Gnome-Stealing Shenanigans

[talysman]

Finally installed the other expansion packs (Pets, Seasons, FreeTime) so that I can have the full, up-to-date experience. There have been a few amusing events, like the robot-building mad scientist, her servo (Tom) and her roomie Bigfoot all rolling Dance and Music as their one true hobby, while her slacker husband was the one who wound up with Tinkering.

But one thing stood out: although I've seen walk-bys stealing gnomes all the way back to base game, and I've seen sims leave the lot to steal back their gnome, I haven't witnessed a *playable* steal a gnome. A born-in-game child autonomously queued up two "Steal Back Gnome" actions, which I thought was weird, seeing as I didn't have any gnomes placed on the lot for stealing, although his townie mother had a gnome in inventory. I checked the mom's inventory: gnome still there. So why does the kid want to steal back a gnome?

I let him go to see what happened. He walked off the lot, as for the normal "Steal Back Gnome" action, returned a few minutes later, and I got the pop-up saying he'd stolen back "his" gnome and it was now in his inventory. I thought "That's different. They used to put the gnome at some random inconvenient location." Then, since his next action was also "Steal Back Gnome", he left the lot again, and came back with the same message. I checked his inventory: yep, he has two gnomes he never had before.

Is this is a new feature, or perhaps something included in one of the DC hacks? Or did I just never see it before because I hadn't played many Grouchy sims? I'm doubting the latter, because I didn't see this happen with any of the four "evil twin" households. So far, it's just this one kid.

[buddha pest]

I think Macro - Steal Back Gnome is what causes them to put it in their inventory? I could be wrong.

Maybe he's stealing back gnomes you've long since forgotten about.

[talysman]

I haven't seen that macro, and I certainly didn't select it. And as I said, there was no gnome on the lot. Ever. I only noticed the gnome in the mom's inventory by accident, sometime after the kid was born, but never took it out of her inventory, because ... gnomes get stolen. "Steal Back Gnome" is cute the first couple times, but then you realize it's taking up valuable time.

[Count Four]

I think Macro - Steal Back Gnome is what causes them to put it in their inventory? I could be wrong.

So far as I know, the retrieved gnomes have gone into inventory since NL. I've also seen sims steal back gnomes they never owned.

I've also had the game tell me that there was a car that wanted to come home when the only cars the family owned were already on the lot. I put in a third driveway segment and got a free car.

[Sarahsuke]

I've also had the game tell me that there was a car that wanted to come home when the only cars the family owned were already on the lot. I put in a third driveway segment and got a free car.

"It followed me home, can I keep it?"

[buddha pest]

I haven't seen that macro

Speaking of which, I'd kind of like to know why it only shows up sometimes. Even when I know damn well that there is a missing gnome that I'd like someone to fetch.

I don't do Free Will On anymore, so it kind of pisses me off, especially when there is nothing left on the lot to kick. This is generally why I only have patience for flamingos.

Also, is Sentry Bot not attacking gnome thieves for anyone else anymore? Or is it just me? That was really the only reason to even bother building a robotics badge. I'm not sure which of the last few EP's it was that they stopped working for me.

Random Factoid That No One Cares About: On the Beaker lot, I move-objects-onned a gnome into that flame blowing dealy that came with Nightlife, so gnome thieves would catch on fire. Much hilarity ensued. In fact, that lady in my avatar? Well, that's exterminator girl (what is her name? Christy Stratton, maybe? Not to be confused with ugly-sweatsuit-wearing Pleasantview townie), Nervous Subject's first wife, meeting her demise. STOP TOUCHING THE DAMN GNOME.

[Cappuccino]

I don't do Free Will On anymore, so it kind of pisses me off, especially when there is nothing left on the lot to kick. This is generally why I only have patience for flamingos.

You should definitely try The Cheat.

And cool idea about torching the thieves with the fire jet!

[J. M. Pescado]

It's not really as good a plan as you'd think, since you'll just kill all of your own sims instead, as the gnome behavior is not something that can be trained out. Just put the gnomes in a properly locked gnomitorium or balcony which is not accessible from the sidewalk.

[buddha pest]

It's not really as good a plan as you'd think, since you'll just kill all of your own sims instead, as the gnome behavior is not something that can be trained out. Just put the gnomes in a properly locked gnomitorium or balcony which is not accessible from the sidewalk.

Actually...I had a gnome and flamingo on opposite sides of the front of that lot.

Miss Christy(?) was the dip that kept trying to kick the gnome instead of the flamingo. Poof! No one else on that lot died of gnome.

As for my visiting playables, well, 911.

Gated gnomitorium sounds pretty bland. I don't tend to do fences. I don't Awesomespec.

In fact, as of FT, no one really kicks anything anymore. They just blog...and blog...and zone.

[notovny]

Also, is Sentry Bot not attacking gnome thieves for anyone else anymore? Or is it just me? That was really the only reason to even bother building a robotics badge. I'm not sure which of the last few EP's it was that they stopped working for me.

Hmm. I'll have to look into this. One of the resasons I stopped using Gnomes and started using the Cheat was because any visitor who even made for a Gnome or Flamingo (regardless of if the visitor could ever actually reach it) would be attacked by the Sentrybots that Sit on the front walk of every house I play routinely. Such visitor would then leave the lot immediately.  Given that I would rather not have nannies run off the lot when there is no Sim on the lot capable of calling them back (toddlers/babies left in Nanny's Care) , or perhaps that I might have another reason to want that visitor there, I switched to The Cheat, which doesn't trigger this behavior.

As for why the Sentrybot's on the front walk... Why, the zapping of paper thieves, of course.

 


In fact, most of my custom townies are deliberately designed to  promote Paper-Thieving behavior, so as to triggger the Sentrybots, and similarly, it's the primary reason the newspaper sits on the front porch all day.

And, No, that's not the Unsavory Charlatan geting zapped, there.  Hephaestus Wormwood's been in my neighborhood for years.

[talysman]

One of the resasons I stopped using Gnomes and started using the Cheat was because any visitor who even made for a Gnome or Flamingo (regardless of if the visitor could ever actually reach it) would be attacked by the Sentrybots that Sit on the front walk of every house I play routinely. Such visitor would then leave the lot immediately.

That may explain something I saw happen. Mad Scientist Girl's brother walked into her house uninvited (probably because he's a BFF?) and the sentry bot didn't do anything. Brother and sister hung out for a while, had a good time. Then, while Mad Scientist Girl went to take care of something else, brother got bored and started walking somewhere... but when he reached the alcove, the sentry bot zapped him. I thought for a moment the sentry bot was malfunctioning, but it didn't try to zap anyone else.

I'm not going to worry about getting rid of the flamingo for this household, because there's generally someone home all the time (Mad Scientist Girl, her husband, Tom Servo, or Alon Bigfoot.) So, no need for a nanny. But I should make sure to switch to the Cheat for households where that might matter.

[Meek_Monkey]

I have and still use an anti gnome theft hack which I picked up form Various simmers, but that site is long gone now I was hoping that some one could do a one that would also stop the stealing of the chickens too.

[witch]

The chickens?!?

[Liz]

Hur, yeah, I think there's a lawn chicken in one of the new EPs.

As for why the Sentrybot's on the front walk... Why, the zapping of paper thieves, of course.

And apparently, King Kong. And Zombie Claus. Am loving your colourfuly array of paper thieves.

[Kyna]

The EP was Seasons.  Chicken statues are like gnomes - kickable and stealable.

[Roux]

And they even turn into gnomes if a playful sim autonomously plays with them. Lazy Eaxis.

   

[witch]

Another EAxis item that totally escaped my notice.  Live chickens now....

[maxon]

As for why the Sentrybot's on the front walk... Why, the zapping of paper thieves, of course.

You tasered Santa.

[lemmiwinks]

Wrong thread, I know, but I crave a David Miscavige garden gnome. Tiny little dude that you wouldn't mind kicking.

Any awesome CC makers care to risk the Scientology legal department going after after you?

[Alex]

I've also had the game tell me that there was a car that wanted to come home when the only cars the family owned were already on the lot. I put in a third driveway segment and got a free car.

lol? What kind of car?

[Count Four]

I've also had the game tell me that there was a car that wanted to come home when the only cars the family owned were already on the lot. I put in a third driveway segment and got a free car.

lol? What kind of car?

It was the 11K sports car, whatever the catalog name is.  They had a red one and a black one; the one that turned up was yellow.

[witch]

Huh. My StyleMavens lost a yellow one like that, one of them must have been at work when I added an EP. The car never returned. Fancy its finding its way to your game! 

[Count Four]

I wondered where the hell it came from. Thanks for the wheels! 

[virgali]

Yay! So parallel universes DO excist! lol That was hilarious!

[rohina]

When I was playing the Ugolinos (the ones with the talking gnomes), they would regularly get stolen by playables and non-playables. Sometimes they would get stolen back, sometimes not. Not to spoil the magic, but at one point because of replacements, there were probably 10 gnomes out on loan. There would also by dry periods when no gnomes would be stolen for days, and then, bam! there would be another crime wave.