Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Alchemist
Original Poster
#1 Old 23rd Mar 2018 at 2:45 PM Last edited by Sunrader : 23rd Mar 2018 at 3:19 PM.
Default Question on NPC/playable hybrid behavior - Interesting or BFBVFS?
I was surprised today because Ethan Wade was still at work as a butler with the Ottomas family (no, they haven't moved up in the world, but they have 5 infants, so...). I'm surprised because, the thing is, after he and Dora fell autonomously in love, I started plotting to get him his own place so they could move out together (Ethan isn't the kind who would move in with HER, he needs a place to bring her). I tried making him selectable and finding his own place from the Ottomi house, but the game wouldn't let him. Alternatively, he befriended a family friend of the Ottomi, got hired at that guy's house, then invited to move in, then that guy moved out, so Wade now has his own place under his own name. (There have been some shenanigans with making him selectable and then changing the household name in SimPE, but it's been mostly legit in-game machinations.) Now Wade has his own place and a job as a level 7 sous chef. And, yet, this morning, he's at the Ottomi house making their breakfast and feeding their many infants.

My question is ... How is this possible? Is it normal for him to keep his job as a butler or a very fortuitous glitch? Do you think it will last or will the game "catch up"? Do you think he'll stay their butler if Dora moves in with him? Have I discovered a way to get NPCs their own place and playable while still doing their original butler/maid/nanny jobs - which would be awesome - or has this been the way the game works all along and I just didn't know it?

Btw, I know he's a little borked because he still acts like a butler, which is adorable, but he goes to work in his chef clothes, then comes home in his butler outfit. I just figure he's moonlighting.

UPDATE: Ok, Ethan clearly just loves the family and can't let go or maybe he's still trying to impress Dora. Anyway, all day and night he worked for the Ottomi, taking care of the infants and cleaning... but come morning, the new hired help arrived - the nanny, the maid, and a new butler... and Ethan goes on working. He gives the other butler suspicious looks every now and then, but... the really interesting thing is that Ethan works, but he also sits down to eat with the family after he cooks, and when it's not busy, sits in on a hand of poker. He continues to flirt with Dora, discreetly, of course, he is a man of breeding... I'm really wondering about this, because he doesn't leave, so far, but he isn't selectable. He maintains his NPC behaviour, but also acts like a regular visitor... reminds me the dishwasher NPC of @Sophie-David that I have working/drinking/playing poker in my neighborhood bar. Tagging Sophie-David to see if some light can be shed on how this might happen in the game as a lucky glitch. I hope it keeps up. It's really fun to watch.

What do you guys think? How does this happen? Is it sustainable? Is it a harbinger of the BFBVFS?
Advertisement
Mad Poster
#2 Old 23rd Mar 2018 at 5:02 PM
Inge Jones at Simlogical says that, if you use one of her teleporters to move an NPC in, the Sim concerned may continue to work on the NPC roster despite now being playable. Inge (sensibly) won't accept responsibility for this, and suggests that you test it before trying it with a Sim who is important to you. Now I don't fully understand how you made Ethan the Butler playable, but it does seem that, whatever you did, it had a similar effect. You possibly could stop him coming to the Ottomas house by 'phoning Services and cancelling the butler, but what's happening sounds like fun, so why stop?

A BFBVFS? Well, possibly. It's sometimes just a little too easy to do a VBT in the Sims 2, but, if there are no serious visible signs of corruption, and you're really enjoying the 'hood, then use the HoodChecker regularly, make and keep plenty of backups, and go on enjoying it. Maxis did lots of VBTs in the pre-made 'hoods, yet some of us manage to go on playing these undoubtedly corrupted 'hoods for years. When your Sims and their houses start to disappear, and your toddlers want to go to university and woohoo with the cat, then it's time to start worrying about the future of your 'hood.

All Sims are beautiful -- even the ugly ones.
My Simblr ~~ My LJ
Sims' lives matter!
The Veronaville kids are alright.
Alchemist
Original Poster
#3 Old 23rd Mar 2018 at 5:28 PM
Quote: Originally posted by AndrewGloria
Inge Jones at Simlogical says that, if you use one of her teleporters to move an NPC in, the Sim concerned may continue to work on the NPC roster despite now being playable. Inge (sensibly) won't accept responsibility for this, and suggests that you test it before trying it with a Sim who is important to you. Now I don't fully understand how you made Ethan the Butler playable, but it does seem that, whatever you did, it had a similar effect. You possibly could stop him coming to the Ottomas house by 'phoning Services and cancelling the butler, but what's happening sounds like fun, so why stop?

A BFBVFS? Well, possibly. It's sometimes just a little too easy to do a VBT in the Sims 2, but, if there are no serious visible signs of corruption, and you're really enjoying the 'hood, then use the HoodChecker regularly, make and keep plenty of backups, and go on enjoying it. Maxis did lots of VBTs in the pre-made 'hoods, yet some of us manage to go on playing these undoubtedly corrupted 'hoods for years. When your Sims and their houses start to disappear, and your toddlers want to go to university and woohoo with the cat, then it's time to start worrying about the future of your 'hood.


Woohoo the cat! Wow!
Thanks for this lead on the teleporters, I've never used hers, but I'll give that some thought. I don't quite know how I did it either. I'm going to try to duplicate it, because I'm curious, and because it IS fun! And that's the point, after all, I totally agree with that! I agree, though, that cancelling the butler might end it for both of them, so not doing that. I actually wanted him to stay there as butler, I just didn't think he would. Anyway, I've had my share of hoods that go boom. Starting over is always fun, too.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#4 Old 24th Mar 2018 at 12:05 AM
I don't know, but I hope you made a backup before doing this. My self I would follow the known procedure for any NPC, which is move them in then move them out making them playable.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Forum Resident
#5 Old 24th Mar 2018 at 11:41 AM
Whenever I make an NPC (or townie) playable I use the option on the bat box ... I make them selectable by using either the Sim Blender (or you can use the teleporter cat) and then click the option on the bat box "make me playable." Doing it this way puts them into the Sim bin and gives them $20,000. You can then either move them into their own place or add them to an existing family.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 24th Mar 2018 at 1:46 PM
For what it matters, if you poke into the character files themselves, NPCs actually have certain functions coded into them - the cow mascot is an asshole and gets into fights with the llama mascot because they're coded to do so, rather than solely being their extreme personalities. Making them playable doesn't always strip out these NPC functions, so you end up with playable llama mascots bursting into peoples' houses and butlers constantly calling the police on former burglars. I've heard there's a way to fix this but I can't remember myself.

I'm secretly a Bulbasaur. | Formerly known as ihatemandatoryregister

Looking for SimWardrobe's mods? | Or Dizzy's? | Faiuwle/rufio's too! | smorbie1's Chris Hatch archives
Forum Resident
#7 Old 24th Mar 2018 at 1:57 PM
I don't have any experience with the llama, cow mascot or cheer leaders as I don't play with them; all University NPC's are banned in my game because I find them extremely annoying. Their novelty for me wore off quickly years ago. I can only speak on the Service NPC's like the maid, butler and mail delivery Sims that I've made playable. I've never made them playable or added them to a household while they were on their scheduled duty within a household. I always teleported them to either a community lot or a to a household where they were not employed. In my opinion it makes a difference in how it is done, but I realize we are not all going to have the same experience.
Scholar
#8 Old 24th Mar 2018 at 6:23 PM
Whenever the game generates a service sim it creates an array of eligible NPCs only from the service sim family, if a sim is not in the array the sim is not used even if the sim is 'Lot Familiar'. However when a service is scheduled on a regular basis the 'Scheduler 2' handles bringing in the service sim. It uses the Neighbour ID of the service sim and the only check it makes is that the sim is still alive. As long as the 'Scheduler 2' doesn't 'glich' and continues chugging along in the background it can continue using the same butler even if the butler moves house, becomes very pregnant or even goes on holiday.
Forum Resident
#9 Old 24th Mar 2018 at 7:24 PM
The bat box also has an option that allows you to "nuke" the scheduler; doing so will enable you to reschedule service and the game will use a different NPC or generate a new one if necessary.
Back to top