Story Progression Settings

I have to wonder if maybe the newly launched one-sided anti-mod, anti-cc campaign is going to end soon. I mean, the players being addressed on this and several other threads are intelligent and sophisticated enough with the game (even if they modestly doubt their own levels of sophistication at times) to know what they observe in a modless game is actually happening and not figments of their imagination.

The way script mod development works, when it is done up properly and not by a fly-by-night mod developer who then disappears from view after release, is that the mod developers see flaws and inconsistencies in the game code and then verify for themselves and with other players that such coding flaws do lead to unwanted effects in the game. And then they address them and put the changes out for alpha and then beta testing. Or perhaps they find things that are indeed working as EA intended but can simply be improved upon or changed to work in a way that is to some or hopefully many players more pleasing.

It's great to offer non-mod solutions to players who wish to play vanilla, limit their mod usage to what they consider the bare essentials, or who may have one or more vanilla games going in tandem with modded games utilizing different game folders. But telling us what is seen on-screen in a vanilla game by one or two players is what everyone must be capable of seeing, especially when we start talking about things we know are broken for many players as game time progresses such as lack of data garbage collection (this is where ErrorTrap comes in with its recurring correction routines), cash register attendants not showing up/functioning, or story progression in general, is I am afraid not helpful where we have plenty of evidence to the contrary and does not make the one posting come across as being overly informed or as helpful as they may intend to be.

If the intent is to help other players enjoy their games in the ways in which they choose to enjoy them and for longer amounts of time than the game itself typically seems to allow for, I'm sorry but there are other ways to approach that goal than the one currently being taken.

Well said, @igazor :)

I avoided using third party content of any kind in my Sims 3 game until after Sims 4 was released. I eventually added a few NRAAS mods such as Debug Enabler, Overwatch, Error Trap and Master Controller.

Prior to adding the mods I had long stopped attempting to play any kind of family game due to bugs in the vanilla Sims 3 game. Having Master Controller in my mods folder has meant I can now play families again and I play them all the time now. I haven't seen any issues with my family trees breaking and I've been able to add new sims to the existing families when I have felt the occasional need to do so.

@Turjan @Rhiannon58 @Karritz

It was interesting to learn about your experiences with the vanilla version of the game, it seems that they're rather different from my own. Why that is I don't know, but the fact that I always keep aging and Story progression turned off might be one of the reasons.

Also thanks to all three of you for being able to discuss this topic in a calm and sensible manner, like the grown ups you are (I think?). After all, mods and CC are only small add ons to a computer game, not the be-all and end-all of somebodys life, or a sacred and holy religion that is absolutely taboo to question or even talk about.

Last but not least, I hope that both you and I will be able to play TS3, with or without mods/CC, for a long time to come, and that bugs and glitches stay away as much as possible. :)