Sims 3 Steam Version Questions?

[piggydiggy]

Hi, I'm planning to get the Sims 3 on steam but I have a few questions about how it works with other content. Any help would be appreciated!

1) Does the Steam base game work with retail expansions?
2) Will it work with official DLC from the EA website?
3) Will it work with unofficial DLC from places like The Sims Resource

Many Thanks!

[Heliocentric]

Wow, you just made a strong argument against all of the "shared content source requirement" nonsense that origin and steam are beefing and you didn't even mean to.

[Oneironaut]

1. I'm not certain, but the most likely answer is that it won't. You'll need to get the DLC from steam as well.
2. Probably the same answer as 1, but again, I'm not 100% certain.
3. Yes, it will work fine.

[DeekyFun]

If you browse the information on the Sims Expansions on Steam, it says they require the base game on Steam to play - so I'm assuming you can't mix and match Steam and retail.

D

[piggydiggy]

Hmm I appear to have a dilemma, thanks for your help guys!

[Smashbox]

This seems like a good example of inappropriate restrictions by publishers. Ironically, this is the type of thing that drives people to The Pirate Bay.
"Rights management" is a hilarious phrase when you think about it.

[Kadayi]

Your best bet it to ask at the Sims 3 community website. However with the DLC installers it doesn't matter where your game resides as it installs all the custom content into you my documents game folder anyways, rather than into the principal folders . Essentially the installer is going to see that you have the sims installed (location is secondary) and then run. As regards the retail expansion packs, on that front I'm not too sure, however again I'd be surprised if it didn't (after all EA sell Sims 3 as a download anyway). However I'd try the sims 3 site for clarification.

http://www.thesims3.com/community

Was tempted to steamify my Sims collection, but it would of been a terrible indulgence tbh.

This seems like a good example of inappropriate restrictions by publishers. Ironically, this is the type of thing that drives people to The Pirate Bay.

"Rights management" is a hilarious phrase when you think about it.

The fundamental reason why you can't upgrade a digital expansion onto a retail base version though is far less likely anything to do with rights management and far more likely to do with the fact Steam centralizes it's installed games and isn't capable of locating game folders outside itself (which it would need to do). Sure Valve could probably program it to do so, but that's just going to lead to unnecessary complications for them, so why bother?

[Lukasz]

wonder whether you can put retail sims into your origin account.
wonder whether you can move your steam sims into your origin account\

if both are yes then you can mix both retail and steam and origin versions of sims games.

[Heliocentric]

the man is onto a winner, you'll be able to mix and match as long as you add the keys in origin.

[Kadayi]

wonder whether you can put retail sims into your origin account.
wonder whether you can move your steam sims into your origin account\

if both are yes then you can mix both retail and steam and origin versions of sims games.

If you are on about saved Sim creations like sims, houses, etc, etc. Then no there is no distinction. Basically when you package a sim it's a self contained extractor. The version of the sims it was made in shouldn't factor into that (Sims work across PC & macs as it is).

[Lukasz]

If you are on about saved Sim creations like sims, houses, etc, etc. Then no there is no distinction. Basically when you package a sim it's a self contained extractor. The version of the sims it was made in shouldn't factor into that (Sims work across PC & macs as it is).

no. i was talking about games.

I bought ME2 on steam. Managed to register it on origin. Maybe you can do it with the sims too?
I heard you can also register your retail ea games on origin too.

therefore
the question is:
Can you buy the sims 3 on steam. register it on origin. buy expansion pack via retail also register it on origin... buy another expansion pack via origin
allowing you to play the sims 3 with two expansion packs. all three bought via 3 different vendors.

[Kadayi]

no. i was talking about games.

I bought ME2 on steam. Managed to register it on origin. Maybe you can do it with the sims too?
I heard you can also register your retail ea games on origin too.

therefore
the question is:
Can you buy the sims 3 on steam. register it on origin. buy expansion pack via retail also register it on origin... buy another expansion pack via origin
allowing you to play the sims 3 with two expansion packs. all three bought via 3 different vendors.

Once it's on origin I don't see why not (it's all about the CD codes after all), though naturally you'd have to download it all using Origins system at a guess.

[Lukasz]

Once it's on origin I don't see why not (it's all about the CD codes after all), though naturally you'd have to download it all using Origins system at a guess.

cannot register me1 as cd key from steam does not work. i cannot register mirror's edge either as i don't have the key at all. it is not a certain situation.

[Kadayi]

cannot register me1 as cd key from steam does not work. i cannot register mirror's edge either as i don't have the key at all. it is not a certain situation.

Mass Effect 1 is a Microsoft game. Bioware upped ship to EA between 1 & 2. They retain the IP to Mass Effect, but don't hold the rights to publish the first game. Thus why one it's a lousy post & two why they never made a PS3 version. For the PS3 crowd Bioware made an interactive comic that allows you to run through the events of the first game. You can buy that app at the bioware store for the PC as well if you want I believe.

I registered my retail copy of mirrors Edge on origin ok, but I did have my serial number.

[thegooseking]

Mass Effect 1 is a Microsoft game. Bioware upped ship to EA between 1 & 2. They retain the IP to Mass Effect, but don't hold the rights to publish the first game.

EA certainly do have the right to publish it, <s>but I think the problem is that editions of the game from before EA acquired BioWare won't register</s>. I think this would probably register on Origin, but an earlier copy of the game wouldn't. Certainly I bought Mass Effect myself from the EA Store (having previously owned it - with Microsoft branding and all - on the Xbox 360, and Microsoft, as far as I'm aware, retain the 360 publishing rights).

Edit: Never mind. The PC version wasn't released until after EA acquired BioWare. It never was released on PC by Microsoft.