No, I don't mean SIMS Mobile on an Android Tablet, but the full-blown game.
I've long wanted to be able to have the game with me and play it without keyboard, cords, mouse and chargers. And, lo, over Christmas I got a Dell Venue 8 Pro (Thanks Santa!) and started planning how to put SIMS 3 on it.
The biggest obstacle is the storage size on the Dell -- 64gb on my unit. I know from experience that my laptop with 120gb can barely fit the game and 5 expansions (Ambitions, Pets, University, Paradiso and Future). Thankfully there's a micro-SD slot capable of expanding up to 128gb.
I had a 32gb on-hand so I used that. With a simple command in Windows (properties>location>move) I transferred my "Documents" folder over to the new "D:" drive, effectively moving my downloads, expansions, saved games / sims etc. over there.
I began with just 1 expansion, "Into the future", which took up about 5gb on C: and about the same on D:, which means I have room to add more, later.
GAME PLAY (without a mouse or keyboard.)
I clicked on the game and right away I said to myself, "It's FAST!" From tapping the "Go" button on the Launcher to selecting a City to live in took under 2 minutes -- roughly half the time it takes for my laptop.
Then I said to myself, "It's gorgeous!" Even though the screen size is only 8", it's HD and bright. It's also loud. You will lose the directionality of sounds since the Dell has only 1 speaker, much like only wearing the right headphone, but you'll have no problem drowning out sounds in your vicinity!
Without a keyboard, you'll lose the use of the Cancel (ESC) and Undo (Ctl-Z) keys, not to mention the Cheat functions. But I've found that switching from Live to Build mode works as a Cancel, and the pad is fast enough to make that painless.
I'm still early in my game, but I've had no problem navigating my sim to read (Library), work out and plant while listening to the Multitab. With the Statis/quantum chamber and the MTab keeping my sim working 24/7, so in 1 week, she was able to master Handiness, Athletics, Gardening and 90% of Logic.
The biggest limitation to playing the game this way is the lack of the 'hover' information. Most, if not all the information about the game is provided as you 'hover' the mouse over an item. Since the hover is not available (the touch sensor is only good for left / right click and surprisingly, pinch-to-zoom). That also means that going to a specific spot in overhead view is difficult, since the 'target' and 'magnifier' symbols are not available.
I will be picking up a Bluetooth Mouse and Keyboard/case combo for the times I MUST have them, but for regular game-play, the tablet is pretty much all I need. Plus the battery is good for 6-8 HOURS of up-time. Oh, and I find I SAVE a LOT more frequently now -- it's so fast I don't have to plan my saves around meals, sleep and work!
THE COMPUTER
A Dell Venue 8 Pro with 64gb storage ($350, a $50 premium over the base 32gb model)
32gb micro-SD card (Although Dell recommends class 10, mine is a cheapo class 4 and works fine)
Optional but worth it:
A keyboard tote-case and Bluetooth KB from eBay ($25)
A bluetooth mouse ($10)
A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! And a special Thank You to Carl and Company who are so generous with their time and effort!
