of lowering everything, i:
• limit how many lots the game actively simulates
• reduce vehicle spawn chaos
• slow story progression just enough
• give the engine breathing room with relativity
that way the game stays smooth over time, not just for the first 20 minutes.
FIX for the sims 3 to recognize your graphics Card
IF YOU HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD THAT YOUR GAME DOES NOT RECOGNIZE YOU CAN FOLLOW THIS TUTORIAL: LINK (personally i downloaded the file on that site named: Graphics_Files-July2021.zip
If you follow all the instructions your game should work perfectly and have a lot less lag :) i hope this helped you, if have any questions ask me in the ask box :)
Hiya! Just letting you know that the 'package index warmup' patch doesn't really work correctly for most setups.
I get the error "[PackageIndexWarmup] Mods package directory was not found" despite having a very intact Mods folder.
This is because, as I saw from the source code, the patch only caches Mods/Packages. This means that anyone with a custom Resource.cfg would not have all of their package files cached, if this patch does work like it says.
This affects all users to some extent - the 'regular' Mods folder provided by ModTheSims has an Overrides folder that still wouldn't be cached properly. The Mods/Resource.cfg should rather be read for PackedFiles to see what folders are in use, like the game already does.
Thanks for reading, hope this can get fixed :)
Hey swiffy, great feedback.
Now, for most people, Overrides tends to be fairly small, but then again, who knows what setups people might be running. In fact... I am one of those people who has a whole third folder, mostly meant for packages that are quick and easy to take out at a glance, but stiiiill!
Updated. Patch now scans Resource.cfg for all Mod subfolders and also accounts for DCCache, because that was omitted, too. For me, that folder is empty because I converted them all into packages, lol.
DOWNLOAD HERE (small update, but some people might notice snappier loading times)
Hi Sonja! I'm really impressed by your Sims3Performance patch. It literally saved my game!
Just curious: do you use it alone or together with S3SS or Smooth Patch?
Any chance you'd add FPS/TPS controls and a memory monitor for people using only your mod?
And will you keep improving performance for this patch?
Thanks in advance!
(TFW I thought this was a DM and not an ask, oh well, gotta learn to Tumblr one day!)
Hi! I use it with Smooth Patch (that one's pretty light), and I may redownload SS since the +200MB memory issue was seemingly slowed, and that was exactly my issue with it :'(
I probably won't be adding those since other creators have made patches and it'd be kinda impolite to them, unless they consider a collab of sorts.
Settings Setter has been a sort of 'master ASI' for a lot of existing patches, but I can see why some folks might want more modularity. Eventually I'll post source code so theoretically anyone could make their own franken-ASI lol.
i didn’t expect this little sims 3 corner to be seen so quickly, but i’ve noticed the likes, reblogs, and follows — and it genuinely means a lot to me.
this blog was made so the game could feel calmer instead of frustrating… a place where everything is organized and explained without needing to be technical or overwhelming.
i’ll keep slowly adding guides, notes, and vanilla+ resources as i learn more, so anyone can build a smooth game at their own pace.
