The Sims 3.

Mario · 11th June 2009, 11:21 PM

Here is the official The Sims 3 readme file.

Quote:

Readme for The Sims (tm) 3
(c)2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All Rights Reserved.
June 2, 2009
Version 1.0

== Table of Contents ==
General
System Requirements
Known Hardware Issues
Performance Tips
Notes
Controls and Shortcuts
Mac Controls and Shortcuts
Compatibility Notes

GENERAL
=======

Welcome to The Sims 3! We hope you have a blast with it.
For the latest information on the game and associated products,
please visit

http://www.thesims3.com

System Requirements
===================

The Sims 3 requires at least the following:

FOR WINDOWS XP
* 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
* 1 GB RAM
* A 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
* The latest version of DirectX 9.0c
* Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2
* At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB of
additional space for custom content and saved games

FOR WINDOWS VISTA
* 2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
* 1.5 GB RAM
* A 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
* Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1
* At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB of
additional space for custom content and saved games

For computers using built-in graphics chipsets under Windows,
the game requires at least:
* Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA 3-Series or above
* 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
* 0.5 GB additional RAM

FOR MAC OS X
* Mac OS X 10.5.7 Leopard or higher
* Intel Core Duo Processor
* 2 GB RAM
* ATI X1600 or Nvidia 7300 GT with 128 MB of Video RAM, or
Intel Integrated GMA X3100.
* At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space, with at least 1 GB
additional space for custom content and saved games
* This game will not run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac
systems, or the GMA 950 class of integrated video cards.

Windows Supported Video Cards
-----------------------------

NVIDIA GeForce series
FX 5900, FX 5950
6200, 6500, 6600, 6800
7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950
8400, 8500, 8600, 8800
9300, 9400, 9500, 9600, 9800
G100, GT 120, GT 130, GTS 150
GTS 250, GTX 260, GTX 280, GTX 285, GTX 295

ATI Radeon(TM) series
9500, 9600, 9800
X300, X600, X700, X800, X850
X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950
2400, 2600, 2900
3450, 3650, 3850, 3870
4850, 4870

Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA)
GMA 3-Series, GMA 4-Series

Laptop versions of these chipsets may work, but may run
comparatively slower. Standalone cards that are installed in
vanilla PCI slots (not PCIe or PCIx or AGP), such as some
GeForce FX variants, will perform poorly.

Integrated chipsets such as the ATI Xpress and the NVIDIA
TurboCache variants may default to settings that are higher
than what would be optimal for them. Graphics settings
can be lowered to improve performance.

The NVIDIA GeForce FX series is unsupported under Vista.

MAC OS X Supported Video Cards
------------------------------

NVIDIA GeForce series
7300, 7600
8600, 8800
9400M, 9600M GT
GT 120, GT 130

ATI Radeon(TM) series
X1600, X1900
2400, 2600
3870,
4850, 4870

Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA)
GMA 3-Series

Unsupported Video Cards
-----------------------

Please note that attempting to play the game using video
hardware that isn’t listed above may result in reduced
performance, graphical issues, or cause the game to not
run at all.

Known and Possible Hardware Issues
==================================

Audio hardware acceleration is unsupported.

Mac OS X:
On Mac OS X systems that have NVIDIA cards with less than
256 MB of VRAM, you may need to reduce the graphics quality
in the game options menu for improved performance.

If running the game on a Mac Book Pro with display mirroring
turned on, ensure that you select a resolution which is
supported by both the internal and external displays.
A workaround for this issue is to ensure that the internal
LCD is the main system monitor before turning on display
mirroring, and you will be presented with the proper
resolutions.

Occasionally the game audio will stop playing when headphones
are connected after the game is started. In order to prevent
this from occurring, please ensure that your headphones are
connected to your Mac before starting the game.

If you experience frame rate issues while running on ATI X1600
or X1900 cards, reduce your Lighting Quality setting to low.

If you are using two NVIDIA GeForce graphics card with an
SLI-enabled motherboard and the game locks up, try updating
your drivers. If you still have problems, try disabling SLI.

Performance Tips
================

When you run The Sims 3 for the first time, the game will
automatically select the most appropriate options for your
graphics card, CPU, and audio card. To improve performance,
use the options control panel to lower graphics and audio
settings to "medium" or "low".

You can also improve the performance of the game by
lowering the resolution at which the game is rendered.
The options 800 x 600 and 640 x 480 render the scene at that
resolution, but it is displayed at 1024 x 768, so the size
of the actual game window is 1024 x 768.

The Sims 3 is a real-time 3D game that requires the majority of
your computer's processing power. Other programs operating in
the background may slow it down or cause framerate hitches.
For best results, be sure to close any background applications
while playing The Sims 3.

Fullscreen performance is generally better than windowed
performance.

If you are playing in a downloaded town for the first time,
it may take a while for Sims and textures on objects to appear.
It is normal to see off-white objects until their textures
have been regenerated.

Notes
=====

Online Help
-----------

The Electronic Arts Customer Support site is located at

http://support.ea.com

for North American users or

http://eusupport.ea.com

for European users.

Use the search tools to find the information you need. The
Knowledge Base is updated as new information becomes available,
so check back for the latest news and information.

Installing the Game
-------------------

Windows (disc users):
* Insert the disc into your disc drive and follow the on-screen instructions.
* Once the game has installed you can launch it by locating the game
through the Start menu.
* Games on Windows Vista™ are located in the Start > Games menu and on
earlier versions of Windows™ in the Start > Programs (or All Programs) menu.

Windows (EA Store users):
* Once the game has been downloaded by EA Download Manager, click the install
icon that appears and follow the on-screen instructions.
* Launch the game (once it is installed) directly from the EA Download Manager.

In Windows Vista Classic Start menu style, games are located in the
Start > Programs > Games > Games Explorer menu.

Mac OS X:
* Insert the game disc into your CD/DVD-ROM drive. A CD icon
representing the game disc appears on your desktop. Double-
click the icon to open the game’s launcher.
* Select the game’s installer icon at the bottom of the
launcher to prompt the installation menu.
* Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the
installation.

Digital Retail Installation
---------------------------

Please contact the digital retailer through whom you purchased
this game for instructions on how to install the game or how
to download and reinstall another copy of the game.

Note: If you’d like additional information about your game as
well as tips and patches please visit http://www.ea.com or
http://www.eastore.com.

Uninstalling the Game
---------------------

Windows XP:
* Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
* Click on Change or Remove Programs.
* Click on The Sims 3 program entry.
* Click on the Remove button.
* Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the
uninstallation.

Windows Vista:
* Open the Programs and Features control panel.
* Click on The Sims 3 program entry.
* Click on the Uninstall button.
* Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the
uninstallation.

Mac OS X:
* Ensure you are logged in using an account which has
Administrative privileges.
* Delete The Sims 3 folder from your Applications folder.
* Additional files can be found in
/Users/<Username>/Library/Preferences/The Sims 3 Preferences
* To remove the content created by The Sims 3, remove the folder
/Users/<Username>/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3

Locations On Disk
-----------------

The Sims 3 keeps your saved games, towns, videos, screenshots,
and custom content in a folder called "The Sims 3".
The location of this folder depends on your operating system.

Windows XP:
* "The Sims 3" is located in your "My Documents" folder
under Electronic Arts.

Windows Vista:
* "The Sims 3" is located in your "Documents" folder
under Electronic Arts.

Mac OS X:
* "The Sims 3" is located in your “Documents” folder.

Controls and Shortcuts
======================

Camera
------

Holding the right mouse button and dragging moves the camera.

Scrolling the mouse wheel zooms the camera in and out.

Holding the mouse wheel down and moving the mouse changes the
angle and rotation of camera.

Arrows Move the camera
< and > Rotate the camera
+ and - Zoom in or out

General
-------

Control-Z Undo
Control-Y Redo
Escape Cancel

Live Mode
---------

M Toggle map view
I Inventory
J Journal
C Take screenshot
V Toggle video capture
F10 Toggle whether the UI is hidden

House Control
-------------

Page Up / Page Down Next / Previous floor
Home / End Next / Previous wall mode
Shift Return Center on selected Sim's home

Build / Buy Modes
-----------------

, and . Rotate held object
Delete / Backspace Delete held object
Wall Tool: Shift Drag Create room
Floor Tool: , and . Rotate floor tile
Floor Tool: Ctrl F Toggle between full / quarter tile

Microsoft Windows:
Alt-Enter Toggle between windowed and fullscreen modes.

Note that when the game is minimized, it will not pause,
but will continue running in the background.

Mac OS X Controls and Shortcuts
===============================

Command-Return Toggle between windowed and fullscreen modes.
Command-Tab Minimize the game when in fullscreen mode.

Note that when the game is minimized, it will not pause,
but will continue running in the background.

House Control
-------------

MacBook:
Fn + Up Arrow/Down Arrow Next / Previous floor
Fn + Left Arrow/Right Arrow Next / Previous wall mode

- Right and Middle Mouse Button Functionality on Mac OS X -

This game contains features that require a right mouse button and
middle mouse button. If you have an Apple Mighty Mouse, you
can enable the Right Mouse Button in System Preferences->Keyboard and Mouse.
Change the "Right Click" drop down to Secondary Button.

Most PC USB mice are supported on the Macintosh as well.*
The Left, Right, and Middle mouse buttons are detected and work
correctly on these mice when first plugged in.

If you have an Apple legacy single button mouse, or a MacBook
Pro with a Track Pad, you can emulate a right mouse button
click by holding down the Command key while clicking the mouse
button.

To emulate the middle mouse button using a single button mouse,
hold down the Control and Command keys while clicking the mouse button.

Cheats
------

To enter cheats in the game, first open the command console by
simultaneously pressing Ctrl-Shift-C. Press the enter button
or Escape to close the command console. Some of the cheats that
can be used here are as follows:

help: Lists all the cheats currently available.
help <cheatname>: Displays specific information about the cheat.
quit: Exits the game.
[up arrow]: Recalls the most recent cheat typed into this window
for this instance of the game.

resetSim <full Sim name>: In the rare case that a Sim gets "stuck"
in an interaction or somewhere around town or gets something
stuck to it, use this cheat. It may take a while for the Sim
to appear because it is being entirely rebuilt.
Usage example: resetSim Mortimer Goth

fps [on|off]: Turns the frame rate display in the upper
right corner on or off.

moveObjects [on|off]: Removes footprint limitation for all object
placement in Buy Mode and Build Mode. Removes limitations placed
on hand tool for when objects are in use or for objects that
normally are not movable. Is known to cause issues with game
elements, routing, hidden object generation and manipulation,
etc. Note that using this cheat allows you to move and delete
objects that normally cannot be manipulated such as Sims.
If you delete these objects, there is no way to get
them back, so be careful!

constrainFloorElevation [true|false]: Allows all terrain adjustments
regardless of objects, Sims, and other structures on them.
Walls, floors, and objects will move with the terrain,
allowing you to create sloped walls and floored hills.
However, placing new walls/floors will still flatten
terrain, and placing objects will still require the terrain
to be flat initially if the objects normally require it.

disableSnappingToSlotsOnAlt [on|off]: When on, objects will
not snap to slots while holding ALT. Useful for placing
objects such as chairs near tables without them snapping
or placing counters near other counters, etc.

hideHeadlineEffects [on|off]: Hides all Sim overhead effects
such as thought balloons and speech balloons.

fadeObjects [on|off]: Toggles whether objects fade when the
camera gets close to them. Does not apply to Sims.

slowMotionViz <level>: Puts the visuals of the game in slow motion.
Entering a "level" value is optional. Valid values range from
0 = normal speed to 8 = slowest.

unlockOutfits [on|off]: Includes career outfits and service Sim outfits
as options in Create a Sim. The cheat must be entered before
going into CAS.

Compatibility Notes
===================

The Sims 3 is designed to run on Windows XP compatible graphics and
sound cards. Drivers for these devices are provided by the
respective card manufacturer and may result in compatibility
issues beyond our control.

If you are experiencing any issues, it is always recommended
that you obtain and install the latest drivers for your
hardware. The majority of hardware vendors have the latest
drivers available for download via their websites.

More information on known technical issues is available at
http://www.thesims3.com.

Sharing Videos Online
---------------------

The Sims 3 Exchange supports a maximum file size of 1 GB per video clip.
If you record at the "Medium" size (640 x 480) and "High" quality,
you should be able to record about 20 minutes of footage and still
be within the 1 GB limit.

Note that if you have changed the in-game capture settings to record
uncompressed video, the resulting files can exceed the 1 GB limit
quite quickly.

Videos edited with third party movie editing tools may result
in a format that cannot be converted properly for use with the
online editing tool.

Mac OS X:
Videos recorded in The Sims 3 use the VP6 codec. Apple users
can view their videos with a plug-in like Perian available at
http://www.apple.com/downloads

Game Resolution
-----------
If you happen to get your game into a state where the resolution
is completely incompatible with your monitor and you cannot
change the resolution through the game itself, you can fix it
by deleting the Options.ini file from
"My Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3" for XP
or
"Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3" for Vista
or
"User/Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3" for Mac

A new Options.ini file will be generated when you run the game
and it will default to 1024 x 768 resolution.

MP3 Playback
-----------
MP3 files encoded at bit rates higher than 320 kbs will not
play in The Sims 3. Also, if an MP3 in the Custom Music folder
is corrupt, the game may behave unpredictably when trying to
play it.

Save-Related Error Messages
-----------
Below are some error messages that you may see from the game.
Please contact customer support if you encounter any of these errors.

01: No save file information.
02: No active world.
03: The save path is empty.
04: Cannot save directory.
05: Cannot find the requested file.
09: Failed to create header record.
10: Failed to write header record.
11: Pre-save callback failure.
12: World file save failure.
13: Post-save callback failure.
14: No load/save manager found.
15: Other error. Sorry.

Thanks for playing the game!
The Sims 3 Team

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