NPC Service Sims Not Showing Up

[parcelona]

Hi everyone! This is my first post on this forum and I must say it's so refreshing to find a Sims based forum that is so free of noise and cuts to the chase so to speak.

I am hoping someone can help. I recently installed all expansion packs and most stuff packs and since beginning a new game have encountered a problem with NPC's - they do not show up. I did post in the official forum - I hope you don't mind me linking, saves a little time retyping - and I also came across this thread as one of many that are similar to my problem but the solutions did not work for me.

As stated, when this problem began it was a fresh install and patched up to date. As I'm on my third reinstall I'd really rather not go down that route unless I absolutely have to, since it proved unhelpful and extremely time consuming.
Just now I attempted testingcheatsenabled / mailbox - force NPC and still none showed, but obviously the game "thinks" they have shown up since when I tried to force a burglar the music played as though he was on the lot, but no one actually showed.

I'm currently playing Barnacle Bay world, if this makes any difference.

Does anyone have any advice? I had resigned myself to playing without them but it's such an annoyance.
Thank you in advance for any help!

[parcelona]

I am so pleased to say my second post here is to add I fixed it! Hurrah!

For those in future who may have a similar problem, I figured it out:

I am playing Barnacle Bay. There is an island off the coast that has no roads, yet can still have lots placed on it. I had placed a subway on a community lot there, so my sims could visit island parks etc. What I realised was that sims such as NPCs appeared to be spawning there but not using the subway to get back to the mainland (clearly NPC's aren't that bright )

As soon as I deleted all lots off of that island, all of my services suddenly began working! Emergency services showed up, and at last I have a butler. So far, all tested are working fine.

I hope this helps someone else along the way