Players using low graphics settings will be surprised to find that Dolphins do actually exist in the waters of Sulani.
Fixed in Patch 1.59.73
Video not but pictures
After a long observation I may be able to explain it now.
When a known dolphin is called, an action loop called "playing with the dolphin" begins. This determines the duration of the contact time with the dolphin. As long as this lasts, self-selected actions such as feeding, talking, caressing can be integrated into the action loop. They slip into the base action loop. When the time of the basic action loop has expired, the dolphin swims away with a turnaround. As far as normal.
When feeding with fish from the Sim inventory, I notice two aspects:
1. It often takes longer for the feeding to be included in the basic action loop than for the fish for $ 2.
2. Feeding with fish from the Sims inventory will often result in aborting the Basic Action loop after three quarters of the time.
Overall, the longer the time it takes to feed the fish out of the inventory and the associated premature termination of the action loop, it often acts to feed an invisible dolphin. Especially since then often an unclear dolphin action in the action menu is displayed and the dolphin is heard even longer - in contrast to the other end of the dolphin interaction loop.
If the dolphin interaction is not prematurely interrupted by fish from the inventory, there is still the phenomenon of the lonely dolphin. Then, when the Sims is tired. It's not a one-way street here, where only dolphins decide when it's time to leave : eastandard_smile:.
Editing in this forum is quite difficult. I just wanted to change or delete this failed smily. Often, when editing, there is a message that any format is problematic, even if you delete or change only one letter.
I've got a variant of this problem as well.
My Sim is an Aquatic Ecologist and not a mermaid. When he's gone diving for various purposes, sometimes a dolphin appears and is "deciding whether he likes" my Sim. Twice now, the dolphin *might* have begun to accept my Sim - it's hard to tell. The dolphin swims away and my Sim is left splashing the water, patting the air, and making crooning noises at the non-existent dolphin, while phantom dis-embodied squeaking and chirping comes from where the dolphin used to be - if only he were still there.
I've never been able to summon a dolphin, so I don't know about this completely invisible business.
I would echo what others have said - it seems to be related to the queue. If you have other actions in your queue when the dolphin appears, he will leave before you've had a chance to react. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the queue is slow to respond when attempting to interrupt actions.
UPDATE:
I have a dolphin friend!
I was very careful to not queue up actions while in the water near a buoy. That seems to have worked in my case. I'll do some more investigating to make sure.
