Sims Evolving Meal Habits

[Magicmoon]

I don't have the best memory, but after we started playing Sims2 or adding one of the early EPs, I remember that Sims who were hungry were able to realize that another householder was already in the midst of preparing a meal, so instead of heading for the fridge they would sit at the table and "wait for food". They no longer do this.

For awhile now, Sims have been ignoring the fact that another family member is cooking and will head to the fridge to start another meal. I think this started around the same time that Sims started getting obsessed with "stuff face". I wouldn't mind if a hungry Sim just stuffed their face while waiting for the meal to get done, but they are starting a whole new meal.

Another thing I noticed, which I think started with Seasons, is the Sims waiting for other family members to join them at the table. But it happens even if the Sim lives alone or is alone in the house at the time (not counting infants and toddlers).

The serving Sim will place the plates on the table, sit the serving platter on the table instead of a counter, unless the served plates took up too much table room. Then they will stand next to their chosen chair for awhile waiting for the rest of the family to join them (I assume, since nothing is in their queue). Finally, they will sit down to eat whether or not anyone else has joined them.

So what's with the wait? I could understand if I clicked on the serving platter and called the family to dinner, but it happens all the time, even if the Sim is dining alone. Often this isn't a big deal, but sometimes Sims are pressed for time, and/or starving and need to start eating immediately.

I'm not 100% positive, but I think it also happens if a Sim prepares just a single serving for themselves. However, if I tell them to retrieve a leftover, they sit down and eat it immediately.

Is there a way to return to the way it was, where Sims don't start another meal if one is in preparation? Is there a way to stop Sims from waiting so long before sitting down to eat unless the rest of the family has been called to dinner or other Sims have 'eat' in their queue? Or failing that, just stop with the stupid waiting before eating?

Only MATY food mods are installed.

[Sagana]

Interesting because my sims do still "wait for food" - though not consistently. They often start another meal anyways. Children will almost always wait for food if they're hungry and it's close to being done. I also don't think I have that wait time thing before eating. I've never noticed it - they just go ahead and eat - though they serve way more plates out than I'd prefer, usually. Have you tried this in a totally vanilla game?

[notveryawesome]

My sims still wait for food, and are also doing the pausing thing, but I don't have Seasons installed yet. I've only noticed the pausing lately, so I'm wondering if maybe it's hack-related.

[sewinglady]

I have all the eps and sps installed and mine still wait for food (and occasionally and annoyingly stuff face)...

So maybe it's a hack conflict thing?

[aubreylaraine]

mine wait for food and stuff face, but not near as often as they start another meal. i will have to pay more attention to see if they actually pause to see who else will join them, usually i take my eyes off of them until they are finished. but they always sit at the table after they finish even if they are alone in the room. thats what i thought was odd.

[notveryawesome]

They'll do that if their comfort score is low.

[Lana B]

I've noticed that hungry sims will try to make themselves a meal unless someone else has reached a certain point in the preparation of a meal. I think wait for food doesn't kick in until the timer has gone off, ie basically finished cooking it and is about to serve. I try and make my sims walk somewhere or do a short action so it ends at about the right time for them to realise someone else is cooking. Making them sit doesn't work as they then just watch everyone eat around them, join in the conversation and don't have the brains to feed themselves, even if a plate is out in front of them.

[eevilcat]

I thought that 'Stuff Face' might be personality based in some way. I've been playing the Ottomas household recently and both Samantha and Peter are constantly guilty of doing this even when another sim is making food. They'll also make themselves a second meal even when their hunger bar is only slightly down. Both will stop eating when full, but even so it's been a constant battle to keep their weight down/fitness up. Fortunately their bad habits don't seem to have passed onto their offspring. I certainly don't have sims in the other households in my legacy hood stuffing their faces this way, only the Ottomas.

[Zazazu]

Yeah, I thought Stuff Face was based on the neat score. Low neats stuff, high neats starve. I rarely see face stuffage, but then I breed for mid-to-high neat. I hate watching them mop.

[Count Four]

This happens to me constantly; one sim cooking a group meal, and it seems regardless of the cooking stage, another one will try to start cooking something else. (I try to knock it off their queue whenever it happens, but sometimes I'm a little slow on the mouse.) I rarely see "wait for food" anymore.  I don't think I've seen it since before installing Seasons.

I make most of my sims four or five bars on neat and it's rare to see them Stuff Face.

[Hook]

  Students in the dorm attempting to cook when there is food sitting on the counter.

I smell a hack.  And not a very good one, either.

Hook

[Sleepycat]

I just use Squinges "noautonomouscooking" hack 

[Zazazu]

3) Servos should only serve food when the total sum of all hunger in the house is depleted a certain level, which would be equal to one person at near starvation.

I believe that noservochores prevents this, since serving food always happens as a chore. Just put it in, because Igor kept queing up chores when he was supposed to be working on skills to pass on to his future servo spawn employees and working on reestablishing ecostasis. He hasn't tried to serve a meal since.

noservochores is in the Director's Cut.

[notveryawesome]

I just use Squinges "noautonomouscooking" hack 

Me too, as well as noservochores. These two hacks alone have saved me a great deal of what little sanity I had left.

[Sleepycat]

I used to have the noservochores hack in but then I realized I didn't need it, none of my sims have servos  *laughs*

[Magicmoon]

mine wait for food and stuff face, but not near as often as they start another meal.

This happens to me constantly; one sim cooking a group meal, and it seems regardless of the cooking stage, another one will try to start cooking something else. (I try to knock it off their queue whenever it happens, but sometimes I'm a little slow on the mouse.) I rarely see "wait for food" anymore.  I don't think I've seen it since before installing Seasons.

I make most of my sims four or five bars on neat and it's rare to see them Stuff Face.

That is what's happening. I didn't mean to imply that they never wait for food. But food prep stage of the other Sim doesn't appear to affect it. In earlier EPs they would wait for food as long as another Sim removed something from the fridge. Now they head for the fridge even when a server is heading towards the table with the serving platter still in hand.

As far as stuff face, I'm aware that it is personality based. However, those who stuffed their face with earlier EPs didn't do it near as often as they do since Seasons was installed.

Last night I realized that it isn't just the server that pauses before being seated. Four sims waited next to their chairs and then sat down just before the server did. Two more Sims joined them a few seconds later. Later joining Sims never do the pause.

I don't want noautonomous cooking. I want them to cook, but do like they did before and 'wait for food' if food is already being prepared. I like them cooking autonomously, but I notice that they make food for themselves far more often than they serve. I can put up with it though since they gain skill with it.

[jsalemi]

I just use dizzy's leftovers hack from Peasantry -- as long as there's stuff in the fridge (and that hack makes them put it there ), sims will get a leftover before ever cooking for themselves.

[Magicmoon]

I'm using the store food one, but if you use the other one with TwoJeff's 'food already available' fix then Sims can never cook autonomously as long as leftovers are available.

I use leftovers for pregnant Sims because they are usually overly tired and hungry, and for children who may be left with a nanny for short periods of time. So I really don't want them to use the leftovers up first.  Often for pregnant Sims, I'll prepare one of the sparkly type meals, and then put all the plates into the fridge as leftovers for them.

Food is cheap compared to the amount of money in the game, so leftovers aren't a way for me to save money, but rather have something available to those who can't or don't have time to cook for themselves.

[eaglezero]

Stuff face/food prep congestion is why you lock your kitchen to all sims except Cooking Sim. OFB's lockable doors or APO are best for this, but University's Myne doors will work in a pinch. I'm not sure if they can quickly be reassigned to another sim though, which could be dangerous if Cooking Sim is off lot when someone's hunger drops to near-starvation levels. However, if you have progressed past the first generation, there is probably no need for Cooking Sim to hold a job and thus no need for Cooking Sim to be off lot, which is, in point of fact, why Cooking Sim IS Cooking Sim. Locking the kitchen has other benefits too, such as fewer fires and, if you don't use the hack that makes them stop eating when they're full, fewer fat sims.

I have no idea what's up with the sims standing by their food to wait. This never happens in my game. Usually one sim has blasted halfway through his meal before another even approaches the food, which is sad because I like for them to talk as they eat. It also seems to me that my sims no longer will continue sitting and chatting until everyone is done (which they used to do as long as there weren't any actions waiting in the queue) and instead will leap up to wash their dish immediately, even if they're still needing comfort or social points.

[Goldenbow]

The sims standing besides empty chairs during meal service happens a lot in my game (all EPs). I also assumed it was hack related since there are a couple of hacks involving food service in the game. But if there's even a chance it's a new behavior that would be great. Sims being considerate and acknowleding other sims needs? Whoa!