Forum Discussion

Re: [FIXED] [ECO] Issues with Eco Footprint Changes

Product: The Sims 4
Platform:PC
Which language are you playing the game in? English
How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%)
What is your current game version number? 163.134.1020
What expansions, game packs, and stuff packs do you have installed? All expansions, all game packs, most stuff packs (I don't have Luxury Party, Fitness, Bowling, or My First Pet).
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? Start in a neighborhood that is Neutral by default (any neighborhood except Grimm's Quarry or Port Promise). Create or download several lots with Green eco footprint, such that toggling eco footprint from the map shows half or more of the lots as green.
What happens when the bug occurs? You'll find that the neighborhood eco footprint bar in the UI will not change no matter what you do and regardless of the number of Green lots in the neighborhood; however, lots that have a Green eco footprint will have light effects and aurora in the skies even though the neighborhood is Neutral, while other lots will not (even on the same night in the same neighborhood, traveling from Neutral to Green lots and then back again will cause the aurora to turn on and then off instantly).
What do you expect to see? I expect to see some progression in the UI eco footprint bar when several lots are Green. Even if it does not tip the neighborhood fully to Green status, the green side of the bar UI should fill at least a little. I also expect the aurora to appear or disappear based on the neighborhood eco footprint rather than the individual lot's.
Have you installed any customization with the game, e.g. Custom Content or Mods? Not now. I've removed them.
Did this issue appear after a specific patch or change you made to your system? Neutral/Not Sure 

This bug persisted not only after I removed all CC, but also after I did a full factory reset of my game to ensure no lingering corruption. I have tested this bug in Connifer Station, Foxbury Institute, and Forgotten Hollow. When I tried to start a game in Grimm's Quarry, the bar moved alarmingly rapidly from Green to Neutral, but it did move. The aurora inconsistency affected Grimm's Quarry, as well.

7 Replies

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  • crinrict's avatar
    crinrict
    Hero+
    6 years ago
    @rachelwolfe Does this only happen if you download stuff from the gallery or also if you turn them green through gameplay means ?
  • rachelwolfe's avatar
    rachelwolfe
    New Hotshot
    6 years ago

    Also if you turn them green through gameplay means. I first discovered the bug when trying to make Foxbury go green by adding green build elements and objects, enacting eco-friendly N.A.P.s, and having my student sim install eco upgrades on all appliances. That said, however, I had already updated the campus with lots I downloaded from the gallery a long time ago, when Discover University first came out, so I can't be certain that having a downloaded lot is not a trigger for the bug.

  • rachelwolfe's avatar
    rachelwolfe
    New Hotshot
    6 years ago

    Upon further reflection and reading a number of eco footprint bug posts across the internet (not just on this site), I believe this problem, "Eco footprint changes too fast" (https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/UNSURE-ECO-Eco-Footprint-changes-too-fast/td-p/9180818), and "Eco footprint bar continuously declines after one fire" (https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/NEEDS-INPUT-ECO-Eco-Footprint-Bar-Continuously-Declines-After/m-p/9180816) to all be the same bug. 

    What it seems is happening is that the two types of eco footprint--by lot and by neighborhood, respectively--are not communicating with each other, such that you can change individual lots to green or industrial, but the neighborhood eco footprint calculation is not taking the lot scores into account. As a result, the neighborhood eco footprint bar, in what it perceives as the absence of any data, either drives relentlessly toward neutral or gets stuck on neutral. 

    As this is a major, central gameplay feature of the pack, I hope the developers will give this issue their immediate attention and release a fix for it soon.

    (And just in case it helps to know this, I formerly worked as a professional game tester, so I have been both rigorous and meticulous in my information-gathering and testing of this bug.)

  • Having same/similar issue. In Port Promise. Got neighborhood to fully green, steady through two days of gameplay and I did travel to another lot during that time. Saved. Reopened game today and eco footprint rapidly decreasing, all the way back to neutral in one day and looks like it will hit industrial soon. No changes whatsoever to what is on my lot or others.

    I also have part of an oven somehow in my lawn, people jogging naked, the fizzing station suddenly not able to be interacted with, and people walking into my house without being invited. Pretty annoying bugs this time.

  • Ax_girl28's avatar
    Ax_girl28
    5 years ago

    Yes! I have done everything in my power to move port promise back to industrial because it changed to neutral as soon as I moved in and I am stuck at neutral! Every lot in the community comes up as neutral and it’s so frustrating because if I wanted to play neutral I wouldn’t have bought the pack. 

  • Fischreuse's avatar
    Fischreuse
    Seasoned Ace
    5 years ago

    The Starter Footprints in Port Promise and Grims Quarry are a little bit fake. I 've tested it with a fresh new game after I was a little bit astonished, how the lots in Grims Quarry can be green without any green content in the house. And indeed, if I choose the one houshold in Grims Quarry for activ playing it startet to run down to neutral. The overview for the world show also at once neutral. That's the reel footprint of this house. Then I 've made a short journey on every lot of these both neighboorhood. Nearly all lots became neutral. Only one in Port Promise - the empty lot - is still industriell. The neighborhoods have still the starter footprint of green and industriell. 

    I have understood, that the footprint is two sides counting: The lots charakter and the neigboorhods charakter. Living in a (in reality neutral) lot in Grims Quarry will run down your green footprint in a quick way, if you do not any green things for it. Only the green starter footprint of the neighboorhod will stop this a little bit. The contrary happens in Port Promise, if you choose a faked industriell houshold for playing. Only the real industriel lot will show an other behavier, but it is surrounded of neutral lots. I think, they gave a little bit real different Footprint for the start, so you have a better chance for staying green in Grims Quarry ... an easyer chance to become green in Port Promise, but feel a little bit industriell in the beginning - for a little bit gameplay. 

    Every one can reproduce the real footprints in the lots in a starter game: only make a jump to the left in Grims Quary and the a step to the right in Port Promise through all the lots.

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