[BY DESIGN] Entertainer/Comedian NPCs not Showing Up at Lounges [ Edited ]

[canelacaliente]

Product: The Sims 4
Platform:PC
Which language are you playing the game in? English
How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%)
What is your current game version number? 1.59.73.1020
What expansions, game packs, and stuff packs do you have installed? Expansions: All Game Packs: Parenthood, Straveville, Spa Day, Dine Out Stuff Packs: My First Pet, Perfect Patio
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? Have a Sim visit a player-made lounge or a pre-made lounge that is not the Stargazers Lounger or the Orchid A Go Go Lounge.
What happens when the bug occurs? NPC Sims that fill the Entertainer does not show up to the lounges. The game is not generating enough Sims to fill the Entertainer role.
What do you expect to see? An NPC Sims to show up to fill the role of entertainer without having to hire one each time the Sim visits a lounge.
Have you installed any customization with the game, e.g. Custom Content or Mods? Never used.
Did this issue appear after a specific patch or change you made to your system? Neutral/Not Sure 

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The NPC Sims used to show up at the lounges without being hired.  Now the only way to get one to show up is to hire one.  The game is not generating enough Sims to fill the Entertainer role.  The only way a Sim that is an entertainer will generate is if a Sim that lives in the neighborhood has a piano skill level of 3.

[simvasion · Accepted solution]

@canelacaliente  NPCs when created can have an associated region of creation even if they don't live in housing - e.g. the city living NPCs that populate each district are assigned as "street townies" associated as living in San Myshuno, and in particular districts. Entertainers don't have to live in housing in a region, the game just has to recognise that they exist there.

The game is also able to generate entertainers if it really needs to. I think it's heavily weighted to using any matching sims that already exist though. NPCs can also learn skills through random gameplay - once I saw an NPC pick up a guitar and he was awful, but then I kept seeing him trying out guitars all over the game and now he's a highly skilled street busker.

I don't think it's a bug that the entertainer role is classed as a lower-priority background role vs. other lounge staff like bartender, which is classed as venue required. The entertainer provides some fun background flavour, but my sims visiting lounges don't depend on one being there. It's not a career role, similar to how bouncers at VIP doors are not in any bouncer career, it seems to be skill based.

If you play long enough, one will eventually spawn (or one of your own sims will become a match if they gain piano skill and live in the zone) - there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the filters - you just have to give it enough time and a window of opportunity where other background roles aren't competing for a spot on the lot (where it's limited to having 20 sims at a time) - for example I don't see entertainers at Club Calico in Brindleton Bay because the game is prioritising stray cats and two fish stall vendors in the background (but if they left I'm sure an entertainer would spawn in eventually).

[canelacaliente]

@crinrict Still occurring as of patch 1.61.15.1020.  I edited the OP for clarity.  Are these NPCs showing up at lounges in your game?

[crinrict]

@canelacaliente Can't really remember if I tested this tbh.

[simvasion]

I tested the lounges in my game and entertainers showed up for me.

I saw entertainers at:

Starlight Lounge in San Myshuno (Baako Jang)

Studio PBP in Del Sol Valley (Thorne Bailey)

Solar Flare in Oasis Springs (Katrina Caliente)

Halvsies in Newcrest (Cassidy Purdue)

Ochid-a-go-go in Del Sol Valley (Thorne Bailey)

The minimum filter requirements for entertainers include having level 3 and above piano skill and must live in the same region as the lounge they appear at - e.g. Thorne lives in Del Sol Valley which is why he shows up at both Studio PBP and Orchid a-go-go.

The active times for lounges having entertainers based on the schedule in the zone director are from 4pm to 2am. There won't be any outside of those hours.

[canelacaliente]

@crinrict  @simvasion  

I tried on two separate computers and getting entertainers at the lounges was hit and miss.  Sometimes they would just show up and I didn't know what triggered them.

The minimum filter requirements for entertainers include having level 3 and above piano skill and must live in the same region as the lounge they appear at - e.g. Thorne lives in Del Sol Valley which is why he shows up at both Studio PBP and Orchid a-go-go.

I don't think this is a requirement.  I am getting NPC Sims to show up at the lounges as entertainers that are not in the world and I did not create these Sims or generate them through hiring.  I was able to get an NPC in Newcrest with just the Havlsies lot and no other houses in the neighborhood. 

In a brand new game, Katrina Caliente is piano skill level 2 so she is unable to appear at the Solar Flare unless her skill level is raised through either playing her or cheating.  There are no premade Sims in the worlds that have a piano skill of 3 except for Thorne Bailey and Baako Jang on the computer I have all expansion packs installed on the other computer, I just have the base game installed.

The original save where I had the issue Baako Jang, Thorne Bailey, Katrina Caliente were already dead and the game did not populate the homes with a Sim that would appear.

[simvasion · Accepted solution]

@canelacaliente  NPCs when created can have an associated region of creation even if they don't live in housing - e.g. the city living NPCs that populate each district are assigned as "street townies" associated as living in San Myshuno, and in particular districts. Entertainers don't have to live in housing in a region, the game just has to recognise that they exist there.

The game is also able to generate entertainers if it really needs to. I think it's heavily weighted to using any matching sims that already exist though. NPCs can also learn skills through random gameplay - once I saw an NPC pick up a guitar and he was awful, but then I kept seeing him trying out guitars all over the game and now he's a highly skilled street busker.

I don't think it's a bug that the entertainer role is classed as a lower-priority background role vs. other lounge staff like bartender, which is classed as venue required. The entertainer provides some fun background flavour, but my sims visiting lounges don't depend on one being there. It's not a career role, similar to how bouncers at VIP doors are not in any bouncer career, it seems to be skill based.

If you play long enough, one will eventually spawn (or one of your own sims will become a match if they gain piano skill and live in the zone) - there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the filters - you just have to give it enough time and a window of opportunity where other background roles aren't competing for a spot on the lot (where it's limited to having 20 sims at a time) - for example I don't see entertainers at Club Calico in Brindleton Bay because the game is prioritising stray cats and two fish stall vendors in the background (but if they left I'm sure an entertainer would spawn in eventually).

[canelacaliente]

@simvasion 

NPCs when created can have an associated region of creation even if they don't live in housing - e.g. the city living NPCs that populate each district are assigned as "street townies" associated as living in San Myshuno, and in particular districts. Entertainers don't have to live in housing in a region, the game just has to recognize that they exist there.

I tested my game yesterday and I had the same NPC appear at two different lounges.  I got the game to generate the NPC to appear by hiring them.  Then I started seeing the same NPC listed as an entertainer at two different lounges in two different worlds without me hiring them.  I had this happen in multiple tests.  The NPC was in manage worlds but was not placed in any world in the game.

NPCs can also learn skills through random gameplay - once I saw an NPC pick up a guitar and he was awful, but then I kept seeing him trying out guitars all over the game and now he's a highly skilled street busker.

That requires a Sim going to a lot with only a piano and waiting for the NPC Sim to gain skill level 3 in the piano skill.  An easier way to do this would just be to populate the worlds with Sims that have the skill.

The entertainer provides some fun background flavor, but my sims visiting lounges don't depend on one being there.

I think this is where we differ in our play styles.  The lounge for me is a place where Sims go for live entertainment.  The live entertainment is what makes the club different than a lounge form a gameplay standpoint. 

The lounge used to be an upscale version of the club when the game first came out.  It would attract elder and adult Sims and they would dress in formal wear.  Now at the lounges, Sims wear their everyday clothing and Sims from young adult to elder visit.  If Get Famous is installed, teens will visit as fans of the celebrities. 

Basically, there is no difference between a lounge and a club besides the live entertainment.  The lounge and club have the same objects needed to function except the lounge requires a microphone and a musical instrument.  At this point, an entertainer should be required for the lot to make it different than a club.

there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the filters - you just have to give it enough time and a window of opportunity where other background roles aren't competing for a spot on the lot

I tested base game only, I was not able to get one to spawn after visiting the lounges several times without hiring one first.  The game doesn't have that many roles to prioritize because there aren't multiple packs installed.

I was able to get the game to generate an NPC for Club Calico Brindleton Bay by hiring one.  Then one was able to spawn on the lot each time I went.  I had an older save I played for months over multiple generations and one didn't spawn.  It should not take that long to have NPC's spawn at lounges.  The time to have one spawn in the game seems excessive.

[canelacaliente]

@crinrict I checked the game files.  It seems as though this is by design anthough it is a poor design in my opinion because now essentially clubs and lounges are exactly the same without the entertainer showing up.

@simvasion Thank you for your help.

[SimGuruNick]

I agree that this sounds by design and working as intended. Definitely good feedback though