More About Placement On Lots

Hello Everyone, 

There was another blog I posted regarding placement issues with using cheats. I even learned we need to be mindful of wall placements on some lots as it can really make our games wonky (One in particular at this time, which is within the Culpepper Apt). 

I realize these posts are a bit long-winded, but PLEASE do read as I feel there is great significance in this.

There was an absolutely gorgeous home I downloaded for my game from the gallery. Yet, as I played this home, game bugs started to occur. So, I got curious was it an EA issue or this home/lot? I went through the home that seemed to have it all in order, but to my surprise, it didn't. 

Like me, I love clutter and having things skewed with a bit of an angle to some objects set on surfaces and same goes with some furnishings and decor when placed on the floor. But with the cheat move objects on, while all looked innocent enough, I found how these things were conflicting with nearby objects and entryways ever so slightly enough to make all the difference. 

In fact, because some objects were being skewed to look more appealing and picturesque or perhaps messy if we were to go for the more lived-in look, had its square to mark its placement bleeding through walls into other rooms to which other objects were placed upon them.  (Example: An askewed floor plant placed in the dining room had its square bleeding through the wall into the next room. So, when the bookcase in the next room was set on that shared wall, it was overlapping the plant square and the bookcase became "buggy" after a time of playing. When I went into build mode and picked up the bookcase, I learned it was not fitting on that wall correctly as the squares showed red for placement. It was then I realized it was the plant in the next room that prevented the bookcase from fitting on that wall as it rightfully should.)

So, when dismantling and resetting objects in this home, which included buildmode doors, archways, and windows that were in the red when I selected them, I saw so much of this on one lot alone, that I realized just how this game must be getting really bogged down with so much going "against" the original design of the game's core functions and usage for these items that it had no choice but to start acting up. Couple that with each lot that has these same shared issues.... it's got to really negatively impact our games overall.

Let’s go one further.... With more and more content being added into our games, we are learning it is a lot for the core game to handle. But then.... we add more characteristics and traits in how these lots and too our sims behave or interact with the lot, items, etc. adds more "clutter" to the whole "thought process". 

The original purpose for Sims 4 was not to have such a "weighted-down game" to where people's PCs had a hard time playing them, as that was the complaint for many players since the Sims 2 and Sims 3 days. So, EA found ways to make the graphics so amazing with hopefully more “in-depth” playing ideas than before without bogging down our systems. Yet, over time EA learned many players have since found a way to afford better PCs to handle these games and wanted more. So, EA was happy to oblige with more content, etc. 

Yet... No matter how "intelligent" our computers are or how much space we have on our PCs to handle these games... the more that is added with each pack we purchase for our regular game play, the more the base game itself takes a hit, becoming a bit congested with each pack that is added. Perhaps, it wouldn't be as bad if we didn't decide to take it further and use in-game cheats to further complicate and confuse the situation. Then we add more logs to the fire when we start to bring in mods and custom content... all the more to keep track of how these games are to function and then we then sit here and wonder why our games are acting wonkier. Coupled with Core bugs that EA is in need of fixing can really become exaggerated with all that was mentioned above.

Perhaps it is time to scale back the mods and be more mindful of how we place our objects and even our walls and the rest of our buildmode objects to ensure it doesn't affect the routings for homes and the lots they are on. Afterall, the red squares are important indicators that trying to place an object, or buildmode door, window, etc. that is in the red will have negative consequences.

The more I say this, the more it all makes sense. I now understand how some players are saying they are not experiencing the majority of issues many others are. Perhaps, they not only choosing not to use mods/cc as they mentioned, but perhaps, they are not using in-game cheats or MOO for placement, or if they did use MOO they made certain nothing would be in the red zones of placement within the game. Wouldn't it be something if a larger portion of our issues are erased if we got back to the basics as to how this game was meant to be played?

In fact, I had been reading more and more blogs of players choosing to give up the mods or even using in-game cheats, etc. and discovered not only far less bugs and errors for their games, like I am beginning to see, but are actually, to their amazement... happier they did so! Perhaps it is time to get back to the basics. 

But... if this upsets some to read of this suggestion, then... perhaps...perhaps... it is time to take a much more serious look at this game itself and our love of it... or perhaps... with real self-honesty... maybe some maybe sadly surprised to see a lack thereof if they were to go vanilla for their games. In this case, it may be time to move on, while others who still have a love of these games, as I do, to keep on going.

Overall, I do understand why mods and CC are so enticing. I've tried using them too. Some, I didn't really want to let go of, as it is fun to stretch our imagination in ways that EA didn't take into consideration. But then... the more we change its core... the more we lose sight of the basic of this game and functionality. Soon... we may find... the game no longer fits and plays well with our added styles and preferences of playing this way any more... as many are already discovering by using such mods/cc.

Additionally, while we are fortunate to have Mod creators that found some "fixes" for our game, I discovered that even though they are updated to use with the latest updates, etc. that some did break other areas of our game as well.  For instance... a mod that helps to keep Laundry Day machines from breaking so often. While this worked so beautifully... I was stunned to see that somehow it erased a base game foundation pattern from our game. I took the mod out and that pattern returned. Who would think something like this mod to perform one thing could negatively affect another area completely separate from this issue in our games?

The Same with MCCC mod. I have noticed that those who use this mod for placing objects in ways other than originally scripted on their lots has caused some serious game crashing when uploading such lots for others to download and use that do not have this mod in their games. Just think of that for a moment. A mod that can cause a game to crash our game systems strongly suggests it is not just "rewriting" script; it is literally breaking the game codes in how the game is being played. That really opens our games in vulnerability for some seriously negative risks. Which is why with every game update, that mod is the first of many to break.

So, while well meaning and even seemingly harmless and fun... these mods can actually do as much harm or even worse as some of the EA fixes that we've complained about. One thing gets fixed and something else breaks. So true I have found that to be the case with Mods as well.  

Just food for thought.