Path Notes: 536827

NewSO Update — The World Keeps Living

This update includes NPC behavior changes, service NPC improvements, object fixes, catalog cleanup, accessory fixes, and a full repair of the Volleyball Court.

NPC Autonomy

NPC autonomy has been reworked so NPCs are more likely to choose the object or skill interaction with the highest priority available to them.

This should make NPC behavior less random and cut down on situations where they repeatedly pick low-value interactions or get stuck obsessing over one object.

If an interaction cannot be completed, NPCs should also be better about giving up and moving on instead of trying the same thing forever.

NPC Households Stay Online

Lots with NPC residents no longer shut down when the last player leaves.

NPC residents will keep cooking, painting, cleaning, sleeping, socializing, and doing whatever else they feel like doing even when nobody is around.

NPC homes now stay visible as online on the city map, and the residents count toward the lot population.

They will also automatically come back online after server maintenance or a restart.

So if you see Bob and Betty’s house online at 4 AM, they’re probably actually home.

NPC Personalities

Resident NPCs now use proper personality values.

Each resident gets 25 personality points spread across:

These values affect their autonomous behavior.

Some NPCs also use personality archetypes based on the original Sims 1 data, including Bombshell, Don Juan, Party Animal, Lounge Lizard, WallFlower, and Fatale.

Service NPCs also use proper personality values now. The maid, for example, has the personality values she had in the original game.

Service NPC Changes

The maid now properly charges for visits and remembers if you don’t pay.

If you skip the bill, she may refuse to work the next time she visits. Paying what you owe, or waiting a couple of days, will eventually reset this.

Failed jobs and wasted visits can also lower a service NPC’s opinion of the lot.

Caretakers and maids should also do a better job of finishing work in the area they’re already in before running across the entire lot looking for something else to do.

Gardener Fix

Fixed an issue where the hired Gardener could get stuck watering Insta-Plot and Seed-Plot Victory Gardens forever.

The plots were still advertising themselves as needing water even when they were empty, dead, or already fully watered.

The Gardener will now only water a Victory Garden if it contains a living plant that actually needs water.

Once the plant is fully watered, she moves on.

Empty plots and dead plants no longer attract watering behavior.

This also works with Victory Gardens that are already placed on lots. You do not need to pick them up and place them again.

Volleyball Court

The Volleyball Court is now fully playable.

Previously, players would join the court and freeze at their stations before a serve ever happened.

The court logic has been repaired so full games can now run normally:

Serve -> Volley -> Score -> Rotation -> Celebration -> Re-serve

This works with both players and NPCs.

Game Logic

The main freeze was caused by a large number of engine calls pointing at the wrong routines.

28 script calls on the court were corrected.

Serving, rallying, scoring, team rotation, celebrations, and re-serving should now all work normally.

Volleyball Object

The volleyball itself had similar script problems and could sometimes crash the lot while in flight.

10 script calls on the ball object were corrected.

Body Skill Gain

Playing volleyball now trains Body skill.

Skill progress is awarded when a Sim actually performs an action:

Standing around waiting for another player does not give skill.

NPCs gain Body skill the same way.

Earlier versions of this used a continuous skill pulse, but that gained skill too quickly and also rewarded Sims while they were idle. That system was removed.

Serve Facing

Fixed an issue where the Team B server could face the wrong direction while serving.

Both teams should now face the net correctly.

Abandoned Balls

If everyone leaves the court in the middle of a rally, the active volleyball is now cleaned up.

This fixes balls getting stuck floating in midair forever.

Clothing

Joining a volleyball game now changes Sims into daywear.

Players should no longer play volleyball in pajamas or whatever random outfit they were wearing beforehand.

Animation Height

The original volleyball animations used Sims 1 skeleton positioning, which caused Sims to sink into the ground during jumps, digs, and spikes.

Adult and child volleyball animation heights are now corrected when loaded.

Accessory Try-On Fix

Fixed an issue where accessories could become permanently attached to a Sim after trying them on at a clothing rack.

This affected things like:

If you tried something on and walked away without buying it, the preview accessory could stay attached with no normal way to remove it.

Try-ons now correctly revert when the Sim leaves the rack.

Anything the Sim was wearing before trying the item on will be restored.

Purchased accessories are unchanged and stay equipped normally.

Catalog Changes

Nesting Boxes for Chooks

Moved to the Pets category.

Grand Entrance Door

Moved from Windows to Doors.

It is a door.

Moderne Man Bed

Removed from the Walls category.

It currently lives in nowhere.

I hate this bed.

Volleyball Court Added as a Skilling Object

The Volleyball Court can now be used as a Body skilling object.

Unlike exercise machines, skill is gained through actual serves and hits rather than just standing at the object.

Other Fixes

Wax’n Honey Maker

Fixed an issue where the Wax’n Honey Maker could charge you money when selling your own honey.

Picnic Blankets

Fixed an issue where Sims could randomly stand up in the middle of eating on a picnic blanket.

Victory Gardens

Gardeners no longer repeatedly water empty plots, dead plants, or plants that already have enough water.

Known Volleyball Issues

If four Sims join the court on the exact same simulation tick, one Sim can occasionally lose their roster position during a rotation and return to idle.

The other three Sims continue playing.

This is very unlikely to happen through normal player input, but it can happen during NPC testing.

Games ending and Sims leaving the court normally is intended behavior. NPCs can autonomously join again afterward.

The skill headline currently says “Speed: 33%.” This is just a placeholder display value. Actual skill gain is based on successful volleyball actions.

The Volleyball Court does not currently support the normal multiplayer skilling speed bonus.

Internal Notes

The volleyball fixes include repaired object logic, serving behavior, ball cleanup, clothing changes, skill gain, and animation corrections.

Two earlier continuous skill implementations were tested and removed because they gained skill too quickly and awarded progress while Sims were idle.

The final system only gives skill for actual volleyball actions.