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Paralives & Sims 4

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  • ButteredToastButteredToast Posts: 47 Member
    I also wonder about this (from their website):

    > Does the game support user created content?

    Yes! Players will be able to share their creations through Steam Workshop. Script mods are not planned at the moment.

    Script mods are what we simmers usually refer to as "mods" while CAS/BB items are "CC/custom content". Steam workshop is like the Sims Gallery with the exception that creators can charge real money for their contents.

    Here is EA stance on CC and mods:

    Good morning folks! So I've been alerted to this thread by the mods and wanted to provide some insight here on two points of discussion: CC/Mods locked behind a paywall and Patreon.

    CC/Mods Locked Behind Paywalls - Creators cannot lock content they make using our game behind a paywall. While we do not police this content (there is no way we would create a team simply to monitor this) we do take reports sent to us seriously and action accordingly.

    Patreon - We understand that folks who make CC / Mods for others to enjoy are doing it in their free time and may desire to offset costs to create the content by using this service. As long as the content is still made available FOR FREE we do not mind these types of pages. Folks who have a Patreon page are welcome to provide folks with "early access" incentives for their content but it should be made available to the general public within 2-3 weeks of it being given to folks early.

    I believe Steam Workshop does not have the same policy, so any content creator can officially charge money for their stuff and is not required to release them for free. It's neither right nor wrong...it's your money. I have donated to custom creators before. I just want to point out that this could be what would happen.

    In terms of script mods ... looking around the 'net, it seems that Paralives is built on Unity engine. Now I have done some programming in my life, but I don't consider myself a very good programmer and I'm definitely not a game dev/modder. The way I understand it is that Unity is not easily moddable unless the game dev has provided tools/framework/file structure etc for modding, which what the Sims franchise has always done (The Sims franchise is built, I believe, on custom engine with provision to allow mods and cc). Although I'm sure some genius coders out there could hack something together but...not easy.
  • AlpineCuriosityAlpineCuriosity Posts: 2,521 Member

    Maggie explained something important to me yesterday. Something I’ve been wondering for quite some time now (ever since TS4 was launched to be precise). And that question is: Why can’t I enjoy my sim-saves anymore?

    The answer was so simple! Maggie has integrity - something no sim knows anything about (most of them still somewhere in their terrible two’s it often seems unfortunately - and I’m not talking sims-toddlers here...)

    So thank you sweet Maggie, for making me dare to dream again of a life simulation-game actually worth my time and effort. A game with stunning attention to detail, amazing ambiance and the kind of creative freedom that this game gendre so desperately needs.

    ^^’ It’s been so long now - way too long... Since I could actually relate to a life simulation-game character once more - instead of just getting a slight headache whenever I try to get involved in the shallow, yet overconfident, gameplay of TS4...

    Time will tell if I’m reading in too much - But until then noone can stop me from dreaming up in-depth Paralives-stories, fascinating Parafolks and the most engaging Para-personalities/-traits/-relationships you could ever imagine... ^^

  • StrawberryYogurtStrawberryYogurt Posts: 2,799 Member
    Maggie has that perfect tumblr look lol
    The Sims has currently lost its identity. Bring it back for TS5

    FixedCoarseFawn-max-1mb.gif

    Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.
  • ApparentlyAwesomeApparentlyAwesome Posts: 1,523 Member
    I actually like it. I don't like cartoony but I appreciate it doesn't look all plastic like. To be honest, my expectations were low so seeing what Maggie actually looks like shocked me in a good way. They keep impressing me with everything they show us and being honest again, my eyes immediately went to customization details. Maggie's great looking and all, and I love how normal she comes across as but I tend to ignore premades in favor of creating my own characters and I was excited to get a glimpse at some of the options and I can't wait to learn more about them.

    Like the option to add outfits, what detail comes with that? Can we add and name outfits of are on choosing or are their categories we have to go by? Natural and unnatural hair styles with the plus symbol so does that mean we can add like a base hair color and a dyed hair color? Will the dye fade? Will the natural hair color be the one that can be passed down through genetics and not the dyed colors? It seems like they actually think about that type of depth which is something I've craved.

    I'm excited to learn more about Paralives and its nice to be excited to learn about a life stimulator game for the first time in a while. I've been seeing a whole lot of comments lately about not putting the the expectations we have of The Sims which is backed by EA on indie developers but what I think it is actually is people placing the ability of indie developers pulling off such depth and detail on The Sims which is backed by EA which should mean they should be able to do better yet here we are. I should expect more from EA and Maxis but I'm seeing more from an indie team of 4 and only 3 work on the game the other one is marketing.

    And my expectations for both are pretty low for different reasons. For Paralives it's low because they're new, I don't expect Sims level stuff that I'm used to but I'm open to whatever it is they can do because I wouldn't mind another life simulator game to play in addition to Sims 3 and Sims 2. My expectation are actually lower for The Sims team because the Paralives team gains a little bit of my trust more and more with each new thing they show us but mainly because The Sims has been so disappointing to me. Especially as they release more and more content but the core issues still remain.
    KqGXVAC.jpg
  • icmnfrshicmnfrsh Posts: 18,789 Member
    edited May 2020
    Yeah, I was wondering about the custom outfits. Do we define rules for when Parafolks change into that outfit? Because I think it's an interesting mechanic, since IRL I tend to keep two separate sets of clothes for home wear and going outside. (Of course, I have to go through some of my outside clothes even though I'm still sheltering in place :joy:)

    Since the Paraperson's out of the bag now, I guess we'll be getting more details over the next few weeks and months, which is very exciting! We've seen amazing work on build tools throughout the past few months, so I can't wait to see what happens with the Parafolks. :)
    Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II

    Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
  • TS1299TS1299 Posts: 1,604 Member
    I am still wandering how they are claiming that they already gave anything that they wanted in The Sims and Paralives is better. Let's be real here.
    They confirmed Cats and Dogs in the game and people are already over the moon about it. Yep there is, but how many breeds are there? How many traits and how would they affect the pets? How do those react to the world? Is there lifestages in those? Yet it is already better suppostedly because it was in the base game. Seasons apparently in the game but they still haven't shown how is it going to work, yet it is already "better". Where are the holidays, festivals, and the gameplay that surrounds them?

    I am a fan of indie games, but I am going to manage my expectations on this one. I know Indie games and hoping that this will start competition but I don't think this will blow the sims out like people are claiming. While SimCity was finished off by Cities Skylines, it was backed by a company( Paradox Interactive) but in this game its only patreon. Still Excited for the game tho.
  • popstarsleypopstarsley Posts: 1,086 Member
    edited May 2020
    Wooo hooo! Best money ever spent! I just became a $50/mo Paralives patron. I’m v excited 🥰🥰🥰

    My most favorite Sims game will always be SimTown, followed by TS1 and 2. Looking forward to seeing what a new town/individual sim will bring.
  • babajaynebabajayne Posts: 1,866 Member
    Did anyone see Sacrificial’s stream on this character reveal? It’s on youtube. It’s interesting to hear his perspective and he is hilarious.
  • AlpineCuriosityAlpineCuriosity Posts: 2,521 Member
    edited May 2020


    The Sims 4: ”Weirder Stories” (Not really my cup of tea...)

    Paralives: ”Stories that make perfect sense” (...or something similar is what I personally hope the Paralives-team will go for in the future as their catchphrase. ^^ )







  • icmnfrshicmnfrsh Posts: 18,789 Member
    babajayne wrote: »
    Did anyone see Sacrificial’s stream on this character reveal? It’s on youtube. It’s interesting to hear his perspective and he is hilarious.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufo-vjrEmPs

    He seems to like it too. And he refers to the new EP as "Trash Life". 🤔 And also I just noticed that he said Alex was adorable and that he wanted to kiss him. :D

    Plus the Paralives Patreon is very close to achieving just passed its 4th goal in just the past few days, so it looks like they have enough funding to hire 4 new people. I'm glad to see they'll be turning into a small indie in the near future :)
    Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II

    Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
  • Charlotta11Charlotta11 Posts: 399 Member
    But guys let's not get our hopes too high, so we can give paralives a fair chance. Would be horrible if everyone hyped this game too much and then get disappointed if there is not every single detail they want.
    11.3.2019_1.06.18.png
  • icmnfrshicmnfrsh Posts: 18,789 Member
    But guys let's not get our hopes too high, so we can give paralives a fair chance. Would be horrible if everyone hyped this game too much and then get disappointed if there is not every single detail they want.

    Honestly, I don't care if the initial release is small or basic. I just want something new and well-done. If they can deliver a solid foundation, the rest will follow
    Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II

    Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
  • Charlotta11Charlotta11 Posts: 399 Member
    icmnfrsh wrote: »
    But guys let's not get our hopes too high, so we can give paralives a fair chance. Would be horrible if everyone hyped this game too much and then get disappointed if there is not every single detail they want.

    Honestly, I don't care if the initial release is small or basic. I just want something new and well-done. If they can deliver a solid foundation, the rest will follow

    ^^Yup, same for me
    11.3.2019_1.06.18.png
  • texxx78texxx78 Posts: 5,657 Member
    But guys let's not get our hopes too high, so we can give paralives a fair chance. Would be horrible if everyone hyped this game too much and then get disappointed if there is not every single detail they want.

    Best comment! This whole comparison with the sims won't work in their favor... i'm always up to play with life simulation games, even text ones, i really love it. I think they're doing a very good job with paralives and i can look at it as another life simulation that i can play along with the sims... but when people present it as better and what the sims should be... it really puts me off. Like how come? We saw almost nothing of it. We didn't even saw how the characters will interact with the environment...There's so much content with the sims 4 now... even if paralives comes with seasons and pets in the base game it's way less than what i have already in sims 4... how will i give up on that...? It's hard to be marketed as The competition. I think it should be marketed as an alternative.
  • TrashmagicTrashmagic Posts: 977 Member
    People have already scaled their expectations being that there is very small team behind this game and are impressed accordingly. Many posts have stated their surprise that such a small team in comparison to The Sims much larger team can accomplish so much. I think many of us accept that it's not going to be on the same scale as The Sims but despite that, to us, it'll still be a great game that can hopefully - like the Sims had - grow into a much larger franchise.

    Speaking for myself here but I don't care if it doesn't have all the bells and whistles off the bat. Sims 4 has a lot of content but for someone who has issues with the core of that game - all that shiny content means nothing to them.

    I'm excited about Paralives because the core of the game looks amazing, especially because a small team is behind it. It gets me excited the way the previous games did because I enjoyed their core game play and what was added over time.

    Will Paralives replace Sims? For some maybe. For others it'll probably be another game in their collection. Another life simulation game which makes it even more special since we have few.

    More or less people are excited about what they've seen so far. And there's nothing wrong with that.
  • texxx78texxx78 Posts: 5,657 Member
    I hope im wrong and it will be better than sims 4. I trully do as i also see how there are core problems with it. But how come the core of Paralives looks better? For now we haven't saw anything related to the core of the game.
    I repeat: i hope it ends up being awesome. I'll be a costumer if so. But saying that it solves sims 4 problems with what we saw already it's not true...
  • KaeChan2089KaeChan2089 Posts: 4,944 Member
    telmarina wrote: »
    I hope im wrong and it will be better than sims 4. I trully do as i also see how there are core problems with it. But how come the core of Paralives looks better? For now we haven't saw anything related to the core of the game.
    I repeat: i hope it ends up being awesome. I'll be a costumer if so. But saying that it solves sims 4 problems with what we saw already it's not true...

    I hate to be that person...
    But could it possibly be better thanTS4 because the team working on Paralives...actually put love and care in this project?
    The sims USED to be like that...Look at the first three <3 All three amazing games in their own right...

    I'm sorry...
    But this team...
    DOES not put love and care in this game...
    Some try (like the guru in the livestream)...
    But mainly....TS4 is geared for the most cash possible, it is no longer made out of love and care...

    Sorry...not sorry.
  • texxx78texxx78 Posts: 5,657 Member
    telmarina wrote: »
    I hope im wrong and it will be better than sims 4. I trully do as i also see how there are core problems with it. But how come the core of Paralives looks better? For now we haven't saw anything related to the core of the game.
    I repeat: i hope it ends up being awesome. I'll be a costumer if so. But saying that it solves sims 4 problems with what we saw already it's not true...

    I hate to be that person...
    But could it possibly be better thanTS4 because the team working on Paralives...actually put love and care in this project?
    The sims USED to be like that...Look at the first three <3 All three amazing games in their own right...

    I'm sorry...
    But this team...
    DOES not put love and care in this game...
    Some try (like the guru in the livestream)...
    But mainly....TS4 is geared for the most cash possible, it is no longer made out of love and care...

    Sorry...not sorry.

    I get what you mean. And i hope they keep their hearts pure for a long long time... and i wish it works because i want more life simulations. But that's not enough. If we, players, are putting all this pressure into this passionate people to be better than a multimillionaire company... this is not good for them i think. I like to follow everything related to paralives. I like the people that are enthusiastic with it, but we really shouldn't sell it for what it isnt YET. When i first heard about paralives i got so excited! It was disapointing to see what was out... and not because it's not good, but because it was sold to me as a better version of sims 4 that would knock it out... i think if we want the better for this team we can help market the game with all the enthusiasm of the world but we should know how to manage expectations...
  • Charlotta11Charlotta11 Posts: 399 Member
    telmarina wrote: »
    I hope im wrong and it will be better than sims 4. I trully do as i also see how there are core problems with it. But how come the core of Paralives looks better? For now we haven't saw anything related to the core of the game.
    I repeat: i hope it ends up being awesome. I'll be a costumer if so. But saying that it solves sims 4 problems with what we saw already it's not true...

    I hate to be that person...
    But could it possibly be better thanTS4 because the team working on Paralives...actually put love and care in this project?
    The sims USED to be like that...Look at the first three <3 All three amazing games in their own right...

    I'm sorry...
    But this team...
    DOES not put love and care in this game...
    Some try (like the guru in the livestream)...
    But mainly....TS4 is geared for the most cash possible, it is no longer made out of love and care...

    Sorry...not sorry.

    I mean yeah. Honestly i think too that it could be better. But if we put our hopes way up it can backflash and then people could be let down. We have to remember that they are still a small team and indie game.
    I honestly loove paralives and how you can customize it. Imo sims 4 is way too restricted. I mean finally now we can place windows and doors the way we want like wow. When i saw it i was like no wayyy. It's the best update i have seeing and i hype that so much. Can't wait to build. But still we can't make our own apartments, worlds, etc and there is no color wheel or more customization. I mean it's 2020, Sims should be top simulation game out here but yet still it's so limited. Like really all this talk about creativity but still there is so much limits. Every pack is so limited, you can play most of features island living has in only in Sulani. No house boats, no swimming or boats out side of sulani (even tho some lakes in other worlds have some interactions and uni world has swimmable lakes) But like every expansion cost like 40e witch is same amound most games cost but yet it is still so limited.
    11.3.2019_1.06.18.png
  • icmnfrshicmnfrsh Posts: 18,789 Member
    telmarina wrote: »
    I hope im wrong and it will be better than sims 4. I trully do as i also see how there are core problems with it. But how come the core of Paralives looks better? For now we haven't saw anything related to the core of the game.
    I repeat: i hope it ends up being awesome. I'll be a costumer if so. But saying that it solves sims 4 problems with what we saw already it's not true...

    Yeah, it's true that there isn't much gameplay yet and it's still in pre-alpha, but I think what excites people are:

    - The developers listen and respond to suggestions and feedback
    - How much has been accomplished since it was announced last June/July
    - The overall quality of the work they've accomplished so far, which people hope will extend to how the gameplay is implemented. I'm personally looking forward to the full suite of Paramaker options available, as well as the personality and AI

    So people see a lot of potential in it. Time will tell if it lives up to it. I'm hoping so hard that it does.
    Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II

    Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
  • texxx78texxx78 Posts: 5,657 Member
    icmnfrsh wrote: »
    telmarina wrote: »
    I hope im wrong and it will be better than sims 4. I trully do as i also see how there are core problems with it. But how come the core of Paralives looks better? For now we haven't saw anything related to the core of the game.
    I repeat: i hope it ends up being awesome. I'll be a costumer if so. But saying that it solves sims 4 problems with what we saw already it's not true...

    Yeah, it's true that there isn't much gameplay yet and it's still in pre-alpha, but I think what excites people are:

    - The developers listen and respond to suggestions and feedback
    - How much has been accomplished since it was announced last June/July
    - The overall quality of the work they've accomplished so far, which people hope will extend to how the gameplay is implemented. I'm personally looking forward to the full suite of Paramaker options available, as well as the personality and AI

    So people see a lot of potential in it. Time will tell if it lives up to it. I'm hoping so hard that it does.

    So do i!
  • babajaynebabajayne Posts: 1,866 Member
    Like really all this talk about creativity but still there is so much limits.

    Yes.
    I would add that Sims 4 loves to put the focus on diversity. There’s lots of diversity they haven’t covered. Like height.

    Now they’ve added 4 new traits in the Eco Lifestyle EP that are the same thing, only different. No traits at all in Discover University, that was a huge missed opportunity. Diversity of traits is important, too!
  • AlpineCuriosityAlpineCuriosity Posts: 2,521 Member

    ^^ Another very informative video with Simmer Erin.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0IPBgcuC5ng


    :love: Parafolks-personalities are next in line!! (About 9:00)

  • ClarionOfJoyClarionOfJoy Posts: 1,945 Member
    I also wonder about this (from their website):

    > Does the game support user created content?

    Yes! Players will be able to share their creations through Steam Workshop. Script mods are not planned at the moment.

    Script mods are what we simmers usually refer to as "mods" while CAS/BB items are "CC/custom content". Steam workshop is like the Sims Gallery with the exception that creators can charge real money for their contents.

    Here is EA stance on CC and mods:

    Good morning folks! So I've been alerted to this thread by the mods and wanted to provide some insight here on two points of discussion: CC/Mods locked behind a paywall and Patreon.

    CC/Mods Locked Behind Paywalls - Creators cannot lock content they make using our game behind a paywall. While we do not police this content (there is no way we would create a team simply to monitor this) we do take reports sent to us seriously and action accordingly.

    Patreon - We understand that folks who make CC / Mods for others to enjoy are doing it in their free time and may desire to offset costs to create the content by using this service. As long as the content is still made available FOR FREE we do not mind these types of pages. Folks who have a Patreon page are welcome to provide folks with "early access" incentives for their content but it should be made available to the general public within 2-3 weeks of it being given to folks early.

    I believe Steam Workshop does not have the same policy, so any content creator can officially charge money for their stuff and is not required to release them for free. It's neither right nor wrong...it's your money. I have donated to custom creators before. I just want to point out that this could be what would happen.

    In terms of script mods ... looking around the 'net, it seems that Paralives is built on Unity engine. Now I have done some programming in my life, but I don't consider myself a very good programmer and I'm definitely not a game dev/modder. The way I understand it is that Unity is not easily moddable unless the game dev has provided tools/framework/file structure etc for modding, which what the Sims franchise has always done (The Sims franchise is built, I believe, on custom engine with provision to allow mods and cc). Although I'm sure some genius coders out there could hack something together but...not easy.


    Sacrificial, who has made so many great mods for both TS3 and TS4 is already in contact with the Paralives devs and is looking forward very much to make great mods for Paralives too! So there will be modding tools for Paralives as well! I haven't written code in ages, but I think I want to start doing that again!


  • ZeeGeeZeeGee Posts: 5,355 Member
    The most important thing to me is the parafolk. I don't know enough about coding or how games are made to understand it, but I know that I can play Sims 2 and 3 for hours on end and never get bored. I love my sims, I get attached to them. I love watching them do unusual and unexpected things, but still in line with their 'character.' And after 15 minutes or so, I'm bored with Sims 4. The sims don't inspire me to love them and play out their lives. They seem dull and vacuous. This is not meant as 'hate' on Sims 4, it's meant as constructive criticism for the new game. I know there's lots who love Sims 4 and I'm happy for them. I just hope they make this new game as fun and addictive as older sims games. However that works.
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