Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.
Traveling in WA makes parents unrelated to their children.
Archivist
Posts: 4,375 Member
PROBLEM:
Sims become unrelated to their parents when a family member travels to a World Adventures location.
* * *
EXAMPLE #1:
My Sim, Michael, was born to two unwed Sims (they later married after he was born). Now, when I send any member of his Family Tree to a WA location, Michael becomes unrelated to his parents -- the game simply stops recognizing them as family. They disappear from each others' Family Trees, the Relationships panel shows no indication that they are family, and he and his parents are able to do Romance interactions with each other as if they are not related.
Here is the Family Tree as it should appear:
Here is the Family Tree again, now broken after Michael's brother-in-law visited China for a day. Notice the set of parents on the top left are missing:
Here is a screenshot of the mother interacting with her son after the Family Tree was broken. She's able to do Romance interactions with him, which she shouldn't.
* * *
EXAMPLE #2:
I uninstalled the game completely, reinstalled it with no custom content whatsoever, and started a brand new game in order to see if I could recreate the problem with a similar family.
Just as in the screenshots above, I have one married couple (on the top right) with a daughter. The couple on the top left has a son and were unmarried when he was born (but married afterward). The son and daughter have a child, just like the family above.
After sending any Sim from that Family Tree to a WA location, the couple on the top left becomes unrelated to their son. The Family Tree and Relationships panel show no indication that the parents and the son are related, and they are able to perform Romance interactions as if they are not related.
Here is the Family Tree as it should appear:
Here is the Family Tree, broken after visiting a WA location. The formerly unmarried couple on the top left is missing:
* * *
EXAMPLE #3:
LeahxRIx8 reported that the issue also occurs with married couples. Below are the details of her experience:
I had JUST sent my 2 teens to Egypt for cameras. So, I booted up the game, and checked. Their first son shows up in the family tree, but the 2nd son - NOPE. I am so ... GRRR. This is going to ruin my future generations!! They won't see Raven's children as their grandchildren. Raven's kids won't see his brother as their uncle! The family shows Raven as a "GOOD FRIEND". (source)
* * *
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
This bug will occur at 12:00 AM at the beginning of the second day of any vacation. The Family Tree will remain intact upon first arriving at the location, but at exactly 12:00 AM, the Family Tree will break, as shown in the examples above.
Most of the time, the bug will happen at 12:00 AM, but occasionally it won't (even though I do nothing differently). When it does happen though, it's permanent; the Sim's parents become irreversibly unrelated to him.
I performed the above tests in December 2009. At the time, my game was fully patched to Game Update 2.3. I was able to reproduce the problem multiple times, with and without custom content installed, in my original installation of the game as well as a brand new, clean installation and a brand new saved game. Since that time, I have been able to reproduce the problem under each subsequent patch release (2.4, 2.5, 2.6) and on multiple PC's. The problem has persisted in every patch version, regardless of custom content, and on multiple computers.
I have thus concluded that:
1) the problem is not related to custom content,
2) the problem is not exclusive to my PC alone, and
3) the problem persists in the current patch version of the game.
* * *
EA FEEDBACK HISTORY:
11/19/09: I report the problem on the Technical Discussions forum. EA does not respond.
11/19/09: I report the problem on the Possible Bugs forum. EA does not respond.
11/20/09: I report the problem on the Technical Discussions forum with screenshots. EA does not respond.
12/16/09: I post the current thread on the Technical Discussions forum.
12/17/09: SimGuruBGY_11 asks, "Are you running the current patch, or the pre 1.8 version?"
12/17/09: I confirm, "I'm running the current patch which was released yesterday, patch 1.8 / 2.3. However, the problem has occurred for me in every patch since the release of World Adventures. But the screenshots taken above were taken in a fresh installation of the game, immediately patched to 1.8 / 2.3."
12/17/09: SimGuruBGY_11 responds, "Ok, thanks. That'll help narrow down what might be happening; it doesn't appear that you're running into the 1.8 patch errors that are being reported."
12/18/09: SimGuruBGY_11 adds, "Unfortunately, with the 1.8 patch issues being reported, I don't have any new information on this particular issue, other than it is being looked at by the developers. We're asking that folks subscribe to this FAQ for updates: FAQ"
12/18/09: The FAQ reads: "While we do not currently have any workarounds for these issues, our engineers are hard at work and should have a solution to this issue very soon."
2/5/10: Two months later, SimGuru_BGY_11 writes: "I don't have an update at this time, other than the issue is still being looked into."
4/13/10: Two more months later, SimGuruBGY_11 writes: "We're aware of the issue with the blue lots and lost interactions. Please subscribe to this FAQ, which we'll update as soon as more information becomes available. FAQ" (This is the same FAQ he posted on 12/18/09. The FAQ itself has not been updated since December 2009.)
4/19/10: The current thread is moved from the Technical Discussions forum to the Possible Bugs forum without explanation.
4/27/10: The current thread is then moved from the Possible Bugs forum to the "The Sims 3 World Adventures" forum without explanation.
5/21/10: SimGuruLily writes in, apologizing for the lack of response and making it known that she "will personally be taking steps towards reaching a solution to the issue."
6/1/10: The Sims 3 Ambitions is released. Several players confirm in this thread that the problem persists even with Ambitions installed and the game fully updated.
7/7/10: EA finally releases a fix for this bug via Game Update 1.14 / 2.9 / 3.5 / 4.2. The patch notes read, "Fixed an issue that caused Sim relationships to break when traveling to Egypt, China, or France."
7/9/10: Some players report that they are still experiencing travel-related family tree problems after the patch.
* * *
PARTING THOUGHTS:
I first began experiencing this issue on November 17, 2009.
After very little communication from EA, a fix was finally released on July 7, 2010 -- almost eight months and a full expansion pack later.
While I'm grateful for the fix, the true ordeal was not the bug itself but the astounding lack of communication on EA's part in getting it fixed. Their customer service representatives were dumbfounded, a fix was promised "soon" seven months before one was actually released, Sim gurus who responded in this thread did very little more than say "we're aware" once every three months while relocating the topic from one forum to the next.
Is this seriously how this company is being run? This is possibly the best-selling company game franchise in the world, and you allow a game-breaking, incest-allowing bug to remain active for eight months, all the while barely even acknowledging the players who are experiencing it?
My trust in EA is shaken. I was a very active player of this game up until I started experiencing this bug, but after so many months of aggressively seeking an answer and being consistently ignored, I've stopped playing altogether. It frankly is not fun trying to play a game while simultaneously worrying about the stability of your progress or of the product itself. But that's been my experience with The Sims 3. It's such a great game with so much potential, but EA has proven untrustworthy when it comes to keeping their own product functional.
It's a tragedy to see such a great franchise so mishandled.
Sims become unrelated to their parents when a family member travels to a World Adventures location.
* * *
EXAMPLE #1:
My Sim, Michael, was born to two unwed Sims (they later married after he was born). Now, when I send any member of his Family Tree to a WA location, Michael becomes unrelated to his parents -- the game simply stops recognizing them as family. They disappear from each others' Family Trees, the Relationships panel shows no indication that they are family, and he and his parents are able to do Romance interactions with each other as if they are not related.
Here is the Family Tree as it should appear:
Here is the Family Tree again, now broken after Michael's brother-in-law visited China for a day. Notice the set of parents on the top left are missing:
Here is a screenshot of the mother interacting with her son after the Family Tree was broken. She's able to do Romance interactions with him, which she shouldn't.
* * *
EXAMPLE #2:
I uninstalled the game completely, reinstalled it with no custom content whatsoever, and started a brand new game in order to see if I could recreate the problem with a similar family.
Just as in the screenshots above, I have one married couple (on the top right) with a daughter. The couple on the top left has a son and were unmarried when he was born (but married afterward). The son and daughter have a child, just like the family above.
After sending any Sim from that Family Tree to a WA location, the couple on the top left becomes unrelated to their son. The Family Tree and Relationships panel show no indication that the parents and the son are related, and they are able to perform Romance interactions as if they are not related.
Here is the Family Tree as it should appear:
Here is the Family Tree, broken after visiting a WA location. The formerly unmarried couple on the top left is missing:
* * *
EXAMPLE #3:
LeahxRIx8 reported that the issue also occurs with married couples. Below are the details of her experience:
I had JUST sent my 2 teens to Egypt for cameras. So, I booted up the game, and checked. Their first son shows up in the family tree, but the 2nd son - NOPE. I am so ... GRRR. This is going to ruin my future generations!! They won't see Raven's children as their grandchildren. Raven's kids won't see his brother as their uncle! The family shows Raven as a "GOOD FRIEND". (source)
* * *
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
This bug will occur at 12:00 AM at the beginning of the second day of any vacation. The Family Tree will remain intact upon first arriving at the location, but at exactly 12:00 AM, the Family Tree will break, as shown in the examples above.
Most of the time, the bug will happen at 12:00 AM, but occasionally it won't (even though I do nothing differently). When it does happen though, it's permanent; the Sim's parents become irreversibly unrelated to him.
I performed the above tests in December 2009. At the time, my game was fully patched to Game Update 2.3. I was able to reproduce the problem multiple times, with and without custom content installed, in my original installation of the game as well as a brand new, clean installation and a brand new saved game. Since that time, I have been able to reproduce the problem under each subsequent patch release (2.4, 2.5, 2.6) and on multiple PC's. The problem has persisted in every patch version, regardless of custom content, and on multiple computers.
I have thus concluded that:
1) the problem is not related to custom content,
2) the problem is not exclusive to my PC alone, and
3) the problem persists in the current patch version of the game.
* * *
EA FEEDBACK HISTORY:
11/19/09: I report the problem on the Technical Discussions forum. EA does not respond.
11/19/09: I report the problem on the Possible Bugs forum. EA does not respond.
11/20/09: I report the problem on the Technical Discussions forum with screenshots. EA does not respond.
12/16/09: I post the current thread on the Technical Discussions forum.
12/17/09: SimGuruBGY_11 asks, "Are you running the current patch, or the pre 1.8 version?"
12/17/09: I confirm, "I'm running the current patch which was released yesterday, patch 1.8 / 2.3. However, the problem has occurred for me in every patch since the release of World Adventures. But the screenshots taken above were taken in a fresh installation of the game, immediately patched to 1.8 / 2.3."
12/17/09: SimGuruBGY_11 responds, "Ok, thanks. That'll help narrow down what might be happening; it doesn't appear that you're running into the 1.8 patch errors that are being reported."
12/18/09: SimGuruBGY_11 adds, "Unfortunately, with the 1.8 patch issues being reported, I don't have any new information on this particular issue, other than it is being looked at by the developers. We're asking that folks subscribe to this FAQ for updates: FAQ"
12/18/09: The FAQ reads: "While we do not currently have any workarounds for these issues, our engineers are hard at work and should have a solution to this issue very soon."
2/5/10: Two months later, SimGuru_BGY_11 writes: "I don't have an update at this time, other than the issue is still being looked into."
4/13/10: Two more months later, SimGuruBGY_11 writes: "We're aware of the issue with the blue lots and lost interactions. Please subscribe to this FAQ, which we'll update as soon as more information becomes available. FAQ" (This is the same FAQ he posted on 12/18/09. The FAQ itself has not been updated since December 2009.)
4/19/10: The current thread is moved from the Technical Discussions forum to the Possible Bugs forum without explanation.
4/27/10: The current thread is then moved from the Possible Bugs forum to the "The Sims 3 World Adventures" forum without explanation.
5/21/10: SimGuruLily writes in, apologizing for the lack of response and making it known that she "will personally be taking steps towards reaching a solution to the issue."
6/1/10: The Sims 3 Ambitions is released. Several players confirm in this thread that the problem persists even with Ambitions installed and the game fully updated.
7/7/10: EA finally releases a fix for this bug via Game Update 1.14 / 2.9 / 3.5 / 4.2. The patch notes read, "Fixed an issue that caused Sim relationships to break when traveling to Egypt, China, or France."
7/9/10: Some players report that they are still experiencing travel-related family tree problems after the patch.
* * *
PARTING THOUGHTS:
I first began experiencing this issue on November 17, 2009.
After very little communication from EA, a fix was finally released on July 7, 2010 -- almost eight months and a full expansion pack later.
While I'm grateful for the fix, the true ordeal was not the bug itself but the astounding lack of communication on EA's part in getting it fixed. Their customer service representatives were dumbfounded, a fix was promised "soon" seven months before one was actually released, Sim gurus who responded in this thread did very little more than say "we're aware" once every three months while relocating the topic from one forum to the next.
Is this seriously how this company is being run? This is possibly the best-selling company game franchise in the world, and you allow a game-breaking, incest-allowing bug to remain active for eight months, all the while barely even acknowledging the players who are experiencing it?
My trust in EA is shaken. I was a very active player of this game up until I started experiencing this bug, but after so many months of aggressively seeking an answer and being consistently ignored, I've stopped playing altogether. It frankly is not fun trying to play a game while simultaneously worrying about the stability of your progress or of the product itself. But that's been my experience with The Sims 3. It's such a great game with so much potential, but EA has proven untrustworthy when it comes to keeping their own product functional.
It's a tragedy to see such a great franchise so mishandled.
0
Comments
About two weeks later, EA responded:
The family from the first set of screenshots had custom content installed at the time. (only hair and skin, no other CC or mods)
I then uninstalled and reinstalled the game with no CC, mods, or mod framework installed at all. The family from the second set of screenshots was played in a perfectly clean and fully patched installation of the game, but experiences the same issue as the first family: the unmarried parents become unrelated to their son.
I've thus concluded that the issue is not CC-related or mod-related at all.
Are you running the current patch, or the pre 1.8 version?
-Big Guy-
I'm running the current patch which was released yesterday, patch 1.8 / 2.3.
However, the problem has occurred for me in every patch since the release of World Adventures. But the screenshots taken above were taken in a fresh installation of the game, immediately patched to 1.8 / 2.3.
-Big Guy-
Also, if it'll help at all, I've tested the bug multiple times from a saved game saved while the Family Tree was still intact. Each time, I've sent a family member on vacation and fastforwarded to 12:00 AM. Most of the time the bug will happen, but occasionally it won't (even though I did nothing differently). When it does happen though, it's permanent; the Sim's parents become irreversibly unrelated to him.
It was problem with 2.2 patch and nothing changed after installing 2.3 patch. I have decided not to travel with this family because I want to keep their family tree.
Unfortunately, with the 1.8 patch issues being reported, I don't have any new information on this particular issue, other than it is being looked at by the developers. We're asking that folks subscribe to this FAQ for updates:
http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=23852
Regards,
-Big Guy-
Any news about this issue? Been in the dark for two months now, and that link hasn't been updated since I first bookmarked it.
Whenever I travel with my family, the family tree buttons either
A.No longer work
B. Random family members become unrelated.
C.The pictures of family members move to weird corners of the family tree box.
Seriously?
I'm so sick of this game not working. I've played sims since the very first day sims 1 came out, never missed an expansion since and I have never been more disappointed in EA games or any of their products.
BUT he knows none of his family (mother, father, 1 sister, nephew) except 1 sister but she doesn't know him in relationship panel and his family tree is just him.
He shows up in the rest of the sims family tree until I went on another vacation to China and now the family tree button doesn't even work.
I know its a little problem but I cant help but get fixated and obsessed with finding a way to fix it. :?
I don't have an update at this time, other than the issue is still being looked into.
-Big Guy-
Any news about this issue, EA? Are you doing anything about it at all? The page you linked me to hasn't been updated since December.
Tested the issue again. Clean installation, no third party content installed. Same problem, whether I'm playing my old saved game or a brand new game.
This issue has persisted through every version of the game since WA was released.
Help?
Archivist, how did you take a photo of your family tree? I'm not great with technology/computers & only have one family member in my legacy with an intact family tree & she's an elder. I want to take a screen shot of it for future reference (before Grim comes for her).