Why You Should Not Pay for Custom Sims Content

There is no denying that user-created custom content is especially popular among the Sims gaming community. With the arrival of The Sims 2 and its expansion packs, the demand and market for custom content have been extremely high. While paysites - sites that primarily host content that can only be obtained through subscription - have been around in the Sims community since The Sims 1, they have never been as abundant as they are now. It has become the norm to browse for custom content and run into a paysite, or a site that asks for donations in return for content that is decidedly better-looking than what they offer for free. Since paysites and donation sites are so abundant, most Simmers think it is just part of the community, thus shelling out the big bucks to obtain that great new custom hair from that popular site. Many people think that the best custom content out there can only be obtained through paysites.

But, as said with anything purchased in real life, buyers beware. That lovely item you see on a pay or donation site may look great in pictures, but by no means does that guarantee it will look good once you load the game up and see it first-hand. It is not uncommon for some creators of items on paysites to "fix up" their item in preview pictures by editing out the flaws in a paint program like Adobe Photoshop. Two of the most popular sites for custom hair do not accurately represent their items: PeggySims - a paysite, and RoseSims - a pay-per-item site. Many Simmers who have purchased content from such sites have been unsatisfied with the product; there are an abundance of complaints regarding neck gaps - when the base of the hair mesh does not meet the neck, creating a painfully visible gap - and poor construction and animation of the mesh. Complaints are rarely met with a response or fix from the creators; thus, future buyers are usually unaware of these problems until they pay for the content and see the problems for themselves, leaving them no choice but to live with the faulty product in their game, or delete it.

Somewhat recently, more effort has been made in The Sims gaming community to raise awareness about the problems with paysites. Free content has always been around, yet paysite content is usually perceived to be better because you must pay for their items. Content from free sites are just as good, if not better than content found in paysites, because those who create for free actually care about the quality of their work, and care about the satisfaction of those who download their content. At ModTheSims2, everything is free, and creators always update and fix their items if they discover a flaw. This is not to say that paysite owners do not care about quality, but those who create solely for free generally put more effort than those merely churning out creations for the sole purpose of profit.

Another reason for many Simmers being against paysites is the fact that you cannot create custom content for the game without certain tools. Electronic Arts packages The Sims 2 games with a tool called BodyShop, where any one can create their own clothing, hair, and makeup. However, to edit objects, and create meshes for objects, clothing, and hair, you need a user-created program. Such a program exists: it is called SimPE, and has been constructed through extracting game code in order to enable one to recolor, create, or modify in-game content. Although you cannot edit a mesh directly within SimPE, you need it to extract a mesh in order to use it with in a mesh-editing program, and import it back into the game. SimPE is free. The tool to help export and import a mesh to be compatible with the Sims 2 game format, created by wes_h, is free. Most of the best and reliable game modifications, or "hacks", are free. A common thought among many Simmers is: "If the tools needed to create custom content are free, what reason do paysites have to charge people to download content made using these free tools?" No one is forcing creators to create, they are not required to be paid.

Yet another issue that has been raised regarding creators that charge money to download content, is the clause regarding profit in the E.U.L.A. - End User Licence Agreement - for the game. The Sims is a product of Electronic Arts, and in the E.U.L.A for The Sims it is explicitly stated that "You may include materials created with the Tools & Materials on your personal noncommercial website for the noncommercial benefit of the fan community for EA's products". More and more Simmers are trying to raise awareness about the E.U.L.A for The Sims, and that you may distribute content you made for the game using its tools, but not for commercial use or profit, which is what paysites do. Due to this, it would appear that paysites are not exactly legal, and effort is being made to strengthen support for free content sites, and diminish the false market for paysite content. If Simmers are aware they have alternative options to paysites, then paysites no longer have a market to cater to, and will either turn free, or disappear and make way for a site whose content will be greater, and free. Among those sites that raise awareness about this issue are the Federation of Free Sim Sites, the Better Sims Bureau, and Paysites Must Be Destroyed, which also provides some amazing content for free.

If you ever find yourself contemplating handing your money to a paysite, why not instead contribute it to a great free site to help it thrive, keeping custom content free for not only yourself, but for the entire The Sims community?