Furthermore there are a few new decorative items like fruit you can place on your new outdoor table with matching chairs, new potted plants and some outdoor lighting. A lot of the items feel like reskinned objects you already have. The counter tops are outdoor counters, but are really the indoor counters with a new brick texture on. With the Sims 3 pattern creator you can already do this yourself. This is very efficient of the developers.
The biggest problem with the range of expansions and additions are the way they are installed. Each pack gets its own folder under Program Files (if you choose to use Program Files for your installations). So you end up with a folder structure that by now looks like this:
– The Sims 3
– The Sims 3 Ambitions
– The Sims 3 Fast Lane Stuff
– The Sims 3 High-End Loft Stuff
– The Sims 3 Late Night
– The Sims 3 Outdoor Living Stuff
– The Sims 3 World AdventuresIt also appears as though the more packs you have installed, the longer the game takes to load. And not just by a few seconds to check which packs are installed. Think more in the lines of seven games installed, seven times the loading time. I ran into another common problem according to some forums, yet no official word from EA yet: certain save games seem to be susceptible to severe slowdown after the latest Stuff Pack is installed. This makes for quite a frustrating game, having to give up your current character and start a new life in a new town. So far these slowdowns only happen with my family in Bridgeport, and this town seems to be a common problem. Maybe it’s those grumpy vampires slowing it down.