Mobs Move Into Sims Online Power Vacuum
Posted by Marcel Klum on 08 June 2003 - 08:52 · 7 comments & 209 views
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Full name: Marcel Klum
Forum name: Redmak
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Full name: Marcel Klum
Forum name: Redmak
Contact: via forum PM
Submissions: Normal · Headline
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#1 Posted by EddiE314 on 08 Jun 2003 - 10:15
- lol
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#2 Posted by madjo on 08 Jun 2003 - 10:53
- sick, but lol
glad I don't play the Sims
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#3 Posted by Quick Reply on 08 Jun 2003 - 13:44
- ROFLMAO, it's a virtual mafia!!!!! i want!!!
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#4 Posted by dimalife on 08 Jun 2003 - 14:39
- Godfather all over again.. They show up at your house and say "I'm ganna make you an offer you can't refuse". I'm not sure this all works though, what damage can you do to sims in the game?
I'm ganna make you an offer you can't understand.
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(1 reply)
#5 Posted by DrOmango on 08 Jun 2003 - 14:48
- lmao thats funny!
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#6 Posted by Darkness2k on 08 Jun 2003 - 22:17
- I believe you can just set your "house" that only people you have on your friends list can visit (and only if your at the house anyway).
I'm pretty sure noone else can destroy your things, apart from with overuse... unless maybe they know hacks to kill things I don't know..
I did the beta, but I never played it since it required a subscription. There were no mobs that I knew of during the beta mind.
It's a violent twist for The Sims, the dollhouse-inspired computer game that has long been portrayed as the antithesis to guns-'n-gore bestsellers like Grand Theft Auto. The emergence of a seedy underbelly in the online game may reveal more about the dark fantasies of middle-aged suburbanites than anyone suspected.
To hear the ersatz mob boss, Piers Mathieson, tell it, it all began innocently enough, with the desire to impose order on the chaos that is The Sims Online. To Mathieson, the lack of a government to lay down laws in virtual online communities like Alphaville -- let alone cops to enforce the rules -- resulted in anarchy. ``Grievers'' arose -- players who delight in creating misery for other players -- stealing money, trashing houses or even appropriating another's online identity.
Mathieson, 34, who lives in Las Vegas and promotes bands, said players turned into racketeers. "They show up at your house and they request protection money. `You have to pay me 100,000 simolians if you don't want your house torn down.' It's technically harassment." "We weren't playing the games as hoodlums, we were playing the game as protectors of the city," said Mathieson. At least at first. Somewhere along the line, though, the Sims Shadow Government turned from benevolent overseer to a virtual version of La Cosa Nostra.
The in-game hits are not as gory as a bloody horse head in the bed of a movie producer who offended Don Corleone -- the fictional Godfather created by Mario Puzo. But for online game players who invest months developing a character, it can be nonetheless devastating. Like the time 28 gang members stormed a rival's property and delivered a ``red link'' -- the game's way of designating another player as an ``enemy.''
Game experts say organized gangs are the hallmark of successful online multiplayer games, like ``Lineage'' or ``Ultima Online.'' Sometimes, it's a sign that the game lacks enough interesting elements to engage the players -- so they create their own drama. More often, it means players are so attached that they invest the time to exploit its rules.
Bouyant sales
Apple's music store has proven to be a major commercial success, overshadowing the online subscription services offered by the major record labels.
The iTunes store has more than 200,000 songs from artists such as U2, Eminem and Sting for sale at 99 cents (62 pence) each.
The service got off to a flying start, selling a million tracks in its first week.
I didn't realise yesterday's presentation was supposed to be confidential. When I found out, I pulled the details. Honest mistake
CD Baby website
The initial buoyant sales have continued. The leaked notes from the meeting last week show that Apple has sold 3.5 million songs in the six weeks the store has been open.
Worries in the record industry that customers would cherry-pick hits have not come true, with 45% of all songs downloaded as part of a full album.
The store offers an opportunity to sample 30 seconds of a track before you buy. The notes say that people tend to listen to 10 previews for every song they buy.
And most people seem happy to store their credit card details on the iTunes store. Some 90% of sales are one-click downloads, which means a credit card is automatically charged when a track is bought.
Private meeting
About 150 representatives were invited to the meeting with Steve Jobs to discuss making their music available on the iTunes store.
The meeting was supposed to be private, but notes taken by one of the people at the meeting have leaked onto the net.
CD Baby took the notes off its website shortly after posting them. A note on the site says: "Sorry, there used to be more details here. I didn't realise yesterday's presentation was supposed to be confidential.
"When I found out, I pulled the details. Honest mistake."
However, the information has found its way onto other sites.
One deal for all
The notes also provide an insight into how Apple deals with record industry.
It treats everyone the same way, rather than giving preferential treatment to the major labels with the big stars.
The independent music representatives were told they would be offered the same terms as bigger labels and have the same team looking after their tracks.
According to the notes, Mr Jobs said: "We have to be more efficient, though. We're not going to deal with 200 lawyers.
"Everyone is going to get the exact same deal. It's not negotiable. It's take it or leave it."
So far the iTunes service is accessible to fewer than 5% of the world's computer users - those owning an Apple Macintosh and living in the United States.
A Windows version of iTunes is planned for later this year, and an overseas expansion is also on the cards.