Don't Talk, EAT! grrrr

[dsk]

Ok, I just have to get this off my chest because it's been driving me crazy ever since Nightlife came out.

They seem to have added more conversation during meals involving more than one sim.  I understand this... if you are on a date you want the sims to actually talk.  The only problem is, when you have a family of four sitting down for a meal together, it shouldn't take 4-5 hours for everyone to get full!  They talk so friggin much that the hunger motive goes down only slightly less than it goes up.  It's so annoying that I've had to start staggering my sims so each one eats alone.

They should have disabled all the extra talking if you aren't on a community or downtown lot.  Hopefully someone will make a hack.

[nectere]

I would have to agree with this.

[gynarchy]

I thought it took too long before NL, but now it's just pure torture. I sent a couple of Sims on a date and couldn't increase the date meter beyond "good" because it took the entire time allotment to eat (neat Sim + endless yakking = 4 hour meal). Whenever possible, I make sure my Sims eat alone now so they can get to work and school before the end of the day.

[sara_dippity]

While it's nice for dates and group outings, for a family to sit down and interrupt each other like that is just rude.

[Dark Trepie]

I'm waiting for one of my sims to die from starvation because they're in hunger desperation but would rather talk than live.

Its gonna happen, its inevitable.

[miramis]

This doesn't bug me like it seems to with others, I like watching my family communicating during meals, but having said that I did laugh at Trepie's post 

[dsk]

Just a few more gripes... nothing to do with food.  The music that came with Nightlife sucks, especially the one with a chorus of people singing "bah buh buh bah" over and over.  Also, I thought I read somewhere that if you had a car, you could take your kids to school.  Unless I'm missing something, you can't.  And only one sim can take the car to work?  They also said you get an extra hour if you have a car.  Job starts at 9 am, carpool arrived at 8 am.  With a car, instead of the carpool they get a notice saying they have to be at work in an hour, and they autonomously hop in the car and leave.  Where's my extra hour??

[sara_dippity]

You can leave for work late with a car, maybe they're counting that. If it were logical, it would affect your job preformance. You can take kids to school, when it's an hour before school an option comes up on the car. Since the bus shows up anyway, the only reason to would be either the very tiny motive boosts of a car or if you just move into a house (at 8am on monday with no bus showing up), you can get rid of the kids by taking them to school. Or if they miss the buss I guess.

[nectere]

It would have been pretty cool if the cars came with an option to set as "mode of transportation" for work and outings (but not school because someone would always have to be available).

On a side note, personally I hope that Maxis considers a "SimZone" pack at some point, because I really don't see any purpose in having a "downtown" neighborhood when you can incorporate those features in your main neighborhood. By the same token it would be nice if you could designate areas of your main neighborhood as downtown, college, residential and eventually business, just like in Sim City. So rather than having to load essentially an entirely different neighborhood you could simply use your base neighborhood to house all those features by use of zoning. Granted this would require a lot of tweaking to the current engine and so forth, and it would require the base game to be absolutely stable, but I still think it's doable in the long run. Of course you would have to up the iterations exponentially but hey, I can dream cant I?

[linolino]

actually i liked the NL music a lot!! especially the one that is remixed neighborhood music.

as for the extra hour, you can hop in your car after the carpool would have left . so if carpool waits untill 9am, you can get in the car to go to work untill 10am

[Brynne]

I was able to have a sim drive his son to school after missing the bus.
I wish there was a way to get rid of the carpool if two or more sims in the household are in the same career at the same level. I have 2 brothers and a father living together, all are Hall of Famers (I planned it that way before NL to decrease the number of carpools to the lot), and, although there is the option for the sim who owns the car to "carpool to work with all eligible sims", I have to click that option daily and it only shows up when the carpool is already on the lot. Kind of pointless.

[pearlbh]

Actually, you can go to work HOURS late.  I think the result of being late though is the same as missing a day of work, you get the same pop up about your job performance.  I'm guessing, that if you're late two days in a row you get fired just like if you miss two days of work in a row. 

Incidentally, I agree totally about the slow eating because of all the talking.  And the "ba ba ba ba" music.  I like all the rest of the NL music except that, it drives me bats! 

Another thing, how in the world do you call somebody to as them to go downtown if it's just a friend - apparently "DATE" is always a romantic thing.  Last night I wanted a guy to call his mother and ask her downtown for lunch.  I couldn't figure out how to do this except to call a taxi with "invite Sim to a community lot", but I didn't want that, I wanted him to drive his own car.  The only possible way I could come up with was to pick up the phone, "manage groups", and create a group of just her.  It worked but that seems rather ridiculous, why can't you just "ask sim on an outing" the same way you can "ask sim on a date"? 

[linolino]

why can't you just "ask sim on an outing" the same way you can "ask sim on a date"? 

you can. When clicking on a sim, in the Ask option you will see the "ask to form a group outing" option. This will make that sim join you in a outing. then you get in the car and go downtown

there is the option for the sim who owns the car to "carpool to work with all eligible sims", I have to click that option daily and it only shows up when the carpool is already on the lot. Kind of pointless.

Is there this option on the car? i have never seen it. it only shows up when the carpool is aready on the lot?
i will test it out later today, however for what you have said, i think i understand that. "eligible sims" must be sims wich have less than 1 hour to get to work or that have already passed their work start hour.

So if you have 2 sims that have to go to work in the same time, one of them will be owning the car, so no carpool for him, and the other one will have the carpool waiting for him. however you can send them both in the car if you wish. and the carpool will be wasted.

However if you have 2 cars and each of those sims own one, no carpool will come, however you will still be able to send them both to work in one car only, and the other one will be avaiable.

But yeah, someone should make a hack that will disable the carpool for all sims that will go to work at the same time, if there is a sim who owns the car

[miramis]

Pearl, have your sim go downtown and use his mobile to invite his mother there, this works like a charm for me.

[Venusy]

According to the Prima guide, if a sim is late for work three days in a row they get demoted. It's hardly the most trustworthy source, but seen as I don't have the game the guide is my only source of NL info.

[pearlbh]

[you can. When clicking on a sim, in the Ask option you will see the "ask to form a group outing" option. This will make that sim join you in a outing. then you get in the car and go downtown/quote]

Ah yes, but I meant on the phone.  There doesn't seem to be any way you can just pick up the phone and invite a friend downtown, unless you go by taxi, or invite them over to your house first then form a casual group, or create a group with just that person by phone then invite the group downtown. 

I hadn't thought of Miramis' idea about going downtown alone then using your cellphone to invite somebody over.  That's what I'll do next time! 

[linolino]

HAHAHA, this quote is kid of weird pearl. thats funny, i didn't realized it was actually your answer.. hahaha

calling a a sim from the downtown with your mobile is actually a good idea...   ...unless the target rejects to go there.. hehe

the manage group option on the phone is a great feature, however they didn't thought it through when they made it, and that's why it's annoying using it: WHy the hell does the selected sim has to go over to the phone and dial, for the dialog window to show? and in that dialog the area where the names are listed is too small, and you can't sort them by relationship level or by turn on, making it a drag to search for the names in there...

[ElviraGoth]

The endless table conversation is my biggest annoyance so far as well.

Thought it was kinda neat the first time.  My three Blue brothers were eating and having a great conversation.  So far, so good.  But it got to the point where they were talking more than eating, and they still had homework to do and their needs were dropping like crazy!  So they all had to s**t, shower, etc., and do their homework, and got to bed about 1 am.  Then get up and eat again because they were hungry enough to need something before they went out the door.  Talk, talk, talk, almost miss the bus because they are not eating.

But I also had a toddler that refreshed her energy level by drinking a bottle or playing with the charisma bunny.  She'd get just low enough to need someone to put her in the crib, then the energy level just started going back up until it was full if she got a bottle or played with the bunny.  (I have a few toddlers in this hood, she's the only one it happened to so far.)

[dizzy]

And the "ba ba ba ba" music.  I like all the rest of the NL music except that, it drives me bats!

So, turn it off. All the music in the game is optional.

[Zandi]

It was cute to see them sitting there babbeling away and drinking  at first but then I looked at their hunger bar and had a bad chineese take out flash back.
I seriously had sims die of starvation while eatting that stuff.
Now I feel like I have to feed them at home first then send them out for conversation and nibbles.

[Ancient Sim]

I really like the new chatting at the table options.  I used to find it very irritating when they could no longer chat once they'd eaten the last morsel of food, especially if the main reason I sent them to eat was to get social and then the other person finished eating as they sat down.  Also, they really appear to be chatting like PEOPLE now, instead of like Sims, if that makes sense.  What I don't like is the way single Sims out for a meal are sat at separate tables, I'd rather they were put with someone else, or even better asked "Do you want to dine alone, or with other Sims?"  That way if they needed social, or to meet people, they'd have the chance.  Even sillier is married couples.  Last night Castor Nova and his live-in fiancee Allegra Gorey were both on a restaurant lot.  Castor sat down to eat and Allegra stood next to his table the entire time listening to her MP3 player.  I knew she was probably hungry as she's pregnant and sure enough, as soon as he got up and walked off, she sat down to eat at the same table!  Would be so much more realistic if established couples were to arrive together and go have a meal.  

[Zandi]

I get mine seated together by using the form casual group just for fun trick before leaving home.
Look under ask in their socials.

[pearlbh]

I don't know what happened with that quote. LOL 

[knitro]

the thing that would improve the talking and eating was if sims would just talk with their mouths full, honestly. Like we care if they have manners.

[Oddysey]

So, turn it off. All the music in the game is optional.

Theoretically, at least. I haven't been able to get the original game music to shut off. Probably just need to restart the game before it sticks.