Auteur: hiki

In dit artikel op Gamasutra voorspellen ze dat Sims 3 alleen al in 2009 4 miljoen keer over de toonbank zal gaan. Sims 2 verkocht in 2004 3,5 miljoen keer dus dat zou best wel eens kunnen gaan kloppen.

Grootste gevaar voor Sims 3, we hebben dat ook gezien met Spore, zijn de illegale versies.

Electronic Arts’ upcoming Sims 3 could sell over 4 million units in 2009, says Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey — although he expects that a demographic transition toward newer entertainment forms like Nintendo’s Wii and DS might weigh on the title.

Sims 2 sold an estimated 3.5 units in calendar 2004, so the analyst expects the anticipated sequel to outdo its predecessor. EA also detailed today the game’s digital distribution-heavy, points-based model for further monetization, although Hickey doesn’t project how much Sims 3 can expect to earn incrementally from DLC and expansions.

He also expects that piracy is a potential risk for Sims 3 sales — “Spore sales were likely dramatically impacted by piracy,” Hickey says.

ManagerJosh van WorldSims heeft een FAQ ontvangen met daarin erg veel details over de nieuwe Sims 3 Store. Het is een behoorlijke lap tekst en je vindt die in zijn geheel in de ‘Lees meer’.

Bron: Sim Programs

Q: What is the ship date for TS3?

A: The game is available in stores in NA June 2nd and then throughout European and Asia-Pacific countries starting from June, 3rd onwards

Q: How do I register for TheSims3.com?

A: You can register online at http://TheSims3.com/Register (site goes live June 2) or by clicking on the Sign Up Now button on the Welcome page in the in-game Launcher

When you start up your game the TS3 Launcher will come up on screen with a Sign Up Now button that will take you to register when you click on it and connect through the game to TheSims3.com and all that it offers. You will need the Serial Code printed on the back of the game manual in order to get full access to the community and The Store. (User can still register for the Community site without a serial code but will not get full access to all of the Community/Store features (such as Exchange upload/download, posting to Forums, using the Store). This type of account is called Site Registered as opposed to Game Registered.)

Q: How do I connect to the internet through The Sims 3?

A: You can connect via the Launcher

Q: How many Game Registered accounts can I have with each game?

A: There is one Game Registered account online per game.

Q: What online features does the game offer?

A: The Sims 3 offers a robust online community feature set. Users can create and share movies and stories using the Create a Movie and Create a Story tools. The new Exchange lets players share Sims, lots, households, objects, clothing, patterns and more. My Page and My Studio help to tracks and organize everything you’ve shared online. And of course, The Sims 3 Store offers really cool premium content including a downloadable town at no additional charge.

Key Features:

* The Exchange: Building off of The Sims 2 Exchange’s success of more than 100M downloads, The Sims 3 Exchange highlights featured items, most popular downloads, powerful search and browser capabilities, along with giving players the ability to see what other players are recommending.
* Create a Movie and Create a Story: New easily accessible tools inspire creativity and allow players to create movies and stories and then show them off or share them with friends. Players can show off their movie mashups with the Create a Movie Tool by embedding them on external sites or with an email link to TheSims3.com page.
* My Page and My Studio: The Sims 3 community site will allow players to maintain their profile pages on their My Page section as well as offering them the new My Studio section to manage all their creations – movies, stories, Exchange objects. My Page is also a blog space where players can post news, customize it with a personal avatar, track favorites and more. Users can also make friends with other The Sims 3 players and share their content across a number of social network sites.

Q: What are SimPoints?

A: SimPoints are the virtual currency used on The Sims 3 Store. Players may buy SimPoints in bundles of 500, 1000 or 2000 SimPoints using international credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, national credit cards including Carte Bleu, Carte Si, Dankort, Maestro, Solo and Delta, cash cards (North America), or PayPal. The Sims 3 Store accepts a number of currencies for the purchase of SimPoints including USD, GBP, EUR, BRL, SEK, DKK, AUD, NZD and ZAR.

Q: What can I buy with SimPoints?

A: With SimPoints players can buy in-game items from The Sims 3 Store. “The Store contains hundreds of exclusive items at launch, with new content added continuously.

Q: Will the content at The Sims 3 Store change over time?

A:The Sims 3 Store will have ongoing, regular releases of new content that is only available through The Store.

Q: How do you get the content you buy at The Sims 3 Store into your game?

A: When you purchase an item from The Store, it automatically gets added into your game Launcher when you click “Download Now.”. From the game Launcher, you can then install the item into your game with a single click.

Q: Can you download the entire game from The Sims 3 Store?

A: No, you can digitally download the game at the EAStore starting June 2 – http://eastore.ea.com/store/ea/ContentTheme/pbPage.the_sims3/ThemeID.718200.

Q: How does the The Sims 3 Store differ from The Sims 2 Store?

A: The Sims 2 Store launched in July 2008 in North America, four years after the ship of the base game. The Sims 3 Store will launch globally at the same time as The Sims 3 and offer exclusive content that can only be found at The Sims 3 store.

Q: What is Riverview?

A: Riverview is a free downloadable town offered from The Sims 3 store. Now you can add even more content to your TS3 game experience with new lots, stories, Sims and more.

Q: How is Riverview different from Sunset Valley?

A: Riverview is a town with an idyllic countryside setting. It’s dotted with farms and nestled by a winding river. This sleepy little town comes with an entirely new set of inhabitants with secrets for your Sims to uncover.

Q: If I play offline can I get Riverview?

A: Riverview is offered only to Game Registered players on TheSims3.com. Players can play the game offline once they’ve downloaded the town.

Q: How is the TS3 Create a Movie tool different than Spore?

A: The TS3 Create a Movie feature is a web-based custom video editing tool designed to add cool effects, transitions, audio and more to video shared from your TS3 game.

In The Sims 3 game, players can capture footage easily. Their captured footage is then uploaded to the player’s My Studio page on TheSims3.com website. On the website, players can then use the Create A Movie tool to easily drag and drop video clips, add a soundtrack and create a finished Movie that they can then publish on The Sims3.com and share on blogs and social networks, as well as upload to YouTube or other video sites.

Copy Protection questions:

Q: Is there copy protection on the disc?

A: Yes, we have the same level of copy protection on disc as what shipped with the original The Sims 2 base game.

Q: How is copy protection for The Sims 3 different than for Spore?

A: The key difference is no online authentication required to play the retail disc product.

Q: Has EA changed its DRM policy?

A: This copy protection strategy is specific to The Sims 3 retail disc. There are no additional details about any other EA PC title at this time.

Q: How will it work if I buy the game via digital distribution?

A: Digital download services each have their own methods, each service will post those specifics on their sites.

Q: Do you need internet access to experience 100% of The Sims 3?

A: No. Players will be able to experience the game in its entirety. (Having online connections does enhance gameplay with free downloads and the opportunity to show off and use the creations of other players.)

Q: What are the minimum hardware requirements for The Sims?

*TS3 specs reach systems that have been in the market place for 5 years.

A: http://thesims3.ea.com/view/pages/newsItem.jsp?item=236875146

THE SIMS 3 MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

FOR WINDOWS XP
Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
1 GB RAM
At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0

FOR WINDOWS VISTA
Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)
2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
1.5 GB RAM
At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0

For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least:
Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA X3000 or above.
2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
0.5 GB additional RAM

SUPPORTED VIDEO CARDS
NVIDIA GeForce series
FX 5900, FX 5950
6200, 6500, 6600, 6800,
7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950
8400, 8500, 8600, 8800
9600, 9800, GTX 260, GTX 280

ATI Radeon™ series
9500, 9600, 9800
X300, X600, X700, X800, X850
X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950
2400, 2600, 2900
3450, 3650, 3850, 3870,
4850, 4870

Intel® Extreme Graphics
GMA X3×00 series

FOR MAC OS X
* Mac OS X 10.5.7 Leopard or higher
* Intel Core Duo Processor
* 2 GB RAM
* ATI X1600 or Nvidia 7300 GT with 128 MB of Video RAM, or Intel Integrated GMA X3100.
* At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space, with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
* This game will not run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems, or the GMA 950 class of integrated video cards.