Help --- my first few hours of TS3

[coolsim9999999]

1. I started to build my first build in TS3, but I can't find it.   I looked in my screenshots folder and my pictures folder, but it's not there.  It was a room with 4 walls and some windows and a door with no inside walls.  I can't make even walls --- but I did find the create room button in build mode.  My furniture was "grouped" together.  The family I created (that took forever) has a YA man, a YA woman and a toddler.


2 Also, how do I get out of build mode into live mode.

By the way, I'm really good at TS4 .  I've only had TS3 for a few hours.

[MrsFlynn]

1. Not sure what you mean by you can't find your build. I would think it's in the saved game you created? Look around the map till you find the house you built?

If you're meaning you took screenshots and aren't able to find them, they should the screenshots folder:
C:\Users\Username\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Screenshots

2. This photo will explain the Sims 3 user interface a little. Hopefully it's somewhat easy to see.



Live mode has the silhouette of the two people (Upper Right)
Buy mode is the chair/lamp button (Middle Right)
Build mode is the saw/paintbrush button (Lower Right)
Options is the ... button (Lower Left)
View your active Sim is the silhouette of the Sim (Middle Left)
The building button above that is the Map View button. (Upper Left)

Here's Carl's Sims 3 guide if you want to learn more about Sims 3
http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/

[coolsim9999999]

1. Not sure what you mean by you can't find your build. I would think it's in the saved game you created? Look around the map till you find the house you built?

If you're meaning you took screenshots and aren't able to find them, they should the screenshots folder:
C:\Users\Username\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Screenshots

2. This photo will explain the Sims 3 user interface a little. Hopefully it's somewhat easy to see.

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Live mode has the silhouette of the two people (Upper Right)
Buy mode is the chair/lamp button (Middle Right)
Build mode is the saw/paintbrush button (Lower Right)
Options is the ... button (Lower Left)
View your active Sim is the silhouette of the Sim (Middle Left)
The building button above that is the Map View button. (Upper Left)

Here's Carl's Sims 3 guide if you want to learn more about Sims 3
http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/

@Mrs. Flynn,

I meant to say that I couldn't find my screenshot in my screenshot folder (I pressed C to take it like I would in TS4.  I just realized that I looked in my TS4 folder to try to find a TS3 screenshot .

That photo with all the buttons and your explanation of each was extremely helpful.  I understand what each one does now .

Thanks for providing a link to Carl's Sims 3 guide.  I will take a look at that.

I still really like TS4, but I was very curious about TS3 (and I wanted to try having my Sims drive a car, and I wanted to see what a toddler was like.  It will be nice to switch back and forth.

Thanks so much for your help!

Coolsim

[Nindigo]

Gratz on starting to play TS3, @coolsim9999999 ! That's so awesome The day before yesterday, I decided to shelve TS4 for some time since I've been playing it really intensely for long. I returned to TS3 and have been "re-hooked" since, playing Agnes C as a witch and alchemist. I never fully explored everything, so looking forward to that

[coolsim9999999]

@MrsFlynn --- I built a pretty big house and moved in the family I made.  I figured out how to make walls and put in furniture, windows and doors.

I did look at Carl's Sims 3 guide, and I also found the money cheat, so my Sims could have a better place to live.

I also found the zoom, rotate, and that I need to use the arrow keys --- not just the mouse.  Last night, I was wondering how to move around the screen, so it was hard to place anything.  Now, I understand the basics of TS3.  Thanks again .

[coolsim9999999]

Gratz on starting to play TS3, @coolsim9999999 ! That's so awesome The day before yesterday, I decided to shelve TS4 for some time since I've been playing it really intensely for long. I returned to TS3 and have been "re-hooked" since, playing Agnes C as a witch and alchemist. I never fully explored everything, so looking forward to that

Thanks @Nindigo !  It will be good to switch back and forth between TS4 and TS3.  I did get the toddler to begin to learn how to walk, but after her nap, I think I'll have them take a drive in their car.  I can't wait to see my Sims drive!  It's been interesting setting up.  The only con is the more involved building process --- no automatic stuff, like counters .  I'm not used to it, but I'm getting the hang of it.  The added game play and objects like swings and slides are real pluses, though.  I really like the game !

Have fun playing TS3!

[Sonshine]

I'm not sure if Carl has it in his guide or not, but there are also keys on your keyboard that move the camera. The up, left, right, and down arrows will move the camera in those directions and the page up will move the camera to the next level higher and visa versa for the page down button. M will take  you to map view and N will transfer to the next active sim. Z is the zoom in tool, and X the zoom out tool. V will activate the video, the arrow keys above the period and comma keys will rotate the camera, L brings up the celebrity status window, K brings up the Adventure Journal (World Adventures), J the skill journal, D is scroll right, S is scrolling towards you, A is scrolling left, Q is quit, W is scrolling away from you, I opens the active sim's inventory, P and 0 is pause and un-pause, the + and - also zoom in and out, 4 will put the game in the fastest mode, and pressing shift and _ will zoom the game way out as far as it will go. If you  have Num Lock on, the number key pad also does things like shrink the walls down or bring them up. There you have an exhaustive keyboard shortcut guide, lol

[coolsim9999999]

@Sonshine --- Thanks for all of the hot keys .  I know some of them, but the others are great to know, as well.

[Loconut]

Also when pressing tab to hide the UI (cameraman mode) Q and E keys control the vertical position of the camera. So for example, if you wanted to take a close up of your sim toddler, you'd first press tab and then use Q to go to floor level to take the best possible shot of the toddler on the ground, then zoom in or out with x or z.

[coolsim9999999]

@Loconut --- Thanks for the additional hot keys, as well as your explanation of what they do and how to use them .

[Loconut]

@Loconut --- Thanks for the additional hot keys, as well as your explanation of what they do and how to use them .

np! They're the same as they were in ts2, and it took me ages to learn all the hotkeys in ts2.

[coolsim9999999]

@Loconut --- Thanks for the additional hot keys, as well as your explanation of what they do and how to use them .

np! They're the same as they were in ts2, and it took me ages to learn all the hotkeys in ts2.

It will probably take me a while to learn the TS3 hotkeys, but I know I will !