Packs on disks and update control

Oldeseadogge

Have recently found some vendors in the UK that have TS4 packs on disk, as in original EA shrink-wrapped packaging - not selling off their own old stuff. The packaging clearly says that internet connection is required for activation. Am thinking of packs already within my game's update range, just not yet gotten. Is it possible to do said activation without exposing the game to the deluge of junk? My experimental installation stops at Cottage Living for a reason - no interest in the stuff that came after it, the 'updates' that prepare for them, and the other updates/patches/etc. involved in fulfilling the "update required" alert I get and that have filled the forums with laments.

Related to it is whether it is possible to control what level of updates one gets? Have sometimes thought of advancing my primary installation from DU to somewhere around Cottage - it likewise gets the "update required" message - but have held off for the reasons given above.

In short, is it possible to limit to what want and need, not all or nothing?

BlueR0se

Im pretty sure (like 90%) its all or nothing.

Oldeseadogge

Thank you for replying, though it's not encouraging. Confess to not understanding why they think broken content - whether by DLC, patches, or updates is a good idea.

Paigeisin5

This is more about security than DLC or updates being placed in the game. It's about EA having full control over their product without it being pirated by people who don't want to buy it through legal channels. That and the fact most pirated copies of the game don't share their game data so EA can keep track of which features are being used the most. Just look at how many infants have been created since Growing Together was released. That data was taken directly from players willing to share their game data with EA. I am not one of those players who is willing to allow EA access to my game and how I play it. But I agree with you that we should have the right to decide which updates we are willing to download. This has been one of my biggest pet peeves with EA since Island Living was released. Most of these updates contain items I do not want or have a use for. And I dislike being forced to install those items that are of no use to me. Ninety percent of the bug fixes in these updates have already been eradicated by mods by the time the teams include their fixes in an update that often end up breaking previous fixes that had been released months earlier. In reply to your questions, yes you will be forced to update your game which will include everything EA has released since you last updated. You won't be able to install any new packs without updating your game at the same time. And in my opinion, that is flat out wrong on many levels.

Oldeseadogge

Thank you for your reply. Am presuming this applies even if the pack(s) in question already are within the current update level. Was hoping that if got disk versions could bypass the app's version of the black suited Strangerville sims.

Fully agree and it's more than control against piracy but control over us. The things you mentioned are a big part of why I've got my installations where they are and play offline. I don't want all their junk.

RockingBox158

I wish players were allowed to install the games however they want.

Paigeisin5

I want access to Sims3 without being forced to use the launcher because I own all the physical copies along with the store items I purchased. It isn't right EA has full control of items I purchased before Sims4 was released and we were then required to use Origin. And now it's the EA App launcher that is so bad, it still isn't fixed, and one never knows if their game will load on any given day. Then add in the fact we don't have the right to pass on Sims4 updates we don't want, and we end up with our games being controlled by EA. If EA has dropped support for every iteration up to Sims4, why does it still force us to use their launcher to play the games they no longer support? And the last time I tried to play Sims4, Sims3 was missing from my library. There are many things to consider before updating your game. One of those is how much control are we willing to give EA.

Oldeseadogge

Feels increasingly like we are mere peasants working the land of an overlord, one with delusions of grandeur.