I see that this thread has been exiled to where threads like this are sent to die. Oh, well, the word is already spreading.
Right now, the new game has a very, very long way to go. However, this community is patient. We've been waiting for the next best thing for nearly twenty years. Is this game the possible Sim-killer? I doubt it, but it's a start.
Observations:
I see that the game does have characters in it already. Good.
However, what little we've been shown is rudimentary -- back to TS1 paddle hands rudimentary. And yet, from the little GIF that was shown of petting the dog, it seems like the character in the chair is responding to what is happening. It appears to lean forward as if watching.
If that is the case, that is what I want! It's what I need to see in a life simulation. I want characters that respond to the world around them. In TS2, they do so at a masterclass level. TS3 Sims are more detached, yet, they are savants in comparison to the Sims in TS4. Perhaps, this new game will focus on more of that type of interaction and less of the lone-Sim activities and interactions of TS4. No dancing together, no skating together, TS4 Sims do nothing together, really, unless the Sims are solidly planted on the spot and not expected to move.
My second observation is that, if this game is legit and it ever makes it to publication, the build mode is already more advanced than TS4's. Which is an exceptional feat for what seems to be such a small team? Can you imagine a game with so much object flexibility?
Modifiable windows and curtains
curved walls and the way that the stairs slide along the curve to wherever the builder wants it, which also included curved pool walls and pool stairs
an interior platform that can be smoothly adjusted in shape and height
diagonal walls that aren't restricted to a grid and stairs which can be made into any configuration, including diagonal stairs
Apparently, the creator of Paralives can imagine it and I'm here for it! It means that I wouldn't have to download so many CC objects, because I can make do with what's already in the game. Perfect.
The downside is that it looks like this game will consist of a world that's pretty much static, like TS4's worlds. That little setting with the pergola and (?) chairs is nice. However, I wonder if it can be changed by the player? Honestly, I'm very turned off by things like that. There's so much of the decorative and un-modifiable stuff in TS4 that I'm exhausted by it.
In TS3, I use one of Inge's mods to create tiny 5x5 and 10x10 lots that I place all around the worlds to make small, useful spaces such as bus stops, subway stops, news kiosks, and small seating areas such as the one in the GIF. I redecorate them according to Season. If I get tired of them, I delete them or put something else in. That is the kind of world customization that I would love to see in future life simulations. That and so much more.
I'm also a bit disappointed with the art style. It reminds me of other indie games these days. For a life simulator, I'd expect more. I hope for more. Visuals have a lot to do with helping me to connect with a virtual world. Perhaps as the game develops, the art style will change and improve. Perhaps not. Still, if the gameplay made up for the lack of visual quality, I'd find a way to adjust. Trust.
Anyway, I hope that Paralives is legit. Because I'm stoked and I can't wait to see more.
Some people have been compiling Alex the developer's comments on Discord, and he says that he plans to ship with 1 world on release, and you can add lots. CAW and other premade worlds will follow
Some people have been compiling Alex the developer's comments on Discord, and he says that he plans to ship with 1 world on release, and you can add lots. CAW and other premade worlds will follow
Ahhh he plans to have a wide array of furniture available for resizing via the method we saw with windows. Everything from bookcases to beds. And being able to open windows sounds like a nice touch. Curved pools are already possible, houseboats are buildable from scratch, cars, bikes and smaller boats are present, windows can fit curved walls if they're not too steep, he likes the idea of bunk beds... The fact he actively responds to players ideas is immensely refreshing.
Someone brought up the idea of personality tuning and he likes that. Characters with similar traits could have different extremes. So, if we put the idea in the perspective of The Sims, imagine if you could tune emotional traits. Have one Sim with the Gloomy trait occasionally get a +1 sad moodlet, whilst another Sim with the same trait might get a +3.
He's also experimenting with gradual aging with a height slider, though it seems like a very difficult thing to do. Still, props for trying. He did give a response based on how he could potentially adjust animations, such as hugging, to take a height slider into account.
It's being optimised for older PCs but its engine means it can take full advantage of more powerful systems too. Those who can handle high settings can have higher levels of detail.
I really do hope he does well with this. He clearly has a lot of passion, I just hope it can carry him through and get him to where he needs to be to really take off.
Some people have been compiling Alex the developer's comments on Discord, and he says that he plans to ship with 1 world on release, and you can add lots. CAW and other premade worlds will follow
Some people have been compiling Alex the developer's comments on Discord, and he says that he plans to ship with 1 world on release, and you can add lots. CAW and other premade worlds will follow
Some people have been compiling Alex the developer's comments on Discord, and he says that he plans to ship with 1 world on release, and you can add lots. CAW and other premade worlds will follow
Only ONE world???? YIKES that's even more disappointing. Hello TS1!
Yet The Sims 4's world infrastructure is exactly like The Sims 1's, where you can't add lots, only edit existing ones. A single world in another game with the ability to customize and set your lots anywhere would give so much more flexibility than The Sims 4 with all present worlds combined.
Some people have been compiling Alex the developer's comments on Discord, and he says that he plans to ship with 1 world on release, and you can add lots. CAW and other premade worlds will follow
What is one world? I dot get what it is. Ive only payed the sims 4, so I dont know the difference.
It's probably going to be something similar to TS3. One big open world with the ability to place lots almost anywhere you want.
He'll add more worlds after release.
I think this is kind of rude to be honest.. Coming onto a sims forum and posting about another game is just kind of rude to me. Regardless on how you feel about TS franchise.
I don't think this game will effect EA at all tbh and I think people will try the new game out then come back to this game.
What is one world? I dot get what it is. Ive only payed the sims 4, so I dont know the difference.
In TS2 and TS3, you can create huge worlds (or even small ones if you like) and place as many lots anywhere in the world. You can also make the world any type of environment you want or a combination of. As a result, there are hundreds of worlds that other simmers have made for these games that you can download to play. This is why so many people still play these games for so many years - 15 years for TS2 and 10 years for TS3. TS4 has these tiny neighborhoods they call worlds, but you can't create any new ones and you can't change anything in the current ones except build on the few lots it already has. It's very limiting to creativity and how you want to play it and it gets boring since it's the same old worlds and very little game play.
You should venture out and try the previous games - they really are a lot better in terms of gameplay and creativity and not dumbed down like TS4.
Paralives looks like it is following after TS2 and TS3 to allow simmers to create and edit their own worlds.
@Carerx I wouldn't start buying an earlier game in the Sims series unless you have a lot of money to spare,.
Reasons: Even a Stuff pack for Sims 3 costs £14.99 (UK) still.The Starter pack with Basegame, Late Night and High End Loft stuff is £29.99 UK price so you could try that but so are all the later Expansion Packs at £29.99. You cannot buy a complete collection as it is still selling too well pack by pack. Even then it is full of bugs that modders have dealt with.
Origin don't stock Sims 2 at all for sale anymore and Sims 1 is not on sale and doesn't play on Windows 10 machines.
You might be the person who starts with a new game like this, like we did with Sims 1!
I think this is kind of rude to be honest.. Coming onto a sims forum and posting about another game is just kind of rude to me. Regardless on how you feel about TS franchise.
I don't think this game will effect EA at all tbh and I think people will try the new game out then come back to this game.
I don't think it's rude at all. Plenty of other games get mentioned on the forums, and other sites for comparison purposes or other reasons. And if they were doing a better job with The Sims series I don't think there'd be players considering this as an opportunity to jump ship rather than a chance to have another life simulator to enjoy along with The Sims.
What's rude to me is releasing a product, hardly fixing it, and leaving players who are savvy at that type of work to fix the problems when you, the creators of the product in question, got paid to make it. That's beyond rude, and also part of the reason players were craving competion in the first place.
Things we were told are too hard or complex or that we've never seen in The Sims series period, that just weren't going to happen (because why shove all that in the base game when they need to make a profit), we're already seeing in a game that's far from being completed.
I think this is kind of rude to be honest.. Coming onto a sims forum and posting about another game is just kind of rude to me. Regardless on how you feel about TS franchise.
I don't think this game will effect EA at all tbh and I think people will try the new game out then come back to this game.
I don't think it's rude at all. Plenty of other games get mentioned on the forums, and other sites for comparison purposes or other reasons. And if they were doing a better job with The Sims series I don't think there'd be players considering this as an opportunity to jump ship rather than a chance to have another life simulator to enjoy along with The Sims.
What's rude to me is releasing a product, hardly fixing it, and leaving players who are savvy at that type of work to fix the problems when you, the creators of the product in question, got paid to make it. That's beyond rude, and also part of the reason players were craving competion in the first place.
Things we were told are too hard or complex or that we've never seen in The Sims series period, that just weren't going to happen (because why shove all that in the base game when they need to make a profit), we're already seeing in a game that's far from being completed.
But is it counted as advertising though? I expect if it comes onto the market for real you wouldn't be able to mention it on the Official Forum. They've already moved it to Off Topic....
I think this is kind of rude to be honest.. Coming onto a sims forum and posting about another game is just kind of rude to me. Regardless on how you feel about TS franchise.
I don't think this game will effect EA at all tbh and I think people will try the new game out then come back to this game.
I don't think it's rude at all. Plenty of other games get mentioned on the forums, and other sites for comparison purposes or other reasons. And if they were doing a better job with The Sims series I don't think there'd be players considering this as an opportunity to jump ship rather than a chance to have another life simulator to enjoy along with The Sims.
What's rude to me is releasing a product, hardly fixing it, and leaving players who are savvy at that type of work to fix the problems when you, the creators of the product in question, got paid to make it. That's beyond rude, and also part of the reason players were craving competion in the first place.
Things we were told are too hard or complex or that we've never seen in The Sims series period, that just weren't going to happen (because why shove all that in the base game when they need to make a profit), we're already seeing in a game that's far from being completed.
But is it counted as advertising though? I expect if it comes onto the market for real you wouldn't be able to mention it on the Official Forum. They've already moved it to Off Topic....
Unless we all work for Alex Masse, it's not advertising. Advertising is communication between the creators of a product/service and potential customers.
I think this is kind of rude to be honest.. Coming onto a sims forum and posting about another game is just kind of rude to me. Regardless on how you feel about TS franchise.
I don't think this game will effect EA at all tbh and I think people will try the new game out then come back to this game.
I don't think it's rude at all. Plenty of other games get mentioned on the forums, and other sites for comparison purposes or other reasons. And if they were doing a better job with The Sims series I don't think there'd be players considering this as an opportunity to jump ship rather than a chance to have another life simulator to enjoy along with The Sims.
What's rude to me is releasing a product, hardly fixing it, and leaving players who are savvy at that type of work to fix the problems when you, the creators of the product in question, got paid to make it. That's beyond rude, and also part of the reason players were craving competion in the first place.
Things we were told are too hard or complex or that we've never seen in The Sims series period, that just weren't going to happen (because why shove all that in the base game when they need to make a profit), we're already seeing in a game that's far from being completed.
But is it counted as advertising though? I expect if it comes onto the market for real you wouldn't be able to mention it on the Official Forum. They've already moved it to Off Topic....
I don't think it does. No one is advertising for all the other video games they mention and most of those are on the market though not direct competitors like GTA for example. If they feel intimidated by talking about another game, especially one that could be competition, enough to deem it advertisement to talk about it and want to close discussions on it then that would really say a lot. I don't necessarily think they feel threatened, at least not yet.
I think the reason it was moved here is because it's mostly about another game not that it's competition. Other threads that mention it are still where they were because the main topic was The Sims but this new game being competition was the main topic in this case.
I think this is kind of rude to be honest.. Coming onto a sims forum and posting about another game is just kind of rude to me. Regardless on how you feel about TS franchise.
I don't think this game will effect EA at all tbh and I think people will try the new game out then come back to this game.
Let's talk about loyalty. I've been a very loyal customer of EA since downloading Sims 3 for the first time. I came from a dolls houses and miniatures background, because I love making model dolls houses, decorating them and making miniature objects. My house is full of dolls houses, miniature objects and 1/12th scale dolls!
But then I found Sims 3 with its open world, Create a World, Create a Pattern and CasT. I was in my element. Now, not only could I make my houses, but I could make towns, even whole neighbourhoods and worlds! Better still, I could actually get to experience walking around whatever I built with my sim, who I had quite a lot of control over. Yes, I was hooked and became a very loyal customer and money in my pocket to prove it.
But then, EA decided to make changes. They took away open world, Create a World, Create a Pattern and CasT. Not even a colour wheel in its place! No longer could I create and edit worlds, towns and neighbourhoods. I can't even create a Sim who acts in any particular way because no matter what you do in Create a Sim, they all turn out the same during gameplay anyway.
So if I find myself being attracted to another game which hints of offering back those things which originally hooked me onto the Sims, who is being disloyal? Me for wanting to find those lost aspects of the game which EA decided to take out? Or EA for taking them out in Sims 4, causing me to look elsewhere for my enjoyment?
@Carerx I wouldn't start buying an earlier game in the Sims series unless you have a lot of money to spare,.
Reasons: Even a Stuff pack for Sims 3 costs £14.99 (UK) still.The Starter pack with Basegame, Late Night and High End Loft stuff is £29.99 UK price so you could try that but so are all the later Expansion Packs at £29.99. You cannot buy a complete collection as it is still selling too well pack by pack. Even then it is full of bugs that modders have dealt with.
Origin don't stock Sims 2 at all for sale anymore and Sims 1 is not on sale and doesn't play on Windows 10 machines.
You might be the person who starts with a new game like this, like we did with Sims 1!
@Carerx - The Sims 3 is actually a better game - it is 100% open world meaning once you enter a TS3 world, there are no loading screens at all so there is no break in the immersion. Yes, driving a car through a TS3 world is breath-taking and amazing, but so are the other modes of transportation: boats, jet skis, paddle boats, horse, hover board, bicycle, jet pack, air balloon, broomstick, vacuum cleaner and more futuristic vehicles.
It's also a lot more affordable than TS4 and you get more gameplay and content in each pack. It's also a complete game - stable, and all the bugs have been identified and documented, with solutions and work-arounds so that it is completely playable. It is also flexible not only in customizing worlds, lots and sims, but also customizable in your type of gameplay. That's why it still has a thriving, active and still growing community.
The best place to buy The Sims 3 is at Steam during their world-wide Summer and Winter (Christmas) sales. Base game and all packs are only $4.99 each at that time. Sometimes Steam will bundle the whole collection for an even greater discount. Steam sells world-wide so easily accessible to most people. You can install the game in Steam, but you can also install the game in Origin.
-=<*>=-
I'm sad to say that The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection isn't being sold anymore or given away free to people who already own the original game and packs. That was also a closed world like TS4, only much, MUCH better with more customization and meaningful gameplay. It was really coded well and only has a few bugs.
TS1 of course was the very first one. It's harder to level up in careers and you had to work more on building relationships, but it too was packed full of great gameplay and content. It's still so much fun after all these years. I know TS2 is famous for it's Open For Business EP, but creating restaurants and businesses here are super easy and works great with no bugs!
Come to think of it, I'm actually sad for the new people who have never played the old TS iterations. If you thought TS4 was amazing, the older games are a hundred times even more so in terms of content and gameplay. This is why so many people are disappointed with TS4 and are willing to give Paralives a chance. That dev looks like they grew up with the older TS iterations and wants to develop a life sim game inspired by them and wants to add more innovative features on top of that.
Comments
Gentlemen, from this day forward... you will all refer to me by the name... Betty... myahhahah!
Right now, the new game has a very, very long way to go. However, this community is patient. We've been waiting for the next best thing for nearly twenty years. Is this game the possible Sim-killer? I doubt it, but it's a start.
Observations:
I see that the game does have characters in it already. Good.
However, what little we've been shown is rudimentary -- back to TS1 paddle hands rudimentary. And yet, from the little GIF that was shown of petting the dog, it seems like the character in the chair is responding to what is happening. It appears to lean forward as if watching.
If that is the case, that is what I want! It's what I need to see in a life simulation. I want characters that respond to the world around them. In TS2, they do so at a masterclass level. TS3 Sims are more detached, yet, they are savants in comparison to the Sims in TS4. Perhaps, this new game will focus on more of that type of interaction and less of the lone-Sim activities and interactions of TS4. No dancing together, no skating together, TS4 Sims do nothing together, really, unless the Sims are solidly planted on the spot and not expected to move.
My second observation is that, if this game is legit and it ever makes it to publication, the build mode is already more advanced than TS4's. Which is an exceptional feat for what seems to be such a small team? Can you imagine a game with so much object flexibility?
Apparently, the creator of Paralives can imagine it and I'm here for it! It means that I wouldn't have to download so many CC objects, because I can make do with what's already in the game. Perfect.
The downside is that it looks like this game will consist of a world that's pretty much static, like TS4's worlds. That little setting with the pergola and (?) chairs is nice. However, I wonder if it can be changed by the player? Honestly, I'm very turned off by things like that. There's so much of the decorative and un-modifiable stuff in TS4 that I'm exhausted by it.
In TS3, I use one of Inge's mods to create tiny 5x5 and 10x10 lots that I place all around the worlds to make small, useful spaces such as bus stops, subway stops, news kiosks, and small seating areas such as the one in the GIF. I redecorate them according to Season. If I get tired of them, I delete them or put something else in. That is the kind of world customization that I would love to see in future life simulations. That and so much more.
I'm also a bit disappointed with the art style. It reminds me of other indie games these days. For a life simulator, I'd expect more. I hope for more. Visuals have a lot to do with helping me to connect with a virtual world. Perhaps as the game develops, the art style will change and improve. Perhaps not. Still, if the gameplay made up for the lack of visual quality, I'd find a way to adjust. Trust.
Anyway, I hope that Paralives is legit. Because I'm stoked and I can't wait to see more.
https://forums.paraliveshub.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6&p=19&sid=5dcb57be035a676e74791aa9a41c0323#p19
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Nice.
Thanks for the link!
That's what I was thinking too, so I bookmarked this thread.
Someone brought up the idea of personality tuning and he likes that. Characters with similar traits could have different extremes. So, if we put the idea in the perspective of The Sims, imagine if you could tune emotional traits. Have one Sim with the Gloomy trait occasionally get a +1 sad moodlet, whilst another Sim with the same trait might get a +3.
He's also experimenting with gradual aging with a height slider, though it seems like a very difficult thing to do. Still, props for trying. He did give a response based on how he could potentially adjust animations, such as hugging, to take a height slider into account.
It's being optimised for older PCs but its engine means it can take full advantage of more powerful systems too. Those who can handle high settings can have higher levels of detail.
I really do hope he does well with this. He clearly has a lot of passion, I just hope it can carry him through and get him to where he needs to be to really take off.
Only ONE world???? YIKES that's even more disappointing. Hello TS1!
One open, fully customisable world, which automatically beats out The Sims 4 from a creative standpoint. CAW coming later only cements that win.
Yet The Sims 4's world infrastructure is exactly like The Sims 1's, where you can't add lots, only edit existing ones. A single world in another game with the ability to customize and set your lots anywhere would give so much more flexibility than The Sims 4 with all present worlds combined.
honestly you already expressed that youre not interested. We get it. I get it. And frankly I dont care.
Lets move on please. NEXT.
I don't think this game will effect EA at all tbh and I think people will try the new game out then come back to this game.
In TS2 and TS3, you can create huge worlds (or even small ones if you like) and place as many lots anywhere in the world. You can also make the world any type of environment you want or a combination of. As a result, there are hundreds of worlds that other simmers have made for these games that you can download to play. This is why so many people still play these games for so many years - 15 years for TS2 and 10 years for TS3. TS4 has these tiny neighborhoods they call worlds, but you can't create any new ones and you can't change anything in the current ones except build on the few lots it already has. It's very limiting to creativity and how you want to play it and it gets boring since it's the same old worlds and very little game play.
You should venture out and try the previous games - they really are a lot better in terms of gameplay and creativity and not dumbed down like TS4.
Paralives looks like it is following after TS2 and TS3 to allow simmers to create and edit their own worlds.
Reasons: Even a Stuff pack for Sims 3 costs £14.99 (UK) still.The Starter pack with Basegame, Late Night and High End Loft stuff is £29.99 UK price so you could try that but so are all the later Expansion Packs at £29.99. You cannot buy a complete collection as it is still selling too well pack by pack. Even then it is full of bugs that modders have dealt with.
Origin don't stock Sims 2 at all for sale anymore and Sims 1 is not on sale and doesn't play on Windows 10 machines.
You might be the person who starts with a new game like this, like we did with Sims 1!
I don't think it's rude at all. Plenty of other games get mentioned on the forums, and other sites for comparison purposes or other reasons. And if they were doing a better job with The Sims series I don't think there'd be players considering this as an opportunity to jump ship rather than a chance to have another life simulator to enjoy along with The Sims.
What's rude to me is releasing a product, hardly fixing it, and leaving players who are savvy at that type of work to fix the problems when you, the creators of the product in question, got paid to make it. That's beyond rude, and also part of the reason players were craving competion in the first place.
Things we were told are too hard or complex or that we've never seen in The Sims series period, that just weren't going to happen (because why shove all that in the base game when they need to make a profit), we're already seeing in a game that's far from being completed.
But is it counted as advertising though? I expect if it comes onto the market for real you wouldn't be able to mention it on the Official Forum. They've already moved it to Off Topic....
Unless we all work for Alex Masse, it's not advertising. Advertising is communication between the creators of a product/service and potential customers.
I don't think it does. No one is advertising for all the other video games they mention and most of those are on the market though not direct competitors like GTA for example. If they feel intimidated by talking about another game, especially one that could be competition, enough to deem it advertisement to talk about it and want to close discussions on it then that would really say a lot. I don't necessarily think they feel threatened, at least not yet.
I think the reason it was moved here is because it's mostly about another game not that it's competition. Other threads that mention it are still where they were because the main topic was The Sims but this new game being competition was the main topic in this case.
How exactly is this rude? Lol...
But then I found Sims 3 with its open world, Create a World, Create a Pattern and CasT. I was in my element. Now, not only could I make my houses, but I could make towns, even whole neighbourhoods and worlds! Better still, I could actually get to experience walking around whatever I built with my sim, who I had quite a lot of control over. Yes, I was hooked and became a very loyal customer and money in my pocket to prove it.
But then, EA decided to make changes. They took away open world, Create a World, Create a Pattern and CasT. Not even a colour wheel in its place! No longer could I create and edit worlds, towns and neighbourhoods. I can't even create a Sim who acts in any particular way because no matter what you do in Create a Sim, they all turn out the same during gameplay anyway.
So if I find myself being attracted to another game which hints of offering back those things which originally hooked me onto the Sims, who is being disloyal? Me for wanting to find those lost aspects of the game which EA decided to take out? Or EA for taking them out in Sims 4, causing me to look elsewhere for my enjoyment?
You decide!
@Carerx - The Sims 3 is actually a better game - it is 100% open world meaning once you enter a TS3 world, there are no loading screens at all so there is no break in the immersion. Yes, driving a car through a TS3 world is breath-taking and amazing, but so are the other modes of transportation: boats, jet skis, paddle boats, horse, hover board, bicycle, jet pack, air balloon, broomstick, vacuum cleaner and more futuristic vehicles.
It's also a lot more affordable than TS4 and you get more gameplay and content in each pack. It's also a complete game - stable, and all the bugs have been identified and documented, with solutions and work-arounds so that it is completely playable. It is also flexible not only in customizing worlds, lots and sims, but also customizable in your type of gameplay. That's why it still has a thriving, active and still growing community.
The best place to buy The Sims 3 is at Steam during their world-wide Summer and Winter (Christmas) sales. Base game and all packs are only $4.99 each at that time. Sometimes Steam will bundle the whole collection for an even greater discount. Steam sells world-wide so easily accessible to most people. You can install the game in Steam, but you can also install the game in Origin.
-=<*>=-
I'm sad to say that The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection isn't being sold anymore or given away free to people who already own the original game and packs. That was also a closed world like TS4, only much, MUCH better with more customization and meaningful gameplay. It was really coded well and only has a few bugs.
TS1 of course was the very first one. It's harder to level up in careers and you had to work more on building relationships, but it too was packed full of great gameplay and content. It's still so much fun after all these years. I know TS2 is famous for it's Open For Business EP, but creating restaurants and businesses here are super easy and works great with no bugs!
Come to think of it, I'm actually sad for the new people who have never played the old TS iterations. If you thought TS4 was amazing, the older games are a hundred times even more so in terms of content and gameplay. This is why so many people are disappointed with TS4 and are willing to give Paralives a chance. That dev looks like they grew up with the older TS iterations and wants to develop a life sim game inspired by them and wants to add more innovative features on top of that.