Miss AOL Ficlets? Try Ficly!

Ficlets was an idea brought up by AOL developer Kevin Lawver. Essentially you and several authors will continue a multi-part story that spans as long as there is interest.  The site came under fire when AOL announced last year that they would be shutting it down.

During AOL’s restructuring and downsizing, they decided to let a few properties go. This evidently ended up with the message board fiasco we had a few months ago, but that’s beside the point. Kevin Lawver has relaunched his new site Ficly.com!

The best part of the site is how you really don’t have to register. The site uses OpenID, you can ironically use your AOL screen name to sign in. Now we’re off to finish up our 20 part telenovela!

Second Sims 3 Leak now claims to be Final Version

A Developing Story… updated 6/3/09

Just when you thought it was safe to go back outside, another Sims 3 leak is released. This time another group claims their leak is now the final retail version that is expected to ship on June 2nd. News of this leak was sent on May 25th, after several days of performance and testing issues discovered by members of various forums and blogs we can now project that there are no noticeable changes between the two leaks.

We still can not say whether or not this leak is the final version until June 2nd. There will be a new post after I purchase of the game where we will compare reports made over the past two weeks on issues that have been fixed or not. Unless there is any other major news story released, the next Sims 3 blog post will be the last discussion over the authenticity of the two leaks.

Story Progression Fixed in Retail ?

On June 3rd: There are complaints at the official board about story progression. It appears it does not deactivate if you uncheck the feature. I guess for those who thought the second leak was the final version, you can officially say “I told you so!”

The First Leak’s Demise

Will EA step up their game plan with this new leak?

As reported by SimPrograms, a SnootySims member found a link to the first patch to be released officially by EA. According to the story, the first leak’s version number is  1.0.615.00107. The patch to be delivered by EA will upgrade the retail version, 1.0.631.00002 to 1.0.632.00002. This was to put an end of all forum debates on whether or not the first leak was final.

Still as addressed in the previous article, there are doubts over whether EA is telling the truth. The version numbers aren’t so incredibly far from each other either making it sound as if there were only minor bug fixes between each build.

The Second Leak Steps Up

Sunset in Sunset Valley: Screenshots via [SimGalaxy]

According to the info file contained within the second leak, this version is slated to be 1.0.631.00002. This leak also appears to be a DVD copy of the game and does not include SecuRom.

The second group is boasting how their leak is the “real deal”. They’ve made sure to post evidence of this by comparing the version numbers and dates of files in both leaks. They have included a link to EA’s patch update file to explain how the first leak cannot be patched since EA will only update version 1.0.631.x to 1.0.632.x.  So it seems there’s a little competition going on here.

Differences between 1.0.615.x and 1.0.631.x ?

This week, several players from various forums and blogs described their experience between the two games. Players reported no gameplay differences between both versions. They found no additional items, hairstyles, or objects. Some gamers experienced minor bug fixes between each leak, but there were conflicting reports and we can not confirm them at this time.

The inability to deactivate Story Progression was a major bug in the first leak. Players reported this bug was still not fixed in the second leak. 

The only major difference players noted between each leak were the version numbers and dates of files. The second leak had files 7 days in advance from the previous leak. 

EA encourages pirates to purchase the full game

Pirated “615″ Posted by a forum member on Gamespot,
the thread was later deleted.

Thursday May 27th: EA sent a message through the game launcher:

You are playing a non-final, unauthorized copy of The Sims 3.

Purchasing and registering an official copy of The Sims 3 will entitle you to benefits including access to an entirely new game town called Riverview, 1000 SimPoints which can redeemed for game objects in The Sims 3 store, and access to The Sims 3 Exchange.

It was very interesting to see EA’s response to the piracy matter. There is something very significant with this message. Note that the version number says 1.0.615.x. Put your thinking caps on!

Real Retail Version “631″ Posted by SnootySims Forum Member

The version number for the retail version with no patches installed is version 1.0.631.x. The last four digits refer to the region it came from and if it is a digital download. There is something interesting here though. Compare the three screenshots.

Pirated “631″ posted on SnootySims Forum

Unlike the first screenshot of version 1.0.615.00107. The second leak does not show the “non-final, unauthorized” message.

The Sims 3 Store Money Pinch!

EA officially released The Sims 3 store prices and it has left several consumers upset, concerned, or refusing to buy anything due to the cost of items. An estimate to purchase all store items cost over $250, thats way over the retail price of $49.95.

EA Claims Sims 3 Leak is not the Final Build

In an interview with the Associated Press, EA claims The Sims 3 leak is only a “buggy, pre-final” version. This is pretty good news on behalf of the whole  Sims gaming community as the leaked copy featured some glaring bugs that should have been caught during testing.

The Second Leak (May 25th, 2009)

The Sims 3 has been leaked again, this time by another group. This group claims their leak is the final retail version and has been posted on many different websites and torrents.

After several observations found from forums and blogs we can conclude the retail version does not present the same bugs as the second leak. Click here to read more information about the  second leak. The article below consists only of the issues and bugs concerning the first leak. 

The Major Concerns with The Sims 3

The police station, so far EA hasn’t sued file sharers.
Screenshot via [SimGalaxy]

In the leaked copy, players found numerous bugs and oddities that would potentially disrupt the fanbase. It was very interesting to see SecuRom  packaged within the leak. This lead to doubts over the authenticity over EA’s statements. They claimed the physical copy of the game would be shipped without it, however, the digital copy would still include SecuRom.

Fortunately, it was later found within the EULA that the leaked copy was derived from the digital release. Even though SecuRom is used to protect unauthorized copies of the game from running, it was already bypassed by the time the leak was released.

The lack of objects, clothing, and hairstyles became a hot button issue among fans. EA has not revealed if the base game will include more items when it hits retail. EA does plan to sell more objects through The Sims 3 store, and will allow 1000 points free for all players who legally purchase the game.

As the hours went by, the mystery surrounding the leaked copy took on a huge forum debate whether the game was the final build. Players brought up major points to support each side of the argument. One issue that supported both sides were game freezes and crashes. In each case, players reported crashing incidents starting within 3 minutes to 6 hours of gameplay. However, some players did not receive any crashes whatsoever.

A general theory over the cause of the crashes were related to old graphic and audio drivers. It’s recommended that players should update their NVIDIA or ATI graphic card drivers before installing the retail copy of the game.

Bugs, Bugs and more Bugs!

Screenshot via [SimsDomination]

We do expect the Sims 3 will ship with bugs, and many of these bugs will most likely get patched. Alas, players were complaining about various glitches and screwups within the leaked copy.

A bug some players found early on during gameplay was the inability to kill a Sim in a fire. This bug was quite interesting in that one would think EA would allow this ability in the first place as it’s one of the most popular deaths in the whole series.  On May 20th, we finally saw the first leaked video that included the fire death animation, so we’re not sure as to why some players couldn’t do it and others could. Rumours and speculations arose as players felt that maybe EA was trying to soften the game’s image by removing the death. However, the leak was programmed to include other methods of killing a Sim. We concluded that this form of death will return in the retail version.

Another bug found by players was the inability to deactivate story progression. This feature controls any drastic changes your neighborhood Sims would do, for example, this feature controlled if your neighbors would move in or out, become pregnant, advance in jobs, and die. This became problematic towards players who wanted a similar play style of The Sims 2. They did not want to worry about other Sim families they created to suddenly die or move out of the neighborhood for good.

There were also some minor issues with the music not playing, fast forward speed button malfunctions, and guitars stuck on a Sim’s body.

Players are still skeptical

Protesting at City Hall

It’s quite hilarious to see the debate move right back to where we all started, as now there is still a lot of discussion on whether or not EA is telling the truth. Discussion among forums and blogs seem to theorize that EA is now speaking out to avoid bad press. It’s still likely that EA will release a patch to fix all major bugs related to the gold copy on release day.

We’re also concerned with EA’s choice of wording with the term, “pre-final”. This implies the leaked copy is probably just a few small builds away from the gold copy. If this were the case then it means the leak pretty much sums up everything that’s going to be in the game. Fans will not be happy!

The Sims 3 Leaked with Earthquake?

Pirates don’t Pre-order? Or do they?

There are several reports and screenshots circulating around the internet around the unexpected release of The Sims 3. The game has surfaced on some bittorrent sites and has been downloaded by 1300 people at the time of this post. Several screenshots on a popular image board show that this leak was real. This included fulfilling requests made by others to verify they were actually playing it.

With these screenshots some minor tidbits have been revealed.

• Some described how the game runs much smoother than The Sims 2.
• Newspapers can actually be read in popups. Stories remind me of Simcity 2000.
• Junkie XL is back.
• You can actually troll on a forum on the computer.
• Someone may respond to your forum post.
• Something resembling EA’s Skate and Madden can be played as a video game.
• A 60s style Diner.

Unfortunately for EA, we don’t know what stance they will take on future games. I do applaud them for removing SecuRom from the physical copy of the game (SecuROM still exists in the digital copy) after the backlash they received from Spore. However, it’s uncertain whether this leak will have a huge impact on sales of the game. Please don’t post any links here, we’re not that kind of site.

Is the leaked copy the final build?

It’s official! The leaked copy is not the final build!

The leak is not the final retail version because…

• Mouse pointer graphical bugs.
  • Debunked: A bug that occurs during the use of Fraps.
• Several glaring bugs in the game.
  • Some players were unable to kill a Sim in a fire while others were able to do it. -May 20th
  • Fast Forward Speed Malfunctions.
  • If Story Progression is disabled, it appears to have no effect.
• Handful of objects released in the game.
  • Debunked: The Sims 3 store will release the remaining items.

May 18th:

As the buzz spreads to more and more forums, players have described this leak as some sort of preview version. Rumours have swirled where players have described only seeing a handful of objects available. It seems EA will be selling the rest of the objects in the Sims 3 store.  We’re also wondering  about several posts regarding the mechanics of death. It seems some players are unable to kill their sims in a fire.

It could be possible that this leak may have been given out for the gaming magazines for their “hands on” experience but we can’t confirm if this is the case.

May 19th:

There’s some arguments regarding if the release is the “retail” version or an earlier preview build. They have pretty much figured it’s not a demo. EA has been taking down “some” leaked footage on Youtube, claiming copyright infringement.

May 20th

Two gaming review sites with legit copies of the game stated they had a preview build (bit-tech.com and eurogamer.de). It’s still uncertain if the leaked copy is the same version the gaming sites reviewed. More arguments whether the game is retail or not.

May 22nd

Leaked copy is not final build!

Coincidentally there was a 5.0 earthquake in Sourthern California, then GOD proceeded to say…

Aim 7.0 Releases With Larger Buddy Icons

Today the next generation of the popular instant messenger platform released with a brand new version called Aim 7. It’s an early beta that will showcase some new features.

It seems the message they are focusing on this time is to keep the program light on resources. The last time this was done was for AIM Lite. Redesign appears to pay some homage to Yahoo and Facebook.

We’ll have an indepth of review of this new beta at another time. Here are some of the new features you can expect with Aim 7 beta.

• New Look
• Larger Buddy Icons
• Built in Buddy Icon Maker
• Larger status entry screen
• New Advertisement locations

[via AOL Beta]

Aim 7 Customization, Skins, and More