Maggie’s Training + Poll + Pregnancy Gameplay

Will you make the menstrual cycle to be part of the game too?

I want a chance that it's an alien baby or a cat I'm serious no jokes then you could play as a cat

could you add a way so their names could be random? I often struggle with name picking and would really like an option so it could be random and cute.

baby brain would be really cool and maybe mood swings.

I want pregnancy to be more like in the sims 3 where our pregnant sim can choose the traits of their babies depending on how good her pregnancy were and she got stranger wishes to what she wanna eat :)

Definitely want pregnancy to change things. The sims 2 had a fun pregnancy with sims having faster need decrease & morning sickness, and I loved the craving wishes you got in the sims 3 when sims were pregnant.

Would love for Paras to have unplanned pregnancy!

For me personally I would like to see the gameplay take me by surprise! By that I mean some pregnant Paras have morning sickness, some don’t, some get an ‘unexpected scare’ and must see a doctor, some have swelling and different bodily reactions, mood swings etc, some want to work, some don’t etc the ideas keep coming. The Sims felt way too predictable and you always knew what was going to happen.

I wish births could be actually realistic. :P

One aspect I liked from sims 3 was that if you had a good pregancy you had more free will in choosing the traits for your baby. More prepared paralive parents should be awarded with more personality customization of their baby.

Interactions with the baby bump like ask to feel belly, sing to baby, pregnant para resting hands on belly 🥰

Preparing for kids, reading, talking to people who understands kids n parenting, childlocks, home chemical n food makeover lol, tummy parents sleeping loads

I would love the idea of a para (if choosing a home pregnancy) to have their baby fly down in a cut scene/animation by a stork! It would be great with them freaking out a little bit, getting clouded, and then them having that storm fly to them! Or, paras could gain only a small portion of weight! They don’t have to be exactly as humans, so be creative with it. As for hospital births, I do love the idea of my paras going into the hospital and coming out with a little car seat with their baby. If there’s an animation for that (I.e we see the para give birth), I’d probably want it to be a room full of doctor/nurses and a person of the paras choice (lover/family/friend) standing in the room, freaking out, and maybe even fainting!

Social elements of how the baby will impact other sims, like friends and family. Changes in social dynamics between the pregnant sim and their related sims. (Baby shower? Friends dropping by to help? Are the in-laws excited or uninvolved? Is the pregnant sim's partner hovering?) Things like that would be cool to explore and add a lot of social complexity and richness to the game!

I'd like to see variety of reactions to the pregnancy/baby from the parents! For example: Their reactions could be determined due to their personalities (Someone who is more family oriented might be super excited, or if they've had little siblings they might have more excperience etc. Whereas someone who is a more of a ''free-spirit'' might have some anxiety about it at first and/or altogether deny any involvement with the child)

Child proofing.This is more for toddlers. But paras could do the prep before child is born.

gain weight a little after pregnancy, have to work out and eat right to lose it. Just a thought. I've had 5 kids all of which are adults now so all of the above would be reasonable of course but I understand if it's not all possible

So my baby is now 42 years old, lol. But, a BIG thing that I remember clearly is, that I had to grocery shop differently, because I couldn't bend over into the cart unless I walked on the side of it. My belly was too big.

I had a baby 11 weeks ago so I definitely have some thoughts here... 1. All pregnancies are different. Some people experience nausea / "morning sickness" very little, some have it throughout their whole pregnancy. Some hhave major swelling particularly in the ankles, some dont. It would be cool for you to look into common symptoms and have some type of randomization for intensity of symptoms. 2. "Pregnancy affecting needs" - yes. First trimester = exhaustion, nausea (lack of hunger), weak bladder... second trimester = often "better", referred to as the golden trimester. Third trimester = exhaustion comes back, late pregnancy often the nausea returns, sleep is hard because you need to pee 3 times a night or more. Also things like social connection and comfort - wanting to feel connected to your partner, family and friends. And the comfort drain could be one of the above mentioned randomized symptoms - some women are extremely uncomfortable during pregnancy, others not so much. But generally I would say third trimester a pretty high drain on comfort. 3. "Pregnancy affecting mood" - yes. Mood swings are intense. Hormones are intense. Different moods you can be in while pregnant (often in the same day) - "Nesting", Cranky / Out-of-sorts, Lovey-Dovey, Weepy, Anxious / scared, confident, excited, wanting to research everything, feeling fat and disgusting, feeling beautiful and so amazed that you're growing a human. Overwhelmed too - especially by "ADVICE" - it would be funny and super relatable if when a Para was pregnant their family and friends all wanted to "give advice" on pregnancy and parenthood, with varying levels of success 😅 4. "Preparing to welcome the child" - of course, nesting is very real and intense. Wanting to clean, wanting to buy things, wanting to decorate, wanting to review the household budget 😅 Feeling anxious about the future, or excited 5. "Random chance of multiples" - of course? And higher odds if there is a history of twins in the family 6. "Selecting elements of the baby when they are born" - as in like personality? - I think appearance should be controlled by the genetics system, and personality a mixture of inherited traits and selected ones. But that kind of depends what your personality system is going to be like! - Sims-2-esq personality points could be inherited, whereas traits could be chosen? Hard to say without knowing more about the personality system ;) But I'd say that an element of choice would be great.

Will there be Plan P (Plan B) options ... ... 🤨.. 😏

It's also better to have ability to determine gender of baby before birth through ultrasound and having an option to have gender reveal party is also better

It might be morbid, but a chance to have a miscarriage (especially if you don’t take care of your para) could be an interesting game element. A chance for some paras to be infertile and have no option but to adopt could be interesting too. I’d imagine being very sad in these scenarios and that’s a welcomed thing cuz the game shouldn’t be all happy go lucky like other games.

I would love it if the family/household would be excited and want to tag along/help when the Para goes into labor. The birth should be experienced and shared between the parents and the rest of the family. It should be celebrated. I always find it strange that the mother in the Sims always goes into labor while the father just stays home and doesn't notice his new baby being born. Would be cool if any family member, but especially the other non-pregnant parent would be just as affected by the actual birth as the pregnant para. It would also be cool if family members, especially the partner would need to commit tasks/help the pregnant para during the pregnancy.

If you keep needs very high during pregnancy you get a magical rainbow effect when you remember pregnancy, and if your needs slide too low you get a gloom effect, and everyone in between doesn't get a special effect. My experience with pregnancy is "I never want to go through that again" (despite being happy with the result) bc I'm a big baby when it comes to physical discomfort. My sister-in-law, who has hormonal imbalances, was magically balanced during her pregnancies and so felt fantastic through them and loved it. So I don't want it to be "liking kids makes them love pregnancy, hating kids makes them hate it." Some people spew rainbows of joy about pregnancy, but those of us who don't aren't necessarily kid-haters. I want some para ladies to become literally surrounded by rainbows when they talk about their unborn children or remember pregnancy (because face it, that's a fun visual) while others get a cloud of gloom (again, fun visual), and I don't want it to be for as reductive a reason as hating or loving children.

I think that it´s very important to have stuff like, baby books. classes for the parents to take to lessen the anxiety or stuff like that. Also for pregnancy to not be exactly the same for every sim. I want mine to be able to have more/less complications and to have some "information" about it (like naming the stuff). Could be a learning stuff for some people

Needs and Mood seems like the most important. I'm guessing needs affect mood but it would make the pregnancy interesting to have specific things like cravings which could be mood based. It would be cool to see simple little things like doing a rabbit hole ultrasound and getting a photo or being able to have baby showers as a party option too.

The mood, needs and preparing are most important to me. I would also love in the future (maybe in a pack relating to hospitals give paras the ability to do alternative family planning methods like IVF, IVG, donors, surrogacy ect and even add difficulty like fertility issues)

I can't find my comment posted a few days ago, I think it disappeared. If I'm mistaken, please forgive me. I wanted to say that I think "Pregnancy affecting needs" and "Preparing to welcome the child" are much more interesting to me than "Pregnancy affecting the mood". Mood is... boring ? It's abstract. It doesn't bring any value. At least that's the case in That Other Game™, maybe Paralives will find a way to make moods interesting. But mood is not gameplay, at best it's flavor. A major life event must set goals, either short term/individual (the pregnant Para needs to pee more often, for instance) or long term/collective (the household needs to have a nursery in their home to welcome the baby). Players then decide what they do with these goals (do they want to meet those needs ?), and how they handle them in the current circumstances (maybe the family doesn't have a budget for a new room, for instance). But there is no inherent gameplay in a mood, it's not something you can use much except for "make believe". Personally (I know others play differently), I don't want to "tell a story", I want to play a game with gameplay options and mechanics, and so, these two answers are much closer to what I'd like to see. Regarding "Being able to select various personality elements for the baby when they are born", I'm not in favor of it, or very minimally. I'd prefer that the baby's personality/identity are shaped by interactions. Because again, it calls for players to make decisions, have goals, and use gameplay mechanics, instead of stating things in the abstract. It makes Paralives a game, not a machinima-generator. This is why I had suggested this parenting system a while ago : https://www.patreon.com/posts/33104058

Do you plan to release a pre alpha for patrons anytime? a pre alpha build mode would be great! keep up the great work!

Two things: -Be inclusive about who can give birth. Not limit it to cis females. -Have a way to not get pregnant. I don't mean infertility, although that would be a realistic option but birth control or something. I don't know how game ratings work, so I don't have a suggestion on how this could be done. I'd like to be able to select which of my paras have children. Some paras would not want children (not hate them just not want them), maybe have a fear of pregnancy and take measures for it not to happen.

Who will be able to give birth?

Are you considering cut scenes? It might be a fun addition during the birth or other very significant moments.

This isn't a suggestion, I just want to see a picture of the "exact copy of the parent but smaller" lol

decisions on whether to learn the gender pre-birth (ultrasounds, dr visits, etc). being able to tell other paras about it or be asked. The interactions really need to go both ways. As someone who was pregnant there is a spectrum: strangers who think you have become public property (negative reaction), co-workers (mixed depending on relationship levels. sooooo weird). And of course, extended family. Grandparents getting to find out they have a grandbaby on the way is pretty fun! I would also like if there was a chance for un-pregnant partners to get some moods as well. To-Be "dads" (non-pregnant partners) can get nervous, anxious, and excited too - they should get more thoughts/interactions/moods as pregnancy progresses for their partner.

I think a cool career choice paras could pursue would be being able to become a midwife Also another idea I had was the father being more attentive to the mother during pregnancy and after birth as well, would be nice to see, so maybe the baby is crying at 3am the mom goes to wake up and feed and he could do a gesture like 'No I got it, you sleep or rest'

I’d love to see the genetics of the baby like hair color skin color and eye color even as an infant

Seeing how the genetics play out is most fun part for me :3

It would be nice if the player didn’t directly choose the babies personality but it came about more organically

Also it should take some time or would be dependent on lifestyle For her body shape to go back to its previous state. I find it to be very unrealistic in the sims the baby is born and the the mom goes right back to her pre pregnancy state

It would be nice if the mom has a bit of recovery time. She would need rest

I think getting excited to paint and set up the nursery would be so cute.

I just hope we get to breast feed. I know that's post pregnancy tho.

I’d like to be able to take the para for check ups and get an ultrasound, find out the gender, be able to have a baby shower etc

It would be cool for pregnant Paras to gain weight and have bigger breasts to simulate lactation. And of the gained weight wouldn't instantly disappear after birth

please i hope when the baby is born and whe get to chose specific traits & name ad an option that it get randomized by the game !! a gain of time and also a way to make things more random

Personally, for the trait bits, it would be cool if the children are simply influenced by those who are around them as they grow up rather than off the bat having entirely specific tracks. Nature/Nurture thingy. Though I don't know much of programming so I dunno if that is even possible.

I'd like an option to skip pregnancy. My pregnancy was terrible, so I get an bad feeling when my game characters get pregnant. I want an option to remove pregnancy from family game-play.

Some babies that are easy and some that are more challenging to raise. Based off random traits at birth. Or toggable if you prefer to choose traits .

Unwanted pregnancy and all the drama connected with it ( of course it has to depend from the personality of the involved carachters). Of course not everyone would like it so it would be nice to have the option to activate or deactivate it.

I like the idea of events leading up to childbirth such as baby showers, gender reveal parties, having get togethers to tell your parents and family, reading up on parenting books and going to parenting/birthing classes.

I would love for the ability to use a donor, as I’ve written to you in a private message last year. And also if the pregnancies where connected to the personality and traits of the parafolk. Like it is in real life. Like not all pregnant women experience the same during pregnancy. I myself didn’t throw up and was very mobile. I ran during my pregnancy up to a certain point, others have to lay in bed and so on. :)

The only request I have is that there is no chance of a pregnancy happening unless you specifically try for it. Or make it a toggleable option. Pregnancy is something that I will hardly ever want to use in my playthroughs, if at all, but I'm glad you're putting so much careful thought into it for the folks who want it. Have a good one :)

I actually don't bother about choosing the baby's personality. I would love to have a random option so that the kid just comes out as they are, like in sims 2. I like the surprise

One of the things for me is different pregnancy options. Obviously there is the basic 1+1= baby. But I would love to see In-vitro or surrogacy options for gay couples. Also the option to get an ultrasound and hint at the gender would be cool.

Arbortion...I live in the US, so this is a must for me...💔

I would love to see a stressed mood related to having a baby that actions like talking to a midwife, taking a prenatal class (rabbit hole), or stretching exercises could help with. And maybe different moods, like an aching back or swollen feet, that aren't animated but can be fixed with massages. I'd also like to see a more active labor stage where Paras can do breathing exercises and stretch. I hope that stretch marks can appear for all Paras and scars if there are different types of births (water birth vs c-section). But my fingers are really crossed for babies we can interact with.

Having the possibility to choose some of their personality traits but also having the possibility to make it random. About twins (having more than one baby at once) I’m not really ok with pure random, having a small chance and making it random, yes, but genetics should influence this too (if there was twins in their ancestor, then adding more chance to having twins) Thanks so much for all the amazing work you all do 🥰🙏🏻❤️

I’d love to have the option to customize the baby’s identity, but I also think it would be nice to be able to let the game decide (whether randomly or with some sort of logic system, like another patron mentioned). Maybe when the baby is born a screen pops up with whatever identity options are available and they’ve already been chosen for us, and we can either leave them as they are or change them. Loving the work all of you are doing and can’t wait to see what’s next!

I'd like to be able to tell the father of the child they're having a baby or not, versus them already knowing the mother to be is pregnant. So otherwise they would never know if they're going to have a baby or not, same with other family members. They wouldn't automatically know the woman is with child unless she tells them. I think it adds an element of surprise and gives room to see their reactions to the news as well. But it could also cause and stir up family drama because the family could feel hurt they werent told they have grandkids or a daughter/son or extended family. So realism in that aspect would be nice to see. Another idea I had was having the ability to change the pregnancy length up to 120 game days (i know its a lot lol), I personally want a longer pregnancy to play through vs how sims did it with like 4 days. So you can see the progress of the belly and see how the mood of the mother changes throughout and the development check ups.Idk if this would be possible with moods but maybe the mom is dreading being pregnant because the timing isn't a good one but overtime ends up being happy about it. Another idea, Being able to go get sonagraphs done and sharing the photos with others. Being able to have a baby showers

I just beg of you to let there be multiple animations related to pregnancy. Mother autonomously rubbing her belly, special poses for pictures with both parents so we can do maternity photos, a rabbit hole they go to for birthing classes. Those are some of my thoughts for now.oh and please add baby clothes we can go shopping for. And some toys for babies like crawling mats and baby swings.

Yes! I want interests, personality, and traits EITHER randomized OR chosen by the game by some sort of simple logic like blending that of the parents. I don’t want to choose everything like it’s Paramaker each time. This is important because it creates a guide for the player in terms of the future identity of that para

I would like a more realistic birth and more birthing options like c-section, natural birth (I'd love for you to have the option to have an at home water birth!). I know these features can take a long time to impliment, maybe it could be after early access is released... Love the work you're all doing, please make sure not to overwork yourselves!

I chose "other" in the poll because I'm definitely most interested in the genetics aspect. 🧬 I want to be able to have brothers and sisters who look alike but not too alike, a weird nose that gets passed down through several generations, recessive traits that disappear and then reappear...

I really like a mod of the other game where childbirth has an option to be more in-depth being in labor for hours or days and the general movements without any of the gore. My least favorite thing is the other game regarding birth is how unrealistic it looks.

I have a question that is related to the subject. Is the baby going to be playable? Can we care, bath, feed with food or a bottle or breast, rock them in a chair, but them in a buggy and push them around? You know stuff like a real baby. Can you customise them?

I’d love to have a pregnancy photo shoot, or baby shower 😍

There are a couple of pregnancy/baby-related things I would like to see: - birth control (including failure %) - fertility rates (including infertility and possibly diminishing fertility at later age) - abortion, fertility treatment and IVF (can be rabbithole at hospital/clinic) - adopting with some kind of process, perhaps including counseling or evaluations opposed to ordering a child via phone (both giving up baby and adopting a baby/child) - different effects on needs/moods depending on personality, health and traits (i.e. a very fit para might have little physical discomfort, energetic para doesn't tire easily, a para who doesn't like family/children is upset, paras with longstanding wish for (grand)children is ecstatic etc.) - different ways to announce pregnancy, as some cultures don't do anything prior to the birth (except inform family/friends/employer) as not to "jinx" it whereas others will have baby showers and gender reveal parties - different ways to announce birth (like sending out cards, messages, inviting folks around to meet the baby, putting stuff up in the yard/house to announce the birth/name, placing an ad in the newspaper, blogging/vlogging about it and so on) - pregnancy check-ups in clinic/hospital (rabbithole), possibly with a brief report about the pregnancy. number/gender of babies and ultrasound - preparing for pregnancy/birth in different ways (parenting classes, reading books, informing/involving partner and other offspring, prenatal classes, talking/singing to and touching bump etc.) - impact on existing family dynamics with effects depending on preparation/involvement (happy/angry older siblings or partner, friends and family supporting them with helping out financially or doing chores around the house or distancing themselves etc.) - inform employer and plan pregnancy/maternity/paternity/parental leave (perhaps with different options in settings or differing per job as it's not the same everywhere) - having to take care of baby's needs (attention, sleep, diaper, warmth, bath, food etc.) - older siblings involved in taking care of baby (age appropriately, like toddler and up can give dummy/toy and talk to baby; child and up can bottlefeed, hold and talk/read to baby; teen and up can do (almost) same as parents) - upbringing has impact on baby's traits and relationships with others

I think it’ll be interesting to see the other household members be affected by the pregnancies also like the other paras freaks out every so often making sure the pregnant para is okay or need anything and randomly rub the belly or feet or cook them meals . Also as for moods swings for the pregnancy I would like to see something more diverse . On the other game we shall not name the mood swings only affects the player for a set of hours but there’s really no gameplay with the mood swings like when I’m sad I’m not gonna cry in my pillow every single time . Sometimes I’ll listen to music , I’ll eat comfort food , console a friend or every watch YouTube videos or play with animals for comfort. Basically I know it’s hard to randomize everything but every household shouldn’t have the same gameplay . I wouldn’t mind bringing in a hard to co parent trait .. like every traits should have more than one reaction

After seeing the exercise animations I wonder why the little jump for the feet when beginning the squat animation and sliding of the hands while doing push-ups? Is there a reason they are not just kept in the same position as the idle animation so the sliding across the floor could be avoided? It is not that noticeable and I like the animations but I just wonder why, since to me it seems like the jumping jacks for example does not have the same problem (as far as I can tell) 🤔

I'd think the food (related to needs somehow) preggo person should eat is the most important aspect within gameplay. Aside from hunger needs, it's also the shift in personality, behaviour, hobbies and activities as a result of the pregnancy.

Agreeing with others about prenatal care, hospital/clinic visits, and ultrasounds! I think it would also be cool to have classes at a community center. Maybe for pregnant sims (including spouses/partners), and then also after birth, like lamaze and "baby and me" classes. I'd also really love a chance for an accidental pregnancy, which could be tied into an above comment about birth control. Without birth control, maybe there's always a chance for a para to become pregnant! I have a mod in Sims 3 that allows for accidentally pregnancy, and I love playing with it to add a little extra challenge in my sims' lives :)

Being able to manually adjust the length of an average pregnancy (which could be affected by external or internal factors, maybe) would allow more flexibility for those of us who either really enjoy the gameplay facets of pregnant paras, while accommodating those of us who want our paras to have biological children, but perhaps don't want to deal with the pregnant para as much. Additionally, adding options such as surrogacy into the game could be an interesting idea to consider, especially for LGBTQ+ paras. Creating other forms of inclusivity here, as well, may also be worth measuring if not already considered or suggested: paras who simply can't get pregnant, even if they are cisgender. Paras who have tokophobia (or, the reverse of loving the idea of being pregnant) who could be affected emotionally by getting pregnant. Surprise pregnancies may be worth adding as an optional feature that can be triggered on or off by way of the menu. That being said--options to limit the realism for players who really just want to ditch reality would also be good to consider. ^-^

It would be cool to do ultrasounds with the pregnant Paras. I would also like to have preferences, so a Para would like to have children or not. And depending on the decision, the Para may or may not like being pregnant. It might also be cool if your para could have a preference for the baby's gender. Perhaps a midwife can support you during pregnancy. The parents-to-be could attend childbirth preparation classes or read books about pregnancy and the development of a child after birth.

Oh also can the likelihood of getting pregnant be different for each para, or at least be like 20% (which is the current average % of getting pregnant) or maybe even have like a 1 in 100 chance of being infertile and doing ivf or something? Ivf would be an awesome option!

I'd love a variation of experiences like some paras get sick, some don't, and different feelings about being pregnant not just all feeling the same. I'd live an option to get a birthing pool, or birth in the bath, have a midwife and so on. Or go to hospital. I'd also appreciate a low level risk of prematurity. My boys were both premature and they are fine but it just adds a little more realism. I'd like the option to either choose traits or have them randomise based on parents "genes" and the pregnancy experience. Can we please have a sling/wrap/carrier/babywearing option?! I'm desperate for this! 😆

I was thinking, this has nothing too much to do with the question but more so the family dynamic. That famliy members actually recognize that there is a new family member coming. For an example, para Judy just received phone call that sister Joanna is expecting. Now Judy is excited to have a niece or nephew or both. Instead of treating family like friends. Also in saying that, there should be a option to notify all family members on the phone, when para does get the news she is expecting. On both paras phones

I think it would be hilarious if a birthing Para just squatted, reached down to their crotch and pulled up the baby.

If we are able to decorate a room/nursery prior to the tiny paras arrival would there be any way to know the gender during pregnancy so we could decorate accordingly or do we have to wait until the tiny para arrives

I like the idea of pregnancy affecting moods and needs. Beyond needing more food, though, maybe include cravings, like hot dogs or a specific kind of doughnut. And moods can be weird. It's possible to have a physically "easy" pregnancy and still be irritable and to have a physically unpleasant pregnancy and feel really upbeat.

Personally, I'll take all the features and innovations that make pregnancy different from the Sims

I have a suggestion. Could there be more strain in the paras faces when doing exercise? Because they are streneous activities.

Instead of miscarriages i think a para who doesn’t take care of themself should have a greater chance if their baby having a negative personality. Like if you incorporate traits, then the baby will most likely get a negative trait like in sims 3. If you do personality points, then the baby might have low points in niceness for example. And the opposite will happen if a para is taken good care of during their pregnancy: greater chance for positive trait or higher person points. This way there’s a risk involved with pregnancy but it doesn’t have to be as dark as a miscarriage. Also I would love an option to change pregnancy lengths. I play my sims games with 1 day=1 year so I use an 18 hour pregnancy mod so I would hope to have that as an option when choosing lengths. I hope the genetics are really good and that we can see certain genetic traits when our babies are born like hair and eye color. (Skin color should be a given lol)

And I'd like it if the partner at birth didn't freak out as senselessly as they do in the Sims, but rather helped and supported.

I think pregnancy of babies (I have 4 children of my own, including adult kids) is a great idea, but feel it should be kept simple. Preparation could include room set up and purchases related to care but exclude celebrations related to culture. I'm a little weirded out by the possibility of "bad parenting" and parents that hate being parents. But, I suppose it's an opt in sort of thing. Still, a sim game involving the possibility of child neglect bothers me.

I would like the possibility to go to the doctor to know the gender/number of babies. It would help with the preparations for the newborn (specifically if they're twins). Maybe Paras could get an ultrasound and come back with the picture ?

Oh, and I'd also LOVE to have a randomized trait or difficulty level for how challenging it is to take care of different babies to give the whole parenthood experience more variety.

Paras getting wants to have a baby, and wants to not have a baby affected by traits

Telling other family members, and them expecting a baby on the way too!

I would like it if potential siblings also react to the pregnancy. E.g. with joy but also with rejection. Even if the baby is there, there is in real also rivalry or care among siblings.

I would not like miscarriages and stillbirths in the game. Thats sensitive for a lot of people. It doesnt need to be that realistic. If people want it they can download a mod.

In terms of preparing for the baby’s arrival, something to keep in mind is that this is a cultural thing. I come from a traditional Jewish community and we don’t do baby showers or much of anything until the actual birth (and then we go all out).

I would love to have the optional ability for a sim to get pregnant when not trying for a baby. Also, I would love to be able to go and buy clothes for the baby and possibly be able to use the clothing as decor items. Such as displaying the baby's first pair of shoes on a shelf.

I definitely want to see some paras who love being parents and others who hate it! Having a kid should be scary to some and exciting to others, maybe a bit of both.

I'm really hoping for longer pregnancies - maybe a week? - so that there's time to do baby preparation things. Like ultra sounds or a baby shower.

I don't think we should be able to choose born-in-game paras personalities at all - except maybe by cheat codes. It doesn't make sense in normal play, if we're going to have clever physical genetics then I have faith that Anna can make clever mental genetics too. Of course they can be modulated by the treatment the child experiences later.

I think these would be great if implemented at some point :) - different fertility rates - birth control - chance of miscarriage or complications - ultrasound scans - maybe some preferences as well? like wanting to be pregnant or not, could affect gameplay a lot - hospital visits of course :) I would love to be there with my Para when the baby arrives!

The pregnancy and child rearing part of simulation games is basically all I ever play for. Pregnancy, babies and toddlers are the most important part of the game to me, so I would love to feel like preparing for the baby actually matters. I loved how in the sims 3 what you did during your pregnancy would affect the child after it had been born (being able or unable to pick their traits). So even though affecting needs and moods are important, I think what would actually make a difference is choosing how to behave during a pregnancy and having that be relevant to the child.

So excited to hear abt this stuff!!! I really love the ideas of preparing for the baby in various ways, and someone mentioned a babyshower specifically which I think would be perfect.

How true to life are we trying to make this? I know people get bent out of shape over things like miscarriage or stillbirth, but I have a grandchild lying in a cemetery who never took a breath. It's reality. 15% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage for women under 35, and the average climbs to 25% if you include mothers above 35. It would be something that parents could grieve over. It doesn't need to be graphic. Do the labor animation, but then no baby appears, and their mood suddenly becomes very sad. They could have a little label or something like "Parent of an Angel Baby", and maybe even have a support group as one of their social functions. As for the babies after birth, you could make some babies colicky, so they scream all the time, and are difficult to quiet, some babies easy-going, so they rarely cry. It would add random challenge.

How are you defining the difference between needs and mood? Is mood a function of the needs?

Kinda unrelated, but I guess this is a good post to ask this: How do you guys feel about cut-scenes, like the ones in The Sims 2? They were definitely such an experience enhancing feature for me- I would love to see them in Paralives. A cut-scene for giving birth would be so heart warming...

I’m sure this has been said before but pregnancy cravings would be a fun trait added to pregnancy

I would love an option to found out the gender of the baby before its born❤

I know that it’s a hot take, but I don’t like that you can pick stuff for the child - I would love the option for it to appear and develop naturally over their life

Color me very strange but it would be AWESOME if you guys added a 1% chance for the baby to be am exact clone of their parent! 😂

I would love the addition of a baby shower type of event before baby comes where you could invite family and friends to help welcome baby and help the parents

i would love to see the skin change to make it more realistic (stretch marks and whatnot).

This is so exciting! Ever since The Sims 2 I loved having interactive pregnancy stories, and seeing the plans for Paralives I feel like I can continue this special and nostalgic part of life sim play that I’ve always been close to!