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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 30th May 2016 at 2:11 PM
Default Butler slacking off
Has anyone else noticed that the butler slacks off unless you 1) build a good relationship with him or 2) tip him well. Especially with tipping, I find that as soon as I hand over a hundred big ones he immediately starts cleaning the house again

So basically, I find that my butlers stand around a lot in my filthy mansions unless I make friends with them and/or cough up the cash! Is this coded or am i crazy? (Or both )
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 30th May 2016 at 2:24 PM
I've been noticing all service sims doing a much better job if you tip them. I found this quite normal, and had no doubts it was probably in the code, knowing EA.
Butlers though, I haven't experienced much with them. I prefer having more than one service sim.

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Mad Poster
#3 Old 30th May 2016 at 2:51 PM
I haven't really noticed much slacking off. They spend far too much time with toddlers/babies I've found, which often gets in the way of parents. Also they have a habit of setting my sims houses on fire. Whenever I see a Butler put something in the oven, I have to have a sim on hand to take it out because he almost always wanders off and starts a fire.

~Your friendly neighborhood ginge
Scholar
#4 Old 30th May 2016 at 3:33 PM
@Bigsimsfan12: That's why I developed these mods. "ButlerIsNoNanny" keeps that filthy pedophile from ever touching the little ones. "BNS - No Cooking" stops Butler, Nanny and Servo from cooking meals, because they're a bit too spillful, making expensive group meals just because one or two sims might actually need a little snack, and then throwing most of it away again... And not to mention, indeed, the fires!!
Mad Poster
#5 Old 30th May 2016 at 3:36 PM
Butlers - I don't like them The nanny the game has generated is a diamond, though - cleaning the house with bubbles all over, looking after kids well - but she makes turkey all the time.
Alchemist
#6 Old 30th May 2016 at 3:58 PM
Maybe it's like Nannies where there are good ones and slackers. My butlers tend to be too helpful, cooking meal after meal all day for no good reason. It'd be nice to have a mod that would make them put the surplus meals in the refrigerator, if they just have to cook all the food. Mine also really love toddlers, but attentive caregivers are a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.
Mad Poster
#7 Old 30th May 2016 at 4:02 PM
Probably butler has low social if he stops chores. My rich sims sometimes hire butlers, especially if there is many garden work to do (he comes everyday, not like gardener). If he stops working I will send my richie to talk/brag. One time is enough, butler will start working again.
Mad Poster
#8 Old 30th May 2016 at 4:41 PM
Thanks for the helpful mods @BoilingOil.
@Annaminna now gardeners - thats where the real slackers are. I have Tybalt Capp living in that house with the shrub-maze in the garden and the Gardener doesn't seem to do anything. I've even downloaded a mod to reach shrubs that are behind things thinking she just couldn't reach - nope! I guess there's just too many shrubs and so she's only doing the few at the front of the house every time she visits and then runs out of time for the shrub-maze. Though the Butler doesn't seem to want to garden either! He stands about all day or makes omelettes.

~Your friendly neighborhood ginge
Mad Poster
#9 Old 30th May 2016 at 4:42 PM
I mostly ignore my butler. Any sim who can afford him is usually living in a mansion and has other things to do besides follow him around. I assume he's working if there's not garbage laying around or a green stink rising from the children. Any time I look at him he's giving the furniture the white-glove test, which is interesting since no one ever dusts. Maybe he cooks, maybe he doesn't. The pixels are eating so SOMEONE is cooking. And a lot of my sims genuinely enjoying preparing food so I don't stress it.

I've never tipped because he is getting a good wage. He should do his job. Most of us aren't in jobs where we get tipped. We are expected to do our job regardless of people standing around bribing us to to do.

And I don't need a lecture on restaurants. I know the people there depend upon their tips, and I always tip well. But, in general, I don't believe in tipping people to do their jobs. Besides my college gig, I taught people in rough, rough situations, jails, juvies, rehab centers, etc. I didn't expect anyone to tip me.

"Fear not little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom". Luke 12:32 Chris Hatch's family friendly files archived on SFS: http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=603534 . Bulbizarre's website: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C...CoveredPortals/
Mad Poster
#10 Old 30th May 2016 at 5:41 PM
Tipping is for waiters, car guards, buskers and the assistant at the hair dresser if she gives a great head massage.
Mad Poster
#11 Old 30th May 2016 at 9:22 PM
Quote: Originally posted by BoilingOil
"BNS - No Cooking" stops Butler, Nanny and Servo from cooking meals, because they're a bit too spillful, making expensive group meals just because one or two sims might actually need a little snack, and then throwing most of it away again... And not to mention, indeed, the fires!!


Ironically, I have one of Cyjon's mods in my game that makes the butler serve expensive meals because otherwise he'd always be serving my sims toaster pastries and hamburgers. If he becomes obsessed with cooking and I don't want him serving anybody anything, I just turn the fridge around or put it in a family member's inventory.
Mad Poster
#12 Old 31st May 2016 at 2:26 AM
Lab Assistant
#13 Old 31st May 2016 at 3:48 AM
I was having the same problem with the lazy butlers and was advised here on the board to tip them. It works wonders. They are deliberately slacking off till they get the tips.
Test Subject
#14 Old 2nd Jun 2016 at 5:44 AM
Around here, it is customary to give service folks an extra bit at Christmas. People like housekeepers, gardeners and pool services. So when my sim tips his butler, I just think of it as the holiday bonus.
Test Subject
#15 Old 3rd Jun 2016 at 12:24 AM
I never like using butlers in my game :-D just no. They're always slacking around my house and preparing food for no reason. Even if my family just had a dinner, butler is in the kitchen back at it again! I guess tipping does work in this case, but haven't tried it myself tho, really just because I rarely use them.

Gardeners also annoy the crap out of me. I love to give my sims a pretty big yard and a nice garden, but obviously if they have a big garden, their house must be big too, and that means a lot of work, work, work! Somebody should be taking care of those bushes... usually the gardeners spend the whole day on my lots, but nothing seems to be done? :-D I find it very odd, hahaha. I guess I need to start tipping them too, sigh. They should just do their job and be happy with the money they get by doing their jobs. Jeez.
Scholar
#16 Old 3rd Jun 2016 at 12:53 AM
@hilite: that's exactly why I made those mods I linked to before. Especially, "BO - BNS - No Cooking" was created just so the butlers, nannies and servos would stay out of the kitchen. Because they ALL exhibit that annoying behavior of making way too much food for no reason. With that, and the mod to stop Butlers from meddling with babies, toddlers and children (heck, my sims made those kids, so now they'll have to take CARE of them, too!), suddenly the butler is available for useful stuff like cleaning, repairing, gardening and tending crops! Simply tipping them something like 50 or 100 simoleans once, will ensure that you'll never have trouble with your butlers again!

But I can understand why one would not want them on their lots at all. I'm an odd feller in that respect.
Alchemist
#17 Old 3rd Jun 2016 at 1:05 AM
in past times playing, all NPCs did their respective job without any sim doing any pay interaction.

have not yet gotten any pack.
Mad Poster
#18 Old 3rd Jun 2016 at 4:08 AM
The biggest problem I have with my butlers is that they try to do everything and end up accomplishing nothing because they're trying and failing to do everything at once. I can see what Maxis was trying to do, but with some large lots, even if I hire all the other service sims to help out, it's just not possible to keep up with all the chores, especially gardening. It would be great to be able to hire 2 or 3 gardeners simultaneously - then they might actually finish the job at the Goth mansion or Capp Manor for once. (I know about plastic plant mods, but I would rather have at least some of the plants need tending. )
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