I don’t think the game looks bad, but you can tell they’re operating with some of the Unity defaults. It’s pretty common to see indie games use the default materials, lighting, shaders, etc, but they wind up looking like each other which doesn’t necessarily help to make any one game stand out.

At the end of the day that’s OK in my opinion. I figure they have enough on their plates trying to develop a life sim that visual distinction isn’t top priority, and as I said it doesn’t look bad. Unity has many settings they can tinker with if visuals become a focal point of development.

I guess those sims had parents with custom or very extreme traits... It's the price for having unique sims, deformed todlers... xD Sometimes the game doesn't blend well either and weird things happen, even without custom traits.

Text Editing in the game:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FmCpzJqXPps

I'm not sure how to feel about the inclusion of "real" language in the game. Come to think of it, did they ever talk about the language of the Parafolks? Will there be some kind of "Paralish"?

I suppose there would have to be, for the sake of player sanity, for the same reasons original Maxis decided on giving sims a unique made-up language. To hear them speak in the familiar native tongue of the player would become a very annoying and repetitive ear-worm very quickly. Along with epilepsy warnings, the game might have to come with tinnitus warnings. Not to mention the huge financial and time-consuming cost of recording voice actors in multiple different languages for all the regions the game would be sold in.

Although the upside could be, beyond being a game, it could double as a very useful tool in helping people learn foreign languages. Sick of hearing them in your own language, flip it to something else and learn something new while having fun. That could work

I do have custom sliders for both of the games so that could be the reason. But, the parents of the children did not have any extreme facial features.

Hmm, it's nice to be able to customize items like that, but I would prefer if it was done in a slightly different way. In Sims 3, if you were making custom tombs, you could add plaques to the wall that players' sims could read. Like, 'abandon hope all ye who enter!' and that kind of thing. But the text was not visible in-game, just as a pop-up that appeared only when the sim interacted with it. So that would be better for me I think- no visible 'human' language in-game, but the ability to customise a picture so that when a para viewed it, the caption you typed could be read in a pop-up or speech bubble.

I mean... I believe this wouldn't be limited to latin characters/letters. So flexibility never really takes away from the player, even including the ability to use or make up a fictional language in their game canon.

Though, I do think it be handy if we get something like font customization or something like that.

I am so excited to see where Paralives takes us in terms of competitors for the Sims. Finally (hopefully) EA actually have to listen to their costumers!

I could see that as the outcome more than anything else. As a crowd-funded indie game, with still only a handful of people working on the project, I can't see them having a big enough budget to afford creating an extensive verbal, spoken Paras language and hiring voice actors of varying ages, genders and voice tones to record it all. Even with original Maxis being on a budget for the original Sims game, - as an experiment in a new "Dollhouse" genre they weren't sure was going to have great appeal - EA still gave them a big enough budget to make up and record a spoken language. Just how voice sound recording is in original Sims game, Paralives would have to, at the very least, match that standard if it does go down the avenue of a spoken Para language. Though I just can't see it being financially viable for a crowd-funded indie game.

What I do imagine is lots of "Hmms" and "Arrs" and "Ooos" as the recorded "voice" sounds, expressing some level of audible emotional context, followed by boxes with subtitles in them in the native language of the player. And just as you suggest, probably highly customization text options, colours and fonts, to make it more personal and recognizable to each Para.

Might need to hire some script writers and playwrights for all that. If I'm ever going to play a game where I'm regularly bombarded with text, it better be a varied and exciting read. Not "Jimmy wants to play on the computer" fifty times an hour, no matter how colorful and pretty Jimmy's personal text font is. "Jimmy wants to talk with Johnny, but Johnny wants to play on the computer." Ooo, the drama. Award winning stuff. "Jimmy wants to kill Johnny, but he has yet to find out where Johnny has stashed the money and drugs." Must have hired Tarantino for a bit of the script writing. And no bad thing. "Johnny wants to tell Jimmy where he stashed the money and drugs, but Jimmy wants to play on the computer." Errr... No.

I mean... The concern was more about written strings than how they create in-depth, elaborate WAV/WMA/MP3 package files. Making up a fictional text language I think might be do-able and almost at free cost onto graphical 3D objects and text prompts (putting aside the deep time sink crater factor to work and finalize it) for the indie team, before moving over to the development of the Para's language vocalization and audability of songs and what not.

This post is not about any true update on Paralives' development; it is more about what they are reconsidering to add regarding relationships between Parafolk. I am glad that the developers are brainstorming ideas about relationships and that they want to make them complex and different in comparison with TS. There also might be passions and talents but that is not yet confirmed. I am taking information from this video by Simmer Errin who posts updates about Paralives' development.

Another video of what features will not be in Paralives such as occults or the ability to rent property. But, occults such as ghosts might come in the form of DLC. Most of the features included in this list might actually come in DLC, but that does not have to be the case. Also, there will be holidays in the basegame, and horses, cats and dogs. Other animals such as parrots or rabbits or rodents will not be included though. There will also be no plants such as bushes or flower beds going dry, but I think that that does not apply to gardening.

Live Mode Sneak Peek: Emotion Animations

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0yvojmM5qY

I like them. Although I feel I might have to get used to the subtlety.

Yeah, the subtlety is something different from what we are used to But what I like is how short they are and still manage to show the emotion in a clear way. I hope that this means that player interaction will feel more fluid. I also hope that whatever idle animations they come up with will be on the shorter side as well. Or in the case that they are longer, have several points in where the animation can be interrupted without it looking unnatural. So that whatever action a player wants to use, it is not waiting on some animation to end.

Animation

This was just posted above and commented on already.

A rare footage of virtual people, maneuvering out of garden maze without clipping through and going anywhere but (hopefully) to the bathroom sink to wash a dirty dish

TS4 could never!

Interesting! I wonder if a series of go here or they simply started them at an entrance and then just instructed to get to exit? It would seem they would have to be directed through, but.................? Cute with little one running ahead.

You had me at "casual strolling." Okay, the kid was hot footing it a bit, but that's kids for you.

But that cool-as-a-cucumber stroll is the winning boys magic. Sims in TS4, even when walking, still seem somewhat manic in comparison. (Not to mention half of them purposely goofy enough to make you sea sick just watching them for a few minutes. Any wonder they seem always on the cusp of being deranged.)

That Para strolling will become legendary.

Take it away Artist Formally Known As Prince (RIP)- "Strolling, strolling, we could have fun just strolling..."

Sims 3 is my main go to game, but they look like toddlers with loaded diapers they way they walk, and climb stairs. So much less grace than 2 Sims had. And I agree, that one fellow looked totally cool. Nice moves.

Someone mentioned in the comment section of the video how every Para has a different walking pace. I like that little detail.

Did Maggie at one point walk through the bush or are my eyes playing tricks with me? It was kind of hard to see from that angle.

I guess we just have to hope that they are not casually strolling towards some random townie, just to hug and then stroll back to finish eating :p

Skill level animations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kijDQ0YWYqE

Cozy House build.
I have to say, I'm not a fan of that grass or general outdoor textures including the plants and flowers. It looks too blurry to me.
The build and buy stuff is nice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQZBA4qdupo

I saw a barrel full of water and an electrical generator. Does that mean we might get off the grid living? There is also a recycling bin for paper waste, a picnic basket and a bike. I would be kind of dissapointed if all of these things are only decorations.

The attention to detail is beautiful. The meshes are detailed and proportional. I love how the vegetation moves with the wind. The flowers though are kind of low poly, which is a problem for me. The trees look realistic even though the game is supposed to be in cartoonish style. But, I do not want to complain too much because the trees actually blend in pretty well.