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Community Notice Board | March 2024 | SP49 (Crystal Creations) & the Malware Scare | Rules Updates and Guideline Changes
MOD

Sul Sul!

Welcome to r/TheSims, the #1 subreddit for The Sims franchise and community. Reddit currently only allows two (2) pinned posts at a time, with the Bi-Weekly Build Challenge reserving a permanent slot, we've created this notice board to serve as a central hub for announcements, updates, useful links, information, and more! We will no longer be creating monthly newsletters and we will be using the Notice Board concept moving forward.

The Notice Board will be updated regularly, so please check it often in accordance with Rule 1: Read the Notice Board Before Posting. When the Notice Board becomes too old, or significant announcements must be made, we will replace it with a new post.

Please be sure to consult our Rules & Guidelines, as some rules were recently updated or changed, so make sure you're familiar with them. As a member of this community, it is your responsibility to regularly review the rules and guidelines and ensure your communications are aligned.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, Message the Mods!


Discord

Consider joining us on Discord. We have countless active discussions with over 4,000 members. It's also one of the easiest places to find tech support and help with The Sims.

We've also provided the link to the official Sims Discord server, if you'd want to join that one for some unholy reason.


Community Highlights

  • We've retired the "What To Buy" megathread and have instead created a Buyer's Guide which is linked in the sidebar and at the top of the front page with the other links. With this new Buyer's Guide, we will continue to prohibit posts seeking recommendations on packs and computers/laptops.

  • Sometimes, posts go into a queue to be manually reviewed. If you do not see your post immediately after submitting it, this is why. Please read the automated message you receive and please DO NOT message the mods asking where your post is. We will not be responding to these messages.

  • Sometimes posts are automatically removed incorrectly. The AutoModerator is not and never will be perfect. We manually review anything that has been automatically removed. Please DO NOT message the mods asking why your post was removed erroneously. We will get to it in the queue when we are able to.


r/TheSims Rules & Guidelines Updates

  • Due to an influx in spam comments, we have temporarily disabled the use of emojis.

  • We have updated our No Piracy rule after internal discussion; instead of outright permanent bans, we will be issuing temporary bans for initial offenses. Permanent bans will be issued for repeat offenders or people blatantly circumventing the rule. Moderators will use their best judgement. There will be no warnings issued for violations of this rule. The rule itself remains unchanged: the discussion of the topic is prohibited and sharing/requesting information on how to find and use pirated content (including website names, links, etc.), is prohibited.

  • "Abandonware" is included in this rule. Base game conversions are also included in this rule. Patreon custom content/mods and/or custom content/mods locked behind paywalls are NOT included in this rule; knock yourselves out.

  • Piracy is both illegal and against Reddit's policies, therefore we will follow these regulations to the letter. We are not paid nor sponsored by EA and to be honest, we couldn't care less if you pirate the game(s); just have the good sense not to announce it at every opportunity. There is no prize nor reward for doing it and no one cares, so keep it to yourself.

  • For those who do not understand Rule 10: Help Posts Must Have a Descriptive Title, this rule exists to help other members easily find what they're looking for. If someone comes into r/TheSims searching for an issue that may have already been posted about and resolved, posts titled "help!!!" or "does anyone else have this issue?" are not useful. Your post title will clearly and concisely explain what the problem is. Readers should be able to understand what issue you're having by the title, without needing to click on your post to read more.

  • Lastly, the rules are posted in the same place as every other community on Reddit. Per Reddit guidelines, it is your responsibility to read the community's rules before engaging. "I didn't know," is not valid in a court of law and is not valid here. The rules are written clearly and concisely. If, for some reason, something is still not understood, use the Message the Mods feature and ask before posting.


The Sims News & Updates

  • The Sims 4: Crystal Creations Stuff Pack will be released on February 29, 2024.

  • There has been a recent update and mods have broken. REMOVE YOUR MODS. Please do not submit posts about broken UI, etc. This happens with EVERY update and you should know this by now. You are responsible for managing your own mods folder.

  • Posts asking "which mod is causing this?" or "what mods are broken?" will be removed and temporary bans will be issued.

  • Nearly everyone is experiencing a bug resulting in astronomical rent prices. Please do not make any more posts about it. It has been reported on the official EA forums.

  • It has been discovered that several different script mods are causing freezing and lag when editing Residential Rental lot types. If you're experiencing this issue, remove your script mods entirely or use the 50/50 method to narrow down which of your mods is causing the problem. It may be different for everyone.


The Malware Scare

  • Malware was found in custom content/mod releases from unauthentic sources. When downloading custom content/mods, pay attention to where you're downloading from and from whom. When in doubt, find the creator's official platform (Tumblr, Twitter, Patreon, etc.) and use download links directly from the creator. In this case, official accounts were hacked. Also consider downloading ModGuard by TwistedMexi.

  • CurseForge and TSR have both confirmed that all files containing malware have been found and removed. New automatic security settings are in effect to scan all mods, looking specifically for malware. All accounts that were hacked have been recovered, secured, and are being closely monitored for suspicious activity. All mods that have been uploaded to CurseForge and TSR have been scanned and verified and no other contaminated mods have been found.

  • Please do not submit posts asking if it is "safe" to download custom content/mods.


Buyer's Guide

  • r/TheSims sees the same posts every day asking, "What pack should I get?", "Should I get X or X?", "What kind of computer do I need?", etc. These recommendations can vary depending on what you're planning to do in your game and in reality, it all comes down to what YOU like opposed to what others think you should get. As such, we've created a comprehensive guide that will allow you to make informed decisions based on your gameplay interests, Build Mode and CAS styles, and new features with each pack. We've also put together a recommended hardware specs guide for those inquiring about computers and laptops.

Please note that this will be updated as new packs are released and as such, any and all posts asking "What to Buy" questions will be automatically removed and the OP will be redirected here.

Bi-Weekly Build Challenge

More Useful Links

Game Broken or Acting Weird?

  • Update your mods.


Bi-Weekly Build Challenge | Week 153: Revamp a Premade Residential Build and Turn It Into a Communal One (or Vice Versa!)

Voting Results - Bi-Weekly Build Challenge | Week 151: Cottages With Industrial Interior and MANY Indoor Plants (In Memory of u/boldstreet)

🥇First Place: u/SimsinVienna - Industrial Greenhouse Cottage - The Sims 4 - 56.25%

🥈Second Place: u/Kendai36 - 1 Bold Street - The Sims 4 - 37.5%

🥉Third Place: u/Gneissity - A Cottage for u/boldstreet - The Sims 4 - 31.25%


Vote for Bi-Weekly Build Challenge | Week 152: Queenslander Houses HERE


The Bi-Weekly Build Challenge is led by community moderator u/NoButterOnMyBread. Please direct any build challenge questions to me.


Introduction for Newcomers

Every two weeks, the challenge will change. We’ll design a different house, community venue, or room interior, based on the provided theme, rules, and restrictions. Some challenges will have a monetary limit, such as under $20k, while others may have no limit and you can spend as many Simoleons as you’d like.

The challenge is not exclusive to The Sims 4; you may submit an entry using any Sims game, but we recommend The Sims 2 onward for the more in-depth building features. However, you may still submit entries for builds created in the original The Sims game.

If you would like to check out our past challenges, you can see a comprehensive list by searching [r/TheSims](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSims/) under the Build Challenge flair.


Bi-Weekly Build Challenge | Week 153: Revamp a Premade Residential Build and Turn It Into a Communal One (or Vice Versa!)

If you enjoy building and decorating but don't want to start from scratch, this is the perfect challenge for you! All you have to do is take any premade build of your choice and give it a revamp.

Whether you tear down a few walls, add a new level, or change the complete interior, there's only one main requirement: your remodel must turn the lot into the opposite of its intended use. This means that if it was previously a communal venue, you have to turn it into a residential one, and vice versa.

Get creative and have fun.


Reference Links

Example I

Example II


Build Guidelines

Requirements:

  • One entry per person.  

  • Minimum lot size: 20x15.  

  • No digital altering of photos (i.e., PhotoShop).

  • CC is allowed.

To submit a valid entry, you must comment on this post and format your comment as such:

Your Reddit Username - Title of Submission - Sims Game (i.e., The Sims 4) - Link to photo

You may also include your Gallery ID or a direct Gallery link if you’d like, but this is not required. Please note that entries submitted that do not follow this format will be disqualified and must be re-submitted.


Important Dates

Deadline: April 27th

The challenge closes at 10pm EST. This deadline is the cut-off for new submissions; this deadline is not an expectation of a new challenge. Winners will be announced when the next challenge goes live (within one week of the deadline.)