No helicopter on lots of frontage 1.

I've had some problems with sims getting to the top of their career in business and politics and living on a 1xn (or is it nx1) lot. Anyway, a lot with street frontage 1. When it comes time for them to go to work, nothing arrives. If they then walk to work, they never come home. Can helicopters arrive on a lot with frontage 1? Could that be the problem? I'd appreciate any feedback on this.

I have never used a lot that small... But it does sound like to me that there may not be enough room for the helicopter. Have You tried enabling testingcheats(debug)? That could possibly tell You more about what is happening. If there is indeed a problem with the helicopter appearing. A error dialog would appear(only if the testing cheats are enabled) and tell You what the error is, It will also create a .txt file with information on what was happening at the time. The error dialog will tell You what the txt's files name is.

I think it's more complicated than a simple frontage of 1. I've had a corner lot with a frontage of 1 and the helicopter arrives OK, also with lots with frontage of 1 separated from the adjacent lots. In this particular case, they're a whole bunch of lots of frontage 1 elbow to elbow. I do tend to pack my 'hood tightly and that could be part of the problem. I'll just have to keep the helicopter in mind when moving in Business, Politics, and Military sims. Also Pirates - in this custom career the top level of the pirate career travels by 'copter. I'm not sure that Jack Sparrow would approve. Arrrr!   

Also, the non-Maxis career: Model (Pageant Contestant, Specialized Model, ... ,International Runway Model, World Famous Supermodel) goes to work and arrives home via 'copter at level 9.

Thanks for your help and feedback on this.

If the lot has frontage 1 and the sim goes to work via helicopter (top of business and politics careers, also top of pirate career   , also levels 9 and 10 of the model career I'm using) , it may not arrive due to there being not enough room. If you miss the ride and choose "Walk to Work", the sim may never come home.

I've seen at least one occasion of a problem when a sim was "Captain Hero" - the top of the law enforcement career - he flies straight up. If you miss the one-hour window and choose to have him walk to work, he may return as just a plumb bob, otherwise invisible.

Oooooh noooo. That's disastrous!

I play with Inge Jones' mod that turns off school and work without penalties. Simmies can still be directed to go to work and school by car or walking, but if they don't go they won't get fired or lose marks (school)...so I've not had to worry about car pools and such in years.

That sounds mighty upsetting Mac.  

ilikefishfood wrote:

That sounds mighty upsetting Mac.  

Not only that, but it was Humphrey Bogart who turned into a floating plumb-bob!  

Okay.  I'm going to make a suggestion, which is pretty much what I'd do in this situation.

First, back up your neighbourhood (you can use SimPe or just make a copy of your neighbourhoods folder onto your desktop or somewhere)

Enter the lot where he lives, and using the 'move objects on' cheat use his plumbbob to locate him and pick him up and delete him.  Yes, delete him.  This can be done.  Save and exit the lot.  When you re-enter, deleted sims appear at the mailbox.  Hopefully, this will reset him.

If this doesn't work, try moving the family to the lot bin.  If possible move them into a new lot that's never been lived in before (no buggies left behind).  This is another way of resetting simmies.

If none of those work, you might have to get really drastic.  I've been doing some research, and THISis one of the most knowledgeable resources I could find.

Thanks, Toni, but when I detected the problem, I exited to the neighborhood w/o saving. That tends to be my immediate action when I detect something that isn't right.    Did the same for the helicopter non-arrival problem.

So when you went back in, everything was okay then?

ilikefishfood wrote:

So when you went back in, everything was okay then?

Yup!   (Since nothing had been saved)

 

Glad your Sim was ok! Thanks for the heads up though!  

Woah! This is good to know, Mac.
Like you, I tend to exit the game when something freaky & scary goes down.
So glad Bogart was saved from turning into the Invisible Man!  

Toni, thank you so much for your suggestions.
I'm going to lock this thread and consider it solved!

BTW, I play with tiny 1 x 1 lots quite a bit.
The idea of Sims walking to work and never coming home ...  

Since this thread correlates with the other on the subject, I will consider it solve, lock it, and merge the two!

Sugah - this should be merged into the existing helicopter thread if possible...

Paranormal level 10 also arrive and depart via helicopter. (There might be others - I'll post as I find them)

Thank you, Mac!

The original thread is locked.
I'll try and merge the two, but eventually this will be moved into the archived Q & A.  

A few more cautions about lots with frontage 1. They're apt to not have much of a yard - this will limit the "play" activities. Some, such as play catch, toss football, water balloon fight, snowball fight, and even swing around simply won't be possible. Don't know about snowman or snow angels.

When I have a child coming home, he/she are often in a bad mood and won't do homework. If they bring a friend home, set them to "cops and robbers" - works in any house, and you can more or less forget them for the rest of the afternoon. I have seen a "nasty" kid kick the kid that's down    , but with no noticeable effect.

There is at least one Nursing career that has a "Flight Nurse" level that has a helicopter pickup

I just completely bone-headed and forgot all about the career/helicopter issue!!!   
I had Benjamin Spencer get engaged and move in with Alexis Bradshaw, who owns a small abode on a mini lot (1 x 2, I believe).
He is in the Politics career and currently a Judge (one promotion away from Mayor, when he'll come & go to work in a helicopter).
Dang! I guess, if he wants to stay in Politics, he'll have to remain a Judge???
I certainly don't want Ben to have to walk to work only to never return!   

Mac wrote:

They're apt to not have much of a yard - this will limit the "play" activities. Some, such as play catch, toss football...

I was curious about this, so I had Ben invite his dad over to throw the old pig skin around a bit.
At first, when they were both in the front of the yard, the command just dropped out of the queue.
I directed them to the side of the yard where there is more room to play and voila! Doable!

I've found that certain "Play" actions can't be done on lots of frontage 1. You found a solution with a side yard, but some row houses don't have a side yard and at least once (I think I posted in "strange occurrences") a visitor coming home from work was trapped in between.   I think that I had a kid  that wanted to play but was in a row house. "You're no fun anymore!"   

I still like the row houses and lots of frontage 1 in my 'hood with its thundering herd - just have to be careful.

Mac wrote:

...a visitor coming home from work was trapped in between.

Yikes!!!

Quote :

I think that I had a kid  that wanted to play but was in a row house. "You're no fun anymore!"

Awww! Bummer!!! Poor kiddo!

Mac, did you have your Sims (who went to and from work in 'copters) just change careers?
I honestly can't see (Ulli's) Benjamin in anything else other than Politics (he is a Romance Sim & very outgoing/charismatic).  

Sugah wrote:

did you have your Sims (who went to and from work in 'copters) just change careers?

No, I usually have them change houses. (But it's a lot simpler in the Sims than in RL!  )

Quote :

...it's a lot simpler in the Sims than in RL!    

No kidding!   
The problem is, I just finished building, decorating and recoloring a bunch of stuff for Alexis' & Ben's habitat, dang it!
I'll be bummed if I have to move them out and start the process over again.

That is, unless I can live with Ben as Judge Spencer, as opposed to the inevitable Mayor Spencer ...
Hmmm ... decisions, decisions ...  

That's one of those things that makes me wonder what EA was thinking(if they were thinking) when they made sims always return home in a car. Having the option to have sims walk home would have made things easier.

Also while I am thinking about it... Is it only the helicopter that is causing sims to not return home? If so there may be a work around I hadn't thought about before. Put simply all careers have a vehicle for each level, With a little know how one could change what vehicle the sim rides in for the car pool.

Aaron wrote:

Put simply all careers have a vehicle for each level. With a little know how one could change what vehicle the sim rides in for the car pool.

YES!!! All we would need to find out is, WHICH Maxis careers have the helicopter as the final ride to and from work. Right?

Quote :

Is it only the helicopter that is causing sims to not return home?

This, Mac is better qualified to answer, but I'm imagining so.
I know for certain the stretch limo fits on the 1 x 1/2/3 lot, as Judge Benjamin Spencer's massive limo picks him up and drops him off on his 1 x 2 lot currently.  

I've been trying to think of a way that Alexis (Judge Spencer's fiancee) can continue to move up in her Dance career, while the Judge does NOT get promoted. They both need only 2 friends to move up to their next career level.
I may end up having to take away some of Ben's already acquired skill points so he needs MORE than just 2 friends to be promoted.
This way, Alexis can reach the top of her Dance career (I'm assuming she won't be hitching a ride on a chopper???) and Ben can remain a Judge, rather than the Mayor or Tres Lagos...   

Are you thinking of working on a mod that might help solve the helicopter issue on mini lots, Aaron?  

Correct. As You have both said the Political career uses it for the final job level. And from what I remember I believe the Business career also uses the helicopter for the it's final level. I want to say the top of the military career also uses it, But I am not 100% sure on that one. I am thinking there's one more career that also use it, But I am not sure of which one. I am doing some test of a mod right now, So while I am in the game I'll see if I can determine which careers use the helicopter.

Sugah wrote:

Are you thinking of working on a mod that might help solve the helicopter issue on mini lots, Aaron? 

Possibly. The only catch would be that the mod would only work with EA/Maxis careers. Custom careers would have to be updated to do the same thing. I'll say right now I probably wouldn't be willing to update each custom career, Since each one would have to be updated separately. On the anther hand I can release instructions on how to update them. Updating them is pretty simple, Since all it requires is changeling two numbers.