#i just. i need the worlds and mechanics of that game. sims 4 feels so small and lifeless. and i don’t want to shell out everything i own

[sparky-is-spiders]

There is nothing I want more in this world than for the Sims 3 to have Sims 4 Werewolf, Vampire, and gender mechanics I’m so fucking serious I would sell my SOUL for a transgender furry wolf lifesim with a supernatural progression system.

[mllemaenad]

So – Bethesda broke Fallout 4's script extender. Because of course they did. What better way to celebrate the release of your new TV show than to stall people's ongoing playthroughs? Excellent work. I don't even want an Enclave quest. It's Creation Club nonsense, so it won't actually be a proper quest anyway.

I want to finish my Sim Settlements 2 playthrough. Ugh.

So while I'm waiting for the dust to settle on that, I thought I'd give Fallout 76 another go. I am rebuilding my mod list for Fallout 3, but that's a work in progress. And Fallout 76 is right there.

I created a new character, because I haven't played this thing in ages and I know they've changed a bunch of the mechanics. And oh - ha. I mean, I had thought from the beginning that creating a game without NPCs was a terrible idea, because it's hard to invest in saving an empty world. But the addition of them makes playing the game's original main quest a distinctly bizarre experience.

I don't mean that I'm suddenly pro-empty world. Not at all. In general the presence of factions and personalities and people you can care about it a good thing.

But when they made this game, the writers and quest designers were given "empty world" as a parameter within which they had to work. And they did.

It's sort of an interesting, even bold, choice for a storyline because it does not allow you to feel good about yourself at all. Most Fallout games do. Oh, you can play evil if you want, sure, and there are a handful of side quests that are genuinely no win scenarios. But mostly? You can save the world. And you will probably have a better experience if you try to: there's more to do when you talk to the NPCs and deal with their problems rather than just murdering everyone and taking their stuff.

But Fallout 76 is just judging you.

I keep thinking about its promotional song – that really upbeat cover of Take Me Home, Country Roads, and all the imagery in the old trailer, about rebuilding and looking to the future. But all of that is functionally a lie, and the key lines in that song come towards the end:

I hear her voice in the mornin' hour, she calls me The radio reminds me of my home far away Drivin' down the road, I get a feelin' That I should've been home yesterday, yesterday – Take Me Home, Country Roads

You should have been home yesterday. You should have been home a thousand yesterdays ago. This story is all about the past, and a rebuilding effort you neglected to join. It hits you with the guilt straight away, as the very first place the game takes you is an old outpost of emergency service personnel who just kept on doing their jobs after the bombs fell. It's their notes and recordings that teach you how to survive.

Of course you encounter less pleasant people later: raiders and Enclave, and honestly I have little patience for any iteration of The Brotherhood of Steel. But even there, you can see that the misunderstandings and conflicts and general fuck ups might have been resolved with a competent mediator.

And that is exactly what you are. You're a Fallout protagonist. You don't have the time to spend ten years sitting in a lab, but you excel at travelling from town to town and dealing with whatever obstacle is stopping a faction from moving forward. Fallouts 1-4 and assorted spin offs have taught us all that.

Even in universe, Vault 76 is stated to be full of literal geniuses. It is packed with doctors and scientists and engineers: exactly the people the world needed to deal with a combination of plague and environmental crisis.

If you were there, you could have fixed this.

But you were not there. You were sitting comfortably in a vault, while other, better people tried to save the world.

And they were almost there. They had a vaccine. Even with everything, they had a vaccine. They did the work, they had a plan. As you play through this quest, you stand upon the shoulders of giants at almost every stage, implementing the very last step in a plan that really does work. Had they lived, even a few months longer ... but they didn't, and you did nothing to help them.

It wasn't even necessary to spend 25 years in that vault, as it is abundantly clear that the area around 76 has been habitable this whole time. Challenging, sure: I am in no way suggesting that it was an easy existence. But it was not instant irradiated death.

Every other Fallout protagonist steps out of their vault (or other entry scenario) in time to make things right. Maybe just in time, but nevertheless. They walk into a fractured world and get to work. But not you. You took the easy route.

How proud are you of that Best Dental Hygiene award now?

Given that it is set so close to the Great War, and deals with first generation survivors, it gives one of the best looks at the cynical cruelty of Vault-Tec: when they talk about rebuilding the world, it only means rebuilding for its own benefit and profit. Anyone not part of their plan is more than welcome to die in a hole.

It ties in very nicely with the television series, actually. Lucy laments that she was waiting to rebuild the world, but it all happened without her - and Vault-Tec actively tried to destroy that new world (and at least up to a point, seems to have succeeded). Her people waited over 200 years, but it didn't take that long. Twenty-five were quite enough.

But with the new version ... I mean, it really takes the sting out of it. It looks like everybody had a few rough years there, but it's all turned out fine. There's a burgeoning civilisation here, with homesteads and caravans and trade. I can't go two steps without an NPC asking to borrow a bobby pin, and even the raiders are more territorial than outright destructive (although – is nobody going to go up that completely safe little hill and give poor Miguel a funeral? Come on guys, clean up the damn corpses).

The tragedy of the whole thing, and the weight of your own inaction, is largely gone. You can't reshape the world and still make the same impact with that narrative.

I don't know, I guess I just can't quite get behind the whole multiplayer-ness of the thing. The world can't really change as you complete quests. You can't really rebuild. But likewise, if the world does change, it has to change for everyone at the same time, regardless of where they are in the story.

It could still work, I think, if you could play through that story and then see the caravans come over the hill, and start to rebuild the world.

Because that might feel a bit like redemption.

[jellieclogs]

october media recap ✩°｡ ⋆⸜ 🎧✮

i love music, movies, tv, podcasts, games, books, and more. here's a recap of things i watched in october 2023!!

music ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚

i've been really into more indie blues type music as autumn comes to a head, my playlist autumn girls this is for you has a bit more songs that i really associate with this season. anyway heres the list!

mitski - my love mine all mine

mitski - i'm your man

these two songs are phenomenal, as is mitski's album "the land is inhospitable and so are we" i actually wrote a brief analysis on my love mine all mine as a love song and breakup song. the feeling it invokes in me is second to none, what a beautiful song.

olivia rodrigo - lacy

sixpence none the richer - kiss me

jane remover - search party

searows - used to be friends

phoebe briders - moon song

iron & wine - flightless bird, american mouth

mazzy star - fade into you

sting - shape of my heart

yeule - software update

yeule - sulky baby

taylor swift - "slut!"

rachel chinouriri - maybe i'm lonely

emile mosseri - jacob and the stone

i actually listen to this song to fall asleep, but i can assure you that i also cry every time i watch those videos on the internet with this song playing in the background. it perfectly encapsulates a feeling of hope and loss. beautifully done. minari was a phenomenal as a (real) movie lover, i love when movies have tracks like this that so clearly stand out from the soundtrack and score.

movies 🎞️✮⋆˙

i haven't watched as many movies as i'd have liked in october, it has been an emotional month to say the least. but, now im on anti-depressants so our regularly scheduled slaying is back. movies will be rated a 1-5 star based on how much i enjoyed it! and NO NOT EVERY MOVIE IS FROM THIS YEAR OR EVEN THIS DECADE <3

talk to me (2022) ★★★★

pearl (2022) ★★★★

the invisible man (2020) ★★★★

child's play (1988) ★★★★

doctor sleep (2019) (fucking insanely good) ★★★★★

bodies bodies bodies (2022) (so camp??) ★★★

call me by your name (2017) ★★★★

silence of the lambs (1991) (this is a perfectly made film. argue with the wall!) ★★★★★

and thats about it, i genuinely have been too busy with school to watch as many films, still have not seen barbie or the fnaf movie because im so busy and too broke to go to the movies constantly LOL. however, i will say what my favorite youtube video topics are currently in my honorable mentions section!!

honorable mentions ˙˖°📷 ༘ ⋆｡˚

my current fave youtubers or streamers :3

dead meat (james and chelsea constantly demonstrate a genuine love for horror and have recently been branching out to video games amidst the SAG strike! love them and their work so much, they have definitely made me into more of a horror movie buff)

wendigoon (i will listen to this man talk about anything, but he constantly raises the bar with how informed he is on topics. he just likes to talk abt weird shit and thats really neat idk)

supertf (ive been watching this guy for over 5 years he is still the funniest ow streamer out there sorry)

kyedae (she is rlly funny and even though valorant is boring to watch i watch her play mostly, however i LOVE when she does variety or horror its so funny how scared she gets)

jacksepticeye (watching him play spiderman 2 bc i don't own a ps5, BUT ALSO sean just has the best playthroughs of games like this. love his takes on the game!!)

mike's mic (olivia wilde nodding gif like if you get it you get it!)

games im playing right now :3

the sims 4 (do i need to explain this rlly... i have 2000 hours on sims... currently building a tiny town for the new expansion pack :3 pics here)

sun haven (started playing with my bf, feels like stardew valley with a bigger world and more things to do! i HATE the fishing mechanic. it is not for me babes)

valorant (playing occasionally as i am not very good, but i have alot of skins so yipee)

overwatch (i have 1600 hours in the game unfortunately. addiction is real guys)

fall guys (just recently started playing with my friends again, idk why anyone wouldnt want to play this its free and fun. theres a hatsune miku skin in the game like CMON)

genshin impact (im actually really invested in fontaine's story, if i had multiple hours a day to game i would do all the story quests and things but again, im so b u s y. still farming for arataki itto, pls come home)

bloons td6 (i've somehow racked up 60 hours on this game...its so fun...i love it...)

lastly, my october hyperfixation was...

horror movies and true crime!! i watched over 100 hours of movies, video essays, podcasts, and documentaries relating to horror and true crime. i'm officially burnt out of it though, so i will be back next month to once again happily share my interests!! byeee

- jane ⋆｡° ✮

[sasaofastora]

Tag Game for Historical Simblrs!

Thank you @antiquatedplumbobs for the tag!

1. What has been your favorite time period to play in or which one are you most excited for?

So far the 1900s and the 1930s have been my favourites. For the 1900s I just loved Evie so much, and the whole period just felt really peaceful. Then for the 30s, Harry and Maisie were just too cute and it was so nice to have a story the was a little more wholesome after the chaos I put the poor Finch’s through in the 20s. I’m very excited for the 40s! Spoiler alert, I’m already there in gameplay, and I’m so happy. I mainly studied ww2 history at university so it’s fun to be in a period I’m very familiar with. Also just aesthetically I’m excited for the 80s and 90s because that’s my jam. 

2. Do you have a favorite piece of historical cc? (CAS or BB)

I think the last time I did these questions I said the Edwardian dress from @gilded-ghosts’s Stately Set and honestly I think that’s still true. I just love it a lot. However I also want to shout out the Langtree Updo by @twentiethcenturysims because it is just perfect for those Gibson Girl looks. 

3. Who is your favorite sim currently?

It’s my boy John Finch. I’m really worried for him since obviously soon he’ll have to go to war, but I just love that dorky little mechanic. I do also really love Ruth though, who we will be seeing more of for sure. She’s just too cute to deal with. 

4. What is your favorite world?

San Myshuno forever. Definitely going to need to find a reason for the Finch’s to move there one day- maybe in the 70s? Feels like it could fit that vibe really well. 

5. Are you more gameplay or story focused?

Bit of both! I have a general idea of what sort of things I want to deal with in each decade as it comes, so I’ll sort of steer the gameplay into those directions, but then often the gameplay will in turn steer the story. This is sort of why I prefer to do smaller story posts- it just matches more with the way I play. 

6. Do you like to play with pets in your historical saves?

Yes! The Finch family has had several dogs by now, I’m certain they’ll get a cat at some point. Pets to me always just make the house feel cozier 

7. What’s your biggest immersion breaking pet peeve with the game?

Well I was going to say when sims from other worlds appear in places it wouldn’t make sense for them to be in, but luckily just today @aheathen-conceivably brought this mod to my attention which I installed almost immediately. 

8. What’s your favorite in-game historical item? (CAS or BB)

Again I think I’m repeating myself from last time, but the radiator from the Vampires GP. It’s a little thing but I love it and just makes historical builds look better. 

9. What would you like to see as a new pack or asset to the game?

Bands please!!! The music career annoys me to no end- it’s so limited in it’s scope! Actually honestly just more careers in general I would really like. 

10. What pack do you think is invaluable as a historical simmer?

I’m jumping on the bandwagon and saying Cottage Living because I mean, just look at it. But also Get Together for Windenburg and Vampires for some very good items. 

11. Do you have a favorite mod to enhance historical gameplay?

I do now, and it’s that Home Regions mod! I also have one called “no more phone stuff” that I’ve had installed forever not sure where from, and it’s very handy. It doesn’t stop sims pulling out their phones all together, but at least no one is playing Blicblock in the middle of the Great Depression. 

12. What’s your ideal family size for playing?

Any where from 2-4. More than that and I start to get overwhelmed.

13. Do you use poses?

Yuuuuuuup, tons of them. Kind of want to learn how to make my own but haven’t had the time. 

14. Do you use any overrides in your game?

No I had one glitch really badly once and now I’m kind of scared of them lol.

15. Do you, or did you, play off-the-grid during your game?

I tried briefly at the start of the 1890s and it was just really frustrating. They really should be able to do more things even if they don’t have power. 

16. What lifespan do you play on?

Normal!  Finally settled on a setting. 

17. What inspired you to start playing a historically?

As I said I was a history student and I have always been a huge sims fan, so when I found out about the Decades Challenge I felt like I had to try it. I was hooked pretty much instantly.

Thanks again for tagging me, this was fun! I’m going to tag @alainas-sims, @applesaucesims, @jenplayssims, @sims-half-crazy, @sims-through-the-decades, and @simadelics. 

[askseriousrainbow]

Alrighty, here are games 90 to 81 on my list! If you haven't read part one yet, the link's under this sentence now! Here we go!

Link to part 1. Link to part 3. Link to part 4. Link to part 5. Link to part 6. Link to part 7. Link to part 8. Link to part 9. Link to part 10.

90. Saints Row IV

I love the Saints Row series, and Saints Row IV is my favorite of the Steelport games, because of the ridiculousness of it all and meta aspects. I do love meta when it's done right. Also, the flight mechanics just flow perfectly. The gameplay is fantastic, as well.

89. Serious Sam 2

Damn, I love Serious Sam, obviously, and Sam's third adventure (though second game since The First Encounter and The Second Encounter are part of the same game, that's how I reference it) is wacky, insane, and just a blast. You don't have to care about the story, because the game doesn't care about the story, it's just silly. It's not my favorite favorite, but it's still good.

88. Prison Architect

Ah, the building genre, one of my favorites. Prison Architect takes the familiar formula and applies it to prison building. You really need to keep track of your inmates and guards, and make sure no one dies. The story mode isn't too bad either, it helps you learn the mechanics of the game.

87. Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

Shantae, Shantae, Shantae. I love me some Shantae, and Half-Genie Hero is great. This is the best game to start with if you've never played the franchise. It's not a true metroidvania, but that helps players acclimatize to the style of gameplay.

86. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

Ah, Bloodlines. It's an underrated cult classic that's been fixed up by its unofficial patch, and it's a great RPG that has wonderful characters and multiple endings. The voice work is great too, getting some real talent like Grey DeLisle and John DiMaggio. Definitely get this if you're into RPGs.

85. Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards

Sierra adventure games are just good, for the most part, and the first Leisure Suit Larry is a fine, if short, game. The remakes aren't too bad either, so go with any version.

84. Theme Park

Ah, Peter Molyneux. One of those creators you have to wonder if they had any talent at all nowadays because of their lies. But in the Bullfrog days, he could actually pull his games off, and Theme Park proved that, especially with the code being written by Demis Hassabis. It's a hardcore management sim with a whimsical coat of paint, and one you shouldn't miss.

83. The Outer Worlds

One of Obsidian's better RPGs, The Outer Worlds takes the Fallout formula, transplants it into space instead of Post-Apocalypsia, and makes a great RPG. While it was partially Epic-delayed (I played it on Game Pass first.), it's still a fun adventure.

82. Blood

I live, again. One of the holy trilogy of Build Engine titles, Blood is as great as Duke or Shadow Warrior, and has its own personality, with Caleb being more “evil” than Duke or Lo Wang. It's basically a Villain Protagonist against an even eviler group, to use TV Tropes language.

81. Hotline Miami

“Do you like hurting other people?” It's a question asked a lot in Hotline Miami. Sure, you feel exhilarated while taking on each level, but you have to walk back through your carnage with a drone of dread. Add the mind-screw of the story and you have one unique game.

Part 3 will be up tomorrow! :D

Link to part 1. Link to part 3. Link to part 4. Link to part 5. Link to part 6. Link to part 7. Link to part 8. Link to part 9. Link to part 10.

[byrondzero]

Potion Permit review

So back in 2009 (which feels like a lifetime…), not content to simply surf the wave of living a carefree life of sponging off his 2 famous parents; Nick Simmons decided to try his hand creating manga (well it was a comic, but just stay with me.) But here’s the thing, he can’t draw; so, what does he do? trace over an actual artist! He traced over a good number of various panels from the manga Bleach!

So why share this anecdote? Because the game I’m about to discuss feels eerily similar. The game in question is called Potion Permit which is brought to us by Masshive Media.

Who is MassHive Media? Established in early 2014, MassHive Media is a growing indie game developer resides in Bandung, Indonesia. We are small yet independent company striving our best to deliver the best quality game products for various platform. With an amazing team with deep passion towards games, illustrations, animations, we aim to be to be one of the leading game developers in Southeast Asia.

They are responsible for indie games like Vimala: Defense Warlords, Chillout Zombies, Azure Saga: Pathfinder and this title. Each one more derivative than the next, but does this game follow the tradition of this relatively young company? Yes, but let’s discuss this case of homework copying.

In Potion Permit, Moonbury's residents need healing, and you're the best chemist around! With your trusty tools, a brewing cauldron, and a canine companion at your side, you'll need to diagnose symptoms, gather ingredients, brew potions, and cure ailments in this open-ended sim RPG.

I’ll get the praise out of the way, the music and visuals are pretty but feel like something out of RPG maker and wouldn’t be surprised if they took assets from it, given their pedigree.

Combat is meh, enemies are damage sponges which is a cardinal sin for me. While the controls work, nothing about them felt intuitive.

The story is very much the same game that you’ve played before, and it’s been told by much better games.

The puzzles while interesting pose next to no challenge which I found almost insulting.

I really wanted to like this game way more, and there is so much potential that completely goes to waste.

The potion mechanic, (you know the titular aspect) was so dull and forgettable and that was the thing about this game that initially drew me in.

But if you like isometric open world farming RPG hybrids for the switch, Go play Rune Factory 4 or wait for the remaster of RF3.

I give Potion Permit a 2 out of 5.  

[expertmodegaming]

Potion Permit review

Potion Permit

So back in 2009 (which feels like a lifetime…), not content to simply surf the wave of living a carefree life of sponging off his 2 famous parents; Nick Simmons decided to try his hand creating manga (well it was a comic, but just stay with me.) But here’s the thing, he can’t draw; so, what does he do? trace over an actual artist! He traced over a good number of various panels from the manga Bleach!

So why share this anecdote? Because the game I’m about to discuss feels eerily similar. The game in question is called Potion Permit which is brought to us by Masshive Media.

Who is MassHive Media? Established in early 2014, MassHive Media is a growing indie game developer resides in Bandung, Indonesia. We are small yet independent company striving our best to deliver the best quality game products for various platform. With an amazing team with deep passion towards games, illustrations, animations, we aim to be to be one of the leading game developers in Southeast Asia.

They are responsible for indie games like Vimala: Defense Warlords, Chillout Zombies, Azure Saga: Pathfinder and this title. Each one more derivative than the next, but does this game follow the tradition of this relatively young company? Yes, but let’s discuss this case of homework copying.

In Potion Permit, Moonbury's residents need healing, and you're the best chemist around! With your trusty tools, a brewing cauldron, and a canine companion at your side, you'll need to diagnose symptoms, gather ingredients, brew potions, and cure ailments in this open-ended sim RPG.

I’ll get the praise out of the way, the music and visuals are pretty but feel like something out of RPG maker and wouldn’t be surprised if they took assets from it, given their pedigree.

Combat is meh, enemies are damage sponges which is a cardinal sin for me. While the controls work, nothing about them felt intuitive.

The story is very much the same game that you’ve played before, and it’s been told by much better games.

The puzzles while interesting pose next to no challenge which I found almost insulting.

I really wanted to like this game way more, and there is so much potential that completely goes to waste.

The potion mechanic, (you know the titular aspect) was so dull and forgettable and that was the thing about this game that initially drew me in.

But if you like isometric open world farming RPG hybrids for the switch, Go play Rune Factory 4 or wait for the remaster of RF3.

I give Potion Permit a 2 out of 5.  

[foundinfantasy]

the survey

Can't keep myself from wishcasting. With many more years of Sims 4 ahead, I want every pack they suggested and more (and refreshes!). Here are my expectations, wants, and ramblings for each idea.

Rank: 6, 1, 8, 4, 7, 5, 9, 3, 2

[Also: so weird and surprising that they didn't bring up hotels, fairies, bands, or specific hobbies which might be my last big asks. My most generous assumption is that these are already in the works and my most delusional is that they'll be game packs (if we ever see those again)]

I picked this one as one of my favs.

Surfing (third chance's the charm?) for toddler+

Swimming update - teach infants and toddlers

Fish bowl/home aquarium update

Volleyball (hobby & sport for HSY and DU)

Turtle pets

Sailing (and being lost at sea)

Yachting (for the rich)

Pirating (because I love pirates)

Underwater lot (for mermaids) and gameplay ( I imagine once you dive [and you're not a mermaid] it'll start a timed event where you have to leave and get air before the end or die? OR have extra scuba tanks in inventory to extend the timer)

Fix the bug preventing waterfront apartments

Crosspack update to mermaids (at this point bring it to base game if need be to update them, mermaids are not the selling feature of IL. Give them the skill tree they deserve!)

Aquarium lot interactions and gameplay for all ages

It's coming off as Jungle Adventure and Strangerville but instead of tombs, sims will "discover" towns/islands and trading goods might help with attracting animals to your aquarium (as PG as possible)

Sea monsters (and integration with Loch Ness from Get Together)

Idk about the submarine, it'd probably end up being a rabbithole and a moodlet (maybe even a chance of death:)

I'm skeptical.

Is this how they give us cars? Please no. This is honestly the weakest of all the ideas imo (on the principle that I feel like it's baiting car fans) and not just because I like my idea better.

Would the "van" be like the "fixer-upper car"? (that you buy in various conditions [broke, working, pristine] to act like a tent and you'd customize it by adding a bathroom, a kitchenette, etc using the mechanic skill in this case or buying the upgrade outright if already in better condition) - I fear this could be the whole pack, no other "car" included. It won't move but it'll be draggable.

How does "life on the road" play out? The most literal, a road neighborhood with lots on it? Instead of 3 neighborhoods, it's 6 streets?

Would the heft of the pack come in with the road destinations stops and events?

What would make this pack different from being "off the grid" - the build/buy? That's not an EP, barely a SP.

What would make it van life? Possibility of bears? Bigfoot or other cryptids? Journaling sights/experiencing? Filming?

How would the mechanics career tie in? Traveling mechanic and his elder townies? Traveling elder mechanic? Mechanic retiring?

If not already a future pack, hotels/motels would fluff this pack out if you really lean into the land travel idea and less van life and/or cruises, if you really just want to add Elder gameplay and the boat could be its own map.

Side: does this mean we're not getting anything elder related with Life and Death? Or maybe the upcoming content is for pre-death elders and this would be for post-retirement elders?

Would be a great chance to add canes (if not already in L&D), dentures, bingo, crossword/sudoku books, water aerobics?

Even putting this idea out there to flirt with the fans who want cars makes cars even less likely to happen.

Real or not, give toddlers those tiny cars and me, motorcycles!

so Batuu but official? or maybe I'm leaning too much on the 'otherworldly' aspect and this is just apocalypse/dystopia/survivor gameplay (*squint*)

This is actually the weakest idea. Van Life at least had some replay value depending on what they add for Elders but this, not so much. Too vague. The world would be cool though.

Will this still be a vacation world? Will the world change (like Eco Lifestyle) into something solarpunk or ecopunk? Will it also be like Jungle Adventure?

Snakes, as pets.

I like the expanded fishing and exotic pets though it could be included with idea#1. EPs should fit in Sim Nation and expand my entire game; and expanding fish isn't enough. It's just too GP and niche.

What could be added? An update on woodworking and painting (crafting and gathering). More harvestables or flowers? Archery/Marksmanship. Pottery. Blacksmithing. The Watcher and Cults [imagine being a cult leader]. Playable daycare, oddly enough.

I don't think they'd add raid mechanics to TS4 but Zombies as spawn npcs [and a Zombie mini-game where you'd have to escape the zombie chasing you and if you lose you get bitten]

Zombie occult with a skill tree. Plantsims with a skill tree.... though I know they can't do EP Occults right to save their lives. They could go the alien route and give us the desperately needed alien update.

Also what happens if the "resource" is managed poorly? Game over? Mysterious crate shipment? Do I fight for someone's shelter and resources?

So Jungle Adventure but Australia?

I want useful museums and bigger items so I'm not mad at this. This could have gameplay across ages and re-playable regardless of being the visitor or the owner.

With the other idea mentioning aquariums, this could go along the lines of fossils for museums / wildlife for conservation parks (new lot type)

Museums could work on a reputation scale and hire front desk workers, tour guides, janitors, maybe rent out "rooms" (from the Gallery) as exhibits, apply for research grants, hold fundraising events, introduce wealthy donor townies, have that useless national leader swing by. Museums could be so much better.

Conservation Parks work along a similar line but hiring knowledgeable caregivers. I'm not even going to dream of EA giving us animations for seven+ kind of animals to watch/play on the same lot. Lucky if we get one or two, but maybe rabbithole illusions [windows, door, set pieces] to give the idea of it that we have to buy?

Would we get larger lots? Imagine a 100 x 100 Conservation Park.

Taxidermy (just because)

Maybe for the education part: new post-grad school and degree (which yes would be DLC for DLC but if we're stuck with TS4 I'll need more than just 2 colleges: post-grad, community, medical, clown, and more degrees) OR create a base game community college / trade school and add post grad for both that and DU degrees.

^^ side rant: my biggest critique of DU is that it could've done more with frats/sororities [and parties]- treated it just like the secret society and have legacies [to be a legacy player playing a legacy was right there] and charity events and having a "rush" task/event

New jungle gyms for kids. Seesaw. Balance beam. Park items. Getting scuff marks and stains or roughhousing amongst kids should loosen a tooth.

If world is based around Australia I either need items that reference giant spiders or ... giant spiders (and a new fear.)

Again we're getting niche and the only thing saving this is that vibrant futuristic cities already exists alongside uncontacted tribes IRL so this doesn't need to be a world that exists in a vacuum like Batuu...... so I'm excited for the world more than anything. More cities please!

Even so, EPs usually introduce a new system/UI usually and I'm just not seeing it with one. Unless they're going full cyberpunk and we'll get a body map to replace with customizable pieces. [but that's really niche, where would it hide?!]

Tattoo Career? Brainchips? Mad scientist?

How will this pack mix with Discover Uni Servos or Batuu Droids?

Robot fighting? > Betting? > Gambling? > Casinos? Are we back?

Will we see the return of the Food Synthesizer? Intro to Hoverboard? Maybe even as things we have to make ourselves? I'm down for more tech and science.

Prosthetics base game update?

Expanded Hacking.

Cinematography and Glassblowing - random, but I can see it.

Update boxing to a hobby/sport or introduce a martial arts.

Update on Science - small microscope, science lab for HSY, ways to do science as a teen. Ant farm return? Train set return? Hypothesizing and experimentation process in a journal or on a white/chalk board?

Motorcycles! How do we still not have this?

I wouldn't mind seeing Errands or Side Quests specific to townies, but what's the end game here? How will this change my Sim Nation?

CAS and BB requests - neon vs brutalism, tech wear, insane masks and eyewear.

This was my favorite!

I want all the consequences!

Pool/Billiards and the counterfeit machine.

Being a Mafia Boss, making sims sleep with the fishes in game, shaking down sims, having goons, running multiple operations, evading the law, and keeping it in the "family" this could be so funny.

An update on the spy, criminal, and detective careers where they effect each other.

Make jail mean something!

This would create banks and again add purpose to museums (for possible art, fossil, plant, collectable, heirloom theft) - I want to assemble a crew or risk it solo and for it be semi active for planning, giving orders, and hacking.

Simish illicit materials (similar to Riverdale with its jingle-jangle and fizzle rocks) and shady townies.

Cross-pack play with 4R!

Being a vigilante? So would autonomous crime be a thing? Autonomous pickpocketing during a timed event? Stealing from vendors (a loaf of bread)? And the sim has to find out who did it and different outcomes for right or wrong, fighting and/or peaceful? Would the vig-sim get arrested instead?

Con artist? A side hustle to make phone calls, emails, and grift?

Are they introducing crooked cops to base game? To play both sides?

Would you get like errands or PI cases-odd jobs for the stakeouts (and use the photography skill)?

Graffiti update?

Casino possibility again? Motorcycles! Marksmanship?

Burglar return? Alarm system? Lock boxes in banks?

I'll never say no to more things for the kid, but this is possible in game already? Move kid from household with "counselor" into "camp" lot in Granite Falls and/or do scouting, look for frogs, etc. for a few days. Move Back. Done. This way the game would just prompt you first?

What saves this: different types of (horse, science, space, music, art, spy, correctional, tumbling, etc) camp to introduce and the sheer amount of activities they could jam into this even if they stick with traditional camp: river-rafting, kayaking, canoeing, VOLLEYBALL, marco-polo, ARCHERY, scavenger hunts, tug of war, various new paper crafts and recipes, making tie-dye shirts, sending letters home, talent shows, relays, food fights, etc. and the more kinds of "camps" they do the longer the list gets.

^^ so would this become a create-a-camp pack? With similar UI to restaurants/retail?

Also would this be before or after EP idea#4, is adventure camp a given with this pack?

Update scouts to include a cookie drive.

Diving - hobby/sport

Pottery & wood carving

For Teens + active career? semi-active? Would work similar to daycare?

Slasher townies?

Large forest jungle gym. Bungie jump? Zipline?

Preteens and crushes!

Also could this not just be boarding school? It doesn't specify "summer" so when would you send them away? What happens to their grades while away? And if it's boarding school - return of schmoozing to get my kid in.

Also bringing up Granite Falls, plz free this world from its lonely purgatory when/if we get hotels.

Multi-functional lots, but I fear this will break RRs [more than it's already broken] <- [side rant: sometimes sims enter my apartment to disappear in my basement and even after setting up all the rentals I can still see inside someone other sim's apartment].

Everything about this is perfect. I'm not thinking it'll be a "past" pack but rather the world will feel stuck in time [similar to a futuristic pack] Truly a time where no one minded their own business because they didn't have pocket distractions.

This would fix everyone walking around with phones.

Make buying the phone a thing: New phone skins & new earbud skins and put them in the inventory as they should do.

BB requests: boombox, old box computer, a sega, landlines, coupon books.

Getting letters in mail, writing letters as communication.

A regular arcade machine and new games!

Comic book collecting and writing! So painting update or new sketching skill with a simple sketchbook.

Cinematography skill, videos and, hopefully we'll have bands already, music videos.

Would mall cop be a playable job?

Record shops and vinyl collecting!

All the DND clutter! New action figures. The lava lamp.

New side hustle for kids (done two ways: walking and on bike), parttime for teens+. - the newspaper but also maybe even magazines. Active babysitting (possible hauntings happening)

Model career, just because.

That charlatan sim!

Skateboarding.

Strollers.

Break-dancing.

Return of the hacky-sack.

Graffiti update once again.

Despite my ranking, I'm not against this pack. It's going for high society and finer things but even as a modern monarchy I don't see how it fits [within SimNation]

Queen Cordelia lore unlock though.

So do you create Kings/Queens in CAS? Does it start with a quest for the crown? Will the game assign roles if you're not playing with monarchy or will you be able to toggle it in settings? How do heirs work? Will my sim need to get rid of their sibling? Do they fight for the thrown? Are there multiplle ways to claim the throne?

Are there warring kingdoms? Rivalries? Alliances? Militia?

Secrets and scandals in the palace! Palace lot trait? You've given us polyamory so are we getting a harem next?

Can my sim behead someone? Do I go around claiming citizens and collecting taxes or is each world now its own kingdom? Can I, ruler of Oasis Springs take over Tartosa? What about the Leader from the Politician career? Does they just go missing? *wink*

How else does my sim earn money? Or does it just appear?

Will there be class gameplay?

Is this active days of fundraising and philanthropy or rabbit holes?

If ever a pack for the sewing machine to return, this is it.

Model career, just because

Blacksmithing again / Glassblowing .

Would BB just be really expensive items?

Carriage rides (with horses) and wheelbarrow plow (attached to horses for quick harvesting)

Birds in cages, seems fitting.

Will it start with Emperor/ess or King/Queen? Can there be multiple kingdoms in one save? Can I arrange the princess to be the Queen of Willow Creek through marriage?

Would my sim make laws? Would this conflict with NAPs? Can I outlaw magic and be cursed for it?

Can another sim plot to overthrow the ruler? Can I be overthrown by my citizens and beheaded? Will there be a new kind of reputation UI for the kingdom? How will all these systems communicate/work together? Are kings/queens automatically famous?

I just have so many questions and honestly it just feels like another shallow attempt at appeasing players who've been begging for some kind of royalty pack. The cross-pack play would go insane though. Imagine an immortal vampire King.

IDEAS I WISHED THEY WOULD'VE BROUGHT UP:

(outside of actual Cars, Hotels, Hobbies, Fairies, and Bands)

Circus/Clown

Sports/More Fitness equipment

Martial Arts/Dancing

Alien Deep Space

Rollercoasters/Water-rides/Extreme parks

Reality/Competitions

a brand new Occult

[chococats]

muv luv alternative reflect

start date: 2/12/24

end date: 4/14/24

~~~ spoilers 👻 ~~~

first thought on the story: before i even started i was so ready like i told everyone n their mamas abt how i was going to start this epic 😐. i was expecting A LOT bc not only is it regarded so highly by vn fans but also bc it left me with a slew of questions from the first game.. likee what was the relation of kasumi and sumika? was takeru going to fr survive this n if he DID is he going to go back to his original world? WHAT made him shift into this fucket up world in the first place? WHAT exactly are the BETA and why are they doing thissss😭😭 AND! IS takeru destined to suffer forever? Why?!

But now that ive finished it all.. wtf 😭 its honestly genius. a narrative that uses its medium and genre in the fullest sense!!! despite some of its outdatedness + my frustration with the protag the STORY TELLING is what kept me going. from the themes to the characters to the world building it was all so well done 😭 and its done in a way where it is satisfying to follow especially if you like to puzzle n piece things together. what interested me the most tho was the world building!! AND HOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE.. the game took all of the cliches and mechanics it represented as a dating sim n flipped them all in its favor to tell a crazy epic cohesive multi dimensional scifi tale.. WTF.

as a novel and a game it did its job beautifully.. AND even tho SOME arcs PISSED ME OFF n SOME scenes left me scowling at what i was dealing with (bc My god,! You will deal with the shit!) i kept coming back with genuine intrigue humm

my first initial thought once i was done was 'that was a LOT' bc My goodness what a fckin rollercoaster.. ONE that seemed to only plummet DOWN. As for my second thought..? 'at least we overcame.' and u know what. So true. To this i say Congratulations âge. I was unfamiliar with ur game.

prediction of the end: i honestly did not know what to expect for the end i just wanted my questions answered LOL! but when i got there it left me feeling both hollow and full.. it was heartbreaking..! BUT also cathartic?! cuz i cried like a bitch. bc. My gosh 😭😭😭😭😭😭 its some serious whiplash stored in those last 2ish hours in the game. it was worth seeing all of it tie together tho bc in the end it left u with a glimmer of hope for the future.. even though it is so so dim, its still there.. which was the kind of ending i need during these times

PLUS they played this song at the end like why would u do that. shit had me bawling fr. we used to be so happy hearing this. now it is a bit bittersweet and nostalgic.. like a memory

what scared you most: the capabilities of the BETA most definitely r u kidding me. every single battle seemed more n more hopeless 😭 every step that was taken to help humanity had high stakes. there was no way anything was going to be done without irreparable damage n loss. it constantly felt like a losing battle watching humanity try to survive and still have the heart to fight. but what TRULY disturbed me was sumikas relationship with the BETA and how they decided to tackle it. THAT shit had me pause the game for a hot min bcuz seriously? HONESTLY? it was overkill. beating a dead horse😭 they did not have to show me all of that N whats worse is that they HAD to drag it out. LIKE WE GET IT. WE GOT IT BEFORE IT WAS EVEN FULLY REVEALED WITH CONTEXT CLUES.. U did not have to dedicate a whole 30/45 mins revisiting her trauma in such detail 😭😭😭 so unnecessary my god.

even though the BETA are (by far) one of the most terrifying enemies that ive encountered in a story i want to know more about them.. the ending of alternative mightve answered most of my questions but it also left me having more bc its interesting on how the BETA operate. but there is also like an infinite amount of them i dont even know how anyon could keep up with that.. truly humanity has it BAD.

favorite character(s): meiya = sumika > kasumi = yuuko > ayamine >>>> the rest of the queens in the valkyrie squad (including marimo. excluding kashiwagi) >> tsukoyomi > takeru >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> kashiwagi.

i straight up i do not like kashiwagi LMFAOOO like i do not like her yall..

anyone else not listed i just didnt gaf..

meiya and kasumi rlly shined in alternative for me tho <3

of course so did sumika but thats bcuz i was always biased towards her LOL. however she didnt leave a huge impression on me in this story when it came to the romance between her n takeru which is crazy bc in extra i was full #teamsumika. cuz takeru n sumika been living side by side since childhood n now this random girl (meiya) shows up n she doesnt even explain her relation to takeru but she declared that shes going to marry him like fr who are u?! BUT! even tho i was team sumika, in the end (when truths were fully revealed), my feelings were a bit swayed towards meiyas favor!

its interesting bc in alternative it was like meiya n sumika switched places bc i was more partial to wanting meiya to be with takeru for the majority of the story (!) which is so funny considering how ride n die i was for sumika at the very beginning.. of course id rather have takeru have no baes at all bcuz his character is just so inconceivably dense at times (#TakeruOUT) but i felt that their relationship had more sustenance.. i believe its because meiya and sumika flipped roles where sumika is now the random 'newcomer' instead of meiya. n also bc i spent more time with meiya in unlimited.. BUT just like how i was with meiya in extra, in alternative when truths were once again revealed at the end my feelings were swayed towards sumikas favor LMFAOO

its just tht they are both so well written and humane and so so sweet and deserving. i really love them both therefore i have decided that there is no more #TEAMSUMIKA or #TEAMMEIYA anymore. ive ended the civil war. they are both equally beautiful and i want them to be best friends forever!

AS for the protagonist. Takeru. my god man 😭 talk about change. he STILL was so ridiculous at times but even then he STILL managed to mature. proof that anythings possible. I guess. And after spending over like 60 smthing hours with him n experiencing his crazy ass situation i have been able to witness and appreciate his growth ... U know what takeru. U alright............................... I guess

favorite quote: I dont even know if i have a favorite quote there was so much covered and so many great quotes in this.. if i HAD to pick tho its probably this awesome reminder:

instead of memorizing quotes im thinking of moments.. like when kasumi and sumika speak about their connection.. or when captain isumi gave takeru that pep talk before operation 21st.. OR WHEN sumika told takeru that in every universe she loves him and him saying that he feels likewise.. kyaa.. and u KNOW they MEANT THAT SHIT THRU AND THRU! its beautiful. im still praying for her tho.

rating for the whole book: despite all that it put me through this story left me a lot of food for thought. some moments moved me in ways so honest that it left me speechless while also giving me questions in its wake.. it took me a while to finish bc it had me stop n think about life and CHOICE multiple times in the realest sense omfg. it had me think of the serious unruliness of life n how do we navigate it when the universe decides to do whatverr the fuck it wants to do.. how much of our fate can we really control... AND when all seems hopeless how do we manage to find the will to continue on.. !? it all varies from person to person but ist deep shit. Very inspiring.. AND bc of how satisfying n thought provoking it was im giving it a 5/5. OKAYY

i def plan on revisiting the trilogy in the future and see if my first thoughts still ring true.. i also will be on the look out for details and hints when i comb thru it all again. but this first read was worth it and now that i finished i kinda feel empty LMFAO. i wish for more people to read it n talk about it so i can get on my soapbox n pick it apart. 🤦‍♂️

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

[samtheflamingomain]

typhoon tycoon

There's only 3 simulation games I've ever played: Sims (so technically 4 there) Roller Coaster Tycoon (RCT) and Zoo Tycoon (ZT).

Not even 2 or 3 - the base ZT game. I still do not fuck with 2 or 3 and I'm really not sure why.

But I think I'll discover why as I explain why I hate real-life zoos, love fake zoos, hate Roller Coaster Tycoon but love real roller coasters.

See, designing roller coasters, even in 1, is boring. Hmm, do I want a 30% incline or a 40? Let's spend 15 hours testing which specific piece of track is the one launching my guests into orbit instead of back to the station.

But designing enclosures for animals that won't ever be harmed, without an immediate failure mechanic? Sign me up.

And there it is, I realized why I like 1 over the newer ones: isometric, limited view. 2 invites the user to play in first-person… from the point of view of the animal. Maybe I'm a speshul snowflake but it seems a bit dystopic to be able to view the world from an imprisoned animal.

Also it came with an insanely OP function by which you can simply click a button to tell you what grass and trees a giraffe likes, how many, and one rock can make a 10% difference.

*Hikes up suspenders* back in MY DAY, we had to read the brief about the actual animal and find the names of trees and terrain and figure it out yourself until you got old enough to learn Excel and make the entire game a spreadsheet and then it's not as fun. Just me? Anyway.

The reason I brought Coaster Tycoon into my AAA-level hockey fight that is my argument is that I truly cannot believe the vast dichotomy between these two games.

I am familiar with the history of RCT - and it's absolutely fascinating. Coded in one of the most frustratingly esoteric language in 1996 by one man, ONE MAN, it's actually an incredible story.

Again, I LOVE roller coasters, but no matter how interesting its story is, I just can't stand building a coaster park. I think this is me not liking to see how the sausage gets made if that makes sense. I want to go on crazy fast scary coasters. And the minute I step into the coaster car, I take on the absolute possibility that this insanely complex machine could lose one nut and bolt and launch me into the sun or straight down to hell. Why? Because it wasn't build by me. Maybe I'm naïve but I trust Wonderland. They have 0 deaths. I'll take the chance and enjoy those wild 90 seconds spinning around and looping and being pinned to my seat by centrifugal force. Because a real engineer bent over backward to make sure this structure is so safe that it accounts for double the level of stupidity humans are capable of.

Building them in-game, to me, is boring - I just want the end product. And ride on it. If I were to build a good coaster, I'd almost be mad that I couldn't ride it in real life. First-person mode does nothing for me.

Back to Zoo Tycoon. I HATE real-life zoos. Yes, seeing an elephant up close is truly a deeply incredible experience, but at least for me, it will always be tainted by the intrusive thought, "She should be out roaming the African Savannah, not in Toronto, Canada".

It's such a different experence to build zoos in a game where the animal is a jpeg and you actually get penalized - but not instantly failed - for not taking proper care of them, forcing you to build the most humane of zoos that's possible. Neopets ripped them off.

And, at the same time, actually learning about the animals in the process. I know SO MUCH about animals because of ZT needing me to figure out their favourite tree and their preferred number of roommates.

You can go the Sims route and put a panther in the same enclosure as an unfortunate okapi and get that sadistic "drowning Sims in the pool by removing the ladder" feel that I personally don't understand but it's enough of a phenomenon that I don't think it's a reflection of one's potential psychopathy diagnosis. A discussion for another day.

But it brings me to one thing that's very different that I've yet to touch on: God. Have you heard the Good Word? Me neither.

Sims - God-power. Zoo Tycoon - God-power. RCT? Engineer-power. Sorry boys, your degree isn't quite on par with Jesus.

I hope that makes sense because I can't really explain it much more. RCT, of all the Tycoons, is so insanely specific, meticulous, and anti-thetical to its property. Roller coasters are supposed to be thrilling 90-second experiences, not dragging 90-minute slogs. But again, ONE MAN code.

That's mostly it, but a few straggling thoughts: I really love animals. I struggle to think of any I actively dislike - even dogs I've come around to. So I hate the practice of keeping them in captivity. But I don't hate the idea.

I've always had this oddly-specific plan if I were to become a billionaire: buy out every zoo on the planet, send the animals to sanctuaries or home if possible. Then, instead, spend 5 years investing in an immersive VR that puts you in an animal's habitat to observe. If zoos are for learning, there's no reason the animal actually needs to be there. Don't believe me? Planitariums. Do the planets' absence from such attractions mean one can't learn about them? *passes joint*

But one last thing that's always bothered me is this: what, if anything, could RCT do that would make me like it? And at first I couldn't think of anything, because it is, at its core, an engineering game, and I'm not an engineer.

It definitely wouldn't work as a ZT. Reading about roller coaster building standards is not as engaging as reading about real animals and their habitats. That's an entire game mechanic missing from RCT.

But also, plopping down pre-made coasters without any customization options wouldn't hit. So, to be honest and maybe hypocritical for criticizing without answers, I don't know. RCT is very unique among the Tycoons.

I think another element is stakes. Having one rusty fence on the monkey cage is alarming, but one rusty post on a coaster is catastrophic. Even if your rhino gets out, it's a matter of common sense intervention. If your coaster simply won't run start to finish, often it feels like a set of code that won't run and you just don't know why. It's frustrating. It's hard to get frustrated with animals.

I think that's about it. Again, just some randomly assembled thoughts, honestly not up to my usual posts but it's quite hard to put how I feel about these games into real words.

Stay Greater.

[hahahahawk]

Coral Island - Final Words (for now)

I finished the temple offerings, but still have tools to upgrade and the museum to “finish”. But those are much more grindy goals, so I’m not as compelled to keep playing to check them off. My laptop can’t handle the game, so I can’t play on the couch, and my desktop isn’t really a cozy comfy setup.

Still thinking about seeing what an ocean% speed run would look like. I’m more likely to do that than continue my current save.

Though I suppose I should at least unlock auto chests and play around with them a little. On the one hand, they feel a little antithetical to the point of a farming sim. On the other hand, I hate that jars and kegs have to be tended every single day.

Also, Reddit got MAD at me for saying that I want to be able to postpone cutscenes, or turn them off on a day-to-day basis.

Like ‽‽??‽ !!

I’m trying to keep my 3-4 errands for the day straight in my head, I can’t handle people talking to me and interrupting my thought process! I’m essentially suggesting an ACCESSIBILITY improvement to the system and you’re telling me “cUt ScEnEs ArE tHe PoInT”. I know they’re a big part of the game, that’s why I want to *delay* them, not just always be skipping.

So the Coral Island subreddit is dead to me.

I wish I knew how bug traps worked. If I’m trying to catch a rainy day bug, do I need to set traps the day before? Or the day of? Some of the rare bugs are really annoying to find.

I want the farm computer to tell me upgrade/building costs for stuff. I’m fine going into town to actually buy them, but I hate having to run back and forth if I forget scrap or something.

Without ancient fruit, the greenhouse feels pointless. Without obelisks/golden clock, money feels pointless. I miss skull caverns, too.

Combat in this game is so unfulfilling anyway. I just love the SC gameplay loop of focusing on running around and blowing stuff up for 10 minutes and running home with a backpack full of loot. As it is, once you finish the mines and unlock all the elevators, ropes are pointless and I’m selling most of my stone. Bombs also end up being pointless. There aren’t many floors where the stone is dense enough, plus the drops are better with my mining/pickaxe perks.

I think I’d find the social aspects of the game more interesting if there were decision trees about who you decide to befriend changing how close you can get with other people. Like if I become close with Jim, Lily won’t want to be friends with me, because Jim is always rude to her. (Random example, I don’t know their actual relationship.) That type of lifelike mechanic would appeal to me. (Also if there were clues about loved gifts hidden in the world)

I’d also like friendship building if I could invite an NPC to follow me around for a couple (in game) hours and get loot drops from them.

This would actually be wicked cool! Say once you get to 5 hearts, you can invite them to “hang out”, and depending on where you take them and what you do, you get a couple pieces of forage from the area. Or if you bring them to the farm, you get a few extra seeds/harvest. If you go to the mines or fish or hunt bugs, you get extras of those, too. In town, they will buy you a snack or coffee!

I’d love to show Scott the deeper layers of the mines and protect him from the monsters 😅

In the end, I mostly enjoyed my time, but I’m still mostly going to be reaching for Stardew Valley when I want to play a farm type game.

I say my Coral Island fever is about to break, but I also said that 8 play-hours ago.

Actually, 8 play-hours ago I said that I had 10-20 hours of srs gameplay left. So I guess I’m about right.

Currently my scythe is in the upgrade shop for 4 more days to get it to the highest level. I’m all set to buy the auto-collector on Sunday, and after those two goals are met, I should be able to ‘relax’ in game somewhat.

I still have some goddess offerings to complete, and my museum is only maybe 80% done. Most of my tools are still gold, and only a few of my skills are at lvl 10.

(On second thought, I might get the auto-harvest tool instead of the one that collects animal stuff. I’m probably going to have crops come in while my scythe is at the blacksmith, and picking 80+ crops by hand will not be fun.)

The pacing on this game is very interesting compared to stardew valley. I think the highs are higher, but the lows are lower.

I have more thoughts, but need to go to sleep, and trying to sort them out would rile me up.

[afro-elf]

please do tell us about your problems with Sims 4

there are no townhouses or rowhomes

you have to Buy toddler playdates.... seething

i would like bantu knots and better curl textures, the cc girlies cannot carry the weight of the world on their shoulders

less crop tops please and more modest wear because like you can't add headscarves to the base game and then nothing else, hello???

i feel like there should be better mechanics for keeping families in touch like i know that if i want to have a family reunion i can just make one happen but i would like there to be a formal process

i would like better siding and roofing options

where are proms

i would like more birthday cakes............ Personally

the new neighborhood stories feature needs to impact romantic relationships as well. i'm glad my neighbors are finally having children but i'd like to see subsequent family members marry in and out of households etc etc

i forget which sims 3 pack had the attraction/dating website feature but i miss it SO much. i know the sims 4 would fuck it up but :/

i would like.... yard sales

bring the strippers back and let it be a job!

i wish you could set holidays so some families can opt out of them without cancelling them for the entire world and giving them sad moodlets like just because one house doesn't do sims christmas doesn't mean everyone has to stop doing it

there has to be a better indicator that you need to feed the cowplant

i wish the criminal career involved actual crime lkfkjfahfsljdjlfakjas

i think they should fix the lighting, i will not download a lighting mod i Shant

more lip gloss!

functional public transit, i don’t care if it’s a rabbit hole i want to see my sims get on the train and go to a clear location. does the mt. komorebi train work? idk

[zevranunderstander]

i miss how old big game titles were just allowed to be mean and weird sometimes and weren’t these super sanitized, disney-like, family-friendly, very non-political products that had to be consumed by the largest audience possible.

like, not every game mechanic in the old animal crossing games made sense, sure. there were festivals you didn’t get any rewards for or played minigames at, you just put some flowers in front of your house or your neighbours suddenly had christmas lights around their houses, but old animal crossing games were way more focussed on creating a community and interacting with characters you like. if you were mean to characters in animal crossing they would start to gossip about you and spread mean rumors, i remember i had so much fun making one character my enemy - i didn’t want her to move away, it was part of the immersive story i made myself. old animal crossing game came with legends to them, like, “if you do x, tom nook opens his shop in the middle of the night, but everything is ten times as expensive”, there wasn’t much of a mechanical point to any of these but they made you discover stuff about the game even after playing or a year or so. for me, animal crossing: new horizions is nothing like playing old animal crossing games - the game is so polished it loses all it’s weirdness and charm.

the early sims games were full of really mean dialogue lines about your characters, featured a lot of stuff that had no real gameplay to it other than the feeling of playing with barbie dolls and could get *incredibly* weird and while i still like sims 4 it is nothing like playing sims 2 for me. i recently checked out the new sims 4 feature where you can play scenarios, but almost all of the scenarios are like “you are rasing a young child/multiple children”, “you play as a person who works in retail” etc. while a similar feature existed in sims 2 where all the scenarios were batshit insane stuff you wouldn’t already play in the game as usual. like just this random scrap of lore says SO much about how much weirder the series used to be:

this next point is gonna be a weird one, but in the early video game days almost every game had a brothel or some other sex-related content (or both). don’t misunderstand this, i do not think objectifying women is the thing we lost in gaming over the years, nor do i think this is what we need to use the medium of video games for, but i think it’s one of these signs that games nowadays need to be very presentable for a large audience and e.g. a quest where you need to actually program a sex robot that you can also actually *have sex with* is way less imaginable in a game today, than it was in 2011.

this is not the only reason the game sucks absolute ass, but compare dragon age 1 and 2 to dragon age inquisition. dragon age games lived off of this weird level of chaos, incredibly humorous questlines, sidequests where you visit the brothel, have to strip naked with your friends or talk a bunch of hostile werewolves into being your friends and chatting with an oak tree that only spoke in riddles. i personally think the first two games had a certain charm to them, because that made them so incredibly unique. and dragon age inquisition tried so hard to be sanitized and marketable - they added crafting and grinding and chunks of open world and every other mechanic imagineable that was popular at the time, and they removed all the stuff that made the games so loveable in the first place - the game takes itself incredibly serious, has no real, memorable quests that are funny or messy and has more of a marvel approach to humor than the weird, niche, incredibly dirty humor the first two games had and it really shows

what im saying is. i hate you, super-sanitized AAA-titles, i hate you, age-appropriate marvel humor, i hate you “every mechanic has to make sense” game design approach, i hate you, shallow quippy dialogue, i hate you, crafting systems, i hate you, lack of negative reactions to player actions, i hate you, i hate you, i hate you, i hate you

[askseriousrainbow]

Welcome to post 3,000, everyone! I thought to celebrate by listing off my Top 100 Games! Now, some of my picks may be controversial, and some of my positioning may be controversial, but I assure you, it's gonna be an interesting list! Read more after the, uh, read more.

Link to part 2. Link to part 3. Link to part 4. Link to part 5. Link to part 6. Link to part 7. Link to part 8. Link to part 9. Link to part 10.

100. Unreal Tournament '99

Why's UT99 down this low? Simple: Epic killed the servers and made it impossible to buy any more. BOO. But it's still on this list because I spent a lot of time with it. It's a great fragfest, and still fun to challenge the bots. It's still my favorite Unreal Tournament, followed by 2004.

99. Peggle

Peggle is nice and relaxing if you just want to spend a few moments playing some pachinko without spending any money. The various powers are great and the gameplay is addicting.

98. You Don't Know Jack Volume 1 XL

Alright. I love You Don't Know Jack. There are many classic games in the series. But the first one to show up is the original with its Question Pack, simply because it's the one to bring the idea to fruition. It lacks the DisOrDat, but everything I love about Jack is here. Nate Shapiro is my favorite of the hosts, so I'm a little biased, but it is my list, after all.

97. Driver San Francisco

This has to be the most innovative open world game ever thanks to its “Shifting” mechanic where you can take control of any car in the world. It's easily my favorite in the Driver series.

96. Half-Life 2

Okay, I know I'm gonna take some slack for this, but I don't have a special attachment to Half-Life 2. Yes, it was revolutionary. Yes, it was groundbreaking. But I took points off because of Ravenholm. It's my least favorite part of the game, and repeat playthroughs usually stall there. Still, though, it's a classic for a damn good reason.

95. SPY Fox: Operation Ozone

I love me some Humongous Entertainment games. Yes, they're simple adventure games, but that doesn't mean they're not fun. I picked Operation Ozone because I had more nostalgia for that one growing up.

94. Dragon Age: Origins

BioWare is/was one of those rare companies that actually gave a damn about their lore, and Dragon Age: Origins is a great game to show that off. The combat is nice and the characters are interesting. Romance is.... well, it's romance in a video game so your mileage may vary.

93. Carmageddon

Carmageddon is not a typical racing game. You can win by either doing laps, wrecking your opponents, or running over everything. In fact, it's encouraged to do a little bit of all three to best play Carmageddon. A nice little cathartic game for when you need to blow off some steam.

92. The Sims 3

I don't have as much nostalgia for The Sims 3 as I do for The Sims 2, but it's still a great game, and I always liked the open world concept for the Sims to explore, it's better than how Sims 2 did its community lots. And you can customize the length of your Sims' life! But Sims 2 has the stronger gameplay, I feel.

91. POSTAL 4: No Regerts

Easily the best of the main POSTAL games, POSTAL 4 takes the familiar gameplay of POSTAL 2 and updates it for the modern age. Running with Scissors keeps updating and optimizing the game so it runs flawless now. I've already gone into why I enjoy it in the 2022 SR Game Awards, so reference that.

Part 2 with games 90 to 81 is next! Look forward to that soon!

Link to part 2. Link to part 3. Link to part 4. Link to part 5. Link to part 6. Link to part 7. Link to part 8. Link to part 9. Link to part 10.

[idrellegames]

If I were to make an interactive story how would I make it?

If you're thinking about developing an interactive fiction game, there's a few things to consider before you start development.

1) What kind of game do you want to make?

IF covers a lot of different things. It's not really a genre; it's more of classification or a medium. To that end, you need to consider what you want to do with your game. Do you want to make a dating sim? A slice-of-life game? A puzzle game? An RPG that incorporates skills and abilities alongside player choice?

What's the scale of your game? Do you want to make something that is finished in a short session, something that takes a few hours, or something that intended to take 20+ hours? The shorter and more compact your game, the easier it will be to design and code. That's something to keep in mind of this is your first time delving into game development.

Figuring out what direction you want to go with your game is the first step to answering a lot of questions and leads directly into #2.

2) What kind of story do you want to tell?

The type of story you're going to write will impact a lot of your design decisions in #1. Different stories have different needs in regards to mechanics (a dating sim will look quite different than an action RPG in terms of its characters, character development, pacing and structure), so you will need to make some specific choices about this before you move forwards.

As you're thinking about your story, also consider this: why interactive fiction for this story? Why this medium? Not every story works in every medium, so you want to think about how your story fits an interactive structure.

What does player choice and interactivity bring to it?

How does player choice and player agency shift the plot or characters?

If you remove all player choice from the story, does it mostly stay the same?

If you feel your story can be better told as a novel/play/screenplay etc, then you might want to reconsider the direction you're going in.

3) What kind of mechanics do you want to have?

The next thing to decide is how you're going to structure your game.

How linear will the story be vs how much player choice will you offer?

How does the player affect and change the narrative?

How does the player interact with the characters and the world?

You need to make some decisions on how you're going to have the player interact with the world you create. There's no right or wrong answers here; there's only what works for you and your game. But you do need to have some kind of design plan in place before you even start coding, otherwise you'll end up doing a lot of work that won't necessarily be used.

I think a mistake that a lot of new IF creators make is assuming that IF games need to have the certain mechanics to be IF. This is kind of silly. Certain mechanics or tropes are very popular, but just because a lot of creators use them does not mean that you have to as well (unless you want to!).

No interest in writing romances? Don't incorporate romances into your game.

Don't want to use personality stats? Use a different system--or no system! You don't have to use and manage stats if you don't want to.

More comfortable writing a pre-established main character than one the player can create? That's fine, too.

This is your project. You're in charge of the design of your own game, and it's best to do something that makes you happy, rather than trying to meet a standard that doesn't interest you. You need to work out what you want for your game, and don't worry about what other creators are doing with theirs.

4) Worldbuilding

You'll want to have a good grip on the world of your game before you proceed too far. This is especially true if you're writing fantasy or science-fiction or anything set in a world that is not our own. Take some time to work out notes about the setting--often figuring out these details will help you figure out what you want for your game mechanics.

5) Outlining

If you're writing an IF game, you need to have an outline. There's no if ands or buts about this--if you're a pantser-type writer and go in without an outline, you are going to have a rough time.

Writing an IF game has similarities to writing a novel because they're both prose, but at the end of the day there are some massive differences between writing IF and writing a novel. Namely, IF incorporates interactivity and player choice, which means you are going to have some level of branching scenes and paths. Which means variations. The more player choice you have, the more detailed your variations become, and suddenly a scene that is 3,000 words for the player is actually 30,000 words behind-the-scenes.

If you have no idea where your story is going, you're going to get overwhelmed. You're going to struggle with implementing stats changes (if you're using them). You need to have a plan. You don't need to know every single tiny detail, but you do need to know the overall story beats of your game, where they occur, how they branch (and how much), and how they end.

6) Choosing an Engine

With all of the above in mind, you need to do some research into IF engines. There are a lot of engines out there--Twine, ChoiceScript, Ren'py and Inkle being some of the more popular ones, but of course there are others I am probably forgetting.

Each engine has its pros and cons and different levels of accessibility (ChoiceScript, for example, is pretty popular because it is relatively easy to learn).

Choosing the right engine for your game will depend on your comfort level with coding, how much time you have to learn, what you want your game to look like, and what kind of mechanics you want to have. You will have to spend some time researching and reading and seeing what you like; you can try out different engines, too, and familiarize yourself with their languages to see what works best for you.

I chose Twine (and specifically the SugarCube format) because it is thoroughly documented, it has a lot of resources, there are plenty of folks who create custom macros to help enable more game-like mechanics, you can control what your game looks like visually (though you do need to learn CSS for that), and the code is open-source. All that matched with what I wanted out of something I'd be using for an independently produced and funded long-term project.

Hope that helps!

[utilitycaster]

Hey if you ever feel like it I’d be rly interested in seeing your ranking of all the dimension 20 seasons? Which have been your most to least favorite?

So a couple of notes:

- I ended up grouping things as follows: Intrepid Heroes Seasons and 10 episode sidequests (Mice & Murder, The Seven) as Seasons; 4 and 6 episode shows as Sidequests.

- I still haven't gotten around to the Misfits and Magic holiday special so this is on the original series.

- This is less a note on quality although I've made a few notes where it was; it's much more about my opinion and preferences.

Seasons

A Crown of Candy. I think having a much more consequence-heavy and intricately political world was great. I'm looking forward to Starstruck and I'm hoping to get more creative genre explorations from D20 in the future, especially in terms of fantasy/sci fi subgenres. Would also not say no to horror, actually.

The Unsleeping City Season 2. I preferred it to season 1 in part because I liked Cody and Iga a lot, and because the plot seemed a little bit tighter.

Fantasy High Season 2/Live. I hope they can one day do the live format or perhaps live to tape because this really allowed the improv to shine, and I loved seeing more of the world of Spire. I also liked revisiting the characters and seeing how they grew.

The Seven, which had a great premise and a wonderful cast and again expanded Spire.

Fantasy High Season 1. The pacing was a little messy but the story was fantastic and this was a smart flagship; it's instantly relatable and the characters are very well realized.

The Unsleeping City Season 1. I still liked it but this was back when they were strictly adhering to rp/combat/rp/combat format AND it took a while for the plot to really get going (vs Fantasy High Season 1 which got a little fuzzy towards the end but started strong).

Mice & Murder. I liked the setting and characters, but in practice D&D centered around a mystery with low-level characters in a world with little to no magic, all in one night, tends to make me less interested. I still enjoyed it very much but I don't think I'll ever rewatch it.

Sidequests

Escape from the Bloodkeep. Yes there are hiccups in the early format but "you play as the bad guys from LOTR" is specifically designed to appeal to me. Also: more high-level sidequests please!

Pirates of Leviathan. Absolutely STELLAR cast (which was my introduction to Aabria, actually!) - it made sense to try out their first remote season with a cast who was extremely comfortable with D&D, and a fun revisiting of a favorite Fantasy High Live setting.

Shriek Week. Neither dating sims nor monsterfucking are really my thing, but I think Gabe's GM-ing was great, the cast was strong, the mechanics were very suited for the story being told (this sounds very clinical but this is like. my highest praise.) and it was just really fun.

Misfits and Magic. A good system, another great cast (I hope Danielle comes back for another sidequest and Brennan gets to be a player again somewhere), and Aabria did a wonderful job. Its position here is purely because like...I absolutely grew up with Harry Potter and enjoyed the books but it was never an obsession (this is a Diana Wynne Jones household, thanks very much) and I was an adult who had long since moved on from the series well before Rowling started openly being a transphobic asshole. So like...even parodies/commentary thereof aren't something I tend to seek out anymore.

Tiny Heist. Yet again: not remotely a commentary on the cast as I love the McElroys' stuff, loved Lily in Shriek Week, and have enjoyed Jessica's work on other College Humor shows and it's just like...I don't feel the premise worked super well with D&D. I think it needed a different game system.