Help for New Players to Learn What to Do in the Game
This Sims 3 Guide was originally written for the PC and Mac versions of the game, but also will help owners of the console versions - PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. Please remember some info or numbers may have changed.
A In this guide, I'll teach new players how to play and "what to do" in the Sims 3. I won't go over all the controls, as they're in the manual. What I really want to cover here, is just what you're "supposed" to do in the Sims 3, to help newbie gamers who have started a game and stared blankly at the screen wondering what the point of the game is. So, at that, let's get down to business.
What's the Goal/Objective of the Sims 3? What do you do in this game?
The goal is generally defined by you and how you choose to play. When you make a Sim, and choose their lifetime wish, that usually will determine to some degree how they live their lives. For example, if your Sim wants to be a sports star, they should work out to build their athletics skill, and take a job in the sports career track.
The goal is generally defined by you and how you choose to play. When you make a Sim, and choose their lifetime wish, that usually will determine to some degree how they live their lives. For example, if your Sim wants to be a sports star, they should work out to build their athletics skill, and take a job in the sports career track.
Other goals can be found by completing player-made challenges. Some people like to make a legacy. They start with one Sim and, following a set of rules, spread that Sim's bloodline down through ten generations or more. Some players are content to play a Sim whose goal is as simple as being successful, and happy. No one can really tell you what to do, it's about living each Sim day in and out, while working toward a goal.
Creating a Sim
After you've loaded the neighborhood screen, you're ready to make your first Sim. If it's your first time playing, I recommend you make it a family of one Sim. There are a lot of options to customize Sims' appearances, but I'll focus on the gameplay aspects of the choices you can make in Create a Sim. Appearance generally doesn't matter. Even obese Sims can eventually come to excel in athletics, for example. They'll just get fit along the way. The major difference between Sims comes in the form of traits and lifetime wishes.
After you've loaded the neighborhood screen, you're ready to make your first Sim. If it's your first time playing, I recommend you make it a family of one Sim. There are a lot of options to customize Sims' appearances, but I'll focus on the gameplay aspects of the choices you can make in Create a Sim. Appearance generally doesn't matter. Even obese Sims can eventually come to excel in athletics, for example. They'll just get fit along the way. The major difference between Sims comes in the form of traits and lifetime wishes.
Your Sim will get to choose, from a selection of 60+, a total of five traits. These will determine what your Sim is good at, how they behave, and what they like and dislike. The five of them together will determine a selection of lifetime wishes you can pursue. The lifetime wish is the major goal any one Sim wants to complete before death. It will strongly govern how you play the game. There are a total of 32 lifetime wishes that can be selected, so there's a lot of different goals to seek.
Favorite food and music can give Sims a mood boost when they eat that type of food and it's done right or listen to that particular music on the radio. Favorite colors give Sims a mood boost whenever they are in a room of the same color. This enhances the 'decorated' moodlets (thanks Jordi).
In some ways, this creation process will help determine how you play The Sims 3, and what your Sims will do with their spare time, and where they'll work. A smart, logical Sim might be best at playing in chess, and might even try to become grand master. An angler may want to pursue Fishing. As you can see, The Sims 3 is an infinitely replayable game as there are so many ways you can play!
Building or Buying a House for your Sims
The choice of whether to buy a house or build one from the ground up is the first big decision you'll make in The Sims 3. The house choice will be limited if you decide to buy, as there aren't too many that are within the 16,000 price range of a single Sim. I really recommend you build your Sim's home. It's more satisfying to watch your Sim's house evolve when you've built it yourself. To build a house, buy an empty lot then click the check mark to start playing immediately.
Building the HouseThe choice of whether to buy a house or build one from the ground up is the first big decision you'll make in The Sims 3. The house choice will be limited if you decide to buy, as there aren't too many that are within the 16,000 price range of a single Sim. I really recommend you build your Sim's home. It's more satisfying to watch your Sim's house evolve when you've built it yourself. To build a house, buy an empty lot then click the check mark to start playing immediately.
Enter build mode with F3. Make four walls, and give the Sim a decent amount of room to live in. You could head to buy mode (F2) to get a look at how big certain furniture is to get a good idea. Don't worry, if the house is too small you can always resize it later. Ensure that the floors are carpeted (it's helpful to click fill or paint contiguous area to the left of the tile and carpet selections). Also put wallpaper on the walls. This will ensure your Sim doesn't get disgusted by an unfinished room.
Place doors, 1 at the entrance to your house and one to the bathroom and bedroom if they're in separate rooms (and hopefully they are). Sims will also need windows to light their homes in the daytime. Place at least one in every room (maybe except the bedroom, at first).
The last step is to look to the roof to resize it and ensure the style looks good with your building. After you mess with the roof, you may need to press page down a couple of times, and bring the walls back to auto-hide (done with the home and end keys).
For more detailed information on not only making your Sim's home, but also making it look good, head over to TommyT's Sims 3 Home Building Guide.
Buy ModePress F2 to enter the Sims 3's buy mode. Decorations really aren't needed when your Sim first starts, but every house should have the following objects:
Kitchen
Bathroom
Bedroom
Living Room
I'm done with my house and I just started the game, what should I do with my Sim?
Now you're ready to really play the game! If you're completely new to the Sims, or gaming in general, I recommend you go the conventional route and join a career track with your Sim. Depending on their traits, they might be exceptionally good at something, so try to pick a career that is suited to them. For example, a green thumb might do well in the science career track, which makes use of the gardening skill. Read my Sims 3 Career Guide for more info. The career guide can give you a good idea of all the different types of Sims you can play. There are hundreds of combinations of Sims!
Now you're ready to really play the game! If you're completely new to the Sims, or gaming in general, I recommend you go the conventional route and join a career track with your Sim. Depending on their traits, they might be exceptionally good at something, so try to pick a career that is suited to them. For example, a green thumb might do well in the science career track, which makes use of the gardening skill. Read my Sims 3 Career Guide for more info. The career guide can give you a good idea of all the different types of Sims you can play. There are hundreds of combinations of Sims!
How to Find a Job
Press the 'M' key to go to the map screen. There, you'll see lots of red icons near the center of either town. Most of those places will let you apply for a job. Again, the careers guide can direct you to the building where you'll find the particular career you want. When you've found the place your Sim wants to work, click it and select apply for job. The Sim will take a taxi and apply at the job site. They always get the job. Click the blue arrow beside their portrait if you want them to return home, otherwise, use the map and explore the town -- work isn't until tomorrow! You may also consider using the first day to get a head start on job-related skills.
Press the 'M' key to go to the map screen. There, you'll see lots of red icons near the center of either town. Most of those places will let you apply for a job. Again, the careers guide can direct you to the building where you'll find the particular career you want. When you've found the place your Sim wants to work, click it and select apply for job. The Sim will take a taxi and apply at the job site. They always get the job. Click the blue arrow beside their portrait if you want them to return home, otherwise, use the map and explore the town -- work isn't until tomorrow! You may also consider using the first day to get a head start on job-related skills.
Look to the careers tab in the Sim panel, which may need to be expanded (it's a right-facing arrow to the right of your Sim's head). On the careers tab, you can see the career requirements for your Sim's current job. There may be a skill here, or relationships with boss and co-workers. Mood is always present. You'll be able to tell how your Sim stacks up to the current skill and relationship requirements for their particular job. If your Sim goes to work in a good mood, with the other performance metrics high, the meter to the right will fill. If they end the day with that bar maximized, they will earn a promotion. This will help them make more money but also put more demands on them for socializing or their skill levels.
Read my Sims 3 Skills Guide to learn more about individual skills in the game., such as Charisma or Gardening.
Fulfilling Wishes
Every Sim will get wishes. Wishes in The Sims 3 appear based on how you play the game. If you focus on one type of skill for a while, or socialize with a particular Sim a lot, your Sim's thoughts will be on accomplishing goals related to those pursuits. They may want to score a kiss with their sweetheart, meet a new Sim, catch a big fish, or get a job promotion. These are normal wishes (formerly known as wants) that grant some lifetime happiness points. They'll appear in the box above the four to the left of your Sim's lifetime wish. You can promise up to four wishes to a Sim at one time. In order for a wish to be filled, it must be promised first. These wishes can be anything from raising one gardening skill level, to amassing a ton of money, to kissing another Sim for the first time.
Every Sim will get wishes. Wishes in The Sims 3 appear based on how you play the game. If you focus on one type of skill for a while, or socialize with a particular Sim a lot, your Sim's thoughts will be on accomplishing goals related to those pursuits. They may want to score a kiss with their sweetheart, meet a new Sim, catch a big fish, or get a job promotion. These are normal wishes (formerly known as wants) that grant some lifetime happiness points. They'll appear in the box above the four to the left of your Sim's lifetime wish. You can promise up to four wishes to a Sim at one time. In order for a wish to be filled, it must be promised first. These wishes can be anything from raising one gardening skill level, to amassing a ton of money, to kissing another Sim for the first time.
The First Day at Work
Try to make your Sim go to bed nice and early. The carpool will arrive an hour before work starts. Give your Sim enough time to use the bathroom, take a shower and have a meal. They'll perform better if they go to work in a good mood, and a great way to do this and prevent stress is to have some fun before work. Have them watch tv, read a book, whatever forms of entertainment they have. As I said, mood matters for every job.
Try to make your Sim go to bed nice and early. The carpool will arrive an hour before work starts. Give your Sim enough time to use the bathroom, take a shower and have a meal. They'll perform better if they go to work in a good mood, and a great way to do this and prevent stress is to have some fun before work. Have them watch tv, read a book, whatever forms of entertainment they have. As I said, mood matters for every job.
Opportunities
Occasionally, your Sim will get an opportunity. This can be for a career, a skill your Sim knows, or a special opportunity. They're similar to wishes in that they're influenced by how you play. They are split between three types (career, skill, and special) and you can only have 1 opportunity of each kind active at one time. If the slot is filled, you won't get new opportunities. The opportunities themselves can vary, such as growing high quality plants, doing dishes for work, or repairing something at city hall with the handiness skill. All opportunities give your Sim a reward of some sort when completed. They can give money, relationship boosts with other Sims, increase job performance or give your Sim experience in a skill.
Occasionally, your Sim will get an opportunity. This can be for a career, a skill your Sim knows, or a special opportunity. They're similar to wishes in that they're influenced by how you play. They are split between three types (career, skill, and special) and you can only have 1 opportunity of each kind active at one time. If the slot is filled, you won't get new opportunities. The opportunities themselves can vary, such as growing high quality plants, doing dishes for work, or repairing something at city hall with the handiness skill. All opportunities give your Sim a reward of some sort when completed. They can give money, relationship boosts with other Sims, increase job performance or give your Sim experience in a skill.
What now? Go Play the Game! How is up to you!
Have fun, explore, and play The Sims 3. I hope I've given you some tips that steer you toward a goal for your game play. Guide your Sim through his life. Try to make him happy. Socialize with other Sims to form relationships, complete career, skill and special opportunities and work toward completing the Sim's lifetime wish. Get rich and build up that house. Furnish it with the best your Sim can afford and try to help them rise to riches. The gameplay will change with almost every Sim you play. Especially if you leave free will on in the game's options menu! The Sims 3 can practically play itself!
Have fun, explore, and play The Sims 3. I hope I've given you some tips that steer you toward a goal for your game play. Guide your Sim through his life. Try to make him happy. Socialize with other Sims to form relationships, complete career, skill and special opportunities and work toward completing the Sim's lifetime wish. Get rich and build up that house. Furnish it with the best your Sim can afford and try to help them rise to riches. The gameplay will change with almost every Sim you play. Especially if you leave free will on in the game's options menu! The Sims 3 can practically play itself!
If you find yourself having trouble and just need to get better at managing Sims' needs, have a look at our Cheats Pagealong with Testing Cheats. If you're a console gamer, click here for PS3 and Xbox 360 Cheats.
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