So, you know, I decided to quit TS4 for a while and play TS3. I have the physical disc and last time I booted it up (~3 years ago, maybe? It was a few months TS4's C&D came out) I managed to play it without updating and linking with origin and all that. Now I'd like to play it again, and this time download some of the DLCs that I missed out on in my childhood. Is there a way to do that without...like, updating and all that? If I recall correctly, wasn't the last major update for TS3 like a really, REALLY bad issue? Like, make-the-game-gitchy-and-unplayable bad?

You should get the patch 1.67. 1.67 is the second last patch and almost identical to 1.69 except 1.69 forces you to login with origin. As for expansions you may be able to buy the disks from online shopping websites for cheap price. As for Steam I think other users can help you better.

Btw do we have an faq for this type of thing? Feel like we should cause we get these questions a lot.

If you have a 2012 or older versions of the BG disc, you can install it and update the 1.67 using the SUPERPATCH (HERE). Do not install Origin / EA Download Manager, even if the installer tells you. Once you've updated to 1.67, you can install all the EPs and SPs in whichever order you want.

The easiest way to play TS3 currently is to use the Steam version (1.67 + DRM free). Since it's DRM free, you can play it without launching Steam (though you need to launch the game from Steam once every time you install a new EP so it creates the registry keys). It's pretty cheap to buy it on Steam when there's a sale (each pack costs $5, and you can get a superpack with TS3 + Pets, Seasons and Generations for $8). That way you'll always have the best DIGITAL version available, in case your discs fail. There's also a small chance that EA will remove the game from the Steam store as they've done with other games (and then you'll only be able to buy it on Origin, which has the awful 1.69 version). Keep in mind that once you buy a game on Steam, it's yours to keep, even if they remove it from the Store, you'll always have it in your Library.

So if I were to just stop using the disc and instead go for the steam version, does the superpatch work for that as well? Or just the disc version?

You don't need the Superpatch for the Steam version. Version 1.67 is automatically installed when you install the game using the Steam client. And it never tries to update to 1.69 (thank God). You only need to run it once everytime you install a new EP (so it creates the registry keys) and then you can run it from the TS3W.exe executable in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Sims 3\Game\Bin" by default.

I now play Sims 3 using Steam and found that I can sign into my Sims 3 EA account making it possible to add on all of the worlds that I own. I also easily downloaded all of my store items! Currently playing on a Predator gaming lap top where my Sims 3 look absolutely amazing!

If you have the steam version you will never have 1.69 pushed at you - I'm still on 1.67 (I have the steam version). You shouldn't have any problem with the store. What you can't do easily is mix-and-match, say Steam base game and Origin EPs.

Sims 3 is 75% off at Steam right now, and I believe the EPs (though not the SPs) are as well.

I've got the full collection on disks and play patched to 167 without using the launcher and my game is heavily Modded.I've also had to play recently to test a new Mod out and it fixed some major issues.I've had to buy Ambitions from Amazon.