How Needs and Wants Work in Paralives

will there ever be adhd or neurodivergent additions to the parafolks? i love the way the ui is designed for their needs and how much less space it takes, but someone who's adhd or neurodivergent, or even someone just incredibly focused, it can be easy to forget to use the bathroom until it's really, really critical.

wow it's great! I hope in this way parafolks don't start doing push-ups after funerals.

i know this is probably still in development, but will the wants expire after a certain amount of time? will there be any consequences for a want expiring or being deleted by the player (if that becomes an option)?

wow, reaaaally love this feature!! never tought needs and wants could be done this way, this team is so creative! 😄

I love this way of displaying the needs. I never actually thought about it before but now I'm thinking yeah, why do I need to see that my simulated person doesn't need to go to the bathroom at all times. This way makes more sense to me. I love that you guys think out of the box on these things!

I really LOVE this system because in that way it is easier to have a schedule and we can focus in the gameplay and not in the needs.

Would you be able to delay/pause aging in the game?

The only part is don’t like is the hunger and sleep needs being programmed. Different people eat or sleep at different times and not necessarily because of their personalities. Not everyone functions on a schedule, so to me it feels very limiting.

j'adore le concept

OMG this game can´t stop getting better i´m loving it :D

This is awesome

I'm obsessed with this! It's so unique and exciting and makes me so curious to play the game in the future, just to see how these things would develop for a para! I especially like the last one- definitely relatable! The icons and little background animation are so super charming too! I wonder if the 'voice' the wants/needs are written in could eventually change to fit the para's personality, or if it's better to leave it all a little more neutral, hmm...

I like that this system is individual to this game and will provide a unique experience. I don't know it I'll love it. But I don't have to. So I hope you guys don't change it because some people are on the fence.

Please also include sexual needs...don't cater to kids only...it's a game about LIFE! go for 18+ rating if you have to but let us play with life as it is.

For me this would be very much inconvenient, I’d like an optional menu to see needs!! A detail like this would turn me off from the game sadly.

Very late to the party, but I absolutely love the flexibility this opens up for. As has been pointed out, this can be used for temporary needs! This could even be used for addictions. Teen safe versions could include video games and “juice”, and if they ignore the need too long they could become irritable for a while until they either pick up the addiction again or suffer through the withdrawal. I also love the possibility for separate “romantic” and “sexual” needs, so paras could be asexual or aromantic etc. 😍

I love this! It's such a different and thoughtful approach. I don't like that in other simulation games I have to manage needs at weird times such as multiple naps throughout the day and eating at 4am. The integration of the schedule to influence needs is a great thought that I think will help focus on gameplay rather than micromanaging needs at all times. I think adding functionality for routines would be a neat idea to compliment this set up. So that for those that do like to plan their Paras day in advanced it can also relieve a level of micromanagement for those that want it by setting a morning and evening routine such as eating, showering, reading, etc.

I really love this idea! In TS2 I find I can get a little too absorbed in fulfilling needs before they’re really “needed” and it can become monotonous, but if I wasn’t even seeing those until they actually became important that would really be great!

Not including indicators for full needs is SO nice. Like, as a person, I don't really think about all of my met needs at the moment. I love the idea of paras getting hungry around the same time as household members. Additionally if you implemented the feature that clicking some needs or wants would automatically cue the action to solve them (especially with bathroom) it would make the game all the more engaging and less tedious!

This is such a cool idea!

Not gonna lie, not sure I am fully on board with that with the needs. I like to be in full control of their needs and stay up on all of them as best I can. I like full visibility. However, I fully trust the devs at Paralives and am very willing to give it a go! Maybe I'll end up loving it.

At first, I wasn't sure about your new proposed wants/needs system, as I plan out things a lot with these sorts of games. But the more you went into details, the more I liked the sound of it. Could make the game more dynamic and interesting for a long time. Plus having some "regular" times when paras are hungry and sleepy would be nice, as I think most people work this way. A "night owl" or "early bird" type of person could maybe stay up at night/wake up later or vice versa. Also because I've stayed up a whole night the other day playing the new Zelda and still had responsibilities that day, it made me think. It would be interesting if Paras could take some "bad decisions" now and then, like staying up all night playing a game they love, and still be up during the day but with a consequence, skipping sleep last night means much less focus at work, less skill building, more moody, perhaps? Just a thought on how actions and consequences could play out.

This is amaaaazing. It made me so excited

The idea of needs in the form of thoughts is brilliant and very innovative. I like it. In TS4 it's tiring to keep looking at the needs bar instead of just focusing on the gameplay itself. Ps. Will there be an option to change the font size? PLEASE. I hate having to strain my eyes in the game.

Omg I so much prefer this!! I tend to stress myself out with always keeping the bars full and I never have time for anything else. This is great, and it’s more realistic too.

Interesting concept, especially needs on hold under special circumstances. For very basic critical needs I think a simple visual indicator is better and less spammy then constant thought text messages. Also Paras should have ways and access to meet their basic needs as good as everywhere in the world and in rabbitholes so that leaving the house without checking all needs ahead isn't too much of an issue. What might also help are temporary quick fixes like coffee, energy drinks, parfums, deodorants, bushes to pee on when no toilet is nearby, and so on. Given all these things it should be totally fine to not have a status bar to constantly watch and micromanage needs. Keep up your amazing work! <3 Everyday I hear news from you is a great day!

Hmm... I definitely appreciate the originality of the idea and the desire to be different, but I wonder how easy or hard this would make it to get an overview of your Para's wants and needs at a glance, without necessarily having to fully read a line of text. Good, distinct icons would probably help; maybe even JUST icons, and then the clarifying text appears when we hover over it. But as others have mentioned, I think I'd also like to be able to see my Para's need meters somewhere so I can get a better sense of when they will need something and strategize accordingly. One issue I have with a lot of modern games (including TS4) is the way their ultra-minimalist UIs actually seem to de-emphasize important information, leaving me feeling lost and confused; even though logically I may know where to look for certain information, it never feels intuitive, and I just end up getting frustrated and giving up to go play an older game. I'd hate to see Paralives fall into those same pitfalls. At this point I guess it's just going to be a matter of lots of playtesting to fine-tune these sorts of things.

I love this concept and can’t wait to play with this new game changing aspect of simulation gaming

This sounds great and dynamic! I want to add a thought that came to mind after reading it though :) It could be nice if the "entries" were collapsible depending on how many wants/needs are displayed at a time and if the player is focusing on something unrelated to the list. I feel like it could become a lot of text fast, and after playing for a while, an icon and colour may be enough to determine what to do. For instance, a red hunger icon may be enough for me to understand the Para needs to eat, but if am uncertain I could always hover over it and read.

This is so so incredible and intuitive! I love how detail oriented everything is and how thought out the different circumstances could be for players to apply these guidelines for us- but yet still very open and free! Amazing innovation

Would babies and toddlers have messages like that too even though they can't talk, or would your adult sims be the ones with messages wanting to take care of the babies and toddlers?

I like this! - However I am wondering if there is more to see in terms of what is motivating the paras, and what wants they have. Are they just motivated by their aspiration & traits? Is there any type of "fears" system where what they want or DON'T want will play a role?

I love this idea and can't wait to see what other original ideas the team comes up with! Everyone has their opinions and that's fine, I just hope that in the end, you (Alex Massé) go with what you want to do with your game. Just because it's a simulation game, it doesn't mean the target audience will be the same. Everyone is different and enjoy different things. If you're someone who absolutely HAS to have the needs bars, there are plenty of simulation games that use them. Consider having an open mind and give us the chance to see what this simulation game has to offer in terms of new gameplay styles. You just might discover something new you may like. <3

Hmm, I'm not super convinced by this. When I play simulation games I like to have an overview of my characters needs so that I can plan their day in advance. With this system, I feel like I could send them to work without knowing that they'll start getting hungry soon. I like the idea of schedules but I'm not sure about the idea of predetermined schedules. I'd like for the schedules to be fully customizable at the outset, or at least very adaptable, so I don't feel limited to what the creators of the game deem to be the correct eating or sleeping time haha

Awesome! Love the dynamism and flexibility it offers :3 I can see that final example with greyed out options and a critical need being very useful for adding representations of how some mental health barriers can feel. Like for executive dysfunction or hyperfocus... I feel like if my experience with those things were put into a mechanic, this is how they would be displayed. "I desperately need a shower" and "The mess is bothering me" greyed out while "I'm having such a great time researching bugs!!!!" is critical red and dancing around xD; Or, "I can't focus"/"I can't think straight", or "I can't do that right now"/"I just can't"/"How do I do that, again?", or even just "I'm overwhelmed" and not just for disorders but like, a Para has a very busy stressful day at work. and/or their thoughts list is too full haha which.. in saying that also gives me a visual of ADD being represented through this mechanic by many thoughts popping up constantly, and then disappearing shortly after but before being resolved. Regardless!! (aha can u tell i have ADD lol) having needs/wants/drives/etc. consolidated to one section def feels more realistic (like you are seeing the result/effect those things are having on someone's life, rather than exposing the game mechanics) so it provides space to manage the story rather than their individual needs. i assume there will still be some way to view a complete overview? but for the main HUD it sounds like it'll be a smart choice. very dwarf fortress hehe <3

The system sounds very interesting and promising, but I still would love to have some visual representation/needs bars or wheels of current state of needs. Maybe this could be added as additional and/or optional for us to turn off if wanted?

At first when I saw it, I thought, whaaat? Then, after reading fully, I dig it. I also like the suggestion in the comments to shrink them down to icons, then the icon could have a white, yellow or red ring around it to indicate the urgency for it. I appreciate you seeking new ways to do things, very cool to find things outside of the box.

this makes me nostalgic for rollercoaster tycoon ahaha

I'm not entirely sold on this system to be honest. I think I'll need some time to digest it first...

This is totally different of what I was expecting and I love it. I think this is going to make us connect more and play more focus in some things than just fill the need bars. Nice touch from you guys!

I was hesitant at first but I actually really like this idea

I love everything about this system!!!!

I LOVE THIS!!! everything about it, but also the idea that instead of bars, they will be more like their thoughts. Such amazing ideas. And i totally resonate that this will definitely give you more of the feeling that you are connected to your character and reading or hearing their thoughts instead of constantly checking your needs bar which feels like too much of a task. This is definitely more dynamic. So innovative!

I adore this, I love the idea of needs being different and personal to each Para! I think mixing needs and wants like this is really cool, because that's more in tune with how real people operate, and I also really like the bit at the end about an "obsessive want" putting needs on hold. That's brilliant!!

I can see that not everybody is gonna be happy with any system chosen, so I’m glad there’s a built-in modding system (or just find somebody else’s mod) to customize it to every liking.

this is really awesome! i just hope the text will have more personality in the final game. ("A computer might be useful!" instead of "I want to buy a computer.")

I love this. I really like your approach to this, you are going for something new and I appreciate it. But here's some of my points; I will start with needs. I really like (and I was hoping for this) that you are doing personalized needs. It brings something new to needs system. The thing I would appreciate though is still a list / panel for them. Like the thoughts would show up if the needs were critical, but we could still somewhere see all of them - maybe instead of bar, use words like "Good", "Ok", "Bad" or percentage. Or even simple gradual coloring. This gives us option to fullfill needs over the day based on what we want. As for personalized needs, I would really like if neurodiversity was aproached this way - some people have their own needs, or really personalized needs (like bath every night). Or it could be like waves of needing social interactions. Or need of being alone. This system really gives you so much possibilities for neurodiversity representation and I hope you use it. I will also mention higher needs from the Maslow pyramid of needs. I think they would be fantastic. There'll be most likely consequences to not following needs, but will there be to over-fullfilling them? Like my para sleeps too much, my para eats too much... As for wants - I really like the system. I would like to see different types of wants though - short term and long term wants. Like short term would describe current situation but long term something that would / could happen next week (like promotion) The crucial wants is a good idea as well. If we get to pin wants, it should be connected to autonomy - once the want is pinned, para will try to achieve it on their own if the autonomy is allowed. As for the UI design, maybe there could be panel if you go for more types of wants? I could imagine short term wants and crucial wants showing up as thoughts and long term wants showing up in the panel. Maybe they could show up as thoughts if they get relevant (like promotion was long term want - it shows up as as thought if the para is at work) Same as needs - consequences of not following wants? Could something happen if we decide to keep said want but it doesn't get fullfilled? And last - think about fear system. It could work differently than in other games, but fears give another layer to characters

I love this! Especially the wants putting a need on hold. This happens to me a lot in real life I must admit 😂 This could be more common in headstrong/determined sort of personalities. One suggestion I have, since you talked about a less cluttered/complicated interface, is to have the needs/wants ”bubbles” shrink down to show only the icons after a bit and then grow back to show the associated sentence when you hover over them or the need/want becomes more urgent. This could especially be good for those playing on smaller screens. And since there isn’t a need bar, it would be cool if, when you click on an object (e.g. toilet, fridge), it would show us if the associated need was already fully met (for example ”I won’t have to use this for a while”). This way it could even say ”I dont want to talk to THEM” for people your Para is mad at or hates 😂 Great work team as always

While I agree that this system might become challenging to read, clutter the screen, and feel a bit reactive, I do applaud trying different systems. We're still a long way from launch, so there'll be plenty of tweaks and improvements. The main direction you guys are taking is very interesting. Keep up the good work!

This is so exciting ! I never would have considered going this direction but I think it could turn out amazing. I cannot wait to get my hands on this game and play it🥰

Thank you very much, these are very helpful insights, and I cannot wait!! I love how the team keeps us included in the creating. Alex, You and the team take your time, because if you all aren't happy with the end product then neither will your followers.

LOVE THIS!

So can characters work different schedules like maybe a overnight job and sleep days instead?

I love the idea of group schedules! I can rarely get my Sims families together for family meals, so I’m looking forward to that happening more often in Paralives!

Are emotions already tied into the wants and needs system? or is there a separate emotions system you guys are working on? I can see the last photo made a hint of it but i'm not so sure. Emotions i think are one of the critical points to a Para's personality and will help make them feel more alive.

I like it. However I also suggest that "wants" can be lockable and deletable. like for example "I want to purchace a computer" If I simply don't have the money right now I coukd delete it to open up a space for a new want. Or if that is a want that I really want to fullfill, but I just don't have the money right now, then I could lock it in and save it until I can purchase a computer.

That's a cool system, however I think some form of timer would be nice. What if I want to feed my paras before they need it, but I do not want to waste ressources? I can't discern 100% full from about to need to eat. I think an easy fix would be perhaps color coding. Full being red and slowing shifting to yellow, then red, then black or something would allow for some estimate of the stats. For how long can I leave this para without eating before he starves? 2 hours? 3? It would be easier to visualize with a timer or colors imo. Is it also possible to reduce the needs?

There has been a lot of discussion of fears. I would love to see fears follow gameplay happenings and personality - not be random things that come up with a timer. For example, a Para who is ambitious would have fears about being fired, but that would only be a factor when there is a reason. Eg, when the Para has a new job or promotion (fear of failure), or when they've had a bad day at work. A Para who values cleanliness would have a fear of being dirty when they go camping or play sport - this is realistic. This also helps to form personalities. So every time you go camping, the cleanliness freak is worried about having some kind of getting dirty accident, like falling over in the mud or somesuch. My mother was like this, lol!! This is normal - so much more realistic than fears that come up crazily and randomly. Have them come up when there's a reason, as appropriate to their personality.

Also, to aesthetically help with people complaining about the clutter, you could change the actual size of these notices with respect to urgency. I actually love the painted affect - it suits the game really well! And the list is ordered for urgency anyway, right? Well, if you sized them also up the screen in relation to urgency and justified them towards the edge of the screen, they would kind of shrink gradually going up the screen for Paras with lots of needs - that would really declutter the screen too, instead of taking up the whole of one side evenly. As for people wanting actual bars and numbers, please don't add bars for everyone! Bars and numbers take away from immersion! One thing that would be nice would be a mouseover for Paras, perhaps shift-mouseover, or a shift click, to open a detailed tool-tip-like box with bars and numbers for those who like to micromanage with their min/maxing gameplay. Then it's right there under their tool tip without even having to open a menu, and they wouldn't even have to flick through Paras on the screen to use it. I think this would be well used by everyone, min/maxers and story immersion people alike. And it wouldn't add to the clutter of the screen at all, or take away from everyone else's immersion.

I LOVE the needs and wants list! I don't want them in separate lists - that's far too many lists of stuff I have to watch - K.I.S.S. I also LOVE that wants can effectively turn into NEEDS!! Clever and AWESOME!! This will really make our Paras feel alive!! It makes total sense for these to be together! And I do want those visible where I can see what my Para is thinking about. However I can see how some people are finding the lists too wordy and cluttered, particularly the min/max type players, who are less interested in the story and want to control every detail for perfection - it's just a different play style. A solution I see is to perhaps make these lists editable, just like your menus are editable. Then people can simplify them or change them to their hearts content - and we of other countries all use different dialogue to describe these thoughts too - eg America says, "pee" and "poop" and most other countries say, "wee" and "pooh", America says, "go to the bathroom" (a bathroom is a room with a bathtub in most English speaking countries!), most other English speaking countries say, "go to the toilet" or "go to the loo". I don't want to see, "go to the bathroom" to mean "go to the toilet" in my game - it doesn't make sense in our countries - we don't wee in the bathtub (generally)! If I was to choose between 'editable menus' and 'editable thoughts', I'd DEFINITELY choose editable thoughts! If they're thoughts, I want them to reflect thoughts of how my country thinks them, not another country that I have to translate in my head. Or alternatively the other option might be to add a toggle for the "thought" version of wants and fears, or the "direct/simplified" version of wants and fears, so that you can choose whether you want to see, "I could use a shower right now" or "Shower - URGENT!" Either way, I LOVE the 'thoughts' concept, but 'thoughts' are more personal than menu options, so want to be able change the wording of these 'thoughts' to something more personally relatable. I only hear "use the bathroom" in American movies, lol!!

This posts totally confirms my long held opinion that this will be a brilliant game!! I LOVE the scheduling approach!! It's so much more realistic, and more manageable than the bar timer thing. The bar timer thing has everyone hungry at different times, sleepy at different times and it was just annoying trying to keep people at similar levels of hungry so that they ate together, and keep sleeping schedules even, and that just wasn't realistic. This is AWESOME! And you mention that this is all customisable too! Terrific - I'm thinking of Muslim people and other reasons why schedules may need to be different. I would only ask if it was possible to have schedules particular to households. Some households would have different schedules - eg. young adults without kids would go to be earlier and eat later, households with young kids generally eat earlier and go to bed earlier, elder households tend to wake up early (in my experience, anyway), Muslim people have Ramadan, and I'm sure there are other reasons too. If you could make scheduling per household that would just be *chef's kiss*!!

I think this will help to avoid something I find very frustrating in simulation games where for some reason my pixel people want to sleep in the middle of the day even though they slept all night, or they wake up at two in the morning because they had to be put to bed at 5pm. Looking at thing in a more human way could make it easier to keep to a schedule.

I really like it. Feel like it'll make gameplay interesting. Won't always know what needs/wants will show up in the list

I really don't like this idea, though I appreciate the ingenuity, and the desire to think "out of the box". The constant stream of things to read, the inability to plan or forecast in advance, the system feeling like a never-ending "to do" list rather than something I have more autonomy and power to control and manage, it worries me. It feels like it gets away from one of the core difficulties (and fun!) of life simulations: we all have to balance our needs, try to predict when they will get too low, and find ways to react to them while doing other things. The design shifts us, the player, as being completely reactive rather than having the ability to be more proactive. (I understand the needs filter in and "decay" overtime, but it's harder to gauge how any of the "white" needs shown are in relation to each other. Which one do I have to prioritize first? Exactly how long do I have? The standard need bar system could give you a sense of these things, but your current design iteration loses that ability. In competing games, sometimes I would make my character take a shower before work even though the need wasn't high just to avoid it getting low by the time they came back, and dealing with poor moodlets because of it. All of that decision-making and "under the hood" is lost.) Even some of the language feels too prescriptive. "I want to dance" -- why can't I be the one to choose how to get you some entertainment? This system being for wants, fears, emotions, obsessions, and thoughts feels better. I don't HAVE to read them, they are there to enrich my experience, and it's okay if I'm not beholden to this "To Do" list that was created for me. I much prefer the life simulation standard of how needs are handled as a decaying bar, that is reactive to other things you're doing. (Exercising? Your hygiene bar will decay faster.) It's *supposed* to feel project management-y. Otherwise, I feel like this system makes you feel like a task rabbit for Parafolks, rather than you being in control of them. (i.e. they are controlling me.)

OMG this is literally the brain explosion emoji I am F r e a k i n g out! This is so creative and different and wonderful!! I have no comments only compliments!!

A couple of suggestions: 1. Having a "habit forming" mechanic. I don't want my para to completely change their schedule if they eat dinner late one time, but it would be nice if the game said to itself "okay, this para has eaten dinner at 7 pm three times in a row, this is their new dinner time." 2. Being able to mod paras' habits. Maybe I messed up my para's sleep cycle and I don't want to take the time to fix it. 🤣 In that case, I can just open up the modding interface and change my para's schedule back to normal.

I really like this idea and think it's ingenious and shows a new approach to the need-based system however I'm worried about how it'll apply when playing a game with a large household. If I'm constantly reading and trying to decipher what my Para's needs are without a simple bar system to look at, it might get overwhelming.

Very cool

Omg this is brilliant! 😱

LOVE this!!!!!

This is great! I think maybe an option to have it be smaller and less invasive might be nice, especially if you're the type of player to do challenges in life simulations, haha. Maybe an option with symbols, also for those who have dyslexia might be nice. Also, congratulations Alejandro!

I love it! And welcome, Alejandro! Maybe we could have the option to display the needs as icons? Could also help for people with dislexia or in languages where words are similar and can be confused if read too fast. It would be the exact same concept, but with an icon insted of the whole sentence. The icon could become bigger or more defined to express the urgency, for example.

I am utterly in love with thoughts instead of needs/wants sections. Thank you for coming up with such an innovative way to make play feel more immersive and less about keeping bars filled.

I like the idea of reading their thoughts, but I would keep it for expressing emotions and conveying their inner desires. The idea of having scheduled needs seems interesting as long as what is driving the schedule are the needs themselves. Yes, we are creatures of habit, but habits emerge from continuous actions, they are not set in stone. Ultimately, I feel like having bars for basic needs like hunger and bathroom is still important, because life sims are time management games in essence, and knowing how the needs are progressing is important part of it. That being said: thanks for exploring and sharing with us these new ideas, I am fascinated by them. Just maybe be pragmatic and the certain o what the scope of the game is so you won't end up reiventing the wheel for no reason - some gaming tropes are common for a reason: they work really well.

This is so, so cool! I love how dynamic and streamlined this display is. And I also love how some of the needs and wants will be affected due to personality. Plus, having those written in "thoughts" gives each Para their own voice. Amazing!!

I love the idea of schedules and the “obsessions.” I always put off eating until I get to a certain point in a project. If we could customize schedules or sleep schedules that would be amazing though. Maybe too if you don’t keep up with it, the paras circadian rhythm can get thrown off and the schedule shifts over time. That’d be a neat challenge and have some good story opportunities! I wouldn’t mind a menu we can minimize or maximize so we can see all the needs at once though, just for the option.

I think this is a great and novel idea. Maybe we can have interface settings so that the people who want to control every detail and toggle it "on" and see actual need bars (or something equivalent). Or maybe if a player hovers over the "I'm getting kind of hungry" bubble, a timer can show stating how long until they get to the "starving" part (so similar to how you can hover over the need bars in the Sims 4)

I really love the idea of our Para's thoughts popping up. It's such a nice little detail that brings a lot of personality to the game. However, I would like the option to see their needs displayed in a bar format. It would make it a lot easier to plan ahead - should my Para shower before a big event? Did staying up late last night leave them less energy for today? And so on. It doesn't need to be on display all the time, but maybe there could be a button to quickly toggle the bars for those who want to see them. And for those that aren't interested in having the bars, maybe there could be an option to disable them in settings. Just a few ideas to get the best of both worlds. I also agree with some of the others about wants being grouped in with needs. It comes across as a little cluttered, and I think it would make it easier to miss things that might be important. Maybe there could be some way to sort by needs/short-term wants/long-term wants?

This looks really exciting! I love the idea of personality traits or age changing needs. This would really make paras’ personalities have an impact. Maybe the drama queen NEEDS to be the centre of attention, and the creative para NEEDS to be doing something artistic. There are so many possibilities! I do agree that it would be useful to have some indication of how long you have before needs become more urgent. I saw someone suggesting the box slowly filling up with colour which I personally really like! It might also be worth having a more clear visual distinction between the wants and needs. Maybe you could change the outline or shape of the box for the wants? A clear, bold border perhaps, or a border made of the sparkles, etc. Just something that makes it easy to quickly differentiate between the two. Perhaps you could also add a filter, that allows you to only view needs, or only view wants. I love the idea of an obsession/ ‘hyperfixation’ overtaking needs – I definitely know the feeling! I’m really curious as to what would happen if you ignored the obsession. Would it negatively impact the para’s mood? Make them feel overwhelmed? To be honest, I really hope obsessions/ ‘hyperfixations’ do end up in the game. As someone who is neurodivergent, this feels like a really clever way of adding potential representation without trying to include specific conditions and potentially getting them wrong. It would be so cool if some paras were more ‘prone’ to obsessions/ hyperfixation. You could of course have some personality traits that make hyperfixation more likely, but I think that could limit how representative it feels. I don’t know how feasible it is, but I like the idea of selecting the likelihood of ‘obsessions’ when creating the para. Maybe a slider that lets you choose between: ‘never hyperfixates/ occasionally hyperfixates/ often hyperfixates, etc’… Just a thought! Last thought (sorry I know this is getting long!) I saw some people talking about how different cultures might eat and sleep on a different schedule. Would the schedule be moddable so people could change it if they wanted?

I am amazed so I will analyze how amazing of a concept this is. This is ingenious in a way because it mirrors real life and how efficient our thought process is. People’s needs that aren’t of concern won’t be on their minds and they won’t be thinking about it; it would be inefficient and unnecessary in real life to always be thinking about how we are feeling okay in every possible need - cluttering our minds. Imagine being in class and you’re thinking about how you don’t have to go to the bathroom and don’t have to sleep and don’t feel like bathing, etc; it’s distracting from what should actually be on your mind. Also like in real life for example, if people really have to pee, then it’s the only thing on their mind. Since the player is an extension of the para’s thoughts, less unnecessary thoughts from unconcerning needs for them makes less unnecessary thoughts for us; it makes playing the game less overwhelming, especially with many characters in a household. The paras/characters are now more human-like because they think similar to us instead of machines that need to go to the gas station whenever we see the bar is low.

Also I hope you guys add fears/loss or whatever to the game! It is a real thing to fear getting demoted, not having a baby, having a baby, losing your toy, etc it's been a major thing lacking in Sims games. Of course I am more than open to whatever alternative or different way you guys come up with, but if you already have wants, I hope you have fears at some point too (:

I agree that this is a cool idea and I love the thought. But I agree with others about having scheduled needs become a problem, I'm big on my sims sharing meals, so if one isn't hungry I like to know to cancel out the meal (so they don't get fat) mid way and things like that. I like to plan I am a super control freak in the sims so I like to know every detail. My biggest gripe is having wants and needs be placed together, not because of the clutter, but because what happens when a want that happens that is a big milestone like "get married" - would I be able to save that want? Then I have more clutter and it's a mess. I want the want system to be in 2 categories minor wants and major wants like "eat pickles" vs "learn guitar" vs "get married" are all very different goals, it would be frustrating not to be able to lock a want and it would be frustrating having it all over the place with needs. I think the having a want that is so big it overtakes even needing the toilet/food etc is GREAT and a very imaginative thing, but I think you guys need to rethink want placement, locking that want, and how important those wants are (kind of like sims 3 whimsies vs wants).

Guys you’re so unic, I can’t describe it)) absolutely in love with all tour ideas, it’s brilliant! So much about soft realism and comfort for players, it has stolen our(community’s) hearts💥♥️ Go on! We are really really love you

I love the whole concept of overlapping thougt patterns which seems more natural with how our own thoughts alighn. At times, I'll be so focused on a work project I don't want to stop until a urgent thought screams through my other thoughts, "Go the restroom, NOW, before you embarress yourself"!! I literally get that! 😂 It is a new refreshing approach, and again, I love it!! Great ingenuity Alex and team!!

Every post has me shook! Incredible work everyone <3

I'm hearing talks about introducing AI to games. Would you consider doing that with Paralives at some point?

I'm not fond of this, unfortunately. I think it would end up getting frustrating having to read so many thoughts and wants in that way, constantly in different places, whereas if you have need bars (or could even be a points system!) you always know where to look for hunger, hygiene, bladder, etc. I also don't like that you won't be able to plan in advance. Like showering even though you don't really need to, to make you not have to during your trip to the park for example. Needs are what we base every action of our lives on, and I really don't think it should be simplified.

I think it's a great idea! And maybe some future players might be worried because it's an unusual way to showcase needs. But to me, it's a very clever way to display it. It's also clean and easy to understand. I really love it.

These are such great ideas! I know I can get really obsessive about the needs bars and can miss out on just having fun and enjoying the game. Having them just be thoughts honestly scared me a little at first, but I think it would be so much more relaxing than worrying about keeping a bunch of bars maxed out. Also needs on a timer is fantastic! I HATE never getting to have family meals because everyone I'm not watching autonomously eats at random times when they get hungry. It makes my families feel so disconnected. And obsessions are such a fun idea too! I'm so glad y'all are thinking outside the box and bringing something so truly unique to the genre. Paralives will certainly cement itself in the cozy corner of life sims, and I'm so here for that!

I'm really not a big fan of this. I like the concept of having timed needs that occur regularly. It think it is great and very novel. Though I think it would be more interesting if it slowly adapts to what the player does. For instance, if you have your para regularly eat meals at a certain time, that time should become the new schedule with just the same time intervals between scheduled tasks. However, I very much do no like mixing short-term need and long term wants and I hate that it clutters up the interface constantly. You also can't get an easy overview visually of the current status of your needs. There is a reason life sim games use the traditional bars as you can see at a glance the exact state of the character. If you really don't like the bars style, you could keep these narrative levels if you hover over say an icon, but at a glance, the icon should be colored green, yellow, red, and black depending on the criticality level. This would give you something different while also having an easy at a glance reference to the characters needs. As far as mixing wants and needs, I think this is a huge mistake. Wanting a promotion is a long-term goal that should not be mixed in with the more short term things that need to be addressed by the player relatively soon.

Really love this!! I agree with a few suggestions from others like having different colors for need urgency. Also having the paint swatch be like a filling bar so you know when the need is getting more urgent and making it collapsible because I like to be able to have has few screen distractions as possible. And while I like the schedule my life does not revolve around one, so maybe that’s something for a Para who doesn’t like routine or is spontaneous? I also wonder for a Para who has a night job if their cycle will look different. I might be overthinking it though. Wonderful work you are all so talented about thinking about how these things can be done differently and are so unique!!

I'm torn on the idea of scheduled needs. On one hand it'll be so good having everyone eating around the same time and actually sleeping at night and not going to sleep at 1pm. But when people eat meals varies from culture to culture and even from person to person. According to your concept, Para would be starving around 9pm, but in Mediterranean countries that's when they start dining. In Poland the "afternoon window" is from 1pm to 4pm, and not what it looks like on your concept 12-3pm. And that's just two parts on the same continent! Timings in Africa and Asia are probably different as well. Also, let's say that Para has a night owl trait and doesn't get tired till 1-2am, if they want to sleep even 8 hours, they'd already miss the entire morning window for eating and be starving, when in reality they would only start getting hungry. I think eating in particular needs a bit more working on it and designing it to reflect different cultures and lifestyles.

Interesting idea, and I understand the want and need (haha) to differentiate the game from other life sims in major aspects. That being said, I don't know how I feel about all this yet, it's a very new concept to me. I don't think I hate it but yeah, not sure about it yet. I'd definitely like to see more and understand it better though.

I *vastly* prefer this system over many other simulation wants/needs systems we've seen before! Thank you for also making the timing of needs flexible - if I work a midnight shift, the eating schedule I will develop will definitely be different to a more "typical" 9-5 work routine. Very nicely done.

Ohhh i Love this so much!!! Especially the scheduled thing will make playing multiple characters alot easier. I also Love the idea that a paras personality can change their needs and wants. It's Something that i personally find really important because different aspects like Introversion/extroversion, cleanliness, creativity etc. Really control how people live their Life! One thing that i'd really love to see is "negative emotions" like stress for example. People who work or Go to school might get stressed, things like drinking Coffee or experiencing a difficult Situation tend to get tens from it. It would be cool If these things then set off a need to destress and maybe do Something a para Loves! (Not sure if you guys are planning on putting a likes or dislikes system in)

I am absolutely obsessed with the idea of observing your character’s thoughts as a way to see what they need. However, I agree with some people’s points about making it more informative so you know how low their needs are. Perhaps having a bar ticking down over the needs/wants bubble to indicate how long until it changes/becomes more of a necessity. Otherwise, I think the idea is beautiful and incredibly innovative! Amazing job <3

I love that you guys are deconstructing all the elements of the traditional life simulation game, inspecting why and how they are designed the way they are, weighing out alternative options, and creating something original and streamlined! I know this will be a great mechanic gameplay-wise. I notice the amount of thought and detail you put into all of your work - thank you for doing your diligence! One note - I am looking forward to a future post discussing the UI, and will look forward to seeing what changes the team makes. I can identify some ways that it could be improved and look “cleaner”. I can’t wait to play this game!

I think this is a really interesting and new way to do things. I am worried though that it will become difficult in larger households to easily keep track of everyones need if theres a constant stream of changing thoughts. Maybe it would be nice to separate the basic physical needs thoughts over to a different area of the screen, and have some kind of easy visual signal to show when physical needs are not being met for any household member, regardless of what para is currently selected.

Personally. I like to have a "overview" of the stats. Hunger, hygien etc. It sort of "stresses" me to "not know". But I do love the idea of the more "not normal" needs. Like needing to see a specific person or the want for dancing etc :)

I love this!!! I love the schedule idea...my household had a schedule when I was growing up. Looking forward to seeing what happens when you add in personality, late paras never in time for dinner or an artist who gets lost in their craft forgetting to eat and sleep or bath. Sidenote: having paras that have no concept of time or all ways on time would be great...also light sleepers and heavy sleepers. Congrats Alejandro 👏 !!!!

I really like the needs on a schedule idea! Will definitely make it feel more realistic and less annoying with your character suddenly getting hungry in the middle of the night. And having the needs be affected by traits will be so cool. I know you said the icons aren't final but I really like the tired icon it's very cute.

Congrats Alejandro! Also I love this concept so much. Such a cool idea.

Also I think if this list was collapsible that would be great. There could be a number at the top for how many reds and you can click on that to uncollected the full list. Just so you can have the screen space back. But i actually like the idea of the needs taking up space because it will add to the chaos of urgent needs

I never thought about the schedule and needs dynamics, but it makes so much sense! You really stepped out of the box with this one and it's amazing! Also the fact that you turned some wants into needs, is also so realistic! If I didn't see my sister in a while I don't have a want to see her, I have a need to see her! Regarding the dynamic needs system, I can't help but wonder if it could potentially incorporate addiction-like behaviors. I don't mean drugs or alcohol, just to be clear, but rather activities like video games, exercise, reading, and so on. These can become significant aspects of people's lives, to the point where their absence can lead to anxiety or discomfort. Similarly, individuals with OCD may experience distress when living in disorganized or dirty environments. It would be fascinating if Paralives could explore these nuances. Overall, I'm incredibly impressed with the direction Paralives is taking. The attention to detail and consideration of various aspects of human needs truly sets the game apart. I can't wait to see how these ideas develop further, and I'm excited to experience the rich and realistic simulation that Paralives promises to deliver!

This is so exciting! Some things I’d consider is how babies through teens wants look different than YA and so on. It would be amazing to see babies and toddlers thoughts be complete gibberish (that is, until toddlers can speak. Once they learn how to speak it can become short sentences/sight words). For babies, I think having specific cries to indicate what they want (hunger/social/energy/etc) would be perfect and realistic! For teens and children, I’d love a pop up that is Urgent and says something like “I don’t know what I want, I’m just MAD/SAD/ETC,” it could play on mood swings and personality/character. This can also be added for midlife crisis,’ if we’re considering bringing those in the game. This can definitely be expanded on A concern for me is how much it may fill the screen. I liked how another person suggested having a pop up window/closeable tab with Wants/Needs/Etc

This is so interesting! I never would have considered going this direction but I think it could be great! I love the idea of needs being more time based; it makes tons of sense to me. Really excited to see where you go with this.

I *really* love the whole obsession idea. I've never thought of it before and I really hope you end up adding it into the final produce.

Love this!!!

This! Yes! It makes them feel way more alive when you do it like that!

"Anyone else here has been so in love that they forgot to eat?" 🙋 Me, AT THIS MOMENT! And the worse part is: Idk if she feels the same for me 😭😭

This is awesome! It's probably one of the most exciting updates yet for me. Really feels like things are coming together. I love the simplicity and flexibility of the system. I personally have trouble distinguishing a bunch of text in a list like this this I'd love to see some icons or colour coding coding (on the less urgent ones) to help me understand the prompt more quickly, but I get that black on white might be more accessible for others. I wonder if needs could be autosolved or options displayed for them if you click on them? Especially where they're specific to the paras, it would be cool if one day you could click on "Carl" in the 'I want to see carl' want and it takes you to somewhere useful for getting into contact with him.

I think it would be great to have thoughts in a pop out window that can slide in and out from the side with a push of a button. Then when the pop out window is closed, if there are critical needs, wants or fears, it can glow from the side or maybe have a bell symbol with a ringing animation so the player knows to check in the window. And hopefully there will be fears. You could also have the pop out window include tabs for wants, fears and needs. Great work!

In my opinion, fears should absolutely play a part in the game. Us as humans have needs and wants but we also have fears to either motivate us or drown us. I think it'll make the gameplay more interesting and dynamic

I think maybe another thing that could be added is a timer or some visual indicator of how long the need/want has until it progresses to the next severity level so you can plan ahead in fulfilling said need. Additionally having different colours for severity levels instead of only the most severe would be good so you can see at a glance what needs to be prioritised. I think this idea in displaying needs and wants in this way is interesting and unique but could have a few tweaks to make it easier to work with while playing and managing a household of several Paras. Really enjoying seeing how this game is coming along though! ♥️

Im a little worried how busy it might look if my paras have all needs in the red, but I actually really like it. I think I'm just hesitant because im used to having a clear understanding of my simulated people's needs, and this is semi-clear but obscures it somewhat (maybe adding semi transparent color to the needs can show how urgent it's getting too, for a quick glance while clicking through family members). I think it would definitely take some getting used to, and I think there's going to be some people that openly complain about this idea.

Yeah, fears is something that definitely adds a layer to the gameplay.

Hm not sure about this, and it definitely needs more colours. Also, no fears :( ?

This is incredible! I LOVE the scheduled needs for exactly the reasons you stated - clear expectations and the ability to sync up Paras (plus less of a chance for me to accidentally screw up their need schedule if I have them eat at a weird time once). And my immediate thought is the ability to mod - even though I'm probably not going to do it myself - for cultural purposes perhaps setting meal times before dawn and after dusk, or other changes if people don't like the 3-meals-a-day schedule. I'm really excited to see how this evolves as you continue to develop it and test it - especially the obsessive wants! I can't wait to try it all out myself!! <3 Thank you SO much for sharing!!

I think that the challenge of juggling different bars simultaneously has always been a core and engaging part of life sims so this is a bold move. It always felt like a constant juggling and management process while also trying to their life and achieve their goals, it could be seen as a chore but alternatively as a key challenge and challenges are ultimately what make games enjoyable. I fear that this new approach will feel more like ticking things off a list rather than a constant and fluid management process of multiple variables which I think may have been a subtly important part of the enjoyment and challenge of life sims. One improvement I would suggest is when the need thoughts are displayed, there could still be some visual sense of it moving towards the next more severe stage. This would make it feel less static like just ticking tasks off a list, and more like a fluid management process that is more engaging to the player

Brilliant idea, this game is sounding better and better all the time. Can't wait to play it!

OBSESSED with the idea of obsessions prevailing over all other needs 😍

This is awesome!!

I get more and more excited with every update

I love this!!!!

omg this system is genius! I love the idea of the lovesick condition holding other things at bay. I would LOVE to see emotions interfere with other needs/wants like this. great job team! loving this over the typical bar/levels situation ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Oh this is really cool! I like how unpredictable this could be. And the fact that it can eventually cater to different types of personalities. Also congrats Alejandro! 👏🏾👏🏾

obsessed

Ah this is very interesting. What about needs like hygiene / bathroom that aren’t as cyclic as hunger or sleep though? I’m a bit worried my para might suddenly feel they need a shower as soon as they’re sent to work 😅

Lovely work team! would like to see this developed further, but although i enjoy this method of dealing with needs, i can't help but feel that it kind of clutters the screen? I understand in the earlier stages of the needs they won't show up at all so it clears up the space a bit, but having UI elements that occupy a good part of the screen because they need to be legible, constantly go in and out of sight could be annoying for some players, the way it WORKS doesn't need to be treated as bars like other life-sim games, but I believe it should be something you can bring up and let it stay on the screen when you want it to, maybe it could just be an icon you can click to expand and show the details of your para's needs, maybe text to communicate something as simple as "I'm starving" could be layed out with their behavior, animations or mood instead of just that, text. just my two cents though! I am loving this project so much, just giving my insight 👁️👁️

I love the fact that the needs are scheduled around certain times of day! That makes so much sense to me and absolutely love that there will be so much potential to have all your paras eat dinner at the same time/want to go to sleep at night.

Wasn't expecting this but I definitely like the idea. Can't say I've forgotten to eat by being so in love, but I've definitely eaten meals at ungodly hours from being completely drawn into a new game, that I just couldn't put it down to go eat XD

Oh, that's interesting... I really like how immersive that is ! Has it been tested when you're juggling between different members of the same household ? The bars tend to make that easy (you just switch from one character to the next and instantly gauge the state of each one), so I wonder how it translates once we're talking about text. Maybe it feels less like management and more like roleplay, especially since the messages are [so far ?] written in the first person. The scheduled needs make sense, especially considering there'll be (or there is, already ? I can't remember if you showed that to us, I just remember you outlined the principle) a system to schedule actions, too. It's consistent. My only fear is that this would be the only way to see where your Para's needs are at ? So... you're only reacting to things, but you don't have the tools to plan ahead much. Say you're sending your Para to hike in the woods, and you want to make sure your Para's bladder is empty before leaving home because where you're going, there are no toilets. Unless your Para TELLS YOU that their bladder is not empty, you have no way of knowing. It's not very proactive. Or you risk having to send your Para to the toilet before leaving, and waste time even though her bladder is already empty, just because you don't know until it starts bothering her. Some needs are not even scheduled, like cleanliness, so it might just happen that suddenly one hour after leaving home, your Para gets upset because she's starting to stink. You could have taken a shower before leaving home if you had known she was not squeaky clean ! That sort of thing. That's the only downside I see with the absence of a more detailed needs panel.

This is great and is exactly what I wanted even if I didn’t know I wanted it! I’m so happy to be seeing some gameplay content!!

Love this concept! It's a nice change from the usual way.

Has your team considered that specific needs all turning up in the bottom left corner might be rather text based and therefore not friendly for the low literate, and/or dyslexic people? Is the font you will be using in the alpha version at least unique in each of its letters, which make the bpdq, vu, unmw, and the aeo easily distinguishable? Specific colours for specific needs?

I love this so much

That is so great!! I think that the death by not eating should be by lunchtime the next day, or between Breakfast and Lunchtime, instead of the middle of the night, as sometimes people can skip a meal and they're ok because they ate a big meal earlier.

this is so interesting and dynamic! and i love the needs on a schedule idea, because in real life a whole family would eat dinner together so i want my Paras to do that too!! awesome stuff as always🩷

I LOVE the idea of instead of having a UI, it’s like mind reading and thoughts of your paras. Such a cool new way of exploring their needs and what our relationship is to our paras!

Love this!

I love this! the UI art for it looks really good as well.

trop cool j'ai trop hâte

I appreciate the current progress of this game. Also, congratulations to Alejandro for completing his internship! 彼の成功を祈って乾杯しよう。🥂🍻 Let’s toast to his success.

Woohoooo!! I love this guys !! And congratulations Alejandro (Axel) 🥰👍🏻♥️

This is awesome. I’ve never even thought about having needs in such a dynamic way but you guys put so much thought and work into this, it looks fantastic!

This is so cool! I hope these small short-term wants can be complemented with longer-term major wants that take time to complete. Completing wants can cause sequential related wants to be generated in a sort of randomized flow chart

I like this but let’s say you want to cheat a need, could you?

Oh that's so interesting! Love the concept!

This looks great. I love the idea of specific needs based on personality types - it'll make them all feel truly unique!

wow i love the design of this mechanic i’m super excited about this

I adore this.