Old (non-origin) Sims 3 and serial number problems

hucker4

I have purchased my Sims 3, and the Seasons pack, as a download, and all is well.

But my friend has had the Sims 3 for ages, he says before Origin and downloadable versions, so it's the old style CD with a serial number on it. Apparently this causes no end of problems when he gets addon packs and tries to do things online etc. He also has to play with the CD in the drive! (Which was what started the problems, as his DVD drive failed). Is there any way he can surrender his old number and get a new modern one?

Jessa_Dakkar

A great number of us bought the Sims3 base game when it was released, pre-Origin. Myself included. There's nothing wrong with it, not sure what is going on with your friend, but if he registered that game on this site then he has access to the digital version at no extra cost from Origin as a Digital Download - if he's not on a Mac (from what I understand)

I'm not sure why he'd be asked to insert the original disc in order to play if he's installed and other EP's or SP's.

bob007

The end user license agreement (EULA) that you probably don't read the first time you run the game states if you have the disc version you must have the disc in the optical drive to prove ownership. Playing the disc version with out the disc is a violation of the EULA and the EA police might come after you. You do not OWN the game. What you purchased is a license to play the game and EA can terminate this license at any time.

meluna_vampire

If you install the game using the disc, then the game must be played using the disc. However, the code can be registered through the Sims 3 site or Origin. Once the code is registered, you can then download the game through Origin and play without using the disc. However, in order to do this, the game must be uninstalled and reinstalled using Origin.