autonomous copycat behaviour (behavior)

[eevilcat]

This thread got me thinking about sim behaviour. In that particular example the player has sims autonomously baking cheesecakes, something that I have seen a nanny and one sim do in my game. I have noticed that there appear to be a number of sim activities that are only autonomous once a playable sim has been directed to do them e.g. fishing, dancing might be another. Or am I imagining things? I've noticed a lot more sims standing around looking dumb, doing nothing since installing BV. I do have a number of hacks that squash undesirable behaviour but I'm sure they used to do a lot more autonomously. Thoughts or suggestions welcome but please note I do not and have no desire to use macrotastics.

[notovny]

Fishing (Post-Seasons) and Regular Dancing (Base Game) are both behaviors I've observed Townies and Non-Controlled Playables Autonomously doing on community lots, without having a controllable Playable start first.. In fact, post BV, I've seen autonomous Smustling (as well as BV's other group dances), which I hadn't seen previously.

Since Open For Business,  Townies and Non-Controlled Playables will also autonomously make food for themselves if given access to the means to do so on a community lot. As a result,  walling off and locking kitchens is highly recommended in any Owned Business.

[runswithscissors]

OMG! When I installed BV without mah hacks (excuse me...hacks 'borrowed' from here and there) my sims were doing all sorts of stupid stuff once directed to. Exactly how many times can one go to the bathroom in a 10 sim minute period? And the fridge...oh, my, GOSH!! I put them in the house and they act like they've never had a meal... but that's what I get for testing my game without hacks. Even after I added the hacks back (eh, poet) those fuglowines (=fugly townies) just can't stop doing anything....anything. GRRRR!!! So I kelled them, added my own thanks to the awesomness of someone here.

[Zazazu]

I'd also remove fridges from regular community lot restaurants, as they serve no purpose but to give townies the ability to fix their own meals, or pull out items they have no means to cook. I only started noticing the problem with Seasons, but it may have been present before.

Autonomous smustling, hula, and slap-dance is definitely prevalent with townies. I've yet to ever see one turn on the stereo, though. And, of course, there's the favorite autonomous water-balloon fight, in the middle of winter.

[sloppyhousewife]

I've noticed a lot more sims standing around looking dumb, doing nothing since installing BV. I do have a number of hacks that squash undesirable behaviour but I'm sure they used to do a lot more autonomously.

Same here, and I've been wondering if it just takes sims longer to decide what to do next since BV. I've noticed that even with queued-up commands, they still pause before every action. Pre BV, it was like "tell joke" - stomped - "water balloon fight" - stomped - "play chess", now it's like "tell joke" - stomped - 1 - 2 - 3 - "water balloon fight" - stomped - 1 - 2 - 3 etc.

[witch]

Bloody smustling! My sims start smustling every time I take my eyes off them for a moment. It's incredibly annoying.

[eevilcat]

The endless smustling seems to be the fault of BV.

[Lord Darcy]

The endless smustling seems to be the fault of BV.

Not quite. I had endless smustle marathon as far as I remember since OFB. The only difference in BV is that Sims who have mastered new BV dance seem to prefer them over smustle. Especially slap dance, which is equally annoying. I don't mind autonomous hula at all, at least they don't make that stupid slapping noise. I practically gave up turning on stereos ingame and resorted to using an external MP3 player.

[Zazazu]

Wha? You mean your sims don't turn the stereos on their own selves and start smustling? That's what the whole last generation has been for me. Kids get home, turn on the stereo and smustle until I make them do homework and eat, then it's smustle until they drop. I actually had my first party broken up because they went and turned on the stereo (it was outside at the colonial) for a smustlefest at midnight.

[Alexx]

Bloody smustling! My sims start smustling every time I take my eyes off them for a moment. It's incredibly annoying.

"NoSmustle fun more 50" really can help.
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=256614

[witch]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

[antitheftmilk]

With mine it was the endless computer game. They would que up to play that computer game. It got so bad I refused to put computers in my houses. I did squash that with some hack thankfully.

That aside, yeah, my sims do spend quite a bit of time just standing there, and they will twitch a bit from side to side. It can't be a BFFVFS yet, the game is fresh, and run in a (mostly) awesome manner with no conflicting hacks. I really don't know what to think of it.

[sewinglady]

With my sims, it seems to be a tad different in presentation.

Sim A living on lot is directed to take a shower.  Sim B living on lot suddenly decides that they must take a shower.
Repeat for just about everything from cooking to playing a musical instrument.

It's so bad that most of the time in dorms I keep free will off.  It's easier to direct 6 to 8 sims constantly than it is to listen to them whine and stomp their feet because the shower's busy when there's a perfectly good unused one right next to it.

And I solved the dancing and autonomous stereo turning on, etc. I don't let them have stereos.  I'm so mean.

[Lord Darcy]

Wha? You mean your sims don't turn the stereos on their own selves and start smustling?

I'm using Pescado's stereohack to stop turning on stereos autonomously. I'm sure that my Sims will act the same as yours without the hack. It's one of the essential hacks that I can't live without.
I can't remove stereos altogether, as I still need them for parties and for refreshing wants panel.

"NoSmustle fun more 50" really can help.
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=256614

Thanks, I'll give it a try.
Do you know if there is a similar hack for bloody slap dancing as well?

[eevilcat]

That aside, yeah, my sims do spend quite a bit of time just standing there, and they will twitch a bit from side to side. It can't be a BFFVFS yet, the game is fresh, and run in a (mostly) awesome manner with no conflicting hacks. I really don't know what to think of it.

Sims that have been greeted (walk-by or invite) can spend hours just standing on the pavement doing the same twitch. It's as if they don't know they're supposed to come onto/enter the property. I usually end up serving a meal or calling them over. This is definitely new post-BV behaviour.

[Lord Darcy]

That aside, yeah, my sims do spend quite a bit of time just standing there, and they will twitch a bit from side to side.

I've noticed that too. It's definitely a post-BV behaviour. In one occasion, I used "Unfreeze Visitor Motives" of lot debugger, and it seemed to release twitching visitors from the spell. They went on doing their usual stupid things.

[cwykes]

I actually had my first party broken up because they went and turned on the stereo (it was outside at the colonial) for a smustlefest at midnight.

Just wondered...do you have a handy definition of when the cops get called to a party? someone asked me a couple of weeks back and I was embarrassingly vague - are stereo, outside and late all essential ingredients?

[Yimmit]

In my game the essential ingredients have always been:

1) 11 pm
2) Stereo on

No outside festivities necessary and the cops don't necessarily come.

Often I'm happy for them to come at that point because all autosocializing is finished and the score is plenty high enough for the needed aspiration boost for the host. But every once in a while 11pm rolls around and they don't get busted.

Which leads to my just wondered...if I say goodbye to everyone and all guests leave, will the party lose its "not bad/good time/rr" status slowly or will that remain static?

[jolrei]

11pm and stereo on seem to be essential.  If the stereo or a speaker is outside it is a dead certainty that the cop will show up to break things up in my game.

[antitheftmilk]

I've noticed that too. It's definitely a post-BV behaviour. In one occasion, I used "Unfreeze Visitor Motives" of lot debugger, and it seemed to release twitching visitors from the spell. They went on doing their usual stupid things.

Yeah, it drives me bloody nuts. My visitors do it, my own sims do it, and every now and again I think my pets are doing it too.

[cwykes]

11pm and stereo on seem to be essential.  If the stereo or a speaker is outside it is a dead certainty that the cop will show up to break things up in my game.

Good working definition there.  Thanks Jolrei & Yimmit.  Wonder what the odds are......

[Toast]

Which leads to my just wondered...if I say goodbye to everyone and all guests leave, will the party lose its "not bad/good time/rr" status slowly or will that remain static?

The one and only time I did this (at a wedding party), the guests all left and the party score immediately plummeted to Disaster. My sims went around sobbing for days and got no honeymoon limo. I don't recommend it.

[Ellatrue]

I just find it annoying because I prefer to have stereos outside. Stupid EA.

[jolrei]

I just find it annoying because I prefer to have stereos outside. Stupid EA.

I find deleting the police car as soon as I hear the siren (using moveobjects on) stops the breakup of the party, and forces the cop to walk home.  This is very satisfying.

[Yimmit]

The one and only time I did this (at a wedding party), the guests all left and the party score immediately plummeted to Disaster. My sims went around sobbing for days and got no honeymoon limo. I don't recommend it.

Good to know. I was too lazy to test this myself.