This might help, not a walk through but a review with different info... AT THE BOTTOM ARE SOME USEFUL HINTS :-)
The Sims 3 for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch is a lighter version of the full PC version which also was released today. As with the rest of the Sims franchise, The Sims 3 allows you to control the lives of your Sims in a full three dimensional (3D) environment while using multi-touch gesture and accelerometer controls exclusive to the Apple iPhone. Other game features include character customization with personality and physical traits, 73 unlockable goals known as “wishes”, exploration among your house and surround neighborhood, and much more.
As with all the other Sims titles, you begin the game by creating a Sim and customize him or her to your liking. There’s a variety of clothing and accessories to choose from (although it’s not nearly as much as the full PC version) along with physical characteristics like hair, body type, face, eye color, etc. You can also customize your characters personality and decide whether or not they are nice, mean, funny, shy, boring, or just plain weird.
Electronic Arts managed to blend the PC gameplay into the iPhone perfectly, offering all the same basics from the previous versions packed into a hand held phone with is really amazing. There are mini objectives throughout the game such as wanting something to eat, having to go to town to purchase a recipe and the grocery for supplies, then completing a mini challenge for each skill. An example of this is while learning a cooking skill. You have to keep each pot from boiling over on the stove and becoming red all against the clock. In order to do so, you simply tap the pot you want to pick up and shake the iPhone to stir it and prevent it from overheating.
Gameplay for The Sims 3 is extremely intuitive, especially if you are Sims fan from other platforms. You have the freedom to command your Sim and do whatever you want by selecting actions in the traditional pop up command menus. The user interface also allows you to cancel actions just like in the full versions of the game as well as monitor your Sims current status (Hunger, Hygiene, Bathroom, Social, etc). You can also purchase items for your home in the traditional forms found in the full version (Kitchen upgrades, bathroom, bedroom, electronics, etc) and placing them around your house is fairly simple. There’s also the ability to rotate and move objects. Unfortunately in this current version, you cannot build houses or structures which may upset some fans.
The Sims 3 does offer a full tutorial which I would highly recommend to any user who has not played the game before to help you navigate the structure of the game and learn controls.
Game controls are fairly simple and support multi-gesture and accelerometer features from the iPhone. To command your Sim you simply tap the screen where you want them to go or select an object for its associated actions. In order to zoom in and out you must use the slider magnifying glass located on the right side of the screen. I did find this slightly annoying out of habit, as I wanted to use multi-gesture pinching to zoom in and out instead. Maybe that is a feature that EA can add in the future? Other gestures include tapping, two finger gesture to rotate, and tilt up to 90 degrees for a birds eye view.
Graphics and animations of The Sims 3 are awesome, offering full three dimensional (3D) graphics and animations in an interactive world. The frame rate is also very good and holds up with iPhone performance (more on that below). Rendering of surround objects, walls, etc is also excellent, offering very little pixelation within the game. I do have a gripe with the 3/4 view within a house that shows only half of the walls available. Unfortunately there is no option to turn off the walls like there is in the full PC version, which forces the iPhone to consistently render walls and surrounding objects while moving around. Now game performance was not sacrificed entirely but I did notice a “slight” slow down in movement around the game. The ability to turn off walls will not only grant increases in performance but also graphics.
Aside from what is stated above, game performance is good with loading times at just under 10 seconds, which is fairly quick considering the amount of content being loaded consistantly. I did experience a couple crashes in this first version (1.0.85), but I will write them off as typical bugs and stability issues that will be taken care of after the first update. While game performance for the iPhone 3G is “good”, I am excited to see how much an improvement the next generation iPhone will be bringing more RAM to the table.
The soundtrack for The Sims 3 is fresh and new, but offers the same style music as other Sims titles. Sound effects are also great and interact with the environment (you can also hear your Sims talk). The game does reflect the iPhone’s volume controls as well as silence all feature.
Overall, The Sims 3 for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch allows you to control the lives of your Sims in a full three dimensional (3D) environment with multi-touch gesture and accelerometer controls to lead the way. With 73 unloackable goals, character customization with personality traits, surrounding neighborhoods and more, The Sims 3 is guaranteed to be a hit for former Sims fans.
Hints & Tips
Update August 25, 2010: Click here to find out how to get unlimited Simoleons (money) in the game.
1. Happy Sims lead to success. In order to progress through the game, meet new Sims and participate in activities, you will need to keep your Sim happy. To do this, make sure you are involved in different activities, stay sociable, and learn new skills such as cooking or fishing.
2. Cooking 101. In order to gain a cooking skill you must first finish the cooking tutorial successfully. You must keep the pots cooking without allowing them to boil over. To do this, touch a pot to select it then shake the iPhone to keep the heat down and stir the pot. Do this enough times in the allotted amount of time and you will earn one point!
3. Don’t forget the ingredients. In order to cook in general, you must first purchase a recipe from the local “Corsican Bistro” located by the beach. Once you’ve done this, head to the grocery store “Quickmart” to purchase your ingredients. You can also grow them in your garden if you’ve already upgraded your house which saves time and money.
4. Q & A. Look out for the queued actions located in the top left portion of the screen. If you’re waiting on your Sim to perform an action, make sure they’re not currently busy with 50 other tasks. To delete some, simply tap the icon.
5. Camera control is key. Camera control for The Sims 3 is very important, as it allows you to view specific objects and perform actions when you cannot normally see them. In order to pan the camera around, simply slide your finger across the screen. To zoom in and out, use the slider bar on the right hand portion of the screen (unfortunately at this time there is not a multi-gesture pinch command for this). To orbit with the camera and get a birds eye view, touch the screen with two fingers.
6. Needy Sims. Your Sims have needs to. This is why in the lower left hand corner of the screen you must pay attention to their current status and see what requires attention. This could range from hunger to bad hygiene and can reflect your Sim’s mood.
7. Wish upon a star. A large feature to The Sims 3 for the iPhone and iPod Touch are wishes and goals. With a total of 73 unlockable achievements, these wishes also effect your Sims mood rating and progression through the game. Beat each task to continue on.
8. How to fish. To fish properly, tilt the phone to lure a fish in and then shake the phone upwards to catch the fish. This is a tricky task.
9. Mr repair man. To repair electronics and other things that go wrong like a broken sink, drag them into the trash can located out in your front yard. Then simply purchase new ones and replace accordingly all within the time limit to earn a skill point.
10. Gardening saves you money. You can start a fruit and vegetable garden along the side of your house if you upgrade it within the build mode. To buy seeds for planting, you’ll need to stop by the Hobby Shop in town. Remember fertilizer also helps them grow faster.
11. Walter is worth $200. Go to Walters house and become friends. He’ll then try to challenge you to see who has the largest trout from the lake. If you do this, Walter will hand over $200- instant cash!
12. Kia the catfish. Kia will also give you $200 simoleons if you give her a catfish. Instant cash again!
13. Earn money by selling fish. Go to the Market and select Shop in the menu. You can then use the positive and minus signs to sell your stock of fish. Vegetables can also be sold for Simoleons. Thanks for the tip Dana!
Recommendation
