Info about The Sims™ 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack:

Official game description:
What's included in this pack
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About the Game
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Explore romance as you match with alluring Sims and plan exciting dates in The Sims™ 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack. Create your Sim’s profile for the Cupid’s Corner dating app, and start meeting matches! New intimate interactions, like cuddling in bed or meeting for a seductive dance, are waiting. Whether your dynamic ends up steamy or strained will depend on what your Sim finds attractive. Pay special attention to those Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs!  
*   **Plan Hotter Dates** — Check the Cupid’s Corner app for matches that make your Sim’s heart flutter. Then, set up a date with the new date-planning system. You’ll choose where to go and what to do, crafting romantic rendezvous that’ll leave Sims swooning. Sims can connect by playing games, cuddling in bed, or taking the Romantic Blanket to a beautiful spot for a special moment.  
*   **All About Attraction** — What works for your Sim? Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs will determine how attracted Sims are to each other. They can include interests, interactions, and more! Discover these as your Sims get to know their partners, build relationships, and maintain Romantic Satisfaction. Since Sims will like and dislike different interactions, partners might have different satisfaction levels. How Sims interact with each other will also affect whether their Relationship Dynamic is wholesome, steamy, strained, or unpredictable.  
*   **For Lovers of Love** — Romance isn’t just a word; it’s a skill that unlocks seductive interactions. For Sims with romantic aspirations, romance is a way of life. Truly hopeless romantics can even become Romance Consultants and make a career out of loving love. As they rise in their career, they’ll earn new ways to promote love and maybe find some cute heart-shaped furniture in their inventories.  
*   **Date Nights in an Unforgettable City** — Fall in love with a gorgeous city made for romance. Ciudad Enamorada has 3 neighborhoods that exude charm with plenty of places for Sims to meet, flirt, and even WooHoo. There’s even a new Singles Hangout lot trait that’ll attract available Sims to come and mingle.

Release date: Jul 25, 2024

Categories: Life Simulation, Dating Simulation, Relationship System, Character Customization, City Builder, Social Simulation, Expansion Pack, Romance

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 10; verdict: Low Concern / Traditional DLC Pricing; summary: The reviews focus on paid expansion/DLC value and support or ownership problems. Some users call the expansion overpriced or poor value, but there is no direct evidence of in-game microtransactions, real-money gacha, loot boxes, pay-to-win systems, or a cash shop. Under the audit rules, traditional DLC and base-price complaints cannot push the score above 20; the game is therefore rated low concern.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $19.99 - $29.99
  - Reasoning: The reviews repeatedly reject paying the full $40-level price for Sims content, recommending waiting for a sale or buying only at a discount. The strongest positive outlier says one pack is good value even at full price, which suggests the acceptable upper bound is still below the current $39.99 base price. Translating that sentiment to the base game, the community appears to treat roughly $20-$30 as a fair range: discount-level pricing is clearly acceptable, while $40 full price is widely seen as overpriced.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The available reviews mention time only in relation to lost progress from crashes, troubleshooting, customer service, or in-game relationship pacing. None provides a credible playtime figure for completing the Lovestruck expansion, finishing its story content, a typical gameplay session, or endgame activities. Therefore all requested playtime metrics are null.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - Value-Conscious FOMO-Averse DLC Buyer (sale)
    - Motivation: Get worthwhile Sims content without overpaying or being pressured by limited-time exclusives.
    - Playstyle: Buys DLC selectively, waits for sales, and avoids launch or event-driven purchases.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Romance-Driven Live-Mode Newcomer (buy)
    - Motivation: Play out romance and love stories in live mode.
    - Playstyle: Focuses on relationship-driven storytelling and accessible live-mode play.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Disillusioned Expansion Veteran (no buy)
    - Motivation: Find expansion content that meets established Sims standards for quality and world size.
    - Playstyle: Compares expansions with earlier worlds and lot counts, and abandons packs that feel underdelivered.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Inzoi; Paralives
  - Systems and QoL-Focused Player (buy)
    - Motivation: See richer gameplay systems, better careers, multiplayer options, and quality-of-life features.
    - Playstyle: Evaluates expansion mechanics and convenience features; wants more systemic depth.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: lukewarm player
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Dating and romance overhaul (weight 0.97): The pack adds a new dating app, romance skill, attraction system, and love dynamics that make relationships more realistic and complex. Dates are more developed, customizable, and challenging.
- Build and CAS items (weight 0.78): The pack includes a wide variety of well-made items for Build/Buy and Create-a-Sim, such as furniture, clothing, hairstyles, and accessories. Many appreciate the diverse styles and functional additions.
- Relationship complexity and consequences (weight 0.41): Love dynamics, boundaries, attraction, and romance satisfaction tracking add depth to relationships, including consequences like relationship decay and new death types. This makes managing relationships more engaging.
- New world Ciudad Enamorada (weight 0.33): A beautiful new world with a Mexican-inspired style, penthouses, and picturesque locations. It offers enjoyable gameplay and photo opportunities.
- Pack is essential and recommended (weight 0.29): Many players find the pack indispensable for romance gameplay and consider it a solid expansion that integrates well with the rest of the game. It is highly recommended.
- General enjoyment and fun (weight 0.28): Overall, the pack is described as enjoyable, fun, and adding a lot to the game. Many players express satisfaction and recommend it.
- New romantic animations (weight 0.21): Cute and adorable romantic animations and interactions, such as cuddling and skinship motions, enhance the portrayal of relationships. These animations are frequently praised.
- Cupid's Corner app (weight 0.17): The in-game dating app is a likable feature that simplifies finding partners and adds new gameplay possibilities. It is seen as a valuable addition without needing mods.
- Customization and personalization (weight 0.16): The pack offers extensive customization options for Sims, relationships, and homes through new traits, aspirations, lot traits, and build items. This allows for personalized experiences.
- Quality of life improvements (weight 0.13): The pack adds quality of life features like better control over relationships, the ability to give bouquets, and improvements to the dating system. These enhancements make gameplay smoother.
- New death types and woohoo spots (weight 0.13): The pack includes new death types, such as death by too many relationships and the Sweethearts box, as well as new woohoo spots. These add unique gameplay elements.
- Funny costumes and wedding dances (weight 0.11): The inclusion of humorous costumes and wedding dances adds a lighthearted and enjoyable element to the pack. Players find these additions amusing.
- NPCs and story elements (weight 0.1): NPCs are better looking and come with small missions and personality reveals. NPC-organized dates add randomness and surprise.
- Role-play and romantic theme (weight 0.1): The pack's strong focus on love and romantic relationships appeals to players who enjoy role-playing romantic stories. It adds a lot of possibilities for romantic gameplay.
- No serious bugs (weight 0.08): Several reviewers noted that the pack did not introduce any game-breaking bugs, which contributed to their overall satisfaction.
- Axolotl pets (weight 0.07): The addition of axolotl pets is a small but appreciated detail, with the option to release them back into the wild.

Common complaints:
- Overpriced for thin content (weight 0.46): Many reviewers feel the pack is too expensive for the amount of content provided, stating it lacks sufficient gameplay and should have been a game pack or free update. The price is not justified by the features added.
- Game is buggy and crashes (weight 0.44): Players encounter numerous bugs, including animation glitches, freezes, crashes, and unexpected resets. The game is often described as unplayable due to the sheer volume of issues introduced by the pack.
- Romance system is broken (weight 0.43): The romance and attraction mechanics are buggy and frustrating, with relationships tanking unexpectedly, preferences ignored, and interactions not working as intended. Many find the system overly complicated and detrimental to gameplay.
- World and lots underwhelming (weight 0.36): The new world and its lots are considered low-effort, with empty spaces, poor decor, and technical flaws like gaps and missing doors. Build mode is weak and the map feels like pure decoration.
- Technical issues prevent loading (weight 0.3): The game fails to load or crashes on startup, with error codes, infinite loading screens, and content packs not appearing. Some players cannot access the new world or even launch the game after installing the pack.
- Sims behavior and autonomy issues (weight 0.27): Sims exhibit odd behaviors such as constant spawning of couples, ignoring preferences, and engaging in unwanted romantic actions. This disrupts gameplay and immersion.
- Bugs go unfixed by EA (weight 0.21): EA is criticized for not addressing or fixing known bugs, instead releasing more DLC that adds further issues. Players feel ignored as existing problems persist across updates.
- Blank screen prevents world entry (weight 0.2): Players report that attempting to travel to the new world results in a white blank screen, freezing the game and preventing any progress. This issue occurs consistently, with some unable to return to world selection.
- Game breaking save corruption (weight 0.2): The pack introduces save corruption and game-breaking bugs that make saves unplayable, often requiring cheats or mods to recover. Some players lose hours of progress due to these issues.
- New world has few lots (weight 0.2): The new world is criticized for having very few usable lots, often just 13 or fewer, and lacks apartments or sufficient space for building. Many find the world underwhelming and empty despite its large appearance.
- UI and HUD glitches (weight 0.19): The user interface is broken, with missing elements, mislabeled buttons, and unclickable items. Some cannot even quit the game without using task manager.
- Attraction system ignores preferences (weight 0.19): The attraction feature often ignores player-set preferences, causing sims to be attracted to those they shouldn't be, and making socializing difficult. The system feels broken and pointless.
- Forced relationship maintenance (weight 0.19): The pack forces players to constantly maintain relationships, which is overwhelming for large households and rotational play. The satisfaction system claims auto-increase but still causes negative moodlets.
- Mods provide better content (weight 0.18): Players note that free mods offer more and better content than this paid pack, making the official additions feel redundant and lackluster. Many prefer mods over the DLC.
- Relationships decay too quickly (weight 0.18): Romance and relationship bars deplete rapidly, even for married couples or when not actively played, causing marriages to deteriorate and legacy saves to be ruined. Many mention that relationships drop from max to hate within a day.
- DLC transfer issues between platforms (weight 0.16): Players report that DLCs do not transfer between platforms despite EA's claims, and customer service is unhelpful, often telling users to repurchase content. This creates frustration and distrust.
- Frequent error codes on travel (weight 0.14): Traveling to venues often triggers error code pop-ups, and players get stuck, unable to load saves or continue playing. The error persists every time they attempt to load.
- Cupid's Corner app is broken (weight 0.14): The dating app feature is nonfunctional or causes dates to fail automatically, and players find it buggy and unhelpful. Many report that dates end in failure before they can even begin.
- Date tasks and interactions glitchy (weight 0.14): Date tasks do not clear, sims stand idle instead of performing actions, and dates are glitchy and annoying. The new date system is poorly implemented and frustrating.
- Polyamory and age rating concerns (weight 0.1): Some players find the inclusion of polyamory inappropriate for the game's age rating, suggesting it should be raised to 16+. They also criticize the focus on such themes over core gameplay.

Gameplay feedback:
- Cupid's Corner Dating App (weight 0.39): The pack introduces a Cupid's Corner dating app that functions as an in-game matchmaking system. It allows players to find partners for their Sims, including Sims from the gallery, without needing mods.
- Romantic Interactions and Animations (weight 0.29): New romantic animations and interactions are added, such as cuddling, skinship motions, and giving flowers. These expand the ways Sims can express affection and build relationships.
- Dating System Overhaul (weight 0.29): The dating system has been changed to be more in-depth, with customizable activities and challenges. Dates are now controlled by the player during creation and superficially resemble Sims 2 dates.
- Attraction and Turn-Ons System (weight 0.27): An attraction system with turn-ons and turn-offs determines romantic compatibility between Sims. This system affects socializing and pairing, adding depth to relationship formation.
- Romance Consultant and Counseling (weight 0.23): A romance consultant provides interactions, unlockable items, and a love counseling center. This NPC offers guidance and missions related to romantic relationships.
- Romance Satisfaction and Dynamics (weight 0.2): A romance satisfaction system tracks relationship progress, with love dynamics that increase or decrease based on actions. This adds complexity to how relationships evolve over time.
- Relationship Decay and Breakups (weight 0.17): Relationships can decay over time if not maintained, potentially leading to breakups, but only if cheating is witnessed. Auto-breakup and jealousy systems add consequences to relationship neglect.
- Woohoo Spots and Closet (weight 0.16): New woohoo spots are introduced, including a woohoo closet and motel-themed locations. Social interactions can quickly lead to woohoo from meeting.
- Rabbit Holes and Limited Interactivity (weight 0.15): Some features rely on rabbit holes, and there is no hotel or new interactive job. Motels are rabbit holes, and the world has unbuildable lots.
- Romantic Boundaries and Jealousy (weight 0.11): The pack adds romantic boundaries and jealousy settings that can be customized for each Sim. Traits like flirt interact with these boundaries, affecting how Sims react to infidelity.
- Legacy and Family Gameplay Impact (weight 0.11): The pack impacts family and legacy gameplay by affecting marriage and relationship progression across generations. It adds depth to long-term storytelling.
- Romance Skill and Traits (weight 0.08): A new romance skill is added, along with new traits, aspirations, and a lot trait. TV stations and other minor additions expand romantic gameplay.
- New Death by Love (weight 0.08): A new death type related to love is added, triggered by having too many relationships and destroying them. This adds a risky consequence to romantic gameplay.
- Romantic Objects and Decor (weight 0.07): New romantic objects such as rugs, a board game, and a suitcase for dressing up are added. These items enhance the romantic theme in build mode.
- Custom Relationship Labels (weight 0.05): Players can assign custom relationship labels to Sims, allowing for more personalized storytelling. This feature enhances the depth of romantic and platonic relationships.
- Neighborhood Stories Integration (weight 0.05): Neighborhood stories allow Sims to find partners or friends autonomously. This feature integrates with the pack's romance systems to populate the world with evolving relationships.
- Fears and Memories System (weight 0.05): A fears and memories system is included, adding emotional depth to romantic experiences. These memories can influence future interactions and relationship dynamics.

Performance notes:
- Loading failures despite integrity checks (weight 0.12): Players experience loading failures, including inability to get past loading screens or load into the game, even when file integrity checks report no issues.
- DLC causes game to break (weight 0.09): After downloading DLC, the game may not work at all, and previously installed packs can become unloadable. This suggests a serious compatibility or installation issue.
- Crashes when placing large lots (weight 0.05): Placing 64x64 lots causes the game to crash. This is a specific, reproducible bug affecting players who use large lots.
- Unaddressed technical issues by support (weight 0.05): Players report numerous technical problems that moderators or support have not resolved or responded to, leading to frustration with the lack of assistance.
- General bugginess reported (weight 0.04): A general complaint about the game being buggy, though without specific details. This likely overlaps with other reported technical issues.

Recommendations:
- Wait for a Sale (weight 0.39): Many reviewers strongly advise against purchasing at full price and recommend waiting for a discount. This sentiment is widespread across multiple clusters.
- Not Worth Buying (weight 0.32): Several reviewers state the pack is not worth the money or cannot be recommended at all. This is a common negative sentiment.
- Recommended for Romance Fans (weight 0.2): Players who enjoy dating, romance, and marriage aspects of The Sims find this pack highly recommended. It adds significant content for those interests.
- Bugs and Glitches (weight 0.15): Reviewers report unfixed bugs and glitches that make the pack difficult to recommend. Many advise waiting until these issues are resolved.
- Overpriced for Content (weight 0.14): Many feel the pack is overpriced relative to the content offered. Some suggest it is only worth half the asking price or less.
- Wait Before Purchasing (weight 0.14): Reviewers recommend waiting a few weeks or months before buying, as the pack may not be worth it immediately. Some say there is nothing missing out on for now.
- Avoid Due to EA Issues (weight 0.11): Some advise against buying due to EA's handling of the game or account issues. This includes not merging accounts or spending on DLC until fixes are made.
- Essential Pack for Some (weight 0.08): A few reviewers consider this pack one of the most essential or best value packs, even at full price.
- Use Mods Instead (weight 0.07): Some suggest skipping the pack and using mods instead, especially for masculine items or similar content.
- Buy It, It's Okay (weight 0.07): A couple of reviewers simply say to buy it or that it is okay to purchase. These are positive but vague recommendations.
- Good for Storytelling (weight 0.05): Players who enjoy storytelling find this pack great for their gameplay. It enhances narrative experiences.
- Recommended for New Players (weight 0.05): Some reviewers recommend this pack to new players. It may be a good starting point for them.
- Mediocre, Not Impressive (weight 0.04): Some find the pack mediocre—not bad enough for a negative review, but not impressive either.
- Not for Family Players (weight 0.04): Reviewers note it is not recommended for players seeking healthy family relationships. The focus is more on romance.
- Play Alternatives Instead (weight 0.04): A few reviewers recommend buying other games like Inzoi or Paralives instead of this pack.
- Uninstalled, Does Not Recommend (weight 0.04): One reviewer uninstalled the pack and does not recommend it. This indicates strong dissatisfaction.
- Not a Must-Have (weight 0.04): Some describe the pack as optional and not a complete must-have. It is not necessary to buy immediately.

Other player notes:
- Should be game pack (weight 0.23): Many reviewers feel the DLC lacks sufficient content for an expansion pack and would be better suited as a game pack at a lower price. They cite limited features and small world size as evidence.
- Mods offer better value (weight 0.2): Multiple reviewers compare the pack unfavorably to free mods, stating that mods provide similar or better features at no cost. They mention specific mods like WickedWhims and WW that already offer comparable content.
- Compared to other packs (weight 0.18): Reviewers compare this expansion to other Sims 4 packs like City Living, Wedding Stories, Cottage Living, Seasons, and Get Famous. They note similarities in world design and content, but often find it lacking.
- Overpriced for content (weight 0.15): The expansion is widely criticized for being too expensive relative to the amount of content it offers. Reviewers note that the price is similar to a full expansion but the content is minimal.
- No major bugs or crashes (weight 0.12): Some players report that the pack runs smoothly without crashes or major bugs, and that patches have been released to address issues. This contrasts with other packs that introduced serious bugs.
- Buggy and glitchy interactions (weight 0.11): Some reviewers report that date interactions are buggy, similar to issues in My Wedding Stories. They also mention broken UI on laundry lists and the need for the Sims Team to fix glitches.
- Limited buildable lots and world (weight 0.08): The new world is criticized for having few buildable lots (only 5) and lacking apartment buildings with neighbors, making it feel decorative and less interactive. This limits gameplay compared to other expansions.
- Cross-platform DLC issues (weight 0.08): A reviewer notes that DLCs do not transfer between platforms, contradicting EA's website claims. This creates confusion and frustration for players who switch platforms.
- Community toxicity and FOMO (weight 0.08): The game's community is described as toxic, vain, and childish. Additionally, the F.O.M.O. timed event system with exclusive items tied to account activity is criticized.
- Pricing and pre-order bonuses (weight 0.08): The pack includes pre-order limited bonus items and is priced similarly to a full expansion. Some reviewers note that prices for Sims 4 packs were raised in certain countries.
- Comparison to other life sims (weight 0.08): Reviewers compare The Sims 4 to alternatives like Inzoi and Paralives, noting that it has lost its monopoly on life simulation games. They see this as a reason for EA to improve.
- Mods and CC usage (weight 0.07): Reviewers discuss their mod usage, ranging from minimal (3-4 CC items) to extensive. They note that using many outdated mods can cause functionality problems.
- Positive value for money (weight 0.07): A few reviewers find the pack to be worth its price even at full price, considering it one of the better options EA offers. They appreciate the gameplay additions and features.
- Suggestions for playing pack (weight 0.07): Reviewers suggest combining this pack with For Rent to fill lots with more people and create a romantic city for singles. They also mention using mods to open a romantic nightclub.
- Polyamory feature inappropriate (weight 0.05): One reviewer finds the polyamory feature and emphasis on WooHoo inappropriate given the game's 12+ age rating. They believe this content is not suitable for younger players.
- Sims 5 cancellation and exploitation (weight 0.05): One reviewer notes that Sims 5 has been canceled and that Sims 4 continues to be exploited with more DLCs and mobile content. This reflects frustration with EA's monetization strategy.
- Base game integration expectation (weight 0.04): One reviewer feels the expansion affects gameplay strongly and should have been part of the base game. This reflects a perception that core features are locked behind paid DLC.
- World design issues (weight 0.04): The new world includes background houses that are complete rectangles and offers fewer activities than Del Sol Valley. This makes the world feel unfinished and less engaging.
- References to previous Sims games (weight 0.04): Reviewers mention features from older Sims games, such as paying a fortune teller in The Sims 2 to find a partner, and compare them to this pack's features.
- Dating app improvement suggestions (weight 0.04): A reviewer suggests that the dating app could allow personalized texts, similar to Social Bunny. This would enhance the dating experience and make it more immersive.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.3): Frustration is driven by pervasive bugs and broken features, such as unresponsive relationship mechanics, corrupted saves, and game crashes that make play impossible. Many players also feel cheated by the high price for minimal, buggy content, with unhelpful customer service and duplicated worlds compounding the anger.
- Disappointment (weight 0.22): Disappointment stems from the expansion's thin content, weak build mode, and underwhelming map that feels empty or underdeveloped. Players also cite technical issues, save corruption, and a lack of meaningful gameplay additions, making it feel like a cash grab rather than a full expansion.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Satisfaction comes from well-received love dynamics that add realism and depth to relationships, along with quality CAS and build items. Players also appreciate that the pack introduced no new serious bugs and improved relationship control and date planning.
- Love (weight 0.05): Love is centered on the pack's focus on romance and love, with overhauled dating and couples activities that add fun to relationships. The build/buy items, universal romantic features, and new axolotl pets also contribute to positive experiences.
- Amusement (weight 0.04): Amusement arises from the sheer number of bugs, which some players find hilarious rather than frustrating. Funny costumes and glitches like love-making appearing near motels also entertain.
- Annoyance (weight 0.04): Annoyance is caused by repetitive relationship maintenance, such as having to constantly fix relationships that deplete when not actively played. Partners' clingy behavior and romance satisfaction dropping, along with repeated reinstallation attempts that fail to fix issues, also irritate players.
- Excitement (weight 0.03): Excitement is fueled by the new romantic skill and relationship system, along with the new world, CAS items, and in-depth dating gameplay. The fun new dating mechanics, interactions, and animations also generate enthusiasm.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Enjoyment comes from the added location, chat options, and depth provided by likes and dislikes, as well as new gameplay and building features. The dating and romance changes, new world, and playing the pack despite bugs contribute to positive experiences.
- Hatred (weight 0.02): Hatred is directed at the pack's price tag and the annoying gameplay mechanic, which players find unacceptable.
- Dislike (weight 0.02): Dislike is caused by the map, the Cupid Corner app, and buggy gameplay that turns Sims into cheaters.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger stems from rude customer service and being told to repurchase DLC, along with widespread bugs like action cancellations and missing conversation options. Players are furious that their money went to a non-functional game with conflicting DLCs that fail to load.
- Sadness (weight 0.02): Sadness is felt over the change from the Sims 2 fortune teller to the Sims 4 Cupid app, and EA's lack of bug fixing and the overall state of Sims 4.
- Liking (weight 0.01): Liking is specifically attributed to the Cupid Corner feature.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation is expressed for well-designed love motel items and Art Nouveau decor, as well as the hard work that goes into creating the game.
- Sarcasm (weight 0.01): Sarcasm is aimed at the DLC's emphasis on dating apps.
- Irritation (weight 0.01): Irritation is caused by annoying pop-ups and overly complicated dating mechanics.
- Like (weight 0.01): Like is driven by the addition of more intimate moments.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration is for the expansion's romantic theme and detailed world, as well as its beautiful textures.
- Misery (weight 0.01): Misery results from the pack being game breaking, leading to an overall negative experience.
- Hate (weight 0.01): Hate is directed at the bugs that remain unfixed.}