FAQ: Bugs & Patches

Question
What's a Bug ?
Answer
Bugs are errors in the game. Not everyone has every bug for it depends on the combinations of actions you too if a bug actually shows in your game or not. Some bugs are very common, others are not. Bugs can be caused by Mods and CC as well. Because of this, make sure your Downloads are always up-to-date.

Question
What's a patch ?
Answer
A patch is an update to the game code. A patch can have two purposes

• Fix bugs in the game
• Adjust the base game to the be able to handle a new expansion.

Question
I've read that a certain bug came with a add-on that I don't have. I do have the bug anyway. Is that normal ?
Answer
Yes, a patch always updates all add-ons to the newest update (altough only the base game and the newest expansion is actually patched). It's only bugs that concern specific functionality of a add-on  that you won't have if you don't have the expansion (f.e. since excavating is specific to WA, you will only have that bug if you actually own WA, the bad mood bug you will have as soon as you patch to 1.19 cause this is base game functionality)

Question
Can I just omit a patch and move on to the next one if I want to omit a bug ?
Answer
No. A newer patch includes all changes in the previous patches.

Question
I already bought a new add-on and have it installed. Now there is also a patch available for download. Will that fix my problems ?

Answer
No. That patch is for all those Simmers that don't want to buy the add-on so that their basegame/add-ons are patched to the newest version as well. Patches that are released at the same time as an expansion pack are always included in the DVD and you already have that patch when you install the EP. There are very few exceptions to this rule where EA releases a patch within a few days of the release of the add-on. Check the versions numbers to make sure that you are up-to-date.

Question
I did not want the buy the add-on and only installed the newest patch. Unfortunatly I have many bugs now and it's not working right. Do I need to buy the expansion to get rid of those ?
Answer
No, you will never have to buy an expansion pack to get rid of errors and bugs. If the patch didn't fix it, the Ep won't eiterh

Question
I'm using mods in my game. Can I keep on using them when a patch comes out ?
Answer
No, you can't. Some of them will still work, other will not. Check with the creator if they still work or not.

Question
Now, when will there be a patch that fixes all of these bugs ?
Answer
EA only know that :)
EA's policy seems to be the following: Every 6 month, there is an EP and SP in between. Every time there is a EP or SP coming out, there will be a patch. This patch is released to update the base game for the new EP. Most of the time it does not have a lot of bug fixes. 4-6 weeks after release of the EP (and sometimes after release of a SP) there is another patch that has the purpose to fix as many bugs as possible. As well all know, this is not always the case and more bugs are introduced then fixed.