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.
This begs an interesting question though of if Sims as a series has any obligation to be either RPG or sandbox. I mean at it's core it's a life simulator, but it regularly welcomes both sandbox and RPG elements to assist with gameplay. However, it doesn't really have an obligation to either of them.
I would be curious to see what kind of system people prefer more: one with limitations where you have to choose a skillset or power set for each individual and you can't move past those limits, or one where the sky is the limit.
I personally feel developers always go with "sky's the limit" because they rationalize players are free to limit themselves if they so choose, but I also feel this is "incorrect" in a way because things never feel as...genuine when the limitations are things you yourself have designed. When you set the limits yourself, you ask yourself where to set them, and you may find that CONVENIENTLY those limits are setting themselves exactly where they need to be for your favorite character to be the strongest. It's a bit difficult, admittedly, and fighting against those own biases can be rather aggrivating, not to mention it can be aggrivating knowing that Sim A is stronger if you use ruleset X but Sim B is stronger if you use ruleset Y, so again nothing feels "genuine." It's much nicer when a developer just sets the rules for you so there's no debate about where the limits should go.
But yeah, sadly I feel the rationale that players can limit themselves often leads to "sky's the limit" winning every single discussion, though personally as I said, I've experienced both systems and I absolutely prefer limits, and I find it a shame most people won't ever try a system with limits either because they think they won't like them OR more importantly: fewer and fewer devs are even designing such systems. This is the Sims here, so as said they're hardly under any obligation to follow any system and the weaknesses already sounds waaaaaaaay better than my expectations for a non-RPG title, but just because the market for limit-based systems is shrinking, I still would've welcomed one.
Personally I thought a neat compromise would be if you can only get so many powers on a default sim, but if you breed a couple generations of vampires, the offspring inherit more and more powers. Say each of the 5 rows is a different set of powers. You have vampire with set 2 mate with vampire with set 4, now the offspring has access to both 2 and 4, etc etc. That'd allow players to work towards unlocking all while still providing clear limits if you preferred not to. Also includes family play, which some players would appreciate.
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.
Lol, I just realized I read the part on the blog as, "You can unlock all of the Powers and Weaknesses through research, experience, and duelling, even after you’ve reached the maximum Vampire Rank"
When it's, "You can unlock almost all of the Powers and Weaknesses through research, experience, and duelling, even after you’ve reached the maximum Vampire Rank"
@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.
Very first RPG I ever played involved striking down Demigods and False Gods despite just being a prophecized human, so yeah, you can imagine my perspective on things.
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.
I'd imagine they don't limit you from much. Watch the trailer: you'll see one of the weaknesses directly conflicts with one of the powers. I suspect that if you want all powers, it just means you MUST avoid all weaknesses that involve weakness to sunlight, though that shouldn't be too hard given some of the weaknesses are just that you can't eat food, hiss obnoxiously so you don't get invited to parties, or refuse to drink from humans.
This begs an interesting question though of if Sims as a series has any obligation to be either RPG or sandbox. I mean at it's core it's a life simulator, but it regularly welcomes both sandbox and RPG elements to assist with gameplay. However, it doesn't really have an obligation to either of them.
I would be curious to see what kind of system people prefer more: one with limitations where you have to choose a skillset or power set for each individual and you can't move past those limits, or one where the sky is the limit.
I personally feel developers always go with "sky's the limit" because they rationalize players are free to limit themselves if they so choose, but I also feel this is "incorrect" in a way because things never feel as...genuine when the limitations are things you yourself have designed. When you set the limits yourself, you ask yourself where to set them, and you may find that CONVENIENTLY those limits are setting themselves exactly where they need to be for your favorite character to be the strongest. It's a bit difficult, admittedly, and fighting against those own biases can be rather aggrivating, not to mention it can be aggrivating knowing that Sim A is stronger if you use ruleset X but Sim B is stronger if you use ruleset Y, so again nothing feels "genuine." It's much nicer when a developer just sets the rules for you so there's no debate about where the limits should go.
But yeah, sadly I feel the rationale that players can limit themselves often leads to "sky's the limit" winning every single discussion, though personally as I said, I've experienced both systems and I absolutely prefer limits, and I find it a shame most people won't ever try a system with limits either because they think they won't like them OR more importantly: fewer and fewer devs are even designing such systems. This is the Sims here, so as said they're hardly under any obligation to follow any system and the weaknesses already sounds waaaaaaaay better than my expectations for a non-RPG title, but just because the market for limit-based systems is shrinking, I still would've welcomed one.
I don't think it has an obligation to be much of anything, but as far as I can tell, the foundation of it is, and has always been, more sandbox than RPG. It's arguably open-ended in part because life is open-ended. And simulating life while being too on-the-rails could give the impression of a railroaded life experience. As in, "This is how life should be lived."
Granted, supernaturals go somewhat beyond the scope of that, as with them we're getting more into the territory of a fantasy game than strictly a simulation of life.
Concerning your general point, I agree that limitations have value, though I do think some of it simply comes down to player preference. Some people really do get a lot out of very open-ended games and they don't need a bunch of limitations to do it. Others find a lack of limitations too overwhelming or bland... they prefer something that at least nudges them in the right direction. There's a bit of a magic trick going on with some design choices, I think, where you get a kind of illusory sandbox game; the goal is to make the player feel like they are in control, while still having enough rails that they won't feel lost in the wasteland of choice. That magic trick design is probably closest to the type of sandbox that TS4 is. It definitely has elements that are completely in your control, but without cheats or mods, there are still base mechanics that can't be ignored, like Needs. And Needs have a powerful impact on defining what your gameplay centers around. Or the fact that you need Simoleons to pay bills, to keep your home running smoothly, which nudges you pretty strongly toward buildings skills and going down career paths.
EA has won me back with the toddlers update and how mind-blowingly impressive this GP looks. Too bad the EPs have been so pitiful, but HOLY MOLY this GP is a massive leap in the right direction. I love the balance of weaknesses and powers and the "skill tree" too! This is literally the most excited I've been for sims since seing TS4 CAS!!!! I keep looking at the powers page image and hovering over the powers from instinct to see what they do! I'm so dang excited! I wish I could preorder...?
@Triplis@DeservedCriticism yeah I kinda agree with both of you: weaknesses are definitely interesting and I don't really want them to take that out as it would make for ridiculously overpowered vampires and I agree that it's not really an RPG game and that most powers should for the most part be acquirable. I mean, you can always limit how much a vampire is allowed to skill up.
My, oh, MY! Love that you have to pick a weakness like they did in Sims Medieval. Customization, not only on the CAS side of creating a vampire, but so many different combinations of powers and weaknesses will make truly unique characters!
Wow. I'm so impressed with the depth they've gone with this!
My, oh, MY! Love that you have to pick a weakness like they did in Sims Medieval. Customization, not only on the CAS side of creating a vampire, but so many different combinations of powers and weaknesses will make truly unique characters!
Wow. I'm so impressed with the depth they've gone with this!
SimGuruHolms (lead designer), SimGuruHouts (designer), and myself (producer) all worked on Medieval.
My, oh, MY! Love that you have to pick a weakness like they did in Sims Medieval. Customization, not only on the CAS side of creating a vampire, but so many different combinations of powers and weaknesses will make truly unique characters!
Wow. I'm so impressed with the depth they've gone with this!
SimGuruHolms (lead designer), SimGuruHouts (designer), and myself (producer) all worked on Medieval.
Great job! And a very nice touch to bring that negative side to the vamps here.
I don't play supernatural Sims much, but it's not because I don't like the occult in my video games, since Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines is one of my favorite games of all time. It's just that in the Sims the supes were always underwhelming to me since I could get a more fleshed out experience in other games.
However, these super customizable vampires advertised in this back are really making me rethink keeping my TS4 game supernatural-free. The leveling up of powers and weaknesses is giving me serious RPG vibes, even if it's more RPG-lite. I never thought I'd be excited for supernaturals in The Sims but now I totally am!
This really makes me excited to see whats in store for the rest of the supernaturals.
Me too. I hope witches are next.
Witches and fairies were my favorite supernaturals in the sims. Along side vampires of course. I also hope they do new stuff for plant sims too if they ever make them in the sims 4.
Ahhh! I love the powers. And I love the weaknesses too just as much. I feel like the weaknesses just add vampiric traits, which, since I want vampirelike vampires, is a great thing. I loved the withered stomach one and uncontrollable hissing made me laugh. I hope we can add more than the necessary amount of weaknesses if we want. I also love how some of the powers and weaknesses had levels 0-3.
My, oh, MY! Love that you have to pick a weakness like they did in Sims Medieval. Customization, not only on the CAS side of creating a vampire, but so many different combinations of powers and weaknesses will make truly unique characters!
Wow. I'm so impressed with the depth they've gone with this!
SimGuruHolms (lead designer), SimGuruHouts (designer), and myself (producer) all worked on Medieval.
I loved TSM, such an underrated game! I still play it now occasionally. Great job guys, and I can't wait to see what you've brought to the Vampire GP! Thank you!
SimGuruHolms (lead designer), SimGuruHouts (designer), and myself (producer) all worked on Medieval.
TSM was (still is) a really cool game and concept, and in an alternate timeline would be so successful that it leads to a The Sims Supernatural spinoff game. This vampire pack is giving us a glimpse of what that would have been like.
I'm still holding out that this timeline, which we all know is The Darkest Timeline, will see a standalone The Sims Supernatural spin-off game someday!
This is awesome! The powers/weaknesses system enables us to play with incredible variety! I'm already thinking of a clan, with each of its members specialized in a different path omg
Really cool to see some of the powers and weaknesses!
I am a bit confused about how the powers system work, though.
Is it a very simple ranking system where you can just choose any number of powers each rank level as long as you have the required points (or skills, if there are any prerequisite skills)?
Is it branching (like you need a lower tier power first before you can get a higher tier power)?
Can you just choose any number of skills in one rank, or are you limited to a set number per rank?
Are traits or aspirations tied to these powers? Or contradict said powers? (Like the Guilty Drinking is made better for Good Sims or something?)
Can each skill be upgraded a number of times or have perks? (Sorry, I may have played too much Skyrim and Borderlands, etc, lol.)
I am guessing: it's more of a simple ranking system, and since it's somewhat sandbox, you can probably choose any number of skills per rank as long as you have the required points and then select a weakness for each power...?
Has it been mentioned what is the limit to amount of powers one vamp can have? How many powers are there in total?
Sorry for the many questions. I am just thinking and way too excited and babbling.
Doing Vampire stuff gets you Vampire Experience (VXP) & Power Points.
VXP gain unlocks tiers of Powers to choose from.
Power Points are used to actually purchase the powers (each power costs some amount of Power Points).
You can spend freely in any of the unlocked tiers (for example, you can buy all the tier 1 powers, buy all the tier 2 powers, or mix and match between the tiers).
Each time your VXP unlocks a new tier, you'll be required to take on a new weakness.
Super smart Vampires (ones that have done their due diligence regarding studying Vampire Lore) may know how to reconfigure their Powers/Weaknesses.
Comments
This begs an interesting question though of if Sims as a series has any obligation to be either RPG or sandbox. I mean at it's core it's a life simulator, but it regularly welcomes both sandbox and RPG elements to assist with gameplay. However, it doesn't really have an obligation to either of them.
I would be curious to see what kind of system people prefer more: one with limitations where you have to choose a skillset or power set for each individual and you can't move past those limits, or one where the sky is the limit.
I personally feel developers always go with "sky's the limit" because they rationalize players are free to limit themselves if they so choose, but I also feel this is "incorrect" in a way because things never feel as...genuine when the limitations are things you yourself have designed. When you set the limits yourself, you ask yourself where to set them, and you may find that CONVENIENTLY those limits are setting themselves exactly where they need to be for your favorite character to be the strongest. It's a bit difficult, admittedly, and fighting against those own biases can be rather aggrivating, not to mention it can be aggrivating knowing that Sim A is stronger if you use ruleset X but Sim B is stronger if you use ruleset Y, so again nothing feels "genuine." It's much nicer when a developer just sets the rules for you so there's no debate about where the limits should go.
But yeah, sadly I feel the rationale that players can limit themselves often leads to "sky's the limit" winning every single discussion, though personally as I said, I've experienced both systems and I absolutely prefer limits, and I find it a shame most people won't ever try a system with limits either because they think they won't like them OR more importantly: fewer and fewer devs are even designing such systems. This is the Sims here, so as said they're hardly under any obligation to follow any system and the weaknesses already sounds waaaaaaaay better than my expectations for a non-RPG title, but just because the market for limit-based systems is shrinking, I still would've welcomed one.
Personally I thought a neat compromise would be if you can only get so many powers on a default sim, but if you breed a couple generations of vampires, the offspring inherit more and more powers. Say each of the 5 rows is a different set of powers. You have vampire with set 2 mate with vampire with set 4, now the offspring has access to both 2 and 4, etc etc. That'd allow players to work towards unlocking all while still providing clear limits if you preferred not to. Also includes family play, which some players would appreciate.
When it's, "You can unlock almost all of the Powers and Weaknesses through research, experience, and duelling, even after you’ve reached the maximum Vampire Rank"
Very first RPG I ever played involved striking down Demigods and False Gods despite just being a prophecized human, so yeah, you can imagine my perspective on things.
I'd imagine they don't limit you from much. Watch the trailer: you'll see one of the weaknesses directly conflicts with one of the powers. I suspect that if you want all powers, it just means you MUST avoid all weaknesses that involve weakness to sunlight, though that shouldn't be too hard given some of the weaknesses are just that you can't eat food, hiss obnoxiously so you don't get invited to parties, or refuse to drink from humans.
Granted, supernaturals go somewhat beyond the scope of that, as with them we're getting more into the territory of a fantasy game than strictly a simulation of life.
Concerning your general point, I agree that limitations have value, though I do think some of it simply comes down to player preference. Some people really do get a lot out of very open-ended games and they don't need a bunch of limitations to do it. Others find a lack of limitations too overwhelming or bland... they prefer something that at least nudges them in the right direction. There's a bit of a magic trick going on with some design choices, I think, where you get a kind of illusory sandbox game; the goal is to make the player feel like they are in control, while still having enough rails that they won't feel lost in the wasteland of choice. That magic trick design is probably closest to the type of sandbox that TS4 is. It definitely has elements that are completely in your control, but without cheats or mods, there are still base mechanics that can't be ignored, like Needs. And Needs have a powerful impact on defining what your gameplay centers around. Or the fact that you need Simoleons to pay bills, to keep your home running smoothly, which nudges you pretty strongly toward buildings skills and going down career paths.
Wow. I'm so impressed with the depth they've gone with this!
SimGuruHolms (lead designer), SimGuruHouts (designer), and myself (producer) all worked on Medieval.
Great job! And a very nice touch to bring that negative side to the vamps here.
Me too. I hope witches are next.
However, these super customizable vampires advertised in this back are really making me rethink keeping my TS4 game supernatural-free. The leveling up of powers and weaknesses is giving me serious RPG vibes, even if it's more RPG-lite. I never thought I'd be excited for supernaturals in The Sims but now I totally am!
Witches and fairies were my favorite supernaturals in the sims. Along side vampires of course. I also hope they do new stuff for plant sims too if they ever make them in the sims 4.
I loved TSM, such an underrated game! I still play it now occasionally. Great job guys, and I can't wait to see what you've brought to the Vampire GP! Thank you!
TSM was (still is) a really cool game and concept, and in an alternate timeline would be so successful that it leads to a The Sims Supernatural spinoff game. This vampire pack is giving us a glimpse of what that would have been like.
I'm still holding out that this timeline, which we all know is The Darkest Timeline, will see a standalone The Sims Supernatural spin-off game someday!
I am a bit confused about how the powers system work, though.
Is it a very simple ranking system where you can just choose any number of powers each rank level as long as you have the required points (or skills, if there are any prerequisite skills)?
Is it branching (like you need a lower tier power first before you can get a higher tier power)?
Can you just choose any number of skills in one rank, or are you limited to a set number per rank?
Are traits or aspirations tied to these powers? Or contradict said powers? (Like the Guilty Drinking is made better for Good Sims or something?)
Can each skill be upgraded a number of times or have perks? (Sorry, I may have played too much Skyrim and Borderlands, etc, lol.)
I am guessing: it's more of a simple ranking system, and since it's somewhat sandbox, you can probably choose any number of skills per rank as long as you have the required points and then select a weakness for each power...?
Has it been mentioned what is the limit to amount of powers one vamp can have? How many powers are there in total?
Sorry for the many questions. I am just thinking and way too excited and babbling.
I am really loving what I am seeing of the pack.
Edits: fixed a few typos.
(She/her)
VXP gain unlocks tiers of Powers to choose from.
Power Points are used to actually purchase the powers (each power costs some amount of Power Points).
You can spend freely in any of the unlocked tiers (for example, you can buy all the tier 1 powers, buy all the tier 2 powers, or mix and match between the tiers).
Each time your VXP unlocks a new tier, you'll be required to take on a new weakness.
Super smart Vampires (ones that have done their due diligence regarding studying Vampire Lore) may know how to reconfigure their Powers/Weaknesses.