# Giving NPC sth to work
**URL:** https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708
**Category:** The Bunker
**Created:** [October 18, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708 "2019-10-18T17:12:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@FunkleBlaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunkleBlaze)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/1 "2019-10-18T17:12:06Z")
How to do this? I know that you must design area and tell them to do sth, but NPC is not doing anything. After few seconds (turns) I get information like “Priscila Doss completed the assigned task”.
---
### Author:  [@dpwb](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/dpwb)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 6:14pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/2 "2019-10-18T18:14:35Z")
There is poor feedback given at the moment as to why the task isnt happening, I plan on adding some more feedback to the camp bulletin board, so I wont have to fill the message log up with NPC activity spam.
a few common reasons -
1. Depending on the activity, there needs to be enough light, so the task wont be posssible at night-time.
2. depending on the activity, the NPC needs certain skills, to take apart a vehicle, they need to have the required mechanics skill for each part.
3. depending on the activity, the NPC needs certain tools/components nearby, and thse things need to be ina loot zone for the NPC to know where to fetch them from.
So what is the activity you want them to do?
---
### Author:  [@FunkleBlaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunkleBlaze)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 6:19pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/3 "2019-10-18T18:19:05Z")
Chopping trees. I tried to leave axe in ‘chopping tree area’ and give it to NPC.
---
### Author:  [@dpwb](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/dpwb)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/4 "2019-10-18T18:26:27Z")
Ah ok.
Make a loot:tool zone nearby, put the axe in that zone, or give the wood axe to the NPC directly, then put the chopping tree zone over the trees you want chopped.
---
### Author:  [@FunkleBlaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunkleBlaze)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 6:31pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/5 "2019-10-18T18:31:17Z")
Ok… that was weird… I gave NPC axe before and she didn’t chop any trees, but when I made zone for tools (and put there axe) she went to work (but she didn’t take another axe from this zone, she finally used axe from inventory).
---
### Author:  [@dpwb](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/dpwb)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/6 "2019-10-18T18:32:29Z")
Hmm tht is odd, ill look into that, they will use an axe from their inventory, but its possible in the code that they dont check if they have one first before they even start the task to fetch what is needed.
---
### Author:  [@FunkleBlaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunkleBlaze)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 6:34pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/7 "2019-10-18T18:34:50Z")
Ah, ok. There is need to design ‘tool zone’, NPCs don’t need to take tools from this zone, but it must be set somewhere.
Edit: NPCs have a problem with ‘taking tools from tool zone’. I must give tool to them cause they don’t want to take it.
---
### Author:  [@dpwb](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/dpwb)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/8 "2019-10-18T18:41:22Z")
Apparently yes, thats not intended so Ill look into fixing that.
---
### Author:  [@dpwb](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/dpwb)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/9 "2019-10-18T18:41:48Z")
Do they have enough storage space? i.e do they have a backpack?
---
### Author:  [@FunkleBlaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunkleBlaze)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/10 "2019-10-18T18:45:24Z")
Yes, I gave them backpacks.
---
### Author:  [@dpwb](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/dpwb)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 6:53pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/11 "2019-10-18T18:53:06Z")
Are you running a version of the game that was updated today? there were some changes to that area of the code today.
---
### Author:  [@FunkleBlaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunkleBlaze)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 7:04pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/12 "2019-10-18T19:04:06Z")
Ah, that might be a reason xD No, I am playing at build 9774 (from 2 days ago) cause newest version is a little buggy (errors in loading save - new building? and can’t search in crafting menu).
---
### Author:  [@dpwb](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/dpwb)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 7:05pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/13 "2019-10-18T19:05:37Z")
Ah ok, well its not the recent change thats causing it then… idk then
---
### Author:  [@FunkleBlaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunkleBlaze)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/14 "2019-10-18T19:12:49Z")
Also I have question about giving work to NPCs. Is it normal that if I quit game and load it then NPCs stop working and start following me?
---
### Author:  [@dpwb](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/dpwb)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/15 "2019-10-19T15:51:44Z")
That shouldn’t be happening. I’ll investigate that too.
---
### Author:  [@dpwb](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/dpwb)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/16 "2019-10-19T15:52:15Z")
It’d be useful if you could log issues on the github with these two things you’ve noticed.
> **[CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA](https://github.com/CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA/issues)**
>
> Cataclysm - Dark Days Ahead. A turn-based survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world. - CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA
---
### Author:  [@Trigon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Trigon)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2019, 6:30pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/17 "2019-10-19T18:30:36Z")
Related question. Do NPCs put tools back when they’re done?
---
### Author:  [@FunkleBlaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunkleBlaze)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/18 "2019-10-19T19:12:36Z")
They don’t put back tools back.
---
### Author:  [@FunkleBlaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunkleBlaze)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2019, 7:14pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/19 "2019-10-19T19:14:57Z")
My bad. I mess up a little. They take tools from ‘tool zone’. I gave them order to chop trees when they didn’t have backpacks and after gave them I also gave them axes without leaving them (axes) in zone.
---
### Author:  [@FunkleBlaze](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/FunkleBlaze)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2019, 7:30pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708/20 "2019-10-19T19:30:08Z")
>
>
> Describe the bug
> After job is done NPCs don't put back tools
> Steps To Reproduce
> Give NPC something to do which require tools (tree...
>
>
> Describe the bug
> When you give task to NPC, he will do it until you reload game (quit and load). After this...
[Next page](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/giving-npc-sth-to-work/21708.md?page=2)