The Sims Online

The Sims Online, or TSO is a massively multi-player online-game. It is based on The Sims, however it offers a online play with other gamers via PC. It was published by Electronic Arts and released on December 17, 2002.

Overview
There are 12 cities for a Sim to choose:


 * Mount Fuji - Targeted to Asian market.
 * Calvin's Creek
 * Interhogan
 * East Jerome
 * Fancey Fields
 * Test Center
 * Blazing Falls
 * Alphaville - Largest city
 * Dan's Grove - A close-knit small-town
 * Jolly Pines
 * Dragon's Cove - Harder objectives, energy lose quicker, doubled the price of stuff, also known as a "hardcore city".
 * Betaville - Created to test new functions, will have the ability to create a family of adult Sims and to adjust their level of free will.
 * Test Center 3 - Created as of the TSO-E Project. December 4th - TC3 Merged with TC

Players will need to train skills (mechanical, cooking, charisma, body, creativity, and logic) to unlock new interactions and careers. A player increases skills usually by visiting Skill category properties, as skill can be increased at a faster rate when multiple Sims work on the same skill concurrently. These Skill properties, or "Skill Houses" as they are commonly referred to in the game, usually specialize in only one or two skills, as is often mentioned in the property's name.

Controversy
There was some controversy in The Sims Online concerning some players who were setting up virtual brothels in the game, exchanging cyber sex for Simoleons.

EA Land
After The Sims Online had been somewhat of a failure to EA they changed The Sims Online to "EA Land". Many previous users from TSO weren't welcoming to the recent changes, because of the limits placed on free accounts and the requirement of paying $9.95 monthly to keep your account for over a year. Further disappointment and lack of any new content to keep the users staying caused many users to quit and eventually an official message was posted, ending EA Land permenantly August 1st, 2008.

Revival?
Many very dedicated ex-players (such as http://www.thesimsonline.co.uk/ ) are currently working on bring back the game (illegally) via private servers.