#game support

Thank you!

I'll be honest here: Simmers choosing to add mods to their game (and that includes CC, which are mods too) but not learning how to properly install and update them or how to use them across game updates, not reading instructions from creators, not taking them out when reporting problems on support forums or to Maxis but saying they did, and not reading available info before asking for support are a HUGE reason modders leave modding (or just stop publishing their mods and keep them only for their own use) and a HUGE reason support volunteers stop volunteering.

So I'm going to bounce off your kind post with some advice for other people.

If You Want to Use Gameplay Mods and Custom Content...

Learn how to use your Mods folder. Learn how to set your folder up with subfolders so that you can find the files you need to delete when you add new ones. Learn what has to go no more than one folder down so the game actually sees it. Something every college instructor quickly learns is that younger people have often never needed to learn about computer file structure before. Well, you have to.

Read creators' instructions. Creators' instruction will tell you crucial things like what a mod actually will and will NOT do, packs are needed for their mod, how your files need to be arranged in your Mods folder, what other creators' mods you need to run theirs, which files to install only one of, etc. Far too many people show up asking for help and the problem is they didn't read the instructions. Instructions are not optional.

Have a plan for something else to do after game updates. Sometimes your gameplay mods and custom content WILL BREAK because the part of the game they "talk" to changed. Have a "vanilla" save or a different game entirely to play while you wait. Develop a second hobby. Clean your kitchen. Call your mom. If you choose to use gameplay mods and CC, you are choosing that you will need to stop using them occasionally, one way or another.

Read AHQ support instructions and follow them. Reporting a game error at Maxis's AHQ? Read about testing for the error without your Mods folder, and supply all the requested info.

Read mod support instructions and follow them. Asking for help with mods/CC from Deaderpool or Sims After Dark or a creator? When you join, read the rules you agree to; they aren't there for fun. If you choose to use mods with unethical or illegal content, expect that you will NOT get support. Answer questions honestly. Upload the files requested, not just pictures of them. Be kind to creators and volunteers: there are very good reasons they're asking you what they are, and if they give up creating/volunteering, you're going to be on your own.

Read broken/updated mod support instructions and follow them. @scarlets-realm and I have very different structures and therefore different rules, but neither of us is going to stay willing to maintain our lists if we keep having to deal with Simmers who don't follow our rules, which we have set up, for one, to prevent false reports, which benefit nobody. I started my list because I was looking for info for myself and thought I might as well share it in a centralized way. If it becomes increasingly annoying, I'm happy to let Simmers go back to Hard Mode.

Don't ask "WHEN". You are not a preschooler anymore, and when you were and were asking "Are we there yet?," you were making it harder for your mom or dad to drive the car. Creators are not working on your schedule; you aren't their managers. Leave them alone so they can actually get to the destination.

Don't ask "What broke". The answer is already available to you. READ AND FOLLOW my Forums list (don't just pop in with a question). Please note that the Forums themselves have rules, and those MUST be followed there. READ AND SEARCH Scarlet's list. If you choose to use mods from creators who use a pirated/cracked game or packs, who paywall any of their creations permanently or longer than Maxis permits for their type of content, or who copy code without permission from other creators, you're going to be relying on the creators for support. Neither of us will support unethical creators by helping you use their stuff.

Get your news about what's broken and what isn't from the established lists, support servers, and the creators. A lot of Sims influencers on YouTube and Twitch use mods, but that doesn't mean they're a reliable source of info, unfortunately. Some are using outdated or broken mods and don't realize it. Some have been known to say that a mod is "broken" when what's broken is a game mechanic or when they think a mod is supposed to be doing something it's not.

You have a choice:

Hey all! If you’re having game issues, or want to contact Pixelberry for whatever reason, you have several options: 

Message us in-game via the Settings (the gear icon) > Help > Message (top right chat icon). This is the best way for our hardworking Support Team to help troubleshoot and resolve game issues for you.  

Email us at [email protected] -- if you can’t open your Choices game and need Support Team help, this is the way to go. 

Contact us through Facebook for questions and comments. Again, in order for us to better troubleshoot game issues, messaging us in-game is your best option.

Tweet us @playchoices if you have any quick comments or questions (that can be answered in 140 chars!). 

Please note: Comments and game support questions will not be answered on Tumblr. We want to be sure that we receive your feedback, and that’s not always possible on a platform like Tumblr. Thanks for understanding!

Like, great. All my 2 weeks of hard grinding comes down to the waste. Currently on Support; will keep y’all updated on shit life lmao.

Additionally, there are apparently not enough quests to reach level 70 if all you do is quest. For me, the main content in MMOs when levelling should be the quests (and dungeons, but not having to grind them repeatedly). I also remember one expansion in Lotro not having enough quests. It was annoying and felt like the developers had either run out of time or out of ideas. That case had been worse, though, as Turbine had first announced that there would be 5 more levels and then they had said that because they had so much content, they had decided to switch to 10 more levels – only for players to run out of quests to do before getting these 10 levels. In general, I can only repeat myself from what I said about Lotro’s expansion: I do not like this at all. Not even because I don’t want to do dungeons or anything else other than questing, but because when I look at my alts, I know it’s just much more fun to have quests to choose from instead of having to do each and every one on every single character just to reach max. level with them. It gets repetitive and boring fast. A new powerlevelling guide was just released and that one mentions the issue with not enough experience from quests as well.

I guess I am lucky that I am a slow leveller. I think I should fall into the “average” range of people with a busy life and not that much time to devote to gaming. When I read about there not being enough quests, I thankfully also saw the suggestion to do crafting dailies. As I could not actively play every day, I at least did these dailies regularly. I was amazed to see that the 5 quests I can do with my crafting professions led to a huge increase of XP (it was between 6 – 15 % depending on which level my cleric had – a bigger increase at the lower levels – and whether I had a bonus to XP gain activated). This actually leaves me with a whole lot of questing content untouched and I am currently trying to decide whether to take my mage or my warrior through the new content.

However, even though I am complaining here, I still really like Rift and bought a year of Patron time with their recent sale going on. Unfortunately, I was not awarded the amount of loyalty I should have received with my purchase. I did as was suggested on the forums and sent in a support ticket. I may be spoiled from World of Warcraft, but waiting several days seemed very very long. And then their reply was that I was awared the correct amount of loyalty. I told them my purchase number for the patron time as well as screenshots which I had taken before and after the purchases (pure luck here! ^^) and one of these did the trick and I received my loyalty. In their defence, once you are at the top of the queue, replies are very fast and from the time I sent in the purchase number and the screenshots to when I received my loyalty, I think I had actually only made myself some coffee and oatmeal for breakfast. :p Bugs can happen and as long as they get sorted out, I’m happy.

Now on to something more positive about Rift: I did enjoy the quests I’ve seen, even though they once again seem very weird. Probably less so if you’re used to Rift and its lore. The new regions are beautiful to look at! And without doing much at all during Rift’s Yulefest, I got to exchange the yulefest currency for a new mount and a new dimension. I also got quite some nice rewards from the 4h minion missions after they reduced the amount of Aventurine one can hoard to rush through these missions once a special event is going on. I think I’m at three new companion pets! Additionally, when I saw that Rift was part of the Steam winter sale (and they match the price on Steam in their own store as well), I wanted to see if they also offered the upgrade to Starfall Prophecy’s Deluxe Edition with a discount. Instead, I found that the upgrade was removed completely. A short internet search revealed that Trion announced the upgrade to go on sale at some point in January. I can only assume that this is the reason why it’s removed right now as to avoid all of us buying it without the discount? If that is the case: Neat! If not: Still convenient. :p Now I only need to decide whether I really want that dragon mount or not. It can’t fly, it just looks awesome. But I did spend quite a lot of money on Rift already and I’m not sure I want to give them even more money at this point… especially since I have a lot of awesome mounts already.