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The Sims Online

aka: EA-Land, TSO
Moby ID: 8422
Special Edition

Description official descriptions

The Sims Online takes the gameplay from The Sims and brings it into a consistent online universe, where all the Sims are controlled by real people.

Taking place completely online, The Sims Online runs 24/7. Upon installation, you can create up to a maximum of three Sims, dress them however you like, name them whatever, and enter a region, where you can build a house or become a roommate with someone.

Skills in TSO are more important than the off-line versions, as the better skill you have, the more money you'll make when taking part in group objects. For example, if you have a high charisma rating, you'll be able to sell more items using the telemarketing phone, which in turn brings in more money. Having a high Cooking rating will allow you to make bigger and better pizza's, bringing in more money.

Most money making objects require a group. The pizza maker, for example, requires four people; one to take the order, one to select the proper dough, one to select the proper ingredients, and one to finish off the toppings. Communicating will result in a good pizza, while not communicating will result in a charred mess, equaling nothing in money.

You can choose to live anywhere there is a free spot and build up a house all your own, or you can move in with someone, sharing the house and buying objects together.

Most of the objects from all the expansions are in the game, including some that are specific to TSO, such as the aforementioned Pizza Maker, mathematics board, telemarketing machine, lawn bowling game, and over one hundred more objects.

The 2003 version includes some new features:* Jobs

  • Pets
  • Service characters
  • Clothing racks
  • Death
  • Secure trading

The game's last server was shut down in February 2008, officially ending the game, but all the cities were merged into a larger realm based on an improved version of the game, living on as EA-Land.

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Credits (Windows version)

382 People (330 developers, 52 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 66% (based on 17 ratings)

Players

Average score: 2.7 out of 5 (based on 8 ratings with 0 reviews)

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Trivia

Community

People have taken paths in The Sims Online that EA nor Maxis expected to be available. Although the main concept was to create a friendly environment were new people could meet, a dark side grew as well. There were scams, money tricks that disturbed the economy (known as mazing), account hacking, explicit sexually oriented communities, prostitution, censorship, terrorist forces and counter terrorist organizations, ... In fact, TSO resembled real life much more than was originally planned, while Maxis and EA did everything to keep an artificial, friendly community that doesn't scare away new players.

Controversy

Peter Ludlow, a player of TSO, posted an article in his blog-type TSO newspaper The Alphaville Herald about the spreading of brothels in The Sims Online. EA terminated his account for this. Comedy Central's The Daily Show did a comedic investigation on the matter in February 12 2004.

Shutdown

In March 2007, EA renamed The Sims: Online to EA-Land. On August 1, 2008, EA closed down the servers, shutting down the game.

Awards

  • Computer Gaming World
    • April 2003 (Issue #225) – MMO of the Year (Readers' Choice)

Information also contributed by LepricahnsGold and Zack Green

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The Sims 2
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The Sims: Unleashed
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  • MobyGames ID: 8422
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by JPaterson.

Additional contributors: Apogee IV, mw, Sciere, LepricahnsGold, Patrick Bregger.

Game added February 15, 2003. Last modified February 13, 2024.