Outings baffle me

[xoferew]

Sim A calls my sim inviting him on an outing.  Sure.  While I'm pondering whether I'm supposed to call the taxi or if it will come automatically, Sim B calls, inviting my sim on an outing.  Is this the same outing?  Am I screwing something up by saying yes?  Suddenly the outing fun meter pops up.  How is it an outing if I don't go out?  Within ten seconds it goes from so-so to red frowny face and Sim C, who was already visiting on the lot, tells me he's glad that's over, now he's free to have fun with someone who is actually fun.  I was still trying to figure out if I need to call the taxi.   

Immediately the phone rings again with an outing request from Sim D.  Sure, why not.  Now the taxi pulls up, so my befuddled sim gets in.  I pick the downtown destination and he gets out of the taxi with Sim D or maybe E.  I can't even remember.  Sim D/E almost immediately tells me the date is over, maybe we'll do it again some time.  Is "date" another word for "outing"?  Because no one asked anyone on a date.  I guess he left because it was after 9 pm and he is a teen?  Then why did he invite me in the first place?  Or did he?  I know I didn't invite him.   

Is this normal?

[Ellatrue]

No, not normal. This is WTF?

[J. M. Pescado]

OUtings baffle me, too, mostly because it's a total mystery what on earth you're supposed to do normally. The only conclusion I've drawn is that you should always organize your OWN groups, NEVER accept called ones, because they'll contain godknowswho, of which 2 or 3 of them will be babies and just lie there uselessly in the road, and the remaining sims in the group will just stand around and complain and never do anything.

[Zazazu]

Babies? WTF?

I always take calls for outings, though I don't get them in this 'hood due to having no Downtown. Instant contacts, and as long as you interact with each person once, then end it, it will end positively. I've never had an invitee be anything other than teen, adult, or elder. And I've never had more than one sim call at a time.

[sewinglady]

Yes. Babies. I'm with our fearless leader on this one - I never allow a sim to accept an outing if called in. Only if I arrange it via their groups.

First time I had the 'baby in the road' thing I was worried that the baby would never get back home, but it somehow managed to still be lying its crib next time I played that household. whew.

[seelindarun]

I'm with Zazazu.  If the sim in question needs the friends (or the gifts) I do outings.  I only accept one at a time though, and yeah you have to call your own taxi, walk or whatever 'cause you get to choose the venue.  Never had babies.  The outcomes tend to be much more variable than your own outings, but there is so little disaster or ruin in the game, may as well do them for lulz.

If I really need to milk outings for the gifts, then I try to keep the group's size manageable, 4 or so.  You can ask anyone to leave the group, and doing so will often bump the meter!  Apart from that, it's all about getting STR points among the playable sim and all the attendees.

[Gastfyr]

You people getting babies in outing groups must have tight pants or somehing.     I nearly always accpet these invites and I have never seen anyone younger than a teen in the group.  Never.  And teens all leave if it's past cerfew.  lol

I'm guessing the reason the game borked for xoferew has something to do with accepting two outings at the same time.

[funkilla]

Sounds similar to the headmaster bug. I'd investigate it if I knew wtf I was doing or looking for.

[keirra]

You people getting babies in outing groups must have tight pants or somehing.    

It must be "or something". I find it hard to believe that Pescado has tight pants. 

[coralleane]

I can't remember if I've ever had more than one outing offered at a time, although while I was playing yesterday I had one household which had four offers of dates/outings in a row (all turned down, though!).  I normally only accept suggested outings for popularity/romance Sims who need to meet people or who are always rolling wants to socialise.. I use self-organised outings for Sims who need to up their relationship with several people, especially if it's a large household because it means I don't need to worry about the other Sims while I'm at it!  I'll occasionally get the highest outcome (Rockin'?), but as long as it's a positive end I'm not really too fussed.

[talysman]

He probably has '80s hair, too.

As for outings, I've mainly accepted invites, only trying to organize one myself once (for an engagement party.) Never had much trouble. However, at the time, there were no playable sims below 12, so I didn't see any "babies in the road" issues. Barring such evidence, but admitting that, hey, this is EA we're talking about, I'd say that accepting outing invitations is OK in a relatively-fresh neighborhood, mainly as a way to quickly meet new people. After the first several outings, however, switch to playable-organized outings for special occasions only -- like forcing potential deadly enemies to meet in public.

[Marhis]

LOL, it happens to me, too, sometimes (although not always). As soon as I install a new EP, next outing includes a baby or a toddler, event that automagically ceases to happen with the following patch  .

It doesn't seems to be a check in the code, like "is this sim already invited at an outing?", so after 6 p.m. random outing invitations will cancel each other and messing up the whole thing. Plus, the taxi issue is messed up as well, given that sometimes the call includes an automatic transportation call, sometimes not. I tried some time ago to look in that part of code but I gave up, 'cause it's seriously messed up.
And if you decline the second (third, fourth, etc.) invitation, it will cancel all the others, too.

So far, the only "solution" I found out was to have the invited playable own his own car; in this case he will head straight to that paying no attention to further calls.

[xoferew]

Good, I'm reassured to hear that this bizarre situation is fairly normal.  The next day I noticed that different sims in my family had the blue overlay relationship boost thing for the various people who had called for outings, so the caller was intending to call a specific sim but then invited whoever the hell answered the phone, and then gave the relationship boost to the person they hadn't even spoken with.  I guess. 

The next day this child called for an outing:


Then he immediately turned himself down, perhaps because of the time.  However, I've had children ask an adult on an outing, stay with him until late in the night, and the next day come around to deliver a Mr. Bearlybutts chair.   It was wealthy children and a poor adult, and I couldn't shake the feeling that they were using him for some disgusting perversity. 



Also, similar to what Mr. Pescado mentioned, I have had toddlers crawling around the Crypt-o-night Club.
I'll just go back to refusing outings, and thus avoid the Underaged Predators of the Night.

[GayJohnScarritt]

   The only time i've ever tried accepting an outing invitation, a total of 10 different townie's got out of the taxi when they arrived at the bowling alley.  I blame Neko for that, as i had just finished reading one of her Clown Car chapters.

[spaceface]

Right, I am going to start accepting outings as of now. I want to see what those toddlers are really doing at the night clubs...

[J. M. Pescado]

Well, mostly, they crawl around aimlessly, due to lack of anything to do, cry a lot, and soil themselves. Much like any other baby one brings out of the house, which is why you don't do it in real life, either.

[jolrei]

Right, I am going to start accepting outings as of now. I want to see what those toddlers are really doing at the night clubs...

I want to see the "taxi is a clowncar" thing.  Must try this.

[Zazazu]

The most invitees I've had was 12. I brought them to a restaurant, too, and of course there wasn't a table big enough (small restaurant with only 10 seats total). I had to cheat a bit and put in a huge table I had but never used in order to seat them all, in the courtyard.

[Ellatrue]

I've never had anyone younger than a teen, either. I generally accept outings if my sim needs friends for work. You get the +20 contact bonus with the random people it chooses, IIRC.

I think the baby thing must be some sort of bug.

[sewinglady]

I dunno anything about 'tightpants'...I have had the babies on outings things for a loooong time.

Oh, look...I do still have the photo of the first incident of this. Uploaded January 12, 2007 - so it's been going on at least that long. And I'm pretty sure that neighborhood went kerblooie when I installed Seasons...

[Gwill]

Where are these babies coming from?  Are they playable sims?  Orphans?
I've never seen either babies nor toddlers on outings, but I have had those double-booking phone calls.
It seems outing invitations always occur at the same time, and so does date invites, so you can get a whole bunch in a row, even if you've already accepted one.
Your date gets very upset and feels stood up if you accept an outing at the same time.

[Theo]

In my case they're playables, and related to one of the outing's sims. I've also had children making invitations to outings, which promptly leave upon arrival, if it's a night outing.

[spaceface]

I am planning a community lot creche now, just in case.

[Tyyppi]

I also get the clown car taxis. Never had babies or childrens in the group though.

[Gwill]

Clown car taxies is nothing.  I once had a sim go to an outing in a (CC) Harley with the whole outing stacked on it.