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(Spoilers allowed) Tell me what you like about RoM, comparisons, plus some questions…

LatinaBunnyLatinaBunny Posts: 4,666 Member
Hello! :smile: I am not sure if I should put this question here or in General Sims Franchise discussion section, but I am curious about RoM.

I bought RoM on sale, but I would like to know folks’ thoughts on what they liked about it. (Spoilers are fine.)

I’ve played a bit of Sims Makin’ Magic and have played fairies, mermaids, and witches in Sims 3, and now vampires and mermaids in Sims 4.

I am curious how the RoM features and the spellcaster occult life form compares to past Sims games, and compared to Sims 4’s Vampires. Are they similar to Sims 4’s Vampires (with a tier system with strengths/weaknesses) or more closer to Sims 3 occults?

How do you like the secret world so far? Can any sims visit the world regardless if they’re spell casters or not? Can families visit there?

Also: How do loved ones or families react to spellcasters or seeing magic being used at home? Is a bad reputation something I have to worry about?

(I would love more open occult stuff. I disliked the Sims in various games freaking out and getting scandalized over every occult interaction even when it’s a loved one.)

How are you liking the gameplay overall, from your personal experiences so far? I heard clubs could be made for spellcasters. How would that work if spell casters are supposed to be in a secret world? Can I make them go to regular worlds as well?

Any impressions you got would be very insightful, thanks! :)

I love that I finally got my mermaids in Sims 4 (and can still play Sims 3 for other mermaid gameplay), but I still miss my fairies and witches, so I feel that this RoM may be the closest to that type of spells-caster occult being. At least, I hope so! :)
~*~Occult Family Player player~*~
(She/her)

Comments

  • simgirl1010simgirl1010 Posts: 35,701 Member
    edited January 2022
    Here's an excellent resource to check out while you're waiting for responses to your questions.

    https://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/gamepacks/realmofmagic/
  • cynciecyncie Posts: 4,547 Member
    edited January 2022
    I can’t respond with much of a comparison to the previous games. I do have S3 Supernatural and have played it some, but not in depth.

    RoM has a tier system like Vampires but instead of weaknesses Spellcasters are in danger of incurring curses from bad potions or spells. Glimmerbrook is a nice, but small, world. Not dark and foreboding like Forgotten Hollow, but still with a bit of its own personality. It matches well with HoB if you have Cottage Living. The Magic Realm, to me, is one of the most beautiful worlds created in The Sims. I love to go around and just take pictures. Only Spellcasters can go there, and the game generates Spellcasters to populate it. You can’t live there. It’s more of a training center. But I have found a way to let my Spellcaster use it as a second home.

    In game, Spellcasters will only autonomously practice magic in the Realm, but can live in any world. Sometimes they will pop into a public lot on a broom, but that’s about it. Sims don’t really react much to the Magic, in my experience. In addition to the schools of Magic and alchemy, I made sure my sim also learned herbalism and wellness, as well as mixology to get a large number of potions and additional mystical skills in his inventory, so even after you’ve got the RoM skills mastered, there’s more to be accomplished. He’s almost too skilled up at this time.

    Spellcaster clubs are chaos and a lot of fun! There is a pub in Glimmerbrook that can be used, and I had one actually meeting at the Magic Realm, but you can set them to meet anywhere in game.

    I enjoy RoM more than Vampires, even if the tiers aren’t as challenging. To me, Spellcasters have more storyline possibilities than vampires do, but that’s just my preference.
  • LatinaBunnyLatinaBunny Posts: 4,666 Member
    edited January 2022
    Here's an excellent resource to check out while you're waiting for responses to your questions.

    https://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/gamepacks/realmofmagic/
    Thanks, I will check it out! Love that you help everyone with the info and twitter/other media updates, @simgirl1010 ! 🤗👍
    cyncie wrote: »
    I can’t respond with much of a comparison to the previous games. I do have S3 Supernatural and have played it some, but not in depth.

    RoM has a tier system like Vampires but instead of weaknesses Spellcasters are in danger of incurring curses from bad potions or spells. Glimmerbrook is a nice, but small, world. Not dark and foreboding like Forgotten Hollow, but still with a bit of its own personality. It matches well with HoB if you have Cottage Living. The Magic Realm, to me, is one of the most beautiful worlds created in The Sims. I love to go around and just take pictures. Only Spellcasters can go there, and the game generates Spellcasters to populate it. You can’t live there, but I’ve found a way to let my Spellcaster use it as a second home.

    In game, Spellcasters will only autonomously practice magic in the Realm, but can live in any world. Sometimes they will pop into a public lot on a broom, but that’s about it. Sims don’t really react much to the Magic, in my experience. In addition to the schools of Magic and alchemy, I made sure my sim also learned herbalism and wellness, as well as mixology to get a large number of potions and additional mystical skills in his inventory, so even after you’ve got the RoM skills mastered, there’s more to be accomplished. He’s almost too skilled up at this time.

    Spellcaster clubs are chaos and a lot of fun! There is a pub in Glimmerbrook that can be used, and I had one actually meeting at the Magic Realm, but you can set them to meet anywhere in game.

    I enjoy RoM more than Vampires, even if the tiers aren’t as challenging. To me, Spellcasters have more storyline possibilities than vampires do, but that’s just my preference.
    Awww, so families can’t go with their magical loved ones or kin! :worried:

    So I guess I can treat it more like a magical academy/school then?

    The rest sounds good so far. Only other aspect I don’t like is the secretive nature of it. Can spellcasters use spells within their households, then? It sounds like they can use magic on lots, if the magic clubs are able to meet anywhere?

    Is the magical ability inheritable?

    I love lighter-hearted occults like fairies and mermaids, so I’m glad it’s not another dark place, hehe! I have all of the expansion/game/stuff packs, so I would love more stuff to go well with Cottage Living. Make it into cozy-like fantasy to contrast with the Vampires’ world. :smile: (I love Vampires, too, though mine are more light-hearted and family-oriented/domesticated, lol.)

    I don’t mind if it’s not challenging. I don’t remember the Sims 3 fairies being that challenging either. I think Sims 3 Witches had a power/magic meter that can deplete and regenerate, fire off spells that can potentially backfire on them. They had familiars, too, I believe.

    Fairies were pretty easy, so it was pretty relaxing to play them.

    I was planning to have families and couples with spellcasters mixed in with non-spellcaster members, so I guess I could pretend that the spellcaster members had important business/work or schoolwork at the Realm whenever they have to travel there, lol. :lol:
    Post edited by LatinaBunny on
    ~*~Occult Family Player player~*~
    (She/her)
  • mightyspritemightysprite Posts: 5,806 Member
    It's delightful. Some of the spells and potions are kind of cheaty in that they just fill a need, clean something etc., but some are really fun. Your spellcasters can live mostly as normal sims with magic as a little side hobby, or they can have magic be their main focus in life. RoM comes with its own world Glimmerbrook which feels almost like part of the Magic Realm and is where the portal to Magic Realm is located. There are quite a few obvious and less obvious ways to tie in magic to other pursuits, for example gardening and potions are nice to pursue together.

    I also like the fashions, which are if not really goth then goth-adjacent, and the build/buy which includes a lot of Art Nouveau curved and ornate forms.

    I don't have vampires or mermaids so can't compare them.

    I haven't had any trouble getting non-spellcasters to visit the Magic Realm. If you are not born a spellcaster, you need to go there on foot (through the portal) in the first place to begin the process of becoming one. Yes, families can visit. I don't remember if I've ever brought a toddler there, but children can visit for sure.
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  • cynciecyncie Posts: 4,547 Member
    edited January 2022
    Awww, so families can’t go with their magical loved ones or kin! :worried:

    So I guess I can treat it more like a magical academy/school then?

    That’s basically how it functions. I guess a sim could go to the Realm and not request to become a Spellcaster. I haven’t really played that way. In lore, the Realm is the remnants of a previous home world torn apart by a vortex. It’s beautiful and tragic at the same time. You’ll love that.
    The rest sounds good so far. Only other aspect I don’t like is the secretive nature of it. Can spellcasters use spells within their households, then? It sounds like they can use magic on lots, if the magic clubs are able to meet anywhere?

    Is the magical ability inheritable?

    Spellcasters can cast spells anywhere by your direction. They just won’t use spells autonomously. And little Spellcaster babies even have their own cribs and can inherit Spellcaster bloodlines that affect their ability to learn magic. Children don’t actually manifest magic until their teens, though.
    I love lighter-hearted occults like fairies and mermaids, so I’m glad it’s not another dark place, hehe! I have all of the expansion/game/stuff packs, so I would love more stuff to go well with Cottage Living. Make it into cozy-like fantasy to contrast with the Vampires’ world. :smile: (I love Vampires, too, though mine are more light-hearted and family-oriented/domesticated, lol.)

    I don’t mind if it’s not challenging. I don’t remember the Sims 3 fairies being that challenging either. I think Sims 3 Witches had a power/magic meter that can deplete and regenerate, fire off spells that can potentially backfire on them. They had familiar, too, I believe.

    Spellcasters have to watch magic charge to prevent overcharging, which can kill them. As they advance, they earn perks that offset some of the risks. There are familiars in RoM as well.
    Fairies were pretty easy, so it was pretty relaxing to play them.

    I was planning to have families and couples with spellcasters mixed in with non/spellcaster members, so I guess I could pretend that the spellcaster members had important business/work or schoolwork at the Realm whenever they have to travel there, lol. :lol:

    Non Spellcasters are able to live in Glimmerbrook, so they can be close to the Realm that way. I think you’ll have fun with this!

  • ElliandreElliandre Posts: 2,468 Member
    It's really fun I love this pack. I like shopping in the magic world it has a Harry Potter Diagon Alley feel to it. You can buy a wand, a broom, various ingredients, spell books, study magic and duel other Sims with magic wands. It's kind of like Strangerville I rarely encounter magic unless I go there, whereas my Vampires are kind of showing up everywhere. I see the sages more often then I do the actual Glimmerbrook witches. I love Harry Potter so eventually I am going to add them, but for now I'm enjoying the premades and sages and my magic elves.
  • LatinaBunnyLatinaBunny Posts: 4,666 Member
    It's delightful. Some of the spells and potions are kind of cheaty in that they just fill a need, clean something etc., but some are really fun. Your spellcasters can live mostly as normal sims with magic as a little side hobby, or they can have magic be their main focus in life. RoM comes with its own world Glimmerbrook which feels almost like part of the Magic Realm and is where the portal to Magic Realm is located. There are quite a few obvious and less obvious ways to tie in magic to other pursuits, for example gardening and potions are nice to pursue together.

    I also like the fashions, which are if not really goth then goth-adjacent, and the build/buy which includes a lot of Art Nouveau curved and ornate forms.

    I don't have vampires or mermaids so can't compare them.

    I haven't had any trouble getting non-spellcasters to visit the Magic Realm. If you are not born a spellcaster, you need to go there on foot (through the portal) in the first place to begin the process of becoming one. Yes, families can visit. I don't remember if I've ever brought a toddler there, but children can visit for sure.
    Based on your answers and based on the bits of reading of the guide so far, it sounds like the new spellcasters are a bit of a combo of TS4 Vampires and a few of the occults from the older Sims games, like witches, fairies, and genies. (Genies could use spells to clean the house and such, and witches and fairies have different types of spells, both good and mischievous/bad. Witches could also do magic-duels in past Sims games.)

    “Magic-wise”, TS4 mermaids do things like summoning rain and thunderstorms (and dolphins and fish), attempt to pull down and drown other sims, and use siren songs to provide emotional buffs/debuffs to other sims. (TS3 mermaids can summon the kraken, I think.)

    So it sounds like these spellcasters are pretty similar to past occults and are a great addition to the rest of the occults of Sims 4. :smile: I hope we get fairies someday, too!

    Thanks for also sharing your thoughts about the BB/CAS and world stuff, too, @mightysprite ! :smile: And thank you for letting me know that non-spellcasters can at least go through! 🤗👍
    cyncie wrote: »
    Awww, so families can’t go with their magical loved ones or kin! :worried:

    So I guess I can treat it more like a magical academy/school then?

    That’s basically how it functions. I guess a sim could go to the Realm and not request to become a Spellcaster. I haven’t really played that way. In lore, the Realm is the remnants of a previous home world torn apart by a vortex. It’s beautiful and tragic at the same time. You’ll love that.
    The rest sounds good so far. Only other aspect I don’t like is the secretive nature of it. Can spellcasters use spells within their households, then? It sounds like they can use magic on lots, if the magic clubs are able to meet anywhere?

    Is the magical ability inheritable?

    Spellcasters can cast spells anywhere by your direction. They just won’t use spells autonomously. And little Spellcaster babies even have their own cribs and can inherit Spellcaster bloodlines that affect their ability to learn magic. Children don’t actually manifest magic until their teens, though.
    I love lighter-hearted occults like fairies and mermaids, so I’m glad it’s not another dark place, hehe! I have all of the expansion/game/stuff packs, so I would love more stuff to go well with Cottage Living. Make it into cozy-like fantasy to contrast with the Vampires’ world. :smile: (I love Vampires, too, though mine are more light-hearted and family-oriented/domesticated, lol.)

    I don’t mind if it’s not challenging. I don’t remember the Sims 3 fairies being that challenging either. I think Sims 3 Witches had a power/magic meter that can deplete and regenerate, fire off spells that can potentially backfire on them. They had familiar, too, I believe.

    Spellcasters have to watch magic charge to prevent overcharging, which can kill them. As they advance, they earn perks that offset some of the risks. There are familiars in RoM as well.
    Fairies were pretty easy, so it was pretty relaxing to play them.

    I was planning to have families and couples with spellcasters mixed in with non/spellcaster members, so I guess I could pretend that the spellcaster members had important business/work or schoolwork at the Realm whenever they have to travel there, lol. :lol:

    Non Spellcasters are able to live in Glimmerbrook, so they can be close to the Realm that way. I think you’ll have fun with this!
    Ooh, that all sounds nice! 🤗👍 I love that, like the Vampires, the spellcasters have their own bassinet design, too! :grin: I love that kind of cute detail, hehe! 🙂

    And thanks for letting me know that non-spellcasters can live in Glimmerbrook! After seeing your post, I made a non-spellcaster couple and moved them into Glimmerbrook. First step done! Now it’s time to change one of them into a spellcaster and explore the magic realm! 🪄 Thanks for the answers and info and sharing your experiences, @cyncla ! 🤗👍 All of the info has been very helpful and I appreciate you all for giving me your time to explain the pack to me. 🙂 It has certainly made me excited to try out this pack, hehe!
    Elliandre wrote: »
    It's really fun I love this pack. I like shopping in the magic world it has a Harry Potter Diagon Alley feel to it. You can buy a wand, a broom, various ingredients, spell books, study magic and duel other Sims with magic wands. It's kind of like Strangerville I rarely encounter magic unless I go there, whereas my Vampires are kind of showing up everywhere. I see the sages more often then I do the actual Glimmerbrook witches. I love Harry Potter so eventually I am going to add them, but for now I'm enjoying the premades and sages and my magic elves.
    Sounds great! 🤗👍 Glad to hear about your experience!

    I love Harry Potter, too! I went to the theme park that had it.

    I have also been getting obsessed over a Disney Japan mobile game called Twisted Wonderland, which is basically about a magical school whose dormitories revolve around the themes of various Disney villains.

    (For example, one dorm has the aesthetics and themes of Alice in Wonderland, but especially the Queen of Hearts, while another dorm revolves around Ursula the Sea Witch, and another dorm revolves around Lion King’s Scar, another revolves around Aladdin’s Jafar, etc.)

    Twisted Wonderland is getting an anime version on Disney+ for later this year or next year, and an English release of the mobile game coming up on Jan 20.

    I’m really excited about it, and Sims 4 (and my irl schoolwork) is keeping me busy while I wait.

    RoM sounds like it will give me the ability to make some inspired characters and some of the magic I’ve been craving for! (And I will also have the spellcasters play nicely with the mermaids/mermen. I just love merfolk so much, too, hehe!)

    I am just missing the fairies, but at least I am getting some of the occults I wanted! :smile: 👍

    Thank you for your thoughts and info, @Elliandre ! 🤗👍
    ~*~Occult Family Player player~*~
    (She/her)
  • ElliandreElliandre Posts: 2,468 Member
    Sounds great! 🤗👍 Glad to hear about your experience!

    I love Harry Potter, too! I went to the theme park that had it.

    I have also been getting obsessed over a Disney Japan mobile game called Twisted Wonderland, which is basically about a magical school whose dormitories revolve around the themes of various Disney villains.

    (For example, one dorm has the aesthetics and themes of Alice in Wonderland, but especially the Queen of Hearts, while another dorm revolves around Ursula the Sea Witch, and another dorm revolves around Lion King’s Scar, another revolves around Aladdin’s Jafar, etc.)

    Twisted Wonderland is getting an anime version on Disney+ for later this year or next year, and an English release of the mobile game coming up on Jan 20.

    I’m really excited about it, and Sims 4 (and my irl schoolwork) is keeping me busy while I wait.

    RoM sounds like it will give me the ability to make some inspired characters and some of the magic I’ve been craving for! (And I will also have the spellcasters play nicely with the mermaids/mermen. I just love merfolk so much, too, hehe!)

    I am just missing the fairies, but at least I am getting some of the occults I wanted! :smile: 👍

    Thank you for your thoughts and info, @Elliandre ! 🤗👍

    I really want to visit a Harry Potter theme park. I wish they had one in Canada. And I love Japan. I's one of my dreams to live there for a year, so I will check that game out, it sounds really interesting. I hope you have fun with your magic Sims I agree I think you can create a lot of great characters and stories with the occult Sims. I usually play Vampires and Spellcasters together, I never thought of Spellcasters and Mermaids I should try to come up with some stories there. I have a new mermaid Sim I created to look like Disney's Ariel I love her so much. Maybe she needs a spellcaster in her story. :smiley: And yes we really do need fairies I hope one day!!


  • LatinaBunnyLatinaBunny Posts: 4,666 Member
    edited January 2022
    I discovered a really nice fairy mod that uses stuff and systems from Realm of Magic and Seasons, and it really looks great! Got floating animations and pretty wings as well as some spells. (There are some dark-powered witches included in this mod set as well, but I’m not interested in that playing those, but they do come with the fairy mod set.)

    If this mod can work on my computer, then I will install and create another family that has a fairy and a regular RoM spellcaster couple.

    In my current vanilla game at the moment, I have one mermaid family, and another of my other families in Glimerbrook, which I plan to have a RoM spellcaster as well as a mermaid. Another family will have a vampire and maybe mermaid or human.

    As you can see, I just love making supernatural families. :smile:
    Post edited by LatinaBunny on
    ~*~Occult Family Player player~*~
    (She/her)
  • SheriSim57SheriSim57 Posts: 6,934 Member
    edited January 2022
    I made twin YA spellcasters but haven’t played them much. One has a dog, the other a cat, and they are both used as familiars, I’m glad they integrated them in the pack.

    I really liked the antiquated furniture in the pack. I was disappointed there was no traditional witch hat ( I have spooky stuff, but the hat has a spider and the outfit is more clownish ). I was also disappointed that not many spellcasters show up in my magical realm. I guess I need to make more.witches, but I own all the packs and that’s probably why there are not many ( though I kept the premades ) showing up in the Magic realm.

    I do like the brooms, wands, and variety of familiars. Also that there are spells and potions. I was a bit disappointed that so many potions were clones of the science career potions though. I miss the magic realm in making magic too.

    I did hear that there is a possible bug in magic clubs, that they burn down places.

    Glimmerbrook is a pretty world, but a bit fancier than I thought it should be, luckily cottage living has some perfect lots for witches. I like my ( few ) witches being more secretive.

    I like that magic is inheritable.

    Like others mentioned you can use herbalism, and wellness as good skills to integrate with witches.

    Overall, I do think the pack is worth it.
  • GrumpyGlowfishGrumpyGlowfish Posts: 2,207 Member
    To clarify who can and can't go to the Magic Realm: Every played sim can go there, including other occults and non-occults, children and families. It's just that any NPCs you may encounter will exclusively be spellcasters, and there isn't a lot to do for non-spellcasters unless you renovate the main building accordingly, which in its default premade state is just a big, empty warehouse with minimal furnishing, a few cauldrons and witchy collectibles. But you could, for example, place a picnic table outside and have a family picnic there with Cottage Living. I use Lilsimsie's Magic HQ in both of my saves, which is very cosy and even comes with living quarters for visitors staying overnight, but my sims mostly use the Magic Realm to buy stuff in Casters Alley.

    Now for my personal opinion: As someone who has been longing for witches since day one, I can't even imagine playing TS4 without this GP anymore. Of course, no pack is perfect, and there were a few missed opportunities, like the spells being a little too tame (most of them are basically just flashier ways to do things sims could already do before), no career involving magic, and children can't use magic or even drink potions made by older spellcasters (mine can thanks to a mod), but does that ruin the fun for me? I think the fact that I own all expansions that come with residential worlds, and every single one of those worlds has at least one witch living in it, speaks for itself... o:)
  • LatinaBunnyLatinaBunny Posts: 4,666 Member
    To clarify who can and can't go to the Magic Realm: Every played sim can go there, including other occults and non-occults, children and families. It's just that any NPCs you may encounter will exclusively be spellcasters, and there isn't a lot to do for non-spellcasters unless you renovate the main building accordingly, which in its default premade state is just a big, empty warehouse with minimal furnishing, a few cauldrons and witchy collectibles. But you could, for example, place a picnic table outside and have a family picnic there with Cottage Living. I use Lilsimsie's Magic HQ in both of my saves, which is very cosy and even comes with living quarters for visitors staying overnight, but my sims mostly use the Magic Realm to buy stuff in Casters Alley.

    Now for my personal opinion: As someone who has been longing for witches since day one, I can't even imagine playing TS4 without this GP anymore. Of course, no pack is perfect, and there were a few missed opportunities, like the spells being a little too tame (most of them are basically just flashier ways to do things sims could already do before), no career involving magic, and children can't use magic or even drink potions made by older spellcasters (mine can thanks to a mod), but does that ruin the fun for me? I think the fact that I own all expansions that come with residential worlds, and every single one of those worlds has at least one witch living in it, speaks for itself... o:)

    Oh, thank you for the tips and telling me about your RoM experience, @GrumpyGlowfish !! 🤗👍 I greatly appreciate the info and hearing these personal experiences!

    I will definitely renovate the lots to be more group/family-child-friendly, then! And I’ll look for Lilsimsie's Magic HQ, too! 🙂👍 I love cozy stuff!

    I actually managed to find a lovely fairies mod that uses RoM assets, so that will add sim fairies into my mixed magical occult/human families! 🧚‍♀️🧚‍♂️ 🧚

    It feels like RoM will definitely add that nice little magical flavor to my Sims. :blush:
    ~*~Occult Family Player player~*~
    (She/her)
  • BlkBarbiegalBlkBarbiegal Posts: 7,924 Member
    I give my "plant sims" that pretty wood wand or the use of their hands to cast the spell florial or whatever it's called, and scruberoo.
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  • MeowchaFrappeMeowchaFrappe Posts: 840 Member
    I know you have quite a few replies on this thread already and everyone has done a pretty good job explaining things, but I figure a little more input can't hurt. :)

    Realm of Magic is easily one of my top three packs (along with Cats & Dogs and Vampires) but I absolutely love witches and magic, so I may be a tiny bit biased towards it. :D

    If you have played since originally posting this, you'll have noticed that Spellcasters do have their own perks but that it's a bit different than the Vampires system as Spellcaster powers are divided up by "spells" and "perks." The easiest way I can describe it are the spells are the ones you learn through the game by practicing magic, reading tomes, and dueling, all of which give you perk points that can help you level up your spellcaster rank. The perks are much more like the vampire's power system where you use the points to buy perks. Except in this case they're not so much as powers as they are just, well... perks that help out your spellcaster with the spells/magic they already know. For example there's a perk that allows them to discharge when their meter is full which prevents them from dying from spellcaster overload and another which allows them to make potions more quickly than if they didn't have the perk.

    As others have mentioned, your Sims family/friends don't really react to them practicing magic since they don't do it autonomously. This is one of the very few issues I really have with Realm of Magic as I wish they did practice magic without being directed to do so. Or for there to at least be a lot trait that activates automatic magic use when spellcasters are on that lot. However, I think this is probably, as I mentioned in another thread another result of nerfing. Only in this instance I think Spellcasters came pre-nerfed to avoid all the anti-occult people who were just going to buy the pack anyway complaining. The only way I think your relationships could take a hit is if you directed your spellcaster to cast some sort of nasty spell on curse on them.

    The Magic Realm as a world, is definitely very beautiful and unique and has that sort of Harry Potter feel to it, but it sadly not livable which is my second of three issues with the pack, since I would love if it were liveable. It has it's own unique weather (if you have seasons) where it's always warm and cloudy. Any Sim can visit there at least, but non-spellcasters have to use the portal in Glimmerbrook whereas spellcasters just have to use the Glimmerstone which is in their inventory. The magic headquarters building isn't really the prettiest thing to look at, but that's the same as all EA builds really. And you can replace it with a different version from the gallery by activating free build mode.

    Glimmerbrook is also very pretty but way too small. Which is my final quarrel with the pack. I mean I understand budget-wise with there being a whole new world (The Magic Realm) why it's so small... but I wish it had even just a few more lots because it's by far another one of the prettiest worlds in the Sims in my opinion.

    You can make clubs with spellcasting as an activity I think, but I have yet to try this out so I'm not sure how it works.

    Overall it's a really awesome pack that I feel is well worth it, so I don't think you'll be disappointed in it. :)

    Whatever you do though... do not play the sages... or they won't be sages anymore and the game will have to generate new ones. If you don't mind this, then go for it... but I just figured I'd warn you.
  • LatinaBunnyLatinaBunny Posts: 4,666 Member
    edited January 2022
    I know you have quite a few replies on this thread already and everyone has done a pretty good job explaining things, but I figure a little more input can't hurt. :)

    Realm of Magic is easily one of my top three packs (along with Cats & Dogs and Vampires) but I absolutely love witches and magic, so I may be a tiny bit biased towards it. :D

    If you have played since originally posting this, you'll have noticed that Spellcasters do have their own perks but that it's a bit different than the Vampires system as Spellcaster powers are divided up by "spells" and "perks." The easiest way I can describe it are the spells are the ones you learn through the game by practicing magic, reading tomes, and dueling, all of which give you perk points that can help you level up your spellcaster rank. The perks are much more like the vampire's power system where you use the points to buy perks. Except in this case they're not so much as powers as they are just, well... perks that help out your spellcaster with the spells/magic they already know. For example there's a perk that allows them to discharge when their meter is full which prevents them from dying from spellcaster overload and another which allows them to make potions more quickly than if they didn't have the perk.

    As others have mentioned, your Sims family/friends don't really react to them practicing magic since they don't do it autonomously. This is one of the very few issues I really have with Realm of Magic as I wish they did practice magic without being directed to do so. Or for there to at least be a lot trait that activates automatic magic use when spellcasters are on that lot. However, I think this is probably, as I mentioned in another thread another result of nerfing. Only in this instance I think Spellcasters came pre-nerfed to avoid all the anti-occult people who were just going to buy the pack anyway complaining. The only way I think your relationships could take a hit is if you directed your spellcaster to cast some sort of nasty spell on curse on them.

    The Magic Realm as a world, is definitely very beautiful and unique and has that sort of Harry Potter feel to it, but it sadly not livable which is my second of three issues with the pack, since I would love if it were liveable. It has it's own unique weather (if you have seasons) where it's always warm and cloudy. Any Sim can visit there at least, but non-spellcasters have to use the portal in Glimmerbrook whereas spellcasters just have to use the Glimmerstone which is in their inventory. The magic headquarters building isn't really the prettiest thing to look at, but that's the same as all EA builds really. And you can replace it with a different version from the gallery by activating free build mode.

    Glimmerbrook is also very pretty but way too small. Which is my final quarrel with the pack. I mean I understand budget-wise with there being a whole new world (The Magic Realm) why it's so small... but I wish it had even just a few more lots because it's by far another one of the prettiest worlds in the Sims in my opinion.

    You can make clubs with spellcasting as an activity I think, but I have yet to try this out so I'm not sure how it works.

    Overall it's a really awesome pack that I feel is well worth it, so I don't think you'll be disappointed in it. :)

    Whatever you do though... do not play the sages... or they won't be sages anymore and the game will have to generate new ones. If you don't mind this, then go for it... but I just figured I'd warn you.

    Oh, thank you for the additional input, @MeowchaFrappe ! I always appreciate and love hearing experiences and advice from players who have delved into the packs! 🤗👍

    I haven’t gotten a chance to play the game since I had lots of schoolwork, but I did manage to create another household and moved a couple into Glimmerbrook. I gave them a nice cozy, appropriate looking (looks like it fits a spellcaster) fan-made house from the gallery and managed to make some changes and got them settled down into the place.

    Glimmerbrook looks lovely, from what bits I managed to see so far. 🤗👍 I haven’t gotten the spellcaster of the family into the magical portal yet, but I plan to take him there once I got time to play again. (One member will become a spellcaster, while his husband will become a mermaid, so it’s going to be a mixed household.) The house I got from the gallery looks like it has a cauldron, I think, so I’ll have to look at that…

    Oh, yeah. I figured the nerfing might be because of realistic-only players complaining about occults within their vicinity. (I remembered the whole debacle of the folks buying Vampires for the BB/CAS and then complaining about the existence of vampires and then vampires may have been nerfed from showing up or breaking in, I think, oof…)

    But, yes, overall, it does sound like this pack is totally up my alley! 🤗👍 I always wanted some magical beings to come back. I played lighter domestic witches in Sims 3, something like the witches that could be in Sabrina the Teenage Witch (the old 90s-2000s sitcom version, not the darker Chilling Adventures/Netflix one, though I did enjoy two seasons of that one as well, lol).

    What is free build mode? I would love to build or add more items to some lots to make some lots more child friendly or have some more needs-based items or more activities, etc. :smile:
    ~*~Occult Family Player player~*~
    (She/her)
  • MeowchaFrappeMeowchaFrappe Posts: 840 Member
    I know you have quite a few replies on this thread already and everyone has done a pretty good job explaining things, but I figure a little more input can't hurt. :)

    Realm of Magic is easily one of my top three packs (along with Cats & Dogs and Vampires) but I absolutely love witches and magic, so I may be a tiny bit biased towards it. :D

    If you have played since originally posting this, you'll have noticed that Spellcasters do have their own perks but that it's a bit different than the Vampires system as Spellcaster powers are divided up by "spells" and "perks." The easiest way I can describe it are the spells are the ones you learn through the game by practicing magic, reading tomes, and dueling, all of which give you perk points that can help you level up your spellcaster rank. The perks are much more like the vampire's power system where you use the points to buy perks. Except in this case they're not so much as powers as they are just, well... perks that help out your spellcaster with the spells/magic they already know. For example there's a perk that allows them to discharge when their meter is full which prevents them from dying from spellcaster overload and another which allows them to make potions more quickly than if they didn't have the perk.

    As others have mentioned, your Sims family/friends don't really react to them practicing magic since they don't do it autonomously. This is one of the very few issues I really have with Realm of Magic as I wish they did practice magic without being directed to do so. Or for there to at least be a lot trait that activates automatic magic use when spellcasters are on that lot. However, I think this is probably, as I mentioned in another thread another result of nerfing. Only in this instance I think Spellcasters came pre-nerfed to avoid all the anti-occult people who were just going to buy the pack anyway complaining. The only way I think your relationships could take a hit is if you directed your spellcaster to cast some sort of nasty spell on curse on them.

    The Magic Realm as a world, is definitely very beautiful and unique and has that sort of Harry Potter feel to it, but it sadly not livable which is my second of three issues with the pack, since I would love if it were liveable. It has it's own unique weather (if you have seasons) where it's always warm and cloudy. Any Sim can visit there at least, but non-spellcasters have to use the portal in Glimmerbrook whereas spellcasters just have to use the Glimmerstone which is in their inventory. The magic headquarters building isn't really the prettiest thing to look at, but that's the same as all EA builds really. And you can replace it with a different version from the gallery by activating free build mode.

    Glimmerbrook is also very pretty but way too small. Which is my final quarrel with the pack. I mean I understand budget-wise with there being a whole new world (The Magic Realm) why it's so small... but I wish it had even just a few more lots because it's by far another one of the prettiest worlds in the Sims in my opinion.

    You can make clubs with spellcasting as an activity I think, but I have yet to try this out so I'm not sure how it works.

    Overall it's a really awesome pack that I feel is well worth it, so I don't think you'll be disappointed in it. :)

    Whatever you do though... do not play the sages... or they won't be sages anymore and the game will have to generate new ones. If you don't mind this, then go for it... but I just figured I'd warn you.

    Oh, thank you for the additional input, @MeowchaFrappe ! I always appreciate and love hearing experiences and advice from players who have delved into the packs! 🤗👍

    I haven’t gotten a chance to play the game since I had lots of schoolwork, but I did manage to create another household and moved a couple into Glimmerbrook. I gave them a nice cozy, appropriate looking (looks like it fits a spellcaster) fan-made house from the gallery and managed to make some changes and got them settled down into the place.

    Glimmerbrook looks lovely, from what bits I managed to see so far. 🤗👍 I haven’t gotten the spellcaster of the family into the magical portal yet, but I plan to take him there once I got time to play again. (One member will become a spellcaster, while his husband will become a mermaid, so it’s going to be a mixed household.) The house I got from the gallery looks like it has a cauldron, I think, so I’ll have to look at that…

    Oh, yeah. I figured the nerfing might be because of realistic-only players complaining about occults within their vicinity. (I remembered the whole debacle of the folks buying Vampires for the BB/CAS and then complaining about the existence of vampires and then vampires may have been nerfed from showing up or breaking in, I think, oof…)

    But, yes, overall, it does sound like this pack is totally up my alley! 🤗👍 I always wanted some magical beings to come back. I played lighter domestic witches in Sims 3, something like the witches that could be in Sabrina the Teenage Witch (the old 90s-2000s sitcom version, not the darker Chilling Adventures/Netflix one, though I did enjoy two seasons of that one as well, lol).

    What is free build mode? I would love to build or add more items to some lots to make some lots more child friendly or have some more needs-based items or more activities, etc. :smile:

    Oh no worries at all. It's my pleasure, I'm happy to help out a fellow occult fan. :)

    There's definitely a lot of beautiful scenery in Glimmerbrook and I'm still constantly finding new whenever I really take the time to look around. So when you manage to get some more time to play, I definitely recommend just pausing your game and looking around in tab mode since you can see so much more that way.

    And the family you're creating sounds super adorable. I love mixed occult couples. One of my my favorite couples whose story is still in development is a vampire male who was born in the eleventh century during the Viking Era (but only considers himself about 200 due to being asleep for around 700 years due a spell) and a 20-something spellcaster female who comes from a well known spellcaster family but who's also super clumsy and often has magical mishaps. One accident caused her to develop a scar along one of her eyebrows which causes her to feel insecure, but considering the vampire comes from a warrior culture he actually finds that part of her to be extra beautiful and they both sort of bring out the best of each other. And oh yes, the Cauldrons are such a fun addition to the game. You can make potions or tons of mac and cheese :joy: in them. It's actually fun to watch your sim just cook a big ol' cauldron of it, and it's very helpful for feeding families too. :)

    Yep. The nerfing is definitely a result of the realistic-only players buying Vampires for the BB/CAS only and then complaining about vampire activity in their game. :/ I mean I get that not everyone is into occult play, but if you buy a pack titled Vampires, you should expect them to be in the game. They were given their own pack for a reason... and yet people still chose to buy it and complain anyway. It really makes no sense and it makes a lot of occult players really angry that the players like that end up ruining things for the rest of us. There was literally one person who around the time Paranormal came out last year, bought the pack and was playing on a Haunted House lot and then complained on twitter that the spirits were too "intrusive" yet refused to change the lot because she "wanted to play around with the haunted house lot" but didn't want the ghosts. :neutral:

    Sorry about the mini rant there, but yeah. Nerfing occults seems to be a trend with this version of the game.

    I 'll admit I haven't watched Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, mainly because I have a special attachment to Sabrina The Teenage Witch since that's what I grew up with and to me it's always going to be the the "real" Sabrina regardless of which is closer to the comics.

    And well the easiest way I can explain free build mode is, It's a basically just a cheat that you enter into the cheat console, that allows you to edit lots the game normally wouldn't allow you to in normal build mode. Like the Magic Realm and Sylvan Glade for instance. It's a sort of hidden thing not many people know about, but I absolutely love being able to replace the default Magic HQ and add a building of some sort to the Sylvan Glade. I think the code is bb.enablefreebuild but I could be wrong.
  • LatinaBunnyLatinaBunny Posts: 4,666 Member
    edited January 2022
    I know you have quite a few replies on this thread already and everyone has done a pretty good job explaining things, but I figure a little more input can't hurt. :)

    Realm of Magic is easily one of my top three packs (along with Cats & Dogs and Vampires) but I absolutely love witches and magic, so I may be a tiny bit biased towards it. :D

    If you have played since originally posting this, you'll have noticed that Spellcasters do have their own perks but that it's a bit different than the Vampires system as Spellcaster powers are divided up by "spells" and "perks." The easiest way I can describe it are the spells are the ones you learn through the game by practicing magic, reading tomes, and dueling, all of which give you perk points that can help you level up your spellcaster rank. The perks are much more like the vampire's power system where you use the points to buy perks. Except in this case they're not so much as powers as they are just, well... perks that help out your spellcaster with the spells/magic they already know. For example there's a perk that allows them to discharge when their meter is full which prevents them from dying from spellcaster overload and another which allows them to make potions more quickly than if they didn't have the perk.

    As others have mentioned, your Sims family/friends don't really react to them practicing magic since they don't do it autonomously. This is one of the very few issues I really have with Realm of Magic as I wish they did practice magic without being directed to do so. Or for there to at least be a lot trait that activates automatic magic use when spellcasters are on that lot. However, I think this is probably, as I mentioned in another thread another result of nerfing. Only in this instance I think Spellcasters came pre-nerfed to avoid all the anti-occult people who were just going to buy the pack anyway complaining. The only way I think your relationships could take a hit is if you directed your spellcaster to cast some sort of nasty spell on curse on them.

    The Magic Realm as a world, is definitely very beautiful and unique and has that sort of Harry Potter feel to it, but it sadly not livable which is my second of three issues with the pack, since I would love if it were liveable. It has it's own unique weather (if you have seasons) where it's always warm and cloudy. Any Sim can visit there at least, but non-spellcasters have to use the portal in Glimmerbrook whereas spellcasters just have to use the Glimmerstone which is in their inventory. The magic headquarters building isn't really the prettiest thing to look at, but that's the same as all EA builds really. And you can replace it with a different version from the gallery by activating free build mode.

    Glimmerbrook is also very pretty but way too small. Which is my final quarrel with the pack. I mean I understand budget-wise with there being a whole new world (The Magic Realm) why it's so small... but I wish it had even just a few more lots because it's by far another one of the prettiest worlds in the Sims in my opinion.

    You can make clubs with spellcasting as an activity I think, but I have yet to try this out so I'm not sure how it works.

    Overall it's a really awesome pack that I feel is well worth it, so I don't think you'll be disappointed in it. :)

    Whatever you do though... do not play the sages... or they won't be sages anymore and the game will have to generate new ones. If you don't mind this, then go for it... but I just figured I'd warn you.

    Oh, thank you for the additional input, @MeowchaFrappe ! I always appreciate and love hearing experiences and advice from players who have delved into the packs! 🤗👍

    I haven’t gotten a chance to play the game since I had lots of schoolwork, but I did manage to create another household and moved a couple into Glimmerbrook. I gave them a nice cozy, appropriate looking (looks like it fits a spellcaster) fan-made house from the gallery and managed to make some changes and got them settled down into the place.

    Glimmerbrook looks lovely, from what bits I managed to see so far. 🤗👍 I haven’t gotten the spellcaster of the family into the magical portal yet, but I plan to take him there once I got time to play again. (One member will become a spellcaster, while his husband will become a mermaid, so it’s going to be a mixed household.) The house I got from the gallery looks like it has a cauldron, I think, so I’ll have to look at that…

    Oh, yeah. I figured the nerfing might be because of realistic-only players complaining about occults within their vicinity. (I remembered the whole debacle of the folks buying Vampires for the BB/CAS and then complaining about the existence of vampires and then vampires may have been nerfed from showing up or breaking in, I think, oof…)

    But, yes, overall, it does sound like this pack is totally up my alley! 🤗👍 I always wanted some magical beings to come back. I played lighter domestic witches in Sims 3, something like the witches that could be in Sabrina the Teenage Witch (the old 90s-2000s sitcom version, not the darker Chilling Adventures/Netflix one, though I did enjoy two seasons of that one as well, lol).

    What is free build mode? I would love to build or add more items to some lots to make some lots more child friendly or have some more needs-based items or more activities, etc. :smile:

    Oh no worries at all. It's my pleasure, I'm happy to help out a fellow occult fan. :)

    There's definitely a lot of beautiful scenery in Glimmerbrook and I'm still constantly finding new whenever I really take the time to look around. So when you manage to get some more time to play, I definitely recommend just pausing your game and looking around in tab mode since you can see so much more that way.

    And the family you're creating sounds super adorable. I love mixed occult couples. One of my my favorite couples whose story is still in development is a vampire male who was born in the eleventh century during the Viking Era (but only considers himself about 200 due to being asleep for around 700 years due a spell) and a 20-something spellcaster female who comes from a well known spellcaster family but who's also super clumsy and often has magical mishaps. One accident caused her to develop a scar along one of her eyebrows which causes her to feel insecure, but considering the vampire comes from a warrior culture he actually finds that part of her to be extra beautiful and they both sort of bring out the best of each other. And oh yes, the Cauldrons are such a fun addition to the game. You can make potions or tons of mac and cheese :joy: in them. It's actually fun to watch your sim just cook a big ol' cauldron of it, and it's very helpful for feeding families too. :)

    Yep. The nerfing is definitely a result of the realistic-only players buying Vampires for the BB/CAS only and then complaining about vampire activity in their game. :/ I mean I get that not everyone is into occult play, but if you buy a pack titled Vampires, you should expect them to be in the game. They were given their own pack for a reason... and yet people still chose to buy it and complain anyway. It really makes no sense and it makes a lot of occult players really angry that the players like that end up ruining things for the rest of us. There was literally one person who around the time Paranormal came out last year, bought the pack and was playing on a Haunted House lot and then complained on twitter that the spirits were too "intrusive" yet refused to change the lot because she "wanted to play around with the haunted house lot" but didn't want the ghosts. :neutral:

    Sorry about the mini rant there, but yeah. Nerfing occults seems to be a trend with this version of the game.

    I 'll admit I haven't watched Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, mainly because I have a special attachment to Sabrina The Teenage Witch since that's what I grew up with and to me it's always going to be the the "real" Sabrina regardless of which is closer to the comics.

    And well the easiest way I can explain free build mode is, It's a basically just a cheat that you enter into the cheat console, that allows you to edit lots the game normally wouldn't allow you to in normal build mode. Like the Magic Realm and Sylvan Glade for instance. It's a sort of hidden thing not many people know about, but I absolutely love being able to replace the default Magic HQ and add a building of some sort to the Sylvan Glade. I think the code is bb.enablefreebuild but I could be wrong.

    Your couple sounds so cute! 🤗👍 That’s sweet how he loves her with her scars, aww. ❤️‍🩹 Their dynamic sounds wholesome and maybe funny with her clumsy mishaps, hehe! 😄

    And I totally understand the frustration with the nerf. That stinks that some folks ruin it for the rest. (I wonder if Sims 5 will handle occults the same way.)

    I’m definitely going to explore around Glimmerbrook (and other worlds I still haven’t fully explored yet)! 🤗👍 I’ll definitely check on that cheat, then! I love it when I can change some lots. 🙂

    Oh, hmm, if I wanted to drag along some non-spellcaster family members to the magic realm, would I Group all of them up with the spellcaster family member and then have the spellcaster go through the portal?
    ~*~Occult Family Player player~*~
    (She/her)
  • DaepheneDaephene Posts: 1,760 Member
    I think a lot of your questions have been answered, but I have a few comments based on my gameplay.

    My spellcaster sims took their daughter (born before they became spellcasters and thus without a magical bloodline) to the magic world multiple times. She usually spent her time fishing or socializing with the sages like a nerdy child who got along better with adults would do. It's easy to have sims make mac and cheese in one of the cauldrons and there are benches to nap on so she could pretty much take care of herself while they were there, even with the original lots. She's currently a YA having a fling with Morgyn and also with the scarecrow in her mother's garden.

    I made a different household with one sim focused on each type of magic, and I got bored with the untamed and mischief ones. Mostly because their low level spells are mostly useful for causing problems, either harassing other sims or setting things on fire, and that doesn't fit my primary playstyle. Practical magic progresses faster for me because their spells are useful so I cast them more often. I recommend a focus on practical magic or a mixed focus, unless you really like pranks or fires.

    Curses are super fun, for me. I like a little chaos in my games, but not random death so much, so curses are pretty perfect. My one sim had three when I left her last - she was green and warty, her spells often failed, and she randomly burst into laughter (which was contagious). It was the most fun session I had playing a spellcaster. I can't tell you if they resolve on their own while you play other households yet, because I have a large rotation and haven't gotten back there. But even if they do they add a fun element while they last.
  • bshag4lvbshag4lv Posts: 9,374 Member
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's a practical magic spell, home wardial that will transport the caster and others to the RoM. I haven't used it yet, but I think you can do this.
    In my house, dog hair sticks to everything but the dog.
  • LatinaBunnyLatinaBunny Posts: 4,666 Member
    Daephene wrote: »
    I think a lot of your questions have been answered, but I have a few comments based on my gameplay.

    My spellcaster sims took their daughter (born before they became spellcasters and thus without a magical bloodline) to the magic world multiple times. She usually spent her time fishing or socializing with the sages like a nerdy child who got along better with adults would do. It's easy to have sims make mac and cheese in one of the cauldrons and there are benches to nap on so she could pretty much take care of herself while they were there, even with the original lots. She's currently a YA having a fling with Morgyn and also with the scarecrow in her mother's garden.

    I made a different household with one sim focused on each type of magic, and I got bored with the untamed and mischief ones. Mostly because their low level spells are mostly useful for causing problems, either harassing other sims or setting things on fire, and that doesn't fit my primary playstyle. Practical magic progresses faster for me because their spells are useful so I cast them more often. I recommend a focus on practical magic or a mixed focus, unless you really like pranks or fires.

    Curses are super fun, for me. I like a little chaos in my games, but not random death so much, so curses are pretty perfect. My one sim had three when I left her last - she was green and warty, her spells often failed, and she randomly burst into laughter (which was contagious). It was the most fun session I had playing a spellcaster. I can't tell you if they resolve on their own while you play other households yet, because I have a large rotation and haven't gotten back there. But even if they do they add a fun element while they last.
    Thanks for sharing your experiences about your sims visiting the RoM and the spellcaster spells! 🤗👍

    Practical spells sound so… well, practical, and this, sound very useful, hehe!

    I assume the practical spells are kind of similar to genie spells in Sims 3, based on the sound of them, but I still haven’t gotten a chance to play with the spell caster stuff yet.

    I wouldn’t care for making fires, though that would be kind of funny, lol! 😄

    Thank you for sharing your experiences! I’ll definitely look into the practical spells, then.
    bshag4lv wrote: »
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's a practical magic spell, home wardial that will transport the caster and others to the RoM. I haven't used it yet, but I think you can do this.

    Oooh?? 😲 That would be awesome! I’ll keep my eyes peeled for this whenever I get the chance to play the spellcaster.
    ~*~Occult Family Player player~*~
    (She/her)
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