Archive for March, 2009

MaxiodHydra updated her previous post letting users know the fact that not only TS3 (retail disc) will NOT feature SecuROM, but the EA Download Manager will also NOT feature SecuROM.

After reading the letter from Rod, many of you had questions about SecuROM. I’ve taken your concerns to our management team and can confirm that SecuROM will not be included in The Sims 3 disc or in the EA Download Manager (software needed to install patches and access The Sims 3 Store).

So all in all, I think this is fantastic news.  Hopefully this settles that arguement.  Now all we need to do is set things straight with the in-game advertisements.

If you have the stomach (or guts) you can catch the full episode of One Tree Hill that featured The Sims 3 from the CW Website.

Thanks for the email, SimOperations

To the community,

If you see a file on the internet of “The Sims 3 Demo”, under any circumstances, do NOT download the file, as it is a virus.  We all know how anxious everyone is to get their chance to play The Sims 3, but at this time there is NOT an official demo available.  If there ever will be, you can download it from the official Sims 3 website (not to mention countless Sim fansites will be reporting on it).

So far, links have been found on The Sims 3 Facebook page in the comments, so be aware and do not click on any attachments of .zip, .exe or the likes.  And always keep your trusty anti-virus software up-to-date in case you do accidently click on it.

Fansite owners, I urge you to please make a post and to steer simmers away from potentially harming their computers

Thanks to WIKIDSIM2K4 from the Sims 2 BBS for the tip!

Oh man, this is too great.  Some of you may have already seen it as it was dated way back in January of 2008, but this is a first for me.  Hiki Sims 3 Newsblog found a parody video created by Master Movies in which they spoof The Sims.  I wished I had friends here who were into the Sims series to be able to pull off stunts like these!

Another great poll turnout, in fact it was even better than last weeks!  We had a total of 143 votes for the question “Do you still want more information on The Sims 3?”

To break it down:

• I want all of the details about the game and to play it! (71.0%, 101 Votes)
• I don’t want to be spoiled anymore – just want to play it (24.0%, 34 Votes)
• I don’t have any interest about The Sims 3 (6.0%, 8 Votes)

Haha, looks as if a majority of you are not up for surprises and would love to know every single detail of the game!  All in due time, I’m afraid.  I myself choose not to be spoiled.  I like to go into games knowing the least amount of details – which is very difficult to do when you run a fansite of the mentioned game!

Let’s move on to this weeks question, it revolves around the topic of SecuROM and The Sims 3.  Now that The Sims 3 (Retail Package) has been confirmed to NOT use SecuROM, do you plan to get it?

What do you think?  I’ll post the results next week!

Spore Galactic Adventures will allow you to level up your creature as a Captain, but we want to know exactly what kind of creature you would choose!

This is your chance to show off a creature you’ll promote to Captain by sending a postcard of it to a friend!

Send the best postcard to win the Captain Postcard Challenge!

How to Submit:

• Create a creature and enter play mode.
• Take a snapshot, then from the snapshot viewer, send at least 2 postcards. 1 to me: MaxisSaguaro@maxis.com, and at least one to a friend.
• Along with any personal message, be sure to include the name of your creature in the postcard you send.
• Publish your creation with the tag mccaptainchallenge

Prize
A chance to be featured on Spore.com and a chance for your creation to be outfitted as a captain by Maxis artists, and displayed in the Meet the Captains Gallery. Check out the gallery here.

Judge: MaxisCactus

Rules:
Your creation:

• must not have any parent authored by a different creator.
• must not have any offensive creation in its lineage (any parent or child creations).
• must not have any offensive material, links or references to other sites in the submission’s tags, name, or description

Submissions that do not meet the above criteria will not be considered for a feature

Additional Requirements:

• Your creation must be made in the Creature editor.
• You can submit as many creations as you’d like
• All submissions must be in by 11:00 AM PST Wednesday (04/15/09)

You do not need to purchase Spore Galactic Adventures to participate in this challenge. Anyone who has Spore or the Spore Creature Creator is welcomed to enter!

Source:  The Sporums

The Maxoids have been on a roll as of late with contests!  Thanks to Sporedum for sending me an email on this!

Thanks to Alex once again from Super Sims 3 for sending this video in

Alex from Super Sims 3 found a new video which was uploaded to YouTube earlier today with an interview with Ben Bell.  Thanks a ton, Alex for letting me know!

GoNintendo reported that Europe should now be able to download a mini-game demo for their Nintendo DS via their Wii.  Hopefully the US will get a version too!  Let me know how it plays out!

Try your hand at excavating a dinosaur skeleton with your stylus by downloading a special demo of MySims Party onto your DS! This is just one of over 40 fun mini-games you can take on in this brand-new party game.

The full game lets you challenge your friends and family in a range of zany tasks that use every part of your favourite handheld. Flip bacon, track down a mummy with your torch or blow into the DS microphone to get rid of dirt! You’ll need to select the best four-man team you can if you want to come out the ultimate winner of this contest!

Downloading the demo from the Nintendo Channel is quick and simple:

1. Make sure your Wii is connected to the Internet and go to the Nintendo Channel. If you don’t have the Nintendo Channel yet you can download it for free from the Wii Shop Channel.
2. Click on the “Find Titles for You” link and then select the “DS Download Service” option.
3. You’ll see a list of currently available demos from which you can select the MySims Party demo.
4. Now turn the power ON on your Nintendo DS and select the option “DS Download Play” from the menu.
5. Once your Nintendo DS has connected to your Wii console, you just need to accept the software download and you’re ready to play!

Please note that the demo of MySims Party will be available for a limited time only, as the demos on offer in the Nintendo Channel will be regularly updated. Currently you can also download demos of the following titles:

* Big Bang Mini
* 100 Classic Book Collection
* Big Brain Academy
* 42 All-Time Classics
* Mario Kart DS
* Picross DS
* Professor Kageyama’s Maths Training
* Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain?

MySims Party is in shops now for Nintendo DS and Wii.

Taciturnsim on The Sims 2 BBS has found The Sims 3 EULA tucked away on EA’s server.  You can download the PDF here, or read the full EULA (as of 3/22/09 – it is subjected to change).  In the EULA, it mentions that In-Game Advertisments appear.  If you don’t want them, you’ll have to turn off your internet connection before playing the game.  Personally I have no problems with this (I can live with ads – just not pop ups), but some may.  Make sure you hit “Read the rest of this post” for the full details!

ELECTRONIC ARTS
END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT
FOR THE SIMS 3 GAME
(DISTRIBUTED ON PHYSICAL MEDIA)

This End User License Agreement (“License”) is an agreement between you and Electronic Arts Inc. and its affiliates (collectively “EA”). This License governs your use of legitimate copies of this software, and all related documentation, utilities, and updates and upgrades that replace or supplement the software and are not distributed with a separate license (collectively, the “Software”). This Software is licensed to you, not sold.

By installing or using the Software, you agree to accept the terms and conditions of this License and be bound to them. If you do not agree to the terms of this License, then do not install or use the Software. Sections 4 and 5 below describe data EA may use to provide services and support to you in connection with the Software. If you do not agree to this use of data, do not install or use the Software. IF YOU INSTALL the Software, you fully accept the terms and conditions of this License.

Right to Return: If you do not agree to the terms of this License, and if you purchased this game from a physical retail store in the United States, and if you have not installed or used the Software, you may return the Software for a refund or exchange within thirty (30) days from the date of purchase by following the instructions for return available at warrantyinfo.ea.com.

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