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They're never going to add full actual religion into the game, and that's okay. But what if they did

IvyeyedIvyeyed Posts: 358 Member
This whole hijab thing (and I super do NOT want a rehash of that debate here. Including it is absolutely 100% welcome on my part and if you wanna disagree then go do it in a thread for that) got my roommate and I talking about the ways you can attempt to "play" religion in the game. Obviously get together and Seasons both make it easier. You can set up holidays (even make a weekly "Sabbath" using the "attend holiday ceremony" traditions) or have religious gatherings or whatever.

And goodness knows people have used Get Together to make plenty of funny "cults", or even religious simulation, and it seems in some ways almost baked into it.

But then we were talking about how, if they DID want to make religion officially part of the game, how would they go about that?

And we were like "well, they wouldn't lol. That's a big ol' dumpster fire waiting to happen. They'd over-represent something or forget something major and they know it's a minefield and they will not risk it."

And then we started talking about what we'd like to see anyway.

A new venue type - for places of worship. That by default will have some sort of NPC "working" there - and of course you can set the uniform and title yourself. To make them a priest or a monk or a rabbi or a guru or whathaveyou. The roommate's very Catholic so she thought the option to talk to them about problems or negative emotions and seek guidance would be important. I thought you might ask them to officiate a wedding. We also talked about funeral rites. But the biggest thing was just a place for sims to seek wisdom, peace, or insight. So probably just a couple simple interactions and some resulting moodlets.

I thought religion would be a nice way to separate out holidays. It's a bummer that the Seasons calendar is universal to every sim and household in a save. I already wish we could use in more segregated ways - add holidays that only observed by the active household or only by members of a certain club or only by certain age groups or those with certain traits. Right now there are sim-specific traditions (though we don't get to decide which sims they're specific to), but all holidays are universal. It's a bit of a letdown to make Winterfest and Hannukah in your game and then have no say in who celebrates which - it's everyone or no one. So it would be neat (after making an in-game religion) to be able to specify which religions do or don't celebrate which holidays.

But I think religions would likely function a lot like clubs, except with no limit on members, and managed not by a "leader" but rather just by the player from the Manage Worlds panel. But similar to holidays or clubs, you select activities, traditions, "beliefs", that can influence how your sim behaves. Maybe set dietary restrictions, clothing rules. And pick a "home base" that is the new worship venue. From manage worlds you also state how a sim "joins" a religion - if they can just declare themselves a member or if they have to go to the religious venue, and if they have to perform any sort of ceremony. And you can select a book or books to be their Very Important Text, giving them a title yourself.

Hopefully with enough options to make both feasible recreations of most major religions, and (of course) anything speculative you might have in mind. So players can get tongue-in-cheek and silly with it, or do a very down-to-earth simulation of a real religion. Want to recreate your Baptist family down to wearing your Sunday best each week? Go for it. Want to make a tongue-in-cheek religion based around Mac N Cheese? You do you.

This will, of course, never happen.

But I actually wouldn't hate it? It's almost a bummer that religion is such a contentious topic, because I feel like a religion system could add a lot of depth. A way of adding "traits" to sims without them having to have those traits. Maybe their traits conflict with the values of their religion, and that's a source of tension for them, because they love to dance and party but they're part of a very somber tradition, and when they break the rules they feel bad, but when they don't let loose they ALSO feel bad.

At the very least, with the game we have now, if they could make some fixes and updates to clubs and holidays, we could simulate it way better with what we've already got, which is probably the closest we're ever gonna get. On the one hand, I think a new venue type and all the new BB/CAS items in a "religion!" pack/update would be fun (I know WHY we don't have a lot of that in the game, but it would also be fun to build a big mosque or cathedral!). On the other hand, I feel like most the gameplay would be unnecessary/redundant if they could just give us more club members and more specificity in club activities, holiday traditions, and the like. Like we probably don't really need an addition of a "religion" system. Most of that could be achieved with some tiny fixes and expansions to existing mechanics (which, I really would LIKE to get, if they could remember they can make game-changing updates to more than just existing base game systems!). And what couldn't be is likely wading into territory the devs don't want to risk.

IDK. Thoughts?
Sometimes I stream.

This EA account is shared between two longtime roommates. The one most likely to be writing here is me, the taller of the roommates, whose opinions do not always represent the opinions of the shorter roommate.

Comments

  • SERVERFRASERVERFRA Posts: 7,108 Member
    Well said. Also it would be nice if they take the best & good parts of all beliefs & have a harmony worship instead of "walking on eggshells" .
  • MidnightAuraMidnightAura Posts: 5,809 Member
    The sims medieval had religion.

    But, that said I don’t think a full blown religion dlc is necessary.
  • RouensimsRouensims Posts: 4,858 Member
    Great ideas!
    Ooh Be Gah!! Whipna Choba-Dog? Whipna Choba-Dog!! :smiley:
  • BaglamukhiBaglamukhi Posts: 38 Member
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  • munroelemunroele Posts: 286 Member
    I think one thing they could do is create a unique religion to the Sims, that borrows elements from all kinds of religions, and your Sims have a choice to believe or not, and you can of course create your own as well, using Seasons ans GT, but there is a more 'official' one, that creates a trait, major holiday and maaaaaybe an aspiration. Even make it about belief in YOU, the player, as their deity with the belief they are controlled by a green diamond and the physical manifestation of you is the Freezer Bunny.
  • nerdfashionnerdfashion Posts: 5,947 Member
    I like this! It makes it completely and totally optional. IF it is a pack, I'd expect it to be a Game Pack at most, but it's for sure something I'd buy. It could be called The Sims 4: Beliefs or something.
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  • mock68mock68 Posts: 696 Member
    I like the idea of a sim religion that is universal to all sims. That would be a good and fair idea.
    Praise to the green plumbob and all that..
  • pinneduphairpinneduphair Posts: 918 Member
    I just feel like it’s a bad idea to fully introduce religion to The Sims (whether it’s realistic or not). We’ve just seen what can happen when this very touchy subject is addressed in the game. It’s not the content that would concern me per se, but the rift in the community that it would most likely cause. It’s the internet - discussing religion is going to turn into an argument 99% of the time. And with a religion pack, religion would get talked about. We don’t need the community to turn toxic for the sake of a pack that a good portion of people would not even use.

    (Btw, I recognize that you said this most likely won’t happen anyway in your OP, just adding my thoughts on why it shouldn’t. )
  • IvyeyedIvyeyed Posts: 358 Member
    munroele wrote: »
    I think one thing they could do is create a unique religion to the Sims, that borrows elements from all kinds of religions, and your Sims have a choice to believe or not, and you can of course create your own as well, using Seasons ans GT, but there is a more 'official' one, that creates a trait, major holiday and maaaaaybe an aspiration. Even make it about belief in YOU, the player, as their deity with the belief they are controlled by a green diamond and the physical manifestation of you is the Freezer Bunny.

    :D LOL! I absolutely love the idea of your sims believing in "Simulationism" - the belief that we are in a simulation and subject to the will of a Great Creator for the purpose of that Creator's own personal amusement above all else. This green plumbob is an ancient symbol representing our essence and the Creator's influence over us.

    "I'm sorry, I can't get out of the pool unless there is a ladder. This is one of my core beliefs. I'm a Simulationist."

    "But you can just pull yourself out with your arms. Sims like us have known how to do that for like a decade at this point."

    "But doing so would violate a core belief of mine. If my creator wished me to leave the pool, they would have placed a ladder in it."
    Sometimes I stream.

    This EA account is shared between two longtime roommates. The one most likely to be writing here is me, the taller of the roommates, whose opinions do not always represent the opinions of the shorter roommate.
  • RouensimsRouensims Posts: 4,858 Member
    munroele wrote: »
    I think one thing they could do is create a unique religion to the Sims, that borrows elements from all kinds of religions, and your Sims have a choice to believe or not, and you can of course create your own as well, using Seasons ans GT, but there is a more 'official' one, that creates a trait, major holiday and maaaaaybe an aspiration. Even make it about belief in YOU, the player, as their deity with the belief they are controlled by a green diamond and the physical manifestation of you is the Freezer Bunny.

    Oh wow that would be fun!

    Ooh Be Gah!! Whipna Choba-Dog? Whipna Choba-Dog!! :smiley:
  • MovottiMovotti Posts: 7,774 Member
    mock68 wrote: »
    I like the idea of a sim religion that is universal to all sims. That would be a good and fair idea.
    Praise to the green plumbob and all that..

    No, there must be conflict!!

    The worshipful Llama has decreed it....

    Wait!

    Pirates are the one true faith!

    Hang on!

    The cult of the Freezer Bunny has arrived!

    But beware!

    The Watcher has their eye on all!

    But the cult of the Gnome don't care!
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  • SimTrippySimTrippy Posts: 7,651 Member
    All of this would be brilliant :D I'd love a religion, or the option to make one, in the Sims. I'd also like some updates to clubs (and real clubhouses), and I agree about Seasons. I wish not all Holidays were "official" for all sims. Would be awesome if we had a way to set certain holidays for only a select number of sims.
  • keekee53keekee53 Posts: 4,328 Member
    Just a warning, this thread will probably get closed because OMG we probably can't even talk about a fake religion.

    Anyway, I was asking for something like this a while back. I didn't see any harm in allowing people to create their own religion inside the game. Maybe they will change their stance after the whole hijab-gate.
  • MadameLeeMadameLee Posts: 32,748 Member
    with Get Together I have two fake ones..inspired by Disney Characters..
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  • SheriSim57SheriSim57 Posts: 6,934 Member
    edited September 2019
    I like the idea of a special lot. They wouldn’t even have to call it a religion. I’m not sure what they would call it though..... maybe sulsulism or something.... lol....but a lot that maybe needed a podium and wedding arch, and some seats and you would have to be in formal or party clothes ( maybe you could set the clothes part ). You could do it like the bar, where it spawns a bartender.... only instead, it spawns someone at the podium, but like the DJ booth, your sim could take over the podium and get paid if they wanted to ( like they do at the DJ booth). Maybe they could give us a skill called “ speech” or something like that. A bar tender should also be able to show up here in case you are having a wedding. I do wish they would include a book..... that you could name that could be used at the podium or on a table ( my churches are all different religions.... so each book would have a different name..). I would also like to see a a simple wooden cross that you could place on a wall, they could include a Star, and any other symbol that might have meaning to others. We don’t have to even call it religion though. Just some type of community lot needing a wedding arch, seats and podium, with someone to man (or woman) the podium, or be there for weddings. It’s pretty simple really. Oh, I forgot, you could do funerals there too. A cemetery lot would be a great addition too.
  • NiaraTiaraNiaraTiara Posts: 120 Member
    For my game, I like to use the sims medieval religions, and I just set the churches as residential lots with the preacher living there. I dislike real religion in my main save file, so the hijabs do not have a place for me. (They're cool for those who want them, though.) I consider the sims to be it's own universe separate from reality, so to me they would have their own religions.
    Let there be Fairies! o:)
  • ChampandGirlieChampandGirlie Posts: 2,482 Member
    Lately there definitely is religion in my game. There are different types of world religions. I didn't think I was playing with the concept but I added religions to the "back stories" of several sims. Previously, I did play with a cult though I didn't count that as a religion, it was brainwashing.

    There are certain sims who "can't divorce" due to their religions. Lately, a while after the cult left, I've added a few different churches. It's like a wave of religion is hitting the town. Some sims are getting into religion and some aren't. It's just part of the realism and makes them different.

    The churches are community lots with different settings. I was having some issues with building so I just downloaded several very nice versions that I've renamed. I won't use them just for weddings. I'll also have funerals at them and one of them has a hang out area.

    This really came about because I'm incorporating the pre-mades from the newer packs and I decided that the Roswell wife in StrangerVille is intensely religious.
    Champ and Girlie are dogs.
  • davina1221davina1221 Posts: 3,656 Member
    I would like it. If it's an expansion, then they could include the bulk of religions since things can be duplicated in many of them. Or, they could add as packs come that would justify it. Like the way they did China in the Sims3 including customs, ECT.
  • DannydanboDannydanbo Posts: 18,057 Member
    IMO, religion is in the same sinking boat as disabilities. They will never be able to do them well enough to please players and they can't possible cover all the (or enough) bases so that everyone feels represented.

    I also have a fear that it might be used as a joke by some players and not a serious part of their sims lives.
  • SimsLovinLycanSimsLovinLycan Posts: 1,910 Member
    If they had a religion DLC for a Sims game, I think it would be best to let players construct their own religions, with the options to set whether they're monotheistic, polytheistic, or atheistic (yes, there are religions without gods), and to set alignments and attributes of any deities, spirits, or other entities which exist within that religion. Even being able to set whether those gods and spirits are actually real and able to appear and influence your sims' lives or if they don't exist anywhere but in the minds of believers should be a thing. It would definitely open up some awesome storytelling opportunities.

    I mean, think of the possibilities of a story about a sim having a crisis of faith, or of making the Greek/Roman gods as actual gods instead of having to settle for making them Spellcasters and having them operating in a modern setting, or creating your own insane deities, spirits, and other divine and devilish beings to watch over or screw with your sims. Heck, just think of the possibilities with demigods, half-demons, and so-on! So much fun to be had, so much story potential!! You can create your own modern myths or sequels to ancient ones! Oooh, and just think of building your own Dark and Divine realms!! But...that's all just a pipe dream...
    There is a song I hear, a melody from the past...
    5MNZlGQ.gif
    When I woke for the first time, when I slept for the last.
  • LeGardePourpreLeGardePourpre Posts: 15,175 Member
    edited November 2019
    @mock68 wrote: »
    I like the idea of a sim religion that is universal to all sims. That would be a good and fair idea.
    Praise to the green plumbob and all that..

    Where are my atheist sims :p ??? That's not fair !



    "Praise Mother Nature and be eco-friendly ! We only have one Earth !" -- Ancient Tribal religions

    Even this idea will be rejected because it's too political...

  • LeGardePourpreLeGardePourpre Posts: 15,175 Member
    edited November 2019
    Island Living has a religion, a Child of the Islands has faith in the Sulani Elementals.

  • LeGardePourpreLeGardePourpre Posts: 15,175 Member
    edited November 2019
    The sims are citizen of SimCity, right ?

    SimCity has religious buildings. Maybe they could be added as rabbithole where the sims could go.

    Crystal Temple
    b10.jpg
  • NikkihNikkih Posts: 1,758 Member
    edited November 2019
    I disagree with this idea, although its very creative , it is a very sensitive subject and would probably cause unnecessary arguments like it does already, please dont take any offense on my comment, But they are simmers like myself that dont have a religion and I personally wouldnt want this in my game, it's never been in the game, it wasnt ever there to be missed in the game, seasons has a calendar that you can add events, that can represent your culture
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