bug - infinite items respawning

[object_of_obsession]

I just noticed every time I load up the game I have a few boxes on the ground and the restockers pick them up and put them back on the shelves (only like 2-3 items), but it adds to the stock each time, so it's like im getting the items for free. If this happens every time I load in, I'm going to run out of rack space. Anyone else experience this? (no mods, just base game)

[Knottypine]

Yep, sure have. It's fairly random per player that experiences it. At one point I was getting Black Tea and Ketchup. Then only empty boxes. Then Mayo started spawning. It's a weird one. They seem to spawn on the racks in storage, if you're quick enough you can see the out-of-place box before your restocker picks it up. Odd bug.

Be aware, people may blame mods for this, even though you've claimed to not be using mods. I can confirm that this glitch began with one of the updates before I installed any mods.

*Also, throwing out the boxes doesn't seem to fix it. If you're getting free stuff, try saving and loading your game a few times and you might have to try and sell the 'free' product in your store. Also try saving, exiting the game completely, then starting again and loading your latest save, rinse and repeat. At some point they may stop spawning. The last time I loaded up the game and loaded my save, NO new boxes spawned. I still have stock of mayo to get rid of. But I'm sure that on the next load, or a load down the road it will start the spawning again.

[Bunky]

Haven't experienced this with stock (that I'm aware of), but a long running bug has always caused objects to duplicate on reload. It's usually tied to the object being in use, while simultaneously being boxed up. When you reload, you still have the object boxed up, but now there's also a duplicate actively in use.

There has been bug fixes for this, but it pops up from time-to-time in various forms. Whether it's shelves, checkouts, or even lights -- it seems that if you exit the game, midway through an action, you could end up with some freebies.

[object_of_obsession]

I've tried reloading and saving quite a few times, but it hasn't disappeared yet. I've been buying 90% of my stock from the local markets and sometimes the car bugs out and the restockers can't grab an item off the truck, so I'm wondering if the items duplicating are apart of that. Some I can see some floating around or on the ground and other boxes just appear in the restockers hands.

I always let my restockers finish what they're restocking at the end of the day before I fully finish the day, and sometimes start stocking up from local markets at night, but usually I wait until the next morning to start restocking from local markets.

[ImHelping]

I seem to be getting this now. This bug started up when I finally got a truck and started using it to do wholesale shopping faster with it (and realized the game keeps resetting their 'take from truck' settings constantly when I turn it off).

When I try to grab it to throw in the trash first before the staff grab it off the ground, it has no label on the box. Right now it hitting small x4 eggs, medium x4 eggs, and if the trend continues, I THINK large x12 eggs? (box is the right size, but no sticker and opening the lid is 'empty'.

now it is overstuffing racks. I might just give up on the game if "reload a backed up save from before I bought the truck" is the only way to stop this.

No more small eggs box on the ground on load after I beat them to it to throw in the trash, but they just walk to the racks and spawn new ones by magic... welp.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3473379612

EDIT: just pulled the overstuffed box out of the x8eggs shelf. It was milk. they are not even obeying how shelf space has been set up for ages.... The second overstuffed box was the dry shelf milk of a different type. uuugh.

edit 2: Experimenting with clearing out some shelves, erasing stickers. Load save... they are now grabbing mystery boxes from the floor and shelves to throw in the trash... but trying to intercept them now breaks their AI.

... And I just realized it is also cloning the Parmesan cheese, leading to more shenanigans and broken stocker AI.

I'm up to ten quit/loads and things are getting worse instead of better.

Edit 3: turning off all worker AI between loads does not stop dupe boxes. (but it is now "boxes they want to throw out" that spawn on the floor, on a rack in an odd position, and one under a rack).

Nuclear option. Fired all my restockers. Mystery boxes keep spawning. Screw this.

Originally posted by object_of_obsession:

I've tried reloading and saving quite a few times, but it hasn't disappeared yet. I've been buying 90% of my stock from the local markets and sometimes the car bugs out and the restockers can't grab an item off the truck, so I'm wondering if the items duplicating are apart of that. Some I can see some floating around or on the ground and other boxes just appear in the restockers hands.

I always let my restockers finish what they're restocking at the end of the day before I fully finish the day, and sometimes start stocking up from local markets at night, but usually I wait until the next morning to start restocking from local markets.

Stockers bugging out at the truck was why I wanted to turn off 'restock from truck' in the first place. Guess the game is throwing a tantrum about that considering it keeps resetting that setting, and all my observed infinite products now are all stuff I only grab from wholesale (I only grab from the meat/dairy store and cleaning store).

But I from the sound of things, others are getting this bug with no truck involvement too.

[Bunky]

I think you guys might have hit the nail on the head. I don't wait around for my restockers, I just place my orders and keep the store ticking. I also have never had the problems you guys have described, so interrupting regular stock work doesn't seem to be an issue.

Another thing I don't do, is buy from the local markets. I suspect (based on what you've described) unloading your vehicle needs to go uninterrupted -- at least, currently. Try ensuring all your stock is in or in-front of the store before exiting the game, in future. I would also not mess with the job itself -- lots of people have reported similar problems, working the scales and breaking their helpers.

Finally, however, have I misread something or are you guys getting free stock? If that's the case, just take the money and run too.

[ImHelping]

Originally posted by Bunky:

I think you guys might have hit the nail on the head. I don't wait around for my restockers, I just place my orders and keep the store ticking. I also have never had the problems you guys have described, so interrupting regular stock work doesn't seem to be an issue.

Another thing I don't do, is buy from the local markets. I suspect (based on what you've described) unloading your vehicle needs to go uninterrupted -- at least, currently. Try ensuring all your stock is in or in-front of the store before exiting the game, in future. I would also not mess with the job itself -- lots of people have reported similar problems, working the scales and breaking their helpers.

Finally, however, have I misread something or are you guys getting free stock? If that's the case, just take the money and run too.

It flip flops, sometimes they are taking it away to throw out as the best case scenario. But otherwise now it seems to it start overflowing onto the wrong shelves in odd positions blocking putting the products you WANT there. So it starts blocking other products. and clearing out a shelf to remove the sticker then reset the shelf does not help.

bugs are bugs. Don't mistake "but you got a free thing!" for a good thing.

This is what I get for deciding "You know what, I probably can stop making backup saves" several shop upgrades ago.

[Bunky]

Closet thing I've had to this, I can actually link back to my security guard. If I hit a shoplifter that has been tagged, I can guarantee that my guard is still gonna hit them too. This causes the stolen stock to do a number of funky things. I've picked it up with my crate, only to have it disappear in a moment -- seemingly into the crate of the guard. I've also been denied the ability to pick up the stolen stock (it does not respond to the mouse click) and then had to watch it slide along the ground, magnetised to the feet of one of my restockers.

However, following the restockers with the product stuck to their shoes shows that this stock flies into the appropriate box in storage, as if it was actually being carried by hand the whole time. What you're describing might just be a visual bug, that sorts itself, in time. So long as your restockers are correctly set to do what you want/need them to do.

I'm not denying the bug is a bug, but at least you're compensated. Hopefully it's something that will boost your game, rather than drive you away from it.

[ImHelping]

Originally posted by Bunky:

Closet thing I've had to this, I can actually link back to my security guard. If I hit a shoplifter that has been tagged, I can guarantee that my guard is still gonna hit them too. This causes the stolen stock to do a number of funky things. I've picked it up with my crate, only to have it disappear in a moment -- seemingly into the crate of the guard. I've also been denied the ability to pick up the stolen stock (it does not respond to the mouse click) and then had to watch it slide along the ground, magnetised to the feet of one of my restockers.

However, following the restockers with the product stuck to their shoes shows that this stock flies into the appropriate box in storage, as if it was actually being carried by hand the whole time. What you're describing might just be a visual bug, that sorts itself, in time. So long as your restockers are correctly set to do what you want/need them to do.

I'm not denying the bug is a bug, but at least you're compensated. Hopefully it's something that will boost your game, rather than drive you away from it.

Yeah. yeah expectation of bugs due to how fussy picking up lone dropped items alone can feel is why I did the shoplifter tutorial, then turned it off without ever looking back.

My security purchases are for principle of the matter. But I'm sure someone will declare that paying bills every day towards security is still "Casual" because I don't have a buggy just kind of inconvenient feature enabled too.

As for "It sorts itself out!" a dimly remember a few times it did for one thing. But I gave up and restored a save after giving them twenty unopposed attempts in a row with a save-quit to menu-load, just kept making things worse.

[Bunky]

I think that you need to deal with all the duplicates (sell/bin) before saving and reloading, to prevent ongoing issues or duplicates of duplicates -- appreciate this may not always be easy to track. If you manage this and keep plugging on, the stock situation may stabilise itself eventually.

As for the shoplifting features, again, these work absolutely fine when one person is on the job. I encountered no initial problems when I used them myself, and very rarely see problems when left to the staff. It's only when I try to do a job I got a member of staff for, that hiccups occur.

I don't think any of these new additions are being fully tested for these overlaps/interactions before they're rolled-out, because they are really easy to trigger or reenact.

[object_of_obsession]

Okay so I just loaded up my last save with this new update. I clearly see the problem is with the truck. I just went to the local market and bought one item, and when I put it in the truck, all of the items I've been getting duplicates of have spawned in the truck. So at some point, some of these items got bugged on the truck, and every time I loaded in, the restockers thought there was product left in the truck and it spawned randomly inside my storage room.

From the local store, I took each box that has been duplicating from the truck and walked it back to the store to throw out in the trash can. Saved the game, and when I reloaded, the duplicates are now gone and aren't respawning (hopefully it stays this way!) As much as it was nice getting free items, it also was making my store rack space bug out, and I'm glad that didn't cause any further issues.

I also don't have theft/security guards enabled because that was so buggy last time that I couldn't be bothered. I just have restockers, helpers and cleaners. (no cashiers, all self-checkout)

[Bunky]

Good to hear. Well spotted.