I wonder if this could be an entrance to a hidden lot
Maybe that's where the waterfall that they spoke about is? Such a good looking trailer though, that powers system looks really detailed and fun. Can't wait for this game pack!
Oh I didn't think of that. I've been asking for a cave like Forgotten Grotto that has a large waterfall.
It might not even be in the cave, it might just lead to an enclosed area surrounded by mountains with a big waterfall. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
Cave would be good though because it's always dark in a cave. Maybe it's a mine.
Could be similar to the mine in Oasis Springs -- maybe that's how Forgotten Hollow used to be connected to the rest of the world before it was "forgotten".
Check out my Gallery! Origin ID: justme22
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
I wonder if this could be an entrance to a hidden lot
Maybe that's where the waterfall that they spoke about is? Such a good looking trailer though, that powers system looks really detailed and fun. Can't wait for this game pack!
I'm pretty sure that I'll have my vampire explore Forgotten Hollow at first. That cave looks interesting, it might be a nice wedding place as well (like all hidden lots are).
I wonder if this could be an entrance to a hidden lot
Maybe that's where the waterfall that they spoke about is? Such a good looking trailer though, that powers system looks really detailed and fun. Can't wait for this game pack!
I'm pretty sure that I'll have my vampire explore Forgotten Hollow at first. That cave looks interesting, it might be a nice wedding place as well (like all hidden lots are).
I wonder if this could be an entrance to a hidden lot
Maybe that's where the waterfall that they spoke about is? Such a good looking trailer though, that powers system looks really detailed and fun. Can't wait for this game pack!
I'm pretty sure that I'll have my vampire explore Forgotten Hollow at first. That cave looks interesting, it might be a nice wedding place as well (like all hidden lots are).
I wonder if this could be an entrance to a hidden lot
Maybe that's where the waterfall that they spoke about is? Such a good looking trailer though, that powers system looks really detailed and fun. Can't wait for this game pack!
I'm pretty sure that I'll have my vampire explore Forgotten Hollow at first. That cave looks interesting, it might be a nice wedding place as well (like all hidden lots are).
Vampire powers/weaknesses are awesome! Maxis really have done great work using many references to create this system.
And I really like that vampires can practice their powers on each other. It's like an older vampire and a younger one can behave like mentor and apprentice, and it looks so cute!
I don't think I have words to describe how much I'm looking forward to this pack! I hope this week goes by quickly, I'm already wishing it was Friday so I can catch the livestream!
Nice you have to have cons with your pros. So if I want a new power I need a weakness that's a good way of balancing things, giving challenges, and giving choices.
I love this idea - I try to do the same with traits already to make my sims a bit more balanced but it's quite hard as there's not too many negative ones.
I think my Sim's first weakness will have to be the uncontrollable hissing, it sounds hilarious!
I needed this, after the disappointment that is City Living. These vampires and the excellent way toddlers were handled is slowly restoring my faith in this franchise. Keep it up, Maxis. For once I have almost nothing negative to say.
I'm usually not a big fan of the supernatural stuff, but this looks pretty great. This is the first pack they've released that I'm actually looking forward to.
This looks cool! I didn't know they would go this rpg route with the powers, but it does make the vampire sim better than the regular ones... I really want to see what they'll do with witches!
I'm amazed
Plus imagine what they'll do for witches now. Powers and gardening (herbalism skill with OR).. the possibilities are endless plus with the shapeshifting, I can see werewolves being done nicely too. It's safe to say I have high hopes for future lifestates and DLC packs
Also, I can see modders adding new powers and weakness.
I'm just so excited right now.
I can just see future packs being beautifully fleshed out now. Sims 4 is turning out to be an awesome investment.
Pre-announcement we saw coding suggesting "5 groups of 5 powers." Seems like the five different levels are different levels of vampire powers, so you have to work harder to get to rank 5. You can see if you pause that further up the tree you need to spend more "power points" to unlock the abilities.
What isn't clear is if there's any sort of prerequisite demands here. Some RPGs for example might divide them into five seperate trees, with a demand to unlock lower tier powers of that tree before you can access the higher-tiered ones. Judging from this vid though, that doesn't seem to be the case, and I imagine the five seperate groups are merely five different levels of cost. As such, I'm guessing all powers are available to all vampires with enough time and effort, and it seems the powers are gained either through studying like a bookworm, fighting others like some kind of jerkbag, or simply practicing the use of them. Kind of a bummer you can get all, but the weakness system seems pretty cool and is a nice touch. I always welcome mixes of good and bad; I'm the type to scream at Fallout 4 and throw my keyboard at Bethesda for removing the traits system Fallout New Vegas had because "omg wut if a customer picks a trait with a weakness they dun like and then they return our game and we lose money." THEN SCREW THAT GUY, stop dumbing down my game cause some people act ridiculous, I like a mix of strengths and weaknesses!
Anyways, we've still only seen 10 or so powers, but they look alright. Only one that disappoints me is the mind control looks like a copy-paste of the clean command on the Simray, but as long as that doesn't happen often, they should be interesting.
Out of curiosity, why is it a bummer that you can get all of the powers? I would be very upset if you couldn't, why do we need restrictions in a sandbox/rpg? I've already got a story that the higher ranking of a vampire you are the more powers you have, however only the Ruling Queen OR King can obtain all of the powers.
In my story there is only one true ruler, their partner is merely for title like in the old days with a Queen. Sure they have more authority than most, but the true authority lies with the leading ruler.
If you couldn't get all powers I wouldn't be able to tell my stories. I doubt powers will be an autonomous thing they pick so I can just select lower level vampire's powers for them and pretend they can't get them all.
I actually also want a way to remove weaknesses. Not that I don't like negative gameplay, but some vampires I wouldn't want any. For example, the Queen in my story is one of the most powerful supernaturals there are. She wouldn't have many weaknesses but she would be strong.
I'm amazed
Plus imagine what they'll do for witches now. Powers and gardening (herbalism skill with OR).. the possibilities are endless plus with the shapeshifting, I can see werewolves being done nicely too. It's safe to say I have high hopes for future lifestates and DLC packs
Also, I can see modders adding new powers and weakness.
I'm just so excited right now.
I can just see future packs being beautifully fleshed out now. Sims 4 is turning out to be an awesome investment.
I would love it if they brought back the witches duels that they had in the sims 1 i think.
I'm amazed
Plus imagine what they'll do for witches now. Powers and gardening (herbalism skill with OR).. the possibilities are endless plus with the shapeshifting, I can see werewolves being done nicely too. It's safe to say I have high hopes for future lifestates and DLC packs
Also, I can see modders adding new powers and weakness.
I'm just so excited right now.
I can just see future packs being beautifully fleshed out now. Sims 4 is turning out to be an awesome investment.
I would love it if they brought back the witches duels that they had in the sims 1 i think.
I would hope so. They said they looked at several forms of media when drawing inspiration for vampires so they might do the same for witches (and wizards ) and you do have witches fighting and dueling in some works
All the powers in the world won't make vampires appeal to me.
Aww c'mon Sim Jesus, I know your father doesn't really approve of the occult, but you should give them a shot! Besides, you guys have so much in common. You're both immortal, you both aren't too fond of crosses for one reason or another, you're both much older than everyone else...I think you guys would have a lot to talk about.
Pre-announcement we saw coding suggesting "5 groups of 5 powers." Seems like the five different levels are different levels of vampire powers, so you have to work harder to get to rank 5. You can see if you pause that further up the tree you need to spend more "power points" to unlock the abilities.
What isn't clear is if there's any sort of prerequisite demands here. Some RPGs for example might divide them into five seperate trees, with a demand to unlock lower tier powers of that tree before you can access the higher-tiered ones. Judging from this vid though, that doesn't seem to be the case, and I imagine the five seperate groups are merely five different levels of cost. As such, I'm guessing all powers are available to all vampires with enough time and effort, and it seems the powers are gained either through studying like a bookworm, fighting others like some kind of jerkbag, or simply practicing the use of them. Kind of a bummer you can get all, but the weakness system seems pretty cool and is a nice touch. I always welcome mixes of good and bad; I'm the type to scream at Fallout 4 and throw my keyboard at Bethesda for removing the traits system Fallout New Vegas had because "omg wut if a customer picks a trait with a weakness they dun like and then they return our game and we lose money." THEN SCREW THAT GUY, stop dumbing down my game cause some people act ridiculous, I like a mix of strengths and weaknesses!
Anyways, we've still only seen 10 or so powers, but they look alright. Only one that disappoints me is the mind control looks like a copy-paste of the clean command on the Simray, but as long as that doesn't happen often, they should be interesting.
Out of curiosity, why is it a bummer that you can get all of the powers? I would be very upset if you couldn't, why do we need restrictions in a sandbox/rpg? I've already got a story that the higher ranking of a vampire you are the more powers you have, however only the Ruling Queen OR King can obtain all of the powers.
In my story there is only one true ruler, their partner is merely for title like in the old days with a Queen. Sure they have more authority than most, but the true authority lies with the leading ruler.
If you couldn't get all powers I wouldn't be able to tell my stories. I doubt powers will be an autonomous thing they pick so I can just select lower level vampire's powers for them and pretend they can't get them all.
I actually also want a way to remove weaknesses. Not that I don't like negative gameplay, but some vampires I wouldn't want any. For example, the Queen in my story is one of the most powerful supernaturals there are. She wouldn't have many weaknesses but she would be strong.
I see it as flavor, just as I do with quirks in RPGs. The sim is a very powerful vampire. He can read minds, control the weak, turn into mist, etc. But in cultivating the black arts he has become warped. The infernal day star causes him to burst into flames. He hisses and tics uncontrollably. That sort of thing.
But even beyond that think of sword and sorcery. How is the warrior supposed to be able to oppose the wizard? By giving the wizard limits on his phenomenal cosmic powers. So the wizard has to study all the time. He is bound to his tower where he has his books and reagents. Otherwise he's calling down bolts of lighting from the sky and conjuring fireballs with impunity, making any opposition infeasible.
Good villains, and good heroes for that matter, have limits to their powers.
Pre-announcement we saw coding suggesting "5 groups of 5 powers." Seems like the five different levels are different levels of vampire powers, so you have to work harder to get to rank 5. You can see if you pause that further up the tree you need to spend more "power points" to unlock the abilities.
What isn't clear is if there's any sort of prerequisite demands here. Some RPGs for example might divide them into five seperate trees, with a demand to unlock lower tier powers of that tree before you can access the higher-tiered ones. Judging from this vid though, that doesn't seem to be the case, and I imagine the five seperate groups are merely five different levels of cost. As such, I'm guessing all powers are available to all vampires with enough time and effort, and it seems the powers are gained either through studying like a bookworm, fighting others like some kind of jerkbag, or simply practicing the use of them. Kind of a bummer you can get all, but the weakness system seems pretty cool and is a nice touch. I always welcome mixes of good and bad; I'm the type to scream at Fallout 4 and throw my keyboard at Bethesda for removing the traits system Fallout New Vegas had because "omg wut if a customer picks a trait with a weakness they dun like and then they return our game and we lose money." THEN SCREW THAT GUY, stop dumbing down my game cause some people act ridiculous, I like a mix of strengths and weaknesses!
Anyways, we've still only seen 10 or so powers, but they look alright. Only one that disappoints me is the mind control looks like a copy-paste of the clean command on the Simray, but as long as that doesn't happen often, they should be interesting.
Out of curiosity, why is it a bummer that you can get all of the powers? I would be very upset if you couldn't, why do we need restrictions in a sandbox/rpg? I've already got a story that the higher ranking of a vampire you are the more powers you have, however only the Ruling Queen OR King can obtain all of the powers.
In my story there is only one true ruler, their partner is merely for title like in the old days with a Queen. Sure they have more authority than most, but the true authority lies with the leading ruler.
If you couldn't get all powers I wouldn't be able to tell my stories. I doubt powers will be an autonomous thing they pick so I can just select lower level vampire's powers for them and pretend they can't get them all.
I actually also want a way to remove weaknesses. Not that I don't like negative gameplay, but some vampires I wouldn't want any. For example, the Queen in my story is one of the most powerful supernaturals there are. She wouldn't have many weaknesses but she would be strong.
It's a very straight-forward way of thinking to think you want all the powers, but limitations can make things more interesting.
Let's say my goal is to make the most powerful vampire possible. Currently, that's simple: grind up experience until you can purchase all powers while picking the weaknesses that are the least meaningful. Easy, right? However, if there were a limit and you could only pick ~10 powers, suddenly things are a bit more interesting.
It makes things more thought-provoking and a bit more involved. It creates a scenario where if you have a goal to make the strongest vampire, then now you must put some thought into your plan on what powers to take. Likewise, there's a new depth to the strengths and weaknesses: say there's 20 good powers but you can only pick 10. You now have motivation to make two vampires each with a different set and compare them to each other to try and deduce which prove most important to have and which don't. Or maybe both prove worthwhile and now you like both for their individual advantages.
The point is that limitations are something that on paper, if you ask people "do you want more limitations," everyone answers no. This is akin to taxes, where everyone complains when a leader raises your taxes, but few people bother to sit down and recognize the good and the benefit those taxes may provide. With limitations, it encourages experimentation, thought, and multiple playthroughs that make things worlds more interesting. Ask any writer one of the basic qualities of good character design, the first thing they will tell you is good characters have flaws, bad characters are perfect in every way and obnoxiously boring with how amazing they are.
As things stand now...? If I did a story about two vampires fighting for dominance over the realm, the stronger vampire would be left purely to my imagination since both would gain all powers and be completely equal. If I did the same story where the two have completely different powers...? This is a bit more interesting. Now I can let the game kinda play itself, see how their powers come into play and the winner (based on what occurs via gameplay) is really more or less just something I can only place my bet on rather than something I'll know for certain since I'm "playing God" and letting my personal favorite just win. It's a case where you are not writing the story in complete control, but rather the game provides a degree of assistance, circumstance and perhaps luck into the mix, and I find that a lot more interesting to watch unfold.
You say you want a queen vampire that's stronger than all of them? I do too, but I both want to work to discover what "strongest" actually means ("work" being just playing the game and experimenting, which is fun itself) and I'd prefer if that queen were flawed and had a chance to be beaten rather than being infallible. The former means there's multiple chances for a usurper where she could lose to bad luck or must repeatedly defend that throne and prove herself the strongest, the latter just means nah she'll win, there's no suspense involved and only an idiot that the player concocts for the purpose of storytelling would even think they stand a chance.
Main thing I would say to you is what purpose or benefit is there to getting all powers with one character? Seems a bit dull. You become superjesus, nothing can stop you, you've experienced the entirety of the system and now you're bored. With limitations however...? You have a play set to experiment with as you try and deduce which set of powers is truly the best and produces the strongest vampire.
This is something I feel strongly about, but yeah, it's also something with mixed opinions involved. A lot of people are like you and just want to be superjesus plus the incredible hulk plus wonder woman. Having played both systems though - a system with limits and a system where you can be anything - I much prefer a system with limits.
Out of curiosity, why is it a bummer that you can get all of the powers? I would be very upset if you couldn't, why do we need restrictions in a sandbox/rpg? I've already got a story that the higher ranking of a vampire you are the more powers you have, however only the Ruling Queen OR King can obtain all of the powers.
In my story there is only one true ruler, their partner is merely for title like in the old days with a Queen. Sure they have more authority than most, but the true authority lies with the leading ruler.
If you couldn't get all powers I wouldn't be able to tell my stories. I doubt powers will be an autonomous thing they pick so I can just select lower level vampire's powers for them and pretend they can't get them all.
I actually also want a way to remove weaknesses. Not that I don't like negative gameplay, but some vampires I wouldn't want any. For example, the Queen in my story is one of the most powerful supernaturals there are. She wouldn't have many weaknesses but she would be strong.
Personally, I thought it a bit weird at first that you can get all the powers, but then I thought about it more and figured it can only be a good thing, giving people that option.
I'm inclined to agree with you as well, that there should be the possibility of getting rid of weaknesses. The core of it sounds like good gameplay (balanced for strength/weakness) but restrictions being a no-no in a sandbox is a legitimate point to consider. This is more sandbox than RPG.
RPGs are actually more the one that would have such restrictions to create that magic word "balance." Sandbox games (especially single-player ones) don't necessarily need that balance.
That said, the default position probably should be strengths with weaknesses, as they've created it, because that makes for the most compelling base gameplay (meaning, if you want it to be balanced on some level out of the box, it will be in that way and there are a lot of people who prefer that model because it takes a load off them in being creative/inventive). It's possible that if the sims team doesn't allow the negation of weaknesses, modders will do so. I can't imagine it's the sort of thing that would be all that difficult to turn off.
@DeservedCriticism I'd agree with you if Sims was strictly an MMO, or RPG , but sims is a sandbox. If I want an all powerful character I should be able to make one. Considering she's supposed to be a Demi-Goddess, all powerful makes sense.
You might find it boring, but to me I'd like to have every power and create the strongest vampire in existence. I don't care if nothing can stop me because that's the character I've created. In my actual stories she's very much killable, but extremely difficult.
It doesn't matter anyway because it was just confirmed they can't have every single power at the same time, so I'm sad. Hopefully modders will help.
Just to edit, I do write these stories. I never said she had zero weaknesses, just very little. I use the sims to tell out my actual stories. Her vampire powers don't work in the sun, and there are PLENTY of creatures stronger than her. She's a Demi-God though, so she has very few weaknesses.
She also has faults in her character that I won't go into here.
Comments
Could be similar to the mine in Oasis Springs -- maybe that's how Forgotten Hollow used to be connected to the rest of the world before it was "forgotten".
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
I'm pretty sure that I'll have my vampire explore Forgotten Hollow at first. That cave looks interesting, it might be a nice wedding place as well (like all hidden lots are).
This video shows a waterfall out the window.
I dont think that's a waterfall, I think it's the fountain in the lake at Newcrest.
It looks like it's next to the house.
And I really like that vampires can practice their powers on each other. It's like an older vampire and a younger one can behave like mentor and apprentice, and it looks so cute!
I love this idea - I try to do the same with traits already to make my sims a bit more balanced but it's quite hard as there's not too many negative ones.
I think my Sim's first weakness will have to be the uncontrollable hissing, it sounds hilarious!
Love the idea with balancing out the powers with different weaknesses. This will make the vampires much more varied.
Can't wait!
Updated with Werewolf Diaries (1)
Plus imagine what they'll do for witches now. Powers and gardening (herbalism skill with OR).. the possibilities are endless plus with the shapeshifting, I can see werewolves being done nicely too. It's safe to say I have high hopes for future lifestates and DLC packs
Also, I can see modders adding new powers and weakness.
I'm just so excited right now.
I can just see future packs being beautifully fleshed out now. Sims 4 is turning out to be an awesome investment.
Out of curiosity, why is it a bummer that you can get all of the powers? I would be very upset if you couldn't, why do we need restrictions in a sandbox/rpg? I've already got a story that the higher ranking of a vampire you are the more powers you have, however only the Ruling Queen OR King can obtain all of the powers.
In my story there is only one true ruler, their partner is merely for title like in the old days with a Queen. Sure they have more authority than most, but the true authority lies with the leading ruler.
If you couldn't get all powers I wouldn't be able to tell my stories. I doubt powers will be an autonomous thing they pick so I can just select lower level vampire's powers for them and pretend they can't get them all.
I actually also want a way to remove weaknesses. Not that I don't like negative gameplay, but some vampires I wouldn't want any. For example, the Queen in my story is one of the most powerful supernaturals there are. She wouldn't have many weaknesses but she would be strong.
I would love it if they brought back the witches duels that they had in the sims 1 i think.
I would hope so. They said they looked at several forms of media when drawing inspiration for vampires so they might do the same for witches (and wizards
Aww c'mon Sim Jesus, I know your father doesn't really approve of the occult, but you should give them a shot! Besides, you guys have so much in common. You're both immortal, you both aren't too fond of crosses for one reason or another, you're both much older than everyone else...I think you guys would have a lot to talk about.
I see it as flavor, just as I do with quirks in RPGs. The sim is a very powerful vampire. He can read minds, control the weak, turn into mist, etc. But in cultivating the black arts he has become warped. The infernal day star causes him to burst into flames. He hisses and tics uncontrollably. That sort of thing.
But even beyond that think of sword and sorcery. How is the warrior supposed to be able to oppose the wizard? By giving the wizard limits on his phenomenal cosmic powers. So the wizard has to study all the time. He is bound to his tower where he has his books and reagents. Otherwise he's calling down bolts of lighting from the sky and conjuring fireballs with impunity, making any opposition infeasible.
Good villains, and good heroes for that matter, have limits to their powers.
It's a very straight-forward way of thinking to think you want all the powers, but limitations can make things more interesting.
Let's say my goal is to make the most powerful vampire possible. Currently, that's simple: grind up experience until you can purchase all powers while picking the weaknesses that are the least meaningful. Easy, right? However, if there were a limit and you could only pick ~10 powers, suddenly things are a bit more interesting.
It makes things more thought-provoking and a bit more involved. It creates a scenario where if you have a goal to make the strongest vampire, then now you must put some thought into your plan on what powers to take. Likewise, there's a new depth to the strengths and weaknesses: say there's 20 good powers but you can only pick 10. You now have motivation to make two vampires each with a different set and compare them to each other to try and deduce which prove most important to have and which don't. Or maybe both prove worthwhile and now you like both for their individual advantages.
The point is that limitations are something that on paper, if you ask people "do you want more limitations," everyone answers no. This is akin to taxes, where everyone complains when a leader raises your taxes, but few people bother to sit down and recognize the good and the benefit those taxes may provide. With limitations, it encourages experimentation, thought, and multiple playthroughs that make things worlds more interesting. Ask any writer one of the basic qualities of good character design, the first thing they will tell you is good characters have flaws, bad characters are perfect in every way and obnoxiously boring with how amazing they are.
As things stand now...? If I did a story about two vampires fighting for dominance over the realm, the stronger vampire would be left purely to my imagination since both would gain all powers and be completely equal. If I did the same story where the two have completely different powers...? This is a bit more interesting. Now I can let the game kinda play itself, see how their powers come into play and the winner (based on what occurs via gameplay) is really more or less just something I can only place my bet on rather than something I'll know for certain since I'm "playing God" and letting my personal favorite just win. It's a case where you are not writing the story in complete control, but rather the game provides a degree of assistance, circumstance and perhaps luck into the mix, and I find that a lot more interesting to watch unfold.
You say you want a queen vampire that's stronger than all of them? I do too, but I both want to work to discover what "strongest" actually means ("work" being just playing the game and experimenting, which is fun itself) and I'd prefer if that queen were flawed and had a chance to be beaten rather than being infallible. The former means there's multiple chances for a usurper where she could lose to bad luck or must repeatedly defend that throne and prove herself the strongest, the latter just means nah she'll win, there's no suspense involved and only an idiot that the player concocts for the purpose of storytelling would even think they stand a chance.
Main thing I would say to you is what purpose or benefit is there to getting all powers with one character? Seems a bit dull. You become superjesus, nothing can stop you, you've experienced the entirety of the system and now you're bored. With limitations however...? You have a play set to experiment with as you try and deduce which set of powers is truly the best and produces the strongest vampire.
This is something I feel strongly about, but yeah, it's also something with mixed opinions involved. A lot of people are like you and just want to be superjesus plus the incredible hulk plus wonder woman. Having played both systems though - a system with limits and a system where you can be anything - I much prefer a system with limits.
I'm inclined to agree with you as well, that there should be the possibility of getting rid of weaknesses. The core of it sounds like good gameplay (balanced for strength/weakness) but restrictions being a no-no in a sandbox is a legitimate point to consider. This is more sandbox than RPG.
RPGs are actually more the one that would have such restrictions to create that magic word "balance." Sandbox games (especially single-player ones) don't necessarily need that balance.
That said, the default position probably should be strengths with weaknesses, as they've created it, because that makes for the most compelling base gameplay (meaning, if you want it to be balanced on some level out of the box, it will be in that way and there are a lot of people who prefer that model because it takes a load off them in being creative/inventive). It's possible that if the sims team doesn't allow the negation of weaknesses, modders will do so. I can't imagine it's the sort of thing that would be all that difficult to turn off.
You might find it boring, but to me I'd like to have every power and create the strongest vampire in existence. I don't care if nothing can stop me because that's the character I've created. In my actual stories she's very much killable, but extremely difficult.
It doesn't matter anyway because it was just confirmed they can't have every single power at the same time, so I'm sad. Hopefully modders will help.
Just to edit, I do write these stories. I never said she had zero weaknesses, just very little. I use the sims to tell out my actual stories. Her vampire powers don't work in the sun, and there are PLENTY of creatures stronger than her. She's a Demi-God though, so she has very few weaknesses.
She also has faults in her character that I won't go into here.