Patch 102, released yesterday, is the latest monthly update to The Sims 4 and begins the rollout of a series of planned updates aimed at improving the game's racial representation and diversity. After disappointment surfaced this summer over the lack of realistic and diverse skin tone options in Create-A-Sim, the Sims team vowed to do better. With the main event still coming in December, the update that month will radically increase the number of available skin tones with the addition of new swatches and the introduction of sliders that allow players to change each tone, but the first improvements are here now and, so far, have been quite well received It seems to be quite well received so far.

The October update revamped the game's two base hairstyles, the feminine "long braided back" and the masculine "afro medium," with more realistic and detailed textures. Although not officially commented on as part of the patch notes, players have also noted that the game's only black-haired swatch seems to have lost its widely disliked bluish tint.

Additionally, while no new skin tones have been added yet, the update fixes a longstanding problem with existing skin swatches: the strange blotchy artifacts and distracting patterns that were affecting many of the game's darker skin tones. The problem was allegedly caused by excessive layer compression, which has now been addressed. To see the results, you should run the game using the default "uncompressed sim textures" option in the graphics settings.

The new update also adds several new items to the game to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, including new food, furniture, and clothing inspired by Mexican, Argentine, and Dominican cultures. The patch was developed in collaboration with Chicano artist Mr. Cartoon and SOMOS EA (EA's Hispanic/Latino employee resource group), and the "The Sims 4" team is more enthusiastic than ever about diversity and inclusion behind the scenes It seems they are more committed than ever to diversity and inclusion behind the scenes.

While these aspects of the latest update seem to be well received by players, the patch is not without its problems. Those familiar with The Sims 4 will know that minor bug fixes have a nasty habit of solving one problem only to cause another equally nasty one. One Reddit user posted a video of the rocks around Evergreen Harbor doing a wild dance. Perhaps this is the result of a bug fix that prevents the rocks from disappearing in Surani. Unfortunately, we will have to wait for the November patch for these.