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Realm of magic. Thank you for a great pack.

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  • nightowl1nightowl1 Posts: 89 Member
    I'm glad you enjoy the game, but for me this is just a great example of how little work EA can put into an expansion pack. Everything is completely dumbed down for little children, I'm not entirely sure if EA knows but so many of us at that age used to play the Sims 1/2/3 without any issues. I just feel there is no challenges or excitement, magic abilities are locked away until you're a teenager which I feel is silly. In the Harry Potter realm they were never held back. (I'm not a big fan of Harry Potter, but it's a good comparison... can't just stop young witches and wizards from practicing magic, could you?)

    I hate how everyone from the normal world freely enters the portal. Are you really supposed to be here? Sure, there is bound to be a mod out there to sort this out, but this shouldn't have been an issue in the first place as it just breaks the atmosphere. Secret magical realm and you see Don walking down the street. Oh... great, can't even get rid of him here. Speaking of the portal, it amused me how easy it was to find. No issues there. As for potions, we had far more in the Sims 3 than this pack here. The alchemy skill was more in depth with Supernatural. It didn't seem too easy to mix up a potion, I felt like I had to work for it. But this one, the same silly animation repeated, the same flask with different stickers glued to it. Just mix the bowl, yeah? I feel the potions themselves were more fun in Supernatural too. Flask of angry bees, vampire sunscreen, zombification elixir - yeah, good times.

    Ah well, just my opinion.
  • SharoniaSharonia Posts: 4,853 Member
    edited October 2019
    I like the pack although I'm having trouble understanding the point of spellcasting. Most of the spells just seem like cheating to me. I do enjoy playing the new premades and will max out their abilities anyway. I had to download a few mods for it to be enjoyable which is a shame.
  • SindocatSindocat Posts: 5,622 Member
    But cheats always have a predictable effect. Spells don't.

    Delicioso lets you summon a meal instantly (and also, for those who don't know, make spoiled food fresh again) but not choose what you get. I have had a pizza show up a few times, and while it was okay it wasn't the most efficient way to feed my hungry Sims. That household still cooks regularly, too.

    Mostly, spells are time-savers, without additional perks. Scruberoo is great for the Toddler's potty - because it avoids the inevitable trash can emptying dance, which can take Sim hours in a 3 story home. But Scruberoo is no replacement for a Thoughtful, Energetic or Steamy shower, nor for a de-stressing soak in the bathtub. I find it quite handy... without stealing value from other available interactions.

    I think they found a good balance with the magic. It is useful, but not too useful. I still have reasons to do things "for real".
  • LiELFLiELF Posts: 6,439 Member
    Sindocat wrote: »
    But cheats always have a predictable effect. Spells don't.

    Delicioso lets you summon a meal instantly (and also, for those who don't know, make spoiled food fresh again) but not choose what you get. I have had a pizza show up a few times, and while it was okay it wasn't the most efficient way to feed my hungry Sims. That household still cooks regularly, too.

    Mostly, spells are time-savers, without additional perks. Scruberoo is great for the Toddler's potty - because it avoids the inevitable trash can emptying dance, which can take Sim hours in a 3 story home. But Scruberoo is no replacement for a Thoughtful, Energetic or Steamy shower, nor for a de-stressing soak in the bathtub. I find it quite handy... without stealing value from other available interactions.

    I think they found a good balance with the magic. It is useful, but not too useful. I still have reasons to do things "for real".

    This is a great explanation and I agree.

    I confess I really don't get the "spells are just cheats" argument. Cheats aren't, by default, part of gameplay, but spells are. If people use cheats it's because they want those effects in their gameplay. And isn't that the whole point of magic? To be able to do/accomplish things you can't usually do normally, or to add shortcuts? It just seems like a stretched argument to me for the purpose of trying to find fault in everything Sims 4 does. It's a little disingenuous.
    #Team Occult
  • NevonaNevona Posts: 32 Member
    Yes! I am obsessed with this one. So many different types of stories could be made
  • SimGuruNinjaSimGuruNinja Posts: 992 SimGuru
    Really appreciate all the heartwarming praise in this thread. Thank you folks so much.We worked hard on this pack and put our hearts and souls into it. We're proud of it. Also really appreciate the constructive criticism and feedback here. It helps a lot.
  • CK213CK213 Posts: 20,525 Member
    LiELF wrote: »
    Sindocat wrote: »
    But cheats always have a predictable effect. Spells don't.

    Delicioso lets you summon a meal instantly (and also, for those who don't know, make spoiled food fresh again) but not choose what you get. I have had a pizza show up a few times, and while it was okay it wasn't the most efficient way to feed my hungry Sims. That household still cooks regularly, too.

    Mostly, spells are time-savers, without additional perks. Scruberoo is great for the Toddler's potty - because it avoids the inevitable trash can emptying dance, which can take Sim hours in a 3 story home. But Scruberoo is no replacement for a Thoughtful, Energetic or Steamy shower, nor for a de-stressing soak in the bathtub. I find it quite handy... without stealing value from other available interactions.

    I think they found a good balance with the magic. It is useful, but not too useful. I still have reasons to do things "for real".

    This is a great explanation and I agree.

    I confess I really don't get the "spells are just cheats" argument. Cheats aren't, by default, part of gameplay, but spells are. If people use cheats it's because they want those effects in their gameplay. And isn't that the whole point of magic? To be able to do/accomplish things you can't usually do normally, or to add shortcuts? It just seems like a stretched argument to me for the purpose of trying to find fault in everything Sims 4 does. It's a little disingenuous.

    That's how I have always seen magic in The Sims.
    It's a way to turn useful cheats into game play, or give your sims another way to do things that they couldn't do otherwise.
    I don't want all my sims to become scientists just to have the ability to clone objects. Copypasto is a nice alternative for my non-scientific sims.
    Before Realm of Magic, quite a while ago, I had my Herbalist sim partner up with my alien sim working incognito at the science lab.
    She provided my herbalist with a cloning machine so she could clone insects for her herbal remedy business.

    I've rebooted my game since then and my herbalist is now a child and her mother is the one running the business.
    But this time she is a spell caster and can copypasto the insects for herself. And also just copy the finished product to save time. :)
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  • logionlogion Posts: 4,712 Member
    I'm glad you like it, I thought it was a bit too easy, the curses are a fun addition but they don't happen very often. Most of the challenges comes with being able to afford spellbooks or recipies and once you become good friends with the sages it just becomes a waiting game.

    I did like the alchemy skill though. The recipes require some unusual ingredients and unless you find them in the shop then you have to go around in the world and look for them. And I also liked that you can use your other spells like Copypasto and Herbio to get ingredients more effectively.
  • SindocatSindocat Posts: 5,622 Member
    One feature I do like, or rather underlying design tenet supporting several parallel features, is what I call "many paths up the mountain."

    I can befriend the Sages and visit them daily to learn spells straight from the tap. Or I can Practice Magic, and learn on my own by trial and error. I can shop for Tomes at Casters Alley. I can browse for Tomes in Magic HQ. That's four distinct ways to learn specific, individual spells, without cheats. With cheats, I can look at debug items in Build/Buy, and simply place the tomes I want. The same paths apply to Alchemy potions.

    My Spellcasters can collect and use wands... or not. Hands-free casting isn't a Satisfaction reward, or Spellcaster perk, that I need to aspire to and which precludes that Sim from using a wand in the future if they choose to. My Sim can be created as a Spellcaster, or journey through the Glimmerbrook portal, or be visited by their Spellcaster uncle or aunt and be given the Rite of Ascension as a gift at their Teen age up birthday party.

    And not only are there options, I use them all, depending on what is best in my story. There are always more features desired than any one pack can supply. But I appreciate the flexibility in the ways one can approach the features we have.
  • DaWaterRatDaWaterRat Posts: 3,351 Member
    The flexibility within the system is one of the greatest things about Realm of Magic, imo. I can play a dedicated spellcaster who does nothing but concentrate on magic - though this way does tend to be pretty quick. I can have my Spellcaster also hold a day job, and use their magic to assist their career (Hello potion of forced friendship and all those "get to know your coworker" tasks in Acting.) Or just to keep burning the candle full time (Yes, Potion of Plentiful needs is cheap. No, I don't think that's a bug or a mistake.)

    I don't have to play a "witch" with specific good or bad paths. I may not have the full flexibility I enjoy in a Table Top game such as Mage, GURPS, FATE or HeroSystem, but I'm not locked in to some over-simplified for computer play version of D&D either. (I'm so not a fan of Vancian magic, I can't even begin to rant.)

    In my current save, my main home has all the books, some acquired by cheat, but all only obtained after one member of the family learned the spell, on the theory that they then taught their siblings. Now the next generation of teenagers is studying magic - when they're not dating their boyfriends, going to geek con, or vacationing with the family down in Selvadorada.
  • SharoniaSharonia Posts: 4,853 Member
    edited October 2019
    Sindocat wrote: »
    One feature I do like, or rather underlying design tenet supporting several parallel features, is what I call "many paths up the mountain."

    I can befriend the Sages and visit them daily to learn spells straight from the tap. Or I can Practice Magic, and learn on my own by trial and error. I can shop for Tomes at Casters Alley. I can browse for Tomes in Magic HQ. That's four distinct ways to learn specific, individual spells, without cheats.

    I like this too. I was getting tired of trying to befriend the sages just to learn spells so I started buying tomes and practicing magic instead. :D

  • CK213CK213 Posts: 20,525 Member
    Sindocat wrote: »
    But cheats always have a predictable effect. Spells don't.

    Tell me about it.
    I had my sim use her rewards points to purchase a youth potion.
    She destroyed it while trying to copypasto it. Money you can get back easy, you have to earn those reward points, unless you cheat.

    The%20Goths.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds
  • SindocatSindocat Posts: 5,622 Member
    I vaporized a Spotted Heart Frog trying to copypasto it so I'd be able to make multiple flirty potions. I felt bad. :D Thankfully, my other caster had Copypastoed it successfully already.
  • LiELFLiELF Posts: 6,439 Member
    Really appreciate all the heartwarming praise in this thread. Thank you folks so much.We worked hard on this pack and put our hearts and souls into it. We're proud of it. Also really appreciate the constructive criticism and feedback here. It helps a lot.

    @SimGuruNinja Seriously, well done. That Realm, though. It's amazing. I take Spellcasters there all the time just to hang out because I love the otherworldly ambience. I could live there. Like, in real life, haha.

    Thanks for giving us more Occult stuff and potentially spooky-esque gameplay. :) (Not to be confused with 'spoopy' because 'spoopy' is dumb.)
    #Team Occult
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