I play a subsaharan African island called Labadi as my main hood in sims 2! I wanted to share with you some of Labadi’s cultural lore.
Sugar Mama is well known in Labadi for her sweet sweet cooking. Plus, she always has candy to give to the kids around town. That’s how she snagged the nickname Sugar Mama. She has had to cook to survive, raising two boys and taking care of an elderly mama on her own. Through it all, she has successfully operated a “chop bar” - a Ghanaian term for a casual eatery of local cuisine (usually fufu and a variety of soups) for many years. Her chop bar is called Sugar Mama’s of course! Though the spot has some wear and tear…the food is bussin! Period 🤭
Inspired by these photos:
Happy Africa Day and I am excited to continue to celebrate my culture and traditions in game! 🫶🏾
Thank you @sailorjojogames for including me in the line up of simmers celebrating Africa Day together!
I will probably continue to post about Paralives here when I think it's relevant to the Sims community, but I'm also really enjoying the game to the point that I think I want to keep posting about it more consistently, so to keep things separate, I made a sideblog:
I was going to write this up in a reply to a specific person, but I thought it would make a better standalone post.
I think Paralives is a case where a little knowledge is a dangerous thing - if you're coming from a Sims background, some of the subtle differences can leave you way more confused and stumped than someone coming to the game completely fresh-eyed.
But having sunk the past few days into the open access, I truly feel like it has good sandbox life sim gameplay, so here are some tips for anyone coming to Paralives from a Sims background who doesn't know how to quite approach this game!
(It's very long, because I cover a lot of stuff, but I tried to make it clear enough that you can skip around to the parts that interest you:)
Quick tip for the Paramaker: In my opinion this is a really great character creator, BUT if you're coming to it from The Sims 2 or even 3, you'll need to alter your mindset. It's a lot closer to The Sims 4's CAS in that to achieve certain features you to pick a preset that's closest to what you want and edit it - you won't be able to reverse-engineer every feature from every starting point.
Visual example: If you want a rounded nose closer to the one on the left, don't start with a pointed nose like the one on the right, and vice-versa.
Below: Some more examples of features which are only or most easily attainable through presets; cleft and bulbous chins under the "chins" presets, cheekbones and jowls in the "cheeks" presets, etc.
Basically, if you're having a hard time wrangling a Para's features into what you want, double-check the related presets for a better launching pad.
Unlike The Sims 4, though, you still have the benefit of manual sliders; here's the eye modifiers for example - if I were to click and hold the button for "eye position", I could drag the mouse around to move the eye around the Parafolk's head. HOWEVER, if you click on that modifier, you can see sliders for the parameters I'm actually controlling when I do that - namely, how far apart the eyes are (width), and how high on the head they are (height). So you have the benefit of being able to sculpt your Para's head in broad strokes, and then manually edit the sliders to make very fine alterations.
And if you make a mistake, don't worry. At any time during gameplay you can open the cheat console (CTRL+SHIFT+C) and enter "editcharacter" to open up the Paramaker again and edit them as much as you want, so you aren't locked into anything.
Another Paramaker or outfitting tip: When selecting clothing with layers, check for the layering icon (outlined here in red). This allows you to swap out the clothing underneath, which you can also customise. Secondly, the tucked/untucked icon (outlined here in green) allows you to choose whether some pieces are- well, tucked in to pants or not, lol.
I like big households in The Sims, so I picked a household with 3+ Parafolk in it for my first playtest, but in retrospect I think it would have been better to start by playing a single-person household. The core mechanics of the game can take a second to get used to and there's so much in the world to explore that I think it would've been nicer to worry less about multiple Parafolk while I was still learning to walk.
The skill system in Paralives is nested: There are broader "knowledge" skills, and then other related but more focused skills under them; for example, "music" is a knowledge skill, under which are the skills "guitar", "piano", etc. Practicing a specific skill - for example, playing the guitar - will not only raise your guitar skill, but your broader music skill, too. And if you then start learning how to play the piano, your existing music skill means you will pick up the piano faster. Sometimes your Parafolk will not be able to increase the base knowledge skills, usually because of something like being in a bad mood or having low motives. So a Para who's really tired when they're practicing the guitar might still raise their guitar skill, but it won't raise their broader music skill.
Parafolk have "wants", but you get to/have to pick them, based on their emotions. Emotions in Paralives work in a similar way to moodlets in The Sims 3, in that Paras can feel multiple emotions at once, and to different degrees. These impact various things; your success rate at certain social interactions (see below), how effectively you gain skills, whether your Paras will even agree to perform actions at all, etc. Randomly, these emotions will get little exclamation marks next to them, which means your Parafolk wants to choose how they "react" to that emotion. This is a want! Click on the emotion to choose from a little list, which is decided by their personality, recent actions, hobbies, etc. The option you select from this list becomes one of their wants and the rest are discarded. Wants reset when Paralives sleep and at the end of the day, but you can pin one want to hold onto it until you fulfill it (or un-pin it).
Fulfilling Parafolks' wants earns them personality experience points. When they level up, you get to choose upgrades along trees based on their personality (vibe), social perk, and talent (hobby). These perks are less like personality traits and more like the Aspiration benefits from Sims 2 Freetime, or the Professions your farmer can choose from when skilling up in Stardew Valley. IMO they don't dictate your Parafolks' personalities or railroad them into certain behaviours. This system is definitely still being worked on and some of these perks aren't very useful lol (while others are VERY useful), but it's a neat system so far. IIRC I also had the option to add to one of my Para's Physique/Mind/Creativity/Charisma points during one level-up? I presume they might add other ways to increase or change these stats in the future, because there are some things like jobs that require you to have them to a certain level.
Socialisation in Paralives is like a series of mini event cards, and increasing friendship with other Paras is not the only or even the primary outcome. It is not like the Sims, where socialisation is a pretty shallow and easy grind until Sims achieve the relationship you want. In Paralives, the most immediate outcome of talking to other Paras is that you have the chance to improve (or dampen) your Para's mood and the mood of the Parafolk they're talking to. What mood you want your Para to be in can depend on their personality, perks, wants, goals, and the direction you want to take the conversation/relationship.
I kept falling back into the thought process that a "good" outcome from conversation cards was the same thing as 🧑🤝🧑➕➕, but that's not what a positive outcome (usually) achieves. And a "negative" interaction does not necessarily lower your relationship. Think about it more as if you are trying to keep a game of cards going: avoiding bad cards, playing neutral/bonus cards, until the card you REALLY want comes up. This might sound tedious until you realise that the right card can immediately make your Parafolk friends, or romantic interests, etc. and then the way it scales with socialisation in The Sims makes more sense. Play your (together) cards right, and you could befriend another Parafolk within a short conversation. I really enjoy the feedback loop of socialisation in Parafolks once I got the hang of it!
Your Parafolk's personalities and interests matter much more in how well they get along with other Paras. You can't just force a friendship between two clashing Paras the way you can force a friendship between any two Sims by spamming social interactions. Find a Para with a personality closer to yours and you'll have a much easier time befriending them.
There are other bonuses to conversations, too. There are cards that give you the opportunity to learn more about the Parafolk you're talking to, such as their relationship status, family, job, personality, etc. You also sometimes get options to boost your and other Para's moods, and my favourite part: talking about skills increases that skill for all interested Parafolk! (Uninterested Parafolk get bored instead, which is another good way to learn more about them.)
In The Sims, group activities - playing games, watching TV together, WooHoo, etc - often require one Sim to initiate the action, then call the other to join, or to interact with the other Sim first and ask them to start the activity together. In Paralives, similar activities are usually initiated by selecting multiple Paras and directing one of them to start. For example, click and drag to select two Paras, then click on a couch to get them to sit together and chat, or a bed to get them to "get intimate". Parafolk are also experts at body doubling and a lot of actions can be done "together"; cooking, eating, showering, walking, etc. The entire time counts as raising the conversation bar to get new together cards, so socialisation doesn't have to be a static thing like in The Sims; see how far your Paras can get going about their lives without breaking a conversation!
This gets interesting with certain needs. For example, I had two Parafolk in a group and directed both of them to use a toilet. I expected one of them just to kind of hang out while the first one did their business (gross but socially efficient), but the other Para actually hunted down a second toilet on the lot to use! Can be useful when managing multiple Parafolk's needs in a hurry?
Speaking of selecting multiple Parafolk - you can also hold down shift, then click and drag over individual Paras to add them to the group, kind of like computer files, lol. This helps you avoid including other random Paras. CTRL+U also automatically selects all the Paras in the household you're currently playing (useful with smaller families).
Parafolk not only automatically wash their hands after using the toilet, but also after cleaning and repairing objects, so keep this in mind when queuing actions 👍
Books do still exist in Paralives, but computers kind of better fill their role. Basic skilling and other grunt work is better handled by a computer than a bookcase, so if you have to choose one, choose the PC.
Careers in Paralives seem to make a LOT more use of lateral motion than The Sims, and most jobs have much higher application requirements than anything in The Sims. What I mean by that is that it makes a lot more sense to just find any job your Para qualifies for, then use that time and experience to gain skills necessary to qualify for the job they actually want (and they can suggest wants or long-term goals for certain careers, usually talent/hobby-based, which can be worth pinning and working towards). Sometimes experience in one field can allow you to qualify for a job in a different field; for example, you can work in the service industry to get enough experience in service to get a job as a waiter, which also gives you experience in the food industry, which you can use to qualify for jobs in the kitchen. You should also have your Parafolk manually apply for a job in a higher position in the same career after earning experience in their entry-level position rather than randomly waiting to get promoted from, like, a fast food line cook to a restaurateur.
If your Parafolk works in a store (e.g. the salon), then the front door is a rabbithole during their work hours. I didn't know how to best prepare my Parafolk for work so I sent them directly into the shops ahead of their shifts, but if you're doing that it's better to just let them loiter around outside; they will disappear at the front door when their shift starts and reappear when it's over, so there's no point in being actually inside the building, or even loading it at all.
Make use of the bus!! I thought the map was small enough not to need them unless I was going from one opposite end to the other, but they really are a life saver, especially for moving multiple Parafolk at once (click and drag to select all of them, then direct them to catch the bus - voila!) Learning the bus "zones" helped me break the map up into smaller chunks to get a feel of where I need to go. (Some bus stops are only the sign, not the whole shelter, for example at the base of the hospital.)
Calling Parafolk on the phone is currently borderline useless, but it's obviously something that will be fleshed out as the game grows. Instead, when you check on a Para's relationship - you see this thing here where it says "Find Parafolk"? The part that looks like a nothingly header between a banner and some actual stats?
Yeah, that's a BUTTON. Click it.
It will immediately show you on the map where that Para is so you can hunt them down like a conversation-seeking missile.
This is currently the best way to try and seek out specific Parafolk to befriend, because they're almost never home. It ALSO glitches sometimes unfortunately, but it usually works if I wait and try again later.
On the flipside you can break & enter into any Parafolk's house and they won't care. This is surely a bug and not a feature so take advantage of it while you can and just use everyone's furniture while they're out and about👍 Then bother them as much as you like when they arrive home at like, 12 AM.
Parafolk can check if they're pregnant via peeing on a stick on the toilet.
If you're lost on what to do next, check the newspaper (the one you the player read, not your Parafolk - look for the button in the top right corner of the screen) and one of the request noticeboards (there's one by the train station, usually with an exclamation mark above it). The newspaper will tell you about interesting events going on that will generally attract other Parafolk, allowing you to meet new Paras, take advantage of objects like computers or exercise equipment, etc. They also showcase areas of the map you may not have paid attention to before. The request noticeboard is a good way to befriend new Paras, earn Paradimes, and learn about mechanics such as hunting for collectibles, etc. (Note that these can sometimes be a bit glitchy, especially in befriending Parafolk I've noticed, but it's still a nice way to explore the game.)
Photo mode is super interesting and I can see how it will be incredibly powerful for machinima & storytelling, especially as they continue to iron out the kinks. But for casual gameplay screencaps I found it more useful to hit CTRL+H to hide the overlay. The navigation (click/dragging the mouse, etc) also seems to work closer to photo mode in this mode. It's kind of like cameraman mode in The Sims. The game doesn't tell you about it except for when you're in photo mode, and even then it doesn't explicitly tell you that CTRL+H still works even outside photo mode, so it's good to know early.
When it comes to decorating, a lot more objects are modular than you might think! Many can be lengthened, shortened, widened, and scaled up/down, while retaining functionality. Single beds can become queen, double, king size; bookshelves can be shrunk up or down; you can stretch one counter to size rather than placing multiple; the same table can be a tiny two-seater or a family dining table; desks and standing clothes hangers can be as wide as you want them; windows can not only go wherever you want on the wall, but be whatever dimension you need! Try it with a BUNCH of different buy AND build objects to achieve the vibes you want.
Also, this is specifically a tip for people coming from The Sims 2 since this became a lot more normalised in other Sims entries, but check objects for these three dots:
It means that object has variants, such as these matching corner, island, and cabinet counter pieces.
SAVE OFTEN! This game is in open access and bugs are inevitable. Do your part by making sure you save frequently so that you don't lose too much progress when something unintended happens. Edit: The bugs are also the reason I do not currently recommend using the game's autosave feature, because bugs aren't always immediately noticeable, and if it auto-saves after something particularly annoying or even game-breaking, that would be bad! For now I recommend double checking all the Paras in your household are "safe" (especially in places where it's easy for them to get stuck, like halfway up staircases) before saving, and saving manually.
That's it for now! I have played Paralives pretty much every day since I got it because I've wanted to, so if you have any questions, I can try my best to offer my advice from the perspective of a Simmer. 🫡
Also a heads up that you can use the pipette tool (shortcut key "I") to eyedropper anything anywhere on the map, even stuff you shouldn't be allowed to, and drop it onto your own home lot by navigating manually. This is the outdoor movie screen from the movie-in-the-park newspaper event, and the daily recipe book from the general store. I presume this will be patched out so get in while the getting's good!!
I am still writing up my thoughts on Paralives (thank you so much to @hemfbg who gifted me a copy!! 🥹 Simmer solidarity!) but I think I'll wait to play a bit longer and write it up properly rather than just stream-of-conscious-ing it, BUT here are my overall bare-bones first impressions:
Opening intro on the train was so perfect I was cheesing the whole time. Love how they handled the mini tutorial, love how they presented the default households. Not sure how this will be adapted as the game grows but it was such a lovely introduction to the game's world and the gameplay that immediately set expectations for how this game might play differently to other life sims
I think the environmental design in this game is impeccable and I hope they continue to expand the world of Paralives, not because I'm dissatisfied with the starting area (quite the opposite) but because they're so good at it I can't help but want to see what else they do
This game is not without its flaws, some understandable some less so, but a lot of the criticism I'm seeing boils down to people who have only ever played a very narrow spectrum of extremely-polished and/or AAA games saying the equivalent of "I know this game is in early access, but that's NO excuse for it to be unfinished!"
I love the bones of the social interaction system and I can't wait to see it expanded upon and smoothed out. I think most of people's annoyance with it is because they expect to be able to play this game exactly the way they played The Sims but I think socialisation in Paralives serves a completely different gameplay purpose, where relationships-building is only one facet, and while I look forward to seeing how they are going to expand on that one facet, I love how it's structured and how it ties into multiple gameplay angles. (It is obviously very limited for now though)
I like how wants are decided/picked. Overall I think the game has a good framework for balancing micro-managing with unpredictability
The lateral-move framework of the job market fascinates me and I'm looking forward to exploring it further and seeing how they develop it
Like the idea of Parafolk leveling up and gaining perks, kind of reminds me of the Free Time aspiration system and also Stardew Valley's specialisation bonuses (there's a surprising amount of SDV in Paralives which I enjoy)
Genuinely impressed by the fashion choices, I feel like they're obviously hitting a specific aesthetic but they've avoided overtly dating themselves (for the most part)
I'm fascinated by how they've baked longevity into some of their gameplay with things like the proto/dummy apartments and the user-operated stores. Being able to set any object for sale and being able to separate lots into different living quarters are both functions that exponentially increase replayability in Sims games (IMO), so it's very promising that Paralives seems to understand this from the jump. Obviously "apartments" don't function natively that way yet but I think it's obviously on their roadmap
The gameplay loop is so far fun and interesting to me; I'm still getting used to it before I jump into playing multiple households, but I can see a lot of potential there to play rotationally that I felt was a huge struggle in both TS3 and TS4. Once I feel like I've exhausted everything in the base world with the default families and lots, I might explore an empty world function on a new save and see how the game handles, like, a BaCC-style challenge 🤔
When I was posting and sharing CC of my own, I admit, I often kept my mouth shut and skirted the edges of conflict for my own preservation and peace. But the things I've seen just from a single scroll of my feed today are truly, truly awful.
AI generated CC previews, early access CC for Paralives (an indie game IN early access), and low/questionable quality CC for sale in the Sims marketplace.
What the fuck happened where folks think any of this is okay or normal?
If we don't speak up, hold people accountable, and examine why these things are harmful, it's only going to get worse. Keeping the peace is one thing, but staying silent in the wake of the pure bastardization and exploitation of art is another.
Some screencaps of my total Sims aesthetic overhaul project. Needs some big tweaks but it’s all coming together, though I did hit a snag with the lighting mod - but I think I found a way to fix it, which might fix another less-glaring problem I’d been having (fingers crossed). Teal-background pictures are actually outdoor lighting, with an EAxis hair retexture and an untouched EAxis swimsuit. Last photo is indoor lighting (with one lamp) and some hastily-made proof-of-concept EAxis clothing recolours (didn’t bother changing the shoes). Caps are unedited except for cropping - this is exactly how it looks in-game.
Her face is meant to be pretty undetailed because I plan on building Sim features up using makeup masks for things like nose shape, eyelids, lips, etc. but not so undetailed that it would be scary without any masks.
So, in the Sims basegame objects.package, there's a semi-functional DnD-style roleplaying game table which, from its limited options when other people poked at and play-tested it, seemed like it was going to have one player act as the game master and then other Sims would change into LARP-y costumes so they could play different classes (it's theorised that this was the purpose of the hidden basegame warrior AF outfit with the super-cleavage, but that connection isn't proven).
Given the Sims 2 modding community is on steroids atm, has anyone ever actually looked at finishing it as lost-and-found TS2 content? I don't know enough to know how broken it is or even how it would ideally function, but it's a neat concept.
I would happily contribute texture-making or copy-writing (and even basic meshing/frankenmeshing) if other people were interested in the code. I'm about to head to bed so I can't go digging myself but it got me thinking that it would be a fun thing for potential hobby and skill building with a social element 🤔
THANK YOUUU to @3snappingrectangles for hooking me up! I KNEW I wasn't imagining things (just wasn't in the basegame files, it was in Castaway Stories):
It seems like it's almost fully-functional as-is? I tested it and here are the current problems I would LOVE to collaborate with someone to fix:
The BIGGEST problem that stops this from being usable is how limited the animations are - a Sim "rolls", then Sims react either positively or negatively. But it seems like since that rolling animation doesn't exist, it defaults to all the Sims belching clouds all over each other lmao. Not sure what animations would be best to replace 🤔 Maybe a generic swipe/clear? One of the poker table animations? I'm sure someone who knows this stuff could add more player reactions to rolls, too.
The table just pulls the basegame card table as its mesh (which means it's non-recolourable). Would love to make a custom model to replace this - in an ideal world it would be an object you had to place on a separate table (so players could mix-and-match), but I'd make a full table-sized model if necessary (with an invisible recolour, players could still use different tables). Would just need some help getting the table to point to this new mesh 👍
The table is a Logic skilling object (YIPPEEEEE) and that all seems to function, except there's no notification that a Sim has gained a skill point. If someone can add that, I can write the flavour text (for other things too, like the catalogue description, etc.) Would be cool if the notification was different depending on which role the Sim was playing?
Object currently only functions for adults and elders (the catalogue flag says it's a University object, which is the EP I presume it was made for before it got scrapped [makes sense - def associate DnD with college geeks haha] - so I assume it works for young adults too, but haven't checked). Would love to enable it for teens too?
Sims change outfits to play the game - this functions, but the outfits are all placeholders, as you can see in the picture above. Would love to offer two versions - one which redirects these to other in-game outfits (obviously that legendary unused AF warrior outfit would finally have a purpose) and another which directs them to bespoke CC outfits I'd be happy to make! Not sure how to handle the gender split though (or possibility of added teen functionality)
If anyone wants to poke at the files I uploaded them here. It functions (annoyingly 🤢) in the game if you change its catalogue flags in SimPE.
One of my favourite parts of CC-free building in The Sims 2 is trying to "sell" a lot themed around something which doesn't actually exist in the game, at least not as cohesively as other game mechanics or themes.
Like, making a gym or bowling alley or aquarium or library? Those are easier to sell, because the game actually has those mechanics, and the catalogue provides you with ample tools (decorations, interactive objects, Sim behaviours, etc) to help theme your lot.
But building a winery? Well, wine-making doesn't exist in The Sims 2, so much (looking enviously at TS3:WA). But you can glean bits and pieces. This table has a grapevine mosaic on it! This carpet tile also has grapes for some reason? There's that painting of the lady with the grape dress. There's a nectar bar and "juice" racks, not to mention tended bars, even if they don't serve wine (we can pretend). You can fake a grape trellis with this purple-flowered bush and this foundation wall, if you squint. These flower planters in half-barrels imply the existence of whole barrels. Where? Somewhere around here, maybe. Ivy ivy ivy.
And as you gradually cobble together all these different build/buy elements from different expansion packs, made years apart, which were never necessarily intended to be paired up, you take a step back and go- Oh! A winery!
And it feels like making a big warm coat out of fabric scraps :)
So, in the Sims basegame objects.package, there's a semi-functional DnD-style roleplaying game table which, from its limited options when other people poked at and play-tested it, seemed like it was going to have one player act as the game master and then other Sims would change into LARP-y costumes so they could play different classes (it's theorised that this was the purpose of the hidden basegame warrior AF outfit with the super-cleavage, but that connection isn't proven).
Given the Sims 2 modding community is on steroids atm, has anyone ever actually looked at finishing it as lost-and-found TS2 content? I don't know enough to know how broken it is or even how it would ideally function, but it's a neat concept.
I would happily contribute texture-making or copy-writing (and even basic meshing/frankenmeshing) if other people were interested in the code. I'm about to head to bed so I can't go digging myself but it got me thinking that it would be a fun thing for potential hobby and skill building with a social element 🤔
