It is not, as one Origin representative put it, “working is intended and not broken”.
In effect, this forces the user to remain at Version 1.1.610, deprived not only of the full function of the wide array of custom content available for the game, but of basic fixes to the game that have been available for 10 years.
This modification, however, changes the checksum of the executable, just as the NoCD hacks did, which not only causes it to be rejected by the NAM installer, it also prevents the EP1 Update 1 patch and the BAT Nightlight patch from being installed, as well as the official first-party content creation tools, like the Lot Editor and the Building Architect Tool (BAT). Unfortunately, this is not the case, as Origin modified 1.1.610, to swap out the original SafeDisc copy protection system, which required the disc to be in the drive, for Origin’s digital rights management (DRM) system.
Users could just apply the standard patches their disc counterparts did, and all would be fine. If the digital Version 1.1.610 copy that Origin is selling was capable of being properly patched, like its retail disc counterpart from 10 years ago, this would merely be a minor inconvenience. These hacked executables have a different checksum, and thus, the NAM installer rejects them. dat files), and don’t want to promote piracy. That version check also has the side-effect of blocking the NAM from being installed on installations that use NoCD hacks, including pirate distributions of the game, which, while not an originally intended feature of our installer, was left in, as we can’t properly support unofficial copies of the game (especially ones that mix a 1.1.638 executable with 1.1.610. Given some of the bugs that were fixed with 1.1.638, it ultimately did the unpatched users a favor to update, giving them a more stable and enjoyable game experience.
That version check in the installer blocks the NAM from being installed on unpatched 1.1.610, and its European counterpart, 1.1.613, in order to avoid issues with users blaming the NAM Team for things Maxis fixed with 1.1.638, which had become a considerable annoyance for us. It also runs fine on the two higher versions, 1.1.640 (disc copy with BAT Nightlight Update), and 1.1.641, the digital equivalent that Steam, GOG.com, Amazon, GamersGate and pretty much everyone but Origin is selling. EP1 Update 1 fixes a number of transportation-related issues and other fairly serious game bugs. The NAM, of course, requires at least Version 1.1.638, the version number that results from applying EP1 Update 1 to the retail disc copy, and the installer checks to ensure that the user is running this version at minimum. Screenshot provided by Simtropolis member JurisicSantiago, showing that Origin is selling unpatched Version 1.1.610.