The Sims 4 has an update scheduled for 27 October, with more than 150 bug fixes announced. We don’t have the full patch notes yet, but here are my thoughts on the preview.
Some of these bugs have interrupted my livestreams. Others passed me by while my Sims found completely different ways to annoy me!
Loading, Freezing and Sims Who Need Resetting
1. Endless loading when placing lots
I’ve always wondered why placing a lot sometimes takes forever! This fix targets problems linked to extensive Move Objects use. Hopefully, downloading a lovely build will no longer require clearing my entire afternoon.
2. White screens when loading saves
Thankfully, I haven’t experienced this. Have you been locked out of a favourite household? Let me know what happened and whether this sounds like your issue.
3. Ordering from busy bartenders
Oh, absolutely, especially on livestreams! We’re trying to tell a story, and apparently ordering a drink is too much to ask. Hopefully, this saves us hiring yet another bartender to get things moving!
4. Fairies becoming werewolves
I love that people have been doing this. Clearly, being a fairy wasn’t enough drama! What visual corruption were you seeing? Tell me, because now I’m curious.
5. Werewolf transformation visuals
I haven’t experienced this one. Were your werewolves looking frightening for entirely the wrong reasons? Let me know!
6. Freezing after naps and other interactions
Yep, resetting my Sims feels like a daily routine lately. Wake up, eat breakfast, become unresponsive, get reset by an increasingly impatient woman. I’m ready for this fix.
7. Freezing while working out where to walk
Same again. They’re standing there, time is passing, and nothing useful is happening. Hopefully, less resetting and more playing is on the way!
8. Reborn infants joining households
I’ve never managed to rebirth a Sim, so no personal horror story here. Perhaps that means a new series needs to happen?
9. Infants falling asleep
I didn’t realise this was an issue. Was I unusually lucky for once? Let me know if your infants have been refusing to sleep.
Food, Plates and Kitchen Chaos
10. Staying seated during meals
I leave my Sims to do as they please while eating, so I haven’t noticed this. Mealtimes are apparently where my micromanagement takes a holiday.
11. Putting food in sensible places
Yes, please! You know there’s a smelly plate because your Sims keep acting disgusted, but can you find it? Absolutely not. Suddenly, you’re a detective investigating the remains of someone’s dinner.
12. Putting another Sim’s cooking in the fridge
Especially during the welcome wagon, when you finally have a Sim who likes fruitcake! Someone actually wants to eat it. Please let me preserve this rare successful social occasion.
13. Grilling in bad weather
I haven’t experienced this, but I can imagine the frustration. Hopefully, fixing it won’t somehow make my Sims forget how to cook altogether. I’ll be watching the kitchen!
14. Pressure cooker obsession
I barely use mine, so this passed me by. If yours has become the household’s main personality trait, hopefully this helps!
Dine Out: Time to Try Restaurants Again?
15. Restaurant staff missing shifts
Restaurants have been so broken in my experience that I haven’t properly played them for years. Maybe it’s time for a series? Let’s see how long my enthusiasm survives a shift.
16. Customers chatting before being seated
I haven’t noticed this one. Were your customers busy gossiping while the tables sat empty? Let me know how it affected your restaurant.
17. Interactions interrupting restaurant meals
Restaurants have been a pain in the backside for years. I’d love the drama to come from my storyline instead of everyone abandoning dinner!
18. Customers leaving food and drinks unfinished
With these fixes coming, I’m definitely up for a restaurant livestream or mini-series. Will we run a successful business or lose our minds before dessert? Let’s find out.
The New Features Have My Attention Too
Weight and muscle toggles
We’ll be able to control weight and muscle changes independently, across a save or for individual Sims. Like the choice over hair growth, I welcome this. Sometimes I want natural changes; sometimes I want my carefully made character to stay that way!
Food calories and prices
EA is reviewing food and drink calories and prices. About time! I already have a calorie guide, so I’m keen to check what changes once the update arrives. Hopefully, the food values will finally make more sense.
More choice for Family Recipes
Over 375 existing dishes are becoming eligible for Family Recipes in Businesses & Hobbies. More choice for a household’s signature dishes sounds lovely. Hopefully, with sensible calories attached!
More control over our Sims
Television locks and a reorganised Sim Options menu? Always welcome when you micromanage like I do. Dinner might be unsupervised, but I still want control of the remote.
Final Thoughts
These fixes cover plenty of different areas, so hopefully most players will feel some benefit. I’ll probably put the kettle on while it downloads, although we don’t know the download size yet!
Overall, this looks promising. I just hope fixing one batch of problems doesn’t create another, because previous updates have given me trust issues. Will the game feel dramatically different? I doubt it, although restaurants might finally tempt me back. Assuming the chef still remembers what a kitchen is afterwards.
I do wonder whether competition from inZOI and Paralives is encouraging this push. That’s my opinion, rather than anything EA has confirmed. Paralives has pledged free updates and no paid DLC, which makes the long-term comparison interesting.
The Sims has years of content and a familiar name behind it, but give Paralives time to build up its own features. Will my Sims collection, which has cost me over £1,000, still feel like good value beside a more developed alternative without the ongoing pack purchases?
For now, any fixes that help my £1,000-plus game behave itself are greatly appreciated. I’d just like my Sims to finish dinner without needing technical support.
What Has Been Happening in Your Game?
These are my experiences with a selection of the announced fixes. I haven’t tested the update yet, and I’d love to hear where your experiences differ, especially with rental saves.
Which fix are you waiting for? Would you join a restaurant livestream or mini-series? And, most importantly, where did that mysterious smelly plate turn up?
Let me know in the comments!
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