Still hate the Cowplant.

SheriGR

Okay. I gave Cowplants another try. I was so down with this. I spent many hours building a 'Botanist Herbalist Lair'. I even bought the pack to develop an herbalist and hung out with the hermit and gathered many goodies. I'm generally a good sport and I'm of the understanding that my guy will need a Cow Plant for some aspirations, plus I'm sharing the build in my gallery, so hey, I grow the guy a Cowplant for his 'office/work room'.

So, it matures. This carnivorous plant is on double-lockdown. I know the drill. It's locked a room that only the botanist can access. Plus there's a fence around the Cowplant with a gate that I lock from everyone, and only unlock it for the botanist as he is going in to feed it. I'm so careful. No problem.

Ya, right...

'Mr. Botanist' feeds the Cowplant, plays with it and goes to work. All is on lockdown. I'm working on other household stuff and notice out of the corner of my eye that one of the household members has come home from work and is making a beeline for the backyard. Before I can get to him he's standing in front of the Cowplant.

Too late.

'Brandon' was vomited out into a puddle of green goo. He seems to have come out of it fine. Finally got to try the milking thing.

Wow. The real kicker is that I double checked and the door and gate were locked in the manner I mentioned. What???

littlemissgogo

youch! I guess the cowplant's seduction bypasses all locks? I had to let mine die off because he was so demanding and also regularly eating one of my sims. that cake slice is simply too strong.

MidnightAura

Your poor sim! I’ve had one sim die by cow plant but usually I can’t keep them alive long enough to kill sims.

musteni

A while back I had problems with locks simply not working. I don't know if this is still the case.

Good news for you is that sims always survive the first time and from what I've heard, they wont autonomously take the cake while they still have the moodlet (which would kill them).

IceyJ

Locks have been buggy for a while. I've noticed that if I lock it for everyone but my sim, it works fine. But once I add additions like 'Except for employees,' it breaks. Suddenly, everyone walks through the gate/door like it's not even locked.

SheriGR

IceyJ wrote: »

Locks have been buggy for a while. I've noticed that if I lock it for everyone but my sim, it works fine. But once I add additions like 'Except for employees,' it breaks. Suddenly, everyone walks through the gate/door like it's not even locked.

Good to know, @IceyJ ...I will keep that in mind. Unfortunately in this case I had the outer room set to lock for everyone but this sim, and the gate around the Cow Plant is locked to everyone. So weird. It used to work for me before (when I had Cow Plants in the 'big city'. The other locks work in the house (I have certain doors and locks set to be locked for dogs). Go figure. Anyway, I think that Cow Plant is going to live in their inventory until he needs him for a grant or goal... and then I can remove the gate until it's feeding time for the 'handler' to handle.

It's in Newcrest. Anyone have the issue in Newcrest?

Dannydanbo

If your locks are buggy, just remove and replace the gate as needed until they work properly again. IT's more trouble, but it's better than sims getting eaten.

TLM08

I have a question about the cowplant. Can anyone tell me when the cowplant was first released in the game? I thought it had been around since The Sims (1) but my fiancee swears there wasn't a cowplant until Sims 3.

littlemissgogo

@TLM08 wrote: »

I have a question about the cowplant. Can anyone tell me when the cowplant was first released in the game? I thought it had been around since The Sims (1) but my fiancee swears there wasn't a cowplant until Sims 3.

"The Cowplant first appeared as the career reward for the Natural Science career in The Sims 2: University." I thought it was in TS1 too but guess not! A similar plant made an appearance in Bustin' Out as well.

Karababy52

Cow plants creep me out. I've mostly only had my Sims grow them to fulfill the Freelance Botanist aspiration and then they get sold or I let them die and use them for landscape decorations. However, they are good simoleon makers for financially disadvantaged Sims. If any of my Sims fish up a cowberry they don't need, I would have them take it home, plant it and then immediately go into build mode to sell it for 475 simoleons! They have to plant it first though to get that amount of simoleons.

Of course, this was before the gardening patch prior to Seasons when the berries were only worth 20 simoleons. I think they're currently worth 180. Not sure what they are worth after they've been planted now since I don't send very many Sims fishing anymore and kinda/sorta abandoned gardening after the grafting option was borked. *shrugs*

invisiblgirl

SheriGR wrote: »

IceyJ wrote: »

Locks have been buggy for a while. I've noticed that if I lock it for everyone but my sim, it works fine. But once I add additions like 'Except for employees,' it breaks. Suddenly, everyone walks through the gate/door like it's not even locked.

Good to know, @IceyJ ...I will keep that in mind. Unfortunately in this case I had the outer room set to lock for everyone but this sim, and the gate around the Cow Plant is locked to everyone. So weird. It used to work for me before (when I had Cow Plants in the 'big city'. The other locks work in the house (I have certain doors and locks set to be locked for dogs). Go figure. Anyway, I think that Cow Plant is going to live in their inventory until he needs him for a grant or goal... and then I can remove the gate until it's feeding time for the 'handler' to handle.

It's in Newcrest. Anyone have the issue in Newcrest?

My locks work fine (though I did have an issue with a nanny who couldn't get in, even though the door was enabled for employees).

As for the cowplant, I agree that it's become very demanding. I'd feed it when my Sim did the rest of the gardening in the morning, and by evening, it would be offering cake. (I also have an evil whim to put a cowplant in a public park, but sadly, I couldn't transfer it out of the household inventory when I edited the park.)

SheriGR

Karababy52 wrote: »

Cow plants creep me out. I've mostly only had my Sims grow them to fulfill the Freelance Botanist aspiration and then they get sold or I let them die and use them for landscape decorations. However, they are good simoleon makers for financially disadvantaged Sims. If any of my Sims fish up a cowberry they don't need, I would have them take it home, plant it and then immediately go into build mode to sell it for 475 simoleons! They have to plant it first though to get that amount of simoleons.

Of course, this was before the gardening patch prior to Seasons when the berries were only worth 20 simoleons. I think they're currently worth 180. Not sure what they are worth after they've been planted now since I don't send very many Sims fishing anymore and kinda/sorta abandoned gardening after the grafting option was borked. *shrugs*

Ya... what's up with the broken grafting thing? Don't get me started on that one...

TLM08

@littlemissgogo Thanks! I was having a hard time finding this!

gingerale0811

My gates almost never lock when they're supposed to. Especially if there's something of interest like the Cowplant behind it for the Sims to want to get to. I'll double check that a certain Sim can't get in, go do something else with a different Sim, and then a few minutes later the other one has to pee, but can't because he's ow locked inside an area he was never meant to be in. Honestly, this needs to be fixed. I can't stand watching my Sims just plow through a fence I took the time to lock, just to get momentarily eaten by a plant. Even if it is funny to watch, sometimes.

SheriGR

luimistelija wrote: »

A while back I had problems with locks simply not working. I don't know if this is still the case.

Good news for you is that sims always survive the first time and from what I've heard, they wont autonomously take the cake while they still have the moodlet (which would kill them).

Good to know. The guy who's the botanist (and feeds the plant) ... a day or two after he gets the job I get one of those 'choose this or that' notifications (hint.... never offer a Cowplant cake) and the result is a pop-up telling me he was eaten by the Cowplant then spit out (at work). What the heck?! But... in this case I never could see any change in his mood or needs while at work or when he got home. Does the plant at work count differently? Is that considered his first time being eaten to do you get a pass when it happens at work? Grrrr.... stupid Cowplants...

Cement

SheriGR wrote: »

luimistelija wrote: »

A while back I had problems with locks simply not working. I don't know if this is still the case.

Good news for you is that sims always survive the first time and from what I've heard, they wont autonomously take the cake while they still have the moodlet (which would kill them).

Good to know. The guy who's the botanist (and feeds the plant) ... a day or two after he gets the job I get one of those 'choose this or that' notifications (hint.... never offer a Cowplant cake) and the result is a pop-up telling me he was eaten by the Cowplant then spit out (at work). What the heck?! But... in this case I never could see any change in his mood or needs while at work or when he got home. Does the plant at work count differently? Is that considered his first time being eaten to do you get a pass when it happens at work? Grrrr.... stupid Cowplants...

It takes two bites for an on-site cowplant to consume a sim for realsies. Once the sim has the "Drained" moodlet, the next time they'll be eaten is their last. If they get a "drained" moodlet from the pop-up scenario, then I'd have to commend the devs. More death! Whoo!

I like cowplants a lot, but they are a hassle to take care of. I have mad scientist basements full of them, along with a public lot with them all--But unfortunately, TS4 cowplants are a lot more docile than they look... To townies, of course. You'd have to starve the sim you're trying to kill and trick them into taking the cake twice to get anything done

SheriGR

Cement wrote: »

SheriGR wrote: »

luimistelija wrote: »

A while back I had problems with locks simply not working. I don't know if this is still the case.

Good news for you is that sims always survive the first time and from what I've heard, they wont autonomously take the cake while they still have the moodlet (which would kill them).

Good to know. The guy who's the botanist (and feeds the plant) ... a day or two after he gets the job I get one of those 'choose this or that' notifications (hint.... never offer a Cowplant cake) and the result is a pop-up telling me he was eaten by the Cowplant then spit out (at work). What the heck?! But... in this case I never could see any change in his mood or needs while at work or when he got home. Does the plant at work count differently? Is that considered his first time being eaten to do you get a pass when it happens at work? Grrrr.... stupid Cowplants...

It takes two bites for an on-site cowplant to consume a sim for realsies. Once the sim has the "Drained" moodlet, the next time they'll be eaten is their last. If they get a "drained" moodlet from the pop-up scenario, then I'd have to commend the devs. More death! Whoo!

I like cowplants a lot, but they are a hassle to take care of. I have mad scientist basements full of them, along with a public lot with them all--But unfortunately, TS4 cowplants are a lot more docile than they look... To townies, of course. You'd have to starve the sim you're trying to kill and trick them into taking the cake twice to get anything done

Good to know. Thank you! Actually, the sim that ran in there to get the cake wasn't starving, all of his levels were in the green , and he was inspired. It was just annoying. To me at least. My play style is to micromanage and take good care of the sims, not kill them off. So the Cowplant is now living in my inventory unless my Botanist needs it for a challenge/project. I have a scientist in another household I haven't played as much, so she's not high in the career yet. Do they have a Cowplant challenge for Scientists in Sims 4? That family has the seed in inventory, so it wouldn't be hard to, but I was wondering. Man, how do you keep a whole room of those things fed and still go to work or sleep? They are super-demanding, and seem to want to be fed several times a day.

BabySquare

I personally will never be able to accept the image of a cow head growing out of a plant. I appreciate it's now classic sims imagery but I find the image and the idea mentally jarring.

SheriGR

BabySquare wrote: »

I personally will never be able to accept the image of a cow head growing out of a plant. I appreciate it's now classic sims imagery but I find the image and the idea mentally jarring.

Exactly. Besides, cows are vegetarians... they could make it nice and high demand and I'd be much happier to take care of it ...like a plant-pet. It would make more sense if a 'man-eater' plant was some alien or jungle plant or something. Or a huge Venus Flytrap or something. It could even offer cake and it would make more sense and seem more fitting.

GalacticGal

The Sims Dad in my ancestral game save (which makes him my 7th great-grandfather) kept feeding and playing with his Cow Plant. He was spat out a few times, too. I finally got fed up and replaced the house with an earlier version of it from My Library. That removed the stress I was having. LOL I've yet to have another Cow Plant.

SheriGR

GalacticGal wrote: »

The Sims Dad in my ancestral game save (which makes him my 7th great-grandfather) kept feeding and playing with his Cow Plant. He was spat out a few times, too. I finally got fed up and replaced the house with an earlier version of it from My Library. That removed the stress I was having. LOL I've yet to have another Cow Plant.

Wow... good to know it can happen more than twice in some cases and be okay? In my games I have an 'ancestral' 'patriarch/matriarch' couple who I play in several households and I even move them ( and their kids/grandkids and spouses) around. They're very loosely based from myself and my husband (traits and looks), and they had a family that then is spread throughout many of the households.

Having said that, I guess it would be fair to say there are those sims in my game that are not 'expendable crewmen' to me. It's a deal breaker for too grave of a tragedy to happen to the 'first' family members, for me. Hahaha... and even though I have several 'potions of youth' from the rewards store and death flowers and even ambrosia in one household, (prepared like a Cub Scout) I have not ever had to use them and I have no mods or CC. Never met up with the grim reaper yet. That would rather creep me out. They're on non-aging setting (along with the communities), and I micromanage them to try to avoid tragedy. That's just my play style. Too much death in my real life of late, so I appreciate not dealing with it in a game.

Question... If I started a different game for aging, I could deal with turning on aging and all if it was a separate set of households - or maybe even just using default game households. I just haven't done it yet. Can you turn on aging in a 'new save' game and not have it effect the others? I've considered doing one of those 'challenges' where you only control one sim in the household, with restrictions on that, but I think it would really stress me out watching them pee themselves or even die of stupidity. I don't know. Currently I am obsession about gardening, building, and developing households. Gallery prep stuff. For now...