Hi everybody,

I've been playing base game on my Mac for a couple of years, two months ago I installed Ambitions and Generations, I played quite a lot and I never had crashes, freezings or any other problem. Few CCs (only hairs and clothes), some Twallan's mods (all updated), game fully patched.

About a week ago I started a new game and a new household, building a new home from scratch on an empty lot. Family hired a maid, but on her first day the maid stopped just outside the front door: she did not enter, she was not upset or complaining, she just stayed there for about a sim-hour or less, then she said she was done, got paid and left. An so she kept doing every day.
I deleted the front door (a common base game door, no cc) and put a different one; I also deleted the whole front wall, rebuilt it, put a third kind of door; I fired the maid, but the new one did the same. Door was obviously unlocked, since the very first day, and it's the only door in the house.
All right, as long as the female sim of the household is a tidy housewife with no job, I gave up trying: I just phoned to cancel the service and let my female sim do it on her own.
Everything else worked fine.

Two days ago I installed Pets, updating everything that needed updating.
To practice the new EP I started a new game and a new household, creating my sims but using an existing empty house in Appaloosa Plains. Sim hired a maid, and on her first day the maid arrived and regularly got into the house, did her job nicely, said she was done, got paid and left.
Fine, I thought, so that was just some glitch in the previous game.
But it wasn't: on day two, the maid arrived, stopped just outside the front door, did not enter, was not upset or complaining, she just stayed there for about a sim-hour or less, then she said she was done, got paid and left. An so she kept doing for five days, although I tried changing the door, firing the maid, cancelling and re-activating the service.

I haven't tried yet with other service NPC, like repairman or nanny, but even if it's just a maid-glitch it's quite annoying.
I searched on the internet to see if someone else had the same problem, and it seems to me that it happens less frequently than other issues, but it happens, and I couldn't find a solution. Someone fixed it by ways I already tried, but they didn't work for me. Someone fixed it installing Twallan's Overwatch, but I had it installed long before the issue started.

Anyone knows what causes this problem, and above all how to solve it?
Thanks a lot, please forgive my English ;-)

Some maids are LAZY, and don't work but still get paid. That's why they flash a little note when you do hire a service sim (maid, babysitter) about "keeping an eye on sims you hire by phone as not all work hard for their money". Try firing the maid, not cancelling the service or rebuilding the house. After firing a maid (or babysitter, who watches TV while the infant is screaming, lying in their dirty diaper), a new one will show up who will, hopefully, work for their pay.

As I wrote, firing the maid does not work, all the maids do the same.
While waiting for an answer I tried five different households, in different games, all of them were EA households in EA houses that came with base game: all maids stop outside the main door and leave after about half a sim hour. Up to now I fired 15 maids, and still no solution.
I also removed all CCs and Twallan's mods, to be sure the problem was not there: it was not.
Seems a game problem to me.

It's not a game problem, as it doesn't happen in my game.

Did you start a new game to test in after removing all of your mods? Try refreshing your userfiles by dragging Documents\ Electronic Arts\ The Sims 3 to the desktop, and running the game so it generates a fresh set. Still get the problem in a new game then?

Also, when you put your mods back in, make sure they are fully updated and compatible with each other.

Yes I did!



I didn't know about this, I'll try tonight.



They are, I checked after installing Pets, and re-checked yesterday.

Thanks a lot for the useful hint, I'll let you know if it worked.
In case it works, will I still be able to play again with my previous households?

Tried it. Still get the problem

Just to check- you tested in a completely vanilla set of files?

What are your game versions for each EP/ SP and basegame?
http://db.modthesims.info/wiki.php?...sion#info.plist

I think so, I followed your instruction and moved to the desktop The Sims 3 folder in Documetnts/Electronic Arts, then I launched the game and tested three different EA households in Sunset Valley.

My game versions are:
Base game: <key>ClientBuild</key> <string>1.27.5.013002</string>
Ambitions: <key>ClientBuild</key> <string>4.9.5.010031</string>
Generations: <key>ClientBuild</key> <string>8.0.152.011001</string>
Pets: <key>ClientBuild</key> <string>10.0.96.013001</string>

Have you clicked on the front door and "Set as front door"? Sometimes that helps.

Yes, I did.