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How do you all handle the "Broken" mods issue? Why use mods at all?

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YoleeYolee Posts: 181 Member
edited July 2021 in Gameplay Mods
Everytime I have an issue its mod related. I have removed all but 5 that help my Sims appearance and those caused issues. How do you keep up with keeping mods current? It is just a tremendous hassle. If my game resturants can all be broken by 5 appearance related mods why bother? Help me out here, its not making sense to me.

Comments

  • logionlogion Posts: 4,712 Member
    By using the 50/50 method and knowing what mods that could cause which issue mostly. I also don't tend to patch my game until I have looked for mod updates and updated those mods...so most of my mods are up to date before I play after the patch.

    Many mod creators are very good at keeping their mods up to date so they often make a post on their website which mods that requires updating, like littlemssam for example.
  • Calico45Calico45 Posts: 2,038 Member
    I don't, really. I mod other games, but Sims 4 was never really a candidate in my mind because of how troublesome it is. I even gave it a shot and removed them right afterwards and scrubbed the saves.

    It just depends on how much effort it is worth to you. In my opinion, 4 isn't really worth it with how many updates and DLC packs we go through without a Steam workshop equivalent (though there are some really nice options out there). However, there are games I just do not play unmodded.

    If vanilla is easier, no need to force it. You can always find current mods when you have an itch to scratch in the moment and remove them later instead of trying to maintain them all.
  • GitaGita Posts: 108 Member
    I never have problems with my mods, you just need a good system to store them. Make subfolders in you mods folder so you can easy find them. I make a subfolder for everyday I download cc ( 22-7 for example) and for every category (woman tops, woman shoes etc.) . After trying them for a week or so I put them from my date folder in the proper subfolder. When I play my game and something doesn't work properly I know it must be a mod or cc in the folder of that day. I hope this makes sense, It's hard for me to explain, because English isn't my first language.
  • luthienrisingluthienrising Posts: 37,617 Member
    edited July 2021
    Hi! I use mods because I love customizing my game, and CC because the game is lacking in some areas and you can never have too many kitchen cupboard options. I run Broken Mods & CC threads in this part of the Forums so that you don't have to be on your own for finding what's dead. Folder systems like @Gita describes are awesome to help isolate problem mods/CC that haven't been reported broken yet -- they make it easier to keep track. (If you do find a broken thing and I haven't already listed it, please let me know! I'll get word out on Discord, too.)

    If the Forums aren't your preferred way of doing these things, I advise getting onto Discord. On the Deaderpool and Sims After Dark servers, there are threads you can get notifications from about what's broken and updated, and some new mods too. On Creator Musings, we also track broken & updated CC, and some creators announce their new content there. None of those have lists you can go through, so a combination of both might be more your jam!
    EA CREATOR NETWORK MEMBER — Want to be notified of patches, new Broken Mods threads, and urgent Sims 4 news? Follow me at https://www.patreon.com/luthienrising.
  • telemwilltelemwill Posts: 1,752 Member
    Sims 4 is not a finished game. The code is always changing with every new update. For that reason, some people may choose not to use mods at all. If, like myself, you do choose to use mods know that every time there is an update for the game, your mods may also need updates.

    In the General Mods Discussion area of this forum there is always a thread open with information on broken and updated mods. Many modders, such as Deaderpool, also have Discord channels with information about mod updates. For me, the mod updating process is sometimes a hassle, but I enjoy my mods enough to make the commitment to frequent updates. I am very thankful to those in our community who give so much of their time to keep us informed about updates; @luthienrising does an amazing job with this on the forum!

    Some people may find mods more of a hassle than they are worth, especially those who don't play frequently. At the moment I am waiting to play with the new update until all of my must have mods are updated, while those without mods are already playing. I enjoy modding my game almost as much as I enjoy playing it, so it is not a huge sacrifice for me. (I could also remove my mods and play on a new save if I really wanted to just explore the update.)

    Another thing to keep in mind about mods is that they don't always play nicely together. I recommend adding just one at a time and seeing how it affects your in-game play before adding another. I had a conflict between Zerbu's Go to School mod and LilMsSam's mod that disallowed auto grab after food preparation. Not something I expected, but the cafeteria chef would not prepare enough food with the auto grab installed. Not game crashing, but it was annoying. If you only have five mods, I would remove them all and play in a temporary save to see if your problem is solved. If it is, then you can slowly add the mods back in until you know which mod or which combination of mods is causing the problem.
  • BabykittyjadeBabykittyjade Posts: 4,975 Member
    edited July 2021
    I agree. The game has real bugs but so many are actually mod or cc related and people get mad at EA.
    I think it's worth it because I love the endless customization options. And the added drama and slightly darker content you can't get without it.
    It all comes down to how much patience you have lol. It's annoying but I kinda don't mind.
    Things like having tons of male CAS content makes it worth it too
    Zombies, oh please oh please give us zombies!! :'(
  • EIisabettaEIisabetta Posts: 5,708 Member
    I mod my game heavily. I don't have an issue because I pay attention to my mods. They aren't 'set it and forget it', like so many people seem to think. I don't patch immediately so modders have time to update mods. Most of them have them updated within a day or two.

    To each their own. There's no right way to play the game. I know you aren't trying to start a 'fight' but so many of these threads turn into "I'm superior because I don't play with mods" OR "I'm superior because I play with mods" or both and it's silly (AGAIN, I know this isn't what you're saying, but it's what happens with these threads time and time again).

    I think finding out why people play the way they play can be really interesting. I like to play with mods because they take the game beyond its capabilities and/or fix issues that aren't necessarily bugs but are annoyances. The only reason I play Skyrim still is because I can mod the you know what out of it. ;) Sims keeps me engaged better without mods but it's the mods that keep me playing consistently.
    moxiegraphix on Origin
  • Pamtastic72Pamtastic72 Posts: 4,545 Member
    I have severely cut back my mods and cc because I got sick of maintaining them all, and actually I haven’t really missed it all.
  • haneulhaneul Posts: 1,952 Member
    edited July 2021
    I don't have any desire to play the game without mods because it's not worth it to me, so of course, I'll wait for them to be updated. It's not a big deal or any real hassle to me to read some basic documentation, download some files and drag them into a folder (which is the mod installation process). It's so so easy even though a file may require an occasional batch fix or edit.

    My game runs well because of the mods that let me monitor and keep on top of the bugs that EA introduces into the game. I also have additional features like story progression that add some much needed depth and give life to the community around my played household. I added quite a few small quality of life mods that just make playing a more pleasant experience and Asian foods because they're really lacking in the game despite the addition of Snowy Escape. Much of my gameplay isn't even possible without mods. My sims live in Myshuno Meadows (which the game blocks from zoning as residential even though there are so few available lots)... CC also makes the game look so much better.

    The bottom line is that mods are super easy to use and that I don't really like the game without mods (and probably wouldn't even play it if not for them) so of course I bother with them.

    ETA: I've had mods/CC since Sims 1 and don't consider playing the Sims games without them. It's just not my playstyle.
  • SilentKittySilentKitty Posts: 4,665 Member
    Hmm…

    For me it isn’t a big problem because I update the game maybe 3-4 times a year.

    I have mods from Triplis, Zero, Roburky, Little MsSam and MCCC. All of which are very quick to update mods and communicate any problems.

    Simply updating things can be done in an evening then I can continue to play the game modded to my desire until the next time I chose to update the mods again. In general I update the game after expansion packs or occult game packs.
  • VeeDubVeeDub Posts: 1,862 Member
    It definitely does take effort and some amount of commitment to keep up with, especially if one has a lot of modded content. For some (me, for one) it's simply part of how they play, and it isn't really considered as an either-or kind of thing. That doesn't mean that there are never problems, but solving them is part of the reward for that kind of gaming lifestyle. If a player doesn't want to deal with that, it's certainly better to play the way they do want, because no way is "right" or "wrong" except in direct relation to each individual's enjoyment.

    I don't necessarily think that mods make Sims 4 "better" (that's too personal an opinion to be truly objectified) but I do know that I'd have no interest in playing it any longer if I could no longer mod it. I've already played it vanilla and it was okay for a while, but it's just not quite the kind of game that keeps me interested long-term. Modding it helped to change that, which is why I'm still at it. At least for now. :)
    FYI: Just because you can see my signature, don't assume that I can see yours.
    Because I can't; I keep all sigs turned off. ;)
  • angelbearangelbear Posts: 151 Member
    I like the the way I can modify and tweak various things with my mods. I am not a big CC person though I do have some. Mostly I use mods to help tell the stories I live to create in my game.

    To help put I always make sure to remove my mod folder after a patch or update and then repair my game. I wait a few days then slowly add them back in. Usually one at a time until I get them all back in. As I use folders to keep it organized, if there is no change I just drop that folder back in. If there is a change I downloaded the updated mod.

    I also use mods that help fix some of the bugs or annoying autonomous actions. Like can someone please tell me why my Sim gets up in the middle of the night to go clap at a table or whatever because they like it. Real people don't wake up at 2 in the morning and go yeah I love that table out of a sound sleep lol.
  • Paigeisin5Paigeisin5 Posts: 2,139 Member
    Playing the game with mods that fix bugs and nuke annoyances is better than playing a buggy game any day. The only bad time I have with mine is when a new update comes along. And nearly two thirds of my mods broke after the Cottage Living one. That hurt. Most times I just play off line when new updates are announced. Then I can take my time updating my mods, keeping them in a new folder on my desktop until all have been updated. Then I pull my old 'In Game Mods' folder out of my main Mods folder and replace it with the one containing all the updated and unbroken ones. We have an awesome community of mod creators that works very hard to keep their mods up to date so it all goes fairly quickly. I find it much easier to use mods from a small group of seven mod creators who all have their own web sites, too. And @luthienrising does a fantastic job with her threads listing all the broken and updated mods every time we get an update. Her hard work makes my task a lot easier. Believe me, I'd rather not have to use mods at all, but sometimes the bug fixing team takes too long to fix something and I find it less stressful to just use a mod and be done with it. I use only three game play mods. But I have over 120 other mods that fix bugs, stop autonomous actions and other things such as adding hygiene to swimming. Which the teams should have added but didn't. With quality of life mods my elders have a happier life and aren't walking stooped over, don't tire as easily or get those sudden aches and pains that make them grumpy all the time.

    The trick is to start slow with a few must-have mods. It might seem daunting at first, but it won't take long before it gets easier to manage. After Seasons came along I began using a few. I think I had ten at that time. Then after Island Living dropped my game was so borked it took me nearly four months to get it back on track, and my mod count soared to over two hundred. I haven't had that happen again, but for some reason that pack hated me and my game. But it became a mission to find ways to regain my control. Retaining control of the game is what keeps me using mods. I don't mind the time it takes to keep the mods I use up to date as long as I have a say in what happens with my Sims. The AI in Sims4 was done very poorly. But that doesn't mean you're stuck and can't change some of that. Mods give you the freedom to tweak and manipulate nearly everything until you find that sweet spot where the game matches your vision of the game. Sims4 will never be perfect. No game is perfect. The beauty of Sims4 is it's so easy to modify. Take advantage of that and use it to your benefit. That will require some trial and error on your part. But the rewards are so worth it in the end.
  • GoblincoreGoblincore Posts: 20 Member
    I handle it by being EXTREMELY organized with my mods. I have a bunch of folders and subfolders and everything is properly tagged with both the name of the thing AND the creator. Every piece of CC is accompanied by a picture so I know at first glance what it is. This way, it's very easy to figure out what's broken. In the case I still can't figure out what a piece of broken CC is, I put it on a sim/in an empty lot and I look at it with the Sims 4 Tray Importer. That program tells you what CC all sims/lots in your Tray folder have and allows you to open the folder it's in, so problem solved! ^^
  • LJKLJK Posts: 257 Member
    Goblincore wrote: »
    I handle it by being EXTREMELY organized with my mods. I have a bunch of folders and subfolders and everything is properly tagged with both the name of the thing AND the creator. Every piece of CC is accompanied by a picture so I know at first glance what it is. This way, it's very easy to figure out what's broken. In the case I still can't figure out what a piece of broken CC is, I put it on a sim/in an empty lot and I look at it with the Sims 4 Tray Importer. That program tells you what CC all sims/lots in your Tray folder have and allows you to open the folder it's in, so problem solved! ^^

    Same here. I used to have over 11,000 files of mods and CC and my game had plenty of bugs, errors, etc. So I decided to finally stop playing and sort/delete stuff that was broken and/or I never use and organize it all into subfolders. This took about 4 months and to this day, I am still not finished, but now my game is much more stable, cleaner, and much easier to trouble-shoot. I haven't had a last exception in weeks. So to anyone reading this who might be interested in starting to mod your game:

    Organize it from the get-go. It just saves so much headache in the long run.
  • RouensimsRouensims Posts: 4,858 Member
    I use cc and light mods, not gigantic mods like MCCC. Even though I have thousands, they don’t break very often. When one does, I just use the 50-50 method to find the problem mod.
    Ooh Be Gah!! Whipna Choba-Dog? Whipna Choba-Dog!! :smiley:
  • Bananas_45Bananas_45 Posts: 6,772 Member
    Absolutely, label and organize. Every time there is a game update Luthienrising has a thread in the General Mods section that keeps track of Mods that were broken or need updating. You should be able to easily maintain your mods.
  • MarcuzXDDMarcuzXDD Posts: 1 New Member
    As others have mentioned, organizing your mods folder is the best way to keep track of what mods need to be updated.

    I like to organize my mods folder with categorized, blank folders:

    [img]https://i.imgur.com/pDqfrnF.png[/img]

    My CORE mods and GAMEPLAY mods usually need to be updated for a new patch, and it's easy to tell with this setup. Most mod authors are quick to update their mods so it's never that much of a hassle.
  • mkryanmkryan Posts: 172 Member
    Organized mods folder, using Better Exceptions to help locate problems, and just accepting that it's part of the cost of getting to play a game in a way that's more what I want. :)
    Let's be friends! My Origin name is musikitty :p
  • Goth583Goth583 Posts: 1,203 Member
    A very organized folder, I might have mine over-organized, but it helps to keep track of everything. Also, I limit my mods so I don't have a ton in my game. I think I have about a solid dozen, maybe 20, that I play with total, but only five or six are big mods.
    https://originalsimmer.blogspot.com - Check out my current TS4 Legacy!
  • GalacticGalGalacticGal Posts: 28,285 Member
    For many of us mods add a greater dimension to our gameplay. For instance, I use the Road to Fame mod so I can have a singer Sim back. Not only that but this mod allows for him to be on magazine covers and he can even play bit parts in major films. Plus, he can make albums. This mod works in conjunction with the GF celebrity, too. One mod I just learned about removes the cool-down between licensing songs, so that now he can win Starlight Accolades for his music. Something I have bewailed all of these years. He now has eight. :) Smiling so hard my cheeks ache.

    MCCC is also very useful mod to use, too. I just removed the 21day seasons over 28 days mod because it's been rumored it affects the way the Starlight Accolade Award Show functions. I've had it fail to happen more times than it has worked. This last time around I decided to remove the mod to see if it's possibly the cause. If it proves not to be, I'll reinstall it toot-sweet. I'm thinking the problem is more in my Sims moving than the mod, but we'll see.

    Why do we go through this when Patches often break our mods? Quality of gameplay. I have had a love/hate relationship with Sims3 since I began playing it upon release. But I missed my singer Sim so badly, I could hardly stand it. I prefer Sims4 to Sims 3 and even Sims2. I was seeking ways of creating a singer Sim all on my own, but then they announced GF. I got the latest Road to Fame, which included a Professional Singer Career and then I was off to the races. I have not looked back.

    I continue to add patches for what they bring. If I need to pause gameplay on a certain save until my mods are updated, sobeit. I'm much happier playing with them than without them.
    You can download (free) all three volumes of my Night Whispers Star Trek Fanfiction here: http://galacticgal.deviantart.com/gallery/ You'll need to have a pdf reader. New websites: http://www.trekkiefanfiction.com/st-tos.php
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  • KakonKakon Posts: 7 New Member
    Yes, a very organized folder. Is the best for have a control of your game.
  • MinaiMinai Posts: 704 Member
    If aliens wouldn’t randomly abduct my sims or I could adjust age settings and knock the random flirting out
    I totally wouldn’t mod
    My former TS3 game was modless but seriously damaged my laptop :/
  • bandit5bandit5 Posts: 917 Member
    without mc mod your game slowly die out.
  • telemwilltelemwill Posts: 1,752 Member
    https://forums.thesims.com/en_us/discussion/999835/broken-updated-mods-cc-may-24-2022-pronouns-patch/p1

    I just use the above thread in this forum. Other than that have an organized mods folder and be picky about what mods you use. Make sure you read carefully to note any conflicting mods before you install them.
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