Pondering this some more... there really doesn't seem to be much to say. The bug fixes were expected... and yes appreciated but honestly, I can't really heap praise on someone for fixing something they broke in the first place. I'm sorry but it's true.
New features... the loyal trait is nice but not something I'm personally excited about especially since, as I said before, I probably wouldn't choose it over other traits. The tutorial and guide are sensible additions given the expectation of new, casual players and the obvious goal of using the free release as a way to both boost sales of expansions and drum up interest in the inevitable release of Sims 5. However, again, it's not something I'm excited about because I don't expect to use it.
Given how frankly perilous updates have become, I don't think this was a good one. I think, if there is indeed a goal of attracting new players and keeping them, along with selling more expansions... updates that fix major bugs and solid, well tested updates that expand some of the weaker or buggier areas of the expansion packs would be a good future goal. The Spa Days refresh a while back was a good value add. There are opportunities to do similar refreshes with lots of other packs... from Dine Out to High School Years, they could all use a little tuning. I hope the developers turn some attention in that direction in the near future. I think, for those incoming new players, it would make a good impression.
The Sims Team
