Patch Hype, Marketplace Drama, and Life Sims Going Wild

Becca HartwellTchau.

Danny ReyesOkay, welcome back to the Plumbob Report. I'm here with Danny Reyes, and honestly, this week went off.

Speaker 3It really did. Like, where do we even start?

Danny ReyesSo first up, Sims Community reported there's an April 28th hotfix, and on top of that,

Speaker 3Wow.

Danny ReyesGameRant says a major May update is coming, and the patch notes are apparently too long to even post in one place.

Speaker 3Wait, too long to post? That's wild, right?

Danny ReyesRight? Like, is that a flex or a cry for help? We're going to dig into it.

Speaker 3Both, probably. And speaking of EA doing things that raise eyebrows, we've got insider tea that EA isn't exactly thrilled with how the Marketplace is performing.

Danny ReyesPlus new Maker Packs just dropped and EA sent out a motivation survey asking how we play the game, which, I mean...

Speaker 3Oh, I have feelings about that survey.

Danny ReyesYou and me both, Danny Reyes. We'll get into it.

Speaker 4And then we're celebrating the community side of things. PC Gamer dropped a full Businesses and Hobbies cheat sheet, SimMattically built a Challenge Tracker mod that lives right inside your game, and there's a PlantSim playthrough that honestly convinced me to touch grass.

Danny ReyesDigitally, at least.

Speaker 4Digitally, yes. And then we close out looking beyond The Sims 4. For Paralives' Early Access hits May 25th and InZOI is moving fast and Ubisoft quietly canceled an unannounced life sim called Alterra after three years.

Danny ReyesThree years gone.

Speaker 4Yep, we have thoughts.

Danny ReyesOkay, let's get into the updates first. We want to hear from you. Submit questions via the web form in the description or give us a call at 747-677-1037 and leave your question. Don't be shy. Our AI Assistant makes it super easy. Okay, so, real talk. The teasers are out, the hot fix dropped, and my timeline is absolutely losing its mind right now.

Speaker 4I saw your meme account getting tagged like 40 times this morning. What happened?

Danny Reyes40 times is lowballing it, Danny Reyes. My notifications are a disaster zone.

Speaker 4Welcome to Sims Update Week. So let's actually break this down because there's a lot happening at once. at once.

Danny ReyesRight, right. So, first, the hot fix. Sims Community reported that April 28th patch dropped for both desktop and console platforms, and the console update is apparently the bigger one.

Speaker 3Right. According to MP1st, this is update 2.32, and it's specifically addressing community feedback, like gallery filtering was broken, showing players incorrect results, that got fixed.

Danny ReyesGallery filtering. That one had people genuinely upset. Set.

Speaker 4It's one of those things where it sounds small, but if you use the gallery constantly, it's kind of infuriating.

Danny ReyesTotally. And the console side had extra issues after the Marketplace launched on consoles earlier this month, so there was more to patch there.

Speaker 4Right, so that's the hotfix. Quick turnaround, which is actually good.

Danny ReyesOkay, but here's where it gets interesting, because while that hotfix was dropping, the dev team was also teasing something much bigger for May.

Speaker 4And the teaser language is wild. GameRant. Brandt covered this today, and according to Ashley Claudinos piece, the upcoming base game update covers so many issues that the patch notes literally don't fit in a single laundry list post.

Danny ReyesWait, really? They can't fit it in one post?

Speaker 4That's what they're saying.

Danny ReyesI mean, that's either a great sign or a terrifying sign, depending on how you look at it. Both, maybe. Like, on one hand, a massive update is exactly what people have been asking for. asking for. On the other hand, how many things were broken that there's too many fixes to list?

Speaker 4Right, right. That's the energy I'm picking up from the community, too. Everyone's excited and also a little bit like, how did we get here?

Danny ReyesOkay, so here's the thing, though. Earlier this week, Sims Community reported that EA Community Manager Cade confirmed the May update isn't just bug fixes. He literally said, it's an update alright. Right.

Speaker 3It's an update all right. Incredible communication.

Danny ReyesI know, I know, but there's more. He also confirmed the focus is on Infants, Toddlers, and general improvements for the first half of May.

Speaker 3Infant and Toddlers getting some love?

Danny ReyesYeah.

Speaker 3That's actually a big deal. Those life stages have had issues for a while.

Danny ReyesHuge deal. And look, I've been in rooms with devs who genuinely care about this stuff. stuff. I met some of the team at EA Play a few years back, and they know where the pain points are. So when I see Infants and Toddlers called out specifically, that tells me someone was listening.

Speaker 4See, that's the Cautiously Optimism talking.

Danny ReyesGuilty!

Speaker 4Hmm, I want to believe it, I do. But we've had Big Update Energy before, and then the patch drops and it's like, okay, three things got fixed and two new bugs appeared.

Danny ReyesNo, you're not wrong. The track record makes people skeptical, that's fair.

Speaker 3My Sims are still mopping floors during fires, Becca Hartwell. Autonomy is still a crisis.

Danny ReyesWe will get to autonomy one of these days, I promise.

Speaker 3One day. But okay, real question. If the May update is as big as their teasing and community feedback actually shaped what went into 2.32... Does that mean the Reddit posts finally hit critical mass?

Danny ReyesHonestly, probably a mix of both data plus noise. They're running surveys, they're watching forums, it adds up eventually.

Speaker 3Speaking of EA watching what the community does and making choices based on what they see,

Danny ReyesOh, we're going there.

Speaker 3we are absolutely going there because some of those choices, people have opinions. strong ones.

Speaker 4So speaking of EA's choices, Becca Hartwell, I have to talk about this marketplace situation because my timeline has been unhinged.

Danny ReyesOh, I saw it coming. What happened?

Speaker 4Okay, so Sims Community reported that EA is allegedly not happy with how the marketplace content is performing, and I just...

Speaker 3I mean, come on. EA built this thing.

Danny ReyesThey made the bed.

Speaker 3They made the bed, and now they're mad the sheets aren't silky enough.

Becca HartwellThe irony is so loud.

Danny ReyesSo here's what the insider actually said, right? The same person who predicted the Marketplace a full month before it was announced. They're saying EA isn't happy with the content being sold and that Moola sales are underperforming expectations, which

Becca HartwellAnd the quote that's going around, if the Maker Packs were more interesting, they'd be selling better.

Danny Reyesis a very EA thing to think.

Becca HartwellRight? Like figure out who's making these decisions and then be mad at the results of those decisions.

Danny ReyesTo be fair, though, there's a more charitable read here. If EA is unhappy with content quality, that could actually push them towards raising the bar for what gets approved on the Marketplace.

Becca HartwellHmm. Okay, I'll allow it.

Danny ReyesOr it's just finger pointing with no follow through. Both are possible.

Becca HartwellTwo things can be true. And speaking of Maker Packs. Two new ones just dropped. Sims Community covered it. PieriSim has a new set, the Krom and Dine Maker Pack. Eight items for 300 Moola.

Danny ReyesWhich is around $3 for context.

Becca HartwellAnd SixamCC is back with part two of their Light Switches series, a North American set.

Danny ReyesI love that light switches are a thing people are making whole series about.

Becca HartwellListen, builders are a different species, and I mean that with... With full respect.

Danny ReyesNo, genuinely, the attention to detail in that community is wild. And the reaction to these packs has been mixed, right?

Becca HartwellMixed is generous. People like the creators, they're not thrilled about buying individual decorative items piecemeal through a currency system.

Danny ReyesWhich kind of circles back to why EA might be disappointed in the numbers. If the community's already skeptical of the model itself, Even good content has a harder time converting.

Becca HartwellExactly. The trust deficit is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

Danny ReyesOkay, but let's pivot to something that I genuinely did not see coming this week.

Becca HartwellThe survey.

Danny ReyesThe survey! So EA quietly dropped an official Sims 4 survey through their playtest circles, and Sims Community picked it up. They want to know why people play the game, like motivations, what keeps you coming back. Back.

Becca HartwellAnd I have thoughts, many thoughts. My Sims are currently in a mansion doing nothing while I watch them stand near a fridge.

Danny ReyesThat tracks.

Becca HartwellBut okay, why is EA asking this now? What's the read?

Danny ReyesSo there are two ways to look at it. One, they're doing genuine player research to shape the next big update or whatever comes after Sims 4.

Becca HartwellOr two, data collection to figure out how to sell us more sh- Stuff!

Danny ReyesI mean it's probably both. I've spent enough time watching how EA operates to know they don't send surveys without a reason.

Becca HartwellRight; there's always a reason.

Danny ReyesBut I'd rather they ask than assume. Honestly, if the answer to "Why do you play Sims 4" shapes what the May update actually prioritizes, that's not nothing.

Becca HartwellFair point; and if you're in the playtest circle, go fill it out. Make your autonomy opinions known. Tell them your Sims mop during house fires.

Danny ReyesPersonal experience.

Becca HartwellEvery single time.

Danny ReyesAnd honestly, the fact that the community keeps showing up despite all of this is its own kind of answer to that survey. And it kind of connects to what we're talking about, because when the official game frustrates people, they don't quit. They build their own solutions.

Becca HartwellMods, cheats, challenges, the whole thing.

Danny ReyesThe whole thing. We've got some genuinely great stuff to get into. OK, flip side of all that EA drama, though, because the community is out here doing the Lord's work.

Becca HartwellI mean, when is it not?

Danny ReyesSo PC Gamer just dropped a full business and hobbies cheat sheet. And Becca, I opened it and immediately felt like I'd been doing everything the hard way.

Becca HartwellWrite the alignment cheat alone. You can flip your in-home hustle from lawful to shady without grinding through half the gameplay. That's the one.

Danny ReyesSkills, perks, reward traits, it is genuinely a full reference. Lauren Morton put it together and it's the kind of thing you bookmark and never close.

Becca HartwellOkay, but the thing I keep coming back to, Becca, is the Challenge Tracker mod by SimMattically.

Danny ReyesOh, yes.

Becca HartwellNo more keeping a Google Doc open on the side. No more pausing every ten minutes to double check your legacy rules. It lives inside the game now.

Danny ReyesThis is the thing, right? As a gallery creator, I spend so much time managing external notes just to track what I'm even doing in a save. The fact that a modder built this before EA did is completely

Becca HartwellClassic.

Danny Reyesclassic. The modder community patches the gaps before EA has finished writing the patch notes.

Becca HartwellI've said it before and I'll keep saying it. Modders aren't waiting around. They see the problem, they fix the problem. And half the time the fix is better than whatever EA eventually ships.

Danny ReyesMm-hmm. And speaking of absolutely unhinged mod energy, we

Becca HartwellWait, are we talking PlantSims?

Danny Reyesare talking PlantSims. The Expanded PlantSims Mod playthrough over on Sims Community is fully sending me.

Becca HartwellOkay, so for anyone who hasn't seen it, base game PlantSims are kind of fine, like they exist.

Danny ReyesThey exist.

Becca HartwellBut this mod, full CAS options, a Friend of Nature aspiration, build buy objects, the whole thing. SpinningPlumbobs did the playthrough, and it's like watching someone discover a

Danny ReyesWow.

Becca Hartwellcompletely different game,

Danny ReyesThe Earth Day timing was perfect, too. It's the kind of mod that makes you want to start a whole new save just to run a PlantSim family.

Becca Hartwellwhich I may or may not have done.

Danny ReyesOf course you did.

Becca HartwellNo judgment zone here.

Danny ReyesZero judgment. But okay, here's the thing. All of this, the modders patching the gaps, us running cheats just to skip the grind, the community building tools EA didn't ship.

Becca HartwellIt does make you wonder what it would look like if a game just launched with this stuff already in it.

Danny ReyesRight. And that is a very convenient place to mention that the life sim world is a lot bigger than one franchise right now.

Becca HartwellOh, we're going there?

Danny ReyesWe are absolutely going there because Paralives has an Early Access date, InZOI just topped a whole update, and there's a Cancelled Ubisoft life sim that nobody even knew existed.

Becca HartwellWait, Cancelled before it was announced?

Danny ReyesCancelled before anyone knew.

Becca HartwellWe have so much to get into.

Danny ReyesOkay, competitors time and Paralives? I'm finally a believer.

Becca HartwellRight? Like Sims Community posted a full feature recap and the May 25th Early Access date is actually... Really real, PC and Mac.

Danny ReyesOpen world, color wheel. I mean, those two things alone have Sims players ready to pack their bags.

Becca HartwellGenuinely, like would your Sim move to Paralives?

Danny ReyesOh, mine absolutely would. She's tired. She needs a fresh start in an open world where she won't autonomously eat spoiled food.

Becca HartwellValid. The Early Access framing is smart though. They're not pretending it's a finished game.

Danny ReyesWhich, honestly, respect. Set expectations. Then deliver. Novel concept.

Becca HartwellOkay, and InZOI, the April 29th update dropped new jobs and new interactions, and the boss is already talking May plans.

Danny ReyesAlready?

Becca HartwellYeah, Sims Community covered it. The momentum there is real. They're shipping fast and actually responding to feedback surveys.

Danny ReyesWhich is a thing, a whole thing, when developers talk back to their community and then actually do something about it.

Becca HartwellRight. InZOI's not just promising, they're moving.

Danny ReyesOkay, so now the dark comedy beat of the week.

Becca HartwellOh no, what happened?

Danny ReyesSo TheGamer reported that Ubisoft had a life sim in development at Ubisoft Montreal, Animal Crossing-ish, called Alterra. Three years of work.

Becca HartwellOkay.

Danny ReyesThree years. Gone. No announcement, no trailer, just poof.

Becca HartwellThat's genuinely sad. Like a whole team worked on that.

Danny ReyesYeah, the life sim space is getting competitive and not everyone survives the entry attempt, apparently.

Becca HartwellHmm. It does make you appreciate Paralives more. Like that team has been grinding for years and they actually made it to launch.

Danny ReyesAnd Neverways still on track for October. GameSpew called it creepy and compelling, which, same, honestly.

Becca HartwellNightmare Farm Life? If I'm curious.

Danny ReyesThe life sim genre right now is genuinely wild. You've got cozy, you've got horror, you've got early access underdogs.

Becca HartwellAnd Tomodachi Living Dream just launched on Switch. Daily Titan reviewed it and called it a big step for inclusivity,

Danny ReyesIt really is a different flavor. Something for everyone in this space right now.

Becca Hartwellwhich honestly, not bad for a genre people used to think was just one game. game

Danny ReyesOne very chaotic, very beloved game. Okay, that's a wrap on a packed one between the April hot fix dropping, the May update tease that's apparently too big for a single post, and the whole marketplace drama? A lot happened.

Becca HartwellRight? And Danny Reyes' autonomy crisis is still very much ongoing. My sims are still mopping during fires. No notes.

Danny ReyesNo notes. Here's the thing, though. If EA's frustration with the marketplace lace actually pushes content quality up? That's the win we've been waiting for. Maybe.

Becca HartwellMaybe. We're cautiously optimistic over here.

Danny ReyesCautiously. So if you enjoyed the episode, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and drop us a review. It seriously helps other simmers find us.

Becca HartwellAnd come hang with us on social at Plumbob Report. Share your wildest Sims moments. Bonus points if autonomy was involved.

Danny ReyesSo-so simmers, thanks for listening.

Becca HartwellWe'll see you next time.