When you said this:
"waterywatermelon;c-17851663" wrote:
I'm not sure what you mean by "people who don't play through Origin". To my knowledge, once you close The Sims 3 game, you will see the Origin window. Apparently, you must also have Internet access, because the computer will first load Origin, then your game. If you drop the Internet connection, then you will be directed to a page on the Origin window, saying that you are not connected. The Sims 2 was made way before Origin arrived, so it was a straightforward insert-the-disc-in-and-play.
It sounded like you didn't understand how Sims 3 installs that don't involve Origin work. Perhaps I misread that, but for "people who don't play through Origin," there is no need to sign into Origin, no Origin window popping up when the game closes, and no requirement for an internet connection. If you do install through Origin, then yes, you'll need Origin running in the background while you play.
I've always been able to launch Origin games without a connection, by the way. Yes, if I double-click on a game .exe, the Origin sign in window shows up, but once I input my credentials, the game launches fine. I've seen a few reports of this not working, but it seems to be the exception rather than the rule.
Not that it's relevant, but it sounds like Origin was running in the background when you disconnected from the internet the second time. If you click the X in the upper right corner of the Origin window, it doesn't stop running; you'd need to choose Exit from the dropdown menu to quit it entirely.
Store worlds do need to be purchased through Origin now, at least the ones that can't be acquired through points, but it's entirely possible to go through the website alone and never even install the app.
