There He Goes

there he goes

Can people please reblog this, no matter how small your blog is, so that it can get traction?

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yvonnestarr

1 year ago

Some tips for The Sims 3 Buy/Build

Install LazyDuchess’ Smooth Patch to alleviate lag, esp in Buy/Build and CAS.

Keep your CC merged and organized, esp your patterns, this will also alleviate a lotta lag across all modes.

When building on community lots, or any lot rlly, avoid going to the edit world menu, and just put testingcheats enabled into the cheat window, then shift+click the ground of the lot to enter Buy/Build mode. This makes leaving it to save a lot easier, with less “preparing” screens to possibly get hung up in.

Lower your settings, you don’t need any adjacent lots loaded, and you certainly don’t need super water on either. You can always switch these back on when you’re done.

While you’re at it, remove your HQ mod, and turn off your Reshade/Gshade preset, or at least turn off your depth shaders. I only ever turn on my depth shaders when I’m taking screenshots for better fps while playing. The DoF shader esp requires a lotta resources your game could be using to simulate all those 78 townie sims instead.

Save as… vs Save, I Save as… at least every third save. It’s also just good habit to keep backups.

When using the CASt tool, set down everything you plan to CASt first, then switch to a category like the wall tool to avoid eventual lag and drag when using it a lot. Love yourself. You don’t have to suffer using CASt tool in an overpopulated category like misc deco.

Utilize the clone option through testing cheats to duplicate already CASted objects, it’ll keep your design just like the dropper tool, but it’s a lot less time consuming, I promise.

Don’t be afraid to use the swatch save tool for objects you use often, esp community lot objects, as it helps to keep your aesthetic consistent. I also keep all of my favorite streetlamps, benches, and public trash bins etc in a convenient custom collection folder to speed up the process of doing multiple lots in one sitting. These handy tools are there, use them.

The issue with custom counters. They mess up sometimes, if you can’t recolor it suddenly, here’s how to fix that. Now if you can’t place down a cupboard suddenly, even though nothing’s in the way, and you’ve got moveobjects on activated, try putting it on the wall a tile over, and then try adding it to your desired spot again. Lastly if you set down counters or cupboards at a corner, and it messes up the textures, but you can still recolor it, you could do what the video I linked above does, or you could simply pull out the CASt tool, and switch it back to any of its original swatches and click the check, then feel free to recolor it as you want.

Railings will also do the “can’t recolor” trick too, but this is a simple fix, just delete it, and replace it, and you’re good.

“Oh no, I switched between buy and build mode, and now my catalogue won’t load, and I can’t click on anything at all!” Don’t panic, hit F2 and/or F3 on your keyboard, these are shortcuts for switching between them, and if you’re lucky it’ll load properly again. Should you get the bug where you load a category and it’s somehow empty, don’t fret, just click on a different category and this should fix it. Then if you get the bug where all the objects you put down disappear suddenly, sorry your game is haunted. Call an exorcist, or just reload, they might reappear if you do.

Tbh, if you run into any kind of major bugs, it’s likely a sign to either save immediately or just restart your game. These only ever show up when you’ve been at it a while ( at least for me ), therefore starting fresh wouldn’t hurt. Probably also wouldn’t hurt to check whether you might’ve installed something the game didn’t agree with by running Dashboard, or put it through the ol’ Save Cleaner.

Honorable Mention: Keep an eye on the texture sizes and poly counts of objects. I know it’s tempting to build these ultra hyperrealistic lots with clutter at every inch, but unless you’re just doing it for screenshots, or for your story, or using it very sparingly, it is not by any means recommended purely for gameplay. This is just the truth when it comes to any Sims game. You don’t want lag, or max memory crashes, or save errors? The Sims 3 is a 32bit game, that’s almost old enough to drive, be easy on it.

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yvonnestarr

9 months ago

JAMES EARL JONES

James Earl Jones was an American actor known for his iconic voice acting roles and for his work in theater. Over his career, he received three Tony Awards, two Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award. Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi in 1931, he had a stutter since childhood. Jones said that poetry and acting helped him overcome the challenges of his disability. A pre-med major in college, he served in the United States Army during the Korean War before pursuing a career in acting. Jones made his film debut in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1964). He received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Claudine (1974). Jones gained international fame for his voice role as Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, beginning with the original 1977 film. Jones' other notable roles include in Conan the Barbarian (1982), Matewan (1987), Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Sandlot (1993), and The Lion King (1994). Jones reprised his roles in Star Wars media, The Lion King (2019), and Coming 2 America (2021).

He was described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances on stage and screen, and "one of the greatest actors in American history.”

( January 17th, 1931 — September 9th, 2024)

Rest well.

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yvonnestarr

1 year ago

How to use DXVK with The Sims 3

Have you seen this post about using DXVK by Criisolate? But felt intimidated by the sheer mass of facts and information?

@desiree-uk and I compiled a guide and the configuration file to make your life easier. It focuses on players not using the EA App, but it might work for those just the same. It’s definitely worth a try.

Adding this to your game installation will result in a better RAM usage. So your game is less likely to give you Error 12 or crash due to RAM issues. It does NOT give a huge performance boost, but more stability and allows for higher graphics settings in game.

The full guide behind the cut. Let me know if you also would like it as PDF.

Happy simming!

Disclaimer and Credits

Desiree and I are no tech experts and just wrote down how we did this. Our ability to help if you run into trouble is limited. So use at your own risk and back up your files!

We both are on Windows 10 and start the game via TS3W.exe, not the EA App. So your experience may differ.

This guide is based on our own experiments and of course criisolate’s post on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/criisolate/749374223346286592/ill-explain-what-i-did-below-before-making-any

This guide is brought to you by Desiree-UK and Norn.

Compatibility

Note: This will conflict with other programs that “inject” functionality into your game so they may stop working. Notably

Reshade

GShade

Nvidia Experience/Nvidia Inspector/Nvidia Shaders

RivaTuner Statistics Server

It does work seamlessly with LazyDuchess’ Smooth Patch.

LazyDuchess’ Launcher: unknown

Alder Lake patch: does conflict. One user got it working by starting the game by launching TS3.exe (also with admin rights) instead of TS3W.exe. This seemed to create the cache file for DXVK. After that, the game could be started from TS3W.exe again. That might not work for everyone though.

A word on FPS and V-Sync

With such an old game it’s crucial to cap framerate (FPS). This is done in the DXVK.conf file. Same with V-Sync.

You need

a text editor (easiest to use is Windows Notepad)

to download DXVK, version 2.3.1 from here: here: https://github.com/doitsujin/DXVK/releases/tag/v2.3.1 Extract the archive, you are going to need the file d3d9.dll from the x32 folder

the configuration file DXVK.conf from here: https://github.com/doitsujin/DXVK/blob/master/DXVK.conf. Optional: download the edited version with the required changes here.

administrator rights on your PC

to know your game’s installation path (bin folder) and where to find the user folder

a tiny bit of patience :)

First Step: Backup

Backup your original Bin folder in your Sims 3 installation path! The DXVK file may overwrite some files! The path should be something like this (for retail): \Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin (This is the folder where also GraphicsRule.sgr and the TS3W.exe and TS3.exe are located.)

Backup your options.ini in your game’s user folder! Making the game use the DXVK file will count as a change in GPU driver, so the options.ini will reset once you start your game after installation. The path should be something like this: \Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 (This is the folder where your Mods folder is located).

Preparations

Make sure you run the game as administrator. You can check that by right-clicking on the icon that starts your game. Go to Properties > Advanced and check the box “Run as administrator”. Note: This will result in a prompt each time you start your game, if you want to allow this application to make modifications to your system. Click “Yes” and the game will load.

2. Make sure you have the DEP settings from Windows applied to your game.

Open the Windows Control Panel.

Click System and Security > System > Advanced System Settings.

On the Advanced tab, next to the Performance heading, click Settings.

Click the Data Execution Prevention tab.

Select 'Turn on DEP for all programs and services except these”:

Click the Add button, a window to the file explorer opens. Navigate to your Sims 3 installation folder (the bin folder once again) and add TS3W.exe and TS3.exe.

Click OK. Then you can close all those dialog windows again.

Setting up the DXVK.conf file

Open the file with a text editor and delete everything in it. Then add these values:

d3d9.textureMemory = 1

d3d9.presentInterval = 1

d3d9.maxFrameRate = 60

d3d9.presentInterval enables V-Sync,d3d9.maxFrameRate sets the FrameRate. You can edit those values, but never change the first line (d3d9.textureMemory)!

The original DXVK.conf contains many more options in case you would like to add more settings.

A. no Reshade/GShade

Setting up DXVK

Copy the two files d3d9.dll and DXVK.conf into the Bin folder in your Sims 3 installation path. This is the folder where also GraphicsRule.sgr and the TS3W.exe and TS3.exe are located. If you are prompted to overwrite files, please choose yes (you DID backup your folder, right?)

And that’s basically all that is required to install.

Start your game now and let it run for a short while. Click around, open Buy mode or CAS, move the camera.

Now quit without saving. Once the game is closed fully, open your bin folder again and double check if a file “TS3W.DXVK-cache” was generated. If so – congrats! All done!

Things to note

Heads up, the game options will reset! So it will give you a “vanilla” start screen and options.

Don’t worry if the game seems to be frozen during loading. It may take a few minutes longer to load but it will load eventually.

The TS3W.DXVK-cache file is the actual cache DXVK is using. So don’t delete this! Just ignore it and leave it alone. When someone tells to clear cache files – this is not one of them!

Update Options.ini

Go to your user folder and open the options.ini file with a text editor like Notepad.

Find the line “lastdevice = “. It will have several values, separated by semicolons. Copy the last one, after the last semicolon, the digits only. Close the file.

Now go to your backup version of the Options.ini file, open it and find that line “lastdevice” again. Replace the last value with the one you just copied. Make sure to only replace those digits!

Save and close the file.

Copy this version of the file into your user folder, replacing the one that is there.

Things to note:

If your GPU driver is updated, you might have to do these steps again as it might reset your device ID again. Though it seems that the DXVK ID overrides the GPU ID, so it might not happen.

How do I know it’s working?

Open the task manager and look at RAM usage. Remember the game can only use 4 GB of RAM at maximum and starts crashing when usage goes up to somewhere between 3.2 – 3.8 GB (it’s a bit different for everybody).

So if you see values like 2.1456 for RAM usage in a large world and an ongoing save, it’s working. Generally the lower the value, the better for stability.

Also, DXVK will have generated its cache file called TS3W.DXVK-cache in the bin folder. The file size will grow with time as DXVK is adding stuff to it, e.g. from different worlds or savegames. Initially it might be something like 46 KB or 58 KB, so it’s really small.

Optional: changing MemCacheBudgetValue

MemCacheBudgetValue determines the size of the game's VRAM Cache. You can edit those values but the difference might not be noticeable in game. It also depends on your computer’s hardware how much you can allow here.

The two lines of seti MemCacheBudgetValue correspond to the high RAM level and low RAM level situations. Therefore, theoretically, the first line MemCacheBudgetValue should be set to a larger value, while the second line should be set to a value less than or equal to the first line.

The original values represent 200MB (209715200) and 160MB (167772160) respectively. They are calculated as 200x1024x1024=209175200 and 160x1024x1024=167772160.

Back up your GraphicsRules.sgr file! If you make a mistake here, your game won’t work anymore.

Go to your bin folder and open your GraphicsRules.sgr with a text editor.

Search and find two lines that set the variables for MemCacheBudgetValue.

Modify these two values to larger numbers. Make sure the value in the first line is higher or equals the value in the second line. Examples for values: 1073741824, which means 1GB 2147483648 which means 2 GB. -1 (minus 1) means no limit (but is highly experimental, use at own risk)

Save and close the file. It might prompt you to save the file to a different place and not allow you to save in the Bin folder. Just save it someplace else in this case and copy/paste it to the Bin folder afterwards. If asked to overwrite the existing file, click yes.

Now start your game and see if it makes a difference in smoothness or texture loading. Make sure to check RAM and VRAM usage to see how it works.

You might need to change the values back and forth to find the “sweet spot” for your game. Mine seems to work best with setting the first value to 2147483648 and the second to 1073741824.

Uninstallation

Delete these files from your bin folder (installation path):

d3d9.dll

DXVK.conf

TS3W.DXVK-cache

And if you have it, also TS3W_d3d9.log

if you changed the values in your GraphicsRule.sgr file, too, don’t forget to change them back or to replace the file with your backed up version.

delete the bin folder and add it from your backup again.

B. with Reshade/GShade

Follow the steps from part A. no Reshade/Gshade to set up DXVK.

If you are already using Reshade (RS) or GShade (GS), you will be prompted to overwrite files, so choose YES. RS and GS may stop working, so you will need to reinstall them.

Whatever version you are using, the interface shows similar options of which API you can choose from (these screenshots are from the latest versions of RS and GS).

Please note:

Each time you install and uninstall DXVK, switching the game between Vulkan and d3d9, is essentially changing the graphics card ID again, which results in the settings in your options.ini file being repeatedly reset.

ReShade interface

Choose – Vulcan

Click next and choose your preferred shaders.

Hopefully this install method works and it won't install its own d3d9.dll file.

If it doesn't work, then choose DirectX9 in RS, but you must make sure to replace the d3d9.dll file with DXVK's d3d9.dll (the one from its 32bit folder, checking its size is 3.86mb.)

GShade interface

Choose –

Executable Architecture: 32bit

Graphics API: DXVK

Hooking: Normal Mode

GShade is very problematic, it won't work straight out of the box and the overlay doesn't show up, which defeats the purpose of using it if you can't add or edit the shaders you want to use.

Check the game's bin folder, making sure the d3d9.dll is still there and its size is 3.86mb - that is DXVK's dll file.

If installing using the DXVK method doesn't work, you can choose the DirectX method, but there is no guarantee it works either.

The game will not run with these files in the folder:

d3d10core.dll

d3d11.dll

dxgi.dll

If you delete them, the game will start but you can't access GShade! It might be better to use ReShade.

Some Vulcan and DirectX information, if you’re interested:

Vulcan is for rather high end graphic cards but is backward compatible with some older cards. Try this method with ReShade or GShade first.

DirectX is more stable and works best with older cards and systems. Try this method if Vulcan doesn't work with ReShade/GShade in your game – remember to replace the d3d9.dll with DXVK's d3d9.dll.

For more information on the difference between Vulcan and DirectX, see this article:

https://www.howtogeek.com/884042/vulkan-vs-DirectX-12/

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yvonnestarr

1 year ago

Bloom’s Cable Car Taxi Replacement

I re-uploaded it at SFS here.

Since Bloombase’s site doesn’t work anymore. :(

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yvonnestarr

2 years ago

All Credits Belongs For Simpliciaty-cc (original Posts Here)

All credits belongs for simpliciaty-cc (original posts here)

Due high poly necklace was splited to two pieces. Part 1 have 6k, part 2 have 8k of poly’s.

For YA-A

Can be found in Accessories ->Necklaces

Have 1 color channel

Enabled for Everyday, Formal, Sleepwear, Swimwear, Athletic and Career categories

Necklaces have morphs

Have custom thumbnails

Converted by me ;)

➡️ SIMPLICIATY MAEVE NECKLACE - DOWNLOAD

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yvonnestarr

2 months ago

🔥 Tariff Tug-of-War: China, Japan, South Korea Join Forces—And Trump’s Back at It Again

How China, Japan, and South Korea are teaming up against U.S. tariffs—what it means for global trade, your wallet, and Trump’s 2025 comeback agenda.

📌 Quick Summary for the Time-Starved:

China, Japan, and South Korea are aligning on a tariff response to U.S. trade moves.

Trump’s new “Liberation Day” tariffs are set to go live April 2, aiming to "level the playing field."

Critics say American consumers will foot the bill, while Trump supporters call it economic justice.

Bonus: We break down tariffs like you’re 10, so your kid could explain this at the dinner table.

🌏 What's Going On: The Asia-Pacific Alliance Strikes Back

In a rare show of economic coordination, China, Japan, and South Korea have announced they’ll team up to respond to U.S. tariffs. This comes after the first high-level economic dialogue in five years between the trio. The countries are mulling over a joint free trade agreement, supply chain cooperation, and—yes—a collective response to what they see as aggressive U.S. trade tactics.

And who’s poking the trade bear again?

🎯 Enter Donald J. Trump

Trump, now campaigning hard for the 2024–2025 comeback tour, is rolling out a new batch of tariffs on April 2, a date he’s dubbed “Liberation Day”. His targets? Automobiles, electronics, steel, aluminum—you name it, it’s probably on the list.

The goal, according to the Trump camp: “Fair and Reciprocal Trade.” The U.S. should no longer be the “world’s discount mall,” they argue.

🎭 Trump’s Tariff Playbook — With Commentary from Both Sides

Let’s decode the two main camps:

✅ The Right: Trump’s Supporters Say…

It’s about time someone called out the imbalance in global trade deals.

Other countries impose high tariffs on American goods while enjoying open U.S. markets.

Tariffs will protect American jobs, revive domestic manufacturing, and reduce the trade deficit.

“We’re being used,” Trump recently said. “These tariffs send a message: America isn’t for sale.”

👉 In their eyes, tariffs are economic nationalism done right.

❌ The Left: Critics Warn...

Tariffs act like taxes on American businesses and consumers.

They risk inflation by making imported goods more expensive.

Could destabilize global trade and lead to retaliatory measures—which is already starting with China, Japan, and South Korea.

U.S. allies aren’t fans either—even Japan and South Korea have pushed back, saying they're being unfairly targeted.

👉 In their view, tariffs are economic own-goals with political overtones.

🧮 The Real Impact: Who Feels It?

GroupImpactU.S. ConsumersHigher prices for cars, electronics, and even foodManufacturersMore expensive raw materials like steel and aluminumFarmers & ExportersRetaliatory tariffs abroad could reduce demandInvestorsMarket jitters due to geopolitical tension

According to the Tax Foundation, tariffs could cost the average U.S. household hundreds per year, with only marginal benefits for protected industries.

🧠 Explain Like I'm 10: What Are Tariffs and Why Do They Matter?

Okay, imagine this:

You have a lemonade stand, and your friend from Canada wants to sell you lemons for $1 each. But your neighbor across the street also sells lemons—but for $2.

To help your neighbor (because, hey, they live here!), your parents say: “If you buy lemons from Canada, you have to pay $1 extra per lemon.” That’s a tariff.

So now:

Canadian lemons cost $2 ($1 + $1 tariff).

Your neighbor’s lemons are the same price—no tariff.

You might just buy local now.

That’s how tariffs protect domestic sellers. But guess what? You—the buyer—are stuck with higher prices, no matter what.

🏛️ Why Governments Use Tariffs (and When They Backfire)

🛡️ To Protect Local Jobs

Keeps local factories open by making foreign goods more expensive.

💰 To Raise Money

Historically, tariffs were like toll booths. Less relevant today, but still a source of revenue.

⚖️ To Fight “Unfair” Trade

If another country is cheating (like selling goods too cheap), tariffs level the playing field.

💣 To Apply Pressure

It’s not just about money—sometimes tariffs are used to make countries change their policies.

But here’s the kicker: They can backfire—especially in a globalized economy. Companies rely on international supply chains, and disruption = cost.

🌐 Global Domino Effect: What’s the Risk?

China, Japan, and South Korea are signaling: "You tax us? We tax back."

If this spirals into a full-blown trade war, expect:

Even U.S. allies are wary. Tokyo and Seoul have publicly disputed parts of China’s statement, but everyone agrees: Trump’s tariffs are stirring the pot.

🤔 So... Are Tariffs “Fair”?

That depends on whom you ask.

📣 Fair According to:

Steelworkers in Ohio

Policy hawks who hate China’s subsidies

Nationalists who want to re-shore jobs

📉 Unfair According to:

Small businesses reliant on cheap imports

Families trying to stretch every dollar

Free trade economists who argue global markets drive innovation

📆 What’s Next?

With “Liberation Day” just around the corner, keep an eye on:

April 2 tariffs implementation

Market reactions—especially auto and tech stocks

China–Japan–South Korea coordination

Whether other allies—EU, Canada, Mexico—get dragged into the crossfire

🧩 Final Thoughts: Trade Is a Team Sport

Like any good game, international trade works best with rules, respect, and teamwork. Tariffs might offer a short-term score, but long-term? You need cooperation, not confrontation.

Whether Trump’s tariffs are a home run or a boomerang remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: the world’s watching.

🧠 TL;DR Takeaways

Trump’s tariffs are back, branded as “Fair and Reciprocal.”

China, Japan, and South Korea are coordinating a united front.

Tariffs help some industries but raise prices for consumers.

Trade wars risk global economic instability.

Understanding tariffs = understanding modern geopolitics.

Source: 🔥 Tariff Tug-of-War: China, Japan, South Korea Join Forces—And Trump’s Back at It Again

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yvonnestarr

2 years ago

Three New Pasta Recipes

I was eating one of my absolute favorite foods, Chicken Alfredo the other night, when the realization that I know how to make custom recipes sunk in, and I had a new idea. And that idea turned into this!! Here are 3 new Fettuccine Alfredo Recipes for the Sims 3!!!!

The Recipe Details:

These all require Level 4 Cooking Skill and can be served during Lunch and Dinner.

Fettuccine Alfredo: Requires Garlic, Butter, and Parmesan Cheese

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo: Requires Shrimp, Garlic, and Parmesan Cheese.

Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo: Requires Chicken Breast, Garlic, and Parmesan Cheese.

Please Note: The Butter, Parmesan Cheese, Chicken Breast, and Shrimp ingredients come from various cooking mods, but because all 3 of the recipes have Garlic, a Base Game included ingredient, they are also Base Game Compatible and you don’t need to download the mods if you don’t want to. However, if you want the custom ingredients, they are listed below:

1. Cooking and Ingredients Overhaul by Cinderellimouse-

https://modthesims.info/d/548787/cooking-and-ingredients-overhaul-more-nectar-ingredients.html for the Chicken Breast and Shrimp.

2. Baker’s Basket Plants, Ingredients and Recipes by Icemunmun-

https://modthesims.info/d/594851/baker-s-basket-plants-ingredients-and-recipes.html for the Butter.

3. Green Vegetable Plants,Ingredients and Recipes by Icemunmun-

https://modthesims.info/d/555310/green-vegetable-plants-ingredients-and-recipes-update-23-02-2016.html for the Parmesan Cheese.

I hope these make your sims as hungry as I was making them! Have fun and enjoy!! I couldn’t upload the file to Simfileshare at the moment for some reason, so it’s on mediafire instead. Sorry about that.

Download Link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/d26cutnpoarssyh/LaurenisasimmerFettuccineAlfredoRecipes.rar/file

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