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Redphun's avatar
Redphun
Seasoned Hotshot
1 month ago

FED UP with SIMS 4 bugs

So on Jan 13 we received a great gift so they said and it would fix the big problem of photos turning black and painting for reference turning white.  With great anticipation I checked it out.  Here's the rub:  Not only were the previously black photos and white paintings by reference unchanged, but those photos and paintings that were ok before the update suddenly were all black or white.  All those years of game play history down the tube.  I've had this game since it came out and those photos and paintings were a place where memories of early story telling were held.  

Additionally another old bug crept back in - the event squares in San Myshino were suddenly filled with detritus from previous events.

A fix should not do the opposite of the problem.  When updates to the game or new kits, expansions, etc are added they should not ruin the work that took place before the update or installation.  Some bugs continue on for years and there are so many it is hard to keep track, I just don't use those features anymore, but this latest debacle is over the top.  EA games and the team at SIMS 4 needs to hear from all of us all the time that we are not satisfied with this state of the game.  (The problem with the black photos and white paintings had come up before and was fixed for me but I had to painstakingly go back to old games, save households and lots (or rooms in the case of apartments) to my gallery and rebuild the worlds.  Sometimes old paintings and photos would come back.  But friendships and relationships had to restart in the new games.  

When I spend more time troubleshooting (which should be in the job description of EA employees not customers), rebuilding worlds or lots, even finding old enough saves to start again from, than I do playing, then perhaps it is me who is crazy for continuing with this product.  And to the EA SIMS staff, I do not, nor have I used any mods or custom content in the game.  I sought to play only with Maxis content to lessen the possibility of bugs and corruption to the game.  

I think EA Games and the SIMS team owe us customers more than a verbal apology and they should start living up to their Values which they prominently displayed along with the Jan 13 update and I include below.  They should also better playtest their updates and new creations, go back to the various add-ons that seem to have triggered these issues and correct them so they don't occur again.  Thank GOD EA Games does not design airplanes.

Creativity: The Sims is a canvas for imagination. yet that imagination is discouraged and destroyed by bugs

  • We build tools that awaken the artist, architect, and storyteller in everyone.
  • We celebrate ideas from the bold to the mundane and the wildly imaginative space in between that make our world shine.

Play: The Sims thrives on play. yet we spend more time on repairs and troubleshooting, rebuilding and adjusting our play to account for repeated buts.  That experience is not protected and has consequences.

  • We embrace the surprises, the plot twists, the happy accidents and the small moments that snowball into epic stories.
  • We protect experimentation without consequence, because some of the best stories come from turning mistakes into moments of magical delight.

Choice: The Sims is defined by decisions. I seem not to have control of details including big ones if EA games keeps taking the results away

  • We create systems that give players meaningful control over every detail, big or small.
  • We empower players to steer lives and worlds in any direction they imagine.

Inclusivity: The Sims is for everyone.  The game is not for anyone who tries to build stories and preserve details along the way of those stories through pictures and paintings, carefully built lots, etc.

  • We reflect the wide, colorful spectrum of identity and self-expression so every player feels seen and celebrated.
  • We build features that let all players create the Sims they feel connected to, and explore their identities, without judgement.
  • This work never ends; we continue learning, growing, and finding new ways to make every player feel seen.

Community: The Sims is a community-driven game. individual creativity is thwarted when bugs destroy the work.

  • We support the players who shape our worlds through their stories and creations, building a shared culture.
  • Together, individual creativity becomes something shared and spectacular. That’s what makes The Sims community the best community in games.

As we continue building the future of The Sims, our team's creative control, guided by our values of inclusivity, choice, creativity, community, and play, has not changed. 

And at its core, The Sims will always be life, your way.  I doubt that many of us really feel Sims supports this based on the frequency and seriousness of the bugs that seem to be increasing exponentially.

 

8 Replies

  • jpkarlsen's avatar
    jpkarlsen
    Hero (Retired)
    1 month ago

    It was never said that the black pictures would be fixed and it unfortunately isn't possible as they were saved to the screenshot folder as black. The paintings are stored in another way so they might be able to be restored.

    You write that you have other problems that I haven't seen others report. If you use mods or CC did you remember to remove them before starting a game after the update?

  • jpkarlsen's avatar
    jpkarlsen
    Hero (Retired)
    1 month ago

    EA just announced they found another cause of black pictures which will be fixed in the February patch. As already mentioned it is unfortunately not possible to fix existing black photos. So I recommend waiting with more photos until after the patch. 

  • They did say IN the patch notes that it wasn't fixing retroactively. That means if it already happened it wouldn't be fixed. It said all going forward should not be effected.

  • YellowBoneLiz's avatar
    YellowBoneLiz
    Seasoned Newcomer
    1 month ago

    Right but alot of us were not effected by the black photo bug untill after the update... i think thats why we are all so upset! every safe i have is full of black photos after the update and  they were fine before.

  • TA1111's avatar
    TA1111
    Seasoned Vanguard
    1 month ago

    Photos displayed on my walls from 8 generations in various houses went dark after the Jan 2026 update. 
    I closed the game without saving.  Still haven't re-opened.  Tired of the constant bugs.     

  • TA1111's avatar
    TA1111
    Seasoned Vanguard
    1 month ago

    Well written!  I agree with your assessment of the EA values. New content doesn't integrate smoothly with the existing game infrastructure.    

    Family tree, relationships and romance:  In legacy play or a multi-generation household I've had closely related, autonomous flirting.  If the family tree was functional or meaningful then a parent or a step parent, caregiver would not romance their teen, young adult or adult CHILD or siblings.   Need a default setting restriction against incest.   

    EA pixelates nudity but allows the adult daughter and father to autonomously make out in front of the whole family when she comes home for a holiday.   Makes no sense.   

    Make a toggle for players if they want, but I'm tired of broken families.   Not excited about "Scandals".    

  • lunalynn28's avatar
    lunalynn28
    Rising Newcomer
    1 month ago

    same thing here theres so many glitches its insane 

    my sim got stuck wouldnt move or go home she was emberassed and everyone was looking and laughing at her

    my paintings are white the ones i hang on the wall

    will completly ignore the stuff i click to have her to do and go do something else

    all the paintings i do are normal even tho her traits are painting and level 7 ... not sure if thats a glitch?

    it was never this glitchy before ever

     

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