Progression of the official The Sims website
The Sims (original) - never been on it.
The Sims 2 - been on it since 2008 or 2009, I think. That website had a defunct Story exchange since 2012, which got fixed, but only Base Gamers could upload stories by then. Then, in 2013, the entire website went down.
The Sims 3 - been on it since 2013. Back in the day, there was the option to get FREE bonus SimPoints, and I got a ton of stuff that way. Actually, most of Sims 3 store stuff are derived those free bonus SimPoints, so I never actually had to pay for anything out of my own pocket. The Sims 3 Exchange would also have stories/movies, but now I can't seem to find anything.
The Sims 4 - I think this one is available for anyone who has purchased/registered the game on Origin. Even if you have a physical case purchased from a brick-and-mortar shop, that physical case will have the game code that you can use to register the game on Origin, confirming that you have the product. You can just access the Gallery right in the game and download stuff from the Gallery down into your game, then play the household/lot/room. There seems to be no way to upload actual stories/movies.
How come the Stories/Movies part of the Exchange weren't carried over to The Sims 4?
Nowadays, players have to use a separate website - most often, YouTube - to share their movies. For stories, they may share them on private individual blogs.
The Sims 2 is the only one in The Sims franchise to ever include Story Mode (just press F4 on your keyboard).
F1 = Live Mode
F2 = Buy Mode
F3 = Build Mode
F4 = Story Mode
F5 = Options
And you could actually upload Stories/Family Albums to the Exchange.
I really hope that The Sims team would bring back the Story Exchange and Story Mode from The Sims 2 era. But, it looks like that the trajectory of The Sims will never include the Story Exchange or the Story Mode function.
What keeps me going with The Sims 2 is the ability to create mini Sim bios, Family bios, Family albums and an overarching Neighborhood album. The Neighborhood album can be used to highlight the most important aspects of the neighborhood as a whole, creating a very integrated and connected community without an open world. The Sims 4 has loading screens like The Sims 2, but it lacks the Story Mode function, so whatever is your imagination stays in your imagination. You cannot express your words in a Family or Neighborhood album. Sure, you can actually take pictures in-game and caption those pictures, but the captions are too limited to be useful, IMO.
The Sims 2 - been on it since 2008 or 2009, I think. That website had a defunct Story exchange since 2012, which got fixed, but only Base Gamers could upload stories by then. Then, in 2013, the entire website went down.
The Sims 3 - been on it since 2013. Back in the day, there was the option to get FREE bonus SimPoints, and I got a ton of stuff that way. Actually, most of Sims 3 store stuff are derived those free bonus SimPoints, so I never actually had to pay for anything out of my own pocket. The Sims 3 Exchange would also have stories/movies, but now I can't seem to find anything.
The Sims 4 - I think this one is available for anyone who has purchased/registered the game on Origin. Even if you have a physical case purchased from a brick-and-mortar shop, that physical case will have the game code that you can use to register the game on Origin, confirming that you have the product. You can just access the Gallery right in the game and download stuff from the Gallery down into your game, then play the household/lot/room. There seems to be no way to upload actual stories/movies.
How come the Stories/Movies part of the Exchange weren't carried over to The Sims 4?
Nowadays, players have to use a separate website - most often, YouTube - to share their movies. For stories, they may share them on private individual blogs.
The Sims 2 is the only one in The Sims franchise to ever include Story Mode (just press F4 on your keyboard).
F1 = Live Mode
F2 = Buy Mode
F3 = Build Mode
F4 = Story Mode
F5 = Options
And you could actually upload Stories/Family Albums to the Exchange.
I really hope that The Sims team would bring back the Story Exchange and Story Mode from The Sims 2 era. But, it looks like that the trajectory of The Sims will never include the Story Exchange or the Story Mode function.
What keeps me going with The Sims 2 is the ability to create mini Sim bios, Family bios, Family albums and an overarching Neighborhood album. The Neighborhood album can be used to highlight the most important aspects of the neighborhood as a whole, creating a very integrated and connected community without an open world. The Sims 4 has loading screens like The Sims 2, but it lacks the Story Mode function, so whatever is your imagination stays in your imagination. You cannot express your words in a Family or Neighborhood album. Sure, you can actually take pictures in-game and caption those pictures, but the captions are too limited to be useful, IMO.
