Weddings Game Pack: Developed Ideas
I originally posted this as a comment to someone's request for a marriage/dating life pack.
Now that I have the ability to start discussions, I have done so to keep from losing the information in an unrelated thread. This really isn’t a thread about whether these game packs are good or bad ideas. (Lots of those threads already exist.) Please be kind to one another.
Married Life Game Pack: (I would call this a game pack. Not an expansion pack. Not enough content.)
*Note: I care nothing for the bachelor/bachelorette parties. EA strippers are comical, so I always mod that aspect of my game. (WickedSims, you're the man. Wherever you are.) I'm sure a Simmer with a cleaner taste in carnal delights can help with that part.
Weddings should be divided into three parts:
The Before: Dating/Proposal
Dating needs to be addressed a little bit in the current game:
-Add a matchmaker service w/ unique profiles (not townies)
Also, there should be some ramifications to the game according to how your Sim dates: For instance, a Sim that marries the first person they have romantic interactions w/ unlocks the “Sheltered” Trait (which gives them a bonus to home bound activities.)
-Teenagers should have the ability to purchase a promise ring.*A promise ring exempts that relationship from culling. This would help people trying to create a high school sweetheart.
-Couples should have the ability to purchase a proposal ring.
*This could include an animation that allows the purchaser to hide the ring in a drawer at home. There should also be an option for another Sim to “discover” the ring and receive different moods depending on their traits and their relationship with the purchaser.
*For instance, say that your Dad finds the ring. He might pale a little bit and freak out before he puts the ring back in the drawer. Some sims might actually confront your character about their discovery.
Proposal Animations:
-Sim can propose by writing a love letter and slipping it under a pillow.
-Sim can propose by sliding a ring across the table at a restaurant.
-Sim can propose by asking a waiter to hide the ring in dessert. (Romantic or creative trait only.)
I would like to see the “on bended knee” proposal with the following variations:
•The “scared” proposal; for Sims who have the un-flirty trait or the jealous trait.
•The “angry” proposal; for Sims that have the hotheaded or jealous trait.
•The “smooth proposal;” for Sims with a high charisma skill or the self-assured trait.
•The “weeping proposal” for Sims that have the gloomy or romantic trait.
•The “heated proposal” for Sims that have the romantic or self-assured trait.
The Wedding:
-Before the wedding, couples should be able to assign different roles to different friends, i.e. Maid of Honor, Bridesmaid (up to three), Mother of the Bride/Groom, Father of the Bride/Groom, Best Man, and Groomsmen. Perhaps, being asked to participate in the wedding grants the selected Sim a moodlet until the end of the ceremony.
-Couples should be able to plan their wedding ceremony and their wedding parties OUTFITS.
-Couples should have the ability to use their phone to order a wedding cake (and it should come in a variety of shapes, styles, and flavors (think 10)). The cake should appear in the active Sim’s inventory no matter where they are.
-Couples should be able to purchase an aisle for a bride to walk down. (If there is no arch present, couples should be able to stand at the end and say their vows. If there is an arch present, the aisle needs to be connected to the arch for use.) *The aisle should come with the option for the bride to be escorted by another player selected Sim.
-Couples should be able to designate a ring bearer and a flower girl. (And they should actually perform their jobs during the ceremony.)
-Couples should be able to designate someone as to say a few words before they say their vows. This person doesn’t have to be a priest (but can depending on how the player decides to dress them during the wedding planning stages.) This person should stand at the end of the aisle or beneath the arch once the ceremony begins. (This would be an a toggle option during wedding planning stages to help simulate different cultures.)
-Couples can buy a broom to jump over directly after the ceremony.
-Players should have an option to select chairs near the arch and force their group to SIT and WATCH the wedding ceremony. There should be some new animations: maybe a single groomsmen can wink at a bridesmaid, maybe a mother of the bride w/ family oriented trait sobs so loud that everything comes to a stop for a split second, maybe a child runs down the aisle and is grabbed by a seated adult. We need more depth to wedding animations. Can be small things.
-Wedding attendants might throw rice at the couple at the end of the ceremony. (Perhaps, this is an animation that is toggled during the wedding planning events to help us simulate different cultures.)
-Limousine Animation and Saber Arch - When the Sims depart the lot, an animation will take over and show them departing the lot via a saber arch and getting into a limousine w/ "Just Married" on the window. (This should be an animation that is toggled during the wedding planing stage.)
*This option should be a free option for politicians, police men, and similar civil servants.
*The above addition came from @MasonGamer.
The Reception:
-Couples can feed one another a slice of wedding cake. (It should work. This almost never works in the game right now because all the Sims engage in DIFFERENT autonomous direction.) The player should have the option to click the cake and FORCE their group to gather around and watch.
*It’d be cute if the parents have a brief "taking a picture" animation.
-Couples should have the ability to purchase a champagne tray to use for their first drink.
Wedding attendants can throw rice at the couple at the end of the ceremony. The player should have the option to click the bottle and FORCE their group to gather around and clap.
--Chair Dance: The couple can sit in chairs and be carried by those participating in a group dance.
--Basic Dancing: There should be a slow dance animation that's available during weddings and dates. *It'd be really cute if Sims that are married for X days unlock the ability to slow dance anywhere at any time. Male sims can dance with children standing on their shoes. Adult female sims can have a “instruct to dance” option for teens/children. Grandparents unlock the special ability to teach any age to slow dance.
--Groom and Bride should be able to dance with their parents (Think Father and Bride dance) There should be an animation of weeping (or annoyed) parents depending on the Sim's traits.
--After the wedding, your Sims would have the option to either go on vacation or experience a rabbit hole honeymoon. *There should be a "Honeymoon" moodlet that makes recently married Sims extra lovely. Should last for a few days. (Maybe it greatly improves charisma skill building. I mean, have you noticed how happy people seem in the beginning. My goodness, they're on cloud nine.)
--At the conclusion of the wedding, the player should get a the ability to pick wedding pictures (like 2 of 7 wedding party poses.)
These appear in the family inventory and be hung the Sims walls or what not.
(Basically, the game will take the "perfect" picture for you w/out you having to add Sims to your family in order to simulate a proper wedding. This would be an extra little thing for the people who don't always remember to get pictures.)
Married Life Gameplay
-Sims should have the ability to check up on each other at work.
-Sims should have the ability to help their spouse through a work crises or another chance card.
-Sims should have to face struggles together and make choices that affect their marriage. (For instance, "Oh, no. We overspent this month. We have to make a hard choice: use our savings or dip into the college fund. (If there's no children, it would say "retirement fund.")
Each choice represents a partner, the player selects and gets a notification based on the current relationship levels like: "Comprise is hard. You buckled down and made it through another rough time together. Go team." (I know that's lame, but yeah) or "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Where do we go from here?"
The couple would suffer a minor relationship gain or loss. Nothing radical. Just enough to impact. This allows players to do what they will with this relationship. Tell whatever story they like. The aim of these chance cards is to give us some surprises. Some prompts. Some content.
Break ups should be handled a little better too:
If your Sim has broken up w/ 3 Sims, they should get the “vetted” trait, which acts as buffer to any embarrassment they might receive from a rejection or similar event. (Very useful for those of us trying to deal w/ Don Lothario and his antics.)
As for divorce, Sims should have to click the computer/or phone to activate. Divorce should cost money and include a mandatory chance card that influences what trait your Sim will get from this experience. Select “messy divorce” and your Sims will get the “Baggage” trait.
Perhaps, the baggage trait affects the writing, singer, and basically all creative skills. Everyone knows that artists do the heart break thing best.
If you're Sim selects "Amicable Divorce," your Sims will get the "Negotiator" trait.
Perhaps, the negotiator trait affects the parenting, charisma, comedy, and mischief skills. Everyone knows that the gift of gab comes in handy.
When a divorce is finalized, the Sims should receive a prompt w/ an option to divide assets and move out.
*Thank @Evilyn_1007 for ideas and prompts.
If the Sims have children together and they're not living together, there should be a toggle option to pay a percentage of child support.
*Let's make this simple and keep it at three levels: Make Sure X is Taken Care Of, Give X Everything they Want, Spoil My Child.
(I probably wouldn't label them like that, but you get the gist of the values there. The sum would automatically be added to that household's bills.)
*If Sims want to remove the baggage trait, they can go to a therapist (rabbit hole) via the phone (like volunteering.)
*Basically, I want to always include a way for people to use the trait to the maximum w/ that be storytelling or their preferences.
Divorce should affect all members of the family according to their relationships w/ the couple and their traits. Some children would experience moodlets like “JACK POT. TWO houses! Two bedrooms! Two Christmases!” Other children would have moodlets like “Are…are we gonna be okay?” Teens and grandparents would have their own special moodlets.
Parents should have the ability to comfort their family members in different ways (a couple times, this is a POWERFUL mood for any person). I'd like to see some more comforting animations. Maybe they can offer one another tissues, maybe they can pat children on the head, maybe they can "talk of better days w/ a little imagination screen that comes up w/ a random happy place according to the Sims trait. For instance, a vampire Sim would have this black, Gothic thing and perhaps a human Sim winces or laughs. All this would be trait dependent.
^This is just for immersion. Again, I wouldn't call this an expansion pack.
ALSO, marriage is hard...I think Sims should continue to earn different achievements or unlock new animations the longer they're married.
1st Year Anniversary: "Whew! We made it."
Can pat their spouse on the rear.
2nd Year Anniversary: "My mother was wrong about us!"
Will randomly bring home flowers and collectables for their partner (if they work in a rabbit hole.)
3rd Year Anniversary: "We are NOT a statistic!"
Couple has the ability to setup other sims (think mini matchmaker))
50 Year Anniversary: "My life began with you. Thank you."
True Love always wins against the Grim Reaper.
-Okay, that’s it for now. Thanks!
ETA - For typos and added a few other ideas.
Now that I have the ability to start discussions, I have done so to keep from losing the information in an unrelated thread. This really isn’t a thread about whether these game packs are good or bad ideas. (Lots of those threads already exist.) Please be kind to one another.
Married Life Game Pack: (I would call this a game pack. Not an expansion pack. Not enough content.)
*Note: I care nothing for the bachelor/bachelorette parties. EA strippers are comical, so I always mod that aspect of my game. (WickedSims, you're the man. Wherever you are.) I'm sure a Simmer with a cleaner taste in carnal delights can help with that part.
Weddings should be divided into three parts:
The Before: Dating/Proposal
Dating needs to be addressed a little bit in the current game:
-Add a matchmaker service w/ unique profiles (not townies)
Also, there should be some ramifications to the game according to how your Sim dates: For instance, a Sim that marries the first person they have romantic interactions w/ unlocks the “Sheltered” Trait (which gives them a bonus to home bound activities.)
-Teenagers should have the ability to purchase a promise ring.*A promise ring exempts that relationship from culling. This would help people trying to create a high school sweetheart.
-Couples should have the ability to purchase a proposal ring.
*This could include an animation that allows the purchaser to hide the ring in a drawer at home. There should also be an option for another Sim to “discover” the ring and receive different moods depending on their traits and their relationship with the purchaser.
*For instance, say that your Dad finds the ring. He might pale a little bit and freak out before he puts the ring back in the drawer. Some sims might actually confront your character about their discovery.
Proposal Animations:
-Sim can propose by writing a love letter and slipping it under a pillow.
-Sim can propose by sliding a ring across the table at a restaurant.
-Sim can propose by asking a waiter to hide the ring in dessert. (Romantic or creative trait only.)
I would like to see the “on bended knee” proposal with the following variations:
•The “scared” proposal; for Sims who have the un-flirty trait or the jealous trait.
•The “angry” proposal; for Sims that have the hotheaded or jealous trait.
•The “smooth proposal;” for Sims with a high charisma skill or the self-assured trait.
•The “weeping proposal” for Sims that have the gloomy or romantic trait.
•The “heated proposal” for Sims that have the romantic or self-assured trait.
The Wedding:
-Before the wedding, couples should be able to assign different roles to different friends, i.e. Maid of Honor, Bridesmaid (up to three), Mother of the Bride/Groom, Father of the Bride/Groom, Best Man, and Groomsmen. Perhaps, being asked to participate in the wedding grants the selected Sim a moodlet until the end of the ceremony.
-Couples should be able to plan their wedding ceremony and their wedding parties OUTFITS.
-Couples should have the ability to use their phone to order a wedding cake (and it should come in a variety of shapes, styles, and flavors (think 10)). The cake should appear in the active Sim’s inventory no matter where they are.
-Couples should be able to purchase an aisle for a bride to walk down. (If there is no arch present, couples should be able to stand at the end and say their vows. If there is an arch present, the aisle needs to be connected to the arch for use.) *The aisle should come with the option for the bride to be escorted by another player selected Sim.
-Couples should be able to designate a ring bearer and a flower girl. (And they should actually perform their jobs during the ceremony.)
-Couples should be able to designate someone as to say a few words before they say their vows. This person doesn’t have to be a priest (but can depending on how the player decides to dress them during the wedding planning stages.) This person should stand at the end of the aisle or beneath the arch once the ceremony begins. (This would be an a toggle option during wedding planning stages to help simulate different cultures.)
-Couples can buy a broom to jump over directly after the ceremony.
-Players should have an option to select chairs near the arch and force their group to SIT and WATCH the wedding ceremony. There should be some new animations: maybe a single groomsmen can wink at a bridesmaid, maybe a mother of the bride w/ family oriented trait sobs so loud that everything comes to a stop for a split second, maybe a child runs down the aisle and is grabbed by a seated adult. We need more depth to wedding animations. Can be small things.
-Wedding attendants might throw rice at the couple at the end of the ceremony. (Perhaps, this is an animation that is toggled during the wedding planning events to help us simulate different cultures.)
-Limousine Animation and Saber Arch - When the Sims depart the lot, an animation will take over and show them departing the lot via a saber arch and getting into a limousine w/ "Just Married" on the window. (This should be an animation that is toggled during the wedding planing stage.)
*This option should be a free option for politicians, police men, and similar civil servants.
*The above addition came from @MasonGamer.
The Reception:
-Couples can feed one another a slice of wedding cake. (It should work. This almost never works in the game right now because all the Sims engage in DIFFERENT autonomous direction.) The player should have the option to click the cake and FORCE their group to gather around and watch.
*It’d be cute if the parents have a brief "taking a picture" animation.
-Couples should have the ability to purchase a champagne tray to use for their first drink.
Wedding attendants can throw rice at the couple at the end of the ceremony. The player should have the option to click the bottle and FORCE their group to gather around and clap.
--Chair Dance: The couple can sit in chairs and be carried by those participating in a group dance.
--Basic Dancing: There should be a slow dance animation that's available during weddings and dates. *It'd be really cute if Sims that are married for X days unlock the ability to slow dance anywhere at any time. Male sims can dance with children standing on their shoes. Adult female sims can have a “instruct to dance” option for teens/children. Grandparents unlock the special ability to teach any age to slow dance.
--Groom and Bride should be able to dance with their parents (Think Father and Bride dance) There should be an animation of weeping (or annoyed) parents depending on the Sim's traits.
--After the wedding, your Sims would have the option to either go on vacation or experience a rabbit hole honeymoon. *There should be a "Honeymoon" moodlet that makes recently married Sims extra lovely. Should last for a few days. (Maybe it greatly improves charisma skill building. I mean, have you noticed how happy people seem in the beginning. My goodness, they're on cloud nine.)
--At the conclusion of the wedding, the player should get a the ability to pick wedding pictures (like 2 of 7 wedding party poses.)
These appear in the family inventory and be hung the Sims walls or what not.
(Basically, the game will take the "perfect" picture for you w/out you having to add Sims to your family in order to simulate a proper wedding. This would be an extra little thing for the people who don't always remember to get pictures.)
Married Life Gameplay
-Sims should have the ability to check up on each other at work.
-Sims should have the ability to help their spouse through a work crises or another chance card.
-Sims should have to face struggles together and make choices that affect their marriage. (For instance, "Oh, no. We overspent this month. We have to make a hard choice: use our savings or dip into the college fund. (If there's no children, it would say "retirement fund.")
Each choice represents a partner, the player selects and gets a notification based on the current relationship levels like: "Comprise is hard. You buckled down and made it through another rough time together. Go team." (I know that's lame, but yeah) or "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Where do we go from here?"
The couple would suffer a minor relationship gain or loss. Nothing radical. Just enough to impact. This allows players to do what they will with this relationship. Tell whatever story they like. The aim of these chance cards is to give us some surprises. Some prompts. Some content.
Break ups should be handled a little better too:
If your Sim has broken up w/ 3 Sims, they should get the “vetted” trait, which acts as buffer to any embarrassment they might receive from a rejection or similar event. (Very useful for those of us trying to deal w/ Don Lothario and his antics.)
As for divorce, Sims should have to click the computer/or phone to activate. Divorce should cost money and include a mandatory chance card that influences what trait your Sim will get from this experience. Select “messy divorce” and your Sims will get the “Baggage” trait.
Perhaps, the baggage trait affects the writing, singer, and basically all creative skills. Everyone knows that artists do the heart break thing best.
If you're Sim selects "Amicable Divorce," your Sims will get the "Negotiator" trait.
Perhaps, the negotiator trait affects the parenting, charisma, comedy, and mischief skills. Everyone knows that the gift of gab comes in handy.
When a divorce is finalized, the Sims should receive a prompt w/ an option to divide assets and move out.
*Thank @Evilyn_1007 for ideas and prompts.
If the Sims have children together and they're not living together, there should be a toggle option to pay a percentage of child support.
*Let's make this simple and keep it at three levels: Make Sure X is Taken Care Of, Give X Everything they Want, Spoil My Child.
(I probably wouldn't label them like that, but you get the gist of the values there. The sum would automatically be added to that household's bills.)
*If Sims want to remove the baggage trait, they can go to a therapist (rabbit hole) via the phone (like volunteering.)
*Basically, I want to always include a way for people to use the trait to the maximum w/ that be storytelling or their preferences.
Divorce should affect all members of the family according to their relationships w/ the couple and their traits. Some children would experience moodlets like “JACK POT. TWO houses! Two bedrooms! Two Christmases!” Other children would have moodlets like “Are…are we gonna be okay?” Teens and grandparents would have their own special moodlets.
Parents should have the ability to comfort their family members in different ways (a couple times, this is a POWERFUL mood for any person). I'd like to see some more comforting animations. Maybe they can offer one another tissues, maybe they can pat children on the head, maybe they can "talk of better days w/ a little imagination screen that comes up w/ a random happy place according to the Sims trait. For instance, a vampire Sim would have this black, Gothic thing and perhaps a human Sim winces or laughs. All this would be trait dependent.
^This is just for immersion. Again, I wouldn't call this an expansion pack.
ALSO, marriage is hard...I think Sims should continue to earn different achievements or unlock new animations the longer they're married.
1st Year Anniversary: "Whew! We made it."
Can pat their spouse on the rear.
2nd Year Anniversary: "My mother was wrong about us!"
Will randomly bring home flowers and collectables for their partner (if they work in a rabbit hole.)
3rd Year Anniversary: "We are NOT a statistic!"
Couple has the ability to setup other sims (think mini matchmaker))
50 Year Anniversary: "My life began with you. Thank you."
True Love always wins against the Grim Reaper.
-Okay, that’s it for now. Thanks!
ETA - For typos and added a few other ideas.
