The Sims Online has now become EA Land, and with the change of name have come a number of alterations to the basic structure of the game, which are drawing in new players by the droves. Free play; custom content; ownable stores; Paypal-enabled exchange of Simoleons for actual money; the list goes on, and the game gets better every week. Here's a review of some of the changes, and how you can use them to earn money:
Free Play
Not much explanation necessary here. The 14-day trial of old has now been extended to permanent free play, with a few limitations. One of the most noteworthy of these is that free players will only be able to cash-out more money than they cashed in; in other words, they can't actually make any money from the game until they are subscribers. The only way to earn money in-game is to team up with a full subscriber, and get them to pay you. Your free play account is easily upgradeable to full member, so once you're earning more cash in-game than the $9.99 a month it costs to subscribe, it's time to upgrade.
Custom Content
At last! The Sims Online has allowed users to create custom content. Apart from adding variety and interest, this is a great way for players to earn money in the game, and real life. To create custom content you can either modify an existing Sims object, start completely from scratch, or use a photograph or existing image as a basis for your new Sims object. There are plenty of tutorials available to show you how to get started, and you'll be surprised how easy it is to do once you've had a little practice.
Player to Player Commerce
With the advent of custom content, players are now able to sell items that they've made to other players. This system has already worked extremely well in Second Life, and now that it's come to the online version of the best selling game ever, a colossal marketplace is set to develop. While the creation of these custom products might be easy for those of us who are used to the internet and basic graphic programs, for a lot of people these are difficult technology, and they are exactly the sort of people who play the Sims, and nothing else. If you can edit images then you can build content, and there is a business opportunity for you in the Sims Online world -- just remember not to forget it's about fun.
Cash-Out
Cashing-in and cashing-out are EA speak for turning your dollars into Simoleons (cashing in) and converting them (plus more) back to dollars (cashing out). Both transactions will be performed through Paypal, so your money should be safe. This means that EA Land is now a place where you can earn money without even leaving your house.
Cheats
There are a few sites around still offering (legal) cheats for the Sims Online, including bots who continually work to earn you money. Check out the link below for details.
At last, it seems, EA have finally implemented the changes that players have been crying out for since the Sims Online first hit our screens, pushing it out of mediocrity and into the big-money realms of games such as Second Life and WOW. Considering that Sims 1 and 2 are the top-selling games of all time, attracting millions of players who otherwise wouldn't even touch a computer, the Sims Online could well be set to herald in a new era of online gaming. Keep watching.
Showing posts with label trial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trial. Show all posts
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Avatarbook - Facebook Meets Online Gaming.
For those of you who don’t know, the Sims Online is undergoing a revolution. Having been left standing for the last few years with little to no input, EA are at last re-shaping the game, and the world of multiplayer gaming as we know it. Sound like hyperbole? Perhaps, perhaps not; check out their latest addition to the online gaming experience: AvatarBook.
Facebook made flesh
So what is Avatarbook? Well, the clue is in the name. What is one of the largest social networking websites on the planet at the moment? That’s right -– Facebook. With over 58 million users, Facebook is the primary reason that many of us log on in the morning. But, as we all know, it has its limitations. As do online games.
One problem with online games is that they can be too divorced from reality -– you have your online friends, and your real-world friends, and the two remain firmly divided. Ditto Facebook -– your user-circle is limited by who you already know, and it’s hard to get to know people outside of that circle on a one-to-one basis without sharing all your private data or being introduced by a friend of a friend.
All that is set to change, with a new application that could change our networking community forever. When Linden Labs made Linden Dollars (the currency of the hugely popular game Second Life) exchangeable for real-world currency, they opened up the world of online gaming by bringing it into the real world. Now EA want to do the same thing, by allowing users of the Sims Online to link their Avatars' accounts to their Facebook profiles.
Sharing Information
Avatarbook has two faces -- the in-game version and the Facebook version. In-game you can use it much like Facebook, in that you can find other Avatars and view their limited profiles. For friends the full profiles are visible, with walls for people to write on and updatable status. Your profile will also show if your lot is open or not, and the application an be used to quickly make your way around EA Land as you jump from friend to friend.
In Facebook, the application shows your Avatar's details (unless you have chosen a private setting) and picture, and whether or not you are logged on to the game. This is a useful way for players to find out who is online without having to log in themselves. You can also invite other users of Facebook who are not already Sims Online players to download the application and see your Avatar profile -- a move that EA hopes will attract more people to the game.
For the time being, then, the bulk of information that can be shared is Avatar-related. Their skills, properties and friends can all be viewed, and their Wall. The identity of the real-life person behind the Avatar is kept private, at least for now.
Privacy
Privacy is a major issue as far as EA are concerned, so at the moment Avatarbook is fairly limited in how much information can be shared. In the Sims game you can add people to your friends list, which will provide them with a link to your Facebook profile rather than making a direct link, though that is set to change as the application grows. Also, nobody in EA Land (the Sims Online world where the application will be available) will have access to your real name - you will be searchable only by your Avatar's name. EA have stated that they intend to allow players to lower their privacy settings so that more information can be shared, but at the moment they're playing it safe.
The Future
This application obviously shows great potential, and it is something that EA are going to continue to develop as they gain feedback from users. The Sims Online game is going through a revolution at the moment, with their free trial set to become permanent free play in the very near future (with limited gameplay for non-payers, much like in Second Life). For years now Second Life has been leading the pack in terms of innovation and social interactivity, but if EA keeps this up then we could be looking at a new contender for the crown. After all, they did come up with the two most popular games of all time (Sims and Sims 2), so some would say that this is less of a surprise than a belated homecoming. Certainly one to watch, at any rate.
Facebook made flesh
So what is Avatarbook? Well, the clue is in the name. What is one of the largest social networking websites on the planet at the moment? That’s right -– Facebook. With over 58 million users, Facebook is the primary reason that many of us log on in the morning. But, as we all know, it has its limitations. As do online games.
One problem with online games is that they can be too divorced from reality -– you have your online friends, and your real-world friends, and the two remain firmly divided. Ditto Facebook -– your user-circle is limited by who you already know, and it’s hard to get to know people outside of that circle on a one-to-one basis without sharing all your private data or being introduced by a friend of a friend.
All that is set to change, with a new application that could change our networking community forever. When Linden Labs made Linden Dollars (the currency of the hugely popular game Second Life) exchangeable for real-world currency, they opened up the world of online gaming by bringing it into the real world. Now EA want to do the same thing, by allowing users of the Sims Online to link their Avatars' accounts to their Facebook profiles.
Sharing Information
Avatarbook has two faces -- the in-game version and the Facebook version. In-game you can use it much like Facebook, in that you can find other Avatars and view their limited profiles. For friends the full profiles are visible, with walls for people to write on and updatable status. Your profile will also show if your lot is open or not, and the application an be used to quickly make your way around EA Land as you jump from friend to friend.
In Facebook, the application shows your Avatar's details (unless you have chosen a private setting) and picture, and whether or not you are logged on to the game. This is a useful way for players to find out who is online without having to log in themselves. You can also invite other users of Facebook who are not already Sims Online players to download the application and see your Avatar profile -- a move that EA hopes will attract more people to the game.
For the time being, then, the bulk of information that can be shared is Avatar-related. Their skills, properties and friends can all be viewed, and their Wall. The identity of the real-life person behind the Avatar is kept private, at least for now.
Privacy
Privacy is a major issue as far as EA are concerned, so at the moment Avatarbook is fairly limited in how much information can be shared. In the Sims game you can add people to your friends list, which will provide them with a link to your Facebook profile rather than making a direct link, though that is set to change as the application grows. Also, nobody in EA Land (the Sims Online world where the application will be available) will have access to your real name - you will be searchable only by your Avatar's name. EA have stated that they intend to allow players to lower their privacy settings so that more information can be shared, but at the moment they're playing it safe.
The Future
This application obviously shows great potential, and it is something that EA are going to continue to develop as they gain feedback from users. The Sims Online game is going through a revolution at the moment, with their free trial set to become permanent free play in the very near future (with limited gameplay for non-payers, much like in Second Life). For years now Second Life has been leading the pack in terms of innovation and social interactivity, but if EA keeps this up then we could be looking at a new contender for the crown. After all, they did come up with the two most popular games of all time (Sims and Sims 2), so some would say that this is less of a surprise than a belated homecoming. Certainly one to watch, at any rate.
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