Bon Voyage time issue. <SOLVED>

[rosenshyne]

Those parents should be shot. What kind of moron thinks it's safe to leave three children under the age of four in an unlocked hotel room? The level of stupidity is mind-boggling.

[jolrei]

I agree that leaving kids in a room unattended in a hotel or holiday house, however close by you happen to be, is pretty damn stupid.  News reports I have seen indicate that the car with the bloodstains was rented 25 days after the disappearance, but this was in the context of the family making implications that the Portuguese police were likely incompetent and had botched the investigation.  Likely this will also help the story continue, on and on and on...

As for diseases in the game, I was more or less joking about the hepatitis from water thing, although one or two new amusing diseases might be interesting.  Frankly, I could never see the point of the "get a drink" option for sinks - does it accomplish anything?  I have never noticed any benefit, which would make a disease from drinking water rather pointless as well.  Possibly a random possibility of getting a disease from getting a drink at a bar while on holiday might be more realistic.  I don't care for the idea of AIDS, cancer, or disabilities in the game - reduces the amusing escapist aspect and makes it too much like RL.  Sort of like the period hacks available out in the non-awesome sphere somewhere - pointless and adds unnecessary annoyance factors.

[jsalemi]

"Get a drink" has a benefit for Plantsims -- it fills their need for water.  So it took 5 EPs, but it finally has a function.

[FlyOnTheWall]

Also

"Get a drink" has a benefit for Plantsims -- it fills their need for water.  So it took 5 EPs, but it finally has a function.

It also cools down Sims that are too warm. Quite useful.

[LycosV]

Good to know that "Go Home" is the solution to the sync problem, I was doing the exact same thing.  I thought Go Home meant bail on the vacation.

Since we're thouroughly off topic: What happens if you put a hotel in a subhood like downtown.  You said you can't walk around if it's in the main hood, but can you walk around if you put the hotel downtown or in blue-whatever?  A "vacation" downtown would be kind of interesting if you still walk around to clubs and whatnot.

[Ellatrue]

I assume this means it is possible to build hotels in the main neighborhood, by designating a new lot as a hotel? Or is it only possible by moving a hotel from the vacation hood to the main one?

[KatEnigma]

There's a cheat to turn them into hotel lots. The only way to do it, since even in the vacation hood, you can't make hotels without the cheat for some stupid reason.

[jolrei]

There's a cheat to turn them into hotel lots. The only way to do it, since even in the vacation hood, you can't make hotels without the cheat for some stupid reason.

In fact, the teensy little BV pamphlet that comes with the CD version of the game says that to make a hotel you have to use the changelotzoning cheat.

[Sivany]

Those parents should be shot. What kind of moron thinks it's safe to leave three children under the age of four in an unlocked hotel room? The level of stupidity is mind-boggling.

They left the door unlocked?! I had some sympathy before since as a child I was always left alone in hotel rooms whilst my parents were downstairs eating dinner (as were most of the other children in the hotels we stayed at - the world was considered a safer place back then). My brother and I never came to any harm and it was only for a couple of hours or so. I did think it was rather stupid that they had left their children in an hotel and actually left the building to eat somewhere else but I didn't really think much else about it. Leaving the door unlocked though? That's just stupid. That's just so stupid I can't even think of a better word to describe it. Why would you ever think that was a good idea?

Back on the subject of Sims hotels, I read that part about the changelotzoning cheat in the booklet thing as well. So does this mean that like dorms in University they don't really intend that players should build them? Otherwise surely they would have added an option to the interface so you could choose when you placed a lot down? Perhaps that was too much effort though.

[Ellatrue]

They didn't make it as an option? That's really lame.

As for children being left alone in an unlocked hotel room--the only thing I can think of is that you wouldn't want them trapped in there if there were a fire. 

[Strangel]

Those parents should be shot. What kind of moron thinks it's safe to leave three children under the age of four in an unlocked hotel room? The level of stupidity is mind-boggling.

They left the door unlocked?! I had some sympathy before since as a child I was always left alone in hotel rooms whilst my parents were downstairs eating dinner (as were most of the other children in the hotels we stayed at - the world was considered a safer place back then). My brother and I never came to any harm and it was only for a couple of hours or so. I did think it was rather stupid that they had left their children in an hotel and actually left the building to eat somewhere else but I didn't really think much else about it. Leaving the door unlocked though? That's just stupid. That's just so stupid I can't even think of a better word to describe it. Why would you ever think that was a good idea?

Back on the subject of Sims hotels, I read that part about the changelotzoning cheat in the booklet thing as well. So does this mean that like dorms in University they don't really intend that players should build them? Otherwise surely they would have added an option to the interface so you could choose when you placed a lot down? Perhaps that was too much effort though.

That's been bothering me since I first heard about the case. I, too, was an occasional "stay in the room" kid at hotels when I lived with my grandparents. Again, different time as well as a far different class of ho/motels than this one apparently was. Each time, I was left with the remote, permission to use the hotel phone in an emergency, and lots of age-appropriate games, books, etc. Generally, they were downstairs having a meal together but on occasion they'd leave the hotel grounds to go pick up some forgotten supplies, have dinner with friends, etc. Of course, they were Jehovah's Witnesses and the hotels were usually at least 75% booked with fellow JW's when we stayed in them (for assemblies, etc held elsewhere in the state).

[Invisigoth]

They didn't make it as an option? That's really lame.

As for children being left alone in an unlocked hotel room--the only thing I can think of is that you wouldn't want them trapped in there if there were a fire. 

If they're too young to unlock a door in the event of a fire then they're too young to be left alone in a hotel room, IMO. Honestly, I wouldn't leave a 4 year old alone in my own house.
Although at this point in the case it seems pretty clear that the parents probably killed her. On Friday they found the missing girl's blood inside of a rental car that the parents didn't even have until 25 days after the kid "disappeared". I think that the parents probably killed her, hid the body somewhere, and then went out to dinner to create a believable story. After some of the media attention/police attention died down they rented the car and went to bury the body somewhere. At least that's what makes sense to me.

[eve_ftw]

This has led me to two thoughts...

1. When I get BV I MUST make the seediest "pay by the hour" looking hotel possible for the main 'hood.
2. Someone should make a main 'hood hotel the old fashioned OFB way - beds in rooms and a ticket machine - and see if the customers sleep. If they do, voila! Sim-owned hotels!
[/quote]

Hahaha..  I did that with a bunch of Lizz Loves Autonomus Waterbed thingies whatever their called... worked like a charm and they raked in the cash!  Just make sure you have the no playable shoppers hack (snapdragons help too)

[J. M. Pescado]

Although at this point in the case it seems pretty clear that the parents probably killed her. On Friday they found the missing girl's blood inside of a rental car that the parents didn't even have until 25 days after the kid "disappeared". I think that the parents probably killed her, hid the body somewhere, and then went out to dinner to create a believable story. After some of the media attention/police attention died down they rented the car and went to bury the body somewhere. At least that's what makes sense to me.

It was probably necessary, if the parents killed her. Clearly, the kid was defective in some way and needed to be eliminated.

[witch]

Personally, if I were going to make a song and dance about a missing kid, I'd make damn sure it was untraceable - ie disposed of body - before I solicited worldwide media attention.

[Inge]

They didn't make it as an option? That's really lame.

As for children being left alone in an unlocked hotel room--the only thing I can think of is that you wouldn't want them trapped in there if there were a fire. 

In this case, the children were all too young to even know about getting out if there was a fire.   At that age they should have been in earshot all the time - it only takes moments for a toddler or baby to choke on vomit or something.

From about 7 upwards things can be done to make short unattended periods safer.  They can be left with a mobile phone with a button programmed to phone you direct.  They can be told how to call out to passers-by or neighbours for help, they can be told what is not safe to touch in the apartment, that they should not open the door to callers etc etc.   At 2 and 4 years old respectively, those children were totally dependent on the close presence of a trustworthy adult 24 hours a day.

[J. M. Pescado]

In this case, the children were all too young to even know about getting out if there was a fire.   At that age they should have been in earshot all the time - it only takes moments for a toddler or baby to choke on vomit or something.

See, attitudes like this are exactly why children grow dumber and dumber with each generation. At that age, I knew how to load, aim, and fire the stationary machine gun. I knew not to touch the barrel because it was hot, and to get someone to unjam it if it got jammed, not to stick my fingers in it. And you're trying to say that a kid can't even figure out how to avoid a FIRE?

[neriana]

They didn't make it as an option? That's really lame.

As for children being left alone in an unlocked hotel room--the only thing I can think of is that you wouldn't want them trapped in there if there were a fire. 

In this case, the children were all too young to even know about getting out if there was a fire.   At that age they should have been in earshot all the time - it only takes moments for a toddler or baby to choke on vomit or something.

In this case, it sounds like the children would have been better off if they had been left totally alone. Rather than murdered by their parents .

[Sivany]

In this case, the children were all too young to even know about getting out if there was a fire.   At that age they should have been in earshot all the time - it only takes moments for a toddler or baby to choke on vomit or something.

From about 7 upwards things can be done to make short unattended periods safer.  They can be left with a mobile phone with a button programmed to phone you direct.  They can be told how to call out to passers-by or neighbours for help, they can be told what is not safe to touch in the apartment, that they should not open the door to callers etc etc.   At 2 and 4 years old respectively, those children were totally dependent on the close presence of a trustworthy adult 24 hours a day.

At the age of 4 I knew that it was a bad idea to touch anything burning/open the door to strangers/stick my fingers in plug sockets etc. I was left on my own (then with my younger brother when he was born) asleep in hotel rooms all the time. My parents would put us to bed, set up the phone baby monitor thing that linked to reception so they would be informed if we were crying and go downstairs to dinner. Most of the time we slept through their entire absence. At the age of about 3/4 however I wandered down to reception by myself because my brother was having a nightmare. I was old enough to open the door and remember the way downstairs but apparently not old enough to realise the importance of clothes when appearing in public. Luckily I was young enough that everyone thought it was sweet.

Also about the blood in the car thing. Apparently it's not actually certain it is blood, in fact it's most likely not - the police over there are apparently once again making assumptions. Scientists over here who have checked it out say that the match with Maddie's DNA is barely 50% and that the trace amount could just as easily have come from the cuddly toy Maddie's mum has been carrying around with her since the day it happened. Not really the conclusive proof some media sources reported.

Since this is totally off-topic so far I'll just mention that I'm definitely trying that seedy hotel in the main hood thing. I have a few romance sims that would be perfect for! I hope it works.

[Inge]

Well there were several differences between your circumstances and the McCanns
1. due to the use of a baby monitor, you were within earshot all the time in case of choking or screaming
2. the distance they would need to cover to get to you in an emergency was a few seconds away, not a few minutes
3. the journey for you to find your parents when you did so was in a relatively safe building, not across a couple of roads and past an uncovered swimming pool.

[Sivany]

Well there were several differences between your circumstances and the McCanns
1. due to the use of a baby monitor, you were within earshot all the time in case of choking or screaming
2. the distance they would need to cover to get to you in an emergency was a few seconds away, not a few minutes
3. the journey for you to find your parents when you did so was in a relatively safe building, not across a couple of roads and past an uncovered swimming pool.

I do agree with you about the fact that the McCanns were a rather stupid in what they did. Leaving the building completely to eat dinner, leaving the door unlocked, being so far away across so much dangerous ground (the road and pool like you say - and if they really were going back to check the kids every half hour they couldn't have been having a very relaxing dinner, surely?) was a bit much with such young children. I was just meaning that there are ways to leave a four and a two year old alone without it being a problem, they don't really need someone physically there 24/7. Also my parent stopped using the monitoring thing once I reached the age of about 6 (my brother would have been 3 and a half). I was however a rather sensible child. At the age of 8 I heard the boy in the room next door crying so I propped our door open with a pillow, knocked on his door (he didn't want to open it at first, but I was quite persuasive and he was upset) and took him down to reception so they could get his parents. I have however taught 7 year olds who I wouldn't leave alone for longer than a minute even with a baby monitor so I guess it really depends on the child. (I'm thinking here of a child who upon hearing the school fire alarm decided to go and look for the fire )

[professorbutters]

Frankly, most of the time there is a murder like that, I assume that it probably is the parents/spouse/significant other/immediate family member, because usually that is what it is; sad, but true. I grew up without bike helmets or baby monitors or even the widespread use of seat belts, and with a lot of playground equipment you could never get away with now.  Has anyone ever noticed that the whole premise of *The Cat in the Hat* is that the mother leaves "Sally and me" to sit for an indeterminate amount of time until she gets back?  Because what kind of mother goes out and leaves her school age children alone for a little while?  An Eisenhower era mother who knows that the kiddies don't dare move from their chairs in the window until she gets back, that's who.  Without parents who leave their kids alone or abandon them in the forest or just plain die, or become separated in some other way, there virtually is no children's literature.

As for the seedy hotels in the neighborhood, I have one already and as a Mac owner, of course I do not have BV.  I have a creepy Roman Romance Sim and he owns a dive called the Herculaneum Hotel.  It's got a ticket machine, a photobooth downstairs (along with a DJ booth, poker tables and a bar), and upstairs it's all beds and hot tubs.

They aren't the LizLove beds, though, and without ACR regular beds aren't all that attractive to sims.  It's there partly to be funny and partly so my other Romance Sims have a place to go. It isn't a lot better for illicit WooHoo than some already-existing Maxis lots, except that the upstairs is relatively uninteresting and so other lovers are unlikely to wander up there.  Considering the high cost and the complicated zoning and charging issues with hotels, I think I would probably still make it an ordinary community lot, unless somebody comes up with a mod that enables Sims to be charged by the hour, which in essence ticket machines already do.

PB

[Strangel]

Frankly, most of the time there is a murder like that, I assume that it probably is the parents/spouse/significant other/immediate family member, because usually that is what it is; sad, but true. I grew up without bike helmets or baby monitors or even the widespread use of seat belts, and with a lot of playground equipment you could never get away with now.  Has anyone ever noticed that the whole premise of *The Cat in the Hat* is that the mother leaves "Sally and me" to sit for an indeterminate amount of time until she gets back?  Because what kind of mother goes out and leaves her school age children alone for a little while?  An Eisenhower era mother who knows that the kiddies don't dare move from their chairs in the window until she gets back, that's who.  Without parents who leave their kids alone or abandon them in the forest or just plain die, or become separated in some other way, there virtually is no children's literature.

As for the seedy hotels in the neighborhood, I have one already and as a Mac owner, of course I do not have BV.  I have a creepy Roman Romance Sim and he owns a dive called the Herculaneum Hotel.  It's got a ticket machine, a photobooth downstairs (along with a DJ booth, poker tables and a bar), and upstairs it's all beds and hot tubs.

They aren't the LizLove beds, though, and without ACR regular beds aren't all that attractive to sims.  It's there partly to be funny and partly so my other Romance Sims have a place to go. It isn't a lot better for illicit WooHoo than some already-existing Maxis lots, except that the upstairs is relatively uninteresting and so other lovers are unlikely to wander up there.  Considering the high cost and the complicated zoning and charging issues with hotels, I think I would probably still make it an ordinary community lot, unless somebody comes up with a mod that enables Sims to be charged by the hour, which in essence ticket machines already do.

PB

PB, your hotel has brought me to tears more than once (mostly due to your Roman Romancer) and I can't believe I never asked how you'd set it up. LOL
Arighty, that's it. I'm making one NAO and I have ACR so this should get interesting..