Sims 3 64 Bit Mac - UI/Resolution too small

[puzzlezaddict]

@1702f2d952a6a7dc  Any even mildly demanding game will drain a laptop's battery.  That's what it's supposed to do, and how the laptop is supposed to handle it: running games takes energy as the processor and graphics card have consistently high workloads.  You can't get good performance without pouring more power into the process.  It's always best to play while a laptop is plugged in, otherwise the system will throttle itself to try to preserve battery life, at least relative to maximum power draw.

That extra energy  is dissipated in large part as heat as well.  It can't be helped.  This is why it's important to elevate a laptop while playing pretty much any game or use a cooling pad or fan.

As for the UI, try lowering the in-game resolution, for example using the tool mentioned in this thread.

By the way, I'm not sure what an M2 Macbook 2013 is.  The M2 models are only from 2022, and they're only available in MacBook Airs and Pros, not regular Macbooks.

[tiredvamp]

so has this not been fixed yet ?

i uninstalled the sims 3 bc of this problem and i was wondering if it was fixed.

[puzzlezaddict]

@tiredvamp  If you're asking about the size of the user interface, no, nothing has been done, and also, it's not a bug but rather the way the UI was designed.  If you want the UI to be larger, you need to play at a lower in-game resolution.

[cookiemobster7]

OMG I AM SO LATE BUT I LOVE YOU! This fixed the game for me i’m in shock, i stupidly thought the game only ran in scaled (since i didn’t know you could change it) and had the wrong dimensions which gave me an ugly black border. now my game is PERFECT. The dimensions are perfect with Better Display!! confirmation. this method WORKS. use it. i also changed it to 1440 x 900 for the record

[junimoworld]

I just updated my MacBook Pro. These are its specs:

MacBook Pro 13-inch, M1, 2020

macOS Ventura 13.4.1

Before updating my computer (this is the only thing I can think of that changed), my Sims 3 ran at kind of a small, chunky, incorrect resolution, but I didn't mind because it was playable. Now, it runs at way too high of a resolution for my computer (my computer's default is 1440x900 and Sims 3 is defaulting to 1920x1080), and it's so tiny it's unplayable. None of the screen size options in the options menu are correct (pictured). I remember having a lot more than these three before.

I looked online and tried all the advice I saw. I tried going into the options file in the documents and changing the resolution there, but every time I start the game after changing it, it reverts right back to 1920x1080 in the file! I also tried windowed mode, but that just makes it even tinier.

I really have no clue what to do, and nothing online is answering my questions!

[puzzlezaddict]

@junimoworld  I've merged your post with the master thread for this issue.  You can try the suggestion in post 19 if you want.

I'd also like to say that your Mac's native resolution is actually 2560x1600.  (This is true for every 13" M1 MacBook Pro.)  1440x900 is a supported scaled resolution that you might be using, but I guess the game sees the actual pixel count, not the effective resolution the system is imposing.

[junimoworld]

Thanks so much! I wonder why my Mac display settings say 1440x900 then haha that's confusing. Fingers crossed that solution works. Kind of a bummer that this issue has been happening to people for over a year now!

[Maridemi7]

I have downloaded Better Display, but I haven't been able to change my in-game resolution. The in-game drop down menu still only shows 3 options that make the game non-playable. What are the steps exactly through Better Display? 

[puzzlezaddict]

@Maridemi7  Someone wrote out the steps here:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/Sims-3-64-Bit-Mac-UI-Resolution-too-small/m-p/1165122...

[msphoenixnoire]

I'm struggling with this exact same thing! I'm using an M2 Macbook Pro 2023 with MacOS 13.5 (Ventura) installed. I installed Better Display, followed the instructions, but the game still hasn't changed! I can still only get the UI to as small as 1920x1200, DESPITE having both Better Display and my regular display set to 1512x982.

HELP!!!