"Instant Meal" bug?

[schmoopee]

Anyone had this little joy of a bug happen to them besides me?

Lately when I play my favorite hood, I sometimes get this glitch where I click on the fridge and the only option I get for food is the instant meal. Even though my sims have high or maxed cooking skill, a stove, are home (I know you get only the Instant Meal option when they are at work, if you try to queue it up for them before they get home), etc etc.

I've tried deleting the fridge/stove & buying a new one, deleting the sim, forcing an error on the stove, fridge, sim, everything. I don't have any custom foods, or any food-specific hacks I can think of.

Luckily this doesn't stay broken, it seems to cut in and out - and it doesn't affect all sims in the household at once, it hits different sims at different times, fixes itself at random. I find if I tell them to go get the instant meal, let them head for the fridge, then cancel it, sometimes tthat brings back all the food options.  Happens on many lots, including ones I've been playing for months with no problem.

Is this one of those "your neighbourhood is getting too big and this is an impending sign of implosion" bug? Any ideas on fixing it?

[gillies]

Are the sims inside rooms with doors placed on diagonal walls when this happens? I get this in some houses but once they're outside the room they have all the options again.

[Ancient Sim]

Was just about to say the same thing!  It's usually caused by diagonal doors, although only since Uni was installed.  If you get them to "check supplies" first, they should then be able to use the fridge as normal.  Those diagonal doors are a pain since Uni - several of the Maxis-made houses have them and even they don't work.  I had to change all the ones in the Pleasant house when Dirk almost died using the computer in one of the bedrooms. 

[schmoopee]

Hmm, nope I don't think so - I don't recall any diagonal doors - some of these houses I've been playing regularly since at least last November with no problem. Thanks for the info though, I'll be sure to avoid that just in case!

[Baddmark]

I had this happen in the Pleasant household. Everyone had all the usual meal options except Angela. If she was in the kitchen all the meals appeared in the "pie" menu (ho ho). Anywhere else on the lot and she could only remember how to "make" instant meals. The problem only appeared after the twins became adults, and it seemed to fix itself - I didn't test anything by changing the fridge or whatever but the next time I played the household she had no problems with meals.

Academic now, since she's shacked up with Alexander Goth - I wonder which nose the kids will inherit? 

[Sandilou]

I've discovered that only the sims on the lot can access the full fridge menu.  If they are off lot (work/classes/school) then they can only access the instant meal.

[schmoopee]

Yes, I had mentioned that in my first post, that all sims were indeed on the lot.  So that's not it.

I went in and checked some of my houses where I have this bug happening - no doors on diagonal  in two of them. One house did. Could the diagonal door in one house create a hood-wide bug? The diagonal-door house was a new addition to the hood, right about the time this bug started showing up.

[veilchen]

It happened to me once. The sim never got any of the other options back. I don't use the diagonal doors at all. I changed refrigerators -style, color, price etc.- and nothing worked. I finally gave up and moved it out and into another lot. Everything worked as a charm there. I bulldozed the lot - I never really liked it anyway :D -

[LK]

I have this happen in Don's condo (which has a diagonal door).  It usually clears up after a minute, but it's annoying nonetheless.  I have not tried replacing the door, but maybe I should, assuming that this will "key" the lot to Uni specifications. 

[J. M. Pescado]

The instant meal thing baffles me. I'm not even sure WHY they suddenly get the idea that the sim can't make anything else.

[schmoopee]

Well if you're baffled, then I'm screwed on this one!

Idiotic Sims.  *need head-smacking-on-wall emote*

[veilchen]

The instant meal thing baffles me. I'm not even sure WHY they suddenly get the idea that the sim can't make anything else.

It does seem like the game suddenly is unable to read the sim's cooking skill and just asssumes that it is at a very low level, doesn't it. Especially since, in some cases, it apparently rights itself, even if only temporarily.

[humybyrd]

Well your not the only one who has this problem.  I get it once in a while.  I thought it was strange that a level 5 cook would only get the instant meal option for dinner.  It has happened to me on several different lots in 3 different neighborhoods.  The most recent one was last night in Strangeville.  Previously it was Pleasantville.  The first time was in my custom neighborhood, so that ruled out it being the maxis ones.  I also changed out the fridges, and none of these lots have diagnal doors on them though I have not gone through all the houses and checked for them (I do know that Pleasantville has a few).  It seems that it affects the whole lot and not just certian sims or fridges.  I had an apartment with 4 units and all residents could only get the instant meal no matter which fridge I tried.  This lasted for about 3 sim days then cleared itself up.  Last night I was playing Strangeville and had it happen.  I quit the lot and got out of the game shortly after so I am not sure if the problem will still be there.  Lets hear it for maxis bugs, they always make the game so much more interesting.

[cyperangel]

Ive found that if you move the sim next to the fridge, and then try the options again, the whole range of food is usually back. Diagonal doors are invented by the devil, as a means to prevent you from cooking and the maid from cleaning, so you will die dirty and hungry.

Basically my sims have trouble with the menues if they are doing something where they are not in the same room as the fridge, or are sitting down. Like, studying mechanical from a book, sitting on a sofa.
Btw, humybyrd you said it affects all sims on your lots. I only have one, once in a while that can't cook, it is not affecting the whole family... yet....

[ZephyrZodiac]

I don't think that it reads low cooking skill when they're behind diagonal doors, it just reads them as being off the lot.  Even a sim with no cooking skill can make lunchmeat sandwiches and cereal!  And that option doesn't appear either! 

I really think Maxis ought to have brought out a patch for this, since it was uni that caused it!  (Plus 1001 Arabian Nights of other stuff!)

[dizzy]

How much room is there in your kitchen? Can you give us the dimensions (like 3x4 or so). Where is the fridge situated? How much empty space is in front of the fridge?

[ZephyrZodiac]

I've also noticed that on the odd occasions when guests go into a bathroom through diagonal doors, they then can't leave it unless you get a sim to call them over!  Must depend on which way round the doors are.......

I've just d/l'd Windkeeper's single sliding doors (which includes a diagonal, and next time I exit I'll install them and see if they are any better.

[Baddmark]

How much room is there in your kitchen? Can you give us the dimensions (like 3x4 or so). Where is the fridge situated? How much empty space is in front of the fridge?

In my case it was the standard Pleasant house - and Angela's "problem" occured even when she was the only one awake and no one else had any actions in their queue which might have caused the doorway to be already in use, if you get my drift.

[Brynne]

You know, due to a major septic tank backup last fall, we had to refloor our entire house and redo the kitchen entirely. Because of the diagonal entryway we added that seemed so appealing at the time, I have been able to consume nothing but SlimFast since. I now weigh 2 pounds.

[Kitiara]

I have a couple of lots where the sims are only able to serve dessert. Sometimes. Then the other options come back. I have yet to notice any common factors to the problem.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Are you using standard Maxis fridges?  Even some recolours can act peculiarly at times, I've found, so it might be worth using the basic model.

[fff]

No answers here (surprise!) but just wanted to chip in and add that I've had the same problem, too - for me it happened in the Pleasant house, with no diagonal doors and no fridges other than Maxis one...... 

It does seem to right itself fairly quickly, though....

[schmoopee]

Well, I'm glad I'm not alone anyway - misery loves company doncha know. 

Thanks for all the info everyone - if you add more & I don't reply, I'm not ignoring you, I'm leaving town & won't be back til Aug. 22. Going camping - I hope a bear doesn't rip my lips off.  Maybe by the time I get back there will a patch to fix this and ALL BUGS!!!! EVEN MOSQUITOES!!!!111!!!!! Hahahhahaha. Ha. Oh, it is to laugh. Oy, my sides.

[Baddmark]

Well, I'm glad I'm not alone anyway - misery loves company doncha know. 

Thanks for all the info everyone - if you add more & I don't reply, I'm not ignoring you, I'm leaving town & won't be back til Aug. 22. Going camping - I hope a bear doesn't rip my lips off.  Maybe by the time I get back there will a patch to fix this and ALL BUGS!!!! EVEN MOSQUITOES!!!!111!!!!! Hahahhahaha. Ha. Oh, it is to laugh. Oy, my sides.

Make sure your tent door is on the diagonal, and the bear will just stand outside waving his paws and shouting "Erm, Woohoo!" On the downside, you will only be able to cook cereal on your stove (with a 10% chance of failure).

[ZephyrZodiac]

 

(We need some more emoticons!)