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Please Tweak The AI and Other Matters
Cinebar
Posts: 33,618 Member
It may be impossible for you to fix this however, it is extremely annoying.
Sim heads upstairs or downstairs to do something you prefer they don't do. Player cancels the action, and queues up something else. Sim continues upstairs never stopping like in other games and turning to go do the other thing. It is almost impossible to cancel out any action in this game. I assume this is an AI problem.
If not then I hope this can be fixed.
Multitasking isn't fluid. Please fix or tweak.
Sims walk with a hiccup in their step. Especially on the new hidden lots in the GTW. First, scene opens on pause, good, but soon becomes live by game trigger, player has to pause again to cancel the Sims autonomous queue, to make them go do something else instead.
Annoying, too much clicking. Anyway, as player commands they go do this or that, and the player is centered over the patient or the object etc. in the building, Sim remains standing outside. Player is like, where they heck are you? C'mon, get here and do this.
Finally, Sim begins to walk into the buildings. Hospital shouldn't take them forever (more than a few Sim minutes to get started walking) since no stairs to contend with.
As soon as they hit that pavement of the hospital, it's true, they slow down.....way down as they walk normally into the building. Player has to put the game on fast speed (#2) to get them to get with it and move darn it.
This annoyed me so much I began to pay attention to all Sims in the game and how they normally walk when commanded or when just out in the world walking around. They have a hiccup in their step. Haven't noticed? It's there.
No special walk induced, all Sims in the game (my game) walk with a hitch. Once you see, you just want to zap them.
Get behind them with the camera and follow them down the street, any Sim, they have a limp, a hitch, slows them down, annoying.
However, this is not the same thing as when they enter the new buildings. They walk so slowly once entering those lots, but random Sims showing up for work may run into the building, but my Sims are slowing down. Is there a special tile that is causing this? It's annoying.
I first thought this is because the hospital is so large and a long walk, nope they do it outside, they walk slowly toward the door. No bad mood, nothing...it's the AI? Or just those buildings? A tile, carpet? what?
GTW: Sim can't handle the multitasking in the hospital when buying food and drink from the vending machine, etc.
In one case they can, they can buy the sandwich and a soda and go ahead and sit at your table. No problem.
They can't find a way to sit down with a microwave pastry and coffee. They move around each table looking for a place to sit. Since they can't find a place to sit, they stand holding both trying to figure out how to eat it since they can't find a place to sit.
Cancellation isn't going to work here....just cause them to become corrupted.
The crazy time continuum in the game. Either we have story progression or we don't.
New examples: I'm at the hospital with my doctor. Two roommates at home are told to do things. Tidy up...not going to happen. Still the mess I left that morning.
Told to tend garden....this doesn't really mean what the player thinks it means, does it? Yes, player gets a message Mary gained a garden skill, great that worked, however, get home and the plants are almost dead, not watered, not weeded etc. Either this should work or a notice to players, hey, they aren't really going to clean the house and those filthy sinks, puddles, and or dirty dishes, and they will remain in their PJs all day...(more about that in minute) or keep up the garden. It's just text to pretty up the UI.
Care for Self: Not really, right? With this crazy time continuum, when we tell them to care for self...they aren't really going to take a shower and change into their everyday clothes are they? Nope, so the player is like, what? You are still in your robe but your hygiene is full...how is that possible. Either we have story progression and time continuance or we don't.
Nope, sometimes they are still standing where we left them when we went off to work in the new careers or they have moved to do something but still in pjs. This is so freaking immersion breaking. Please, make up the mind of the game to be one or the other. Because the house is still dirty, the garden is still a mess, and the Sims haven't done a freaking thing all day. lol Yes, I know it's not the TS3, however, if you are going to pretend it is, then we need to see more evidence this actually works this way, and they actually are doing what we told them to do. Not just more text on the UI.
I hope you read my feedback with a sense of humor because I'm more of a comedian than most think. Just see me as Sam Kinison sitting here screaming at my game...lol...and then you won't take my feedback harshly but in a way that can make you see how annoying it can get.
These are my new complaints, But at least I bought it and played it right? So, if you want me to continue buying, I need a bunch of things tweaked, fixed, fleshed out, (all other people's post also point out what we don't like or understand and find annoying) before I can continue buying. I like many things about the TS4, there are too many to list, however, flesh it out please.
ETA: I forgot a big one. I accidentally hit to return to roommate at home while my doctor was doing surgery. I need three to get a promotion, this was the second one. Darn it, no way to cancel the load screen to return home. So, immediately...like five minutes later, as soon as I hit their home lot returned to doctor, surgery over, my doctor is off drinking coffee, patient is gone, game didn't register there was a surgery. Darn it. Blew that chance. And since it's so rpg, I have to live with it.
Sim heads upstairs or downstairs to do something you prefer they don't do. Player cancels the action, and queues up something else. Sim continues upstairs never stopping like in other games and turning to go do the other thing. It is almost impossible to cancel out any action in this game. I assume this is an AI problem.
If not then I hope this can be fixed.
Multitasking isn't fluid. Please fix or tweak.
Sims walk with a hiccup in their step. Especially on the new hidden lots in the GTW. First, scene opens on pause, good, but soon becomes live by game trigger, player has to pause again to cancel the Sims autonomous queue, to make them go do something else instead.
Annoying, too much clicking. Anyway, as player commands they go do this or that, and the player is centered over the patient or the object etc. in the building, Sim remains standing outside. Player is like, where they heck are you? C'mon, get here and do this.
Finally, Sim begins to walk into the buildings. Hospital shouldn't take them forever (more than a few Sim minutes to get started walking) since no stairs to contend with.
As soon as they hit that pavement of the hospital, it's true, they slow down.....way down as they walk normally into the building. Player has to put the game on fast speed (#2) to get them to get with it and move darn it.
This annoyed me so much I began to pay attention to all Sims in the game and how they normally walk when commanded or when just out in the world walking around. They have a hiccup in their step. Haven't noticed? It's there.
No special walk induced, all Sims in the game (my game) walk with a hitch. Once you see, you just want to zap them.
Get behind them with the camera and follow them down the street, any Sim, they have a limp, a hitch, slows them down, annoying.
However, this is not the same thing as when they enter the new buildings. They walk so slowly once entering those lots, but random Sims showing up for work may run into the building, but my Sims are slowing down. Is there a special tile that is causing this? It's annoying.
I first thought this is because the hospital is so large and a long walk, nope they do it outside, they walk slowly toward the door. No bad mood, nothing...it's the AI? Or just those buildings? A tile, carpet? what?
GTW: Sim can't handle the multitasking in the hospital when buying food and drink from the vending machine, etc.
In one case they can, they can buy the sandwich and a soda and go ahead and sit at your table. No problem.
They can't find a way to sit down with a microwave pastry and coffee. They move around each table looking for a place to sit. Since they can't find a place to sit, they stand holding both trying to figure out how to eat it since they can't find a place to sit.
Cancellation isn't going to work here....just cause them to become corrupted.
The crazy time continuum in the game. Either we have story progression or we don't.
New examples: I'm at the hospital with my doctor. Two roommates at home are told to do things. Tidy up...not going to happen. Still the mess I left that morning.
Told to tend garden....this doesn't really mean what the player thinks it means, does it? Yes, player gets a message Mary gained a garden skill, great that worked, however, get home and the plants are almost dead, not watered, not weeded etc. Either this should work or a notice to players, hey, they aren't really going to clean the house and those filthy sinks, puddles, and or dirty dishes, and they will remain in their PJs all day...(more about that in minute) or keep up the garden. It's just text to pretty up the UI.
Care for Self: Not really, right? With this crazy time continuum, when we tell them to care for self...they aren't really going to take a shower and change into their everyday clothes are they? Nope, so the player is like, what? You are still in your robe but your hygiene is full...how is that possible. Either we have story progression and time continuance or we don't.
Nope, sometimes they are still standing where we left them when we went off to work in the new careers or they have moved to do something but still in pjs. This is so freaking immersion breaking. Please, make up the mind of the game to be one or the other. Because the house is still dirty, the garden is still a mess, and the Sims haven't done a freaking thing all day. lol Yes, I know it's not the TS3, however, if you are going to pretend it is, then we need to see more evidence this actually works this way, and they actually are doing what we told them to do. Not just more text on the UI.
I hope you read my feedback with a sense of humor because I'm more of a comedian than most think. Just see me as Sam Kinison sitting here screaming at my game...lol...and then you won't take my feedback harshly but in a way that can make you see how annoying it can get.
These are my new complaints, But at least I bought it and played it right? So, if you want me to continue buying, I need a bunch of things tweaked, fixed, fleshed out, (all other people's post also point out what we don't like or understand and find annoying) before I can continue buying. I like many things about the TS4, there are too many to list, however, flesh it out please.
ETA: I forgot a big one. I accidentally hit to return to roommate at home while my doctor was doing surgery. I need three to get a promotion, this was the second one. Darn it, no way to cancel the load screen to return home. So, immediately...like five minutes later, as soon as I hit their home lot returned to doctor, surgery over, my doctor is off drinking coffee, patient is gone, game didn't register there was a surgery. Darn it. Blew that chance. And since it's so rpg, I have to live with it.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
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Thank you @MDianaSanders for halloween-fying Golluma
I agree with that. Another problem with game play. Become best friends. Sims living in the same household wanted to be best friends. Great I will have them do that...they are already very good friends. So, they hug etc. A day later it pops backup in one guy's whim. What? You are already best friends with the other Sim. Nope, he is no longer best friends. Rinse and repeat. C'mon EA even the annoying BBF in the TS2 didn't diminish that fast, it took many Sim weeks to fall out with a friend. And never happened if they lived in the same house. Complexity is what players want. We want things to 'last' for more than a whim.
I'm so sorry @Cinebar I've been on the internet too long, I keep glancing through the discussions and seeing "twerk" instead of "tweak" ;_; hopefully now that I've confessed publicly it'll stop!!
Yes pleeeeeease!!! I'd also like to see people getting along better/slower relationship decay if they have compatible traits. Not just the same traits, necessarily - and maybe for some trait types that'd make it worse. But I can see Evil Sims not liking Family-Oriented Sims but getting along well with others who share those traits, same with cheerful and gloomy - although maybe there would be a fatal attraction, as sometimes happens in real life.
ETA: GTW< My Sim is a Specialist. Please, why is he being told to make a bed? Hm? Who designed the tasks for this. As much as I hate RPG gameplay in The Sims, at least make it make sense. After working so hard to get to the top, why is the game telling him to do these type tasks? And when are the nurse and other doctor on duty ever going to help treat some patients? It could have been ten times better.
(She/her)
after read your post
well basically you are asking then to change the game mechanic, i don't know if you know, this is not "AI" problem sims in off screen doing nothing, this is how the game work, that is why "load screens" are important, the only real action in sims 4 happen in the current played lot, any other lot is disabled also sims on that lot, this means which if you don't move all your sims in the same lot, they will do "nothing" really nothing", they are "disabled".
the options we have for that characters in offscreen are just scripts to increase skill, or increase relationship or do not let the sims needs drop to 0, this is how the game work.
you have 5 sims in a house
you move one 1 sim to a librain
2 to gym
let 3 at hose
when you are playing with the sim in the librain all the others sims will be "disabled" the game will be like the "normal rabbithole where the sims are just standing doing nothing, if you make your sim read a book then move to the gym the sim in the librain will be disabled and no more reading book he will be in standby mode. while the disabled sims at the gym will be enabled to act, then you can do things while the others sims are in standby mode, then when you switch to the sims in house the sims in librain and in gym go to standby and all the npcs will despawn and some if not all will be "teleported to your current lot'.
sims 4 don't have any immersion at all, everything is half made
npc sims are spawned only where you are currently playing, if you change lot almost all the sims in the previous lot will be moved to the next one based on traits and game preferences, if the changed lot is just another one of the same type, like 2 gym, then exactly the same sims will be there.
what you are asking is not about "fix" is about change how the game work", you are asking for then to remove the "rabbitholes", basically sims 4 work full on rabbitholes, anynon played place will be a rabbit hole the difference is which while in sims 3 the rabbit holes actually have more sims than the current played in sims 4 no, only your current played sims will be there in the rabbit hole, make friends and others things used on the menu are fake, you are just activating the script to slowly rise friendship with someone rater than the sim speaking with him, or when choose up a skill, the game is just slowling uping that skill without really do it, it's just a script to rise things or prevent your sim get something bad, in truth nothing is really happening in game.
this is why load screen are no more something to be used in a simulation game, they are just gamebreaks for peoples which care for immersion.
as the gurus already told the sims 4 is like a Sitcom, where you only focus, in one place all the action, all the world don't matter anymore you just focus where you are focus, or if not a Sitcom them just a "play dollhouse".
Not really, I don't know what happened to them. It was three Sims in one house, roommates. They are all friends, but since the last patch all they do is hug. They are all normal Sims. One was a spy (working on it), one a doctor (now, but was a writer) in new career, and one female not employed but ran a business. Hectic. So, I add the new patch, and the new EP. They can't do anything without getting up (stopping skilling, reading, writing, programming whatever, or eating or anything) to hug each other. They are all good friends but best friend is broken because it only last a day. Then the request pops back up to be best friends again.
They go up and down their stairs all day when at home to go hug each other. If you want them to do something they stop to go hug. If I had an energizer in this game I would put them in that tub of water, zap them good, with low aspiration, just to zap them big time. But I don't want to kill them, I want them to do what I say. lol Skill, eat, go take shower, chat on the pc, play the violin, stop it! Stop hugging. lol
No, I'm asking them because the UI says 'tend garden' they actually do it while my other Sim is gone. Not just text on a screen. Either flesh out the game or tell the player (as I said) hey they aren't going to clean up the garden it's just here for looks.>the text on the screen. Tend garden only means gain a garden skill. If that is the case then I prefer the game say what it means. More like, gain a garden skill. Instead of misleading the player into believing they would have 'tidied up' while gone and or actually 'tended garden'. Things must make sense to a player.
ETA: Tidy Up doesn't do anything. I know the actual Sim isn't going to do it while other Sim is gone, however, at least make the game actually clean up the messes and the dirty sink etc. Or no use having it on there. It's not skill related so the player 'thinks' the house will at least have lost it's dirty sink, puddles etc. if gone for hours at work. It's about logical presumptions.
because that was just they way they wanted to looks the text when leveling skills, indeed this is just a misslead, for a better undertstood of the "game mechanic read that post which i made:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/830572/sims-4-and-rabbit-holes/p1
he can be very helpfull.
but to sumarize sims 4 work exactly as all the sims rabbit holes any place which is not being played will be disabled and any of your current played sims inside that place will be out in "standby mode" no action will take, any spoiled leftover food not will be cleaned, no plants will be gardened nothing, really nothing gonna happen, because the game don't have any script programm to do that, the game not was programmed to do "offscreen things" even a guru speaked about it, about how the game can't really know what the sim is doing inside his house or even can't keep up in the queue if you change the scenario, this is just a matter of the game not was designed for that.
What I noticed after the last patch is that when I have my Sim invite someone in they don't stay inside the house. Invite in and cue up some conversation topics my Sim and the guest will walk inside then go back outside to finish the conversations. If my Sim invites someone and I wait for the action to complete and then cue up conversation topics they will stay in the house and might sit on the sofa or something.
Another thing that annoys me is Sims stay rooted to a conversation and don't move. One instance: My Sim was chatting with someone outside and her child started doing their homework so I clicked the mother to go help. The child gets up and goes out to the street and kneels down so the mother can help instead of the mother going to the child. The conversation the mother was having ended as soon as she started helping with homework so there was no need to have the child go outside to the mother. The mother should have finished her conversation and then went to the child.
Yes, your example shows what happens. When we queue up a Sim to go approach another, it doesn't work that way in this game. I don't know if people have even noticed all that much but it's a real problem for me The 'other Sim' comes to my Sim instead of my Sim going to 'that' Sim. This is also very noticeable when running a business. Because it's a core design. In past games your controlled Sim goes to the other Sim when you queue up the interaction. But in this game's core it's the other way around. And because of this, everything in the future added to this game (like running a business) will be flawed by this design. Which will make players think how messed up the AI is if they start to feel this is annoying more than helpful and or making sense to them.
Another example in the EP. You tell your Sim to go ring up someone, that's not going to happen, in nine times out of ten, that paying customer has to come to your Sim. It's backwards. And was never that way in any of the other games. Example: Tell your Sim to go downstairs to speak to a Sim in the kitchen. May not happen but the Sim down in the kitchen may come to your controlled Sim up in the bathroom. It's extremely annoying since Simmers are used to it actually working the way it did in other games.
ETA: More examples of a messed up AI. Why is it no matter where the Sim is, hospital, store, community bar etc. They have to 'sit' to speak? Ever notice? Tell you Sim to go speak to someone, if the AI doesn't make that Sim come to your Sim that time, your Sim will go hunt a place to 'sit' first before they can speak to someone. Why do they need to sit to talk? It happens enough to notice and become annoying.
Also, when we cancel a conversation as you said, the Sim doesn't quit listening to other Sims but will wait until a joke is finished, a story is told, etc. etc. In other games, they didn't wait for the full conversation to be over before exiting the conversation. This also is very time consuming and annoying. By the time they stop listening what I wanted them to do is over, opportunity past.
Yes, I read this is only supposed to happen if 'needs' are pressing to make them quit. That's not true. Any Sims in my households will stop skilling, stop reading for fun, stop doing anything to go hug, (lol) or get on the pc, or get a drink, or go talk to someone. And as I have said their needs/motives are full and no need to stop. No whim is pressing or even in the whim icons to make them do these things. They are a mess and I can hardly control them. Weirder stories, it should be Annoying, unproductive Sim play.
Also, I think this is a joke with the developers. O.K. my Sims have made me paranoid. ...lol. I tell them to stop that, they stand and laugh, before they go do what I told them to do. Alright, my snarky Sim, laughing at my command? Lol I will zap you sometime when I get something in this game to zap you with. Which may be never.
So, I'll be in the upstairs kitchen, I'll click the stove, direct the sim to cook/bake, and then walk downstairs to the basement kitchen, take the ingredients out of the fridge down there, then walk back up to prep/cook their food. Or they'll get the ingredients out of the closest fridge, and walk them downstairs to a counter in a downstairs bathroom or kitchen to prep the food, then back up to cook it.
It's either compromise design choices or deal with really plum routing.
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This drives me batty too!
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Have any of you ever tried turning autonomy off for the selected sim?
I haven't, and we shouldn't have to, but I am curious about what difference that might make, if any. Better or worse, you know?
I may check it out when I get home in the morning.
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And me. What is weird, is that some Sims don't do that. Some seem to have some invisible contrary trait built in!
@Cinebar - great OP..nothing in there I disagree with and have found myself grinding my teeth on a few occasions when I see behaviour like you have outlined.
Shake dreams from your hair
My pretty child, my sweet one.
Choose the day and choose the sign of your day
The day's divinity....
The Ghost Song - Jim Morrison
Yes, and mine annoying me by going to the other bookcases in the house instead of the one I clicked. It's not like they don't have the same darn books in them. I want them to read something in a particular room from a particular bookcase. They don't, they go to another one in another room. If objects aren't going to work the way they always did, then I can't stand this AI if that is the way it is going to play out. You could click something close to them and they go half way round the world to use another. There are times I want to burn them down.