Whilst at University, Sims are ignoring the Autonomy Setting

[Ascawien]

I play with Autonomy on EXCEPT for the selected Sim and this has been working fine ever since I got the game, however, I've just taken my first Sim to University, in the large Dorm and now the selected Sim is acting with full autonomy, ignoring the rule set in the options menu. Is this a known bug with a fix? It's already incredibly annoying dealing with all the random Sims interrupting pretty much any action I queue up but now I also have to deal with my Sim deciding they want to do something completely random.

Any and all help would be GREATLY appreciated

[PugLove888]

@Ascawien, while I usually play with autonomy on, I don't think I've heard of this problem so far. In fact, the only problem I heard about autonomy in Discover University is the opposite problem!  https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/NEEDS-INFO-DU-NPC-Roommates-at-Drake-Hall-No-Autonomy/td-p/844...

You can try deleting your local thumb cache package.file (it will look like localthumbcachepackage.file) in the game folder and then repair your game in Origin by logging in and go to Library, then right-click on The Sims 4 and choose the "Repair Game" option from the list.  Wait until Origin finishes repairing all your packs and not just the base game, unless you play on a Mac then it will repair just the base game. 

Also,  do you play on a console or on a PC or Mac?  If you play on a PC or Mac, do you happen to play with any Mods or Cutsom Content (CC)?  

If you play with any Mods/CC then it could be that your Mods/CC have become outdated.  Please do the following steps to see if this is the case, and to see which ones are the culprit:

1) Move the Mods Folder to your desktop

2) Delete the localthumbcache.package file in the game folder. (This is very important! ) 

3) Fix you game in Origin by logging in and go to Library, then right-click on The Sims 4 and choose the "Repair Game" option from the list.  Wait until Origin finishes repairing all your packs and not just the base game.

4) Now, when you turn on your game again, it will create a new mods folder that will be empty.  Check to see if your game is now working without mods/CC.

5) Now you can try adding back items from your Mods folder one at a time checking your game each time to see which item is causing your game to not work properly.  If you have a lot of items, you can try the 50/50 Method. 

The CC creators will usually update the CC items and Mods after these updates, so when you find out which one is the culprit, you can get the updated version from whoever made that item of CC in the first place.  You should try these steps anytime you have problems in your game to rule out CC/Mods problems.  It is the responsibility of the Mods/CC creators to update their items anytime EA releases a patch/update, and it is the responsibility of the people who use Mods/CC to make sure they are using the most recent version, which in this case was June 10th. 

Please update us on your situation! 

[PugLove888]

@Ascawien, you didn't say if you also had the  Eco Lifestyle EP or not.  I was thinking if you do, it could be that some of the NAP behaviors (Neighborhood Action Plan) could be affecting your autonomy in your game, even when you are at university.   There are some bugs with the NAPs so that could be the cause of your problem if you have the Eco Lifestyle pack. 

[lizandnick6410]

I am having this issue as well. I have no mods, or CC. I just got eco lifestyle and just recently started playing university. I dont know if it's the new pack hearing it's as glitchy as is. My sim will stall if I request an action and sometimes cancel it to do whatever. I tried clearing out the cache, and repaired it. I already had to uninstall it once due to a bug in eco lifestyle. I'm not entirely sure what to do other than uninstall it since I've been having multiple issues with Eco lifestyle. 

[PugLove888]

@lizandnick6410, you could try a factory reset of the game folder and then try repairing your game through Origin. 
Here is a link that might help you: https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/READ-FIRST-Troubleshooting-your-Game/m-p/3621199
Please update us on if this helps or not! 

[conFus10n]

I got this bug when I started a semester for my sim. Every time I made my sim do homework, coursework or anything at all, he would stop and do pushups or practice programming. Even after graduating and moved back home. Good thing I had a save right before my sim enrolled. So I did some trial and error.

After multiple attempts, I found out that the bug only occurs when my sim lives at the university AND when I had the Neighborhood Action plans "Rock you body" and "Tech Support" active before enrolling. So I think, but not 100% sure, that if your sim stays home or if you petition to remove the said action plans before enrolling, you won't get the autonomy bug.

It's a temporary solution before the devs fix it. Hope this helps someone before they play Discover University. Or if they have a save before they enrolled their sim.

I'm playing on the July 23, 2020 update, BTW.

[PugLove888]

@conFus10n, you bring up an excellent point!  The funny thing is when this thread was first started, I hadn't seen any of the crazy NAP behavior overriding everything, and neither had several of my friends who play the Sims, so I never thought of that .  But now a month later, when reading this the first thing I thought was an overactive NAP policy!  

@Ascawienand @lizandnick6410 , if you haven't already, you can do what @conFus10n suggested and repeal the current NAPs (it cost 10 in fluence points to start the petition), or you can turn off the NAP voting for NPCs in your Game Options.