Strangers in your conversation

Why has this not been addressed YEARS ago? This is one of the primary reasons I mostly build and rarely play. Trying to do anything in public with another sim is an exercise in constantly starting from scratch as strangers will butt into every attempt at conversation--and those stranger sims always get priority in queue for some reason, often causing other intentional activities to be tossed out of queue. And the great big heap of salt on the wound of pushy strangers is no matter how long a conversation they have insinuated themselves into goes on, my played sim/sims will get no relationship points with them because they were never formally introduced. Attempt to stop the conversation and force introductions? Always fails yet the conversations will continue with the introduction actions being kicked from queue while the conversations will go on and on unless I remove my sims. I never have sims propose in public venues because EVERY time I have tried in the past, some unplayed sim has injected themself into the moment and their desire to be rude, obnoxious Karens always overrides any intentional actions I instigate. As an introvert, one of the most enlightening moments of my life was when a friend told me I was allowed to tell pushy strangers who would not stop talking to me to eff off rather than stay locked away in my home all the time and I would like my sims to experience the same enlightenment. 

This has been happening to me a lot lately and it's especially bad in Gibbi Point (Crystal Valley). I recently moved a family there, and they cannot stand out in front of their house without strangers from yards away queuing up to enter their conversation. It often causes them to just freeze up until the stranger arrives to interject themselves into the conversation 😫

Ugh, I always hated this with a passion. And that strangers lock your Sim in conversation as soon as they spawn, and you can't get your Sim to do anything until the stanger gets their way. Even the most peaceful person will think of murder when this stuff happens, lol.

This also clogs the friends list/relationship panel terribly, and even when I hide relationship, they somehow respawn/reappear (either re-opening the game or returning from traveling or something). I am constantly re-hiding relationships.

I've reported issues with this in the past (on Xbox Series X with all content installed) but it's worse with every new pack and particularly after installing Adventure Awaits. It's incredibly disruptive now because my Sims stop doing everything because a stranger is instigating a conversation with them. My Sim will actually autonomously (with autonomy off) run across the neighbourhood to speak to them and I can't stop them. It's also really disruptive while my Sim is dumpster diving. It stops them carrying out their task and I keep cancelling the autonomous discussion but more Sims arrive.

Just this weekend I was doing the FF event and some random lady interrupted my child Sim while they were viewing the magic tree. 

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you’re a grown **bleep** adult and a STRANGER DANGER in Sim form.”

Yeah I hated this so much I got a mod that lets you right click their icon in the conversation panel removing them instantly. It's very frustrating and quite annoying. I don't want townies coming up to my sims 100% of the time. This should be tuned down WAYYYY more.

I have been using this mod (https://www.curseforge.com/sims4/mods/less-intrusive-sims) for basically all the time I've been playing, and whenever I do a mod free test, I realise what a game changer it is and how frustrating any community lot is in an unmodded game. It is apparently possible to reduce this npc stranger terror to a reasonable, realistic level (this mod does it quite fine). 

Suggestions for filters to add to the game to make the madness stop:

Situation filters. Is this a date? Strangers stay away. Is this another event, like a party? Keep autonomous interactions between invited guests mostly. Random McStranger has not been invited to my wedding, go away.

Venue filters. More talking is normal at nightclubs, but weird at the library. 

Distance filters. Sims must be in each other's line of sight for a conversation to be able to happen. Eight square tiles or something. No running across the neighbourhood, you can't even see each other.

Relationship level filters. Make family/friends/romantic partners more likely to interact than strangers. If you see a friend or your sibling at the park, you'll come over to say hi. You don't run over to say hi to some guy you've never met. Tune conversation between any sims who aren't friends way down. That way, the player can actively choose to befriend another sim, and then meet their friends in public.

Absolutely no flirting autonomy unless sims are in a relationship, have specific traits like lovebug, or the lot is running a singles event or has the romantic aura lot trait or something. I am running several mods just to keep random sims from constantly hitting on my sims and causing jealousy. That's so annoying. 

I think this is also interfering with goaled events. It's really hard to complete social tasks on dates or at parties when people you did not invite are joining the conversation and making something that should be a quick social interaction some we become ours long. 

I just tried to play two dinner parties in a row and could not get to gold because they would not complete the most simple tasks like tell a joke.