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Passersby Module Guide
Optional behaviour add-on for The Sims 4
User guide for the Passersby system (including the NPC gathering feature).
This add-on requires Better Control and does not replace the main mod.
Better Control — Passersby lets you adjust the activity of NPCs in the neighbourhood's Open Streets, use walkby profiles from other neighbourhoods, and optionally ask existing NPCs to gather at a point you choose. The system builds on EA/Maxis walkby schedules, Situations, spawning rules, and routing rather than teleporting crowds into place.
Important: The filename uses Passersby, but the current English in-game menu is labelled “Better Control — Walkbys”; the French menu is “Better Control — Passants”. These names refer to the same add-on.
- Installation
- Opening the in-game menu
- Understanding the three modes
- Density, population cap, and EA's NPC limit
- Quick-start configurations
- Gathering NPCs at a chosen location
- Console commands
- Diagnostics and interpreting the numbers
- Troubleshooting
- Safety, compatibility, and removal
Required files:
Mods/
├── BetterControl.package
├── BetterControl.ts4script
├── BetterControl_Behaviour_Passersby.package
└── BetterControl_Behaviour_Passersby.ts4script
- Install a compatible version of the main Better Control mod first.
- Place both Passersby files in the Sims 4
Modsfolder, either directly or in a single subfolder. Do not extract the.ts4scriptarchive. - In Game Options → Other, enable custom content/mods and script mods, if they are not already enabled.
- Restart the game completely. For a clean update, you may delete
localthumbcache.packagefrom the The Sims 4 user-data folder while the game is closed.
The add-on is optional. Without its two files, the main Better Control mod is designed to keep working, while Passersby menus and commands are unavailable.
In Live Mode, click a lamp or other lighting object on the active lot. Look for Better Control — Walkbys. The controls do not switch the lamp on or off or make your Sim walk over to it.
The menu contains:
| Submenu | What it offers |
|---|---|
| Mode 1 — EA schedule | Switch to mode 1. |
| Mode 2 — Random neighborhoods | Switch to mode 2. |
| Mode 3 — Forced crowds | Switch to mode 3. |
| Density | ×1, ×2, ×3, ×5, ×8, or ×10 (subject to mode restrictions). |
| Cap and EA limit | Targets of 25, 35, 50, 70, or 90 Sims; raise or restore EA's NPC cap. |
| Tools and diagnostics | Request a cycle, log diagnostics, enable NPC gathering, or disable NPC gathering. |
There are 20 lamp actions altogether. When gathering is enabled, one further action is available by clicking the ground: “BC Walkbys: Gather NPCs here.”
Some options may be disabled depending on the active mode or their current state. For example, raising EA's cap is reserved for modes 2 and 3.
This is the default and most conservative mode. The original EA neighbourhood walkby profile and scheduled activities remain in charge. Density can be adjusted between ×1 and ×3, but the add-on applies only a small, temporary bonus to eligible EA schedule slots; it cannot create a crowd where the schedule has no activity. The default multiplier is ×1.
Choosing mode 1 also restores the original walkby profile and any EA NPC cap override applied by Better Control, resets density to ×1, and resets the Better Control target to 25. Existing NPCs and Situations do not necessarily disappear immediately.
Best for: Normal gameplay, checking compatibility, or returning to EA-like conditions.
This mode draws walkby profiles from other neighbourhoods, excluding the current one. It keeps EA's scheduled calendar and uses normal EA ambient evaluations to request walkby Situations with a density factor of ×1 to ×10.
Mode 2 is not a forced-spawn mode. If EA's chosen profile or time slot calls for no pedestrians, the game may remain quiet even at ×10. The actual variety and number of available profiles depend on the current world and installed game content.
Best for: More variety in the people appearing nearby without deliberately forcing waves of NPCs.
Mode 3 uses the same random-neighbourhood system as mode 2, plus additional requests for suitable EA walkby Situations. It starts with an immediate cycle and then attempts further cycles approximately every 10 Sim minutes.
The number of new Situation requests per cycle depends on density:
| Density | Maximum new Situations per cycle |
|---|---|
| ×1 | 1 |
| ×2 | 2 |
| ×3 | 3 |
| ×5 | 5 |
| ×8 or ×10 | 6 |
These are request limits, not guaranteed Sim arrivals. EA may delay or reject recruitment; the system also pauses requests when its queue is too full or its safe population target is approached. It uses EA's eligibility checks and remains subject to routing and population constraints. Internal per-zone safety limits also restrict excessive creation attempts.
Best for: Busy public spaces, crowd experiments, and screenshots.
These are three different settings:
| Setting | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mode | Determines whether to follow the EA schedule, use profiles from other neighbourhoods, or add forced Situation requests. |
| Density (×1–×10) | Controls the strength of demand, not a fixed number of visible Sims. Mode 1 supports only ×1–×3. |
| Better Control cap (25/35/50/70/90) | A soft target for the total number of instantiated Sims considered when submitting new Better Control requests. It includes EA-created Sims; it is not a hard engine limit and does not despawn Sims. |
| Raise EA NPC cap | Separately asks the EA Sim Spawner to raise its global soft NPC limit. Disabled by default and available only in modes 2 and 3. |
Crucial: Choosing Cap 90 does not automatically raise EA's NPC spawning limit. To permit a substantially larger population, select mode 2 or 3, set the Better Control cap, then explicitly choose “Raise EA NPC cap (all NPCs).” This affects the global NPC soft cap, not just pedestrians.
The effective NPC cap can be lower than the requested override because EA applies its own adjustments. For example, in one test with a four-Sim household, an override of 90 produced an effective NPC limit of 86. That is an observed example, not a universal guarantee.
Raising the NPC limit can increase CPU load, routing congestion, and simulation lag. It does not guarantee that the target population will appear immediately—or that all instantiated Sims will be visible on the street.
Use the lamp menu to select Mode 1 — EA schedule, or enter:
better_control.passants.mode 1
better_control.passants.densite.etat
Mode 1 resets the multiplier to ×1 and restores Better Control's EA NPC cap override.
better_control.passants.mode 2
better_control.passants.densite 2
better_control.passants.plafond 35
better_control.passants.limite_ea 1
better_control.passants.densite.etat
EA still determines when ambient walkbys are appropriate; this setting is not guaranteed to fill the street.
better_control.passants.mode 3
better_control.passants.densite 3
better_control.passants.plafond 35
better_control.passants.limite_ea 1
better_control.passants.population
Let the game run for a while and observe both the population and performance before increasing density or the cap.
better_control.passants.mode 3
better_control.passants.densite 10
better_control.passants.plafond 90
better_control.passants.limite_ea 1
better_control.passants.population
Not recommended as a default gameplay preset. Even ×10 creates at most six new Situation requests per cycle; a cap of 90 is an upper target, not an instant-spawn command.
NPC gathering is a separate opt-in feature. It does not need a particular population mode.
- In Live Mode, click a lamp on the active lot.
- Open Better Control — Walkbys → Tools and diagnostics → Enable NPC gathering.
- Click a reasonably open, reachable patch of ground.
- Select “BC Walkbys: Gather NPCs here.”
- Watch nearby NPCs attempt to move toward positions distributed around your chosen point.
- When finished, use Tools and diagnostics → Disable NPC gathering.
What gathering does: It sends EA Go Here interactions to already instantiated, eligible NPCs. It does not spawn new Sims or teleport anyone. It excludes active-household Sims and Sims currently made selectable/controlled through Better Control, along with other ineligible Sims. The intended maximum is 90 NPCs per order.
What it does not guarantee: An accepted queue request is not proof of successful arrival. A Sim might be busy, unable to route, or blocked by the terrain. Gathering a large group into a narrow location, or issuing repeated commands before the previous group moves, may increase refusals.
Gathering is off by default and is reset when the active zone changes. Its on/off state is not a permanent save-game setting.
Open the cheat console with Ctrl + Shift + C on PC, then enter any of the following. These commands are also useful when testing without a lamp:
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
better_control.passants.mode 1 |
EA schedule; restore Better Control's native settings. |
better_control.passants.mode 2 |
Random profiles, normal EA ambient evaluations. |
better_control.passants.mode 3 |
Random profiles and forced Situation cycles. |
better_control.passants.densite 3 |
Set density. Allowed range: 1–3 in mode 1, 1–10 in modes 2–3. |
better_control.passants.plafond 35 |
Set the soft Better Control population target (10–90; modes 2–3). |
better_control.passants.limite_ea 1 |
Opt in to raising EA's global NPC soft cap (modes 2–3). |
better_control.passants.limite_ea 0 |
Restore the previous EA cap override managed by Better Control. |
better_control.passants.profils |
List available foreign walkby profiles. |
better_control.passants.densite.etat |
Print detailed current settings and Situation counters. |
better_control.passants.densite.rafraichir |
Request an extra evaluation/cycle; maximum three manual refreshes per zone. |
better_control.passants.population |
Write a non-invasive population and EA Bouncer audit. |
better_control.passants.rassemblement.etat |
Report gathering activation, eligible NPCs, EA Go Here availability, latest order results, and ground-interaction injection. |
The gathering enable/disable actions are provided in the lamp menu; the command above is diagnostic only.
Use these two commands after changing settings:
better_control.passants.densite.etat
better_control.passants.population
The Debug version of Better Control provides additional diagnostic information to help investigate gameplay issues, NPC behaviour, population management and potential mod conflicts.
This version generates a dedicated log file in your The Sims 4 user-data folder:
Mods/better_control.log
Please note: The Debug version is available exclusively here. The standard release does not generate this diagnostic log.
The “Log current diagnostics” action, accessible through the lamp menu, writes the current Passersby settings to this log. The better_control.passants.population console command provides a more detailed population and EA Bouncer audit.
When reporting an issue, you may be asked to install the Debug version and provide the relevant log entries.
| Log field | How to interpret it |
|---|---|
Sims instancies |
Instantiated Sims on the active zone, not just pedestrians. |
hors lot actif |
Instantiated Sims outside the active lot; not proof they are visible on a street. |
plafond NPC effectif |
EA's current effective NPC soft limit. |
override None / override 90 |
No active override / requested override. |
hausse BC active |
Better Control currently has its EA cap increase enabled. |
SPAWN_REQUESTED |
Relevant forced Situation requests waiting for a spawn. |
FULFILLED |
Relevant requests satisfied by the Bouncer; this is not the total population or a lifetime cumulative counter. |
Situations ... sans Sim |
Active Situations without an assigned Sim at the moment of the audit. |
demandes acceptees / refusees |
Gathering commands accepted/rejected, not arrivals confirmed. |
BASE="$HOME/.steam/debian-installation/steamapps/compatdata/1222670/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/Documents/Electronic Arts"
LOG=$(find "$BASE" -type f -path '*/Mods/better_control.log' -printf '%T@ %p\n' | sort -nr | head -n 1 | cut -d' ' -f2-)
if [ -f "$LOG" ]; then
echo "$LOG"
tail -n 50 -F "$LOG"
else
echo 'Better Control log not found.'
fiThe find approach handles variations in the The Sims 4 directory name, including non-breaking spaces. For other operating systems, locate the game's user-data Mods folder and open better_control.log there.
| Problem | Check / solution |
|---|---|
| Passersby menu is missing | Confirm that the main mod and both add-on files are installed, script mods are enabled, the game has restarted, and you are clicking a lighting object on the active lot. |
| Buttons or submenu labels are blank | The add-on .package must include the translated menu strings. Replace an incomplete or outdated package with the matching version; remove duplicates and clear localthumbcache.package. |
| Cap 90 was selected but there are still ~16 NPCs | Check limite_ea 1 and the log fields override and plafond NPC effectif. Setting the Better Control target alone does not change EA's cap. |
| Mode 2 is still quiet | Mode 2 respects EA's normal ambient evaluations and can remain empty during low-activity time slots. This is expected; try mode 3 if you explicitly want more activity. |
| Mode 3 creates Situations but not Sims immediately | EA's Bouncer may still be recruiting. Look at SPAWN_REQUESTED, FULFILLED, the effective NPC cap, and the pending-request limit. |
| “Gather NPCs here” is missing | Enable gathering from a lamp first, then click the ground. Check better_control.passants.rassemblement.etat. |
| Some NPCs refuse to gather | Use a more spacious, reachable location, allow earlier movement orders to complete, and reduce crowd size. Rejected requests do not necessarily mean a mod error. |
| An early “terrain tuning not loaded” log message appears | The manager can be unavailable during early startup. Check whether the interaction is subsequently injected and usable; if not, check the package and report the full log. |
| Performance becomes poor | Reduce density and cap, disable the EA cap increase if appropriate, and return to mode 1. |
If you report an issue, include the Better Control and Passersby versions, the current game version, the active mode/density/cap, the result of the population audit, relevant better_control.log lines, and any new lastException.txt file generated during the same session.
- Optional, not standalone: Passersby requires the main Better Control mod.
- EA systems still apply: Spawning, Situation eligibility, routing, schedules, and Sim availability can affect results.
- Soft targets are not exact counts: Higher values request more activity; they do not guarantee a crowd of exactly 35, 50, or 90 Sims.
- Global cap changes are opt-in: Raising EA's NPC soft cap can affect other NPC activity and may conflict with other mods that change the same cap or ambient walkby systems.
- Settings are session/zone scoped: The add-on defaults to mode 1, density ×1, target 25, and no Better Control EA cap increase when a new zone is initialized. Gathering also resets when changing zones.
- Clean removal: In-game, select mode 1 and disable gathering; then close the game completely and remove both Passersby files. Keep the main Better Control files installed if you still want its core features.
Tip: For everyday play, begin with mode 2 ×2 or mode 3 ×2–×3 and a cap of 35. Increase the values gradually while watching actual population and simulation performance.