NPC occult parafolk

Copied from Developer highlights article August 2019: Ghosts are not planned for the initial release but might come later in an update! We would have to wait and see whether or not the occult will be included (initially).

Cemeteries are confirmed though! So you can make up your own spooky story,

Just to expand on that, occults are also not planned for the base game. However, they may be added in a future update or DLC 🙂

I would say they need to steer clear of Sims NPC occults, specifically garden gnomes, grim reaper, etc. The best way to do this is to look at the utility of these characters and assess their utility in Paralives.

Personally, I think Parafolk death could be changed into going to the good place or bad place based on how they lived their life. So the animation could include a white light or being sucked into a dark void as to not take from a religion explicitly. And they can choose to remain as ghosts if they have “unfinished business.”

I think seasons and holidays could also benefit from paranormal folks as well. Better interactions with young parafolk/only parachildren because they still “believe” (include imaginary friends??”

When it comes to playable occults I think it should be released in one expansion called “Para(normal)Lives” which would include the Paranormal Dimension “hidden from the real world”. This would allow it to remain separate if you would like to not mix gameplay styles. As for what life states they should have, I think it would need to have a few very detailed and dynamic types. Magicians (wizard/witch but non-gendered), Vampire, Werewolf, Fairy, and Mermaid are all very good options…so what if they’ve been done by sims. Do them better. Create covens/packs to move up in the ranks of their community, skill trees to specialize them, strengths and weaknesses, and hybrids.

Biggest suggestion for playable/nonplayable paranormals would be QUESTS. This is delving into fantasy so make it FANTASTICAL. Create a unique mythology, quest to find the most powerful wand, cure for vampirism/lycanthropy, etc. Go crazy!

I definitely agree with staying clear of “Sims” occult, but I think there is still a huge range for them to use. The fact that The Sims uses occult does not put them out of anyone else’s domain because the legends, myths, and superstitions are all public domain. The Grim Reaper, gremlins, ghouls, and golems are basic figures in a host of different cultures. I love “The Sims”, but they don’t really flesh things out anymore. I say have at any well-known occult. I kind of want to see what they could do with a grim reaper.
And if they want one that isn’t so well known I have three bookshelves worth of research the can use.

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And if they want one that isn’t so well known I have three bookshelves worth of research the can use.

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@ravenshadow Research? I want to know more! Do you have a favourite mythology/occult figure you think would work with the game? I find this stuff really interesting, I went to a class on mythology and fairytale a couple years ago and ancient magic the year before that and I really enjoyed both.

I have to say that I love vampires, spirits, and minor Fey creatures the most. I started researching different mythologies when I was in middle school. I also started writing paranormal short stories then so I have a lot of years dedicated to researcher myths and the occult. Honestly, eastern mythology is my favorites. I’ve read a lot about Chinese, Indian, and Japanese. My favorite creatures though stem from Celtic mythology and American lore thanks to where I grew up. I think brownies, gargoyles, and black dogs could easily fit in. to the game.

So I was chatting about this on Discord yesterday and I thought I’d add some of the thoughts thrown about here. The one I really liked (not my idea) was cryptids (which I had to google) like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, jackalopes and so on. I even said bunyips, which was met with general confusion (a bunyip is an Australian mythological creature).

Fae/fey/fairies are also popular. I’d like them to be neutral/sinister not just pretty. Changelings were suggested (fey replacing human babies with fey ones), which I said as with most supernatural things I’d like to only exist in a fantastical world, not the base game. That’s a pretty popular perspective.

Thoughts on these ideas?

Personally I don’t agree with the idea of “staying clear of Sims occult”.

Because that would mean not doing things like Vampires, Werewolves, Witches etc. These mythologies and ideas existed long before the Sims, they don’t have ownership over them. I don’t think the devs should be going into this thinking “ok what did the sims do, let’s not do that”, I’d rather they focused on researching the actual myths and legends.

If by that people mean not to do them in the exact way the sims did it, I can agree with that at least.

I’d love to see the supernatural world in Paralives be a lot more secretive and mysterious than The Sims. I’ve never gotten the sense of a “masquerade” in the sims, they don’t seem to care at all about keeping their supernatural identities hidden. I guess they sorta tried it with human forms for the aliens and vampires in Sims 4 but it doesn’t go far enough in my opinion.

There should be some kind of in-game incentive to keep things under wraps. (that’s like half the fun of the supernatural world :p)

[quote quote=8344]Personally I don’t agree with the idea of “staying clear of Sims occult”.

Because that would mean not doing things like Vampires, Werewolves, Witches etc. These mythologies and ideas existed long before the Sims, they don’t have ownership over them. I don’t think the devs should be going into this thinking “ok what did the sims do, let’s not do that”, I’d rather they focused on researching the actual myths and legends.

If by that people mean not to do them in the exact way the sims did it, I can agree with that at least.

I’d love to see the supernatural world in Paralives be a lot more secretive and mysterious than The Sims. I’ve never gotten the sense of a “masquerade” in the sims, they don’t seem to care at all about keeping their supernatural identities hidden. I guess they sorta tried it with human forms for the aliens and vampires in Sims 4 but it doesn’t go far enough in my opinion.

There should be some kind of in-game incentive to keep things under wraps. (that’s like half the fun of the supernatural world :p)

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By “steering clear” what I should of explained was steering clear of the basic tropes/limitations of the Sims series. I think if the market demands occult lifestyles in the more “fantastic” role and as in-depth as most people on here talk about, then I think an expansion called Para[normal]lives is the best solution.

It would feel more like a spin-off for those who wish to keep the Paranormal Dimension “separate” or in hiding. But then I would add a quest involving groups or factions wanting to expose the occult and ending in “merging” the non occult and occult parafolk in the open.

I think adding story and quests to occult’s is the sure fire way to “distinguish” paralives from the sims in this context. It would put more of the “game” back into life-simulation games. In general I think creating a mythos/culture/narrative/backstory is the key for Paralives in general, not just occult.

I often like to play with Occults, so of course, I would love to have them in the game, I don’t mind if it’s a paid DLC. I like the idea of looking at mythology for the supernatural and having some fantasy aspects. If we can create a world, I would love to make a world with a fantasy or supernatural setting. Though I also don’t always like to play with occults, so having the option to switch it off would be nice.