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Designer’s Blog: When Building & Ballet Go Hand-In-Hand

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Hi gang.
Ever since we released the Stone’s Throw Greenhouse, we’ve had a number of requests from players asking for more glass roof pieces. We’ve also had a number of suggestions for the return of ballet dancing, so we combined both ideas into the Skylight Studio for the Performing Arts!
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This venue includes the Light as a Feather Dance Barre that gives your Sim the ability to work out and learn a brand new Dance Skill! Whether your Sim’s an elegant swan or a bumbling goose, let them express themself with the new ballet dance. Even children can learn this exciting new dance. When they are ready to perform, move them over to the Stiff as a Board Dance Floor to strut their stuff! The new dance floor has a ton of dance floor interactions like, Ballet, the Smustle, the Mascot Dance, and even the Chicken Dance!
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And when your Sim gets sweaty from getting their groove on, they can check out the new It’s Not Gross Public Shower Station!
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But what I’m REALLY excited about are the eight new Sharper Edge Skylight glass roof sculptures and the matching Sharper Edge window! These are all combine for maximum customizability. Want to build a glass pyramid? Done. Glass gazebo? Also done. Want to extend your Greenhouse? Yeah, you can do that too. The sky (light) is the limit with these cool new items!
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As an additional bonus, this Thursday when we release this venue I’ll also upload my latest tinkering up to the exchange for you to play with.
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The Sims 3 Game Update 1.55

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Enter your The Sims 3 Launcher to start patching.

Be sure to remove all your mods before installing the new patch!

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

This game update includes the following changes:

Launcher Updates

  • The Launcher will now show the Base Game version number instead of the highest installed expansion or stuff pack.

Base Game Updates

  • Added a new spiral staircase object.
  • Added a new ladder object.
  • Added a new modular arch object.
  • Added a set of new Stilted Foundation objects.
  • Lots can now be partially placed on water.
  • Holding down the Alt key while dragging out a foundation will now make a single step height foundation.
  • Sims can now purchase additional homes using the Real Estate system.
  • Sims can now move to a new Town using the Phone or Computer.
  • New Pool Blueprints have been added.
  • Players will now have more control positioning their lot when importing a lot from the bin to a larger empty lot.

Ambitions Updates

  • Fixed a crash that occurs when selling a Sculpting Station and sculpture then clicking the Undo button.
  • Makeover Room UI for the Stylist Profession now shows the correct text for non-English territories.

Showtime Updates

  • Games that are saved when paused will now correctly load paused.
  • Online In game messages now have headers to explain who the comment came from and where it was directed.

Supernatural Updates

  • Sims will no longer freeze when trying to Awaken Bonehilda on Bonehilda’s Coffin.
  • The Durasoft Rocking Chair now has correct functionality in Aurora Skies regardless of The Sims 3: Supernatural  installation.

University Life Updates

  • Sims can now ask their romantic interests to be roommates.
  • The ‘Invite to be Roommate’ social is now appropriately available only with The Sims 3: University Life installed.
  • PlantSims downloaded from the exchange can now use their powers and have the appropriate needs.
  • Love letters received at University are no longer converted into unusable bills when returning to home world.
  • Skill gain speeds influenced by the Increased Understanding moodlet have been corrected and are no longer ‘insanely fast’.
  • Photos taken from the smartphone while at University are now moved to the inventory upon returning to the home world.
  • The Murphy Bed has been made less lethal.
  • Sims in the Sports Agent career can now Negotiate Contracts without receiving any errors.
  • Sims invited to graduation are no longer duplicated in the relationship panel.
  • Roommates in the home world have been motivated and will now autonomously leave the house and go to work.
  • Teens who have maximum influence with a social group will now get the appropriate career opportunity when they age up.
  • Sims that skip class activities or lecture halls will no longer have their needs frozen.
  • Children can no longer gain influence with social groups.
  • Fixed a crash that would occur when installing store content while audio is playing.
  • The ‘Keep Me Logged In’ feature on the launcher has been fixed to work with the latest patch.
  • The Art Appraiser and Sports Agent careers are no longer available through cheats without The Sims 3: University Life installed.
  • Sims selecting the Education Career will now start at a higher career level if they have completed a degree from The Sims 3: University Life.
  • Having a PlantSim in a household and then uninstalling The Sims 3: University Life will no longer cause some PlantSim features to remain.
  • Care Packages will now correctly show up in the gifting tabs.
  • All Sims attending a protest in a group now have access to Podium interactions and will all receive the appropriate moodlet when the Protest finishes.
  • The Social Networking Skill statistic: ‘Total Simoleans Earned from Blog Donations and Buyouts’ now updates correctly in the Skill Journal.
  • When a Sim is en route to class in the University world, the corresponding tooltip now appropriately describes where they are going.
  • Selling a Bowling Lane from the Family Inventory and then clicking the Undo button will now correctly remove the Bowling Lane object from the world.
  • The wish “Play Sports at the Stadium” wish now fulfills correctly.
  • Sims in the University world will no longer get the wish “Talk About new Job”.

70s, 80s, & 90s Stuff

  • 80’s prom dress now appears under formal wear


Store Updates

  • Users who have a large amount of Store content installed will no longer experience their content disappearing from the launcher
  • Store Sets can now be purchased on the Main Menu.

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 SettingsUSERMy DocumentsElectronic ArtsThe 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 SettingsUSERMy DocumentsElectronic ArtsThe Sims 3Saves
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.

TS3 Community Blog: Mermaid Madness!

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Mermaids are a new occult life state in The Sims 3 Island Paradise! Mermaids are a lot like regular Sims, but they like to spend their time swimming, preferably in salt water. As expected, Mermaids are more versatile in the water than regular Sims. They can swim faster, stay underwater indefinitely and, if they have the Evil trait, they have the special ability to Summon Sharks!

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Mermaids Sims have beautiful fish-like tails when in water and scaly legs when on land. Their scale colors can be adjusted using the “Change Scale Color” interaction on the mirror. Female Mermaids will also be able to adjust the color of the seashell tops they wear while swimming with this interaction.

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Mermaids have a “Hydration” motive that is fulfilled by water activities like swimming and bathing, and if you have The Sims 3 Seasons, even walking in the rain! It’s important to pay attention to this motive since Mermaids are creatures of the sea, they are easily dehydrated. If their Hydration motive gets too low they will start dry out! First they become chapped, then they get flakey (eww!) and finally they collapse from dehydration. If this happens, another Sim needs to revive the Mermaid by pouring water on them otherwise they’ll get a visit from the Grim Reaper!

Of course, Mermaids can have children. If a Mermaid falls in love with another Mermaid (woohoo!) they are guaranteed to have Mermaid offspring. A Mermaid and a regular Sim have a 50/50 chance of their children being Mermaids.

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Mermaids can eat the same foods as regular Sims, but they prefer tasty kelp and fresh fish. This makes them very popular with cats if you have The Sims 3 Pets! It is rumored that there is a secret, uncharted island known only to Mermaids. If your Sim is lucky and befriends a Mermaid they may let you in on the secret!

Be sure to tune into The Sims Live Broadcast on Tuesday, June 18 to see a see Mermaids in a live gameplay demo of Island Paradise as well as catch more information about underwater activities in this expansion releasing on June 25.

COMMUNITY BLOG LINK

A Designer’s Thoughts: Armored Black Dragons

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Check out what Designer Alan Copeland has to say about the Baby Dragons he created for The Sims 3 Dragon Valley! The Armored Black Dragon will be available as a bonus unlock when you own both The Sims 3 Dragon Valley and the Dukes of Bow Renn Faire venue – both available on The Sims 3 Store on May 30, 2013. 
Some have said that finding an Armored Black Dragon is a bad omen and surely its presence is a sign of evil on the horizon but the truth is that these mysterious critters are beyond the trappings of traditional “good vs. evil”. They are born with an inherent understanding of many of the Reaper’s secrets, a burden that often makes them detached and distant.
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For reasons the Armored Black Dragons think best to keep to themselves, being around them gives the Mark of the Black Dragon moodlet, benefiting their companions with bonuses of Energy and Hunger. Every Armored Black Dragon knows that the cycles of death are far, far, more logical than the cycles of life and will occasionally discuss those things with Sims to help them become more logical.
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Armored Black Dragons have conquered fear by twisting it into a powerful tool to use against others. If they find a Sim particularly annoying they can turn their onyx stare into a curse so heinous that some have even transformed into a soulless zombie!
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Armored Black Dragons have a kinship with the dead so they can summon ghosts that can haunt an area or give your Sim a chance to talk to those that have passed to the other side.
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But the reason the Black Armored Dragon is arguably the most powerful of all of the dragons is its ability to summon a free pass for the next time the Grim Reaper is around in the form of a Death Flower!
Armored Black Dragons are exclusively unlocked for those customers that have both the World and the new “Duke of Bows Renaissance Faire” venue.