SimCash head start hobby items do not provide head start [ Edited ]

[lulu32914]

Product: The Sims Mobile
Platform:Android Phone
List the specific devices you play with (e.g. iPhone 6s Plus, Samsung Galaxy S7) Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
OS Version 10
How often does the bug occur? Every time (100%)
Steps: How can we find the bug ourselves? Start a practice session in either guitar or cooking. First, test with no head start items. Note the event time. Next, add each headstart item that can be purchased with simoleans, one at a time, in order. Note that the event time decreases with each new item. Now add the simcash item that also promises a headstart. Note that it does not provide an additional headstart. The event time does not change with this purchase. [Please note I have only fully tested this with the with the guitar and cooking hobbies so far, but it appears the yoga hobby has the same issue. I do not have the simcash item for writing so cannot test]. Screenshots showing that the time is reduced with the simolean head start items, but not the simcash headstart item: https://imgur.com/y6qQ19R
What do you expect to see? I expect to see at least a minute or two shaved off the event time after purchasing the sim cash head start item, especially considering the sim cash item is the most expensive head start item.
Connection Type Wifi
Please select your region North America
Country United States

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The attached screenshots show the event times I recorded as each headstart item was added. I first noticed the bug when I bought the items for the first time and was trying to track event times with different variables. I was able to replicate the issue for the sake of this test by removing all of the headstart items and then re-adding them one by one from my inventory.

I included other details on the sims I used to test the bug in case you want to try to replicate these times exactly (i.e. traits,  izzy boost items, level). 

[yani_tsm]

According to your screenshots, the cooking is level 6. The board definitely won’t work at that level. 
Level 8 is a grey area for my memory, but I’m pretty sure that the last headstart item works at level 9 or 10. Could you try to work on your hobby to make sure your hobby’s level is high enough and then check the duration with and without the last headstart item? 

Just to sum up: each headstart item only works after it was introduced into gameplay (i.e. past the level it was unlocked). If you are redoing the hobby, you should not expect a “future” headstart item to be working before its introduction. 

If you disagree with it, you can start a hobby at level 1 and check the duration with and without any headstart items. You should not see any difference. 

[lulu32914]

Thank you for your response. Even if a sim isn't able to interact with an upper level simolean headstart item while they are at a lower level, in all cases I tracked, those items still provided a headstart as early as level 1.  It was only after adding the simcash items that I noticed the event duration didn't get any shorter-- this was the case at all of the levels I tested. I did not track level 10 specifically, and I just switched my level 10 guitar sim to a new hobby, but as soon as I level up another sim to level 10 in either guitar or cooking, I can test again to confirm. 

I did just test the sim I switched into the yoga hobby. Here are the stats for a short practice session at level 1:

No headstart items: 51 minutes

With simolean headstart items: 41 minutes

Add simcash headstart item: still 41 minutes

That's with a sim who has the Good Upbringing III & Talented II with an Izzy Boost for the Talented trait.

I will update once I can check for level 10. 

[yani_tsm]

@lulu32914 Thank you for checking level 1. Have you checked both simoleon headstart items? Do they both provide 10 minute decrease in duration or just the first one?

Unfortunately my game is bugged with Where’s network error, so whenever I do get into the game I try to work on Wumples and Festival tasks. So I can’t check my game right now if that is an issue in my game. Sorry.
But I did check cooking and piano hobby headstart items at level 10 several weeks ago, and they did work for me.

[lulu32914]

So the yoga hobby is especially weird. It just immediately takes a full 10 minutes off the duration as soon as I add a the first headstart item (the candles), then the event time plateaus and doesn't decrease with any additional items after that (including, but not limited to, the simcash watrefall). The cooking and guitar hobbies are different. They gradually decrease by 1-2 minutes with each additional simolean headstart item, and then plateau when I add the last simolean headstart item, so that there is no improvement when I add the simcash items. 

With the cooking and piano hobbies, did you check to see what the event time was with all the simolean headstart items, and then add the simcash item to see if the event time decreased with just that item added? Or did you just compare what it was with zero headstarts vs. all headstarts?

I know I said I was going to wait until I had sims at level 10 in the guitar/cooking hobbies, but I just checked and apparently the simcash giant speakers unlock at level 9, and I have a sim at level 9, so I can test that now. Here are the results:

no headstart items	47 minutes
amp	45
pedal board	43
intermediate guitar	41
sound mixer	39
expert guitar	38
giant speakers (SIMCASH)	38

So it's the same problem as the other levels I checked. 

I don't know specifically which level the chopping board unlocks in the cooking hobby, but it's the second of 6 headstart items to unlock, so it's definitely unlocked by level 6, which is when I tested it. Here are the results from that:

Adding headstart items in sequence
no headstart items	47 min
mixer	46 min
standard stove	44 min
spice rack	42 min
hot stuff stove	40 min
bakemoore stove	39 min
chopping board (SIMCASH)	39 min

[yani_tsm]

Of course I only checked with and without simcash headstart item. I did check that the chopping board works for me in the cooking hobby.  You can see the proof below.
I also checked piano and internet icon hobbies and for both of them simcash headstart items work for level 10.  I can provide the screenshots too.

I also checked the sim with level 1 in guitar hobby. And it doesn’t matter how many headstart items I added, the duration did not change. 

[lulu32914]

I just got another sim to level 10 in the guitar hobby. Here she is before and after adding the giant speakers. The event duration stays the same. 

[yani_tsm]

@lulu32914 That’s so strange. I wonder if there is another object which acts as headstart item which we don’t know about.
38 minutes is already pretty low duration though.

[yani_tsm]

Just to let you know. I’m working on my guitar hobby. As I stated before: at level 1 none of the headstart items were influencing the duration. However when I started the chapter at the end of level 1, any one headstart item was decreasing the duration. I attached the pic below with the simcash headstart item. 

[lulu32914]

Thank you for spending so much time on this even though we both seem to have different issues! When I add *just* the speakers and no other headstart items,  it decreases the quick practice session time from 47 minutes to 46. It's only once I try to stack it on top of the other (simolean) headstarts that it makes no difference.  All the simolean headstart items stack,  so I don't understand why the simcash (i.e. most expensive) item wouldn't provide an additional benefit.