Sims 3 Website

[melanie]

The new Sims 3 website is up!

http://www.thesims3.com/

New Forums and such. Some of the site can't be used (like the Exchange) until you get your game (but you can still browse).

When you register your game now you receive $10 worth of FREE* SimPoints, a FREE** new town and full access to the community.


* US$10 VALUE AS OF DATE SIMPOINTS ARE AWARDED. FREE WITH FULL RETAIL PURCHASE, EA ONLINE ACCOUNT AND PRODUCT REGISTRATION WITH SERIAL CODE ENCLOSED WITH THE SIMS 3 FULL PRODUCT SOFTWARE. INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED. ONLY ONE EA ONLINE ACCOUNT HOLDER IS ENTITLED TO REDEEM FREE SIMPOINTS. YOU MUST ACCEPT THE SIMS 3 STORE DIGITAL SERVICES AGREEMENT TO RECEIVE SIMPOINTS. SIMPOINTS CAN BE EXCHANGED FOR VIRTUAL ITEMS AT THE SIMS 3 STORE, ARE NOT TRANSFERABLE AND ARE NOT REDEEMABLE FOR CASH.

** ACCEPTANCE OF END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT REQUIRED TO PLAY. ACCESS TO ONLINE SERVICES INCLUDING SIMPOINTS AND DOWNLOADS REQUIRES AN INTERNET CONNECTION, EA ACCOUNT AND GAME REGISTRATION WITH THE ENCLOSED SERIAL CODE. REGISTRATION IS LIMITED TO ONE EA ACCOUNT PER SERIAL CODE AND IS NON-TRANSFERABLE. EA ONLINE TERMS & CONDITIONS CAN BE FOUND AT www.ea.com. YOU MUST BE 13+ TO REGISTER FOR AN EA ACCOUNT. MAC USERS MUST UPDATE TO THE LATEST VERSION OF THE SIMS 3 LAUNCHER TO ACCESS ONLINE SERVICES, INCLUDING SIMPOINTS AND DOWNLOADS. EA MAY PROVIDE CERTAIN INCREMENTAL CONTENT AND/OR UPDATES FOR NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE, IF AND WHEN AVAILABLE.

Comments

[hkellick]

What I want to know is, since I'm getting the Collector's Edition, is that an ADDITIONAL $10 from the one I'm getting with my game? I hope so! :D

I'd seen a leak of this earlier, so was poking through the store this morning and there are things I would buy.

Though, I have to admit to being somewhat disgruntled that there's so much stuff in the store already. I'm already putting $70 down on this game. Couldn't they have given us more of this for free? :/

I mean, yes, I'm getting $20 (I HOPE!) of Free stuff, but still...

[melanie]

It's not in the disclaimer saying we couldn't get it. I think it's to encourage people to register (and cut down on piracy) so I think the people who got the collector's edition will get it too.

But is it $1 <-> 1 Sim Point?

[hkellick]

So you think we'd get an additional $10?

That's what I'm thinking. Guess we'll see.

[hkellick]

It was $10 = 1,000 simpoints back on the Sims 2 Store.

So, for example, the Bayside Furniture set which is 2,000 simpoints is probably worth $20.

[melanie]

It's annoying you can't post in the forum or even add more simpoints in advance without having the game already in your hands and registered.

[hkellick]

To help combat piracy, I'm sure, though probably the pirates will find copies of these sets someplace. :p

[melanie]

I had that happen to one of my expansion packs for the original sims, went to register it (I had just bought it) and it said the serial code was already in use x_x

[hkellick]

Oh man. :p

Yeah, the problem with Sims 3 was.. they hyped it up so much that Piracy was almost inevitable, man.

It kills me to see so much information coming out from the Pirated copies, and EA going "Well, yes, but they're working with an old, buggy Beta."

I hope so.

I hope there's no SecuROM on Sims 3. And I hope that they took care of the glitches and bugs and we get a sweet, smooth game!

[melanie]

http://thesims3.dreamwidth.org/411.html

The Sims 3 will have no DRM, just standard disc-based copy protection.

[hkellick]

Yep.

But someone.. with a pirated copy, I think.. reported SecuROM *WAS* on the Disc. This was reported on the other sims3 community.

I'm hoping this is true only because they'd downloaded the pirated copy.

[melanie]

Bloomberg reports that pirated versions of EA's The Sims 3 were downloaded over 180,000 times between May 18 and May 21. The game will not be officially released until June 2nd, and it does not make use of SecuROM for DRM.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=apRPoA_dd_7U

[hkellick]

I'm just parroting what was reported here.

Someone's being less than truthful. Blooberg/EA says no SecuROM. Pirates say SecuROM's there.

*shrugs*

Personally, I hope EA is being truthful.

[melanie]

After the Spore fiasco they should be truthful because it was very very ugly when they did try to DRM.

http://melanie.dreamwidth.org/736740.html

[hkellick]

There was alot of problems with Spore, the worst being the gameplay.

But I agree, the fact that you could only install the game so many times was, frankly, bupkis and that's why SecuROM came under so much fire. When it turned out SecuROM does less than happy things to your computer too.. that was probably the death knell for it. I REALLY hope EA doesn't go and add SecuROM to any Sims 3 Expansion Packs.

I agree Piracy is an issue, but clearly SecuROM *ISN'T* the answer to that issue.

[hkellick]

To be honest (and starting a new thread), Spore is why I'm still a little worried about Sims 3.

My expectations for Spore were sky high and then I got the game and.. ugh, it sucked so hard. I own it, but I haven't played it in forever and I probably won't, even with the oncoming EP.

What's the point?

[peachtess]

Spore pissed me off so much!

Min and I purchased the collectors edition to play on my system. We weren't sure if it was really something we'd want to play at the same time so we figured we would start with just the one copy. Little did we know that we couldn't have separate games and that it would lock itself to one account.

It was such a cheap thing to do. There was no reason other then wanting to milk the players for more money. So that multigamer households would have to buy a copy per player or put up with sharing the universe and account. Plus they didn't even make this clear on the packaging.

Oh yeah and the game sucked. Its like they got so wrapped up in the code for the creature maker that they forgot to make a game. =P

Sorry for ranty..I still haven't forgiven EA over it as you can tell..

[hkellick]

*thinks*

I want to say Sims 3 will operate the same way. You get ONE account on the new website, to download things, and that's it. Min couldn't take the copy you registered and try to register himself on a second computer. I THINK it's one account per game.

But we'll see, right?

and EA is ALL ABOUT milking the fans for more money. I mean.. wait til you hop on and see how much stuff is on the Sims 3 Store already. Easily $50 worth of stuff. :/

And, yes, I agree with you about the gameplay for Spore. Every stage sucked. It was too short, or it just sort of sucked gameplay wise. That's why I'm not getting the expansion. Why the hell would I want to play in Space Mode anymore? Does this EP fix the constant pirate attacks and ecodisasters cause if not, I'm not playing.

[faedreamer]

Try 275 dollars worth of stuff. Someone on the forums added it all up. They want us to spend 50-70 bucks for the game and then another almost 300 for content? As someone on the forum said, my partner would probably leave me if I spent 300 bucks on virtual furniture!

[melanie]

Then just get a new virtual partner >.> lol

j/k!

yea it's a lot

[hkellick]

That seems like.. a bit of an overestimation... but, wow... even $100 (which is closer to my estimation) is... kinda ridiculous, I think.

[faedreamer]

Not an overestimation, that's the total price if you were to buy everything in the Store right now: http://bbs.thesims2.ea.com/community/bbs/messages.php?threadID=0fafc8b5db5ba78298f50342b93c4a7d&directoryID=225&startRow=1&openItemID=item.225,item.43,item.61,item.104,item.41,item.127,item.23 That's the link to where some kind soul did the math and added it all up.

And this is just the launch items. EA has said they plan to add new items every month.

[hkellick]

One more comment, as I think about it..

Where EA goes wrong.. where it's continued to go wrong time after time after time.. is when they start trying to create game for 'casual gamers'.

According to EA, they wanted to create a SimCity that was alot more casual and alot less micromanagement and they ended up farming the effort out to Twisted Mill that gave us Simcity Societies, another not-so-great game.

They also wanted a more kid-friendly casual Sim experience, and thus they gave us MySims which is selling well, but is very dumbed down and honestly doesn't have the ability to keep a market for anyone over the age of 13 or so.

Spore too, according to Will Wright himself, was created for a casual gamer. And we all agree on that game.

THAT is my big worry about Sims 3. EA has put out ALOT of garbage recently. It SEEMS like Sims 3 will be a great game, but.. until I've played it and experienced it, I'm trying to keep my expectations lukewarm. Because, like Spore, this could be another piece of garbage.

Which would make me REALLY sad.

[peachtess]

I'm worried that they made it too easy. It SOUNDS great that your Sims are smarter and you can spend less time micro-managing them but that was the tension in the game. It really worried me when in that interview that was posted in this community the person from EA said that if you want to just sit back and watch the game play itself you could. Whats the point of playing something that plays itself?

I'm very much hoping that they have replaced this tension with something else. That in order to get your sims where you want them you'll be so busy with X that you won't have time to worry about sending the sim to the bathroom so they don't wet themselves. I just have no clue what X could be.

[hkellick]

I understand what you're saying, but it sounds like the tension is .. just different instead of removed. It's.. actually helping your sim excel in a career, learn skills, make friends and families.

The need to go pee and sleep is still there, it's just taking a back seat to the social aspects which.. I could be down with!

[melanie]

The focus on having to have friends to move along used to kill me x_x