Cooking System Overview + Get a Postcard Signed by the Team!

I really like to idea of paras being able to learn new recipes from a cooking show and from cookbooks. I would also love to see baking recipes, whether it's a separate skill or cooking skill, maybe it could be a sub-skill like different musical instruments are? "regular" cooking, baking, BBQ, etc. Will there be an option to somehow seek out a specific recipe (within the para's level) to learn, maybe with a computer?

Thanks Jérémie - this all sounds amazing 😍 sorry if this has been asked/answered already but will there be baking in the game? I'm a baker and would love to have that as a career option for my paras - or just something they can do in their free time. Being able to bake croissants and sourdough loaves for other paras would be amazing 🥐🩷

I would have never thought that cooking and learning new recipes could actually be fun in a game like this. In TS3 I just have my sims binge all the cooking books anf that's it. Your ideas are so genius and unique!

Could you maybe make it so that leftovers have to be reheated in the microwave?

I absolutely love that cooking together lets both Paras learn the recipe!! I wonder if children will be able to cook with mom and dad then learn the recipe from that

I'm not sure where to ask about this, but I messed up and didn't upgrade my tier in time for the postcard 😭 Is there any way at all I could upgrade late to receive it? I'm more than happy to pay for the full Hero price for this month, or more if need be!

As long as the Paras don't do silly cooking tricks like in the Sims I'll be happy. Learning recipes in various ways is a great idea!

I love how different Paras start out learning different "starter" recipes, that's a realistic approach!

I love that paras can learn from one another, that's a great idea!

Have I missed the pets sneakpeak? Will paralives have pets? One thing I already miss, in Inzoi, is no dogs. I really like having pets in my game, as I have 8 dogs in real life.

This looks like a very interesting system! Will there be a parameter built in to prevent for example vegetarians starting out with all meat recipes?

Ooh I love the little bit of randomness!

Love how fleshed out the system is. As you also listed, I'd add reading cookbooks as a way to learn new recipes. Maybe while reading a cookbook there's a chance that your Para will learns a few new recipes and the more adequate the cookbook's required skill level is, the more recipes they will learn, however if the book's level is too high they will fail to learn anything from it.

I want eat them all ~~

This is really great. I love cooking and collecting (in game). And learn recipes from your parents would be great too. In real life I don't know how to do basic stuff in the kitchen, like cooking rice, but I know every step to do a lasagna, because my grandmother teached me how. On the other hand, my husband is a professional chef and has the ability to know how to cook something by tasting it, this could be very cool ingame too.

Mmm yummy in senpais tummy ! ❤️

New lore drop: Mustache Man's real name is Roberto. 🤯

I’m so glad the ability to teach recipes has been included! I feel like that’s an integral part of life. To expand on that, maybe a very high level cook (or senior para) may be able to add their own twist onto a recipe through an interaction after the meal is cooked, which can then provide an opportunity to gain a family recipe which can be passed down through generations with parents/grandparents teaching their children (or other close family friends). The meal might even have a buff or something unique like a +1 inspired or the like once consumed. Hopefully too there’s recipes that are affected by certain objects in the house, IE toast may need either a stove or a toaster, fancier recipes like a handmade pasta might need a mixer as well as a food processor to be able to make, which would add a bit of realism. You could even have it so paras could do it without, but the chance of failing is higher than if you have the appliances Also kinda unrelated but I hope the cost of cooking is balanced with the economy in the game, I find in other games it’s either way too easy to become insanely wealthy in a lifetime or incredibly difficult which can really affect the replayability or the feeling of success for being able to splurge on an expensive meal once per week (just like real life). I’m so excited for the game, you guys are really doing an incredible job

I love this! I was talking to my sister and she made a good point that even though we’re pretty good cooks, we can still manage to mess up an easy meal now and again. It would be cool if lower level recipes don’t always end up at 100% success rate. Mistakes happen and I think it would be a nice touch if it caps at 99% success to account for human mistakes or maybe it takes a few levels to reach 100% (like you’re a level 4 and that’s when level 1 recipes become foolproof)

I remember in The Sims that the stove would catch on fire if the player had little cooking skills.

Cooking is one of my favorite things in pretty much any simulation game, because I like to cook, so I’m glad we got more information on this! I think it’s actually really cool that para start off knowing different things. Talking to friends, our first meals were all different: boxed mac and cheese, ramen, grilled cheese, or baked chicken. Just depended on what we learned by the time we started cooking. So, I’m hoping, if young para help older para in the kitchen, maybe that’ll influence what the young para will grow up and know how to cook. I also like that we have a chance to eat food and guess the recipe, as I’ve done that, myself, especially if it’s something rather simple. Cooking classes would be a nice way to learn. Maybe there could be a “Watch para cook” interaction, and if a para watches a certain para enough, they’ll learn a specific recipe. I’ve also learned recipes from watching cooking shows, so hopefully that’s in there, too. I can’t wait to see how this turns out!

For ideas for recipe "hunting" maybe you could talk to the chefs of a restaurant a para frequents for some exclusive recipes after hours?

Everything looks so yummy! I'm sure you'll add some filters in the future and I wonder if you could add a "favorites" option so we can choose which dishes we like the most 😁

omg I love this idea in a way it kinda defined a parafolk lifestyle in terms of culture or living style. I just imagine parafolk that grew up in a house with maid butler and whatnot so I imagine they never heard of such thing as frozen pizza lol. Incredible work as always looking forward to see the progress !

I'm so excited about this! I think this is a really dynamic and interesting way to do a skill, and I appreciate that the Level 1 skills are like "microwave" or "cook eggs". I love that Paras can know different recipes even if they're the same level. It adds a lot of replayability too in collecting all the recipes.

This post just made me incredibly hungry for some eggs on toast…xD Thanks as always for the update!! Looking forward to this when the game comes!! 😍

i could be wrong but i think gardening was once mentioned in a previous update but then i saw a comment saying that there will be no individual cooking ingredients as of right now. does that mean the 2 skills won’t overlap? that there won’t be edible harvests? just curious!

Here's a thought: what if a para has high food skill and it could trigger a random "experiment with pantry items" event where you don't know what you'll make? Perhaps combined with a "very inspired" or creative mood the para can potentially come up with an awesome unique recipe, then maybe pass it down generationally or make money off of it in food business.

So exciting !!!!! Adore the look of the food!

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What will cooking in a group look like? Are all the participants going to get involved in the cooking or is it just observing the process? I read that someone who knows a certain recipe can teach others, which feels like it explains itself, so I'm more curious in the group activity of cooking.

"Teach recipe: frozen cheese pizza" these three are living in a college dorm

I do love that our Young Adult on up, might actually have some skills starting out, I always found it weird when starting with even an Adult or Elder, but they don't know how to do anything, because it's like what have they been doing their whole lives? lol! Also in INZOI they have small alliances that you have to put in the middle of a counter, like as if you can actually use them, but they turned out to be decor, like a toaster and mixer, or at least they didn't have any interactions, which is either a bug or deliberate, so I have noticed things like a toaster in Paralives, so I am wondering since they are usually sitting with other objects, are they just decor or functional? If Decor, it's fine, as long as they aren't put in with the functional items, like in INZOI. Because that made it very confusing!

I love this idea of having to learn recipes and paras know different one, this makes the cooking skill more exciting than other life sims. It would be cool if Paras could attend cooking classes that teach them new (and maybe higher level) dishes, and maybe there is a chance for your para to have a higher success rate even if it's above their cooking level, depending on how they did in the class (maybe based on their emotions during the class - focused Paras have a better chance at increasing success rates than Paras who go to the class stressed or playful).

I think it'd be nice if cooking one recipe had a high chance of opening up recipes with identical processes, especially at the lower levels. Once you do Frozen Cheese Pizza you already know how to cook every other frozen pizza, for example. And cooking Hazelnut Spread on Toast might have a high chance of opening Peanut Butter on Toast. Maybe cooking Cup Ramen opens up Instant Oatmeal. This could also apply to higher level recipes too like different flavors of basic cake or similar rice dishes, but the more complex (higher level) a process is the less likely it's going to apply directly to another recipe.

That sounds very nice! I love that there are different ways of learning recipes. 😊 Are you planning for the future that the dishes (food) will have different effects on the para such as weight gain and loss? Is a para more likely to gain weight if he only eats fast food?

The cooking/recipe system is filled with fresh ideas for gameplay! ✨️ I love it... let's get cooking! 🍳 Oh, and I love the postcards I get signed by all the wonderfully creative Paralives team! Thank you guys for being you!

Hi Jérémie, thanks for this new post ! I love how there's actual gameplay behind the cooking system, with a side of randomness for replayability value. Cooking is a really big part of games for me (...not just life simulation games, for that matter XD ), and although I'd love a system that relies a bit more on ingredients, I'm very aware that for Early Access launch it'd be way too complex. So in the meantime, I'm glad to see there is still some complexity involved, without being too much of a burden. It's also very nice how there's a clear indication of the odds of successfully cooking any given dish, and the percentage evolves over time. It's a great system (and it can be applied to a lot of things). I imagine things like being tired or very hungry also weigh in the calculation ? "Recipes are sorted by their complexity level and when you create new Parafolks, they will start with a few level 1 and 2 recipes" Will children created in the PAM also know recipes ? Or maybe just one ? And what about Paras who are born ingame after a while, at what age does a Para "know" their first recipe ? I'd imagine somewhere around the child lifestage, but maybe not. Either way, considering babies and toddlers most likely eat different things (milk, baby food, etc.) I'm really curious how their taste and skill would "appear". Of course parents/guardians would be able to cook with them once they're able, but what does that mean for child NPCs, I wonder... "Joke about nuclear energy" Oh, Mustache Man, it's always a blast to talk to you. "who could even mess up eggs on toast anyways?" I don't appreciate being called out in public XD

love this! i’d love there to be an option to make a dish a para’s favorite and perhaps when they are an elder they could set it as a family recipe that they could then pass on. maybe it’s a bit complex but having small details like that in gameplay i think gives games more life and depth! super excited for Paralives! good job team!

I love the whole concept of this. Paralives is sounding better and better every say. I can't wait 😁

It's really nice to see all the different ways paras can learn recipes, a lot of them I believe were suggested in the brainstorming session for food, and it's really cool to see those implanted in the game now! I also really like that people start with different recipes.

I really love this system. Especially the levelling that you level up faster if you try recipes that are more challenging compared to the para's skill level! It didn't say, but is there a point where a very easy recipe will no longer give the para any skill experience at all? I rather like the idea that my para can't cook eggs on toast only their whole life and still reach max level cooking. Oh, and I also really love the different ways of obtaining recipes and even more so the hint at exploration!! 👀 Could maybe tie into some fun vacation gameplay in the future, but now I'm really getting carried away 😆 Finally, a second question: I see that you have prices for meals, so I assume you have no ingredients system - is that something you would consider for the future? I love how it pairs with gardening... SUPER exciting post, thank you!! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

I love the unique concept about each para knowing and starting out with different recipes!

I love this!!! When eating a meal maybe instead of a chance to learning a recipe, maybe you get an idea of trying different things so if you are eating tacos the para thinks that avocado would be a good thing to add or the para doesn't like the recipe and trys a different ingredient. I love the teaching the recipe as well. Will para's be able to ask for a recipe?

I love everything about this post. Good job guys and i'm sooooo excited for EA. ❤️ I have one more question about the recipes: Are potato and pasta casseroles, lasagnas, and vegetable stir-fries included in the game? And are there many vegetarian/vegan recipes in the game? I hate nothing more than wanting to cook something in Sims and spending hours scrolling through the list just to find a garden salad or fruit salad that's vegetarian.

I love that not everyone starts with the same base meals! Because you're right, we all have different experiences with food and aren't all coming from the same place in the kitchen. And it makes playing different Paras more interesting and more realistic! I also LOVE this: If your Para has high Food Knowledge, eating something might allow them to figure out the recipe of what they’ve just eaten. It feels so realistic - especially if it's just a chance to learn it, and not automatic. Maybe the chance is higher if they like it a lot..? Though I'm not sure that's even a thing haha. Unless cooked food can have different levels of quality depending on who cooked it or how well they did? Thank you so much for sharing! I'm hungry now. <3

I really love this system, it feels quite realistic regarding knowing different recipes, possibilities to share them in conversations and even the chances of failure causing a risk of getting sick. I think discovering new recipes will feel very rewarding. Your brainstorming sessions must be very productive :ь I can't wait for the release!

My only feedback is maybe implementing a filter system so that we as players can sort through the options by name, type of food, & level

Heya, I love the extra insight into the gameplay section of the game. I would like to know, is it possible to have a mastery system for cooking? Similar to the Sims 3 journal that continued once a skill was maxed. So the tiers to the skill would then be the following: * Level ==> What meals do you have the skill to make * Proficiency ==> how friendly is the meal made and then you have a greater chance to make a perfect meal. * Mastery ==> 'Successfully cook 10 perfect pancakes of different rarities (jam, butter, etc.) The mastery can be for the meal and or for the skill. Then you can have the mastery journal be something like: * Master a meal from each destination venue * Cook a perfect meal with a super rare ingredient * Perfect a high fail rate meal. I think these are things that give more value to the skills and then you can invest in the skill. Also with all of these 'achievements' your para makes you can unlock bonuses for your meal. (They are cheaper to make, they don't spoil as quickly, they use fewer ingredients, etc.) Overall love the post and looking forward to the EA.

Wish for a cookbook😍

maybe when you reach the maximum of the cooking skill, the game could reward you, like you get a message "Congratulations, you invented a new recipe!", and the player could name the new recipe, exclusive to that Para

Oooh learning recipes from cooking together is so fun! I can imagine a parental figure cooking with a teenager, or a chef teaching his employee to cook advanced recipes. Would messing up a meal vs successfully cooking a meal have effects on a Para's mood?

Very nice post! In real life I couln't care less about cooking, but it's going to be fun in Paralives, he he! A few suggestions - I don't like exclamation marks, can we change from "Select a recipe!" to "Select a recipe"? I guess that, as usual, if you decide to go with "select a recipe!", we could still customize the text with the mod tools (which I'm more and more eager to start playing with) - going to eat at a restaurant, you can ask the recipe to the chef and learn it this way - if your Para is highly skilled in cooking, they can praise/criticize others (making their relationship better or worse) - watching cooking shows on TV could be another new way to learn recipes - for very mean Paras or to create drama: can we put poison in the food we cook? Maybe not lethal poison if that doesn't fit the cozy vibe of the game, just something that makes our "enemies" a bit sick? - can we have leftovers? Quick snacks? I assume some foods will be healthier than others, will satisfy our hunger need longer than others, will be more or less to our liking (so more or less "fun/satisfaction" points in eating them)

I love love love having so many different ways to learn new recipes! I can't wait to take my Paras to fancy restaurants and learn how to cook the food from there

So fun!

Is it a possibility to make a cookbook yourself when you've reached a certain level? It would be fun with the idea of this big cookbook that have been in the family for generations.

Aaaaaah I just love all your ideas for every aspect of gameplay, so refreshing! And yessss, give me more chance based results :DDDD

I love that they start off knowing different recipes!❤️ It seems so realistic and obvious but I don't think I've seen it in any other game!😲✨

So Anisa knows how to put a Frozen Ham Pizza in the oven, and Léa knows how to put a Frozen Cheese Pizza in the oven. They have so much to learn from each other! 😍

The idea of different paras starting with different lvl 1 meals is so original! I've never seen it before and I love it

Wow, thank you for update! I have one question: if my para is vegetarian/vegan, will there be a higher chance to learn vegetarian/vegan kind of recipe, not one with meat/milk/etc, while browsing the internet for it? Or cruel internet will give them steak recipe?😅

Thank you for the update, I would like to see more recipes in the future, and it’s burnt, spoiled, and undercooked variants! Also another postcard to add to my collection!

So fun! I wonder if you’ll have to buy groceries or if things will just magically appear in the fridge?

Thank you Jérémie for a great update. I'm super happy with the fact we have different ways to learn recipes in the game AND having different starting recipes is such a good idea. It makes total sense too since as you said everyone starts somewhere different.

Very cool! So excited to see more live mode options being implemented as we creep closer to Early Access release 😁

I love the feature of Parafolk with high Cooking skills being able to derive recipes from eating something - so many times I go to the restaurant with my friends and we try to figure out how they made the dish

Soo good you making me hungry 😋