Hello.
I have purchased a pre-owned copy of the Sims 3 base game to play offline, as a disc only.
Upon installing i had to create an account with Origin, which then gives me the message i have to be online to play the game.
Then put in the serial number, but being pre-owned, now invalid.
Can i play the game as is on disc without being online, or do i have to plays the Sims 3 online?
Down_Under0082 No, you can't play with this disc while offline, or at least it doesn't appear to be possible. Any base game disc manufactured after September 2012 requires Origin to be present and managing the install process, which means these days that it requires the EA App to manage things, which in turn means you can't play unless your game is registered in your App game library. Older discs don't have this issue—you can install without needing a game launcher.
The one caveat is that if you have an older disc but allowed the EA Download Manager to manage the install process, it could have tried to patch itself to Origin and then caught you in this loop. The fix there would be to restart the install and decline to use the EADM.
If you're not sure when your disc was manufactured, check the copyright date in the fine print on the back of the box.
Well, the game on disc would work, but unfortunately, the person who owned it before me, didn't and hasn't removed his or her data or account from the site.
There is alternative for me to be able to play the game.
Down_Under0082 The original owner can't remove the game from their account. Even deleting the account wouldn't free up the code. And EA doesn't support the resale of games, so no one is going to help you add Sims 3 to your own account.
If your base game requires Origin, then no, there is no alternative other than buying the game again. However, it's not that expensive when on sale: 50-60% off for a bundle that includes the base game and one expansion and one stuff pack. So it's not a bad deal overall.
Regarding the re-sale of the game, i don't know why the previous owner did that, albeit in a retail store, while still having their data in their account.
The support staff online did give me an alternative solution, albeit to download the EA App and then buy the game in that.
As for buying a pack with what i want, well, may as well just play it online.
