Script Mods and the Python Update: An FAQMaxis is updating the version of Python that is used in Sims 4 from version 3.3.5, which dates back to 2014, to version 3.7.0. See the original announcement of this update
here.
This update is expected to have many advantages going forward for Maxis and, it’s hoped, for modders. However,
it will break all script mods. All script mods will need to be updated by their creators.
What does this mean for mod users?It means you must
remove all script mods.
Watch for modders to post updates to your script mods. This includes updates to tools such as Neia’s Career Builder. All such updates (that I learn of) will be posted in this thread, in the next post.
How do I recognize a script mod so I can remove it?Script mods are
not a lone .package file. They include a
.ts4script file.
Can I remove only the .ts4script file?No. You must remove all files that are part of that mod. The .ts4script file will usually be accompanied by other files. Sorting your folder in alphabetical order will usually group them together to make them easier to find.
Will this affect all my mods? What about my CC?The Python update affects only your script mods. It does not affect your nonscript mods or your custom content (CC). However, the Python update is not the only thing in this patch! Other aspects of the patch — such as the Terrain Tools, the Fashion Career, and code changes preparing for the Get Famous pack — could break nonscript mods or CC.
You’ll find lists of broken and updated nonscript mods and CC in this post after the list of updated script mods.
When will my mods be updated?Modders have been given a lot of notice and support from Maxis. Many updates will probably be available almost immediately. Others will take longer because something other than the Python update is affecting them or because the modder is busy with other things in life.
What about that script mod that hasn’t broken since 2014?Yes, it will be broken too. Sorry. For what it’s worth, there aren’t many of those left since Cats and Dogs and Seasons, and something else was bound to break them eventually.
My favorite mod’s creator retired from modding. What will happen to that mod?Hopefully, an active modder will take it over, as has happened with other abandoned mods in the past. I’ll be tracking those mods in the post after the updated script mods list.
What about my mods that aren’t rated T for Teen?We can’t discuss those here, not even to ask about particular ones or to post an update about them. All questions and information about mods that break the T-for-Teen rating
must go somewhere other than these official Forums. One place to start is at the site where you originally downloaded the mod, on a general social media site like Twitter or Facebook, or on an unofficial Sims fan forum. Please do
not post about them in this thread.
Why isn’t my mod updated yet? The creator isn’t retired from modding!Even modders who don’t have jobs or school to go to can be busy with other things in their lives, just like you probably often are. Some mods might also need to be updated in more ways that just which version of Python they’re compiled in. Some are complex to update. Some modders have many, many mods to update and won’t always choose to start with the ones you personally use. Please be kind and respectful to the creators you rely on for your entertainment. Your patience and respect make it easier for them to put their effort into coding their mods.
But I can’t play without my mods! What am I supposed to do when I want to play Sims?!Fortunately, this patch also includes new, complex Terrain Tools. This is a great opportunity to learn to use those. Pull out your Mods folder, back up your Saves folder, and start a new save to try them out!
Why is Maxis doing this to us?!My understanding is that this update to Python will make the game smoother-functioning and with fewer bugs and better exception-handling. It’s a good thing for both the game and, probably, modders going forward.
Why does Maxis hate modders?!Maxis
loves modders! That’s why they gave them so many weeks’ notice of this change and offered practical help in creating the new decompiling tool needed for future script modding. Modders have been saying that they see this update as a positive change.
What is this Python thing anyway?I was
really tempted to post a video of a lovely ball python here — I like snakes! — but for the sake of the ophidiophobes among you, I won’t do that. (If you’re on Reddit, though, and you like snakes, r/snakes is good for the soul.)
Python (with a capital p) is a software programming language, one of at least two that Sims 4 is written in. (The other one is, I think, C++.) It’s a programming language that reads more like English than many, it’s open source (meaning you don’t have to pay to use it, if you’re a modder!), and it’s been around for decades* so there are many libraries of available scripts to draw on when you’re making your own script.
And for the curious: The programming language is named after the British comedy troupe Monty Python. If you’re really looking for a non-Sims thing to do while you wait for Python-related updates, the original TV series
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is now on Netflix in many markets!
We interrupt this program to annoy you and make things generally irritating.*Since 1989, which counts as a really long time in computer programming terms … unless, like me, you learned to program on punch cards that were fed into a mainframe computer.
Will modders be able to still make new script mods?Yes! Though it’s been an adventure… Python 3.7.0 is
so new that when this update was announced, nobody had made a decompiler for it yet! So Sims 4 modders, with the support of Maxis, made two. Yes, two!
Credit for this time-consuming labor of love goes to @Fogity, @Andrew, and @Scumbumbo, with support and assistance from @SimGuruModSquad, @SimGuruTwoLegs, @TwistedMexi, @TURBODRIVER, @AthenaApollos, and @Pyppy. (If there are others I have missed, please let me know! you all deserve credit for this work.)
- @Fogity’s decompiler, py37dec, was posted last night here: here. Don’t ask him any questions about his new tool yet. He’s on a well-earned break.
Did Maxis copy the Road to Fame mod? Is Road to Fame useless now?
Sacrificial, the creator of the mod, does not claim that Maxis copied his mod. He is also already talking about enhancements he’s considering for his mod, such as a modeling catwalk. Consider it still alive!
