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Baby Gameplay Ideas??
AmTk86
Posts: 80 Member
If we were to in theory get freed babies, what gameplay would you guys hope for?
Personally, I'd want babies to be like pets in the sense that you take care of them, but you can't see their needs (Idk I like the challenge of it, but I understand some would objects). I think the stage should be defined by milestones that you can work towards your baby reaching. All I can think of is working towards the first word. The older sims can talk to the baby, and if the player does it enough, there will eventually be a notification of the baby's first word. Some other gameplay could be the option to give the feed the baby soft food (not required but could be a way to simulate the baby being involved with the rest of the family instead of being confined to a room only to be remembered from time to time), playing peek a boo, strollers.
Personally, I'd want babies to be like pets in the sense that you take care of them, but you can't see their needs (Idk I like the challenge of it, but I understand some would objects). I think the stage should be defined by milestones that you can work towards your baby reaching. All I can think of is working towards the first word. The older sims can talk to the baby, and if the player does it enough, there will eventually be a notification of the baby's first word. Some other gameplay could be the option to give the feed the baby soft food (not required but could be a way to simulate the baby being involved with the rest of the family instead of being confined to a room only to be remembered from time to time), playing peek a boo, strollers.
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Comments
One could could be a motor skill. Rowling, standing up, crawling.
When strollers then... TWIN strollers.
Ability to wrap the baby up while doing other things... MULTITASKING
Baby Mat/cradle that is portable and can be put on any lot.
Just the ability to go somewhere with your baby really.
Babys with personality... Baby that screams all the time, baby that smiles a lot, quiet baby and easy to take care of.
CAS
Babys with genetics. Eyes. Hair (some have hair, some dont), more skin tones. I find the baby creepy looking. Thought the bebes from the sims2 were the cutest.
I read that knifty knitting will have baby clothes which is cool. Always wanted that. Definitly a step in the right direction.
But to be honest. Some differente looking Clothes and Accessoires should come with the Base Game too.
You get three days (on normal lifespan) to play babies, so any goals or objectives for gameplay would have to be something possible within that timeframe. And I personally would prefer it to be something I didn't have to work on to the exclusion of any goals or skill learning I might have in mind for the rest of the family.
I mean, It's not a bad idea, but I can see it being really frustrating if you basically have to have an older sim tending to the baby for the bulk of the 72 sim hours that they're in the baby stage in order to achieve those milestones. Possibly to the point that only the family/baby players actually pursue it more than once (unless the mechanical benefits are clear and significant - like the toddler skill starting at 2 or something.)
I play on long life, so the milestones would probably be achievable for me - but I'd have to see how they were implemented to see if such a thing was actually *fun* for me. (I recently had a household with 6 toddlers/children at the same time. I learned then that I am never, ever, going to try the 100 baby challenge because I hated it. Not my definition of "fun" at all.) I also get really tired of the baby crying track and tend to age up babies quickly because of it.
@DaWaterRat
The way i see it is that you dont have to do it. I mean you dont get negative effects when you dont build up all your toodler skill, like in the sims 3. most of the time i dont even bother on some. But if you like the challenge then it rewards you with new and special animation... and you would see the baby sim crawl and such. Basically just optional for differente kinds of players.
I acknowledge that. if the mechanical rewards aren't great enough, then only the family players will bother with getting those milestones more than once - ever. And as long as those milestones aren't intrusive to normal play, that will be fine.
I also want baby wearing with baby carriers and that Sims can take them to places like restaurants etc while wearing them and interact with them there.
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The Sims 4 General DiscussionI wouldn't want to know their needs since irl they can't communicate very much to a real parent so maybe a parent could learn some skills while pregnant of how to clean and feed and fill emotional needs better before it's born. <Maybe taking the baby away from the house to baby classes before or after the baby was born is a good idea for a parenting GP. Or part of family gameplay in a larger EP.
OMGeeeeeeee YES!!! This would be the best. So darn adorable.
The babies are reduced to a thing who always cry for mysterious reasons instead of being family members who need the parents' love.
Baby nap on parent
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The Sims 4 General DiscussionThis is pipe dream territory - but if it were a whole game-pack, they might have the resources to do some of this stuff.
Day 1: Newborn - Baby is tiny and sleeps a lot. It's bald (all mine were born with hair, but this would make it seem younger in game). Wears a sleepsuit.
What might happen in this stage:
- It can be placed in safe surfaces where it either lies there or sleeps - crib, cot, pram, play mat, baby swing, in the middle of a double bed
- The baby might cry if it is left on its own awake for a long time (a poster above had the good idea of baby personalities - fussy babies may need constant attention)
- Dirty nappies - would be great to get the change table back
- Breastfeed or bottle-feed, sitting down please! By my third I'd mastered standing breastfeeding, but it was difficult, awkward and exhausting. It would be great if a sim could sit in a chair, on the sofa, in bed, on a lounger etc. to feed the baby.
- Interactions are pretty limited to what we have now - snuggle, talk to, show off to, cuddle etc. - but they would be able to take place away from the crib. A sim could sit with their baby on the sofa to do all those interactions for instance.
- You can bath the baby in the sink or in a baby bath that sits inside the normal bath or on the floor.
- Wearing the baby in a sling/baby carrier, around the home lot if the sim chooses or if the baby is fussy, or to go to other lots.
- Put the baby in a pram if they're fussy and rock them forwards and backwards, or take them to other lots.
- Baby items: crib; bedside crib that attaches to Sim's bed to conserve energy if the baby wakes in the night - the sims can stay in bed and feed/settle the baby, will drain less energy that way; pram; twin pram; baby sling/carrier; baby music/white noise machine that helps them sleep; baby play mat (that has more features for older stages, but the newborns can lie on them); baby automatic swing to help baby sleep and keep it entertained; nappy changing table; baby bath.
- Sims can hand baby between each other (rather than placing it on the floor in order to switch - here's looking at you Sims 3)
- Children can hold babies if they're sat on the sofa with an adult helping.
- Possible milestone: hold head up - if its held by sims enough.
Day 2: Young baby - the baby would seem up to around 4 months. It's a bit bigger, still bald, has started smiling/laughing, gurgling, moves a bit more, can hold its head up and shows interest in the world around itself. Reaches for things and sims. Sleeps less. Still wears sleepsuits.
What might happen in this stage:
- The baby might hit a milestone: rolling over - if it spends enough time on the play mat or out of its crib.
- It's outgrown its crib and would need a cot, but it can still sleep in a pram, on a play mat, in a baby swing, in a baby carrier etc.
- Still breastfed or bottle-fed the same as newborn.
- The babies at this stage are still pretty immobile, but they reach for the toys on their play-mats/jungle gyms, baby swings etc. They can also play with toys placed next to them on the floor by rolling to play with them. Or sims can hold them in their lap and interact with them with toys.
- A baby might have a jumperoo/bouncer type toy where sims can put the baby for them to bounce and play.
- Sims can also play games with the baby - peekaboo, round and round the garden etc. - or sing songs with actions with the baby. Child and toddler sims might have slightly different interactions/games that they play.
- Baby can still be held in the baby sling/carrier or pram around the house or out of the lot.
- New baby items for this stage: baby toys, cot, baby jumperoo/bouncer type toy.
Day 3: Mid-baby - the baby would seem around 7/8 months. It's bigger again and now has short hair. It does baby talk now, chattering away with baby sounds. It has more clothing options. It sits up now (not as a milestone, it just does). It sleeps less.
What might happen in this stage:
- Possible milestone: crawling - if it spends enough time on the floor playing - maybe babies with pets or other children/toddlers to chase around would crawl quicker
- The baby could be weened at this stage - first foods, going in a highchair for the first time. But they are still also bottle/breastfed.
- The baby will start exploring sims' homes and your Sims could have an option to baby proof the home. If they don't, the baby will break things (not get hurt). If they do, the baby won't break things.
- Baby gates/playpens to keep the baby from going where they shouldn't.
- They interact with pets now, crawling after them, chasing them around. Maybe sensitive pets would run away more - our cat certainly moved in with our neighbour after our third and screamiest baby was born. He's never come back.
- They could move into a stroller at this age, outgrowing the pram, but still be carried in sling/carrier
- The baby would have more games/songs interactions with sims, with different ones for different age groups (i.e. different games for toddlers, kids etc.)
- Babies start to be distracted by TV if they're fussy - a sim could put them in a baby beanbag or chair in front of the TV for a (limited) amount of distraction.
- New objects: Highchair, stroller, baby beanbag/chair, more toys, baby gates, playpens, stairgates, baby proofing items.
Day 4 (final stage): Older baby - the baby would seem around 11/12 months. It's almost as big as a toddler. Hair hasn't changed, still short. It does more baby talk now. It wears tiny versions of toddler clothes.
- Milestones: Walking, talking - if the other sims spend enough time with the baby encouraging and teaching them. Kid sims could encourage babies to walk too.
- Babies start getting into mischief, purposefully breaking things to find out about them. - or breaking out of the playpens etc.
- Babies can use a wider range of toys - push along, pull along, ride ons, blocks, balls etc.
- Babies have a lot more interactions/games with other age ranges.
- Babies use strollers and baby carriers
- They eat a wider range of foods now - but they might be fussy
- Babies get separation anxiety from sim caregivers
- Outgrown a lot of the younger baby items, but can use some toddler ones
- Baby playdates - they actually pay attention to other babies now, though they often snatch toys from each other etc.
- Big event could be the first birthday party - a special new event with baby party items.
- New items: Ride ons, new toys, first birthday party decor/activities.
Random things:
- Maternity/paternity leave - sims could apply for it to have more time off. Here in the UK, you get 6 months paid (though not nearly your full salary) and 6 months unpaid entitlement. I know it's not necessarily the same in the US, but the option could be there to apply for it. Some professions (maybe lower rungs of the career ladders) might say no.
- Baby groups - you could meet other pregnant sims while your sim is pregnant and then form a baby group with them. It would essentially function like a club.
- Play cafe new venue type - this would be great in general. Only sims with babies and toddlers spawn there (possibly kids too). There could be new baby/toddler soft play equipment (ball pits, foam etc.), that could be built into custom soft play areas in cafes - or just a wider range of baby/toddler toys. These could be great places for baby groups to meet up.
- New active career - nanny. You could follow your sim to work with other families. They could have super fussy kids or loads of them (or awful parents - rude and hotheaded) to make it more challenging.
- Photo albums - you could have a new item on a bookshelf, display shelf, that you as the player can fill with the pictures your sim takes and when you click the item, you as the player can look through it. The sims can show them off to people or gift them (to grandparents for instance). There could be a special baby book one maybe.
- Health visitor/nurse - comes to check on baby's progress.
Okay, this was supposed to be brief, but never mind. It's massive! Oh well.
I would love a more detailed baby stage. We've never had most of the stuff mentioned above. I always skip the baby stage and have done in each iteration of the game. It's boring and the babies are so bland. The toddler stage in sims 4 is far too advanced - they just feel like needy/over emotional children - they can even put themselves to bed and grab their own meals for goodness sake. I used to love family play till sims 4. I'd like for them to go a bit more in that direction, but I'm not holding out any hope!
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I hope the patch comes with age sliders like Sims 3 for each life stage.
Personality,depth,humor,consequences,lore,customization.
And the option of bathing them in the kitchen sink, with the dishes.
Maybe forgetting them by the front door when your sim comes home too tired to function right.
And the ability to have them sleep in the bottom drawer of a dresser.