The Sims 4 uses Cider...... No it doesn't!

BluebellFlora

It seems that The Sims 4 is in fact Mac compatible because EA have once again used Cider. Or at least Get To Work and future EPs are. I can't see any evidence of Cider in the game files but this picture is from the manual for the physical disc copy of GTW:



Maybe the base game is native and subsequent EPs and GPs use Cider to wrap the Python Windows code? If that's possible?

Could this be why since the release of GTW and the March patch the game has been noticeably laggier on Macs? Is this why a lot of Mac users are experiencing the Incomplete Data error message and GTW doesn't show up as installed? A bunch of us have tweeted various Gurus asking for clarification but as yet haven't had a reply.

I'm hoping someone knowledgable about coding may be able to help on this one - @igazor ?

Edit - forgot to add, thank you @jimbbq for pointing this out

igazor

Hey there. I actually started to reply on the thread that brought this to everyone's attention a short while ago (the expected shock/horror type reaction). But decided to just monitor it instead since I don't really have a horse in this race -- I don't own TS4, let alone the EP, and gave up playing TS3 on Mac so long ago.

But I'm still interested in what has happened here. A hybrid Cider wrap for the EP only? I wouldn't be surprised if all that Transgaming and Cider jazz on the physical manual were put in as placeholders back when EA was deciding which way to go with TS4 for Mac as a CYA and no one bothered to take the text out upon release. Or, just as likely, the final decision to even do a Mac port wasn't made until way after September. Note that none of the copyright dates for Cider up there go beyond 2009, which means they may have just copied over the text from TS3. But this is all just a theory as I don't have my hands on the game.

BluebellFlora

igazor wrote: »

Hey there. I actually started to reply on the thread that brought this to everyone's attention a short while ago (the expected shock/horror type reaction). But decided to just monitor it instead since I don't really have a horse in this race -- I don't own TS4, let alone the EP, and gave up playing TS3 on Mac so long ago.

But I'm still interested in what has happened here. A hybrid Cider wrap for the EP only? I wouldn't be surprised if all that Transgaming and Cider jazz on the physical manual were put in as placeholders back when EA was deciding which way to go with TS4 for Mac as a CYA and no one bothered to take the text out upon release. Or, just as likely, the final decision to even do a Mac port wasn't made until way after September. Note that none of the copyright dates for Cider up there go beyond 2009, which means they may have just copied over the text from TS3. But this is all just a theory as I don't have my hands on the game.

Thank you, as always

That could be a possibility. All I see in the game folders are Python files, not a trace of Transgaming anywhere. I actually tried opening up the files to look at but a) I have no clue how to, even with Python installed and b) I wouldn't even know what to look for!

I really hope that a guru of some description comes on here and clarifies either way for us, or responds to our Tweets. Transgaming are also being silent too and interestingly there is no reference to TS4 anywhere on their site.

Technically, would it be possible to wrap Windows Python files and add them to a natively written OS X Python written game? And if so, why bother when surely the coding could be copied across anyway and just tweaked to run in OS X?

igazor

Of course that is the correct technical question to ask, but your assessment of my coding abilities and experience with actually doing any of these things is I'm afraid way too high. There are days where I still have trouble finding my Mac's <any>-key that I was told to press to continue.

Hopefully someone else with that skill set sees this thread and comments or one of the Gurus responds.

BluebellFlora

igazor wrote: »

Of course that is the correct technical question to ask, but your assessment of my coding abilities and experience with actually doing any of these things is I'm afraid way too high. There are days where I still have trouble finding my Mac's <any>-key that I was told to press to continue.

Hopefully someone else with that skill set sees this thread and comments or one of the Gurus responds.

LOL! I still call the CMD key the Apple key and can't figure out why people don't understand what I'm talking about

Anyway, your knowledge is always much appreciated and respected. Do you think any of the super NRaas people would be able to shed any light on this?

igazor

The only one I can think of off-hand is @veiledstar but I'm not sure if she uses her Macs for any projects like that. I'll reach out to her if she doesn't respond to this page; maybe she knows others who could answer those questions.

emmaning

Ok so here's encouragement for gurus to come on:
https://twitter.com/thesims/lists/simgurus/members (yes ik it leads to a twitter page but you can just copy and paste the names of gurus because i cant be bothered doing it and the list is there)
but they did wrap it in cyder i think (i spelt it like tht so its not mixed up with the type of alcohol)

BluebellFlora

Thanks @emmaning

@SimGuruShannon @SimGuruSarah @SimGuruLyndsay @SimGuruSteve have all been asked several times now. Still waiting for an answer.

It really would be nice to have clarification on this. If we get no response I guess we can only assume that EA have used Cider again but are reluctant to admit to it given past issues

BluebellFlora

igazor wrote: »

The only one I can think of off-hand is @veiledstar but I'm not sure if she uses her Macs for any projects like that. I'll reach out to her if she doesn't respond to this page; maybe she knows others who could answer those questions.

Oh yes, @veiledstar is indeed a star

BluebellFlora

Maybe @SimGuruModSquad may know?

SimGuruModSquad

Hey guys.

The Sims 4 does not use Cider, it is fully OSX native. That notice in the manual was printed in error . Sorry for the confusion.

-SGMS

BluebellFlora

SimGuruModSquad wrote: »

Hey guys.

The Sims 4 does not use Cider, it is fully OSX native. That notice in the manual was printed in error . Sorry for the confusion.

-SGMS

Thank you so much for the reply @SimGuruModSquad it's great to finally get clarification on this

WinMacSims3

BluebellFlora wrote: »

It seems that The Sims 4 is in fact Mac compatible because EA have once again used Cider. Or at least Get To Work and future EPs are. I can't see any evidence of Cider in the game files but this picture is from the manual for the physical disc copy of GTW:



Maybe the base game is native and subsequent EPs and GPs use Cider to wrap the Python Windows code? If that's possible?

Could this be why since the release of GTW and the March patch the game has been noticeably laggier on Macs? Is this why a lot of Mac users are experiencing the Incomplete Data error message and GTW doesn't show up as installed? A bunch of us have tweeted various Gurus asking for clarification but as yet haven't had a reply.

Edit: I didn't see @SimGuruModSquad's comment that the Cider thing is an error. But has there been any Mac-related lag issues on The Sims 4 Bug Reports at EA Answers? I know there's a PC issue with TS4 but I don't think I've seen any Mac lag problems posted there.

BluebellFlora

@WinMacSims3 yes, there have been loads, since the March patch and GTW:

http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/827096/game-crashing-freezing-since-march-patch-gtw-installed

http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/830078/gameplay-freezes-time-continues-this-is-bad

http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/826203/time-buttons-lagging

http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/818181/sims-4-on-mac-lagging-shutting-down-and-soooo-slow

emmaning

BluebellFlora wrote: »

Thanks @emmaning

@SimGuruShannon @SimGuruSarah @SimGuruLyndsay @SimGuruSteve have all been asked several times now. Still waiting for an answer.

It really would be nice to have clarification on this. If we get no response I guess we can only assume that EA have used Cider again but are reluctant to admit to it given past issues

Yw

SimGuruModSquad wrote: »

Hey guys.

The Sims 4 does not use Cider, it is fully OSX native. That notice in the manual was printed in error . Sorry for the confusion.

-SGMS