regarding in app purchases

[scarletbegonias]

hi, ive recently started playing just about a month ago and I really like this game!

ive lurked a bit and so many of you have such awesome ideas and nice houses! I hope I don't come off as rude, but I was wondering how many of you actually buy simoleons and lps through IAPs. I love video games and and I always buy dlcs and such when they come out for my favorite games, but typically you recieve more than just paying real money for fake money!

so is it worth it to buy a currency bundle? or have most of you just been playing so long that youve become a millionaire? cus just starting, im enjoying this game but also finding it to be a bit of a grind fest.

ive also noticed that it seems like ive missed basically all the awesome stuff and there's really no option to buy any of it or anything, so do you think its worth investing money so late into the game?

my favorite thing about this game is the unlimited options to create as you please, but planting beans for 9 hours just so I can *almost* afford a couch is kind of a bummer, so whats your take?

[Akmawmaw]

Welcome to non lurker status, scarletb! I see no one else has tackled your rude post (joke), so I will! It's strictly a matter of personal choice. I personally didn't spend a dime on this game the first two years. It wasn't until the haunted house came out, that I had missed out on, that I bit the bullet. And traded real money for fake. It's a slippery slope, though. This game of playing god with little people and alternate universes is dangerously addictive. Run while you still can! If you choose to stay, here is my mostly worthless and very opinionated advice. You've absolutely come to the right forum. Wish I'd had this kind of advice early on in my game. Would've prevented tons of mistakes. There are cheats and game glitches. Don't cheat. You'll pay for it. And by cheat, I mean manipulating the time/date/language/etc. on your device to gain in game currency. Many other ways to cheat. You can find them all over the internet. They almost always involve manipulation of devices. Don't do it. Not worth it. Game glitches are in game programming glitches that afford players the ability to take advantage of certain features such as the "stair glitch" you've no doubt read about. This forum is a great place to read about those and decide if you want to do them. The developers usually close these loopholes rather quickly if they see a need to do so. Some are to their advantage. Some will slow your game down, so player beware when using them, they are not without risk. Some people view these two separate things as the same. In my view, the glitches are fair game and very, very helpful to game play and player retention without being harmful to developers. It's everyone's personal choice as to how to play their own game. The newer version of the game seems to be much harder to progress than the old one. I don't see the advantage to developers in that punitive approach. If you lose players, and you will, because of it, they'll not be there to purchase in game items. Having said that, Nothing is free. Not even freeplay. You can play for free if you're very, very patient. The developers job is to try to get you to spend actual money. It's your choice. They shouldn't, however, make the game become stagnant and boring unless you spend money. It's a fine line. All games I've played seem to walk that line, not just this one. This one is just a bit more personal because players create their own very personal virtual world and tend to view the game as "theirs" and chaos occasionally ensues when the developers hubris assumes it's still theirs! Sarcasm. The developers own it. But you can see how a game like this becomes much more personal than, say, angry birds. So. Whew! I can get wordy! The players with the mega games have more than likely have gotten there by a combo of one or more of the above plus a whole lot of patience and hours upon hours of game play. We were the early adopters and as such have had a little over two years of our lives invested in our worlds, otherwise known as Sims Freeplay. We all started out, though, frustrated and thinking we would never be able to buy better countertops or a decent couch without spending real money. Many paths to the same end. All that said to come back to the original point. It's a matter of personal choice. Beware. Once you've become attached to your sim universe, it's hard to step away! But it's a wonderful game if you choose to stay. Happy simming and welcome to this incredible forum full of great simmers!

[kenny]

well this is what i would call a long term game,,, because it take a long time to get,(lp's and do things in it. i only spent money on this game once,, was doing the misery island quest,, lol at me, I spent $ 1.03 on the plant spin to get some lp's to finish the quest.
i won't spend any more money on the game. on the quest i even set my alarm to get up during the night to finish the quest , but was running short on it , so i had to use lp's to finish... well no more setting an alarm just to finish a quest...
again LOL at me for being obsessive with finishing things i start. well games anyway.

[J-is-for-Jane]

I've been playing a little over four months now, and I'm kinda amazed that my once empty, blighted neighborhood has actually developed into something more. It's nothing super-fancy, but I can work with it.

I haven't purchased any LP/simoleon packs. I just know I'd burn through them in a way that I'd have major buyer's remorse. Just being indecisive and switching out wallpaper/floors can eat up a big chunk of change.

I did buy the escalator/elevator bundle and the haunted house bundle. I feel ok buying access to stuff that I wouldn't be able to have otherwise - stuff that wouldn't be available no matter how many hours I put into the game. And I feel ok buying stuff that's "renewable." Unlike a bundle of simoleons...once that's depleted, the purchase offers nothing more.

My game got a big boost from taking advantage of various glitches and temporary freebies - which I collected like a fiend then sold back until my town value almost went into negative territory. While I'm grinding it out, I'm always on the lookout for tips about that stuff. Folks are so generous and sweet about sharing that info; it helps a lot.

Another source of simoleons for me is selling swimming pools. As I leveled up and different kinds of homes became available, I took advantage of that. For instance, 85 SPs lets me build a houseboat with a pool that i can sell for about 500,000 simoleons. In some ways, it's easier and less tedious for me to get 85 SPs than earn 500,000 simoleons. I do the same with haunted houses. Since I bought the pack anyway, 33LPs nets me anywhere from around 170,000 to 200,000 simoleons depending on what I ...ahem... harvest. And the teen idol mansion pool gave up a few million simoleons (can't remember exactly how many). It's a nice supplement to the traditional way of earning via hobbies and gardening.

Anyway, to a player that's even newer than me, I'd encourage them to enjoy the leveling up process and all the quests that dominate the early part of the game. New levels also open up new sources of simoleons.

Be thoughtful and conservative about which houses/businesses you build. As the number of structures in your neighborhood goes up, the more expensive and time-consuming each build becomes. And for us newer players, there isn't a real benefit to increasing town value - just an LP or two. And later on, when a quest requires you to build a business you don't have, it can be unnecessarily pricey.

If I were talking to myself back in October, I'd check out how much that two-story-mansion pool yields, compare it to the cost of the build. Right now, it's too expensive for me to be worth my while.

[Desiree]

I haven't spent any real money, but I do play all the time, so have been able to get quite a bit done. I also use the various glitches while they are available which makes a huge difference.

People who stated playing prior to 2013 get a huge daily reward based on their total town value, that's why you'll see some towns with very large values.

[Markeemark22]

Ditto and ditto to everyone that answered. I've been playing for about 6 months and it's been hard work grinding. I have bought a few things like the haunted house, the toddlers costume, and some minor stuff that cost like .99 but I've never but the simeoleons or LP package just because there's easier ways to get it. Like others have said, selling a swimming pool generates money. Dogs and cats also generate LP.

I think the lat thing I'm only going to buy is the elevator and escalator lot because it's cheaper than buying it individually.

[aylilth]

I'm a guilty one of spending, I've put a bit of money in my game.

But in saying that it is my hobby, everybody has hobbies and this is mine I don't go crazy but it's enough to speed up quests if in busy and don't have the time, or I buy the pets and houses etc.

[Misteriese]

Quick question!

For the simmers who bought stuff from the online store, which one do you recommend buying? Are the LP and SP bundles better than buying the clothes or furniture a bundles?

Thanks for all the advice!

[scarletbegonias]

youve all been so helpful!

I really enjoy this game but im not interested in manipulating my device for money or lps, as ive read this can be detrimental to my game :p, and I need all the help I can get.

im thinking about buying acurrency bundle just to get me on my feet, but maybe I wont. ideally I just want lps available so if I need to finish a quest in time, I can, instead of missing out on anymore cool stuff lol.

I played some sims back in the day but I could go at it for hours, so my sims controlling me in real time on freeplay is trying my patience!

I think ill just be patient... that couch is gonna be so much more rewarding when I can afford it, sims have such expensive taste!

[LucyBoots]

I have spent, I would advise against the currency bundle...you are better off buying individual packs...they make it seem like you are getting a great deal, but actually you are getting ripped. Somewhere in the forum, the currency bundle break down is out there...of course this depends on your level. It should be equivalent to a piggy bank and bucket I think, but its not....also the currency bundle seems to be the one most people have problems getting once paid for, it doesnt show up, and then you are waiting quite some time to get refunded via firemoneky....I have bought many lps...very few sps...fish tanks...furniture pack...haunted house...like someone else posted, I took advantage of rolling over the teen mansion several times when it cost lp, and then sold the pool for profit, which is roughly 4 million simoleons...firemonkey caught wind of this and quickly changed the price of the teen mansion to a starting price of 4 million..so no profit to be made anymore...