# Cannot leave NPCs to study?

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cannot-leave-npcs-to-study/25662>\
**Category:** The Garage\
**Created:** [January 9, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cannot-leave-npcs-to-study/25662 "2021-01-09T14:46:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ThinkSome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@ThinkSome](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/ThinkSome)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cannot-leave-npcs-to-study/25662/1 "2021-01-09T14:46:28Z")

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I want to order NPCs to study while I go on a trip with a tiny vehicle. After I set them to study from a book I gave them earlier and move ~40 tiles away from them, they all finish their task immidiately.

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**Author:** ![Junknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@Junknown](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Junknown)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 3:47pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cannot-leave-npcs-to-study/25662/2 "2021-01-09T15:47:26Z")

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NPCs can’t actively do anything outside the reality bubble, so they can only read books when you are nearby. Either have them study while you are resting at your base, or make a bigger vehicle with room for the NPCs, they will study in the car while you go raiding as long as you don’t go too far away or change z-levels.

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**Author:** ![ThinkSome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@ThinkSome](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/ThinkSome)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cannot-leave-npcs-to-study/25662/3 "2021-01-09T15:56:13Z")

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Can’t they “catch up” when they reenter the reality bubble, such as solar car chargers seem to do?

EDIT: by ‘solar car chargers’ I mean the recharging of storage batteries via panels.

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**Author:** ![GiggleGrassGatherer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/gigglegrassgatherer/32/7743_2.png) [@GiggleGrassGatherer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/GiggleGrassGatherer)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2021, 3:47am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cannot-leave-npcs-to-study/25662/4 "2021-01-10T03:47:37Z")

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> [@Junknown](#):
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> NPCs can’t actively do anything outside the reality bubble

Technically right, but effectively wrong. They can do it, just retroactively (when they return to RB, game calculates what their activity progress should’ve been and applies it).  
NPCs stopping their reading when they leave RB is a bug which had been fixed [two days ago](https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/pull/46615) - or, in other words, in build 11351.

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**Author:** ![ThinkSome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@ThinkSome](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/ThinkSome)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2021, 5:13am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cannot-leave-npcs-to-study/25662/5 "2021-01-10T05:13:16Z")

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Excellent, I will update right away!

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**Author:** ![Junknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@Junknown](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Junknown)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2021, 6:56am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/cannot-leave-npcs-to-study/25662/6 "2021-01-10T06:56:56Z")

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> [@GiggleGrassGatherer](#):
>
> NPCs stopping their reading when they leave RB is a bug which had been fixed [two days ago](https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/pull/46615) - or, in other words, in build 11351.

I’m glad that this got changed. I used to have a large multi z-level base and it was a nightmare to manage NPC reading sessions.