Was anyone else hoping that the announcement...

No. One I am not renting the game, I own them once they are bought and two I am realistic. Nothing is ever bug-free (ever tried coding and programming?). As long as they fix them when reported, that is what I care about and not everyone gets the same bugs either (the biggest ones had emergency patches). I never had some of the problems people mentioned in the past (half the problems people have is often due to mods, so that is to be expected and the risk people take). By the way, nobody wants bugs but every game I played had some at some point and some never been fixed. That is not ideal, but it happens. People just want fixes when they do happen. Sims 3 hasn't been fixed and won't now, that is the problem

As for prices, that is due to the economy and typical for new games. You can wait for sales, look around for better deals or try to enter contests. Shop wisely and it would mean saving money and sometimes pain.

Also just because YOU didn't ask for something, doesn't mean others don't want it. The beauty is you don't have to buy everything. I had to wait a long time but finally getting Island Living and Realm of Magic like I been wanting personally. Different people may want different things. Personally, I don't understand the hype of University (farming even less so. I guess people really like chores? They voted for laundry....I don't know why, but each their own) unless they have an overall education overhaul and add some new careers that we can't enter with a degree. Reasons to want it.

Sims 4 was enjoyable at the start because it was (mostly) bug free. Now there are more issues, I have to use reset sim once in a while.

So yeah would be nice the the higher up would give a bit of "stabilization time".

"SimChi;c-17101085" wrote:

"JoAnne65;c-17099594" wrote:
Wait, so, ... we’re all cool and understanding about bugs now? *pinches herself* *nope, not dreaming*

As far as understanding- I am still not sure who this was directed at, are you agreeing that the amount of bugs is unacceptable, and the product is not ready for release to the paying public? My comment stands. And when I said " I am also able to discuss the issues that I find unethical, and make comments so that other (potential) purchasers are aware of what, exactly, they are to expect." I meant that (potential) purchasers should be aware of what to expect (meaning: Expect, at the price these packs cost, expect far better quality, and far less bugs).

Yes, sorry for the confusion but my somewhat startled utterance was based on what came after your OP. I'm with you.

"EowynCarter;c-17101399" wrote:
Sims 4 was enjoyable at the start because it was (mostly) bug free. Now there are more issues, I have to use reset sim once in a while.

So yeah would be nice the the higher up would give a bit of "stabilization time".

Must add that this for me isn't true either. Sims 4's basegame was a complete bore. Way too empty. If I have to choose I prefer a temperamental game that I love to play (well, I am choosing, I've been doing that for 9,5 years now) to a smooth experience that's so somnolent that I close after 15 minutes, regretting the wasted time. That not an excuse for way too many bugs in any game though, making sure it's fun and rich.

Wild thought perhaps, but could the fact they develop this game based on one foundation and then all those packs that keep piling up be the actual problem? That sure is something we can blame on EA, because it's a strategy with just one goal: making more money and keep the fans stay tuned and spending.

"NorthDakotaGamer;c-17101302" wrote:

"Felicity;c-17097254" wrote:
It never even crossed my mind, tbh. I've been playing video games for decades -- never saw one without bugs. Even Stardew Valley has bugs.

I have seen plenty of "bug free" video games. Maybe it is because I do not really like online games, as I love single player offline video games.

Yes, me too, I own hundreds of them. (Truth)

"NorthDakotaGamer;c-17101302" wrote:

"Felicity;c-17097254" wrote:
It never even crossed my mind, tbh. I've been playing video games for decades -- never saw one without bugs. Even Stardew Valley has bugs.

I have seen plenty of "bug free" video games. Maybe it is because I do not really like online games, as I love single player offline video games.

I play only single player offline games as well and have encountered bugs in literally all of them, even in things like Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War which are two insanely well optimized games. Bug free simply doesn't exist, unless the games are so extremely short and simple in design that there isn't much that can go wrong in the first place. And that's not necessarily a problem as long as these bugs are acknowledged and fixed as much as possible. But bugs that go ignored and are plenty - yes that's a problem.

They have been reworking all that. That won't usually be part of announcements but several devs have mentioned it. I am sure there is a lot more to come.

"PlayerSinger2010;c-17101707" wrote:
I'm confused. What am I supposed to be looking at in that mod? What's so different between the mod vs the regular game?

I couldn't see a difference, either...?

"PlayerSinger2010;c-17101707" wrote:

"JoAnne65;c-17101050" wrote:

"SimTrippy;c-17101022" wrote:
You're right @JoAnne65 that bugs are not in and of themselves acceptable, not any more in 4 than in 3. But I do find that most of the bugs I encounter in 4 do eventually get fixed, sometimes right away in post-EP emergency patches, and sometimes 1-2 months later in big bug fix patches. Most of the bugs I ever saw in 3 are still there and can often only be fully fixed with mods (NRaas, for example). That's kind of the difference I tried to point out. It's not that I enjoy the bugs that I have, but I do see them getting fixed and I currently have barely any at all. So yes, it's a bit subjective in the end, and perhaps also depends on how many you encounter.

Quite recently this mod was brought to my attention. That was a gasp moment for me, because that’s exactly what Sims 4 is about for me and one of the reasons I’m unable to get into the game, sims just standing there doing nothing. It’s so lifeless, so... dull. Completely clueless why people constantly claim these sims are so lively and active, they aren’t in my game. So, apparently we need that mod for that and if I’ll ever open my Sims 4 game again, I’ll make sure to install it. But why hasn’t EA? I see bugs being a problem all the time here. People hoping a particular bug will be fixed, being diappointed when it’s not adressed in a next patch, being happy when it is, being disappointed when it breaks again in a next pack or patch.

I completely understand why people accept this. When you love a game you do, you’ll have to. But the excusing I really don’t understand. Not in a “then you’ll have to excuse it for Sims 3 as well” kind of way but in a “no, in Sims 4 it’s not justifiable or defensible either” kind of way.

I'm confused. What am I supposed to be looking at in that mod? What's so different between the mod vs the regular game?

It reduces simulation lag. You can see it in the comparison video. On the left a lot of the sims are just sitting or standing there, doing nothing, as if they're waiting for something. On the right everyone is interacting or doing something (like the bartender). Plus it's in the description?

"Cinebar;c-17101632" wrote:

"NorthDakotaGamer;c-17101302" wrote:

"Felicity;c-17097254" wrote:
It never even crossed my mind, tbh. I've been playing video games for decades -- never saw one without bugs. Even Stardew Valley has bugs.

I have seen plenty of "bug free" video games. Maybe it is because I do not really like online games, as I love single player offline video games.

Yes, me too, I own hundreds of them. (Truth)

I do as well, and so do the many gamers that I know- people who would hold companies accountable for their product, because players actually pay for that. The mentality (today) with accepting poor business models is shocking.

"XxAirixX;c-17101328" wrote:
No. One I am not renting the game, I own them once they are bought and two I am realistic. Nothing is ever bug-free (ever tried coding and programming?).

Also just because YOU didn't ask for something, doesn't mean others don't want it.

1: Owning something means that you can do with it what you choose.. Eg: I own a vehicle, and can resell it, or paint it, or give it to someone else who needs a vehicle. I own a home, and I can sell it, give it to someone who maybe can't own a home (because people insist on driving prices up to unreachable heights), etc.
2: You'd be surprised what I know. :) I guess one never knows who they are addressing behind the Sim.
3: I never said I didn't ask. I also never said that I didn't want Island based play- or magic. Never said others don't want it, nor did I ever slam people for wanting what they want.... The statement was "Was anyone else hoping that the announcement would INCLUDE ...".

"itsaluminum;c-17101847" wrote:
I'm just gonna point out that you don't have to buy digital copies of the games. You can always purchase a disk version at stores like target, walmart, and bestbuy. I have half the collection on dvd rom disks that I purchased in a store not online.

I agree that the devs need to get it together and focus on fixing the content they've already released versus releasing new content. Especially since bugs and bug fixes can have ripple effects throughout the code causing other issues. It's gonna get harder for them to find and fix the bugs if they just keep adding piles of code on top of it... which is basically where they're already at.

However, I'm not plum off. I'm not angry with the devs. I still choose to play the sims because I like to play the sims. I have so much time and content invested in my game that I accept the bugs and glitches because I've allowed those when I chose to open my game to full creativity. Sure, I could play vanilla and have a much more boring experience but I choose not to.. and I can't really blame that on the devs. They didn't force custom content and mods on us. They let us alter and change the game that they created and put money, time, and work into. Yeah they didn't listen to every single thing the fans said but just think about it for a minute ..the sims came a really long way since the initial release of the game. Just the abilities we have to mod and change our gameplay have gone from minimal to so many possibilities. I'll take a few bugs (that don't cause my game to crash) and be happy with it because I have way more control over my game play now than ever before.

But I don't think its fair to say they are unethical in any way. In fact, I'm not even sure what you mean by unethical considering that statement doesn't even agree with the definition of the word.

I live in the US. Here all you get in the DVD boxes, apart from the first one, is a piece of paper with a code on it. You might as well just order it through Origin. I am not even sure the first one had the actual game on it. Just a redirect to Origin. Trust me. If I could have had real physical copies I would have gone that route. It might be dfferent for other countries, but not here where the game is made.