If/when we get witches what kind do you want?
I'm talking tone/presentation here primarily, like in Sims 3 we got Harry Pottery witches: https://media.giphy.com/media/ra7pbrMl9HcYM/giphy.gif https://orig00.deviantart.net/8f05/f/2012/239/9/f...
Forum Discussion
As many as possible! Customization is key!
When it comes to sorcery, I really want meaningful spells and potions that have great opportunity to really shift what you can do with the game. Since TS4 isn't very dark, supernatural packs like witches and vampires offer the perfect opportunity to add many dark elements where they otherwise wouldn't have fitted. Spells that induce permanent sleep, changes in personality, changes in relationships, memory-altering spells (sims can forget that they have ever met a sim, including family; sims can forget skills and forget to go to work and thus get demoted/fired etc) and so on, are great for creating meaningful stories and drama with some edge.
We have WAY too many ways to influence emotions, so instead of a "make flirty" spell, there should be a "love spell" that makes a sim fall in love with the first sim they see, or a "withered spell" that makes a sim incapable of becoming flirty and forming romantic relationships etc. Instead of making a sim embarrassed, a spell can make a sim not want to speak to anyone and run away and hide when sims try to interact with them; there can be a spell that makes a sim super focused and thus increases the rate at which they learn all skills for a short period of time, or the opposite where they cannot learn any new skills, but for a much longer period of time.
I like the idea of spells have side-effects, or certain sacrifices to acquire certain spells/types of magic. For example, if a sim wishes to pursue the sorcery of bending fire, the sim must first set an object on fire manually ; if a sim wishes to partake in evil magic, they must first visit the Nether Realm etc. Spells have a chance of backfiring and thus the sim casts the spell on him/herself; a spell that gives great power can be followed by a vulnerable period. This delicate balance would add many more layers of depth to the game. Witches having weaknesses like vampires, would also tie in with having to sacrifice things for more power and creating more detailed characters.
Like vampires, there could be an energy bar that drains as the witch uses magic and certain spells need large amounts of energy, thus the witch will have to prepare for the spell for a long time and then have to recover from the spell for one to three days to replenish their energy. During this low-energy time, witches are vulnerable and thus it is the perfect time for other sorcerers to attack them to steal powers, win duels, successfully turn them into an object/small animal and capture them (ex. putting the item/animal into their inventory and then placing them in an enchanted cage that the witch cannot escape from after the turning spell wears off) and to "witch-hunt" them by "curing" them so they are no longer occult (as in vampires).
PS: a spell that banishes a sim to never be able to leave a certain lot, would be super fun. Imagine a sim that was a bit TOO obsessed with the fitness skill, so a witch banished him to never be able to leave the gym lot as long as he lives. Or a witch loved a sim who's heart belonged to another - the sim was thus banished to forever roam the park in lonely agony.
Good vs Evil has always been a big theme in sorcery, thus there should be many ways that sims can help others through magic, and also many evil spells that wreck havoc and can even have a sim be hunted down by other witches/sims to cure them of their powers so as to stop them. Introducing challenge would be very fun, as there is no consequence for an evil vampire being evil - if being evil can attract trouble, that would be great to fight them off and feel truly powerful.
That being said, there should be ways to protect yourself from having to start all over again multiple times. Binding your powers to objects like books, jewelry boxes and urns, is a good way to ensure that sims can retrieve their powers from it after being attacked. These items can be destroyed though, so if a hunter finds and destroys them as well as curing you, it's back to square one.
Lastly, to make supernaturals more dynamic, rivalries and alliances between covens and different occults, would be fun. If witches and vampires naturally don't like each other, for example, it could create many story-telling opportunities and challenges to overcome this. Supernaturals should also integrate with each other - there should be spells that witches can cast for vampires and there should be a way that vampires can help witches with their spells and potions.
When it comes to sorcery, I really want meaningful spells and potions that have great opportunity to really shift what you can do with the game. Since TS4 isn't very dark, supernatural packs like witches and vampires offer the perfect opportunity to add many dark elements where they otherwise wouldn't have fitted. Spells that induce permanent sleep, changes in personality, changes in relationships, memory-altering spells (sims can forget that they have ever met a sim, including family; sims can forget skills and forget to go to work and thus get demoted/fired etc) and so on, are great for creating meaningful stories and drama with some edge.
We have WAY too many ways to influence emotions, so instead of a "make flirty" spell, there should be a "love spell" that makes a sim fall in love with the first sim they see, or a "withered spell" that makes a sim incapable of becoming flirty and forming romantic relationships etc. Instead of making a sim embarrassed, a spell can make a sim not want to speak to anyone and run away and hide when sims try to interact with them; there can be a spell that makes a sim super focused and thus increases the rate at which they learn all skills for a short period of time, or the opposite where they cannot learn any new skills, but for a much longer period of time.
I like the idea of spells have side-effects, or certain sacrifices to acquire certain spells/types of magic. For example, if a sim wishes to pursue the sorcery of bending fire, the sim must first set an object on fire manually ; if a sim wishes to partake in evil magic, they must first visit the Nether Realm etc. Spells have a chance of backfiring and thus the sim casts the spell on him/herself; a spell that gives great power can be followed by a vulnerable period. This delicate balance would add many more layers of depth to the game. Witches having weaknesses like vampires, would also tie in with having to sacrifice things for more power and creating more detailed characters.
Like vampires, there could be an energy bar that drains as the witch uses magic and certain spells need large amounts of energy, thus the witch will have to prepare for the spell for a long time and then have to recover from the spell for one to three days to replenish their energy. During this low-energy time, witches are vulnerable and thus it is the perfect time for other sorcerers to attack them to steal powers, win duels, successfully turn them into an object/small animal and capture them (ex. putting the item/animal into their inventory and then placing them in an enchanted cage that the witch cannot escape from after the turning spell wears off) and to "witch-hunt" them by "curing" them so they are no longer occult (as in vampires).
PS: a spell that banishes a sim to never be able to leave a certain lot, would be super fun. Imagine a sim that was a bit TOO obsessed with the fitness skill, so a witch banished him to never be able to leave the gym lot as long as he lives. Or a witch loved a sim who's heart belonged to another - the sim was thus banished to forever roam the park in lonely agony.
Good vs Evil has always been a big theme in sorcery, thus there should be many ways that sims can help others through magic, and also many evil spells that wreck havoc and can even have a sim be hunted down by other witches/sims to cure them of their powers so as to stop them. Introducing challenge would be very fun, as there is no consequence for an evil vampire being evil - if being evil can attract trouble, that would be great to fight them off and feel truly powerful.
That being said, there should be ways to protect yourself from having to start all over again multiple times. Binding your powers to objects like books, jewelry boxes and urns, is a good way to ensure that sims can retrieve their powers from it after being attacked. These items can be destroyed though, so if a hunter finds and destroys them as well as curing you, it's back to square one.
Lastly, to make supernaturals more dynamic, rivalries and alliances between covens and different occults, would be fun. If witches and vampires naturally don't like each other, for example, it could create many story-telling opportunities and challenges to overcome this. Supernaturals should also integrate with each other - there should be spells that witches can cast for vampires and there should be a way that vampires can help witches with their spells and potions.
