#ts4 patch fixes

[blewis50]

I haven't played the game beyond messing around in CAS because of game breaking bugs. I hope this helps to stop some of them.

[symerr]

more headmates, you never would've guessed it.

[thevoidcircus]

If you're not nice to Nyon Specter, we can't be friends, I'm sorry.

[connormoving]

no sims 5 . guys im gonna

[99simproblems]

Wtf Is this a weird fetal position hug?

[kairasims]

Go figure the ONE TIME I want to actually PLAY the game half of my mods are broken 😭😭😭😭😭

[leafbatraccoon]

[pujuplumb]

Translating for my German Friends big thanks to the orginal post ♥

Nach dem heutigen Update konnte ich CC nicht mehr aktivieren, egal wie oft ich das Spiel geschlossen und gestartet habe. Dann erinnerte ich mich daran, dass mir das schon einmal passiert war. Wenn du dasselbe Problem hast, kannst du es so beheben: 1- Auf der Startseite des Spiels, in der unteren rechten Ecke des Bildschirms, kannst du sehen, welche Spielversion aktuell ist. Nach dem heutigen Update war meine: 1.108.318.1020. Starte das Spiel und überprüfe die Zahl, die bei dir angezeigt wird. 2- In deinem Spielordner (Dokumente>Electronic Arts> Die Sims 4) findest du eine Datei namens "GameVersion". Dort steht eine Zahl. Die Zahl in dieser Datei muss mit der aktuellen Spielversionsnummer übereinstimmen. Als ich meine öffnete, war es "1.107.151.1020". Also habe ich sie einfach auf "1.108.318.1020" aktualisiert und gespeichert. Dann konnte ich das Spiel starten und CC wieder aktivieren. Hinweis 1: Es gibt ein "Leerzeichen" vor der Zahl in "GameVersion" (als wäre es ein Absatz). Behalte dieses Leerzeichen bei. Ändere die Zahlen genau an den Stellen, an denen sie sind. Hinweis 2: Falls du möchtest, mache vor dem Ändern der Zahl eine Sicherungskopie von "GameVersion", nur für den Fall. Es wird deinem Spiel nicht schaden, aber es ist besser, um auf Nummer sicher zu gehen.

IF YOU CAN'T ENABLE CC 🌸

Sul sul ^^

After today updates, I wasn't able to enable CC again. It doesn't matter how many times I closed and launched the game.

So I remembered that this had already happened to me before.

If you're going through the same problem, this is how you can fix it:

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HOW TO ENABLE CC AGAIN:

1- On the game home page, in the bottom right corner of the screen, you can see what the current game version is. After today's update, mine was: 1.108.318.1020. Launch the game and check the number that appears for you.

2- In your game folder (Documents>Electronic Arts> The Sims 4) you'll find a file called "GameVersion". There will be a number.

The number in that file has to match the current game version number.

When I opened mine, it was "1.107.151.1020". So I just updated it to "1.108.318.1020" and saved. Then when I launched the game I could enable CC again.

Note 1: There's a "space" before the number in "GameVersion" (as if it were a paragraph). Keep that space. Change the numbers exactly where they are.

Note 2: If you prefer, before changing the number, make a backup copy of "GameVersion" just in case. It won't harm your game, but it's better, just to prevent and make it safer.

💎 If you want a tutorial video, I made one about it some time ago. You can watch it here :)

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ALSO IMPORTANT AFTER UPDATES:

Remember to delete "localthumbcache". You can find the tutorial here.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

I'm currently checking my CC to see if they're still working.

If anything, I'll let you know :)

I hope it helps you if you're having any problems :)

Happy Simming ^^

[ts4-poses]

NEWS IMPORTANT I'm back! But there is a huge backlog waiting for me! So please be patient <3 Are you tired of understanding T.O.O.L. mod for your poses and don't want to use the move/rotate function on WW poseplayer? There is an easier way to move/rotate your posed sims! Try the mod 'Pose Alignment Interactions' here

Tip from me: There is a huge increase of boosty-links these days, but since you have to make an account to download and this website still has some trust issues, I would advice you to NOT make an account with your main e-mail you use for everything. Make a sims-cc-e-mail for example, since you have to make an account almost everywhere these days! Be safe on the internet lovelies! I don't share early access poses until the early period is over! (don't paywall your holiday poses until after the holiday!!)

KNOWN POSEBUGS Eyelids Eyelids are still not fixed by EA after the Lovestruck patch, so it could be that eyes are not entirely closed in many poses due to this EA bug.

PLEASE UPVOTE THIS TOPIC Thank you for the immense response! Child/toddler/infant height presets Child/toddler/infant height presets for poses are sadly, after the Business and Hobbies update, broken. Topic to upvote HERE (@/electricwhims found a workaround for their newborn infant preset, so this works for poses again! Make sure to download the updated preset again!)

New here as a pose creator? Please tag the page (a good @ts4-poses tag in your post will work if you are not shadowbanned, hashtags don’t always work but I follow several tags), or submit your posepack through the submit form. I don’t always have time to always check all the pose creators who are not tagging, so please make it easier for me doing so! Am I not reblogging your posepacks? Make sure you don’t copy tags from earlier posts, but type them in every new blogpost! If you do that and still are not being reblogged, you are probably shadowbanned and are not popping up in my notifications. (Send a message to tumblr support!)

Rules for reblogging I don’t reblog permanent paywalled poses, blender only poses or posepacks with months of early access. If you have a normal early access policy (due to EA their rules) I will reblog your posepack after the early access period is over. Because if you wanna find that perfect pose to use for your story/post/edit you want to use it right away, right?

Make sure you put your downloadlink above any cut

I have everything backed up from 2024 on, so if anything is lost from that time, please let me know. I will upload it in the Lost Poses section. Please let me know too if a link or post is dead. (You can due through message or the submit form!) I sadly can’t reply every ask for certain poses you are looking for, since I’m doing this on my own and we have over 24k posepacks here! <3

Links that are helpful!

Everything posing you should know

The pose creator discord

Lost poses section (if you have anything from these creators that is not uploaded here yet? Please send me it!)

How to use poses?

Deco sims tag!

[blewis50]

EDIT: v3.2.5 fixes gem table issues, while keeping the EA inventory crash fix in place. Update immediately to avoid issues. Thanks everyone. v3.2.4 - 2/27/24 Patch Updates

Updated UI files for compatibility with the 2/27 patch.

Removed the Shopping Cart menu button because... well, I mean do I really need to explain why? Just no.

More information on the patreon page link.

[tedsies]

legacy collection - next day update

i've played again this evening and can report the following:

i'm still unable to generate a single instance of pink flashing, and I'm playing my biggest lots and hopping from community lot to community lot with no issue

the game did eventually have its first crash however, when i switched between my downtown hood and main hood after all of that aforementioned household switching and community lot hopping. so, yeah... sad that it crashed, but also it would have crashed way earlier with my UC install (it was also a different kind of crash though, no error message, the game just went black and shut down)

i have also run into a couple of super annoying bugs/mod issues - i can't select custom skins in cas due to some unknown bug?? and the community lot time mod is also not working for some reason (which is an absolute must for me) 😓

i'll keep updating this post with any further updates.

edit: another thing i've been thinking about is how ea has now already said they are going to be releasing bug fixes for the legacy collection. whilst good in theory, that also really scares me because one of the reasons i stopped playing ts4 was because i was afraid they would break the game and my saves with every patch (because they always did)

edit 2: i'm now back in the ultimate collection testing the graphics rule maker file from the legacy collection (shared by @brandinotbroke)... and i'm also now not seeing pink flashing/crashing happening here either. i'm confused... thankful, but confused. i've been playing for over two hours, in which time i've taken my sims to multiple community lots, all with an increased lot view distance setting (which I can normally NEVER put any higher than small). its obviously impossible to say whether its directly linked, but its difficult not to make some assumptions. if i have this kinda choice between UC and LC, i'm gonna go UC for the reasons above.

[andrevasims]

I made a CC-free game flash pink:

It only happened in a hood I'd placed hundreds of hood deco items, on a 5x6 lot with every single Buy & Build object that exists in the game placed on the lot, with a 30-sim household - And only did the pink flashing after I had limited the game to using one (1) CPU instead of 2.

I was able to do all that without any significant performance issues (the lag DECREASED as I kept playing lol) until I limited the CPU usage.

So it's probably not ever going to happen to an average player who isn't using CC, but it's not physically impossible.

people complaining that EA didn't fix pink soup whilst the post a screenshot with 20GB worth of CC and mods gets me

[thevoidcircus]

On the Sims 1 & 2 Rerelease

I'll be the first to admit I did not play Sims 1. But I did play Sims 2 and 3 when they released, and for a long time before I played 4, and believe me, the amount of people complaining about how awfully buggy TS2's remaster was have been absolutely spoiled with Sims 4. Hell, the romanticisation of TS2 at the hands of big-name simmers also ticked me off, but I won't fault them because I'm not immune to nostalgia either. As much as the TS4 community claims to hate whaling for EA on TS4 packs, it doesn't change the fact that TS4 manages to still be nowhere near as broken as TS2. That's not saying much in light of the recent game breaking glitches people are reporting in TS4, but it's something.

Pink/Purple soup is nothing new. Hell, back in my day it was blue soup. There would be blue soup on people's heads, there would be blue soup on their teeth if they were vampires, there would be blue soup in the eyes, there would be blue soup in the pool. Everything had the chance to become blue soup. Back in my day it was my save file corrupting because I did literally anything, up to and including:

Bringing back Bella Goth in Pleasantview.

Asking to be bit by the Grand Vampire, subsequently leading to him or her eventually biting an incomplete sim like Agnes.

Making any positive or negative memories with homeless townies

Bringing back Bella Goth in Strangetown

Creating a baby with Utility Sims like Grim or the shrink

Playing the Curious or Beaker households in Strangetown

Trying to play the Romeo and Juliet gameplay in Veronaville

Trying to resurrect premade ghosts anywhere

Cheating NPCs to show up at the house because I was young and dumb and didn't learn that lesson for nearly five years

Doing literally anything in Strangetown and Veronaville

Visiting Downtown anywhere after the Grand Vampire has bitten someone in the save file, once again leading to him eventually biting an NPC or incomplete sim... Like Agnes.

Putting I Am Dead Tokens on sims to see what would happen.

Using the height cheat to make everyone 20 feet tall

Turning on testingcheats and using every cheat I could find

Making Don Lothario woohoo with every last grown man and woman in Pleasantview (Yes, that happened, my save file was crying blue by the end of it)

Sims 2 being a self-corrupting nightmare when left unattended in vanilla is nothing new, and the amount of people crapping on about how broken the game was compared to how veteran simmers romanticised it got old REAL quick. Yes, Sims 2 had a lot of cool content and a good chunk of it still isn't in Sims 4. But at least your save file won't get corrupted because Vlad bit a premade townie. Probably. Trust me, you will enjoy the Sims franchise a lot more when you realise that it's always been a buggy mess at every stop and turn, take it on the chin, and play the installment that best suits your needs and whims. There are still so many performance improving mods out there, likely for all the games, and some of these modders will eventually come out of the woodworks to update for the definitive edition.

[simstorian-blog]

The Sims 4: GShade (Helpful Tip)

You do NOT have to completely uninstall GShade to get the dx11 option. I would like the community to stop working harder than they actually need to lol

IMPORTANT:

(1) If this does not work, THEN you will have to clean uninstall gshade from your system. I'd suggest to screenshot your in-game settings, if you have messed around with anything outside of the preset, and then wipe all gshade files from your system before you reinstall.

(2) You should save backup copies of your presets. They do not take up a lot of disk space. Also, convert any reshade presets to be properly tuned for gshade through the control panel's 'Tools' option. It helps with performance.

Open Gshade Control Panel

Click 'Installs'

Find TS4

Click the trash bin icon

Confirm

Click 'Add' and choose your paths for both the reinstallation and your screenshots. (Note -- the screenshot path can be changed at any time through the in game settings)

dx11 should now be available

[Note: This was done by me as I had just updated my game to the most recent patch, released September 18th.]

Does your system NOT support Dx11 or you simply cannot be bothered to put in the work?

There is an in-game option to switch it back to dx9

Stuck on an infinite load screen after upgrading?

You may have to batch fix your cc through Sims4Studio. This personally happened to me and the batch fixing solved it.

WARNING: BACK UP YOUR FILES. Do NOT batch fix your ENTIRE folder. Only do buildbuy and CAS. If you have a lot of CC, It will take HOURS.

Still not working out?

Go back to using dx9. I personally, backed up my entire sims 4 folder to my secondary drive before I even patched my game for dx11.

[silentgrim]

in the nicest way possible y’all are delusional if you think ts4 will get better within the years it’s literally been 10 years with 76 packs and counting worth around $1,200 AND COUNTING plus bugs with each pack release/patch and no foreseen fixes or refreshes… let’s come back to earth for a second

[murfeelee]

TS3 vs TS4 Features - Supernatural

I saw @moonbiscuitsims' comment here about how EA added "way more features" in their TS4 occult packs, and I wanted to talk about it in depth, cuz that's a misleading statement. Y'all know TS4's my trigger.

Cuz yes, on paper, EA offers a LOT of stuff in TS4 packs. But the saying goes: as broad as an ocean and as deep as a puddle. 😬 QUALITY, versus QUANTITY, which is crucial for replayability, customization, variability, and ultimate longevity. And another thing is the TIMEFRAME that that content was released. Sure, if it takes you 10 years to develop/dripfeed your frikkin game, ofc you can add more content over more packs; than if you'd just stuck to ONE dedicated pack, developed it in 1-2 years, and given people arguably BETTER, if not MORE content.

My gut reaction's to say EA had BETTER be offering more content! 😤 Not even to justify the ridiculous pricetag or anything, but for the simple fact that TS4's supposed to be NEXT GEN. It's SUPPOSED to be bigger & better than everything that came before it. Why are we sitting here for 10 years with TS4 if it ain't gonna increase ANYTHING but my rising blood pressure & trust issues?!

So Imma just examine TS3 SN in comparison with TS4's packs, and give my take on what's been going on, from 2012 (SN EP) to now.

Missing Features: TS4 Fairies

A fairy was the very first sim I ever made in TS3 back in 2009 (my avatar sim, Sakura). Watching the SN announcement trailer for the first time dang near made me cry. TS4 could never; moving on.

Missing Features: TS4 Zombies & Toadsims

TS4 Tragic Clowns are a W for the apple juggling & costume. I think EA was lazy by slacking on the clown just cuz he's already dead in Sunset Valley; and I guess they don't expect players to resurrect his ghost. SN EP did nothing to actually improve/expand him, just creating the alchemy Clown Potion; I guess to better integrate fishing the Clownfish into the lore.

TS4 Vampires GP (2017)

This is an easy one. I've said since TS3 Late Night EP (2010) that TS3's vampires are utter dogtrash, and the SN EP did eff all to patch/improve them, and I will die on that hill (until someone figures out how to give convert TS4's functional coffins & vampire fights & special FX). Compared to every other occult, I have more mods installed just to try to fix how effing busted & stupid vamps are; and these sparkling Twilight dumb AF bloodsuckers STILL get on my dang nerves.

IMO, TS4 Vampires is hands down the best pack EA ever made for TS4. 10/10, the attention they put in that pack outclasses darn near everything else they did until TS4 Seasons. Undisputed W, yes. 👏

TS4 Realm of Magic GP (2019)

Disputed W. I gave it an 8/10 at BEST, cuz magic/fantasy's a win, but I am disappointed. If this had been a home run for EA, I'd've shut my dang mouth, ISTG. But alas. I went on a long AF tirade against RoM when I realized that a lot of its so-called "new" features were things we could already do in TS4, with a flashy coat of paint--let alone things TS3 & the SN EP did, and better. Some things I didn't mention though:

Muggles who ask spellcasters how to do magic are sent on a fetch quest for Magic Motes, which is EXACTLY what the ITF EP Time Traveler occult Emit Revelart makes normies do to, finding Power Cells to learn how to use the Time Portal.

The Witch's perks/ranks system works just like the Vampires one, so kudos to EA for not fixing something that ain't broke I guess.

The Spells: At MTS I actually broke down what each of TS4's spellcasters do that's largely nothing sims couldn't do in TS3, even before SN came out (via SHT Genies or SSNS Aliens, or the Store).

TS3 Witches (let alone other lifestates) can do most of this either through alchemy or inherited features from older TS3 packs. This was a huge RoM dealbreaker for me, as I'd been hoping for WAY more innovative features in TS4's spells--the whole point of Spellcasters--than just an elaborate set of cheats. TS3's Witch's main features are fewer, but far more cohesive, IMO. (Granted, NONE of the packs holds a single candle to the GOAT that is TS1's Makin Magic, which had WAY more features than TS2, TS3 & TS4; and was CHEAPER. But I digress.)

There's no unique features with TS3/TS4 wands; they act the same way; the effects are just different, and TBH I'm not a fan of either--I wish wand/magic FXs could be modded in different colors at least (like BLACK 😈). But I DO like that in TS4 they can duel for rewards.

TS4 brooms do EFF ALL in a closed world; EA made them exactly they way they were in TS2, with zero innovation. (IIRC kids can't even use them--EA's hatred for kids & elders ALMOST matches MY hatred of EA.)

IMO beekeeping doesn't count, cuz TS3 included it as a small feature for alchemy ingredients in the SN EP, while TS4 integrated it far better in SSNS to work with gardening, which is genius.

Speaking of SSNS, there's the Weather Stone that only appears if you have both SN & SSNS, so occults can conjure magical weather effects over the whole world. (I'll talk about the best perk under Crystals SP.)

Familiars are the certified W for me with RoM. They're the best & most unique & most well-thought out & feature of the GP, IMO. ❤️

Extra TS4 features I think are supremely cool are spellcasters' books floating whenever they read anything. And their cauldrons have much cooler animations, and I'm so jealous that y'all can cook food in them; EA should've added that to the Store Cauldron, although I guess I understand why they didn't in the SN EP Alchemy Cauldron.

A lot of RoM's features are wrapped around Glimmerbrook. Access to Glimmerbrook comes with the Glimmer Stone key--and I WOULD use that as a segue into the Crystals SP, but I'll hold off. I already vented about Glimmerbrook in my Werewolves GP rant--but I'll get to that in a minute, too. The bigger issue is what even constitutes a TS4 "world"--those non-customizeable tiny AF clusters of tiny AF lots and huge swaths of decorative set dressing--let alone the Diagon Alley ripoff EA loves promoting like I was born yesterday and never saw Harry Potter. GORGEOUS realm, of course, like many EA worlds are. But they're largely just set-dressing, which irritates me to no end.

TS4 Paranormal SP (2021)

I've ranted & raved about Paranormal before: 7/10 at best.

TS4 Seances with the crystal ball work very differently from TS3's Soothsayer's Crystal Ball, which wasn't about banishing ghosts, but improving progression for SN's Witches & Fortune Telling (career). Fortune Telling's NOT a ghostly job, although the boho aesthetic carried over to TS4 Paranormal. (On top of the fact that they promised this whole NOLA Voodoo vibe, but delivered ZERO cultural accurate features reflecting ANYTHING from Haitian Voodoo, wtf? It's all hippie boho New Age BS--why TF does the tutorial ghost look more like Johnny Depp and less like Dr. Facilier, I ask you, EA.) Granted, some of the interactive objects are nice, like the calming dollbaby & magic candles to purify lots--kinda like TS3 incense. But again: 1-trick ponies. Yes, the animations look great, but crystal balls are typically for divination, asking spirits about the past/present/future, not removing haunting poltergeists, so I don't really get it. Stylish & gorgeous! But GENERIC AF substance-wise.

IMO, TS4's Ghosts are an L across the board; all the way from the base game--that bafflingly launched in 2014 WITHOUT ghosts until they were patched in a whole month later after everyone rose a stink (IIRC TS4 kids can't be ghosts!?)--to present. EA's been over/course-correcting from that gaffe ever since, with like double the amount of Death types than TS3. I DO NOT like how TS4 ghosts colors are tied to Eeemotionnsss~! (more like they're a sentient Plumbbob). TBF, kudos to TS4's smoky cloudy effect when ghosts appear. But the lack of unique deaths & ghost types in RoM (aside from Spellcaster Overload & the Night Wraith) made me roll my eyes, as SN EP's ghost types are some of my faves (ITF & SHT are also my top 3).

IIRC it was the SN patch that unlocked all types in (basegame?) CAS to make playable Ghosts. SN's Philosopher's Stone allows sims to summon new playable Ghosts (and ofc allows for transmutating cheap objects into gold ingots--more on that later), or it can just kill you and make YOU the new ghost, LOL.

But as for features, sure, TS4 ghosts have more interactions--though they're all pretty, rather than scary (vs TS2 ghosts, which were SCARY). TS4 ghosts lost the HORROR to just be silly/goofy or just CUTESY--especially the little spectres from Paranormal.

Speaking of horror, I can't talk about ghosts w/out bringing up TS3's AMB EP, cuz the Ghost Hunter (profession) is the real parallel with TS4's Paranormal Investigator (freelancer). In TS3, they actually stuck to their promised main premise (Ghostbusters). Overall, TS4 Seances are nowhere near as fluid as TS3 ghostbusting. In TS3 you can run all over the world using gidgets-gadgets to detect/fight ghosts & sprites, not just inside haunted houses, but anywhere they happen to spawn (ofc inc. graveyards). You're not just locked to a lot/house the player already knows is haunted (cuz you just toggle Haunted Lot to trigger the feature--SN's Ghost Gnome object isn't exactly the same, but it does spawn hauntings on the lots you put them in). ANY TS3 indoor/outdoor residential/community lot can randomly get haunted during a Ghost Hunter's shift; and you never know which one it'll be, or what kind of shenanigans will happen--EVIL ghost or just some sprites--which skyrockets replayability & keeps things fresh & interesting.

Functionally, Paranormal had no right to be that dang good for a Stuff Pack. That was a Game Pack; IDKY EA insists otherwise; esp. when it offered more & better things than some actual GPs. I'm confused. However, a serious problem TS4 has is that it gameifies everything to the point that TS4's numerous features lose their spontaneity, and just become rote--BORING. The ectoplasm everywhere just becomes another mess in your (haunted) house you have to clean--CHORES. On top of me not liking TS4 ghosts' look & vibe (and I HATE TS4's Bonehilda). Quality over quantity, EA!

TS4 Werewolves GP (2022)

Speaking of ghosts, waaaay back in 2020 I told the spirits precisely what I wanted from a potential Werewolf dedicated TS4 pack. Did they listen? HAYUL NAW. So in 2022 I said everything I had to say about the Werewolves GP, and accepted the fact that EA's INEPT.

Do TS4's wolves have MORE features than TS3? YES ofc (even in 2012 everyone complained that Witches & Faeries got the lion's share & Werewolves got shafted--they're basically glorified Familiars for Witches/Alchemist to find collectibles--more on that below). But was most of it GOOD features though? Debatable! I LOATHE the 2 wolf packs, which was what I'd most looked forward to; plus the whole world's aesthetic was ugly homeless-grunge, without a single bit of creativity or originality--only EA could make monsters as terrifying as werewolves effing cartoony hipster squatters. 🤦 7/10 at best.

TS4 Crystals SP (2024)

These crystals are ugly, EA. Which is weird, cuz the basegame TS4 gems & esp. space rocks are GORGEOUS. I have no idea which vision-impaired dev at EAxis thought these nasty looking opaque poorly-painted rocks were pretty.

Features-wise, granted, having TS4's bonafide Gemology skill from the Crystals SP's nice, instead of TS3's basegame hidden Collector skill. But the functioanlity's largely the same: cut more, unlock more (which I prefer to cheat my way through--TS3 thinks I have time for all this gameplay, LOL). (Not to mention all the extra features TS3's Aliens, Simbots & Plumbbots have when interacting with gems, space rocks, or metals.) TS4 only got 10 gem cuts for 27 crystals (=270), (+25 metals); compared to TS3's 16 gem cuts for 28 gems (=448), (+16 metals with their own separate ingots). Of TS4's 10 cuts, the Skull Cut is the ONLY one I think looks better (ignoring the atrociously flat textures ofc) than TS3's (which TS4 copy/pasted--no agates, no crystal ball, wtf).

The Garden Gnome cut isn't unique to TS4, as TS3 has several craftable (glass-only) Garden Gnome cut from the Glassblowing Machine (more on that soon).

The only TS3 gem that genuinely affects sims is radioactive Tiberium from the WA EP, so more features is definitely a plus. The best addition is TS4's Charging Grid feature--I LOVE that TS4 crystals can be imbued with magic energy--it's like TS3's Store Crystal Tree, ITF EP's magic crystal plants & the SN EP Mood Lamp all rolled into one. @greenplumbboblover's WIP Interests & Hobbies mod brainstormed integrating that functionality that back in 2020.

The functionality of the TS3 SN EP Gem Cutter & the TS4 Crystal Tree are similar, though ofc the tree's wallet & eco-friendly; and it's a plant, not a hunk of machinery, so it naturally has that going for it.

There's also the SN-SSNS Weather Stone, which gives werewolves the ability to summon a Hunter's Storm, raining a hail of gems, rocks & metals over the whole world for easy loot farming. (The best perk, though my fave is the Faeries' Reviving Sprinkle for gardening.)

Aside from SN, TS3's real equivalent is actually the Prism Art Studio Venue's Artisan skill. Cuz the REAL seller's the jewellery-making. There's ~100 CAS items in Crystals SP (plus 30+ regular Build/Buy mode objects). At $10, the Crystals SP is a steal, at least when compared to the BONKERS $20 tag on TS3's Prism Art Studio at the Store (2014). IIRC the Glassblowing Machine newly added 16 craftable CAS items & 13 craftable glass objects (as SN already gave us the Gem-Cutting Machine & AMB already gave us the Widgets work station); and 8 Build/Buy objects (inc. the goated L-shaped "spiral" stairs). It also added 5 craftable Perfumes for sims to use.

So while the Crystals SP added NICE features, I wouldn't say they added MORE features. Rather, they added more content: Quantity. But as for Quality, I think TS3 beats it out--the Prism Studio's a effing ripoff, but AFAIK it added features TS4 still doesn't have yet (craftable glassblowing & perfumes, spiral stairs); and the objects it did add are pretty nifty.

Timeframe-wise, we got the 2014 Prism Art Studio's Glassblower 2 years after the SN EP's Gem-Cutter; 5 years after the 2009 basegame. Compared to TS4's wait for the Crystals SP 2 years after Werewolves, 3 after Paranormal, 5 after RoM; and a whopping DECADE after the basegame launched in 2014. Wtf, EA?

Still, I'd say the Crystal SP's a 7/10 (there's not enough gem cuts, the gems textures are ugly, and most of the features were lifted from things TS3 had innovated 10+ years earlier).

TL;DR

Quantity =/= Quality.

EA's been taking way too long releasing packs to have the nerve to present debatable content--it should be goated releases EVERY time; esp. since everyone agrees TS4 is easier to create content for, so much smaller in scale/scope, and with an infinitely larger budget & fanbase than The Sims franchise ever had. There's zero excuse for EAxis' mediocrity, when TS3 was churning out EPs like it's life depended on it: SHT, SN, and SSNS all came out the SAME EFFING YEAR. 2012 was LIT.

EA, you suck.