Finally getting around to putting the sims on my new computer.

I have:
-All the expansions on disc except showtime which I must have bought as a digital copy.
-Some stuff packs as digital copies
-A bunch of store stuff I was able to get once they gave you points for ads etc.
-All the worlds expect Roaring Heights (I would like to get it) and Barnacle Bay (not sure I care)
-I use Mods and CC so I will be rechecking the what modes do you need sticky thread and will be using Nraas Industries mod, and Grants CC magic for starters (as they have always been my can't do without).

So the question here is about set up, installing, patching, order to do things, avoiding mistakes you will regret later. Do's and don'ts of installing and getting back in to playing sims 3
If you were starting over what would you make sure to do /not to do this time?

I have always thought about playing an "expansions" legacy, where each generation would focus on the feature of the next expansion. 1st gen - base game. 2nd gen- world of adventure etc. Would it mess up patching to
Also I remember there is something about making sure not to let it patch to the last patch. Can I do this with Showtime being a digital copy?

I think Showtime being digital would be problematic if you want to stay on 1.67, yeah. Having said that, I installed the whole thing through Origin in 2016 and it claims to be on 1.67, regardless, so it may not be as simple as that.

Now I'm guessing that you're familiar enough with TS3 to know the essentials - install everything in order, get the NRaas thing in there as soon as you can, try putting your documents on an SSD or a RAMdisk if at all possible, and make sure to nuke the inevitable zombie invasion from orbit.

When it asks if you want to install origin, always say NO.

If you intend to have Showtime and the Stuff Packs that you only own digitally as part of this install, then you are going to end up with Patch 1.69 and an Origin controlled game anyway. You may as well not bother trying for a mixed disc/Origin install and do it all through Origin. There are no ways around that other than acquiring the missing discs or repurchasing the entire game on Steam and installing it that way.

Can I move them over from my other computer some how?

What is the big draw back of the 1.69 patch other than its stupid you can load only the expansions you want, which if you did could be game braking? Looks like I need to do some research and refresher reading.

Update: found a 1.69 thread http://www.modthesims.info/showthre...25#startcomment

No, you cannot move a DRM protected program install from one computer to another and expect it to work, and no there is no way to install digital versions of the game by way of Origin and not land on Patch 1.69. Take care with that older thread, Origin and the Patch were updated in Jan 2016 to lock things down fully so tempting things like reinstalling the base game when finished and deploying the Super Patcher on a 1.69 install tend to break everything and make the game impossible to launch. Some of the earlier posts were describing what players were seeing before that happened.

My situation is somewhat similar to yours. I've recently reinstalled TS3 after at least a year on involuntary hiatus (old laptop couldn't handle running it anymore) and meant to go with a mix of discs and Origin packs but after EA support pissed me off I decided to take the leap and replace my digital packs with discs too so I could swear off Origin for good.

My base game disc is old enough so I could go back to 1.67, but I've played a fair bit on 1.69 before. It wasn't terrible I guess, and you won't ruin your saves even if some EPs gets unticked when loading, because you get a warning message about the incompatible save so you can quit w/o saving (this is before you even start to play btw) and restart. Very annoying though, especially when it sometimes happens several times in a row. I'd rather do w/o that hassle, but more importantly I'm very glad to be rid of Origin running in the background.

I've got a number of packs to replace with discs and can't afford to get them all at once so I'm taking the opportunity to only play the BG for now. Played a lot of TS2 legacies that way too, so it's something I enjoy doing generally even if I'm not doing one of those now. Instead my aim is to go for the TS3 equivalent of uberhood I guess one could say, and keep adding EP and store worlds one at a time, going by release date if possible. Hoping it'll work well, because what I had only as digital copies are almost only the later ones and I plan on playing every single premade household in rotation so I doubt I'll be w/o something to do while waiting for a deal on an EP.

Besides what already have been mentioned by others, I'd say ellacharmed's worlds with fixed routing is something you'd want to consider putting in before you start. Also, if you're doing something like a legacy or something else more intricate (involving many sims you care about) I recommend setting up your mods and their settings as early on as possible (before you get too far into that particular save), save those settings and back them up. Also back up your store content. I'm re-downloading everything and putting copies on an external HDD for safe keeping, as well organized as I have patience with. As for store items, some don't work as they should so perhaps look into fixed versions of them while you're at it.

And that's the end of my wall of text, at last! :D

MOved to help

Looking for fixed store content is a good point. As one the the reasons I avoid the launcher for installing items into the game it is does not clean up after itself when you uninstall them. So this time I need to be very careful that I want everything I install with the launcher. I used to add worlds just to check them out way too often. This time I need to do that outside of my normal game, maybe in a separate user name, to avoid the folder switch outs I know I will forget to do.