I have only legal copies of the game, but I still had to patch manually.

ok, thanks! my newest game is freetime, so I think I have patches, I think I remember something like that when i installed the games

Legal copies are for sissies.

No, I am kidding about that too. My copies are all from Walmart.com. Is there not a cheat that updates the game? CTRL-SHIFT-C, autopatch on? Also when you install a copy, it does the autopatch thing?

~123blissb

For me that was the best selling point at first, because I hated loading screens in TS2. But that didn't stop me from ditching TS3 and going back to TS2 and back to its loading screens. Now I'm happy and haven't had any desire to play TS3 for about 7-8 months.

But yeah, there's going to be no influx of new players now. People always think that "new" means "better". So nobody is going to play an older game if they haven't played it before. EA didn't even need to put the last nail in the coffin, by releasing a new game they already made sure that new players won't buy an older one.

EA just sucks.. I really dislike the Sims 3. It's sad enough that they shut down the Sims 1 site. I still play the Sims 1 sometimes and I need the patches but I can't find them anymore. If the Sims 2 site really shuts down, EA is officially not getting any money from me anymore. I won't buy the Sims 3 anymore, since I don't really like it anyway. -.-

The Sims 1 patches can be found at the same site where the Sims 2 patches are archived http://www.simprograms.com/the-sims...e-sims-patches/ . The site owner has been creating since the Sims 1 days when he was one of the main creators for 7 Deadly Sims and has many of the official creators programs, patches and other content archived for all Ts1,2, and 3 .

@ Deestar > I notice you always share information with us members that is very "Helpful" I have notice this on other post of your. Thank you for doing so, sharing is good someone always need help or tips. Like the one you mention above I never knew what you have told us about the owner of that site. ( your Home Page look very interest. ) Will check out more

You don't have to register to download he keeps his downloads open for everyone. As per sharing I don't mind, it is kind of second nature given I run a finds site, and information should be shared freely, that is one of the things that makes the Sims community what it is, e.g one of the strongest and longest lasting gaming communities in the world of videogames.

No, the 2D flowers, will not render as 3D, but it's only flowers, other plants, trees, objects, sims are not 2D. How detailed the grass is, is about graphic settings and computer capabilities, so is Sim detail, object detail, and how far (from your current Sim) does the open hood render stuff in high detail.

You said yourself



What area on your list is left out where TS2 shines but TS3 does not? What would you say does etc covers? Light/shadow? Sims themselves?

This are two pictures from my game. Daisy Greenman from TS2, and Socha from TS3. Both pictures were saved in paint once to reduce quality, so photobucket wouldn't choke on bandwidth limits. So neither pictures is as sharp or pretty as they are in game. But when I'm playing TS2, what ever better rendering you see in your game, I can't say I see in mine.



Yes, but it wouldn't be the third time you would have bought the exact same pets EP. TS1 pets EP was not the same EP content wise that TS2 pets EP was. Nor will TS3 pets EP be the same content wise than TS2 was.

In TS1 the catch was having a pet. In TS2 pets the catch was pets in 3D, which is why content wise, it was lacking compared to TS1 pets EP. In TS3 3D is not new any more so they needed something else, so the biggest catch is horses + wild life. In TS4 it will be something else.

There is no shame in recycling good ideas. I wanted to see ice-cream in TS2 because I liked it so much in TS1 but it never materialized. Now it seems it will make a come-back with the new pets EP. The same with gardening, I loved doing it in TS1, and was very happy when it finally came to TS2. If only new ideas are allowed in newer versions of the Sim series, then both TS2 and TS3 would be very empty because TS1 was full of awesome stuff, like toilets.

I agree with you on the points you made, Ani. With Sims 2, I think the DETAIL is way better on the Sims and objects than in the Sims 3. But, I also need to point out that that the Sims 3 water, grass and sky is much better than in the Sims 2. I really love the roundness of the Sims 3.

~123blissb

Ugh, I can't stand the TS3 sim look. Those freaky faces are one of the many reasons I could never play that game. O_o Can't quite put my finger on it... but it's something with the freaky eyes, and the eyebrows that look painted on, and the weird pudding faces... they all look like they have the same disorder/syndrome/chromosomal condition.

TS2 graphics are good enough for me.

Fortunately I have all patches saved, and never used the site for anything else anyway. Site or not, I'm still playin'. And not moving on to TS3.

ani_, I'm sure there are a good amount of people who have computers that can handle both games at maximum quality and are capable of knowing which graphics they like more. Yes, TS3 3D graphics system has upgraded from TS2, but I'll agree with bassoon that it does not necessarily make it prettier to look at.

I personally do not like the water in TS3, it looks like jello. I'll choose TS2 pool water hands down. Overall, I think their choice of the designs took them down a notch. I don't know if it was their budget holding them back, but they have the technology to do whatever they want, yet they chose the pudding, jello-y, thick/children's toy-looking furniture route (and topping it off by adding glow to everything). The upgraded graphics doesn't really cover for that.

If you look at the custom download sims on this site for 2 & 3 there's little difference in quality. Some of the S2 sims look better. Sims made with maxis styles all look terrible by comparison. As far as what's possible there hasn't been any huge leaps in sims appearance in the 5 years gap. To get all your sims looking that good takes time. Which I suppose is one reason I don't like aging sims because it takes so long to make a family look just right.

I don't see why companies abandon games sites once they stop making money from them. It wouldn't cost that much to host the information would it? Splinter Cell is a popular game and new gamers might like to go back and play the entire series. The story wouldn't even make sense if you haven't. But they can no longer get support for earlier games or download extras that came with them. Although they are not directly making money from this, wouldn't it pay to create more interest for gamers in their franchise by hosting sites for the entire series? It's not like the sites are large anyway.

I use to like adding links onto the Sims2 Forums, I guess I will have to add me links elsewhere, Other than that if EA decide to get rid of the Sims2 then let them, it can only add more sales for the Sims3 or add more headache for customer suppport. When the exchange was down I and others constantly contacted EA support about it. It was a common debate on the Sims2 forums,
If I was running the Site, I would keep it online, untill Sims4 came out, then gradually take Sims2 down.

What I don't understand is why EA would want players to move on. It's not like everyone is satisfied with TS3.

i agree, im mean shouldnt EAxis had some kind of reviews set (not "sent", although they can send to them too :P) out for players to see how the game is, if they did something like this, they would've had realised how still valuable the sims 2 is (to some players).

Why would EA would you to play TS2? Obviously what they want is everyone to move on to TS3 because it is the current game and they want your money (EA is a business)

Microsoft is a business too. You can still buy and get support and updates for xp, which is ten years old. Does this mean MS are not making as much money as they could? Lots of software manufacturers have older versions of software. I have an old Canon dv camera, but I can still get drivers, software from the manufacturer and even phone canon for support. It is typical of games companies to do this but not other businesses. Games technology does move fast but some games are timeless like Perfect Dark on N64 is still a fun game to play even though it is 16 years old. It's predecessor GoldenEye still ranks on best games of all time lists. You can't buy them unless you get secondhand or pirated versions. Why are Beatles albums still being sold instead of moving to the next new thing?

Oh, I agree. x__x That's one of the reasons I don't like TS3, along with the open-neighborhood aspect. However, I've never played TS3, so I don't know much about it other what I've seen from pictures.

I understand but if they want people to buy TS3 they should make it worth buying instead of making TS2 go poof.

I hope they don't close the site. There were some pretty good stories on there :O


If you want good looking sims, you're going to have to tweak them. A LOT.

I bought the Sims 3 when it first came out but wasn't happy with it so I continued playing my Sims 2 games. And because of that (playing Sims 2) I'm still a part of the overall simming community which means I'm exposed to all of the Sims 3 hype...and do you know what?

I ended up buying the Sims 3--again--along with an expansion pack to give it another chance (I gave the first copy I bought away). I still hated it so I doubt that I'll ever buy another Sims 3 game but as long as I'm still a part of the overall community there's a chance I'll hear something so awesome I'll be tempted again. And even if I don't buy, chances are I'll be first in line for Sims 4. So the answer to your question is a customer is a customer and as long as I'm in the store browsing (so to speak) you have a better chance of getting a sale from me than cold calling someone off the street. That's business 101.

So is taking care of your customers and doing the right thing--like maintaining websites--to generate goodwill so I'm happy to spend my money with you. Which EA has failed miserably at. I'm fortunate enough that the cost of games is negligible for me but I hate EA's business practices so much I begrudge them every-single-solitary dollar instead of just buying like I do with any other game that catches my attention.

By not patching their games in a timely manner (if at all), having shitty customer service and doing things like not fixing their exchange they've lost the money I would have happily spent on the rest of their Sims 3 lineup and the Sims Medieval games just to try them out. I don't have to love every game I buy so even if I don't think they're awesome (and continued playing Sims 2 which is awesome ) I would be fine with spending $20-$50 every few months for a couple days of entertainment. But EA sucks hairy moose balls so they get nothing--or as little of my money as I can manage without cutting off my nose to spite my face.

A couple of observations - not really in answer to anyone.

1. Sims 2 is still selling - many people are completing the collection, filling in with SP and EPs they don't have, some people are just starting new. We have quite a few posters here who have started playing the game in the last two years. It seems bad business to leave those customers without access to patches and other game support.

2. Someone mentioned EA wanting us to move on - well, I have to a certain extent and when I stop playing TS2 I will probably move on permanently (unless TS4 is really, really good). The thing is, I've moved on to other games. I've bought a lot of games this year, most of them not made by EA. That's a lost customer. EA might want to think about that. I work with a lot of business students doing research degrees. They'd all be horrified by that business model.

What's all this talk about EA 'forcing' players to play TS3 by not supporting older versions of the game? Do people not have free will?! You can still play TS2, guys! It's not like as soon as the TS2 site shuts down men in black will appear and confiscate your copy of the game.

It's reasonable to expect that companies will stop supporting games eventually. TS1 was released in 2000 and stopped being supported in 2011. I suspect that the timeframe for TS2 will be similar. As it is seven years old we can expect another 3-4 years of support.

And anyway, the TS2 site is down for maintenance; it's not closed, so why talk as though it is?

> @el_flel: people here are WORRIED that the site might get closed since, as per to what members here said, a similar situation happened to the Sims 1 which in the end got shutdown.