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Topic: Can a realistic "Slice of life" game work?

Posts 1 to 16 of 16

TheMisterManGuy

There have been life Sims like Animal Crossing before. But even in life Sims, they still have some weird, fantastical element to it. However, what if there was a realistic slice-of-life game, completely grounded in reality. No quirky animals, no fantasy setting, no super-serious, complex story, no combat, no bad guy, no save the day and get points. A game that was down to earth, simple, and was really just about living the day to day lives of regular, no frills, relatable characters. The best comparisons I can make are TV shows like The Weekenders or The Adventures of Pete and Pete. A sort of, Interactive sitcom if you will. Could a game like that actually work? And be a success?

TheMisterManGuy

Eel

Well, I don't see much point in playing a game where nothing interesting, out of the ordinary happens at all.

But you can always play visual novels... Or read real novels... I'm sure there's at least one about normal people being normal.

If everything else fails, there's always real life.

Edited on by Eel

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DefHalan

Meowpheel wrote:

Well, I don't see much point in playing a game where nothing interesting, out of the ordinary happens at all.

But you can always play visual novels... Or read real novels... I'm sure there's at least one about normal people being normal.

If everything else fails, there's always real life.

But Real Life has a boring art style. I mean, sure the graphics are insane but the art style is terrible. Also the interface is clumsy and the storyline is so boring. The main mechanic in real life is grinding (not that kind, you sick-o) and I have been doing that for 26 years and haven't gotten anywhere near other players at my level. I need something more exciting.

People keep saying the Xbox One doesn't have Backwards Compatibility.
I don't think they know what Backwards Compatibility means...

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DefHalan

@Meowpheel: Well, seeing how you can only use in-game currency, there really are no micro-transactions... however the DRM is killer. You disconnect from their servers even once you might never come back.

People keep saying the Xbox One doesn't have Backwards Compatibility.
I don't think they know what Backwards Compatibility means...

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Sisilly_G

The Sims is the only franchise today that fits into that category, really, and it is dying quickly due to EA's utter destruction of the brand, thanks in no part to their shameless greed. There are no new Sims 4 expansions on the horizon (that I know of), and there are only 2 full expansion packs and a handful of item/stuff packs, while The Sims 3 had about 30 add-on packs (and that isn't including the many download-only packs!), The Sims 2 had about 17 (from memory), and The Sims had 7 (which I thought was ridiculous enough back in the day). I've stopped buying new Sims games, and I still play the first two with all expansions installed when I want my fix. A few years ago, I bought The Sims 3 base game and a few expansions (none of which have been installed), but I hated that the fact that it advertised DLC in-game with objects appearing greyed out with lock symbols, trying to pressure me into coughing up even more than I already have for items that I cannot even buy in the form of a physical disc. I played The Sims 3 only sparsely before giving it up due to the disgusting and utter contempt that EA were displaying to their loyal audience. I used to buy EVERY Sims game for every platform that I had owned, but EA have lost me as a customer and I wish to never support them again. They've screwed us over enough, and the downward route of the franchise had become abundantly clear once they started selling content that was originally intended for full expansion packs separately with the release of Family Fun Stuff (which is comprised of content that was originally intended for the full Open For Business expansion pack that had preceded it). I wish to get rid of all of my Sims 3 games and I will never buy The Sims 4, particularly as the add-on packs for The Sims 4 are all download-only, and I will not be able to access them again when the servers inevitably go offline (plus, all PC games nowadays seem to require online activation, and who knows if I would be able to reinstall the same game on another computer in 10-20 years time).

Back on topic, I can't vouch for The Sims 3 or The Sims 4, but The Sims 2 doesn't really force you to incorporate any fantastical elements into the game if you don't want them to. Sure, the Grim Reaper appears, if you're willing to suspend disbelief in the event that that does happen, but that's pretty much the only fantastical creature that will appear involuntarily (oh, and Social Bunnies). The full expansion packs introduce at least one new supernatural/fantastical creature to the game, but their inclusion is mostly optional.

For example, Zombies need to be summoned via a career reward item that can only be obtained after a Sim has graduated from Uni and pursues a specific graduate-only career path, so you'd have to go out of your way to do it, and zombies will never appear in the game otherwise. Grand Vampires will only appear occasionally on Downtown lots and should not affect your game unless you interact with them (though they do have an amusing, and annoying, habit of randomly biting NPCs and turning them into vampires). Robots, like Zombies, require you to gain skills and go out of your way to create them, as with Plant people (neither of which will appear unless you intend for them to occur). Werewolves and meeting Bigfoot are perhaps the most difficult of all to summon/transform into (in all these years, I'm yet to turn any of my Sims into a werewolf or meet Bigfoot), Genie lamps can simply be deleted, and witches appear only occasionally, but your Sims will never interact with them unless you greet them.

I too am annoyed by the less realistic aspects of The Sims 2 though. While the exaggerated gesticulations may be amusing at first, it just becomes tiresome very quickly. The fights are exaggerated, acts of intimacy look completely ridiculous (perhaps to prevent the acts from being overly eroticised or titillating to the extent that they would warrant an ESRB M rating), and there are many other examples. I would welcome a more realistic sequel or experience in this style.

It's ironic that the more simplistic-looking The Sims had far more realistic gesticulations (slaps looked like slaps, and I particularly loved the "Romantic" kiss animation where the initiator would hold the target's face and gaze into their eyes before leaning in for the kiss), but this was also due to the fact that the game only offered a birds-eye view, and the graphics, discounting any animated objects, were in 2D (though they look less stylised than the completely 3D rendered sequels, so I still have a soft spot for the beautifully realised original). The music also possessed a timeless quality. The Build/Buy mode music sounded like the sort of thing that I would hear in display homes and furniture stores back in the day, and the music in subsequent sequels, instalments and spin-offs do not compare to what the original Sims game accomplished, artistically and in terms of its impact on gaming culture.

There are so many things I would love to see in The Sims, but the franchise will never accomplish greatness again in the hands of EA. One thing that I would especially love to see is Virtual Reality in The Sims. Imagine being able to construct your own buildings/environments and characters and being able to interact with them in a world limited by your imagination (and The Sims engine, of course =P). However, there are moral implications that will need to be considered for such a game as it could easily be turned into a virtual sex simulator.

Edited on by Sisilly_G

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SomeBitTripFan

It's almost counter-intuitive. Most people play games to escape from life. There's a degree you could, by providing some alternative feeling in living everyday life. Animal Crossing does this through its normal lack of hostility and lack of obligations. Generally, someone is looking for an experience different enough from real life though.

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Whydoievenbother

DefHalan wrote:

Meowpheel wrote:

Well, I don't see much point in playing a game where nothing interesting, out of the ordinary happens at all.

But you can always play visual novels... Or read real novels... I'm sure there's at least one about normal people being normal.

If everything else fails, there's always real life.

But Real Life has a boring art style. I mean, sure the graphics are insane but the art style is terrible. Also the interface is clumsy and the storyline is so boring. The main mechanic in real life is grinding (not that kind, you sick-o) and I have been doing that for 26 years and haven't gotten anywhere near other players at my level. I need something more exciting.

Let's not forget about all of the text in books you have to read.

Ah well, there are some really fun minigames, and the cutscenes in the movie theater portions of Life can be pretty fun to watch.

"I'll take a potato chip... AND EAT IT!"
Light Yagami, Death Note
"Ah, the Breakfast Club soundtrack! I can't wait 'til I'm old enough to feel ways about stuff!"
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Whydoievenbother

In all seriousness, a "slice of life game" would need quite a few things:
1. The willingness to explore engagement other than fun
2. Compelling characters
3. Lots of interactive narrative
4. An interesting dilemma/series of dilemmas

With those things, maybe you could pull it off.

"I'll take a potato chip... AND EAT IT!"
Light Yagami, Death Note
"Ah, the Breakfast Club soundtrack! I can't wait 'til I'm old enough to feel ways about stuff!"
Phillip J. Fry, Futurama

Sisilly_G

A "slice of life" game still offers an "escape". It's an escape that one can better relate to as it allows the player to live out their own real-world fantasies. In The Sims, we can live out situations that we may not be able to enjoy in real life (e.g. living in luxurious houses with an in-home spa/arcade, having 10 kids etc.), all without the stress and responsibility that it would require to actually achieve these dreams.

Edited on by Sisilly_G

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shaneoh

Ugh I hate that real life game, the RNG is always against me, and have you seen all the BUGS? There are more bugs than players

@sillygostly
Yeah the Sims series is definitely plunging downhill. By the third game pets should definitely have been included in the base game instead of expansions. I can't recall if you can disable supernatural creatures, but you can stop them from spreading (because the lives of other sims progress without having to play that household, it is possible for them to contract, say, lycanthropy). As for the copious amounts of paid content... I acquire it by other means, but it is certainly invasive and overpriced.

sillygostly wrote:

In The Sims, we can live out situations that we may not be able to enjoy in real life (e.g. living in luxurious houses with an in-home spa/arcade, having 10 kids etc.)

Or, better yet, a spa in an arcade!

Edited on by shaneoh

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FriedSquid

So essentially you want "Seinfeld: The Game About Nothing"?

Could it work? Maybe. Could it be a success? Probably not. But it does sound like some kind of indie game. Sounds more like Farming Simulator or something to that nature.

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mystman12

I've had an idea for a game, where you live a totally normal, uneventful life... Except everything you do is extremely dangerous. Want some toast? Make sure you don't burn it else your house will burn down. Driving to work? Well, no one else is a good driver and your car has bad brakes. Need to mow the lawn? Great, but the mower is crazy fast, and the slightest jolt might cause it to explode. Changed your mind about cutting the grass? Awesome, just be careful in the tall grass because there are a lot of snakes there, and the neighbors mighy riot because it looks so bad and burn your house down.

Okay, maybe not totally normal, and it would also be more of a survival game than a life sim, but it could be fun. Maybe...

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shaneoh

mystman12 wrote:

I've had an idea for a game, where you live a totally normal, uneventful life... Except everything you do is extremely dangerous. Want some toast? Make sure you don't burn it else your house will burn down. Driving to work? Well, no one else is a good driver and your car has bad brakes. Need to mow the lawn? Great, but the mower is crazy fast, and the slightest jolt might cause it to explode. Changed your mind about cutting the grass? Awesome, just be careful in the tall grass because there are a lot of snakes there, and the neighbors mighy riot because it looks so bad and burn your house down.

I'd play that game.

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Sisilly_G

shaneoh wrote:

Yeah the Sims series is definitely plunging downhill.

It's already plunged. As I pointed out earlier, The Sims 4 is pretty much dead. There are no new expansions on the horizon and very little fanfare beyond its launch period. I noticed the brand started plunging less than midway through the lifespan of The Sims 2 and I had taken a long hiatus from The Sims 2 as a result of this. Aussie fans especially were screwed over as EA started giving us the U.K. versions of the game starting with "Celebration Stuff" as opposed to the U.S. version that we would normally receive, and this would result in glitches and other issues when different region versions were being installed over the U.S. version of the game. This could be rectified with a few Registry Edits, which can be problematic for novice users. EA themselves neither addressed nor acknowledged the issue (no recalls or patches whatsoever for their meagre Australian userbase).

After Seasons, I eventually gave up on buying any later expansions (I'd normally buy them on day 1 at full price), but I was furious with EA's shameless contempt for their loyal customers. After The Sims 3 had been released, I eventually purchased all of the expansions for The Sims 2 that I had missed out on (prices plummeted to as little as $2). I have almost no desire to play The Sims 3 or 4. I might be tempted if there was some kind of "Complete Edition" deal that doesn't badger me with in-game advertising for their disgustingly overpriced DLC (to put things into perspective, ALL DLC was completely free during the lifespan of the first Sims game, and DLC also included additional software such as "Create-A-Date", "Create-A-Celebrity" and the like).

shaneoh wrote:

By the third game pets should definitely have been included in the base game instead of expansions.

Definitely. One thing that really angered me prior to the release of The Sims 3 is that they shamelessly recycled a lot of animations from The Sims 2 (and I was never a big fan of the cartoonishly exaggerated gesticulations of The Sims 2). They could just as easily have recycled pets considering that they were cutting corners as much as possible (inexcusable for a franchise that was over 100 million sales strong at the time).

shaneoh wrote:

I can't recall if you can disable supernatural creatures, but you can stop them from spreading (because the lives of other sims progress without having to play that household, it is possible for them to contract, say, lycanthropy). As for the copious amounts of paid content... I acquire it by other means, but it is certainly invasive and overpriced.

I cannot vouch for The Sims 3 and 4, but I detailed how they can be avoided in The Sims 2 in my earlier post.

shaneoh wrote:

Or, better yet, a spa in an arcade!

But then my precious cabinets would get wet. =P

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