r/LifeSimulators

I have been having a hard time with life simulation games especially recently. I have been playing the Sims 4 pretty much since it came out and out of curiosity also got Paralives when the early access came out.

The thing I'm struggling with the most is that my favourite way of playing the Sims is historical gameplay. I almost exclusively play historical legacies from different time periods (most often 1800s backwards) and the Sims allows that with the help of a Royalty Mod.

But we know the Sims has its issues. I keep getting corrupted saves and having to move legacies to new saves and still not working.

And the problem with Paralives is that it doesn't allow the historical gameplay that I would like and I simply got bored very quickly. I love the build mode and the customizing. But I feel I personally don't get much out of modern gameplay.

The live mode in my Paralives also lags to the point it of being almost unplayable.

So now I don't really know what to do. I love life sim games and I'd love to have at least one that actually works.

Any other history nerd life sim lovers here experiencing this?

So, basically after watching a play throughs of tales of seikyu, Coral island, and my time at sandrock. I realized even though they say it’s rated teen it sometimes feels like a rated E for everyone which downs play the maturely in the game for adults in they do this with lifesim games as well. If there was hypothetical speaking a Life Simulation RPG that was rated M what would you guys want in it?

I would want something rimworld/paralives + my time at sandrock/Minecraft with a more rated M gameplay experience to it would think it would be so much fun to play.

I thought people hated paralives at first for some reason, but after I saw it got over 1 million sales and got great reviews I changed my mind. However when I went to reddit I saw a lot of people complaining so I don't know what the general consensus is. I think for the majority of people it seems a lot of them are waiting for live mode to be improved but I've seen so many people say the game is terrible and very buggy, but I've seen other people say they had no bugs at all.

To be honest I just really hope this game succeeds because I want just one actual good life sim that isn't the buggy DLC filled mess that the sims 4 is, or Inzoi which was nice visually but boring gameplay wise, and requires a NASA PC to not have any lag. (also the AI usage really put me off of playing it ever again) But anyways what do you guys think of the game so far and what should be improved?

Any suggestions on games that feels like what 'Revived House' looks like it is going to be.

I have had Revived House on my Steam wishlist for months, and everytime I look at it, it makes me want to play something like that.

Love the nostalgia of going back to just being a kid, exploring a town, doing chores, hanging out. But everything is either basically Stardew or The Sims.

For the past several months I've been building ArcQuest, an AI-powered life simulator that treats your real-world decisions like they're part of a living RPG.

Instead of tracking just habits or to-do lists, ArcQuest asks:

"If I make this decision today... where could it realistically lead?"

Every choice affects a dynamic player profile with stats like:

• ⚔️ Discipline
• 💰 Wealth
• ❤️ Relationships
• 🧠 Knowledge
• ⚡ Energy
• 🎯 Momentum
• 😌 Stress
• 💪 Health

The AI doesn't just say "good job" or "bad idea."

It simulates potential outcomes, suggests alternate paths, unlocks player classes based on how you actually live, and gradually builds a unique life trajectory.

Think of it as somewhere between:

• an RPG character sheet
• an AI life coach
• a decision simulator
• and a personal progression game.

The long-term vision is to let friends compare journeys, complete challenges together, and eventually create multiplayer events where everyone is trying to build the best version of themselves instead of just grinding another battle pass.

I'm still in the early stages, so I'd genuinely love honest feedback.

If this existed today:

• What would make you download it?
• What feature would immediately turn you away?
• Would you rather the AI be brutally honest or more like a supportive coach?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Every piece of feedback helps shape where ArcQuest goes next.
keep in mind, still a preview, will have to wake the server.
Ios and android apps are otw
https://life-sim-ai-1.preview.emergentagent.com/

I have seen lots of discussions and debates about the future of life sims since the release of Paralives but to be honest, there is none that really fits everyone's expectation. Let me break it down here:

The Sims 4: It has dominated the market for 12 years with A LOT of contents, from weather to diverse sets of cities to horses to fairies! However, the sims themselves feel empty and soulless as many people put it. Still it is the powerful force in life sims genre

Inzoi: It has a very promising start but I feel that many gamers trash on Inzoi because of it AI-generated content and high pc graphics requirement. It certainly has the most beautiful design & gorgeous characters. However, its gameplay is still very basic compared to Sims 4. Sadly, no one really talks about Inzoi now but it has a very small dedicated community who still play this game.

Paralives: It also has a very promising start but unfortunately it is littered with bugs, lack in contents, very few interactions, limited movements and so on. That dreamy graphics has captivated many life sims fan out there and many people are hoping for it to thrive. Similar to Inzoi, its gameplay is still very basic if compared to Sims 4.

As much as I want Inzoi and Paralives to thrive, both games require lots of new contents and updates to match the "greatness" of Sims 4. Until that happens, Sims 4 is still the imperfect life sim that many people will still cling on to.

ome life sims give different countries real mechanical differences (salaries, life expectancy, crime), others treat birthplace as cosmetic. When a game does simulate it properly, does it actually change your decisions — do you emigrate for the salary multiplier — or do you pick your country for the vibe and ignore the numbers? Trying to work out whether that depth ever gets noticed in practice.

Eric Hedman, Lead Animator on the original The Sims, just dropped a deep dive into the development of the House Party expansion.

It’s a fantastic look at the technical "smoke and mirrors" behind those classic interactive objects. From the mechanical bull and firepits to the cow-themed furniture, Eric explains how they balanced game design with technical limitations to make everything feel fun and compelling.

He covers how they handled complex animations using accessories, sprite manipulation, and the "visual tooth" of objects to make them look authentic. If you’re interested in early 2000s game dev history or just love The Sims, this is a must-watch.

Beaucoup disent que c’est comme une simulation de vie, mais pouvons nous avoir une relation amoureuse ou des enfants ? Désolé je connais pas le jeu

I played a lot of Sims 2 as a child; later switched to Sims 4 - just brought a new PC and can finally think about getting Inzoi or Paralives. Both seem interesting to me but with not that much money to spent and not a Ton of time I‘m contemplating which one to get… 🤔

I love building (Paralives is good for that?) but also want to have fun with the Gameplay (seems like Inzoi is better for that right now?).

I liked Sims 2 for the more unpredictable stuff; Sims 4 is definetly better for building… but I use mods for more drama and realism.

How are you feeling about the games?

Does anyone own both?

Hi everyone,

My wife has really been enjoying Paralives. She grew up playing The Sims and just hasn’t been much of a gamer in adulthood until very recently. I was thinking of surprising her with a collection of The Sims (probably 4? Would also defer to this sub on which sims is actually the best). The problem is it seems very expensive and overwhelming to look at the Steam offerings for The Sims. I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction for which products to prioritize for the most “complete” experience without dropping $200. Appreciate any guidance you all can provide!

For context I have never played The Sims 3 or 4. The last time I played a sims game was "Bustin' Out" a gazillion years ago. It's the only sims game I've ever played.

I'm honestly not that satisfied with new life sims that have been released. It's going to take them time to find their footing and add gameplay so in the mean time I don't really have anything to scratch this itch I have. I love watching sims 4 let's plays, those "creating a forever savefile" videos and the deep stories people create. I also love that there are pets. I really wish the new life sims had pets too.

I'm wondering if I should even start playing the sims 4 considering all the complaints about the game. I've heard so many people complain about the sims 4 but at the same time so many people seem to be having a blast playing it. I've heard countless times that the Sims 4 is unplayable without mods, so before I even go down the road of such a daunting task of jumping into modding a game I'm wondering if I should instead just play the sims 3.

I've only recently started to learn more about the sims 3 as for some reason when Paralives released, youtube started to recommend sims 3 content when it never had before. It's how I came across a build video by a YT'ber named Jasmine Raditz, which peaked my interest in the sims 3. I had no idea the sims 3 had a world builder. The sims 3 graphics are a bit too dated though 😆

Questions

• I have heard that there are so many bugs in the sims 4, some that have corrupted people's savefiles they've had for years. Since I follow a few inZOI creators I naturally hear about sims related news too every now and again. It seems EA has been doing lots of updates and bug fixes. So have things gotten better? Are there less bugs?
• I am aware that the sims 4 has countless mods as many have stated the sims 4 is "unplayable without mods". So I am wondering if the sims 3 still has a thriving modding community?
• I see that the sims 4 is free to install so I am wondering just how many DLCs I'm going to have to buy for the game to be fun?

Honestly my biggest concern is just how much mods and/or DLCs I will need to for the game whether it's the sims 4 or 3.

Update: Thanks everyone who commented. I was leaning towards the sims 3 despite the outdated graphics but since it does not really run all that great and will require mods to do so, I'll just go for the sims 4.