Why pay $120 annually for a product that is bugged and in beta-like version still?
Written: Jan 06 '03 (Updated Jan 06 '03)
Product Rating:
Pros: Role playing, interactive, building virtual homes
Cons: Expensive investment for a product that has Major bugs that continue to exist and increase
The Bottom Line: If you're thinking about buying SIMS Online, wait a few more months before you buy it. No point wasting money buying a bugged "beta-like" product now.
fishface's Full Review: The Sims Online for Windows
As a test player for SIMS Online for over a month from pre-launch till being a paid player (today - post-launch), I am sorry to inform you that the game is far from bug-free and that you should hold off from buying the game for at least another few months.
During the pre-launch period, there were numerous bugs "crawling" everywhere.. from being booted off the game, to not being able to get home (enter your own lot that you own), to seeing ghostly objects in your own home (objects moving around by itself)....etc. The best part was that these were not one-off problems, but recurring and some would last for days to a week. For example, I was not able to get back into my lot for 5 days. Part of the game's objective is to either buy a lot or join someone's lot as a roommate. Next you furnish your lot or home with objects such as chairs, money making machines, rugs, toilets... etc. Unfortunately, the bugs that keep recurring in SIMS Online even till this very day (post-launch) is that your expensive objects would just disappear/vanish without trace and you would not get reimbursed with the money you spent on it.
During pre-launch days, many test players simply stopped playing all together even though it was free. There were so many bugs popping up and were never fixed even though bug reports were filed and so forth.
Fortunately (or unfortunately?) for the few of us "founders" who have been playing the game pre-launch, we were given the reassurance by Maxis, the company who produced SIMS that the bugs would be fixed and that we should stay on.
Alas, the scheduled launch date of December 17 arrived and Maxis went ahead and launched the product along with grand scale marketing despite having a defective product. Why? Christmas sales, of course!
Nothing has changed since December 17. The bugs continue to exist and new bugs continue to crop up. But, what's incredible is that Maxis is now charging! US$49.95 for the game and US$9.95 monthly charges to play. That comes out to US$120 annually US$50 one-off = total US$170.
You spend so much time fretting over the bugs, filing bug reports on SIMS online website because you lose objects you purchased for your lot/house, can't get into your lot (which you basically purchased your game to be able to do)...etc.. etc.... Finally, you wonder if you should be the one who's getting paid instead of the other way around.
Don't take me wrong, the game concept is good. Building a virtual community and being able to communicate live with other online users, creating your own avatar and role-play is indeed a unique concept. SIMS Online is a good gaming idea. Unfortunately, if you are looking for a good time, I suggest you wait a while before buying. Buying the game now is frankly a waste of time since the game is full of bugs still.
Before I forget to mention, the new players that have emerged in the game are predominately young people in their teens who receive the game as a Christmas gift. If you are up for chatting online with teens and people running around trying to pick you up and "kiss" you, this might be the game for you.
For parents out there, please note that there is quite a lot of adult content in SIMS Online version. You may want to keep a close eye on your kids while they play. Also, make sure you tell your kids never to give out their personal information when people ask them on SIMS online.
Feel free to leave me a message if you have any questions about the game... etc. I already purchased the game with the one-month free subscription pre-launch. It is highly unlikely that I will continue after the 1st month unless if something miraculous happens.
If you are interested in buying, leave me a message and I will let you know if there are improvements.
If not, I highly recommend you to either not buy or buy after at least 3 months!
It just doesn't make sense to pay for a product that is still in beta-mode.
Create your own unique Sim and make new friends Random behavior of characters adds comedic mischief and unpredictability Create your dream home, build...More at Amazon Marketplace
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