Bug Report: Forced and Mandated Updates & EA App Behavior re: The Sims 4

REQUESTS FOR THE EA APP (Re: The Sims 4)

I posted about this on many platforms, in many comment sections, and many, many people are having these same issues. The number of likes and upvotes indicates an even larger pool of shy, silent, or busy simmers suffering this, too.

CORE REQUESTS

*  Updates to The Sims 4 game must be USER-INITIATED ONLY.
*  Updates must NEVER be automated, if the EA App restarts, it should do nothing to the game. No auto-updating of the the app or the game.
*  Updates must remain PERMANENTLY optional. The User should be able to stay on whatever game version they prefer and the game should still launch. 
*  Suggestion: Game fixes to older versions need to be made available. 
*  The EA App must not force updates. Ever, indefinitely. If a player chooses not to update for months, or even years; this must be a clear and fully supported option.

THE CURRENT ISSUE: Since this summer, the EA App has been producing so-called “error popups” (several types, seemingly arbitrary, affecting even vanilla players) with increasing frequency. These currently:

*Block players from opening The Sims 4 unless they go online in the EA App.

*Rotate through random “errors” to push the user online in the EA App.

*Once online in the EA App; trigger new “error popups” that specifically force a Sims 4 game update.

PS; halting the update causes a new “error” that prevents the game opening, too; so you know that is not an option.

I am finding these are not genuine errors; they are deliberate update triggers. While they may technically fall under the EA App team, they directly impact The Sims 4 experience and must be addressed in coordination. You claimed this was resolved 11 months ago. (It was not resolved). Also; EC:204 is only one of three possible popup error codes; none appear related to real system issues. Please eliminate these faux “errors.”

This was not resolved by any new EA App version:

discussions/ea-app-technical-issues-en/re-resolved---ea-app-error-code-ec204/7566081

SUMMARY You have made it so that updates have become unavoidable for what looks to be around half of the Sims 4 player base.

For those subjected to forced updates:

*Vanilla players are experiencing frequent game-breaking bugs and corrupted saves, even without For Rent installed.

*Modded players; the majority of the community; see their carefully curated setups repeatedly destroyed, driving many players to abandon the game entirely. This summer it is MANY. Even those not using script mods, but only CC for CAS and Build/Buy playstyles.

TLDR

*Updates must be user-initiated only; never automatic; always optional; never forced.

*The game must still launch if the user chooses not to update; even after months or years.

*The “no auto-update” toggle is broken; replace it with a clear OPTIONAL UPDATE button. Make sure that update is truly optional.

*Eliminate fake error messages that block the game from opening and funnel players into forced updates.

*Players must be free to choose if and when they update; even if that is never. The game should still launch and run.

*Add support to repair earlier game versions.

Do this; and watch user complaints drop by half.

Please coordinate between the EA App and Sims 4 teams.

Thanks!