In addition to the new Crystal Creations DLC pack, The Sims 4 received a fairly standard game update this week with bug fixes – but it also brought with it a new interface icon that caused a bit of a “not everyone liked that” moment in the community . The Sims 4 now has a Store icon visible at all times on the main toolbar, which players so unanimously dislike that someone has already created a mod to remove it.
“This shopping cart button has many uses, from sharing bundle offers and sales information to recommending bundles you might be interested in,” says EA in the patch notes. “All accessible without leaving the comfort of your Sims’ home.”
The initial problem was that the icon itself had a bug that caused it to constantly pulsate, which was an annoying distraction. This has already been fixed in a subsequent patch, but the players are still pretty pissed. One modder, SimMattically, was so annoyed that he created a mod Removing the shopping cart button from the interface.
It's no surprise that The Sims 4 continues to push forward with new DLC. This is how the series has always extended the lifespan of each game, and that is the entire monetization strategy since The Sims 4 base game is now free. But it feels like we're being pressured more and more to buy DLC.
The EA app and Sims 4's main menu are starting to feel like two skincare product vendors in a suburban mall that just won't let you get away with a polite “No, thanks!” When I start the game, I often get full-screen pop-ups cheerfully saying “Do you remember me?” I'm trying to sneak in some DLC that I don't yet own.
Now when I load up to actually play or do a lot of building, a tooltip similar to “Make money and feed the city” appears above the new cart icon, which I can wait a few seconds for it to disappear or hide by click on cart to view the pitch for the Home Chef Hustle stuff package. It's not egregious, but it's another straw in an already large stack of straws.
I know how much Sims 4 DLC there is; I tend to load things up every time there's a sale. But even I'm starting to feel like I'm getting a little lost in all the calls to action.
It's rare for the Sims subreddit to unilaterally agree on anything, but this is one of the rare cases. The answers range from mild annoyance to exhaustion at the mention of an impending competitor Paralivesand the same applies to the Reply to X. Even the more moderate voices tend to complain that The Sims 3 has an equally annoying in-game shop, although it can be turned off in the settings menu and, as far as I can figure out, our new Sims 4 shopping cart can't.
