Annoying NPC's?

[SharksAreCool]

For some reason Maxis thought it would be a good idea to make it so that NPC's will constantly try to interact with you, no matter how busy you are or how many times you cancel the interaction. Is there a fix for this? Autonomy is already set to the lowest settings.

[CuriousSim]

I usually don't introduce myself. That keeps interactions low, except from people my Sim knows. (Aside from the autonomous enchanting introduction problem)

[Nindigo]

Hey there

Unfortunately, Sims in TS4 will begin to converse and keep conversing on their own even if autonomy is disabled. It is unbelievably annoying and especially aggravating if your Sims are on a date. NPCs will invite themselves to be a part of that date and perhaps even scold your Sims for displaying affection in public. I use MC Command Center, because with it I can instantly delete any and all intruding NPCs. But I usually choose a lot that does not allow visitors and avoid the problem altogether. Beyond that, Sims just often simply disagree with you and would rather do things of their own choosing instead of obeying your commands

[CuriousSim]

I do not know why, but when on a date, it seems like you become a magnet to strangers, that want to introduce themselves, get in on your conversations, then become offended, if any flirts start flying. People will just walk by on the street & suddenly, "Be Greeted's" will just pop up in your interactions. I usually stick to business, then when it's time to do goals, I find an isolated area/table & hope for the best. I always bring a flirty painting along. I don't know if that works anymore, since painting behavior has changed a bit. I know some objects can't be placed as easily. Overall, relationships don't seem to be so worth it, in the game. Sub romantic relationships seem to work a lot more smoothly. I kinda like to follow the flow & see which relationships develop naturally. It's often surprise. The one that flirts my Sim to the pink, will be the one that I will concentrate on & develop.

I don't count the "Enchanting Introduction" relationships. It happened again. My Sim was not Flirty. He was eating & talking to his best friend & suddenly, he enchanted a stranger walking by the table. No time to head the interaction off. It was a instant steamy conversation. Why can't normal flirts be that powerful?

[Nindigo]

@CuriousSim I'm certain it is to spite us - instant sabotage, Sims have wills of their own! Lol, but I feel you. Several times during gameplay, I throw my arms up and say out loud 'No, -insert Sim's name-! Do as I say!' At this point, my fiancé and dog have gotten used to my battles with my Sims

[SharksAreCool]

I usually don't introduce myself. That keeps interactions low, except from people my Sim knows. (Aside from the autonomous enchanting introduction problem)

It's actually strangers that are the most annoying for me. That's why this is such a big issue, I travel to a random lot and get "spammed" with interactions by a random NPC whom I've never even seen before.

It doesn't seem to matter if my sim is on a date or not.

[CuriousSim]

Strange. Usually, if I'm on a lot that I don't own, I don't get any interactions at all. In fact, that's what I do, when I want to get things done, without 7 Sims showing up at my house. I put a bed & facilities on an unused & unowned lot, along with easels, work tables, and whatever else I need to build skills & conduct business.

[CuriousSim]

I don't use doors - only privacy walls. That way, I can use anything, except the chess table.

[Nindigo]

@CuriousSim It may be because the lots belong to the 'generic' category. These are not visited by unplayed Sims.

[Playalot]

This is such an annoying issue. The times I have raged at NPC's barging in on my sims conversations. ugh! Recently I've taken to going into build mode and placing items on top of the annoying NPC which makes them reset a few steps away and then I kinda chase them away by repeatedly placing an item on them. Hop back into live mode and let my sims continue. This really is such a clumsy 'fix' and only works on community lots unless you don't mind using cheats to unlock the building ability on all lot types etc. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I really miss the ability to pick sims up in cheat mode like you could in TS3.

I've found that is always strangers that barge in on my sims conversations. My sims friends never barge in on dates etc it's always the game generated townies. I actually find myself saying out loud 'oh for *cough* goodness sake just go away'. smh. #simsthings

[SharksAreCool]

Speaking of annoyances, I have another problem. For some reasons my neighbors come whining at my apartment door literally every night and every moring claiming I make too much noise, even though I don't have any stereos or TV's running. Not playing any instruments either.

Are they supposed to be upset just because my sims stay up late?

[Nindigo]

@SharksAreCool It's just yet another feature that has been thrown in without thinking things through. It's like they get an idea, implement it, and then give no further thought as to how it affects gameplay. Features need adjustment in order for a balance between fun and fair to be attained. But no, they simply toss something in and tell themselves they did a great job.

Sorry about the negativity, but this stuff is really getting to me these days. I have stopped playing as it is because the unbalances and sloppy development choke out the bit of fun, I do have.

[SharksAreCool]

No I agree. The only reason I even play The Sims 4 is because it's the only playable one for me. The Sims 2 has way too many compatibility issues with modern systems, and as far as I know we haven't developed any computers that can run The Sims 3 yet, so... yeah.

Anyway, kill the neighbors it is I guess.

EDIT: Speaking of past games, I haven't actually tried playing in rotation in Sims 4 yet. Do inactive households progress over time like in Sims 3? Or do they stay the same unless the player interacts with them directly, like in Sims 2?

[Playalot]

@SharksAreCool  MarianT has a great thread about playing in rotation. It all depends on your game play settings. I've been playing rotationally for some time now but with aging off as currently I want my families to remain frozen until I play them again.

Also there seems to be a glitch that if you do not address the noise your neighbors make then they come out of your apartment and blame you for making their noise.    Simple things like playing a guitar late at night will trigger neighbors and so will changing the volume on the stereo. Generally you can leave it on 24/7 and it usually doesn't trigger an angry neighbor but as soon as you change the volume (even to lower it) it will trigger an angry response.


I understand your frustrations 110% @Nindigo but to balance the discussion out a little the game is being updated regularly and bugs do get fixed. Can't say that all the bugs get fixed or all the game play gets retuned or that what is done is to my personal satisfaction, but things do get changed. I've found that if you manage to get the correct guru's attention with an issue then that can lead to a good outcome. And by 'correct' guru I mean the one who worked on the item or game play that is the issue. I can't say I've had much luck with this but I've seen it happen on the Official Forums. The QA team will acknowledge a bug report on twitter and let you know if they already know about it, so that's something.

[Nindigo]

Also there seems to be a glitch that if you do not address the noise your neighbors make then they come out of your apartment and blame you for making their noise.

Oh, I did wonder why my Sim was being blamed. It was a long time ago and had me confused. There is also the awkward situation when the Rasoyas (Geeta and her son, Raj) are making woohoo noise And the fact that when you complain to the neighbors, they see it as an invitation to hang out in your apartment Unless that one has been fixed...

Guess there is a reason why I've stopped moving my Sims to San Myshuno though I'm still fairly fond of The Old Salt House (no landlord!).

[SharksAreCool]

@SharksAreCool  MarianT has a great thread about playing in rotation.

Yeah that pretty much confirms it, inactive households aren't safe like in The Sims 2.

I've found a mod that prevents them from changing skills, anything like that for relationships, jobs, etc?

[Playalot]

I think there are a few mods that you could try like the the ones Candyd posts here but also that MC Command Center is one mod that does a lot. I haven't tried it but a lot of simmers say it's great.

[SharksAreCool]

I think there are a few mods that you could try like the the ones Candyd posts here but also that MC Command Center is one mod that does a lot. I haven't tried it but a lot of simmers say it's great.

MCCC doesn't have any options for that, none that I can find.

[commasplice]

Everytime I do that Runaway Teen challenge, and my sim cannot interact with adults, when I send the teen to the park to use the bathroom, grill, or whatever there's Jacques Villareal, looking absolutely filthy in his wifebeater shirt trying to talk to my sim. Without fail.

[Playalot]

@SharksAreCool I think MCCC has setting for story progression. But, like I said I haven't actually tried it. I think you can set it so there is no story progression i.e. your played sims will not be placed into jobs/careers etc by the game or get new relationships etc when you are not playing them.

@commasplice it's almost impossible to cancel those interactions too so when I play the teenchallenges I just cancel what I can and ignore any passive gains as it is a limitation with the game, not your skill as a player. 

[SharksAreCool]

@SharksAreCool I think MCCC has setting for story progression. But, like I said I haven't actually tried it. I think you can set it so there is no story progression i.e. your played sims will not be placed into jobs/careers etc by the game or get new relationships etc when you are not playing them.

AFAIK Sims 4 doesn't have any Story Progression, just a broadened autonomy for inactive sims.

Either way, I couldn't find any option for it.

[Nindigo]

@SharksAreCool  MCCC comes with its own custom population setting which is the equivalent of TS3's story progression (as it was supposed to work) and NPCs will start getting pregnant and such. In MCCC settings, you can choose to use this custom setting or EA's default (no story progression). Check under 'population'.

[SharksAreCool]

So what settings do I have to use for the Played households to stay unchanged?

[Nindigo]

With MCCC, I believe the settings for a specific family stays the same whether you play it or not. I don't see my uncontrolled families do stuff like change partner, change weight, have kids, or change jobs. I'm no sure about skills though. You can test it, if you like.

[Playalot]

Hey thanks @Nindigo  I forgot you use MCCC, should have just tagged you!

[Nindigo]

No problem, @Playalot I still need to test some of its features myself. For instance, why it lets a lady Sim give birth to a child that her twin was pregnant with...

[CynKuy]

For Dates I send my Sims to The Bluffs in Windenberg that way they are undisturbed by NPCs.

[CuriousSim]

For player initiated dates, I sometimes build a date spot. It consists of a fancy table & chairs & a wall, with a residential speaker & flirty paintings. It's located on an unoccupied lot. So far, I have had no problems, with intrusions on to unoccupied lots. As long as the wall is open & there are no doors, you can access everything on the lot, except a chessboard, possibly.

[CuriousSim]

I just don't understand...

Why, my Sim can be talking to a friend, on a lot, and from miles away, a stranger will be able to see him, from the beam down point, and will want to introduce him/herself, even though it takes 2-3 minutes, to even walk to get there.

[Nindigo]

I know, it makes no sense. The AI is far from perfect. I assume that creating NPC (or NPS) diversity has been the goal. It's just bothersome when you don't want your Sim to be disturbed.

[Playalot]

Or when your sim just decides to walk somewhere, for a long time... and there is nothing in the action queue to cancel and you're staring at your screen in frustration wondering where your sim is going... and it continues... and it's time for work and your sim is still walking somewhere and then you realize he wanted to hug some NPC you don't even recognize that has just appeared at the edge of the neighborhood. 

[Nindigo]

It's frustrating

I experience the empty queue bar as well. Did yesterday, in fact. Feels like the Sim is mocking your supposed omnipotence. It may help to give the Sim an order (something else to think about), but it's no guarantee.

[Magpie2012]

Or when your sim just decides to walk somewhere, for a long time... and there is nothing in the action queue to cancel and you're staring at your screen in frustration wondering where your sim is going... and it continues... and it's time for work and your sim is still walking somewhere and then you realize he wanted to hug some NPC you don't even recognize that has just appeared at the edge of the neighborhood. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

So much that! And the lack of a cancel-able action just drives me batty! I love that our Sims have a bit more character now, but, seriously! I'm there to control YOU! not the other way around, you dumb sim!!

[CuriousSim]

It's a bit weird. It doesn't always happen, BUT if you do the "Hang out with friends" event, or any other date/event with someone with a sizable pink bar, your Sim suddenly becomes the most popular Sim on the planet & you'll end up drawing 5 or more other Sims, into your conversation. If you're not "With" someone, then no one wants to talk to you.

As for the Sim possession issue. One time, I even tried to save, then restore my game & my Sim just kept walking around the map, until it was out of his system.

[Nindigo]

...with someone with a sizable pink bar, your Sim suddenly becomes the most popular Sim on the planet...

Just this afternoon, something similar happened in my game. My couple had a The Good Timers gathering at home. Caleb was in the living room doing nothing and waiting for people to come chat with him. He is gregarious. Don was upgrading the fridge and couldn't talk. But all members of the club (save for my two Sims) congregated around Don and remained there during all the 3-4 upgrades, I had him do. Took forever until he could say 'hi' and people finally scattered. You just look up and ask 'why?'.

[Playalot]

I actually use the upgrading action to deter pesky visiting NPC's lol. I'll direct my sim to repair something and then happily control my other sim while they all wait for my repairing sim to finish.  Gardening works the same way. *smug grin* I could ask them all to leave I guess but where would the fun in that be?

[CuriousSim]

This is a bit ridiculous...

My guy was entertaining guests and suddenly, he wants to talk to the gardener. The gardener is actually IN the community garden, watering the plants.