Broken Promises and AI‑Generated Code: The Problem With the Control Any Sim Reborn Mod
The Control Any Sim mod has long been one of the most sought‑after tools for managing non‑playable characters in The Sims 4. After a long hiatus, it finally received an update — but fans’ joy quickly turned to disappointment. The new modder who took over the update not only failed to fix old issues but also added questionable code that raised eyebrows among technically savvy players. We thank Sonozaki Sisters for their detailed breakdown, on whose analysis this article is based.
The Mod’s History and What Happened
Control Any Sim allowed players to temporarily take control of any character — a neighbor, a passerby, or an employee. For those who love crafting intricate stories or just want to peek into an NPC’s “head,” the mod was indispensable.
However, the original version had gone unupdated for a long time and was known to have bugs, especially when trying to control small business employees. Recently the mod was “updated” — but by someone other than the original script’s creator. The community immediately had questions: how good is the work, and can the new code be trusted?
Sonozaki Sisters, the author of the technical review, notes that the original Control Any Sim was one of her favorite tools, and the news of a long‑awaited update initially made her happy. But after examining the code and comparing it with the author’s promises, she came away with a very different impression.
What’s Wrong with the Update?
The modder who took on the update posted a detailed list of changes that sounded impressive: “rebuilding the package via S4Tools,” “dynamic script loading,” “translation support via JSON,” “simultaneous control of multiple Sims,” and other “improvements.”
But when users started digging, it turned out that almost none of the claimed innovations matched reality. Sonozaki Sisters performed a detailed analysis of the code and the mod’s description, concluding that:
Most of the “new features” simply aren’t there — neither in the code nor in the mod’s files is there any trace of the promised changes.
The description contains technically meaningless phrases that betray a lack of understanding of how the game works. For example, the claimed “dynamic script loading” is impossible in The Sims 4’s architecture.
The only real fix addresses the bug with small business employees — but even that is at a level any experienced modder would call basic.
Some code changes turned out to be completely pointless, and in one case the developer inadvertently disabled the logging system that helps players find and report errors.
Why This Matters to Players
The main problem isn’t that the mod “might not work.” The problem is that the person behind the update apparently doesn’t fully understand how to write scripts for The Sims 4. The code analysis showed many changes were either meaningless or copied without understanding their purpose.
Suspicions are heightened by the fact that the update was uploaded to CurseForge (a platform where authors can earn income) and the new “developer” almost immediately launched a paid Patreon. All of this made many wonder: is this update really about helping the community, or is it a quick cash‑grab riding on someone else’s popular mod?
The reviewer notes that this is likely the worst script she has ever seen, and urges players to be critical of what they put into their Mods folder.
AI Won’t Replace Understanding the Game
The question of using AI to write code deserves special attention. According to Sonozaki Sisters, the author’s responses and the strange wording in the mod description strongly resemble text generated by artificial intelligence. But the real issue is the code itself. Even the most advanced neural networks don’t have access to The Sims 4’s internal documentation and specific mechanics. They don’t know how the game’s scripts work, which patterns are safe, and which can cause errors. As a result, the code is filled with meaningless changes, broken promises, and disabled essential functions (like logging).
Research confirms that using neural networks for coding often degrades code quality, especially when the developer themselves doesn’t understand the subject matter. This isn’t to say AI is evil — but it can’t replace genuine understanding of the game and the experience of engaging with the community. Modding The Sims 4 requires not flashy descriptions, but the ability to work with the tools, read guides, and test your own changes.
What Should Players Do?
If you use Control Any Sim and want to avoid issues, here are a few simple recommendations:
Check the author. If a mod is updated by someone other than its original creator, approach the update with caution. Look at the new author’s other work and read comments.
Read reviews and comments. Discussions often reveal problems that aren’t visible at first glance. In this case, it was commenters who pointed out the discrepancies between promises and reality.
Use proven alternatives. Instead of the updated version of Control Any Sim, consider the Sim Control Hub mod by Dquiet. Be aware that it hasn’t been updated for the latest game versions either, but according to Sonozaki Sisters, its code is well‑written. The only critical bug players encountered — travel issues when controlling NPCs — was fixed by modder Ichnusa. You can replace the original script with that fix and everything should work fine.
Don’t rush to update. If your current version of the mod is working reliably, there’s no reason to switch to an unverified one.
The Control Any Sim situation is a good reminder that even in a friendly modding community, healthy caution is warranted. Not everyone who calls themselves a developer truly understands the technical side.
Fortunately, in the case of Control Any Sim, things turned out okay — the mod doesn’t contain any obviously malicious code. But using a mod whose author doesn’t understand what they’re doing is a questionable pleasure.
