Anti Vacation Actions: Death to all Nesses

[jolrei]

...sometimes, my sims dig up 20 stones in a row, sometimes I get at least one map for every secret location in less than two ingame hours. All in my backyard, of course, which makes me wonder who'd lived there before (not to mention all the bones buried there) .

That's good to know, 'cos I only get rocks and bones out of any of my sims' back yards.  I only get maps in holiday hoods so far, and only maps to secret locations in other holiday areas (i.e. if I'm on Twikkii, the maps will be either for Three Lakes or Far East).  I'll just have to send the permaplat elders out every morning to dig for treasure all day (in between their baby care duties, of course).  Might as well do something useful.

I find the hula dancers a bit trying.  Any way to trigger them?  I saw them once in a 4 day vacation, and 2 members of the family learned to hula.  The dad was busy chatting financial issues with a townie tourist or local (bloody fortune sims!) and by the time he got a want to learn the dance, they were gone.  Never found them again.

[J. M. Pescado]

...sometimes, my sims dig up 20 stones in a row, sometimes I get at least one map for every secret location in less than two ingame hours. All in my backyard, of course, which makes me wonder who'd lived there before (not to mention all the bones buried there) .

My theory is that the neighborhood is built on the ruins of The Sims 1.

I find the hula dancers a bit trying.  Any way to trigger them?  I saw them once in a 4 day vacation, and 2 members of the family learned to hula.  The dad was busy chatting financial issues with a townie tourist or local (bloody fortune sims!) and by the time he got a want to learn the dance, they were gone.  Never found them again.

Is the Hula viral? Can one learn it from an existing sim who has?

[jolrei]

Is the Hula viral? Can one learn it from an existing sim who has?

Not sure about viral.  However, when my sim family got home from Twikkii, the spawn had a want to hula dance.  He turned on the stereo and hula-ed away.  Another sim from another lot did a walk-by and was greeted by sim mother.  Mummy sim went to the terlet leaving visiting sim alone.  Visiting sim made a beeline for the stereo and started to learn hula from the spawn.  I did not check to see if there is a "teach hula" interaction, but it certainly appeared that if a sim is doing the hula, another sim can learn it from them. 

This was in my main hood, not in another vacation hood.

[doren]

...sometimes, my sims dig up 20 stones in a row, sometimes I get at least one map for every secret location in less than two ingame hours. All in my backyard, of course, which makes me wonder who'd lived there before (not to mention all the bones buried there) .

My theory is that the neighborhood is built on the ruins of The Sims 1.

Is the Hula viral? Can one learn it from an existing sim who has?

I am not sure about your theory. I still have a living Sims 1 civilization on my other computer (I haven't checked how they are doing for a very long time though).

Yes, the Hula works like the other dance and Tai Chi. Once a sim is doing it, others can join and learn it. 

[jsalemi]

That's good to know, 'cos I only get rocks and bones out of any of my sims' back yards.  I only get maps in holiday hoods so far, and only maps to secret locations in other holiday areas (i.e. if I'm on Twikkii, the maps will be either for Three Lakes or Far East). 

When I had sims dig in the vacation hoods, they always got maps for the hood they were in.  I had a sim dig for grins on his home lot (in Strangetown), and he got a map for the island secret place on the first try.  Then just rocks after that.

Last night I had two uni students do the dig thing at a dorm; one just came up with rocks and bones, but the other got a treasure chest with $5k in it on the third or fourth try (and rocks and bones on the rest ).

[J. M. Pescado]

You can get maps for any place you don't have a map for if digging on a non-vacation lot for sure, and I'm not sure the rules change even on a vacation lot.

[sloppyhousewife]

You can get maps for any place you don't have a map for if digging on a non-vacation lot for sure, and I'm not sure the rules change even on a vacation lot.

Apparently, they don't. From what I have seen, you can find all three maps on the same vacation lot, and it doesn't even matter if you have a certain map already. I remember deleting three "Burrow" maps from my sim's inventory after returning from Twikkii island, because a fourth was already hanging on her wall. Secret lots, my ass. It's more like someone handed out leaflets with directions.

[Zazazu]

That's good to know, 'cos I only get rocks and bones out of any of my sims' back yards.  I only get maps in holiday hoods so far, and only maps to secret locations in other holiday areas (i.e. if I'm on Twikkii, the maps will be either for Three Lakes or Far East). 

When I had sims dig in the vacation hoods, they always got maps for the hood they were in.  I had a sim dig for grins on his home lot (in Strangetown), and he got a map for the island secret place on the first try.  Then just rocks after that.

Last night I had two uni students do the dig thing at a dorm; one just came up with rocks and bones, but the other got a treasure chest with $5k in it on the third or fourth try (and rocks and bones on the rest ).

I quit digging with my first sim in Queen's Cove, Lilly, due to the fact that she must have been touched by Midas. I rarely saw a bone or rock with her. It was all sculptures and, at the point when I quit the digging, a total of six treasure chests in just over a week of digging, 2-4 hours each day.

As for learning the dances and tai chi...I had to cheat and select a local and make them do it. The only one I saw done autonomously was the hula, and apparently I didn't have my sim follow along long enough for it to stick.

About the hack, it's working well on vacation lots, but the greetings and dances are still viral in the main 'hood. Basically everyone at the public beach does the slap dance about as much as the smustle. Bows and chest pounds all over the place (they don't seem to care about the hang loose sign as much). I'm surprised they haven't started telling the dragon legend to each other...Logan has an almost daily want to tell it that I frequently indulge, and the beachgoers flock to him to listen. It's cute...little session of tai chi, then everyone settle down for a story by the campfire.

[jolrei]

I'm surprised they haven't started telling the dragon legend to each other...Logan has an almost daily want to tell it that I frequently indulge, and the beachgoers flock to him to listen. It's cute...little session of tai chi, then everyone settle down for a story by the campfire.

I love it!  Thanks Zaza.  This has suddenly re-sparked my interest in sending sims on holiday (I got bored with the "stand around on comm lots watching these idiots build sandcastles" thing).  Must get a dragon legend teller in my hood!  Time to send the Wagners on an East Asian vacation, methinks.

Arrr! (concession to Pirate Day).

[pioupiou]

I'm surprised they haven't started telling the dragon legend to each other...Logan has an almost daily want to tell it that I frequently indulge, and the beachgoers flock to him to listen. It's cute...little session of tai chi, then everyone settle down for a story by the campfire.

They need the roll thing (parchemin in french, the english word escapes me right now) in their inventory to be able to tell the dragon legend, so it cannot become "viral" like the greetings or the dances...

[J. M. Pescado]

It is possible to suppress the dragon-legend-tellings simply through removing the Dragon Scroll from the sim's inventory, and storing it more ornamentally somewhere on the lot, like blocking all the free coffee and end tables so sims can't try to dump cups on it.

[jolrei]

They need the roll thing (parchemin in french, the english word escapes me right now) in their inventory ...

I believe "parchment" is the English equivalent that you seek.

Must get dragon legend - avast ye eastern townie scum.  Surrender yer booty!  My sims be coming!

[J. M. Pescado]

The dragon legend is gained from the Wise Old Man, not the townies, so don't bother harassing the townies. If you bug them, it will take them longer to teach you the bow thing, after which they are mostly useless.

[Zazazu]

They need the roll thing (parchemin in french, the english word escapes me right now) in their inventory ...

I believe "parchment" is the English equivalent that you seek.

That's the equivalent English term, yes. In-game, it's called the Dragon Legend Scroll, which matches its appearance...since scrolls are rolled up, and the legend is as well.

I like the want, actually. It's an easy aspiration boost.

[dusty]

This isn't intended to stop greetings spreading in the home hood.  It just restricts locals to appropriate greetings in vacation hoods, but your own sims can do whichever greetings they please.

[WatersMoon]

I had this, and could not for the life of me find anyone to learn any dances or Tai Chi from. I removed it (and updated my phone hack - which I think was causing my game crashes - oops) and found everything just fine.

But, I had another vacationing Sim that couldn't find people dancing even without this, so I figure it must be some random thing. So I've gotten this again, to keep the Sea Shanty singing in the Woods and in Asia to a minimum (now if only I could keep my own Sim from doing this).

[vikitty]

Is there a way to add "no sunbathing unless there is actual sun" to the list? My Sims will put on sunscreen at midnight and stay there for hours unless I stop them.

[jolrei]

Is there a way to add "no sunbathing unless there is actual sun" to the list? My Sims will put on sunscreen at midnight and stay there for hours unless I stop them.

Odd.  I know in my game I have never had a case of autonomous sunbathing after dark, nor is the option available on the sim's menu after dark.

[Sleepycat]

my sims will autonomously sunbathe at night too, I think it's funny 

[vikitty]

Yeah, I get it when they're on vacation and when they're at their home lot.

[dizzy]

* dizzy doesn't see how sunbathing at midnight is possible

[witch]

Moonbathing, it's called. Great for avoiding radiation burns.

[maxon]

Moonbathing, it's called. Great for avoiding radiation burns.

Morticia Addams used to do that

[Sarimar]

This isn't intended to stop greetings spreading in the home hood.  It just restricts locals to appropriate greetings in vacation hoods, but your own sims can do whichever greetings they please.

Is there a hack that prevents them to do the greetings at home? For some reason I find chest pounding quite inapproriate during the mayor's fancy formal party.

[J. M. Pescado]

Not that I know of. To some degree I actually find the behaviors amusing. Not sure how it could be properly restricted from said "fancy formal party" and yet still be available at other times to amuse me. How would one define a "fancy formal party"?