[BH] Business Owners running away from the lot

Just leaving a me too comment. I set up a business in Oasis Springs, on Johnny Zest's lot cus, well, Johnny is the business owner. It's a comedy club now. He offers classes in Comedy, Charisma, Dancing, Selvadorian Culture, (he took a vacation) and Thanatology. (he um.... kinda sorta died of laughter... he is exploring his new circumstances) 

One time i took a class with another character on this same lot and it was a roaring success, I think it was comedy. Went great. got gold easily. Then, I have this other character who i am doing a sort of archaeology thing with so i figured, why not take advantage of that random Selvadorian Culture class at the comedy club before i head off on vacation? Well. first, I had to reset him as he was performing because if i tried asking for a class as he was at the microphone, the action would instantly cancel. I think asking for a class should cancel the current action if they are doing a longer action like performing a routine or song or something. Then there was another lecture up on the board, and I had to erase it myself before he would start lecturing. The class would start but he would just stand there for a bit before wandering off because the wrong board was up. Reloaded, (had saved just before in case of a problem) so i didn't lose the money on a failed class, erased the board myself, and tried again, this time he started lecturing. But then as soon as he was done the lecture, he was off, floated clear across the map to go harvest random plants (not even the ones in his garden, just... in the world) and then began fishing. He hates fishing, it is literally one of his dislikes. I called him over, but then as soon as he got close he started to wander way again so i called him over again and got him trapped in a conversation, so he would stay. 

 But like, way more trouble than it should have been to get him to stay in his own club, they should be locked to the lot, no exceptions, anything beyond the lot boundaries should not be able to grab their attention, especially if it is not a business activity. I gave Johnny a full slate of activities, from chatting with customers, to perfomring comedy, to cleaning, to lectures and classes, he had PLENTY to do within the club. The other employees did their jobs except the bartender (random townie) who never showed up for some reason, I had a look around the neighbourhood just now, in case she wandered off too, but can't find her, i will have to check to see if neighbourhod stories killed her off or something, but she was just, not there, at all. Bernard and Felix showed up and were doing great tho, and did stay put. Felix even did a charisma lecture (which uses the same board as Selvadorian Culture so he didn't have to erase) autonomously while Johnny was off wandering the neighbourhood. And the situation where multiple classes can be held at the same white board, the situation with the existing board preventing the lecture in the current class was frustrating, they should be able to autonomously erase and put up a new one at least.

edit - been spying on it some more (advantages of being a werewolf) and Felix did erase the board to start a dancing lecture, so I am not sure why Johnny would not do that. meanwhile Johnny comes and goes, but he is not doing any of his assigned business tasks. no comedy, no cleaning, no lectures. he mostly just watches Bernard playing the piano when he is in the club. It's like he's forgotten what his tasks are. He was doing them at the beginning but not since i did the class. 

edit 2, i switched back to Johnny and yes, my bartender had died. But hey that fits the theme, I'll just have to keep up strengthening her bond. so just clarifying, that was not a bug, she'd just been claimed by Neighborhood Stories. 

Went back the next day and things went a bit better, Johnny did teach the class, but  after Felix had erased a board last  time, i wanted to see if Johnny would too, and see if the first  time was just an anomaly, so did not erase the board myself. Once again, he would not erase the white board. I had to start things off with mentoring, then erased the board (why does that action take so long??) and he did eventually begin mentoring before the class ended..... then got abducted by aliens just as he had started lol. But he came back and did the lecture after the aliens brought him back, like a champ! I mean, the class was over by then, but hey, he tried. 

(and yes, my character is hysterical and believe me, I know that is risky, that's how Johnny died on me, while teaching a comedy class. there is a reason I save before classes with him. between his regular jokes, comedy lecture buff, and his  and Felix's potential to be radiating TWO  playful or happy auras simultaneously, he's a floating hysteria bomb. This comedy club is actually pretty dangerous lol.) But after the lecture he did wander off to fish again, then got tired,  and slept in a light, so i left. 

So once again, somewhere along the line he began ignoring his business tasks. All the rest of the employees stayed on lot, it was just him wandering off again. I am wondering now if it has something to do with having a regular job too. I have Johnny in the entertainer/comedy career because I was doing the Joke Star aspiration and wanted the build objects, like the mirror i have there, and I haven't had him quit yet. (saving up for a better club location, need 100k) He only works 3 days a week, so it was easy to juggle things. Employees have to be unemployed for you to hire them, i think? But businesses owners can have a regular job in addition to the business.  looking at the screenshots, i did not come on one of his work days on the first time when he would not stay put, but did come on his work day the second time. I might try having him quit, just to test. but the random alien abduction may have disrupted him too. So yeah, more testing later. Will try charisma this time.

Also, I can not get ghost patrons to show up. I know there was a problem with ghosts swarming all over business lots, but now i can't get them to show up at all, even if i target them as customers. Not everyone wants ghosts to stay off public lots, i want my comedy club to be spooky. Very few supernaturals in general, even tho i target them, Emlia (spellcaster) showed up tonight, but that was all, besides my own character which doesn't count really, even tho i have all supernaturals as preferred customers. 

the updated status reminded me to come update that I moved to a new lot, the Old Salt House in San Myshuno, I was worried he'd run off a lot, considering there is a fishing spot just out the back, not to mention the food stalls, performers, and basketball net out front. But it was.... fine.  He stayed  put. both when playing as him and when visiting it with other characters. he ran a class, did comedy, talked to people, everything he was supposed to do, and never left the building once. I started another business on the really big lot in Chestnut Ridge, a petting zoo, and it too seemed to be fine at least while playing it, I haven't tried visiting as a customer, same with the big lot in the upper corner of Newcrest, a bowling alley. But I made yet another on the empty lot in Moonwood Mill and that was the worst one yet. She kept running off to do the Volkov's dishes, or hang out by the Wildfang's bonfire. So it seems to affect some lots, and not others, oddly. So to recap: Johnny Zest's house, and Moonwood Mill empty lot have my sims running all over the map. Old Salt House, Newcrest,  and Chestnut Ridge empty lot seemed fine. give me a minute and i can go check the Newcrest and Chestnut Ridge businesses as a customer

ok. I did a tour of all my businesses and yes, it's as I outlined above. all seemed ok, except the Moonwood Mill lot, and I can no longer check the lot in Oasis Springs because he moved out. 

Bowling alley in Newcrest:

 He tended the counter as he should have. Occasionally left to chat, but never left the lot. He doesn't actually have much else to do here, they also sell candy in that display, but i put the makers in his wife's inventory so they don't make a ton of it autonomously outside of the business hours, so he had nothing to make candy on.

then we were off to the problem lot in Moonwood Mill. This one is a shop, and it is fairly new, on a rags to riches tun so i haven't added a ton to it, and she does not yet have a teaching area, so forgive the empty shelves, she sold out so... i do have a 'view collectibles' activity for when things sell out, but still. I do have activities for her, however, to be friendly, clean, etc.

So, I got there and she wasn't even on the lot when i zoned in, not talking just the store area, whe wasn't on the lot at all, not downstairs, not in her little upstairs apartment, not in the back yard tending to plants, just gone. 

I found her by the Moonwood Collective area, making food. (note  she is a werewolf and has the trait to only eat raw meat, so.... not great for her. she has some meat in her fridge, which she could have also gotten a quick meal from if she was hungry and the meat was gone) She seemed intent on staying there, watching sparring, eating, etc. so i called her back to the shop. she ran allllllll the way back, stayed for a couple minutes and then

she decided it was of vital importance to give Lou a packmate gift right at that minute, by the Wildfangs hangout. 

she came back and talked to  my character for a bit, but there is a caveat here: they are sisters, they have a maxed relationship already, so i am having doubts this was due to her business activities, considering she didn't talk to anyone else (besides Lou, who wasn't a customer, halfway across the map) she probably just wanted to chat with her sister.

Off to the petting zoo, and I had not intended to visit this as a customer, at least on this cycle of the character rotation, so the gates were locked and people could not get in to the back (tho, my characters were a spellcaster and a vampire so they teleported in) so the business wasn't really running right, but, even so, the owner stayed on lot. she stayed in the house with her kids rather than in the yard, but still, as far as the owner running all over the map, this seemed fine. 

 Then off to Johnny's club, now in the Spice District. Remember, i had problems with him running all over the place when he was still in Oasis Springs. 

He was initially upstairs watching TV when I zoned in but he quickly came downstairs

Bernard was Jazzing Up the Place, which always causes everyone to stop in their tracks for the duration, but as soon as he was done...

Johnny went to his mic, and began performing, like he's supposed to. 

he did leave the stage occasionally to chat, and to clean, but both are part of his task list. I kept waiting for him to wander off like he did at the old location, but he never did. He just got tired and went to bed. 

so I did still have the problem of a business owner running off, but only at one location. 

Just an update to this. While the new lot for the comedy club doesn't have Johnny running off lot, the problem with him doing customer activities is still there. But only after teaching a class. I keep going to this venue as a customer  because if i have a character that needs to level up charisma, this is bar none the fastest way to do that.... but only if you get Johnny to teach the class rather than Felix because he has the skill maxed (Felix is level 7, so not bad, but... not 10) and also the Super Mentor reward trait. So you go in there, and Johnny performs comedy while Felix does a lecture, it goes this way every time. And this would be totally fine, if i did not want Johnny *specifically* for a class so i could crank out an entire charisma level in a night. So I reset the board so Johnny can teach a lecture, and Felix goes off to do his other things. Johnny teaches the class as he is supposed to, does the lecture, and mentors when asked. the second the class completes though, he goes off the rails. he goes to watch the performances, he attends lectures (for comedy and charisma, which he has maxed)  he orders drinks, and eats way too much food. This is the one that made me know for sure he was doing customer activities, I added a new customer activity to eat food, because i had started selling candy as a side deal just cus (I may have been trying to get some customers hysterical with shocked candy for..... you know) so Johnny has some leftovers in his fridge, and tonight, he kept going to the fridge over and over and over again. as soon as he was done eating one plate, he'd head back to get another, and this only started after I added that customer activity to eat food. I'm just glad he's a ghost so can't gain weight. But before the class starts he's fine, doing comedy and stuff, just when a class completes that he goes haywire.

And I did further testing today. I went back and had Felix teach a class. and made sure to do no resetting of objects or sims, and tried to leave the employees as autonomous as possible aside from asking for mentoring and a little bit of chatting necessary to get the class to complete. I stayed there for 14 hours straight. Johnny performed comedy  almost non stop for 10 hours, took a little break now and then to chat and clean, then gave a couple lectures. Completely acceptable, and within his task list, he was perfect, aside from going to the wrong microphone (i get it is just that they go to whichever is closest, it's just that i have a stage for a reason). Felix taught the class, it went well, (tho i did get less skill gain...) and then when it ended.... 

He was at the fridge. 

He watched Johnny do standup (and got scolded by Layne and Xochitl for bullying when he jeered him, lol) 

ordered drinks at the bar. 

watched Bernard play piano. None of these are in his task list. They are in the customer task list. So this seems to be a separate bug, and I can make a new thread if needed, where once either the business owner or an employee finishes teaching a class, they begin doing customer tasks.