I don't know about euros, but Hidden Springs equates to £15.75 in the UK (£7 per 1000 simpoints), which according to a currency calculator comes out at just under $26.

Well, it's not bad world but considering that it's more expensive than suff pack it should look at least as good as WA worlds or have as many new objects as SPs have

I'm just not buying this... What is the point when many (Many many many) free worlds to download that are by far better than this Hidden S**t?

Where is the location of route problem in Hidden Spring?

The game suddenly became so lagging and I can't find the place where the sims stuck.

Even reset town won't help much.

Well, I kind of like HS because for me, most non EA-worlds that have been created (and many make me drool) needs WA. Nothing in WA intressed me, I'll never going to buy it so what can a poor girl do?

Lol, I vote to get simsample and Kiwi_tea onto the EA development team
Bet yes even I think I can do better and I'm starting to wonder if I should do my own damn fantasy world because I'm not satisfied and really regreting the purchase!

Forget that, just go download all of Kiwi's worlds instead!

I agree with Srikandi that the sims' world is fantasy, and thus could look anyway EA wants. But I also agree that aesthetically it's not pleasing. It's not a big secret in art that the eye gets tired of bright pretty colors, so you have to severely limit their use and use 'ugly' colors as a contrast. It never seems like EA puts a lot of thought into these things. But even if they did, some people would probably complain that the colors were too dull or whatever.
(The shiny clothes drive me insane.)

I have not checked all of Europe, but in Finland we pay 10€ for 1000 points. The people in U.S. pay $10 for the same amount, which in our currency is 7.07€. Now with the 50% off the cost is 3.54€ for 1000 points. So, we do pay more as do others around the World.

The regular price of HS being 2500 points that would mean $35.40 worth of money (and with the sale 10% off of that). It is just simply far too much for someone like me to pay for a world. Not too much to pay for an EP, which cost €34.90 (just over $49).

We do get one discount for Sim Points. As said before 1000 points = 10€. But if you buy 8000 point bundle, you get them for only €79.90! The whopping savings of 10 cents!

The simple answer to that is no.

Quote:
Originally Posted by coffeebreak
Edit: I had a conversation elsewhere about the exchange rate and for some reason that person was convinced that if $22 US dollars were converted into euros, then they'd wind up paying 38 euros for HiddenSprings. But I checked an actual currency converter, and it said the price is 15 euros. So I don't understand how they arrived at their initial figure.



Well see, this is what is so confusing. I put 15 euros into a currency converter, and it said that it equaled $22. And when I put 7 euros into a currency converter, it said that equaled $10. It's a straight up conversion, and I have no idea what surtax or extra fee is being added into the equation by simmers to arrive at the higher amount, but it's entirely possible (and in fact more likely) that the extra money is being imposed as a import fee by their own country (and EA is required by law to charge the customer during the transaction, in the same way WalMart that charges for sales tax on behalf of our government). Because the exchange rate itself is a straight up conversion. If $22 equals 15 euros, then 15 euros HAS TO also equal $22.

See, I think we're all confusing different things. I'm just talking about the basic exchange rate, NOT whatever extra fees are being imposed by the importing country. Even though I can't afford overseas travel, I know several people who travel frequently for business and they complain about the currency exchange all the time. Apparently, they used to be able to take a $100 overseas and buy tons of products. Now, they are taking $100 overseas and only being able to buy a small fraction of what they used to. And people from other countries can come here and now buy more goods and services than *they* used to, for the *same amount of money* that they were spending before. But they can only save that money by traveling to the target country in person, because as soon as their stay home and try to order the products over the internet, their governments is charging them an import fee.

I don't think it is EA's fault that an extra tax is being imposed, is what I'm trying to say, and it does suck that you guys have to pay more for imported games.

EA is not converting the amount. They charge 10$ and 10 Euros for the same thing but the Euros are worth more than the dollar, so hence the Europeans are spending more for the items.

As for people in Europe converting Euros to dollars to get more for their money, that is EXACTLY what our government wanted. They wanted to devalue the money so they could get more people buying American goods. EA is not giving the Europeans the proper exchange rate. They should be charging the Euros equivalent to $7 rather than $10.

You are confusing this...they are not charging the Europeans $7. If they were, that would be fine. They are charging them more. Most internet companies allow you to buy in your own currency. For example, if I buy European software, I pay more dollars than they pay Euros because the Euros are worth more per Euro. You usually see two prices, one in Euros, one in US dollars. EA does not do that. My guess is that they don't do this to avoid the exchange fees but for a huge company like EA, that should be miniscule compared to their profits. When you sell a game to people all over the world, I would think you would make sure they are paying the same as we are.

No, they're actually spending less. When the euro is worth more than the dollar, then it takes fewer euros to buy more dollars. That's why Thoma$ wanted to convert T$R to euros and still continue to sell to americans who would continue to buy subscriptions with dollars. He was going to make money from just the currancy transaction itself, without even figuring in the actual profit from T$R and the americans complained, realizing it was going to cost them more for the same service.

In currency exchange, a higher value means you can buy more for the same amount of gold or silver or peanuts or euros, whatever you are using as currency when you exchange one currency for another. This is so basic I'm not even going discuss anymore. Go ask any economist.

Yes, but EA don't take the exchange rate into account when they set their prices for simpoints and they don't change those prices in response to the exchange rate so whilst 7 euros are equivalent to $10, EA are charging people in countries where the euro is the currency 10 euros for the same thing (1000 simpoints) they're charging Americans $10.

In the same way they charge people in the UK £7 for 1000 simpoints whether or not £7 = $10 under the exchange rate.

Im not sure why you start talking about TSR. Ryan was talking about the sims store. 1000 points costs 10$ for someone from the US, but 10euro for someone from Europe. They dont let Europeans buy with dollars. So 1000 points for them is more expensive then 1000 points for someone from the US, because the euro is worth more then a dollar.

That's why they have simpoints instead of selling you credit- simpoints are rubber and can be worth whatever EA decide they are worth.

I agree, that's been my stance since this world was first announced. I already have more worlds than I can play downloaded, why would I buy one. Of course I'd never buy anything from the store anyway just on principle

Oh god I just thought of something really really late, because viewing the world through a lens of corporate and tribal greed just does not come naturally to me.

Originally Posted by rian90
the Euros are worth more than the dollar, so hence the Europeans are spending more for the items.

So THAT'S how the US buffaloed the rest of the world! Okay, I admit it, you are right and I am wrong. That being the case, europeans should want their euro to be less than the dollar! Getting your euro down in value should be your goal!!1! Just think how much cheaper everything would be for you!!(eleventy)! Ah, all sarcasm aside, that's exactly how the nasty politicians phuck you over every time...

As a person from the states, I absolutely agree with you. I don't think devaluing our dollar is having the affect the pseudo-economists think it does but these are the same folks who think if you lower the minimum-wage, our economy will get better...even though people will have less money to spend on 'stuff'. And they think if we stop helping poor people with their health care, that the economy will get better, even though it means poor people will just die (so where do they get those sub-minimum wage workers) and those of us who are middle class will have to spend thousands of dollars a months supporting our aging parents...who will qualify as poor people.

If I could, I would move to Europe..give me higher taxes, better schools, better daycare, better higher education! LOL

If it makes anyone feel better, we spent much more money than you did in Italy...due to the poor value of the dollar. Problem is most American's can't afford to travel.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with Hidden Springs! Also, Ryan is my son...I am Laura. I just use his name spelled wrong.

Same as monopoly as someone pointed out. There is something childlike by making your own currency. You don't think your customer's are equipped with a brain when you do that.

In capitalism, nothing really has an intrinsic value... the value of an item is determined by "the market", and "the market" does not behave the same everywhere in the world. So there's no reason a game should cost "the same" in different places (where "the same" is determined by exchange rates), since different markets can (and do) assign a different value to the same thing. It's really a matter of what ENOUGH people think it's reasonable to pay, or turning that around, what a company thinks they can get away with charging. *shrug* The cost of living is different in different places, so is average income, so is the proportion of income available to spend on stuff like computer games, and so on.

That's also why different regions get different deluxe editions, freebies and so on. Different marketing teams, different markets.

I just recently got Hidden Springs and I'm experiencing a pretty severe lag in my opinion. :/
Basically, this town is unplayable for me, however the slightest bit of lag bothers me so it may not be that bad for some people. :p

I would agree with you, Srikandi, but The Sims 3 cost the same here in small town Florida with a low cost of living and low wages as it does in NY, California, or other high wage areas. So really, that doesn't excuse why a large company cannot include currency exchange. Most business transactions I make online include currency exchange. In fact, most have a little click thing where you change your currency. That way, we all pay the same. Now restaurants do change costs based on the cost of living, which does sort of make sense since they probably buy a lot of their produce locally, hence they pay more or less for the food. But that is not an excuse in an electronic transaction. I have never had to pay a 'conversion' fee from a company, only through a currency service or service like Paypal. EA is a huge multinational company. They should do better.

*shrug* Distribution systems for software are national, not local. So you can't effectively price them locally.

For anything where that is not the case -- gas, food, labor, clothing, etc etc -- the prices ARE set at the local level. A gallon of gas at a Chevron station costs more in my town than it does in the town 15 minutes down the freeway. Even chain stores set different prices in different areas.

If EA charged the same for games in Ukraine as in the US, they would not sell any games in Ukraine :/

And any business that does set the same price everywhere in the world has made a business decision that they save money by avoiding multiple pricing structures, I would guess. It's only worth it for large international companies. EA is not a US company... it has locations all over the world.

That all eloquently said, Srikandi, it does strike me that EA isn't doing its calculations right. Almost everyone I know in NZ pirates first, buys second *if* they're lucky enough to earn a lot, because games cost an enormous amount. It's the incredibly high prices that encourage that primacy of piracy, and when game quality suffers while the prices remain high, I'm sure more and more people are bailing from actually paying for the games: Why pay top dollar for half-baked stuff? If games weren't a good NZ$80-100 per pop then I think a lot more New Zealanders and Australians would buy them. EA really have priced out the working class, even moreso in New Zealand than Australia because NZ has comparable game prices to Australia, but much lower wages.

New Zealanders can get affordable DVDs and music, even if they're expensive. Games prices are actually ridiculous.

I'm one of the only people I know who doesn't regularly pirate games, not because I have a moral objection to it. I don't at all. I could just never be bothered waiting for a torrent and racking up my internet bill. :P

----> OBLIGATORY PIRACY-IS-IMMORAL-&-I-DO-NOT-CONDONE-IT MESSAGE: PIRACY MAKES HAIR GROW ON YOUR PALMS. <----