The Sims Resource vs. The Store
Hello all,
I have asomewhat very convoluted question that I hope I can pose here in a way that people will understand. Not because of their inability to understand, of course, but my own inability to properly phrase all of this in a way that even I can understand. :smiley:
It basically boils down to the thread title:
"Hey, what does everyone think of paying to join The Sims Resource?" So if you don't want to read any further and just feel like chiming in on that particular question, I'd be exceedingly grateful. :)
Having been to The Sims Resource on a few occasions (with my Ad Blocker off once or twice, stupidly), I've seen an amazing and ginormous array of custom content on display. Thus far, I've only downloaded some hairstyles because that's what I was after at the time.
I've also seen living/dining/kitchen/etc... sets on that site which, quite frankly, look as though they put much of what is available on The Store to shame, both in quality and variety. The Sims Resource seems to have an overall different array of items from The Store (EA has a bad tendency to make small changes to existing items, then charge a(nother) dollar to get this slightly-altered version), but I don't know if the content there:
1. Actually looks as good as it does on the site.
2. Functions as well in-game (especially long-term) as Store content does. For example, I'd hate to install a bedroom set and then find out that the beds don't work. Or lamps that don't light up. Or counters that don't count. Then there's also poly-count to consider. Of course, I'd likely end up converting most of it to .package files to test first, but that's time-consuming, tedious and still doesn't give me an idea of long-term viability for my game(s), which is part of why I haven't really tried it yet.
Does anyone out there have much experience with TSR? Does the content there live up to the glorious photos?
So, that's the basis of my post, I suppose. However, I'm not just asking this question in a general sense, but also in regards to my own investment, enjoyment, sanity, etc... That's why the rest of this is so long:
During my travails these last months through the various sites devoted to The Sims 3 and CC, I've come across about half a million of them. Sadly, many of the links on many sites are dead. Worse, I've clicked on a few only to find myself redirected to other sites which I wouldn't normally visit in my lifetime. Looking back on these forays (which I mostly stopped some months ago), I consider myself lucky that I didn't contract any viruses or other malicious software.
I'm fairly tech savvy and feel like a dunderhead for some of the unsafe browsing habits I found myself using just to look at content.
These experiences have taught me a couple things:
1. Which sites (overall) are safe. The Sims Resource (minus the ads, of course), seems like one of the safer places to get content. I don't know how moderated the content itself is though (i.e. is anyone really checking it out like over at MTS?).
2. Don't go randomly clicking on items, even on some of the safe sites, no matter how pretty it looks.
Which brings me to my actual, long and roundabout sets of questions:
Is owning The Store really worth it?
I currently have enough SimPoints to own a decent chunk of The Store (I already own way more than I ever thought I would) if I can follow all of the Cascades and get the best Daily Deals possible going forward (which is exceedingly difficult/frustrating at times, given the timing of sales and all of that...having to set alarms to wake up just to buy game content is just horrible and wrong).
However, in order to get these deals, a person has to buy the sets (the cost of the individual items adds up much faster, as we all know) and not just items they want. This means that many of my points have gone (and will go) to items I don't want at all. I also won't have all the items from the sets that I do want because I can't afford everything.
Whoever designed this system over at EA should('ve) gotten a huge raise due to an ingenious plan to increase revenue...but also a huge kick in the rear from us gamers for creating a system which punishes us so badly. It also means that I have to dig through the Store site and download individual items to get the pieces that I want, which is a pretty time-consuming process. I own far too many sets that I plan on installing in pieces just because I don't want that much clutter. Thankfully, I've found these Collection files over on MTS which help: http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=469761
Looking ahead, my choices come down to following:
1. Save up, buy more SimPoints and own more (possibly all, one day) of The Store. I already spent $240 on SimPoints last year, which got (and will continue to get) me a ton of content over the coming months. Given my rudimentary calculations, I think I could own most of The Store for $80 more, but I'm 99% certain that it would cost me $160 for (another) largest bundle to own all of it. Even more if I wanted all of the items which aren't parts of sets (which I thankfully don't - just some of them that I'm aware of). I could probably afford the larger bundle in about 4 months, maybe a little longer. When I purchased the large SimPoint bundle last month for Christmas, I thought it would get me everything I wanted with SimPoints left to Gift away, but buying all the worlds I needed, delving into the Cascades and buying some of the other sets on DD have proven that hypothesis dead wrong. The Store seems to be a never-ending money-pit and I can't believe that EA is still charging this much over 8 years later.
2. Pay (I believe) only $40 for a year-long membership to an ad-free version of The Sims Resource. I'd then be able to pick and choose exactly what I wanted. And have access to what seems to be far more content. I could afford that next month if I plan accordingly, which is why I'm posting now.
Looking ahead, I don't think that I'd ever really want to go both routes, especially considering all the truly free content out there, some of which I already have and much of which I know I'll end up with eventually. My list of Sims CC Bookmarks is overwhelming. And much of the Custom Content I have does look as good or better than The Store content. I can't believe that I spent money on some of the dresses/outfits/shelves/chairs I own.
This places me at a crossroads, both financially (I've already poured well over $500 into this game since I first bought it in 2009) and in regards to having a functioning game. $40 seems too good to be true (which is always a bad sign) compared to another $160. Also, there's my own sanity to consider when it comes to the DD's and having to download/install pieces of sets because EA created some downright ugly stuff.
I've seen videos on YouTube where people claim to have something like 30GB of custom content in their game, but I have trouble believing that The Sims 3 can really handle all of that (plus the Store content) without collapsing in on itself and creating a black hole. Even with only the EP's/SP's and Worlds installed, CAS nears its breaking point on my high-end PC, especially in "Everyday Tops" (but thankfully MasterController can help with that :)). Perhaps I'm wrong though and in a year or so, I could have it all if I decided that I really wanted to spend that much more money on a single video game. Plus the time investment. As Jim Morrison sang: "We want the world and we want it now."
The thought of stalking Daily Deals again come next Christmas makes me shudder, but one other thing about The Store content is that it also allows full use of a ton of amazing (CC-Free; I never download anything with CC already bundled) creations that people have uploaded over the years...
So, as I said at the beginning, that tome up there basically covers my long, convoluted question that basically boils down to the thread title:
The Sims Resource or The Sims 3 Store? If you already owned all the Worlds and Premium Content (i.e. stuff that adds real gameplay), which would you choose?
I know that no one out there can tell me exactly which is the absolute correct path for me to follow, but:
Any/all help in deciding (or even just sharing experiences) would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks! :smile:
I have a
It basically boils down to the thread title:
"Hey, what does everyone think of paying to join The Sims Resource?" So if you don't want to read any further and just feel like chiming in on that particular question, I'd be exceedingly grateful. :)
Having been to The Sims Resource on a few occasions (with my Ad Blocker off once or twice, stupidly), I've seen an amazing and ginormous array of custom content on display. Thus far, I've only downloaded some hairstyles because that's what I was after at the time.
I've also seen living/dining/kitchen/etc... sets on that site which, quite frankly, look as though they put much of what is available on The Store to shame, both in quality and variety. The Sims Resource seems to have an overall different array of items from The Store (EA has a bad tendency to make small changes to existing items, then charge a(nother) dollar to get this slightly-altered version), but I don't know if the content there:
1. Actually looks as good as it does on the site.
2. Functions as well in-game (especially long-term) as Store content does. For example, I'd hate to install a bedroom set and then find out that the beds don't work. Or lamps that don't light up. Or counters that don't count. Then there's also poly-count to consider. Of course, I'd likely end up converting most of it to .package files to test first, but that's time-consuming, tedious and still doesn't give me an idea of long-term viability for my game(s), which is part of why I haven't really tried it yet.
Does anyone out there have much experience with TSR? Does the content there live up to the glorious photos?
So, that's the basis of my post, I suppose. However, I'm not just asking this question in a general sense, but also in regards to my own investment, enjoyment, sanity, etc... That's why the rest of this is so long:
During my travails these last months through the various sites devoted to The Sims 3 and CC, I've come across about half a million of them. Sadly, many of the links on many sites are dead. Worse, I've clicked on a few only to find myself redirected to other sites which I wouldn't normally visit in my lifetime. Looking back on these forays (which I mostly stopped some months ago), I consider myself lucky that I didn't contract any viruses or other malicious software.
I'm fairly tech savvy and feel like a dunderhead for some of the unsafe browsing habits I found myself using just to look at content.
These experiences have taught me a couple things:
1. Which sites (overall) are safe. The Sims Resource (minus the ads, of course), seems like one of the safer places to get content. I don't know how moderated the content itself is though (i.e. is anyone really checking it out like over at MTS?).
2. Don't go randomly clicking on items, even on some of the safe sites, no matter how pretty it looks.
Which brings me to my actual, long and roundabout sets of questions:
Is owning The Store really worth it?
I currently have enough SimPoints to own a decent chunk of The Store (I already own way more than I ever thought I would) if I can follow all of the Cascades and get the best Daily Deals possible going forward (which is exceedingly difficult/frustrating at times, given the timing of sales and all of that...having to set alarms to wake up just to buy game content is just horrible and wrong).
However, in order to get these deals, a person has to buy the sets (the cost of the individual items adds up much faster, as we all know) and not just items they want. This means that many of my points have gone (and will go) to items I don't want at all. I also won't have all the items from the sets that I do want because I can't afford everything.
Whoever designed this system over at EA should('ve) gotten a huge raise due to an ingenious plan to increase revenue...but also a huge kick in the rear from us gamers for creating a system which punishes us so badly. It also means that I have to dig through the Store site and download individual items to get the pieces that I want, which is a pretty time-consuming process. I own far too many sets that I plan on installing in pieces just because I don't want that much clutter. Thankfully, I've found these Collection files over on MTS which help: http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=469761
Looking ahead, my choices come down to following:
1. Save up, buy more SimPoints and own more (possibly all, one day) of The Store. I already spent $240 on SimPoints last year, which got (and will continue to get) me a ton of content over the coming months. Given my rudimentary calculations, I think I could own most of The Store for $80 more, but I'm 99% certain that it would cost me $160 for (another) largest bundle to own all of it. Even more if I wanted all of the items which aren't parts of sets (which I thankfully don't - just some of them that I'm aware of). I could probably afford the larger bundle in about 4 months, maybe a little longer. When I purchased the large SimPoint bundle last month for Christmas, I thought it would get me everything I wanted with SimPoints left to Gift away, but buying all the worlds I needed, delving into the Cascades and buying some of the other sets on DD have proven that hypothesis dead wrong. The Store seems to be a never-ending money-pit and I can't believe that EA is still charging this much over 8 years later.
2. Pay (I believe) only $40 for a year-long membership to an ad-free version of The Sims Resource. I'd then be able to pick and choose exactly what I wanted. And have access to what seems to be far more content. I could afford that next month if I plan accordingly, which is why I'm posting now.
Looking ahead, I don't think that I'd ever really want to go both routes, especially considering all the truly free content out there, some of which I already have and much of which I know I'll end up with eventually. My list of Sims CC Bookmarks is overwhelming. And much of the Custom Content I have does look as good or better than The Store content. I can't believe that I spent money on some of the dresses/outfits/shelves/chairs I own.
This places me at a crossroads, both financially (I've already poured well over $500 into this game since I first bought it in 2009) and in regards to having a functioning game. $40 seems too good to be true (which is always a bad sign) compared to another $160. Also, there's my own sanity to consider when it comes to the DD's and having to download/install pieces of sets because EA created some downright ugly stuff.
I've seen videos on YouTube where people claim to have something like 30GB of custom content in their game, but I have trouble believing that The Sims 3 can really handle all of that (plus the Store content) without collapsing in on itself and creating a black hole. Even with only the EP's/SP's and Worlds installed, CAS nears its breaking point on my high-end PC, especially in "Everyday Tops" (but thankfully MasterController can help with that :)). Perhaps I'm wrong though and in a year or so, I could have it all if I decided that I really wanted to spend that much more money on a single video game. Plus the time investment. As Jim Morrison sang: "We want the world and we want it now."
The thought of stalking Daily Deals again come next Christmas makes me shudder, but one other thing about The Store content is that it also allows full use of a ton of amazing (CC-Free; I never download anything with CC already bundled) creations that people have uploaded over the years...
So, as I said at the beginning, that tome up there basically covers my long, convoluted question that basically boils down to the thread title:
The Sims Resource or The Sims 3 Store? If you already owned all the Worlds and Premium Content (i.e. stuff that adds real gameplay), which would you choose?
I know that no one out there can tell me exactly which is the absolute correct path for me to follow, but:
Any/all help in deciding (or even just sharing experiences) would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks! :smile:
