6 years ago

Paparrazi on Private Lot

There's not really a reason to bother with specs as this is a "bug" that is considered intentional. However, I find it extremely frustrating and unrealistic. I know you're gonna say this isn't a bug but I couldn't find a valid way to make this point besides calling it was it is in my mind...a bug, but Paparazzi SHOULD NOT enter a private lot, especially with a gate of any sort. In reality this would cause a LOT of controversy and legal issues. I live in California, I work in film, I know celebs, and this is just plain taking me right out of the immersion.

I have a huge mansion with my celebrity wife in the game being a mermaid and movie star, so about a third of my ground floor is a massive pool for her to swim and sleep in. Half the pool is inside the mansion, and the other half outside in the sun. Paparazzi are everywhere, so I put a huge wall around my 64x64 property with 2 gates out front and yet the paparazzi push right on through that, trespassing AF, and hang out all around the pool and yard waiting for her to skinny dip or sunbathe. I yell at them, I fight them, I pay them off, but stop one and 3 more appear. But the point is...I shouldn't have to at all. They SHOULD NOT enter a private dwelling even if it's 90% yard. Now if they were sneaking or peeping in windows that would be one thing and a cool mechanic, but no they just walk around my pool like they live here and I'm sick of it. It drags my game down, it feels highly unrealistic, it can cost me money, but most of all...it makes me extremely uncomfortable. My wife and main character are modeled after me and my gf and even though it's just a game with no consequences, the idea of seeing one of these creepers snapping photos of her sleeping in the pool in a tiny bikini (or worse) just infuriates me. In reality that man would be arrested and sued to high heaven. Whatever mechanic keeps them from entering an actual house should apply to fences and gates as well, and definitely pool areas that are fenced off WITH GATES. In real life paparazzi hanging around some celebrities pool or even just stepping on their front yard would be grounds for trespassing and harassment and would have those jerks in cuffs but in your game they are treated better than celebs and it gets in the way. Paying them off or fighting them should only be necessary at public venues, I shouldn't have to do it every morning when I wake up. And paying them off is the only sure fire way to get rid of them and there's always 4-6 of them around since my character has started to gain celebrity points now so...thanks, for being a celebrity my prize is spending $2000 every morning for privacy.

I know this is never gonna get fixed. I know I'm wasting my time writing this out. But dangit I couldn't play another second of this game till I told someone how stupid and broken this mechanic is. Add an ability to lock doors only for paparazzi, program them to stay out of fenced yards (like real ones), make it easier to kick them out, I don't care but do something because this is such a pain in the behind to the point I don't wanna be a celebrity in this game anymore. Not because of paparazzi in general...only because they are always IN my house.

I should also note that Paparazzi being in the house constantly affects other things like sometimes the ultra speed won't activate while sleeping because they're still milling about, and my sims cancel tasks constantly (in their OWN DANG HOUSE) to go pose for the paparazzi standing around the pool. And I should note that since one of my sims is a mermaid, the pool is about 75% of their day. They're always in swimwear and hanging around it. In fact I had to make a lot of items, such as fridge and TV available around the pool so that she can basically live in the water, so I'm CONSTANTLY dealing with this.

gameplay issue

13 Replies

jpkarlsen
Hero (Retired)
6 years ago
In real life Paparazzi also often trespass on private ground.
Hyperion_Rail
6 years ago
@jpkarlsen They do, but it's illegal. You can google the laws in California, "in California, paparazzi are legally prohibited from trespassing on private property, using telephoto lenses to survey private property, or pursuing targets in cars." So it happens way less than people would believe.

But the Paprazzi in the Sims aren't considered trespassing, they're just going right in and hanging out as if I gave them my residence key. They're not behaving like real Paparazzi do and instead are just acting as guests within my house. In reality most Paparazzi wait outside (like they sorta do in the game as long as I stay inside the house) with their cameras down because taking photos of someone's house is also illegal, and they have to wait till their "target" is officially on the street to be considered fair game. Yes, SOME break the rules, and I'd be okay if in the Sims an occasional one gets cheeky and tries to sneak some shots, but that's not what's happening and not what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about every day in my game, I wake up and ALL the Paparazzi spawn and immediately burst right in my gate (that I can only lock for everyone or no one, and not specify Paparazzi) and begin mingling around my pool and won't leave till I bribe them or leave myself. Sometimes it's 4 or 5 of them all at once and if you finally get one to leave, usually another immediately shows up in his place. It's not even remotely realistic and just makes the game more complicated than it should be.
jpkarlsen
Hero (Retired)
6 years ago
Please add your experience to this bug report. https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bug-Reports/NEEDS-INPUT-GF-SD-Paparazzi-Follow-Into-Sauna/td-p/7216233
MapleSimmer
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
@Hyperion_Rail That does sound frustrating. I can't say that I had that issue in Del Sol Valley, but I did have issues with paparazzi coming right into my sims' house in Sulani. I thought it was because I used a retail lot (which I didn't open for business) to have a 'second' home as a vacation home in Sulani. I ended up fencing my lot completely (which sounds like it's what you did) and then locking all the gates for everyone but my household members. In the past when I had issues with sims coming in that I didn't want, I used the club system (from Get Together) to add sims I wanted to allow in to the club and then allow that club access, though I agree that it can be awkward. For my sims' home in Del Sol Valley, I did have a large yard (it was also on a 64x64 lot), but the house was at the front and the yard was behind. I only had the front door of the house and the attached 'greenhouse' door unlocked, the back yard, which was a big part of the lot, was locked to everyone but household members, so perhaps that's why I didn't have paparazzi coming onto my lot in Del Sol Valley.
Best regards,
Jennifer
NuJeruCitizen
6 years ago
Have you tried locking the gate?
Hyperion_Rail
6 years ago
@NuJeruCitizen Yeah, but locking the gate also locks guests and friends out. There's not way to specify the paparazzi, even locking to specific individuals by name only accesses people who live on the lot. It's either I have to unlock the gate every time a guest visits or leaving it unlocked. In sims 3 this wasn't a problem and there was a gate you could buy specifically for keeping unwanted out. But this is too much of an all or nothing situation unfortunately.
Psychotps
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
Interesting. I usually never have a gate or fence at all in the front yard. They don't come in the house. And I lock the gate to the back yard to keep everyone out. If someone comes to visit, they use the front door, which isn't blocked by a gate so guests just walk up and knock.
The pool, garden and such are in the back yard which is blocked by a gate locked for everyone and the house, which needs invites.
The trash bin is in the back yard so if a guest wants to take out my trash, or use the pool they're free as long as I've already invited them. The door to the back yard isn't locked. This method also keeps out the Stan from getting to the trash 'cause they'd have to go through the house to get to it.
Hyperion_Rail
6 years ago
@Psychotps You've given me an idea I'll try but sadly I feel like I shouldn't have to, but at least will alleviate my pain.
Psychotps
Seasoned Ace
6 years ago
@Hyperion_Rail Well, if you want the "appearance" of a fence, you can still put the fence up in the front yard, just leave the gate unlocked, or leave it out altogether, just an open space. Just make sure to block off the back yard with another fence.

I've never run into that issue because I've always done it as I've described.
Hyperion_Rail
6 years ago
@Psychotps So instead of having the gate, I just deleted it, and ran the fence all the way up the front door walkway (sorta trench run to the front door) making the front door also the front gate so to speak, and this sorta solved the problem as I have still found paparazzi in my yard, however it's just one every now and then (which feels realistic) and in most of those cases someone interacted with them autonomously and thus invited them in without my say. So this helped but I wouldn't call it a fix. I still think the concept of a front gate on your yard should work as enough of a deterrent. Thanks!