THIS!!!

What I'm curious to know is what all the damn patches are for. It seems every time I check for updates, there's some kind of patch. However, when I check to see what's been changed, the only file newer than 2010 is the one Graphics.sgr file I changed myself to get rid of the "black box" because the game can't deal with my graphics card.

well I'm downloading it now... hope many can seeds!! <- boink! what do you think origin a Torrent app? hahahhahah


...
File size is about 12GB all in all..

this is taking forever to download! it will be worth it though. ive forgotten so much about it. i cant wait to start a business!

I really can't believe that EA did this. This was SO un-expected. When I first heard about the UC, I read their "official" messages on it, and they all said that it was ONLY for those who had purchased a digital version of Sims 2, NOT the Disc users. That was their official statement.

Then there were people talking about using the "Chat" system of their Contact and getting a code for UC just by providing a serial code from a Sims 2 purchase. I could have done that myself, I've got enough, but I just didn't want to be an exception, you know?

Then there was an official message by EA saying that they were going to "Provide an easy way for disc owners to upgrade to UC". I'm paraphrasing, btw, since the message that use to be there isn't anymore as it's been replaced with the new message I'll get to in a minute. Anyway, the wording of "upgrade" struck me, as it sounded like they were going to give it to disc owners at a discount (because I was assuming that they would be selling this later, the UC).

Now, for the rest of the month, they are just giving it away to ANYONE who has an account or signs up for an account.

Color me impressed. I was able to get my son an account, AND get the UC, in like 5 minutes (another hour to download lol).

Now, for those saying this is just a ploy to get people to get Origin just so they can hopefully get new people to buy Sims 4 later, so what? Is that a bad thing? A company that is hoping to get it's customers to buy something else later? Never heard of that before...

I got an Origin account back in 2009 because I found out that any Sims 2 "Base Game" owner could get a free "digital copy" of Sims 2 Store Edition. Now, I already had Store Edition because of Fun With Pets, but here's the thing; having the digital version meant a legit way of NOT needing a disc to play Sims 2. Because of this, I haven't needed a disc to play Sims 2 since 2009, and you know what? THAT is awesome!!! But you know what's even more weird? I had already bought the disc version of Sims 3, but kind of left it behind because I just dind't like it. But I kept the disc anyway (I just never played it). I found an option in Origin to link your previous purchases or something.

Long story shorter, because I put in my serial number for Sims 3 way back then, I STILL to this day have a digital copy of Sims 3 in my account. I have not had to do anything with my disc since, and I HAVE installed it on at least 4 different computers since then (sadly, I can't remember the last time I played it, and I think I've only played it on one or two computers).

What's my point? Well, having an Origin account isn't a bad thing, and so far it seems like it's actually a GOOD thing under certain circumstances.

And, I STILL cannot believe that they are giving this away to anyone who can type out I-LOVE-THE-SIMS (or even copy and paste it).

well im glad they did it. when the sims3 came out i gave away all of my sims2 stuff and i regret it so i can get it again now. it'd be great if i could also get the first one and all of those ep's with it but now i just sound greedy.

This is, of course, a fantastic marketing gimmick for EA-it gives them the influx of 'old but new' people with Origin accounts, who can be targeted for any potential advertising for Sims 4, or similar.

As for why else-I'm sure they got very tired of trying to walk through all those customers (thousands at a time) in the download/redeeming process for the UC, and decided to just give it away. Saves time and money where both should be expended into S4. They can't ignore the fact that TS2 was the most favorite game, and they can't also ignore the fact that they might have a disaster on their hands with S4, so they're taking the safe way by making at least one segment very happy and perhaps possibly converting them into potential customers for S4..or so they hope.

Me? I'm not touching it. They will never have their paws on anything from me, because I'm not registering for any of it. I detest Origin with a passion, and it won't be the end of the world if I don't get all of it. I have all the EP's, and some of the SP's..anything more would be icing on the cake, but I'm on a fat free diet, anyway.

I'm still uncertain about this. My current computer is not suitable for the AL game engine, so, even if I register for this, I'll just have to leave it sitting in Origin until perhaps one day I have a computer that will run it. As my game (Double Deluxe) was bought retail and shrink wrapped, and as it was never registered (because EA had already stopped registration for TS2) I don't think EA even know that I exist. (I think I have one other EA game, a Need for Speed game that I bought when I was thinking about learning to drive. Oh, and I bought SimCity 4 second-hand last month.) So I don't have an account with Origin, and I'm not even sure what Origin is or how it works. It is owned by EA, isn't it?

So my dilemma is do I download Origin and register with them, to get this Ultimate Collection or not? And I've only got till the end of the month to decide. On the one hand there is the fact that I won't be able to play the UC if even if I get it, and some of the negative vibes towards EA are rubbing off on me so I'm not sure if I really want to give them my details. I don't want to be bombarded by EA trying to sell me other games either (though frankly they'd be wasting their time because the only one I'm interested in is TS2 [and maybe SC4]). On the other hand I currently only own one EP and one SP, so getting all of them free seems a pretty good deal. If I'd bought them all new it would have cost me a lot of money. As it is I've only paid £7 for my whole game. So personally I've really got no reason to dislike EA, because they've given me an immensely enjoyable game for next to nothing. And, if they would sell me an OFB disk, I'd gladly pay them for it.

Part of me feels that I've got nothing to lose, but then I read posts like FranH's, and it makes me wonder if there's something I ought to fear. So, please, what's involved in downloading Origin and opening an Origin account? And is there really any significant downside?

There IS no significant (or even insignificant) downside. Those who say there is don't know what they are talking about. I have had Origin since 2009 and I have not gotten forced into doing anything I didn't want, I've never had any hidden fees, and it has not effected my computer in the slightest. Registration is free, the Origin Downloader itself is free. This Sims 2 UC is free, for now. You can uncheck any boxes you want, meaning you can keep E.A. from emailing you if you want, and you can keep Origin from running without your consent.

I have Sim City 4, Sims 2 Store Edition, Sims 3 and now Sims 2 UC in my account. Once a game is installed through Origin, you don't need to run Origin ever again unless you want to. A desktop icon is created for the game, and you can run the game directly through there.

There really IS no downside to this at all. Even if you cannot run UC on your current computer, you may as well get this free gift so that in the future, when you have a better computer, you'll be able to download it then and play it then.

AG, I don't think you have anything to be afraid of. (And no, I DON'T say that as an EA shareholder. ) Origin is just a client; it allows you to be able to directly download EA's games onto your machine. (Yes, it is owned by EA; it used to be called the EA Download Manager, which you may even already have on your machine, depending on how new your copy of DD is.) Some people don't like it because they insist on clinging to their physical disks. Some people don't like it because they fear that EA will pull the plug on them and they won't be able to play their games anymore. I am less-than-thrilled with it because my hippie self objects to DRM schemes, and part of Origin is DRM. With newer games and most games downloaded through the client (But not, apparently, the TS2 UC), you can't play the game without starting up Origin. It's rather like how, unless you've cracked it, you can't play your physical-disk game without the CD/DVD in the drive. It's just that the authentication check runs over the internet on EA's servers rather than on your native machine. I, personally, do not like this, but the dislike isn't because I fear anything about Origin. I'm just...a hippie. I don't like The Man in my business, so to speak, whether The Man in question is a government or a video game company.

That said, I recently took advantage of the sale EA ran on TS3 EPs. I decided I wanted them, and they are difficult to come by where I live because I live in a teeny-tiny rural town where even the closest Walmart is a 1.5-hour drive away. I have to go into the next state to go to a store that specifically sells video games. BUT, I don't like ordering a game online because with games, once I've bought it, I want to play it NOW, not wait for it to ship to me! So, I downloaded the EPs I didn't have through Origin, which meant that I had to install Origin. I don't LIKE that I have to run Origin in order to play TS3, but I realize that it's how gaming is going to be going forward, so I capitulated. And in your case, I think you'd be wise to do so, too. For the UC, you'll only need Origin to download and install the game, once you have a machine that will run it. You don't not have to have Origin running in order to play the game. So, I think you'd be wise go ahead and install Origin and get the game in your library. Don't download it, though, because Origin will automatically install it once the download finishes, and you don't want it put on your machine yet. THAT said, I don't know how long the game can hang out in your library without being downloaded. By that I mean that they're giving away the game for free. Theoretically, they could pull the plug on it at any time, remove it from your library, and not offer it anymore. I highly doubt they'd ever do that, but it's theoretically possible. And since you won't have paid for it, there'll be nothing you can do about it. On the other hand, even if that were to happen, it's not like you will have missed out or be out any money. I imagine that the games will still be available on the secondary market for quite a long time, although as time passes the prices are only going to go up.

Anyway, there's my 2 pence. Take it for what it is.

So....Your choice, my dear, but *I* think you'd be smart to go ahead and get it set to go, in preparation for a machine that would be able to run it safely, long-term.

If I back up my current game, I should be able to play my current sims on the UC, right?
Assuming I can figure out how to back up my stuff, of course.

Also, if we don't like UC, we can always reinstall the disks.

Backing up is pretty easy. If you are on Windows, go to "My Documents" or "Documents" and find the folder "EA Games". There is a folder called "The Sims 2". That is what you have to backup.

This should play find in UC, unless you have the "Store Edition" of The Sims 2. UC does not contain "Store Edition", so save data will not naturally work in UC. However, I have read that there are fixes for this; I just haven't tried it as I haven't downloaded UC yet.

What is store edition? Does that mean that it's from a physical disk? Because it is....

Oh, and it's Double Deluxe. Is that good or bad?

Store Edition was an add on, not really an expansion or stuff pack, but it was an add on. You could install it digitally if you had it in Origin (I did, and it let me legitimately run the game without a disc), OR it could have been installed with one of the last collections; Fun With Pets, University Life, or Best of Business. If you don't have any of those specific collections, and you did not get Store Edition from Origin, you shouldn't have it.

Of course, even if you do have one of those collections, there was still the option not to install the Store Edition.

EDIT

Just saw the last part lol. If all you have is Double Deluxe, and you never installed anything else, you should be good to go.

I installed Business and University, but not those versions you mentioned, just the old ones. Thanks for the info. I'm downloading UC now. It's going to take at least an hour or two, I suspect... Reminds me of the old days.

Andrew, as someone who is not quite as much a hippy as iCad, but pretty darn suspicious none-the-less (when the thing about the NSA collecting data came out my family had to listen to me say 'Told ya so'), I haven't found anything particularly objectionable in Origin. For Sims 2 UC it doesn't require an always-on internet connection, only when you want to download/patch/update the game. I'm sure that EA is using it for some sort of data collection, but without the requirement to have the computer online, or to run Origin to play the game, it's pretty benign. At this point it's much less obtrusive than Windows itself (Update now and screw up your graphics again!), Adobe, Pale Moon, no-script, or AVG. You don't have to supply Origin with any financial information or your real name.

I also think that now, or in the next few months, it is likely that there will be more used Sims 2 expansions and stuff packs available, as some folks switch over entirely to the UC and decide they don't need their discs anymore, and it would not be a poor idea for those of us who are completionists or paranoid to keep an eye on prices.

The Escapist did a writeup on the free TS2UC. They said a few weird things, including:



And:



Both of which make it sounds like either the Escapist knows something about it we don't, OR they don't realize the UC has never had a 'regular price', AND they don't know that EA/Origin stopped selling TS2 over a year ago.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/new...-Free-on-Origin

Thanks DistantWords, iCad and Sunbee.

I did download Origin and claimed my copy of UC. So it's now lying in my Origin Account where it is liable to stay untouched until I perhaps one day have a computer that will run it. And, if EA/Origin ever do remove it, well it hasn't cost me anything anyway.

Strangely enough AndrewGloria was already taken as a user ID on Origin so I had to go for "AndrewGloriaSims". I wonder who took AndrewGloria. Maybe it was my Sims from Veronaville.

at last I've finished downloading it... gonna play it..... later...

As for my paranoia about Origin, it's not so much that, as this:

Sims 2 Ultimate Collection and Securom

Yes, it does have that, and yes, you can remove it...if you want to.

Nobody is stupid. The Sims 4 started as an online game and was savaged and turned offline late in development. Seeing as how clearly modern Maxis can't develop anything without problems, TS4 is likely going to fail, EA and Maxis knows it and so this is why TS2 was given out for free only a month before TS4 released. Its pre damage control. Nothing else.