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Field Researcher
Original Poster
#1 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 3:18 AM
Default Behaviors you hate. . .
I've picked up the game again after a long hiatus, and added in eps that came out in the meantime, so I'm noticing things that make me wonder what they were thinking at Maxis. For example:

Sims will be dining out, and another sim will come along and pick up the dinner plate right out from under his nose. The sim whose dinner was stolen just sits there. When they were putting this in, why didn't they add any interactions for the sim to confront the dinner thief? Heck, they even still pay for the meal they didn't get to eat!

Sometimes an infant will take more than 24 hours to grow up. In the meantime, everyone in the family is just dying. They can't eat, sleep, shower, pee, do homework, or anything without stopping to hold the baby and "Help with Birthday". You can let them stand there for hours and hours, and nothing happens, but the moment you cancel the interaction and send them off to do something else, they drop everything and come back to hold the baby!

With all the new hobby interests, careers, college majors, and businesses, why is it that everyone wants to become a criminal mastermind or have 10 children or become chief of staff? I have more sims whose interests and aspirations have no correlation to their lifetime aspiration than I can shake a stick at.

And yet. . .I've spent more time in the last few weeks playing this game than almost anything else. . .
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Field Researcher
#2 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 3:36 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Amtram
Sims will be dining out, and another sim will come along and pick up the dinner plate right out from under his nose. The sim whose dinner was stolen just sits there. When they were putting this in, why didn't they add any interactions for the sim to confront the dinner thief? Heck, they even still pay for the meal they didn't get to eat!


You're looking at that one the wrong way...put it in reverse and direct your sim to interact with a townie who has just been served...as soon as the townie stops eating, cancel the interaction and grab their plate! FREE dinner!
Test Subject
#3 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 3:43 AM
I hate that help with birthday thing, I have to use the birthday cake, but sometimes the birthday does not work, so my game is glitched.

And tons of tons behaviors which I don't like.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#4 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 3:59 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Croutonian
You're looking at that one the wrong way...put it in reverse and direct your sim to interact with a townie who has just been served...as soon as the townie stops eating, cancel the interaction and grab their plate! FREE dinner!


That really works?!? Holy cow, I'm going to have to try that. . .
Field Researcher
#5 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 4:46 AM
I hate the gestures like I am starving and a sim wants drop everything to hang loose with another sim. Also whenever I have company everyone wants to go to the most cramped space in the house usually the hallway or the bathroom.

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people!
Inventor
#6 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 1:07 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Amtram
That really works?!? Holy cow, I'm going to have to try that. . .


Works at the espresso bar as well. But it has been hit or miss for me as usually it is my sims who have their drink stolen.

Also, interrupting a sim that has just started to do their assignment on campus, you can have your sim finish their assignment for them. That boosts their relationship, if you are trying to make friends.
Inventor
#7 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 1:13 PM
I haven't had any problems with sims hanging out in the restrooms since installing bathroomusesyou.package from MATY. But most of the bathrooms in the houses I build are fairly large so it is easy for me to clear the sims out. When I tried to play the maxis houses, my sims were always trying to squeeze into one bathroom. I've deleted most of the Maxis lots, and still more to go as I build.
Inventor
#8 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 1:35 PM
My biggest annoyance that I haven't found a mod for is sims that walk around while they are talking on the phone.

The other annoyances are with the toddlers having a fit all the time in their cribs. I try to get them walking, talking, potty trained and all the family members to build their relationship with the toddler quickly, then make them grow up early. I hate toddlers. Don't like babies either.

In one of my houses, each time one of the parents take out the trash, they would go fishing in their pond while they are out there. And that would be the moment the toddlers (twins) would both be having a fit at the same time. I think that was my most frustrating family with toddlers ever because they were the neediest toddlers I've had. And I didn't have anyone move into the house to help the parents raise the kids. Both of the parents seemed to lack any parental skills.

Why have the family aspiration without any parenting skills? In my game, it seems like all the sims with the family aspiration have absolutely no child-rearing abilities to accompany their want to have baby after baby. Except Bianca Monty, who was great with her kid. Should have had her have another baby because I've compared all my families to her and none were as good as her at taking care of her kid. Even the dad, Vince Centowski, a romance sim was very good.
Instructor
#9 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 6:42 PM
Why is walking around with the phone annoying? Are you saying that every time you've ever pciked up the phone to make a social call, you've stood still in one spot the entire time? I tend to walk around a bit.
Top Secret Researcher
#10 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 7:50 PM
Quote: Originally posted by astrognash
Why is walking around with the phone annoying? Are you saying that every time you've ever pciked up the phone to make a social call, you've stood still in one spot the entire time? I tend to walk around a bit.

Me too. I can't stand still or sitted the whole time, it makes me think better.

To the OP,
What I find annoying is one of the Sims' greeting gestures. Honestly, I want to kill them right there! Watch Dutchmiller at 00:16 and again on this video at 02:18

Another is their habit to cramp all in one place. During a wedding 2 minutes were spent for a single proposal because the groom couldn't get to the bride. Last, but not least, intruders. My Sim couple was in the back yard tending their vegs and fruits and when they came in again they found 5 neighbours to have a splendid time in their living room.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#11 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 9:14 PM
I try to build my lots so there aren't too many places for the bottlenecking to occur, and make my bathrooms large enough for either two-way traffic or two entry doors. I don't know why Maxis didn't do this, because it's always a problem with their lots.

I also have problems with sims that want to do anything but take care of their infants. Poor babies sometimes end up being cared for by their teen siblings.

Oh - and what about the nannies that do nothing but provide an endless supply of bottles? I'll have a sim come home from work and have to clean up a half dozen stinky bottles AND a baby whose hygiene would kill a lesser being!
Test Subject
#12 Old 29th Nov 2009 at 11:56 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Amtram
Sims will be dining out, and another sim will come along and pick up the dinner plate right out from under his nose. The sim whose dinner was stolen just sits there. When they were putting this in, why didn't they add any interactions for the sim to confront the dinner thief? Heck, they even still pay for the meal they didn't get to eat!

Yeah...it sucks that they have to pay for it even though they didn't eat it...but its kinda fun to watch cuz it happens at completely random momments! xD
Lab Assistant
#13 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 2:03 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Amtram
Sometimes an infant will take more than 24 hours to grow up. In the meantime, everyone in the family is just dying. They can't eat, sleep, shower, pee, do homework, or anything without stopping to hold the baby and "Help with Birthday". You can let them stand there for hours and hours, and nothing happens, but the moment you cancel the interaction and send them off to do something else, they drop everything and come back to hold the baby!

Yes! Oh my gosh I freakin know! It drives me crazy!

Also, I hate it when I tell them to do something and I'm feeling impatient anyway and they stand there and look at me and whine and complain about something for a whole minute before they do what I tell them to do. It pisses me off! Sometimes I just want to kill my sims they are so freakin annoying.

Also something else but this is more about the game itself. How it takes them literally 5 sim minutes to walk across a room. Has it ever taken you 5 minutes to walk across a room?

The "timing" of everything in this game is so messed up.
Instructor
#14 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 4:37 AM
I agree on the timing thing. I hate having to get my sims up three hours before work just to get ready! Nobody needs an hour to eat a toaster pastry!
Field Researcher
#15 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 5:32 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Rectos Dominos
I hate the gestures like I am starving and a sim wants drop everything to hang loose with another sim.


Actually I usually don't have an issue which actions like "I'm starving". If I'm running them ragged doing everything else but feeding them and they are starved, I want them to tell me. When "I'm starving" drives me completely guano crazy is when when I've seen them either go into hunger desparation or on the verge of it and I tell them to go eat. And THEN they take the time away from going to eat to tell me that they are starving. Every time that happens I want to climb in my monitor and shake them until the idea settles in their hapless little pea brain or said pea brain rolls out of their ear and skitters under the trash compacter.
Mad Poster
#16 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 6:45 AM
The toddler scream symphony was the worst for me. In the houses with good parents, I would wake somebody up just before the toddlers were fully rested to let them out, just so I don't have to hear it.

The other one was the falling asleep on your plate. It's funny, I always laugh when they do it, but it's extemely annoying if your sim was too hungry to sleep, and too sleepy to eat. Six hours later they are still noozing in their porridge, and neither their hunger or energy bar is any way in a better shape than when they started.
Field Researcher
#17 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 7:02 AM
Quote: Originally posted by katalina522
I agree on the timing thing. I hate having to get my sims up three hours before work just to get ready! Nobody needs an hour to eat a toaster pastry!


Forgot to mention that. Yeah it pisses me off too.

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people!
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#18 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 1:32 PM
Quote: Originally posted by katalina522
I agree on the timing thing. I hate having to get my sims up three hours before work just to get ready! Nobody needs an hour to eat a toaster pastry!


Two hours, if there's another sim eating at the same table. Just shut up and eat!
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#19 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 1:38 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ani_
The other one was the falling asleep on your plate. It's funny, I always laugh when they do it, but it's extemely annoying if your sim was too hungry to sleep, and too sleepy to eat.


Try this one - order Chinese or pizza. Pick the food up in buy mode and put it in a room that has no table. The sim will have to eat standing or in a living chair, which precludes falling asleep in the food. I put the food in the bedroom, so my sim can eat enough to get out of desperation and then sleep, or sleep enough to get out of desperation and then eat, without the endless trek from room to room.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#20 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 1:40 PM
BTW, I tried the Birthday Cake on a baby that wouldn't grow up last night. Worked like a charm, but since the baby can't actually blow out the candles, nobody got to eat any cake! The only menu option for the cake was "Clean Up"! And it looked so darned tasty, too!
Test Subject
#21 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 3:54 PM
When I put an action for a sim to eat/shower/sleep/etc and they complain about the exactly same need right away. Just go and do it now, please.

Young sims having the want to get an A at school, but are being too playful. The kids HAVE to choose; games/TV or awesome grades. Or do both and stay up till the dawn. Well, if their ''Fun''-meter is getting too low, that's understandable - but if it isn't and they run off to play with a toy car or so in the middle of doing homework, it's annoying.

Not sure if this is a behaviour or glitch:
But when two sims are interacting and I order the other one to ''hug'' for example, they both just stand still and look at each other. Nothing happens until I cancel the action and put a new one up.
Or when one sim starts to lag, shaking their head bot-likely.

The two last things are kind of fun, so not too annoying to blow my head up
Field Researcher
#22 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 8:47 PM
Whenever there is a fire sims stop what they are doing to scream in front of the fire. They won't try to put it out or call the fire station but instead want to panic. Most of my fires are caused lightining and is often put out by rain. One of my sims studied fire safety and she still screamed in front of the fire not bothering to put it out . Least apartment sims are smart enough to run.

I prefer to have my sims shower cause it quicker but most of my sims prefer a 2 hour bath. Also I try to make my sloppy sims bathe instead of shower cause of the mess. I guess it can help a sim in the household who has a job requiring cleaning skills.

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people!
Instructor
#23 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 10:38 PM
I have various hacks to zap most annoying behaviors, but there is still one that comes to mind: the "stuff your face" interaction. Stupid sims, if there's enough food for you to stuff your face, then there is enough food for you to at least grab an instant meal.

And this isn't so much a behavior, but there is also the way that Chinese food drains a sim's bladder. Really, does the food have ex-lax in it or something? Chinese takeout never makes me want to pee that badly.
Inventor
#24 Old 30th Nov 2009 at 11:37 PM
Quote: Originally posted by astrognash
Why is walking around with the phone annoying? Are you saying that every time you've ever pciked up the phone to make a social call, you've stood still in one spot the entire time? I tend to walk around a bit.


Because I have autoyak, so I don't know how long they will be on the phone. So, I sit there and wait for them to get done and they always end the phone calls hiding behind something and just stand there. I get tired of moving the camera angle to follow them around while they talk nonsense on the phone so I can see when they are done with their calls.

Actually, watching the sims pace all the time when they are on the phone has broken me of the habit of walking around while I am on the phone although I never did it all the time. Oddly enough, it seems I give the caller my undivided attention now that I just sit and talk.

And, I want them to sit and talk when they are writing novels, so when the call comes to tell them their novel is selling well, they can just reach over to the phone and answer it instead of taking 5-10 minutes to stand up, shuffle their feet several times, walk around to the other side of the chair next to them, shuffle their feet more, pick of the phone, walk around the room, and be on the other side of the room when they have to get back to writing another novel. Repeat this several times in a row when I want them to write several novels in a day (that's their job working from home.) they really lose a lot of time with the standing and walking about. And there is a glitch in the game that doesn't always clear the chair, so they think someone is in the chair, but it was only them occupying the chair moments before. And that glitch causes even more time to be wasted. Though now because they make good money with the novels, I make them buy more than one computer so when they think something is wrong with the chair, or the computer breaks down, I send them to the other computer to finish their work day. I'm tempted to put them in a roomful of computers and phones, so it won't matter which side of the room they are on. Although I'd have to constantly have them turning off the last computer they used and starting another queue.
Instructor
#25 Old 1st Dec 2009 at 12:29 AM
Perhaps you could have a receptionist to answer the phone for them? Then they could just stay in the chair and keep writing the whole time.
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