"Sims Online" set to revolutionize gaming
Posted by Keldyn on 15 December 2002 - 04:38 · 13 comments & 489 views
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#1 Posted by Space Guy on 15 Dec 2002 - 05:29
- looking forward to it.. but reallly dont want to play per month...
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(1 reply)
#2 Posted by mcb on 15 Dec 2002 - 05:45
- this is how its going to be.. consoles steal away all the good pc games, and maybe they'll throw us a crappy port if we're lucky. the pure pc games will have subcriber fees, catering to cockmongers and 12 year old psychopaths
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#3 Posted by Laser_iCE on 15 Dec 2002 - 07:07
- well said. I really couldn't be bothered have to pay every month, I'll just get a crack for it if I have to, but if I can't, then there is no way I am paying to play online.
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#4 Posted by wildliquid on 15 Dec 2002 - 07:12
- it is going to be an awesome game but, i have no way of paying for it as i live in austalia
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#5 Posted by Wickedkitten on 15 Dec 2002 - 13:03
- It would be cool if, seeing as how you are having to pay for the game per month, they let you have the game for free. Never going to happen but it would be nice.
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#6 Posted by Opio on 15 Dec 2002 - 17:40
- I've been playing the beta for weeks and I'll tell you one thing: It's not worth it (for me) to pay for this on a monthly basis. It's just the Sims with other people. Kind of like a visual chat room, if you will. Not THAT revolutionary... I wasn't too impressed :disappoin
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#7 Posted by Solarix on 15 Dec 2002 - 18:16
- the game was killed by hot date
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#8 Posted by quanta on 15 Dec 2002 - 19:31
- It is interesting that it is TSO that will be the closest approximating to a virtual facsimile of the real world. Not exactly how Gibson may have depicted cyberspace or Stephenson described the Metaverse, but there you go. Of course, this is a world with no fat people and everyone eats from buffets. I never really got into the game, and I'm not sure who would, because it's like pretending you're in real life! You eat, your sleep, you pee, you talk to people, you get a job and buy stuff. I got really bored after watching my Sim learn how to cook by reading a cook book for half an hour (and that's a REAL half an hour).
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#9 Posted by Braddock on 15 Dec 2002 - 19:34
- To Wildliquid. The game will have payment options so that you can purchase "Gametime" like other EA online games. Second they will accept credit cards and pay by check i am fairly sure. Regarding wickedkittens statement. I would guess based on EAs most recent online game release (Earth and beyond) they will eventually offer it as a demo where you can download the game for free or order the CDs then you can decide after the trial period if you want to pay the subscription fee. I think that is the way most online games are going. Regarding what you said Laser_iCE, you won't be able to play with a crack. Games like this keep c00l d00ds like you out by asking you to pay(which is a good thing) I suggest you actually go out and purchase and pay for the games you play. Using cracks are cheap and make you no better than a common thief stealing software from a Comp USA.
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#10 Posted by nonick on 15 Dec 2002 - 21:49
- i aint payin sh|t, they can kiss my A5S.
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#11 Posted by lrnecnaecge on 16 Dec 2002 - 01:21
- from the things i've read from people using the betas and what the premise of the online version is, i don't think that i would ever pay a monthly fee for it, it seems to me that it only is a visual chat room, nothing at all special, especially for $10 a month plus what my ISP charges. personally i don't really like the sims offline, its just, well, boring... nothing special and all the expansions should have been in the original game and not have people shell out more and more to get slight updates, but that is just my opinion and as that it shouldn't be held to much...
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#12 Posted by macrosslover on 16 Dec 2002 - 02:52
- this is just greedy and sad. they could have alot more customers if they only charged 5 ot 6 a month? i think we all would say that's fair. that's the cost of 1 software title (60-70), on top of the money they are already charging you for the software, so they would make money and be able to support it. but $10-13, that's just sad it ain't no damn way i'm paying 120 a year for one game. but you think this is expensive, wait till galaxies come out. i guarantee you they will probably try to charge 15 a month for it. i'd spend 15 a month on a porno website before i spend it on a game, so they just need to get serious and remember their place.
This time, the whole world is paying attention as Wright creator of "SimCity" and "The Sims," the biggest selling computer game of all time, prepares to offer up "The Sims Online."
The multiplayer version of "The Sims," set to debut Tuesday, has been hailed as the first major test of whether subscription-based online gaming can appeal to a mass audience. Executives at Electronic Arts, parent company of Wright's Maxis studio, have touted the game as vindication of the company's substantial investment in online gaming. And the 8 million or so people playing the offline version of "The Sims" have some pretty firm ideas about how the online version should work.
All in all, Wright is starting to prefer obscurity.
"With 'The Sims,' the expectations were so low that anything we did was going to look good," Wright said. "All we can do on this project is fail, because everyone is expecting success. They've told us from the beginning this is the most important project at EA."
To date, the top-selling online subscription-based game has been Sony's "EverQuest," with an audience approaching 500,000 people who pay $13 a month to access the game's huge fantasy world.
The most optimistic "Sims" boosters say the online game has the potential to draw an audience in the millions. EA executives have said they expect to have at least 200,000 subscribers paying $10 a month for "The Sims Online" by the end of the company's fiscal year, next March 30. Executives have since backed off those numbers, as the delivery date for the game has slipped, but EA insiders and analysts still see a clear road for "The Sims Online" to become the biggest thing in the developing world of online gaming.
"To be a success, it really only has to appeal to a fraction of the users that play 'The Sims,' " said David Cole, president of research firm DFC Intelligence. "Whether that's 5 percent or 10 percent, the barrier for breakeven success is fairly low."
Here's a brief snap of what the paper magazine publishes:
Bapco Sysmark
Athlon 64 178, Athlon XP 145, Pentium 4 217
SPECfp base 2000
Athlon 64 674, Athlon XP 504, Pentium 4 677
SPECint base 2000
Athlon 64 739, Athlon XP 532, Pentium 4 774
Although the benchmarks are not available yet on the c't Web site, it's likely that they may be published later