[ECO] Plant growth rates reversed for Green and Industrial eco footprints
Issue Description:
Plants grow slower when a neighborhood has a Green eco footprint and faster when the footprint is Industrial. This is the inverse of the intended behavior, as a Green environment should promote healthier, faster plant growth while an Industrial environment should hinder it. The bug affects all plant types on lots within the affected neighborhood.
Expected Behavior:
Plants should grow faster in neighborhoods with a Green eco footprint and slower in areas with an Industrial footprint. A Green environment provides clean air and healthy conditions, which should benefit plant life, while pollution and smog from an Industrial area should stunt growth.
Steps to Reproduce:
- Have a Sim plant a garden on a residential lot in a neighborhood.
- Shift the neighborhood's eco footprint to Green (using green objects, NAPs, etc.).
- Monitor the growth time of the plants.
- Shift the same neighborhood's eco footprint to Industrial (using industrial objects, generators, etc.).
- Plant the same type of plant and monitor its growth time.
Actual Result:
- Plants in the Green neighborhood take longer to grow.
- Plants in the Industrial neighborhood grow faster.
Additional Notes:
- The Sims Wiki confirms this is a known bug: "Note that due to a bug, Industrial Eco Footprint and Green Eco Footprint have their effects on plant growth reversed. Plants will grow slower in Green environments and faster in Industrial environments due to a decay modifier being mistakenly backwards".
- The bug is due to a "decay modifier being mistakenly backwards" in the game's code.
- It has been an unresolved issue since the release of the Eco Lifestyle pack.
- A neighborhood's eco footprint can be tracked via the icon near the game clock, categorized as Green, Neutral, or Industrial.
Impact:
Moderate to High. This bug fundamentally undermines a core gameplay loop of the Eco Lifestyle pack. It discourages players from achieving a Green footprint, as it penalizes them with slower plant growth. It also removes a key reward for sustainable gameplay, directly conflicting with the pack's theme of environmental improvement.