Fat, plastic looking sims 3...? Missing something?

[Nalia]

There will be no SuckaRom in TS3, PixieStyx.
I'm with you on the rest of your post though.

[PixieStyx26]

Really no SecureRom yay!!!

[Nalia]

I think it will be on the digital version -- if you download TS3 from their site that is. But if you buy your copy from a shop you won't have to deal with it at all.

[roerzman]

I'm with you on that one PixieStyx. To buy or not to buy is about the only option one has when handed the final outcome. But not being able to predict as mentioned by others where EA. were going with the game as a result of their tight lip policy I will question.
They certainly didn't hold back with the sims 2 when they were developing it. The exact opposite policy with the sims 3 plus all the wonderful amenities that will be available to us via the sims store and all that should have been enough for most of us to read between the lines.
I still believe all the talk about their drm measures, on again and of again etc. was there to divert us from their CC. limitations, and I must say it worked wonderfully.
CC. and modding is the nuts and bolts of the game and is the reason for the existence of sites like this. Even Mod the sims 2 may have to change their name to Recolour the sims 3.
In the end It's a money game, a mass uproar at a suspicion that they were going to lock the game down would have been enough to have them scurrying back to rewrite it, but unfortunately the "let.s wait for the facts first" attitude has enabled them to hand us their finished product as is.
So that just leaves one unanswered question, What part will TSR. play in this?

[Nalia]

I don't know what part will TSR play, I am so sick of their intercourse with EAxis and vice versa; but I stick with my principal: unless the game is unlocked by any means, be it "legal" or "illegal" in their boook --and I take FULL responsibility of what I'm saying here-- so as to enable mods, fixes by fellow players and freely distributed CC, EAxis won't take my money. Period.

[roerzman]

The only thing that will have any influence now is sales. No doubt they have a target, and it would not surprise me if they have contingency plans in place to release an open source version or patch if it all goes pear shaped. The arg. thing is not the answer, in the long run it just makes it harder for all of us.

[abaris]

It might be true, but then again it depends on what ages we are talking about. The ones who keep bitching about the game are apparently adults, and adults tend to be more demanding than kids and teens.

But the industry aims for kids. For those pesky little bastards bitching their parents into buying. Also the industry has hardly any interest in the longevity of their products anymore. The sooner the gamer gets bored, the better for the industry, since their next product is ready to be released.

Making modding impossible makes absolute sense, since there is a trend to make some additional dough by selling content online.

Well, as has been said. One doesn't have to buy on the very first day. Let's see what the experts say about that newest gem and then make an educated decision.

[Nalia]

If you talk about the game industry in general, I'm afraid I'll have to disagree. By now they are well aware,  according to their surveys, that their games are bought by kids and adults alike.  But if you talk about EAxis in particular, I will possibly agree.

As for the longevity of the games, I think it depends on the company and the title. Not that EAxis cares about it. As you said, they are going to get more money with EPs and their online store. I feel pity for the parents. lol

Who are the "experts"?

[abaris]

Who are the "experts"?

The modders of course. It's them who influence my buying decisions. Certainly not the mags, who would write anything for the right cash.

[Nalia]

Yup, yup. I'm with you.

[ma.]

Question: How are modders considered experts? I mean, sure they probably know what they're talking about, but I wouldn't consider them experts.

[Nalia]

Modders like Pescado and Lord Darcy, to mention only two, are considered experts in my book because they had been fixing game problems long before EAxis released the patches. Not to mention that some problems, like a Knowledge Sim getting a negative engagement memory in University, was never fixed by EAxis.

[ma.]

Ah, gotcha. Now with Pescado I could see him having that title. I'm unable to use the EAxis patches because I'm on a mac (a reason why I intend on getting TS3 on the PC).

But what exactly have they said about the future TS3 that magazines might have said wrong? All I've heard (mostly from SnootySims and GameInformer) was good.

[abaris]

Question: How are modders considered experts? I mean, sure they probably know what they're talking about, but I wouldn't consider them experts.

And in my case the primary question is if the game is moddable at all. In the long run I never cared much for vanilla versions. At least not enough to fork out 50+ for something.

[roerzman]

Every game/program is moddable. The major difference between sims 2 and 3 is unlike 2, sims 3 is closed source. That means modifying the thing is illegal, As in messing with the animations, behaviour or defaults.
Get caught with something like that on your pc, whether for personal use or intent to redistribute, will land you in it up to your chin.