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| EA Embraces RCE |
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| Written by Nate Randall |
| Tuesday, 26 February 2008 12:58 |
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EA has taken the opportunity and updated the economy to be much more healthy. Rather than the game supplying everything from the salaries to the items, the users can now create items, set up shop, sell items, own and sell land, hire workers. Item prices are not stagnant, but rather, are adjusted for supply and demand. The ways to buy lots (land) are numerous, from inheritance, to direct purchase from EA, to person-to-person trade. A fully functioning dynamic Real Cash Economy! While the game is free to download and play, there is a subscription option for $9.99 per month. This of course comes with certain privileges. If a free player buys a lot their house lot size zero. You can still build a house; it is just a smaller plot than paying players have access to. Also, "skills objects" only work on "skill lots" and those lots are restricted for free players even though your skills are still maintained. Paying subscribers get a paycheck each week while free players do not. You do have the option of buying the native currency (Simoleans) at a rate of 989/1 USD via PayPal and the enterprising participant can earn money by selling items or getting a job. The biggest difference between the free and subscriber account? Free players can only cash out what they have put into (cashed in) the game. I'll be interested to see how this last point works out for EA, as it is a departure from any RCE system I have seen to date. Skinable objects have been implemented and soon scriptable objects, for user created content. They do control the content so as to ensure nothing objectionable makes it into the game. Don't even TRY to load nude skins! They have also added various Internet hooks and social interaction points. You can add gadgets to your Google Homepage. Use Avatarbook, a Facebook application, that links you to the game for many interesting features and yet another way to stay connected, even when you’re not connected. With their open API, anyone can set up an array of web services. This area will blossom over time and may be the real jewel to the project over the long haul. Existing The Sims Online account holders can reactivate their accounts for free in order to receive their account-based privileges back, if done before the amnesty takes place sometime in March. All of this and the prospect of leveraging the existing relationships EA have with Sony Playstation3 and Microsoft Xbox360, I'd say this is the biggest actionable news to hit our little genre in a long time. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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