The Sims Online
The Sims Online (TSO) is an online variation of Maxis's highly popular computer game The Sims.
Overview
Released in December 2002, The Sims Online is an example of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Players are in complete control of a Sim. This variation allows a player to create up to 3 sims, each on different servers, but control only one at a time. After buying the game, players pay a monthly fee to play online.
With The Sims and its numerous expansion packs being the best selling computer game of all time, many experts predicted that TSO would become the most popular massively multiplayer game. As of early 2004 this is not the case; TSO has seen only a fraction of the subscription numbers aimed for by the game's publisher, Electronic Arts. The reason for this poor performance may be that the players fail to cooperate as the beta testers of the game did. As a result, many reviewers described the online game as dull and was more like the world's largest chat room instead of a vibrant MMORPG.
Technically notable is that the Maxis servers behind The Sims Online run the open source software JBoss.
Server cities
Each server is packaged as a separate city. As of 2004 there are 10 cities:
- Alphaville
- Blazing Falls
- Calvin's Creek
- Dan's Grove
- East Jerome
- Fancy Fields
- Interhogan
- Mount Fuji
- Jolly Pines
- Test Centre
Employment
There are two jobs available: a restaurant job and a robot factory job. As in the offline game promotion depends upon skill levels and number of friends. The Test Centre has a third job, working in a nightclub.
Scandal
The Sims Online has recently been victim of a scandal over content occurring on their Alphaville server. A number of players--who were participating in the game for the purpose of psychological research--discovered a layer of seedy semi-legal criminality occurring within the game. As of yet Maxis's only response has been to ban the researchers from the game.
