Summary
As EA and Maxis’The Sims 4prepares to enter into its ninth year it’s impossible to understate how much the ability of users to create their own content and mods for the game has contributed to its impressive lifespan. From adding custom houses and characters to making changes to some core gameplay systems, mods let players customize the popular life simulator in almost any way imaginable. With rumors suggesting thatThe Sims 5will add the ability to monetize these sorts of player creations, EA and Maxis should incorporate one popularThe Sims 4mod into the game to give players a smooth, seamless experience no matter how they choose to play.
Created by modder TwistedMexi, the Better Exceptions mod forThe Sims 4gives players a quick and easy way to spot and manage malfunctioning mods. Rather than giving users a general error message when a mod fails to load or conflicts with other mods, as happens with the base game, Better Exceptions gives players an easy-to-read error report that makes troubleshooting far less tedious. By adding this functionality directly into the game, EA and Maxis would make it easier for players to manage their mountain of potentially monetized mods and help ensure thatThe Sims 5revolutionizes simulation gamesin the same way as its predecessors.
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The Sims 5 Needs to Give Players a Straightforward Way to Spot Malfunctioning Mods
Whileinstalling mods forThe Sims 4allows players to tailor the game to their tastes, depending on which mods players choose, they can quickly run into conflicts. This can result in players encountering in-game problems or even cause the game to be unable to launch altogether. To avoid these sorts of issues withThe Sims 5, particularly if the rumors of monetized mods and other user-generated content prove to be true, players will need a simple way to identify problems, so they can get back into the game.
One bad experience with a crash-prone mod could make players hesitant to purchase more in the future, so it’s important that moddingThe Sims 5is a smooth and straightforward process. Making the Better Exceptions mod one of the built-infeatures inThe Sims 5would make it easier for players to troubleshoot these sorts of problematic mods and potentially increase the likelihood of less technically adept players buying into monetized mods in the first place. Adding this sort of quick and easy troubleshooting functionality into the core game may also give players more peace of mind when determining which mods to spend their hard-earned money on.
Gamers May Hold Monetized Mods in The Sims 5 to a Higher Standard
Just as gamers have come to expect thatSkyrimandFallout 4modsdownloaded fromBethesda’s Creation Clubwill function properly, the same will likely hold true forThe Sims 5’s paid mods. This gives EA and Maxis an incentive to make sure these mods work as expected, rather than leaving players to try to troubleshoot problems on their own. If paired with a robust rating system, Better Exceptions would make it easy forThe Sims 5players to spot and avoid mods that could potentially break their game.
If rumors thatThe Sims 5will be free-to-playare true, its success will depend on players being willing to pay for mods and other user-generated content. Building Better Exceptions into the game wouldn’t be enough on its own to sell every gamer on this new business model, but it would eliminate some of the worries of spending a small fortune on mods only to be unable to launch the game due to a conflicting or otherwise broken add-on.
By incorporating Better Exceptions intoThe Sims 5,or simply emulating its features, EA and Maxis can ensure that buggy mods won’t lead to frustration for paying players. Letting gamers spend their time managing their Sims rather than troubleshooting crashes would make sureThe Sims 5is a worthwhile addition to the franchise and help it stand out from its potential rivallife simulatorLife By You.
The Sims 5is in development.
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