8 Paralive Features That Make Relationships Feel More Natural Than

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8 Paralive Features That Make Relationships Feel More Natural Than

Relationships are one of the most important aspects of any life sim, and how they work takes up a lot of what the game has to offer. Paralives has adopted its own relationship system that differs from the standard -100 to 100 number that most life sims use.

Paralives goes beyond that, and does a lot to simulate what real world relationships look like and how they work. Relationships and feelings towards other people are often different, as people have different roles in many people’s lives, even in one person’s life. A person can be a mentor, a sibling, a friend, and a cooking buddy all in the same relationship. Emotions can be one-sided, and interactions can fail. All of this is done through the gameplay in Paralives, which makes the relationships feel natural in some important ways.

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Discussion Cards

Basic Interactions

The core of any communication between a Para and another Para is through relationship cards. These are the very basis of Para socialization, and are only achieved through dialogue and negotiation. Start a conversation with Para, and you’ll find that there are no interaction options, but after a few seconds their chat bar will fill up, and you’ll have the option to choose a specific action.

This makes the conversation feel like it’s flowing, and there’s more give and take than putting together a lot of communication and watching it play out. You, as the player, feel more involved in the interaction as you react and lead the way.

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Narrator Cards

Set Your Chances of Success

The storyteller cards play a role in social communication as they set the difficulty of succeeding in tricky social schemes, but they also give heads up when a memorable moment occurs between the Paras.

Being notified when something important happens isn’t natural, but building deep bonds over time is a reality. Another bonus is the difficulty, which is heavily influenced by the Para’s relationship with each person he interacts with, but also by the Storyteller he chooses. You get to set the difficulty, and deal with the consequences it brings. Side effects are not a bad thing either, and they can have amazing results.

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The Vibe

The vibes are not good

Each Para has a vibe that informs its general behavior. Vibes are selected by you in Paramaker, or come with Para if you prefer a pre-made house.

The following vibes are available:

Powerful
The dark
The Jester
Overflowing with joy
Serious

Every interaction your Para will have will be influenced by their Vibe, and the conversation cards you receive will be a direct result of it. For example, the Overjoyed Para will be able to make those around them happier. This is also a passive skill, but it shows how people interact based on their attitude and behavior. It’s a great way to make the interaction and chemistry between the Paras more unique, and separating it from the personality traits makes for more complex characters.

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Personality

A Combination of Features

Personality also goes a long way in making the progression of a relationship feel natural. A Para’s personality is a combination of Vibes, Abilities, Statistics, and lifestyle.

All these different categories work together to create unique Paras that respond to the world around them in a different way. This extends to social situations, where different parts of a Para’s personality determine the social cards you receive, how they can influence the Paras around them, and the nature of the conversation. All of these factors mean that not only are the Paras nuanced, but every interaction between the Paras has different pro- and adversary aspects, creating a rich and dynamic relationship depending on the Paras involved.

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Levels and Ranks

Embrace Different Roles

Rather than tracking relationship progress by number, Paralives tracks by levels and standards. This can vary depending on the activities the Paras do together. For example, a Para can have the relationship label Baking Buddy for another Para, next to Friend and Crush. Labels can be combined to create new Combo labels.

It is important to note that these labels are one-sided, and reflect how that Para feels about the other. Your Para can have a one-sided crush and see them as an inspiration, while the other Para sees them as just an acquaintance. This allows the relationship to develop through interaction and experience, and ultimately be multi-dimensional rather than using a single number.

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Compiled by Reasonable Times

Grow with Experience

Doing things together and creating experiences is what unites the Paras. People in real life form bonds because of what they experience together, and this makes Para relationships feel very natural. Instead of spamming each other until the number reaches 100, Paras need to do things and experience life to improve their relationship.

This creates a rich relationship with natural continuity, and creates a history between the two Paras. Important moments and memories can also be created in groups, creating these important experiences for many Paras. I love having my Paras get out and experience the world, as it makes them more interesting characters and gives their relationship more variety.

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Group Activities

Group activities are very easy to start in Paralives. All you have to do is click and drag the box over the Paras you want to add to the group, and they’ll start following your lead.

Group activities mean a chat bar that fills up quickly, and the opportunity for different types of activities and memories to be created. This is also an opportunity for new types of relational labels to form as the dynamic group develops. Group activities can be used for any activity, including hobby development, cooking, and skill development. Doing things in a group allows members to support each other, and leads to faster skill development than trying something alone.

How Para Socializes

All of Para’s personality traits influence socialization, but the most important is the Social Perk. Social Perks informs how a Para interacts and how others react to it. It also affects their feelings when they meet, as not all Paras will feel better when they hang out.

Community benefits currently include:

While some of these Social benefits, such as Good at Being Alone, may seem like a distraction when it comes to socializing, they all have their benefits, just as people entering the real world have their benefits. Paras who are Good at Being Alone have relationship bonuses and skill enhancements when they are around close friends.