Free Accounts Should be for NEW PLayers Only

[MissGameGirl]

This may not be a popular opinion but here goes, "All Free Players should be NEW Accounts-Not Subscribers". I am hoping that EA will not allow history (Bad History) to repeat itself and allow subscribing accounts to continue to use and abuse Free Accounts. I have read many posting on here regarding "free accounts" coming into a house and literally trashing it out by not cleaning dishes, eating food, clogging toilets, and not speaking,(the ppl I have meet from other countries do speak). This all sounds too familiar to the "Tagging" of the old days. The people in the forum who reported these things said, "I don't want to even open my house." wasn't that the purpose of "Tagging" to get you to close up. I have also heard numerous people in game state that they are being harrassed constantly be free accounts or 0-10 day accounts coming in to their houses calling them vulgar names. (ik use the filter but then only your guest will know what you are being called!) Again these ppl report that they are not opening their houses! And some have or are on the verge of quitting the game. The point is this is old, old, old and has no place in the new world. <As I see it, even if you have just one paid account you have 8 avatars to choose from. When all accounts go through the process of amnesty I can not image that anyone will want to delete an account and loose locks.("Good Job")> So take away their last weapon, being anonymous is powerful to cowards, let them put their subscribing "Premium Accounts" on the line, let their be consequences to their actions. And let the people who play this game for fun and friendship ultimately set the course of its future. Because we know the future of where "the Cowards" will take us, back to empty cities.

 

[Guest]

Very well said. The problem is how do you tell (from EA's side) if someone already has an account or if they are really a new player? I personally have 2 accounts that I pay for and 1 free account I use only in TC3. I know my free account is seriously limited in TC3 so I don't even bother with bringing him there. How would you regulate something like this?

 

[Guest]

I thought free accounts were only going to be allowed in TC3. Why do we have free accounts at all in ealand?????? Get them out of Ealand and a huge problems will be solved. Sorry about that TC3....but I thought that was what TC3 was for.

 

[Guest]

I completely agree here! From what I've seen, only bad things have come about from subscribers also having free accounts....1. they are using free account sims to sit and hide at their stores to help with their rank. 2. they use an anonymous sim to spy or harrass others. Maybe I'm wrong here....if anyone knows any pros to having a second account, by all means, share with me.

 

[Guest]

But then people in trailer parks wouldn't have multiple accounts.

 

[imported_Qute Pi]

My opinion of free accounts varies. I think its a great feature in many ways.

However, anyone who took advantage of things like trial accounts and so on, will take advantage of free accounts. In fact I know one person who already does. And he has no reason to other than to start drama.

At least they don't count for visitor hours, however, that does effect welcome properties in the opposite way. They help and help and help and get nothing out of it lol.

If I had a suggestion on how to regulate it I would get more involved, but I don't so I'll leave my comment at that lol.

 

[imported_Qute Pi]

<blockquote><hr>

I completely agree here! From what I've seen, only bad things have come about from subscribers also having free accounts....1. they are using free account sims to sit and hide at their stores to help with their rank. 2. they use an anonymous sim to spy or harrass others. Maybe I'm wrong here....if anyone knows any pros to having a second account, by all means, share with me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Free accounts don't help hours anymore.
You are right about the anonymous sim / spy harass comment tho...

 

[Guest]

It's easy. Free accounts need to be allowed in TC3 only. WHy have them in EA-Land if they are so locked down they can't experience the whole city? In TC#, they have full access and are not limited in any ways.

 

[imported_Qute Pi]

From what I hear, its harder to get someone to subscribe to something they can't see. If they can't see EAL to see what they are missing why should they bother?

 

[Guest]

But then the question comes up... when they are in EA Land they really can't see everything anyways. So, how will they decide if they want to sign up without going everywhere? I always thought the 14 day free trial was a good idea. I really am not sure why they did away with that. Even WoW only gives you a 14 day free trial. The only online game I know of that offers unlimited free play is Second Life... and boy does that game suck... lol

 

[Guest]

They can see EAland they just can't click into any of the cities of EALand and can just click into TC3.

 

[imported_Qute Pi]

What if you signed up and then in EAL it was almost dead? lol. I know not likely but what if? It's not that they need to see every individual property, but they need to get a feel of the different sections, the many people that play, the ideas there that may not be in TC3...
I don't think I would sign up for something I couldn't see (as in go to).

 

[Sativa L]

<blockquote><hr>

1. they are using free account sims to sit and hide at their stores to help with their rank.

[/ QUOTE ] That has (or will) changed, free accounts will not count towards visitor hours.

 

[Guest]

From my understanding, this has already changed. If you want confirmation, check the store hours. If they are still over 300 hours for the top 10, then no, visitor hours still count.

 

[MissGameGirl]

That stores used "free accounts" to get their ratings higher in the top 100 list or currently use them as storage bins for excess inventory is an issue of a victimless crime. But the reason that trial accounts may have gone by the wayside was due to the abuse of Scammers and Harrassers. I would be happy to see TC3 as the only place where a free account could "test" the game. I like all of the others players who are being harrassed by "free account abusers" am a long term paying customer.

 

[Guest]

The old trial way may have been abused, but aren't we having the same issue with the free accounts now? The only difference is the free accounts are good forever. They never have to remake or sign up using a different e-mail address. The old way, they had 14 days. After that, the account was locked unless they paid for the account. I still think that was the best way. Give people 14 days of unlimited access to try it. If they like it, then they start paying. THe way it is now makes no sense.

I just have a feeling they wanted to do the free accounts so people could try it and they would have a spike in player activity.

 

[DGLita]

<blockquote><hr>

This may not be a popular opinion but here goes, "All Free Players should be NEW Accounts-Not Subscribers". I am hoping that EA will not allow history (Bad History) to repeat itself and allow subscribing accounts to continue to use and abuse Free Accounts. I have read many posting on here regarding "free accounts" coming into a house and literally trashing it out by not cleaning dishes, eating food, clogging toilets, and not speaking,(the ppl I have meet from other countries do speak). This all sounds too familiar to the "Tagging" of the old days. The people in the forum who reported these things said, "I don't want to even open my house." wasn't that the purpose of "Tagging" to get you to close up. I have also heard numerous people in game state that they are being harrassed constantly be free accounts or 0-10 day accounts coming in to their houses calling them vulgar names. (ik use the filter but then only your guest will know what you are being called!) Again these ppl report that they are not opening their houses! And some have or are on the verge of quitting the game. The point is this is old, old, old and has no place in the new world. &lt;As I see it, even if you have just one paid account you have 8 avatars to choose from. When all accounts go through the process of amnesty I can not image that anyone will want to delete an account and loose locks.("Good Job")&gt; So take away their last weapon, being anonymous is powerful to cowards, let them put their subscribing "Premium Accounts" on the line, let their be consequences to their actions. And let the people who play this game for fun and friendship ultimately set the course of its future. Because we know the future of where "the Cowards" will take us, back to empty cities.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you actually yourself had personal exprience of this? Because reading between the lines of your post, you are just quoting 'what other people say'.

I love the free players, I built a welcome house especially for them, and im having the best time with it.

I love this line from your post
"I have read many posting on here regarding "free accounts" coming into a house and literally trashing it out by not cleaning dishes, eating food, clogging toilets, and not speaking"

Trashing a house by eating food, not cleaning plates, clogging toilets and NOT speaking??? Get real, please, skill houses are full of em, and they aint free players.
As i said, its mostly free players that visit me and guess what, most of them pick up their plates, even though i tell them not to bother. I pay the maid to do that, I dont expect my visitors to do it.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

1. they are using free account sims to sit and hide at their stores to help with their rank.

[/ QUOTE ]

Free accounts do not count toward visitor hours. They could hide 28 freebies and it wouldn't count for 1 visitor hour.

The stores with hiding avatars are paying for those avatars. I don't think the EA is frowning on having paying customers. I know it is frustrating to everyone who is trying to get on the store list. They get no bonus for a top house. They are paying over a hundred dollars a month to have this honor of a top house. They are spending countless hours in front of the computer. Leave them alone and they will eventually tire of it all. In the meantime, they are paying to keep this game afloat. Free account people are not.

 

[Guest]

Well technically they are staying in front of the computer for outless hours. I believe they are using something else to keep them from timing out. But if they are paying for all those accounts, more power to them. If they aren't and found a loophole for the free accounts, then it's a different story.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

Well technically they are staying in front of the computer for outless hours. I believe they are using something else to keep them from timing out. But if they are paying for all those accounts, more power to them. If they aren't and found a loophole for the free accounts, then it's a different story.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm pretty sure if it is a different story they will be regulated on.

I have no problems with free accounts. I wouldn't let any person paying or free get to me.

While I think that paying customers should have more than a free player. I don't think that it should determine whether or not someone can act ridiculous.

So...

If someone pisses you off, free or otherwise, get rid of them.

 

[jaysin]

Wouldn't you be able to just ban them from your property? I guess I never really minded people leaving dishes. I mean, they are my guests. Enough people take care of their own dishes along with other peoples to make it not so much of a problem.

I have not used a free account in EA-land yet, because I am still on my trial period. Although, I do not plan on paying until I get my old sim like they promised.

 

[imported_Qute Pi]

Your old sim like they promised? You mean a sim that got deleted due to account inactivity? Thats not happening...If thats what your talking about.

Edit to add: If you are thinking of amnesty, then I don't think that includes an old sim coming back, as much as the entitlement days from previous years of paying being used for skill locks and gifts. And to qualify for amnesty, I believe you have to be a paying account. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[MissGameGirl]

A post made on 3/29/08 entitled "I had to close my house.." sounded very much like what I was experiencing and made me question whether this was "free players". I began speaking in game to other paying members and came across quite a few who had in fact closed their houses, stores, etc, due to the action of players who were either "free players" or 0-10 day accounts. I also experienced this in Sims Online when my house would be "Tagged" by accounts less than a month old, then I would shut down for a couple of weeks until a house in my category made it to the top #1 or #2 and was put up for sale and once the house sold, then I would open back up until a couple of months down the road it happened again. Eventually I stopped opening and only came on line to check my house and make sure I was not deleted. Did I make an enemy and was it personal?? Nope I was told via the "little bird" it was strictly business. This time around I will voice my opinion loudly and often, in the hopes that this time the only one in business will be EA.

 

[Guest]

Yeah if you lost your sim due to inactivity, they cannot bring him/her back. But, if you reactivate, they will give you amnesty which means you will get the skill locks your sim would have had. This is just as good in my opinion. If i remember correctly, if you do not log in or pay for 3 months, they delete your sims. I had this happen to me. I know it sucks, but it's how the system is set up.

 

[MissGameGirl]

There is no way to get rid of a phantom. If a player gets just three free accounts they can have 24 avatars enter your house daily. You can ban them all and tomorrow it all starts again. And God forbit it be a "family" the possibilities are limitless.

And as for free players I will be one of the ones in TC3 encouraging new people to join, teaching them the ropes, and how to play safely, ie, helping them in anyway I can to become part of the game.

 

[Katinka]

Free accounts don't get 8 avatars and they cant go anywhere in EALand so I am confused how are free accounts trashing anything?

Maybe you are confusing new avatars with free accounts??

 

[Guest]

To keep this game going, we all have to take a positive approach to getting new players to sign up. Free accounts will not keep this game going. It's the monthy subscription that will help this game in the long run. THe ATM's (though I refuse to ever use one) will also help, but for the time being, the more that switch over the better.

Qute Pi and myself are going to open a welcome house to help teach the new players and show them what they can do in the game. I think that is the biggest thing to help... teach the new players. There is no tutorial while the game installs like there used to be so players are coming in knowing nothing unless they played Sims 1 or 2.

What brings people to this game is not the amazing graphics or the action. It's the community. People come here cause everyone (ok... most people) are very nice in this game. I have played in many Online games and I don't find that often. We have to show that we care about those who are really interested in making this game better.

 

[Guest]

LOL I know of 2 others off the top of my head that offer free accts. Very limited of course.
It is great to see the welcome houses used for their intended purpose.

 

[jaysin]

<blockquote><hr>

Your old sim like they promised? You mean a sim that got deleted due to account inactivity? Thats not happening...If thats what your talking about.

Edit to add: If you are thinking of amnesty, then I don't think that includes an old sim coming back, as much as the entitlement days from previous years of paying being used for skill locks and gifts. And to qualify for amnesty, I believe you have to be a paying account. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

How do you explain the e-mail I got that specifically said that if I re-activated I would get my old sim back from the TSO days. The only reason I started again was because I was told I would get my old sim back with everything that he had previously. I even asked people about it the first day I re-activated my account. They seemed to know exactly what I was talking about. Yet, I have heard nothing from EA since about their promise they made to me.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

But then people in trailer parks wouldn't have multiple accounts.

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting that you would assume that all people that live in trailer parks are trashy.

 

[imported_remflyer]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

Your old sim like they promised? You mean a sim that got deleted due to account inactivity? Thats not happening...If thats what your talking about.

Edit to add: If you are thinking of amnesty, then I don't think that includes an old sim coming back, as much as the entitlement days from previous years of paying being used for skill locks and gifts. And to qualify for amnesty, I believe you have to be a paying account. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

How do you explain the e-mail I got that specifically said that if I re-activated I would get my old sim back from the TSO days. The only reason I started again was because I was told I would get my old sim back with everything that he had previously. I even asked people about it the first day I re-activated my account. They seemed to know exactly what I was talking about. Yet, I have heard nothing from EA since about their promise they made to me.

[/ QUOTE ]
I read the e-mail they sent out (someone posted it here a while back) and it never said you would get your old sim back. You are reading something into it that isn't there. What you will get back is any locks and gifts that you have earned from your entitlement days (days you paid on your account) from the amnesty program. Please go back and read it carefully.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

But then people in trailer parks wouldn't have multiple accounts.

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting that you would assume that all people that live in trailer parks are trashy.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think he was being specific.

Just a guess though.

 

[imported_fajjaa]

The "tagging" problem could be put in check if we could ban the account when we ban any certain sim. That would eliminate the return of many bothersome sims.

 

[imported_Shirl1211]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

This may not be a popular opinion but here goes, "All Free Players should be NEW Accounts-Not Subscribers". I am hoping that EA will not allow history (Bad History) to repeat itself and allow subscribing accounts to continue to use and abuse Free Accounts. I have read many posting on here regarding "free accounts" coming into a house and literally trashing it out by not cleaning dishes, eating food, clogging toilets, and not speaking,(the ppl I have meet from other countries do speak). This all sounds too familiar to the "Tagging" of the old days. The people in the forum who reported these things said, "I don't want to even open my house." wasn't that the purpose of "Tagging" to get you to close up. I have also heard numerous people in game state that they are being harrassed constantly be free accounts or 0-10 day accounts coming in to their houses calling them vulgar names. (ik use the filter but then only your guest will know what you are being called!) Again these ppl report that they are not opening their houses! And some have or are on the verge of quitting the game. The point is this is old, old, old and has no place in the new world. &lt;As I see it, even if you have just one paid account you have 8 avatars to choose from. When all accounts go through the process of amnesty I can not image that anyone will want to delete an account and loose locks.("Good Job")&gt; So take away their last weapon, being anonymous is powerful to cowards, let them put their subscribing "Premium Accounts" on the line, let their be consequences to their actions. And let the people who play this game for fun and friendship ultimately set the course of its future. Because we know the future of where "the Cowards" will take us, back to empty cities.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you actually yourself had personal exprience of this? Because reading between the lines of your post, you are just quoting 'what other people say'.

I love the free players, I built a welcome house especially for them, and im having the best time with it.

I love this line from your post
"I have read many posting on here regarding "free accounts" coming into a house and literally trashing it out by not cleaning dishes, eating food, clogging toilets, and not speaking"

Trashing a house by eating food, not cleaning plates, clogging toilets and NOT speaking??? Get real, please, skill houses are full of em, and they aint free players.
As i said, its mostly free players that visit me and guess what, most of them pick up their plates, even though i tell them not to bother. I pay the maid to do that, I dont expect my visitors to do it.



[/ QUOTE ]

I think you misunderstood the post. She was stating that people who already have paid accounts and who are also using free accounts isn't right and I have to agree with her. I believe those free accounts were meant for players who didn't have any account at all.

 

[Guest]

You will not get your old sim back with amnesty. You will be regifted any anniversary items for days that you are entitled to as well as skill locks. So if you had your old acct for one year you will get a new pet statue etc. If you want to receive amnesty in EA Land you will need to create a sim in EA Land in order to receive them.

Have a look at this thread on the blog for more details: Amnesty

This thread will explain EA Land founder accts and why you may want to start paying now: Founders

 

[Shyanne1]

How many posts do we have to have about free players? Last post "I had to close my house" was mostly people who supported free players anywhere. This thread has more people opposed to it. Same topic, different thread. Free players are in EA Land and they are here to stay. Let's all accept that and deal with it because complaining is not going to work and any suggestions that people make regarding the topic the people who are opposed to it don't listen to. I was also opposed to it and thought they should stay in TC but you know what? I couldn't care less now. It isn't worth it to waste time complaining about it. Just like most things in this game, it's not even worth it to have an opposing opinion of how the game is working because for every person who doesn't like something in the game there are 10 that do. Who do you think will win? I'm either going to like the game or quit because it isn't changing anytime soon. I haven't decided which yet.

 

[imported_remflyer]

<blockquote><hr>


I think you misunderstood the post. She was stating that people who already have paid accounts and who are also using free accounts isn't right and I have to agree with her. I believe those free accounts were meant for players who didn't have any account at all.

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't know that I agree with you here. I've been a paid subscriber since beta and when they offered free trials in the past and now, I have taken advantage of the opportunity. Those free accounts of mine usually get turned into paid accounts. I have also know players who have toyed with the idea of purchasing an extra account but it was the opportunity to try it for free that finally hooked them into running multiple accounts. Running multiple accounts is a completely different game experience than running only one sim. It is more fun and challenging in many ways. You can host with one while you go do something else with the other. It is also easier to make money. The free accounts are currently open to everyone and I hope they keep it that way.

 

[Guest]

...

 

[Guest]

Just hitting reply here...I say if you wanna play hide and seek...then I'm in! lol

 

[Guest]

I don't agree.

I think you would get the picture pretty fast if you had someone making 1000 free accounts just to harrass you. Then you could report these avatars and the powers that be could IP-ban that person.
Most people have the same IP-address constantly these days, more or less.

There is no need to restrict free accounts even more, just because it "might" be abused by a small number of wackos out there.

Free accounts is the life blood of the game, it brings new players, and we need new players.

Anyway how would you check that a free account isn't created by someone who already has an account? There is no requirement to enter credit card details.
Imo there should be a requirement to enter cc details (but not for this purpose).

 

[DGLita]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

This may not be a popular opinion but here goes, "All Free Players should be NEW Accounts-Not Subscribers". I am hoping that EA will not allow history (Bad History) to repeat itself and allow subscribing accounts to continue to use and abuse Free Accounts. I have read many posting on here regarding "free accounts" coming into a house and literally trashing it out by not cleaning dishes, eating food, clogging toilets, and not speaking,(the ppl I have meet from other countries do speak). This all sounds too familiar to the "Tagging" of the old days. The people in the forum who reported these things said, "I don't want to even open my house." wasn't that the purpose of "Tagging" to get you to close up. I have also heard numerous people in game state that they are being harrassed constantly be free accounts or 0-10 day accounts coming in to their houses calling them vulgar names. (ik use the filter but then only your guest will know what you are being called!) Again these ppl report that they are not opening their houses! And some have or are on the verge of quitting the game. The point is this is old, old, old and has no place in the new world. &lt;As I see it, even if you have just one paid account you have 8 avatars to choose from. When all accounts go through the process of amnesty I can not image that anyone will want to delete an account and loose locks.("Good Job")&gt; So take away their last weapon, being anonymous is powerful to cowards, let them put their subscribing "Premium Accounts" on the line, let their be consequences to their actions. And let the people who play this game for fun and friendship ultimately set the course of its future. Because we know the future of where "the Cowards" will take us, back to empty cities.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you actually yourself had personal exprience of this? Because reading between the lines of your post, you are just quoting 'what other people say'.

I love the free players, I built a welcome house especially for them, and im having the best time with it.

I love this line from your post
"I have read many posting on here regarding "free accounts" coming into a house and literally trashing it out by not cleaning dishes, eating food, clogging toilets, and not speaking"

Trashing a house by eating food, not cleaning plates, clogging toilets and NOT speaking??? Get real, please, skill houses are full of em, and they aint free players.
As i said, its mostly free players that visit me and guess what, most of them pick up their plates, even though i tell them not to bother. I pay the maid to do that, I dont expect my visitors to do it.



[/ QUOTE ]

I think you misunderstood the post. She was stating that people who already have paid accounts and who are also using free accounts isn't right and I have to agree with her. I believe those free accounts were meant for players who didn't have any account at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to admit I found this comment from the original post a bit confusing "This may not be a popular opinion but here goes, "All Free Players should be NEW Accounts-Not Subscribers".

Does anyone seriously believe that subscribers should NOT be allowed to open free accounts? If EA made that a rule then there would be a major outcry from paying players. I have 6 paid accounts, and when free accounts became available I made about 10 free accounts, although I actually only use 1 of them to keep a store open with, so that my paid accounts can be out and about making money to subsidise my welcome house.

I would be very unhappy having shelled out $60 a month to be told I cant have free accounts as well, when someone else paying nothing to play can get as many free accounts as they wish.

What EA need to do is limit the number of free accounts that any one person can have, but how they would actually do that, without tracing IP addresses of each account is beyond me and probably beyond EA.

There have always been troublesome players in the game, both free and paid, and there always will be. You have to chill out a bit and learn to live with it.

I know that by opening a house for free accounts , that I have set myself up for some problems, but I can ban and ignore the worst ones. 2 roomies I took on this week spring to mind, 1 of them decided it was fun to kick all the visitors and the other was a complete nightmare when she visited other houses. I just kicked and banned both of them, but no doubt they will be back with another sim at some point. Its all part of the fun of the game

 

[Guest]

Another take on it:

If a person has previously had 6-7 accounts and the need for that diminishes, and she/he cancels a few of those, the person can at least keep one of the sims on the account, as a free account.

For sentimental reasons + for the reason that this avatar might have thousands of days worth of paid time and locks. I find it a little "mean" of EA to immediately erase the sims if you need a break in payment.
That way they only erase 7 out of 8 characters... (Bad enough)

Btw I wonder what happens now if you don't pay up on the day.
Does it immediately revert to a free account and 7 of 8 sims are lost on the next day?
Or can you put it on hold somehow?

 

[imported_Armonia]

How do you know who has free accounts and who has paid accts. I have 2 paid accounts and 2 free. I play my pay accounts in EA Land and in TC3. I play my free accounts in TC3 and I want to know how you all know who are free players and who are pay accounts? I don't see anything wrong with the free accounts as it also may eventually bring paying customers to the game. If you go back to the 14 day free trial people will just start re creating new accounts when the trial is over again. oh and all my accounts were originally pay accounts 2 years ago.

 

[Guest]

*TTL*

I remember a discussion at the TH not long ago where it was suggested that free players would be given their own section of the map in EA Land and would have to stay there. The would get a size 0 lot and be able to make money and skill in this area only, however they would not have the cash out option. If they become paid subscribers they would then have access to the rest of EA Land.

This ties in nicely with the downtown idea that was put on the wiki way back last summer. Downtown would be an area for free players to go to meet all their money making and skilling and even greening needs and learn the game, a tutorial basically.

I think this would resolve a multitude of problems.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

I remember a discussion at the TH not long ago where it was suggested that free players would be given their own section of the map in EA Land and would have to stay there.
I think this would resolve a multitude of problems.

[/ QUOTE ]

They did it that way in a mmorpg I tried out for a while. You were allowed to play indefinitely for free, but you couldn't get off the "Noobie island". Paying was a ticket to the world.

I might add that that game is now history, so dunno if it worked for them...

If I'm allowed to be selfish:
I would not want that to happen. Reason being that

a) I have 3 friends I've lured to tso from wow. They want to hang out with me but they wouldn't pay 10 euros per month, so personally I would lose them.
They're not playing to sit on a noobie island, they play to come in and chat with me now and then and look at the new stuff I've made.
I'm already lonely so

b) Old sims that you no longer can afford to pay for, wouldn't be able to be around in the world.

c) We the old players would have no say (at all) in how the new players are treated. We wouldn't be sitting on noobie island just to give them a good experience. It's already 2 completely different games if you're a free player or a paying player (in terms of how you are greeted, how welcome you feel, what people you meet, and so on). I would like them to have a realistic experience.
They would never meet any old players, or have any contact with them.

d) Also it helps to have a free account as well, since the inventories are so incredibly small, items are not stackable, you can only set 100 items on your lot (impossible for a store owner)... I have no idea where I would stash all my cc, I can't order new cc if I have a full inventory.
I am not going to pay for another sim, one has to do it. I can't afford more.
I have 2 free accounts too that have previously been paid accounts. Of these 2 I use one in my store.

I don't know if those are valid reasons to you but I think a lot of players feel that way.

 

[Guest]

What if paid accts could open welcome lots on newbie island.

What if you open a paid lot on newbie island you got a little extra in your weekly bonus for training in new players. Even a couple hundred extra would be nice.

Those players that love to help new players would not only have incentive to do so, they would have an area devoted to the part of the game they really enjoy.

I dont see any reason why the trading that is currently allowed couldnt continue, you just couldnt use the free acct to advance your properties in the paid area, such as keeping the house open. I still dont think free accts should have roomie access for just this reason. If someone wants to keep theier house open in the paid area they can do it with their paid acct.

In the newbie island they wouldnt need to be roomies but could if they wanted to. I dont think this would increase the size of the lot cuz really 8x0 is still 0 lol.

This is a great way for new players to not only try the game it but learn it too.

In regards to paid accts reverting to free, I say allow them to keep the paid acct house but deny access to it. They can however visit the free area freely.

A few early morning thoughts to mull over.

 

[Guest]

It would, in effect, cause people to pay for many sims just to play the game to a normal level.

EA Land is the only game I know where people are almost "forced" to keep more than one account. In that case, 1 account per household should be normal price, and the other accounts (that you *MUST* have to be able to play the game) should be very much cheaper.

Either that or give us huge inventories, stackable items, indefinite sales slots in a store.

I have 2 accounts on wow and people think I'm deranged. In EA Land people have 5-8 paid accounts and nobody thinks that's strange at all.
This is wroooooong

How would the welcome houses fill their roomie slots?
If new players could only be allowed to live in size 0 lots, the welcome houses on noobie island would have to have 8 paying sims to help keep all the items. It's not certain that the people starting welcome houses have 8 friends who also want to do this service to the community.

What would happen if everyone got fed up with running welcome houses?

 

[Guest]

*TTL*

Does anyone here play SL? Since I don't but I do have a free account there, I don't remember the rules of SL and free accounts. I went there for a week and uninstalled it from my computer.

Since EALand is somewhat trying to emulate SL in at least getting new subscribers, you have to have free accounts. In SL, I don't remember being allowed only in certain areas. I do remember having only 500 linden and they wanted you to buy linden from them.

If the issue is "harassment", then EA needs to follow Linden's lead in getting rid of those players who engage in that type of activity. Many accounts have been canceled there if they are found to be bothering other players. Somehow, Linden tracks activities on these accounts and deals with the problem.

Both sides have valid arguments here. Inventory too small, trashing houses, making money with premium accounts. Thankfully the visitor hours has been dealt with already. Premium player harassment and stealing accounts should be the next issues for EA to address.

 

[Guest]

Why should paid players be allowed to exploit free accounts in any way? This has always been a bone of contension in the past.

 

[Guest]

NOIP
I have never seen free accounts as an alternative play option.
The stated purpose was to give potential subscribers a taste of the game in the hope of signing them up.

IMO, anything about free accounts that does not conform to this concept should be changed.

I look at it like looking at a house you might want to buy - You go to the open house, have a look around, ask some questions, etc. and decide if you want to buy.
You do NOT camp out in the back yard, or move into the spare bedroom.