So while The Sims 3 will never be a PC cover game, you can be sure we'll be keeping an eye on it - especially as the EA development team are apparently taking tips from Wright's forthcoming opus Spore, and are promising more features to appeal to us so-called hardcore PC gamers. More likely, it's both of the above, and the fact that perhaps, after all, there is a great game here - created by game visionary Will Wright - that has become a worldwide phenomenon, shifting close to 100 million units. Or maybe it's because of the endless chartclogging expansion packs - Teen Stuff, Makin'Magic, University et al - that for us, sum up everything that is bad and cynical about the gaming industry. Maybe our schizophrenic behaviour is because we're gaming snobs, unable to appreciate the fact that within our overwhelmingly male hobby, nearly 60 per cent of Sims players are female, and convinced that this isn't a proper game like World of Warcraft or Crysis. We might occasionally do a 'Sims-free' Top 20 chart or give a risible expansion pack such as The Sims 2: H&M Fashion Stuff a well-deserved Dump award, but we also thoroughly enjoyed mucking about with toilet training our Sims in a Jackass feature and will heap praise and a 72% score upon a genuinely excellent addition to the franchise such as The Sims 2: Open for Business. We Have Ah uncomfortable relationship with The Sims here at PC. This usually means trying to make them happy, but of course, what’s the point of playing at god if you don’t have some fun too? The major point of the game is that you get to control every aspect of your sims life. Sims sometimes struggle to find paths, which can slow down travel. While this is greatly improved over previous versions, it’s not perfect. They’ll take the most direct route, which really helps in making travel easier. If you want your sim to go to the outskirts of town, simply clicking on the area will have your sim travel there on their own. Travel has been greatly improved in this game as well. If you want to see ghosts for example, stop by the cemetery at midnight, or if you happen to be at the park when others are there, you can join an impromptu picnic. The game is also stocked with fun additions that only appear if you are in the right place at the right time. Socializing with friends is as easy as calling people from other neighborhoods and inviting them over. Another alternative is to have Origin logged in on another computer and then launch it you'll be notified that you're logged in elsewhere and asked if you want to continue in off-line mode (my daughter and I experience this all the time).Not only is traveling from one area to another more smooth, communication has also been made easier. You can then re-enable the internet and Origin will remain offline.
It will notify you that you are offline and ask for you to log in (even though you aren't online). You can temporarily disable your internet (easy on a laptop, not so sure about a desktop) and launch Origin. MrsFlynn's instructions are perfect for going offline, but there's a way to launch Origin in off-line mode to start if that's your preference. If you purchased/installed through Origin, I have no idea if you can by-pass it. I use TS3.exe to by-passes the launcher, or I use Sims3Launcher.exe to see the launcher first.
I don't use the expansion directory my files are in: \\\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\. However, I purchased and installed them prior to Origin (but I am able to play through Origin if I want). I have two files that I use to play TS3 without Origin.