OFB Community Lot Car Bug

[Simlover]

When I first got OFB and had my sim go to her Pleasantview business in her car and i saved and exited with her at the shop. When I went to load up the next day everything was normal.

[SharnaPax]

It happened to me, except the Sim went to his community lot in a taxi, not owned car. I saved and exited to the neighborhood screen.

Now his community shop is in "pause" with only build/buy mode available. Debug mode shows no errors. I can't load his home in the neighborhood, since he's stuck in his store.

I did try Inge's teleporter; he can be brought to another lot and interacted with, but he can't move in, etc. I even had another Sim work up a relationship so they'd fall in love and perhaps move him in via marriage, but no go.

[sleighill]

 >:(Hell...atleast you guys can get to your business lots...everything I touch in the game gives me that damn "cancel...reset...delete" menu.  I can't use my cars...it pops up...I can't use my phone or cell phones...it pops up...I can't even call transportation...it pops up!

I took my characters out of the home and put them in the "family bin"...that usually fixes any reset menus once I move them back in...but this, if I'm not already...is drivin' me to drink.

Any suggestions JM...somebody...anybody?

Thanks in advance.   sleighill

[Simlover]

I have a wild theory that it MAY be triggered if you send a single sim alone to a business in a car, then save and reload it later. Somebody test, and if their lot jams, DO NOT DELETE IT. Inform me immediately if this reliably triggers the problem, and if the symptoms I listed above match. Perform the Reenable UI, then save/exit, and I'll post up the Lot Crowbar.

I'm happy to back up my files and try it tonight for you.

[Darkstormyeve]

I have a wild theory that it MAY be triggered if you send a single sim alone to a business in a car, then save and reload it later. Somebody test, and if their lot jams, DO NOT DELETE IT. Inform me immediately if this reliably triggers the problem, and if the symptoms I listed above match. Perform the Reenable UI, then save/exit, and I'll post up the Lot Crowbar.

I'm happy to back up my files and try it tonight for you.

Ditto. At work at the moment but tonight I am more than happy to give it another go.

[J. M. Pescado]

Now his community shop is in "pause" with only build/buy mode available. Debug mode shows no errors. I can't load his home in the neighborhood, since he's stuck in his store.

When you load his store, does he visibly appear there, perhaps on the sidewalk or some similar location, or is the lot devoid of frozen people?]

[SharnaPax]

JM, yes, the Sim is visible (heading inside the door to his shop, to be exact). I can move him around like a mannequin, but he's completely frozen.

[Darkstormyeve]

Lyric, sounds like the same problem JM and I experienced. My sim was heading up the stairs to the main door to her shop and her flatmate (the only person she shares a home lot with) was there too. I could move them around too but only as an object.

[J. M. Pescado]

Okay, so here it is: Unsupported Lot Crowbar.

It is deployed by community lot collection, since the mere action of clicking on it is dangerous, so I have hidden it from the normal panels. Both files must be installed, one in downloads, one in collections. Once used, it should "crowbar" the lot stuck in such a manner, enabling you to try to depart again by taxi or car and get home. Let me know how it goes.

[Simlover]

So should we put the crowbar in our folders before we try to replicate the error or after we have succesfully recreated the error?

[SharnaPax]

It worked! The moment I placed the crowbar down, the lot unfroze and live mode enabled. The Sim got a taxi home, saved and all is well once more. I did a quick perusal to see if any of Bluewater or the neighborhood was fubared, and everything seems fine.

JM, you're brilliant. Thank you.

I'd much rather have your fixes than a damned Maxi patch that destroys 10 things for every one it *might* repair.

[Li'l Brudder]

I have this problem occuring this very second in my minimized game right now!  Owner is going into shop, except live mode is grayed out.  The employees are at their "battle stations" doing their jobs even though they weren't there when I left.  Time to employ the crowbar.  I was futzing around, TRYING to create this error, and the game obliged!  Anyway, I was looking at the shop console, and I think I found something!  The owner was appearing as a "customer," apparently shopping.  It was weird.  I think might have to do with the bug.

[J. M. Pescado]

Right, and does the crowbar unstick your game?

[Simlover]

Jm while you are here can you answer my ?? Do you want us to put the crowbar files in our game before or after we simulate the problem???

[J. M. Pescado]

Anytime. The crowbar can be inserted or removed anytime after you encounter the problem. It's a crowbar, it doesn't prevent the problem, it merely lets you pry the lot loose if it gets jammed.

[Simlover]

Ok so far no go! I copied the crowbar pkge into the appropriate places and started up my game.  I chose John Burb from Pleasantville as my victim and loaded him up with simoleons, bought him the arcade in Bluewater and bought him the cheapest of the cars.
I tried.....
1.  saving and then exiting to neighbourhood
2. exiting the game and saving in the process
3. going back and forwards to his home a few times and have even changed his car to the pickup truck.

The only strange thing I noticed was when I had previously exited from my girls flower shop I got a message saying I would have to play her from there next time (which I did with no problems) but there was no such message for Mr Burbs business.

Tomorrow i will try a different type of business I guess with maybe a cas sim and yet another type of car and see what I can do.

[shezoe]

i tried this bug out as soon as i first read about it and it happened just like had been stated. i sent a sim to work in their car, closed the business-sent the employees home, and tried to leave. she left-i stayed there. i had saved prior to doing this. i tried other stuff just to see what would happen-like summoning her to another sims house with insiminator, making her selectable, calling a taxi to go to a community lot, n then having her call a taxi to go home. when the taxi left with her-she left-i was stuck at the community lot.

By "left and you stayed there", you mean your sim was off the lot, but the game didn't leave, and you were simply stuck staring as time scrolled by? Or did the game go to build/buy only, with no live mode? That seems to be the early symptom.

i never tried the crowbar thing. i didn't want to risk making it worse. hmmmm

Well, you couldn't. Because I made the Lot Crowbar for this, and I never released this object.

l
well that would explain why i wasn't finding what you'd said in de-bug mode-ROFL! i thot it was something i'd missed    as far as the first thing-the sim left and i was left at the lot with time rollin on, but unable to access anything at all. Couldn't save or exit or anything. Everything was greyed out. it happened just like that when i went the round about way of teleporting her to a residential lot and sending her to an un-owned community lot.  she left the community lot  when i told her to drive home and i was left there with everything greyed out.

[shezoe]

Question? Is this only happening to shop owners in Bluewater village?  I have not had any problems with my shop in Pleasantview!

my stuck business is in my own neighborhood i created way back when

[Simlover]

Would anyone who has been stuck like to list

a. the business they got stuck on
b. whether their sims were cas or maxis made
c. what car were they driving

[Li'l Brudder]

Crowbar worked for me!  It took a few seconds, but then the crowbar smashed it's way in through a window.  What is its coding, Pescado?  How does it work?

I don't suggest using it when the Live Mode is not grayed out; it froze my game.

[shezoe]

Would anyone who has been stuck like to list

a. the business they got stuck on
b. whether their sims were cas or maxis made
c. what car were they driving

well i was wrong about not being able to get into my build n buy mode-that made me hopeful! This time live mode was still there and her icon didn't disappear though she did drive off the lot so i couldn't select anything. i don't know what made that change.  Anyway- i tried the elusive crowbar and both times my game froze with the object clutched desperately in the cold, dead lil hand   second time-i waited at least half an hour-doing other things to see if it would come back to life, but it didn't. i couldn't get out with cntrl alt del either n had to shut down altogether

on mine:
a. a business i built from the ground up several months ago
b. the sim is cas made-sims2 base game maxis made clothing, custom skin tone, hair, eyes
c. she is driving the convertible sedan cabrio made by supertramp

[shezoe]

Crowbar worked for me!  It took a few seconds, but then the crowbar smashed it's way in through a window.  What is its coding, Pescado?  How does it work?

I don't suggest using it when the Live Mode is not grayed out; it froze my game.

 jinx! 

[Simlover]

Ok just spoke to a young friend who had this happen, car & sim left the lot but she couldn't, she

a. had a custom made business in Bluewater
b. had a cas sim with custom hair/makeup
c. was using the black sportscar
d. at no stage saved her game, thereby loosing everything

[SirLance]

Well, my game has once again been saved by El Presidente!

Just to let you know exactly what happened:

1. Quit without saving a community lot.
2. Entered the lot from the shopping district.
3. Live mode was greyed out.

I hadn't had any problems until I went back into the lot from the shopping district instead of going back to the house and using it to re-enter the community lot. So, I'm thinking maybe this could have something to do with it?

[Simlover]

Well with what I was trialing last night and this am it doesnt seem to matter so far I have entered the lot directly form the shopping district last night and from his house this am.