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coloncocon's avatar
coloncocon
Seasoned Veteran
3 hours ago

What issues make you too scared to play with the main save?

We know that the main game and every patch usually include something risking your save or even your game. It's a serious issue if it happens in our main or long-played save.

I am the one who started to use mod "to disable unwanted features", and had to need more mods after every patch and pack arrived.

So, I want to share my thoughts and hear your opinions if you have more things I missing

In my opinion, I break down the main topics into two categories: bugs and features.

Bugs

  • Bugs that can break the save file (For Rent period)
    • This is the level that makes me stop playing the game for a few months.
    • Recently, I still avoided opening a "rental residential lot" for my safety. 
  • Bugs about visuals and screenshots
    • Do you remember "pausing the game but the head still slowly turns?😂"  Sometimes it's too scary like the horror movie. And it's annoying when I want to save the screenshot but can't get exactly what I want.
    • Many years ago, I couldn't save screenshots in the basement because some visual bug.
    • This level of bugs didn't ruin the save, but it was quite a waste of time.

Feature

  • Hidden autonomous "romantic" interactions
    • I already disabled autonomy about romantic interaction but since Lovestruck, I found that my sims did "romantic introduction" autonomously. I don't sure if it happened in NPC before. Fortunately, there is a mod to disable this auto-introduction. I hope it works.
    • Before Lovestruck, there is a hidden "NPC introduction" that boosts the romantic bar to NPC too. (You can read more at ""No Random NPC Romance" mod by lazarusinashes")
    • I found this by combining university students into one household and found that some already have love without my notice.
    • I'm not too micro-management about townies, but I added the mod to disable this to avoid them ruining my OC's relationship autonomously.
  • Bodyshape changing over time
    • I almost stop playing the game because I can't control this. It was quite too late when I found that my muscular guy sim became slightly chubby after I took screenshots for one in-game year. Too late to redo several events again.
    • Fortunately, I hadn't visited San Myshuno Festival too often before I could find the mod to disable body shape changing (Roburky's Fitness Control), so the damage isn't too far to fix.

 

I'm not too micro-management player, but I hate when some new mechanics change the details of sims hiddenly. And it's even scarier if some bugs are like "the cancer" that secretly damage your game to the point that can't fix.

Sometimes (or many times), I spent more than 50% of my playtime "checking, fixing, and testing". I even thought that I would better stop playing to use time for something less stressful. But, sadly I still enjoy the rest of the game. 😅

Lastly, I know that each person has a different playstyle and level of uncontrollable acceptance. Some people like chaos thing which is not wrong. But I believe that many people are like me who want to play with enough control.

Or at least, want to play without worrying about the hidden "cancer" in the save file.

 

  • crocobaura's avatar
    crocobaura
    Seasoned Ace
    2 hours ago

    My game is currently suffering from bad simulation lag, it improved very little after the last patch, hope they fix that soon. Other than that, I don't have any in-game issues that would make me avoid playing the game. I haven't played with rentals yet, but more because I am not really interested in playing landlord and handyman and I still have enough free lots where sims could live without having to put them in rentals. Also, I read that you don't see the neighbours using the amenities in the shared spaces, so there really is no incentive to move the sims into rental lots. As for bodyshape changing, all my played sims are growing fat eventually, didn't know that was a bug, I thoght it was just the way I played them. Every once in a while I take them to the restaurant and let them eat diet ice cream and  they go back to their slim shape.  With some I tried keeping them in shape with exercise, but I noticed they need to to do that everyday or else it doesn't work. 

    • Miataplay's avatar
      Miataplay
      Seasoned Ace
      2 hours ago

      I have noticed wieght gain too. I take them into CAS and adjust their weight. I hate it when the male sims that enjoy exercising get super bulky. I don't like the female sims looking too ripped either. 

      • coloncocon's avatar
        coloncocon
        Seasoned Veteran
        2 hours ago

        I agreed with too bulky sims too. In reality, not all fitness enthusiasts need to be bulky. I always set my male sims' bodies to be muscular but not at the max level. I only keep that 100% muscular bar for the gym trainer who autonomously got this body shape.

        Oh, I have to say another thing the game does it autonomously. When they assign a new gym trainer, sometimes they change the body to max bulk when I visit the gym. I have to change back manually when they change female gym trainer townie, I can't stand for it personally.

        There are many more "auto" things hidden in the game mechanic. Beware them! 🤣

    • coloncocon's avatar
      coloncocon
      Seasoned Veteran
      2 hours ago

      I don't play the game often, so I am not sure about bad simulation lag. But to think again, it's lag lately when there are many sims in the same lot.

      I haven't tried rental because of the same reason as you too. Not interest in the gameplay and I still have plenty of free lots to use. Unless I want to play in a world that lacks of normal lot. (I'm thinking about Del Sol Vally as I am playing with the celebrity.)

      About bodyshape, that's why I separate bugs and features. Bodyshape changing is the feature from the start, not a bug. It makes dynamic and reality of the game. But it's too effective sometimes with the community lots that make people eat repeatedly (and this seems to be fixed now or in the upcoming patch). Bodyshape changing is a game-breaking for people who want to take the story screenshot seriously.

      Exercising has some side effects too if choosing weight training. Muscle value will change too. Moreover, it's not like TS3 that the bodyshape will go back to its original shape over time. It's too much work if you want to keep all of the population have their original body "without mod"

  • K-bobster's avatar
    K-bobster
    Seasoned Newcomer
    2 hours ago

    I'm just scared of bugs, period. The bugs I have are minor, but still annoying since I paid for certain features that I can't use right now. But I'm just scared of the game getting worse and breaking my Main save. 

    I used to have simple bugs that I didn't even realize were bugs, I just thought that was how the game was. Like sims getting up at the restaurant sometimes. Or becoming best friends after taking a selfie together( i liked that bug, actually).

    Things were just goofy, but still playable. But after that patch from September or October, i have bugs where I can't perform certain tasks at all. I have a relatively new high-end gaming laptop. So this is quite concerning for me. I won't even touch my main game. It's been with me for 3 computers! I don't want to risk getting one of those game-breaking or save-corrupting bugs. 

    I really wanted that new expansion pack. But I will not be able to get it. Who knows what it will do to my game?

    • coloncocon's avatar
      coloncocon
      Seasoned Veteran
      56 minutes ago

      I have only minor bugs as well, and mostly about visuals. And like you said, " I didn't even realize they were bugs". I usually think of them as bad game design until I can't stand it. Then I went to search for a bug report to confirm my suspicion. (Because if it's only in my game, it might be the mod issue which is more dangerous than the unmodded bug)

      I think TS4 can't break the PC itself. But it can break the save file or the whole game folder even without a mod (from For Rent period). However, the recent pack probably edits some "events" mechanics for the new date system. Gameplay has become wrong lately in University events.

      I usually buy a new Expansion Pack to get time-limited contents but then disable it until I can make sure that I know almost everything that can affect my save file. Watching YouTubers and forums for a month before playing yourself can save you from issues in case of a long-time main save.

  • simgirl1010's avatar
    simgirl1010
    Hero
    51 minutes ago

    Absolutely nothing. I have only one save that I've been playing for six years and I try to incorporate a variety of gameplay in that save. 

    When playing I save frequently and make a weekly backup of my TS4 folder just in case I do run into problems. 

    As for For Rent I just haven't had time to get to that gameplay yet because I have several other ongoing stories. I will get to it eventually.

    • coloncocon's avatar
      coloncocon
      Seasoned Veteran
      8 minutes ago

      Great to hear that! I also believe that there are possible ways to play with a variety of gameplay and features adding overtime.

      Plus from what I saw in your posts earlier, I admire you that you can create ongoing series without worry things I like me. I haven’t played big family yet because don’t sure if I manage them. Your opinion encourage me to try playing with lower control style during waiting time too. (except bodyshape control, I can’t play without it anyway lol)

      About backup, I’m the player who use a few minor mods, so I sometimes worry about hidden problems. I usually back up the save file every day, but for TS4 folder I do only for big patch. I’ll try to do it more frequently for safety too.

      By the way, did you have the mods to manage the gameplay? Or your save file is mod-free or only cc without gameplay mod. (not count pose players)

  • Simmingal's avatar
    Simmingal
    Hero
    6 minutes ago

    I loved heads turning after pause bug 😂 it was perfectly spooky I don't mind silly things like that which can even result in some fun gameplay and screenshots

    but I can't play my main save if there is something like sims faces changing shape or neighborhood stories killing off sims or lots corrupting or sims autonomously destroying things or whatever happening on the background

    because I play all the households in my save and I can't have all the other households and lots getting destroyed as I play one 😅

  • coloncocon's avatar
    coloncocon
    Seasoned Veteran
    3 hours ago

    And now this bug makes me want to stop playing because I am not sure about the safety of playing university lots

    https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/DU-Scheduled-Organization-Events-on-lots-No-one-shows-up/m-p/14162365#M299265

    It started from the issue that the cafeteria vendor didn't appear to work in Darby's Den (UBrite Commons). Then I found later that the issue was bigger than that. This triggered me to write this long thread.

    Now I know why many people try to avoid updating the game. But then there is something like "Reaper's Reward" that forces people to update the game for "time-limited contents". 

    🪦

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