To install this update, please start your game and use the “Updates” tab in your Launcher.

This game update includes:

• This game update enables dynamic ad serving capabilities in The Sims 3. However, there are no immediate plans to activate any content of this kind. The Sims 3 EULA has further details. See http://www.ea.com/1/product-eulas.
• Lights placed on residential and community lots will now properly display onto the neighborhood
• Sims may now walk and stand on bridges
• Players who play The Sims 3 with game modifications can now create a folder in which to place their game modifications. The folder should be located here:

C:\Documents and Settings\YourComputer\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods

• When Mods are placed in the official Mod folder, a notification will appear to remind players that Mods are installed.
• Placing Mod packages into the Mod folder is an officially sanctioned way to bypass assembly signing verification. The Resource.cfg file must be placed in this folder in order for the modifications to work correctly.
• When Mods are installed that are incompatible, the player will receive a message notifying them of the error.
• Additional bug fixes to existing features

Edit Town Mode

• Players may now add, delete, and move residential and community lots from the Edit Town menu
• Players may now add, delete, and move neighborhood decorative objects from the Edit Town menu
• Players may now purchase and upgrade neighborhood community lots using the new Real Estate system via the Computer
• When using the Library in Edit Town, lots will now display their venue type (i.e. Park)

Gameplay Changes

• Story Progression has been improved to prevent Sims required to complete Opportunities from changing.
• Sim genetics have been improved so that children now better reflect their parents’ skin tone and hairstyles.
• Sims can unlock outfit choices and share them with household members when using the “Plan Outfit” interaction on the Dresser. 

Build/Buy Mode

• Players may now use Create a Style on Ceilings or add and delete them when in Build Mode
• Players may now use Create a Style on the edges of floor tiles
• When placing walls, rooms, foundations/decks, floor tiles, roofs, pools, fences, and basements the measuring tape tool will display to aid in more precise building.
• Wall Covering sets can now be found in a tab in Build Mode
• Players may now manipulate the roof pitch for individual roof sections when in Build Mode
• Sculptures can be found in a new Sculpture sorting category when in Buy Mode 

Create a Sim

• Players may now use the Tattoo feature to customize Sims when in Create a Sim
• Players may now select the Fiancé, Girlfriend, and Boyfriend relationship settings when in Create a Sim

UI & Controls

• The user-interfaces for Sim View and Map View have been merged to provide more control and consistency between the two modes.
• The Opportunity interface has been improved to clearly outline the fiction, gameplay objectives, rewards, and Opportunity location for all Opportunities and Adventures. 

World Adventures

• Certain Adventures and Opportunities will properly display in the Opportunities Panel when traveling between worlds

Before installing an Update for The Sims 3, an Expansion Pack, or a Stuff Pack, it is a good idea to run through the following checklist to ensure your game continues to work smoothly.
If you have any questions about the below steps, please visit the Technical Support forum on the official Sims 3 community found at this URL: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/forums/show/10.page

Step 1: Disable Custom Content

Custom Content is all Sims content that did not come from an official The Sims 3 Update, The Sims 3 Store, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack. Custom Content is created by 3rd Party Developers that are not regulated by Electronic Arts or The Sims 3 Development Team and may not work with new updates. Custom Content may cause the game to behave unexpectedly or not function entirely.

To disable your custom content, undo whatever you did to install this content to get your game back into an unmodified state. If you placed it in a Sims 3 directory folder, move it to a new folder that is outside your Sims 3 file directory. Your Sims 3 file directory can be found using the paths listed below:

Windows File Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3

Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/

Once you have installed the official update you may re-enable your custom content. If you experience problems, disable it again until the 3rd party developer updates their content to work with the official Update, Expansion Pack, or Stuff Pack.

Step 2: Back Up your Save Files

It’s always a good precaution to back up your save files before installing an Expansion Pack, Update, or Stuff Pack. To do this, copy the “.sims3” folders found in the Saves folder onto your desktop or another file directory.

Your Sims 3 Saves folder can be found using the paths listed below:

Windows File Directory: C:\Documents and Settings\USER\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Saves

Mac File Directory: User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims/Saves

After the Update is installed, run the game to verify your saves still function correctly.

Step 3: Let the Update Complete Entirely

Updates can sometimes be rather large and may take a while to download and install completely. Cancelling the update before it has completed may cause unexpected problems, so it is always best to let it finish entirely. Do not close the Launcher until you have confirmed the update is completely installed, as this will cancel the update. 

The ladies are back and having more fun than ever before!

Check out the video

RISE AGAINST, LADY ANTEBELLUM, MELANIE FIONA, AND TONI BRAXTON SING HIT SONGS FOR EA’S THE SIMS 3 AMBITIONS EXPANSION PACK

 

Songs Re-recorded in Official Language of The Sims for Expansion Pack to Award Winning Game, The Sims 3

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 13, 2010 – It’s time to turn up the volume! The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced the chart-topping artists whose Simlish songs will be featured in The Sims™ 3 Ambitions Expansion pack* for the PC and Mac this summer. Artists include Rise Against with their sizzling hit ‘Savior’ which was featured in The Sims 3 Ambitions trailer, new-comer Charice who recently performed for Oprah and Lady Antebellum with their number one hit single ‘Need You Now.’ Additionally, the members of Lady Antebellum were created as Sims for a musical video trailer also being released today.

“Each time we set out to create a soundtrack for an expansion pack, it’s always exciting matching the vibe of the game to the music by our incredible lineup of extremely diverse artists,” said Robi Kauker, Audio Director for The Sims Studio at EA. “It’s fun hearing hit tracks in the language of The Sims, and I think fans will be pleased to find their favorites songs and artists throughout this game, and will no doubt discover new bands to follow in The Sims 3 Ambitions.”

Current artists and songs featured in the game include:
• Lady Antebellum—“Need You Now”
• Rise Against—“Savior”
• Charice—“Pyramid”
• Melanie Fiona—“Bang Bang”
• Toni Braxton—“Make My Heart”
• Neon Trees—“Animal”
• V V Brown—“Shark In The Water”
• Daisy Dares You—“Number One Enemy”
• OK Go—“This Too Shall Pass”
• Old 97’s—“Early Morning”
• Murder By Death—“As Long As There is Whiskey In The World”
• The Acorn—“Restoration”
• Mike Posner—“Cooler Than Me”
• Violent Soho—“Jesus Stole My Girlfriend”
• Kerli—“Tea Party”
• Eli “Paperboy” Reed—“Come And Get it”
• Hal Linton—“Lock My Heart Down”
• Radney Foster And The Confessions—“Until It’s Gone”
• The Constellations—“Setback”

As the second expansion pack to The Sims 3, the best-selling PC game of 2009**, The Sims 3 Ambitions allows players to pursue a variety of exciting paths and careers in their Sims’ lives that in turn affect their overall gameplay experience and neighborhood. In The Sims 3 Ambitions, players can choose to hunt down vengeful spirits as the ghost hunter, invent brilliant and potentially destructive gadgets as an inventor, craft glorious masterpieces as a sculptor, and solve riveting cases by any means necessary as an investigator with dozens of cases to solve and numerous clues to find. For the first time, players will be in charge of how their Sims’ career progresses and decide if they will work for good or evil, pursue creative endeavors or technical affairs, climb to the top quickly, or be a slacker. The future of a Sims’ success or failure is entirely in the hands of the player.

The Sims 3 Ambitions Expansion pack for the PC and Mac will ship to retailers worldwide the week of June 1, 2010. The Sims 3 Ambitions will also be available for feature phones, iPhone® and iPod touch® in late 2010 from EA Mobile™. These versions will have customized mobile gameplay features and music playlists which will be revealed in the coming months. For information on carrier availability and pricing for all EA Mobile games, please visit www.eamobile.com.

*Requires The Sims 3 for PC/MAC to play.
**According to NPD data.

Create and share your own original patterns with The Sims 3 Create a Pattern Tool. Whether you’ve been hankering for a new plaid for your Sims’ PJs or an exquisite flourish of tiles for their floors, everything you want to create is now within your grasp! Design a pattern quickly using dozens of images available in the Sticker Library or layer and modify your own images to create even more unique patterns. Expand your creativity and share your creations online through The Sims 3 Exchange. This summer you can download The Sims 3 Create a Pattern Tool  for free at www.TheSims3.com.

Stay tuned for specific details and news around the Create a Pattern Tool release.

Top creator - fieryfemale shifts her talents between creating unique Sims and building lots that cover various styles. Check out our latest Community Spotlight Interview to see what draws her to The Sims 3's Create A Sim as well as her own trade secrets on building!

Read the interview

Widen your Sims' horizons with a bunch of killer new career opportunities. Their future is entirely in your hands!

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