2 Sims can't get Leftovers from fridge at the same time

[crinrict]

Might be a restriction they couldn't work past ? 

I don't really know.

[StarryMight]

Hmm, good point. 

Actually, come to think of it , I've noticed before that if you have the fridge open when a Sim is grabbing a serving of something that was made in quantity, the game actually generates a single serving of the food in question in the fridge's inventory for the Sim to grab. Maybe that's why only one Sim can use the fridge at a time?

[SDPhantomGamer]

Something I started doing was drag whatever food I wanted a group of sims to eat out of the fridge inventory and place it on a counter, then I had everyone grab a serving from the food itself.

[Xwanton]

I always had this issue up until very recently. Previously, sims would route fail immediately once someone else had the fridge in their queue, regardless of how close they were. I just tested and now, sims will walk up to the fridge and route fail only if someone else is actually blocking it. So the AI has been improved: if someone's at the other end of the house, there's ample time for the other sim to finish with the fridge, and by the time they arrive, it should be free for them to use. That actually makes sense: it makes no sense for a sim to psychically know that another sim across the house is blocking the fridge. 

What I don't understand is how that's "by design" when this fix was clearly implemented recently. For it to be changed, it's safe to assume that it was a bug, right? And earlier in the thread, apparently it was fixed and re-broken again. So I don't really get the response that it was ever "by design".

[StarryMight]

@SDPhantomGamer : Good idea, actually!

@Xwanton : Hmm...I'll have to pay more attention next time.

Anyway, I just realized that another possible reason for not letting more than one Sim in front of the fridge: I've had it at least a couple/a few times long ago when Sims are all standing in front of the fridge on top of each other, after loading into their Household...like in the sample shot I attached (freaky, I know!). Maybe they were afraid of clipping like that? (I think I have seen at least one case of two Sims using the fridge at seemingly the same time, though.)

[SDPhantomGamer]

I think it's more complex than sims clipping into each other. Think of the animation they have to do, open the door, grab an item, close the door. Now all of them are trying to do that at the same time and confusing each other.

[StarryMight]

@SDPhantomGamer : Good point. The fridges' serving generation system I mentioned before could also be a source of confusion for the code.

[StarryMight]

Sorry if this is a bump, but...

@Xwanton : I recently did a test on what you said about the timing of fridge interactions being improved, and you were right!

[NennaRC]

I still have this problem, which makes it difficult for the sims to sync their meals and eat together as the others don't wait for their turn when one sim grabs food from the fridge although several sims have been sent to the same. Instead they start doing something else and the get leftovers action dissapears from their queue and I have to send them yet again to the fridge. Meanwhile the first sim who got his food has already finished his meal without company.

Also meals in general could be better synced so that sims get their food more or less at the same time and get seated at the dining table. Then they should start eating at the same time also. Why do someone finish when someone else starts? I understand that they sometimes need to eat alone if nobody else is hungry, but maybe the pie menu should have this eat together function when call to meal is used so that the sims who grab their serving first wait for the other sims before they start eating? It's sad to hardly ever see the sims eat together and they also still very often choose to stand up and eat or go and sit on someones bed. For example if a sim is doing his homework, someone else take their plate and go to sit beside that sim, for company I guess, but still, I mean why not eat at the table?

[crinrict]

@NennaRC This is by design.