@PandoraTO And that is the problem. The way things are set up, even if you choose offline play, it only takes one "mistake" like you mentioned with a forced restart and the game is updating while you are going "noooooo" watching it. That has happened to me before when I wanted to wait out an update for a couple days until mods were updated.
It is easy enough to shrug off when it is just a matter of convenience for a couple days, but when the problems with an update are severe or possibly game breaking, well, that is another matter.
I got the mod to remove the cart, and since I was already struggling with the patch issues, I decided to go ahead and buy the crystal pack. Might as well have the perks if I was already dealing with the downside. But I will be doing the "try not to patch" dance on the next one, until I can verify that EA is not pulling another maneuver that I cannot mod away, on the next update.
I did turn off auto updates for both game and Origin in my preferences, which will work for a while on my Mac until I am forced to download an app instead of using Origin to start my game. I have no idea how hard it will be to avoid updates when I have to use an app to start up the game, in the near future.
I really want to keep playing this game. It means a lot to me to be able to play. But the cart issue almost deep-sixed it for me. Without the mod to remove the flashing, pulsing cart I would have been forced to stop playing. A very close call. Now I am twice shy about any further changes to my game. If I just go offline indefinitely, never patching again or buying any more stuff, or letting Origin update, I at least could continue to play the game I love.
I have every pack except dust busters (I hate vacuuming in real life so have zero desire to do it in game) and have most of the kits. The kits I do not have, I do not want. CAS stuff I will never use would just clutter up my game, so no point in buying it. Being asked to buy more, when I "have it all" is really annoying.
But I could still ignore a cart that just sat there doing nothing. One that flashes or pops up a bubble that is covering my game or glows with a yellow dot until I click it is not something I could ignore. And that takes it out of the realm of a "feature" and into more than annoying and insulting.
If EA insists on leaving a cart in the game, at least make it a small cart that can be ignored by the people who have already purchased all they ever plan to purchase, and something that can be toggled off to avoid photo sensitivity. If EA won't even do that much to meet the needs of their base, well ... maybe they deserve to lose us.
In the mean time, I think being offline and not updating anything, is the safest thing, for me, personally.
