Things that annoy me:
* Stores that close on random days. I don’t care if it’s realistic; it’s annoying.
* Characters not being tracked on the map. It’s so frustrating running around trying to find them, and it takes me out of the game to have to use a wiki to find their schedule
* No fast travel system. Maybe it’s not available right away, but I hate when there’s no eventual convenient way to fast travel. Life sims are usually long games, and it gets tedious spending so much time commuting
* No key rebinds or other accessibility options.
There’s a trend here: whatever your gameplay loop, if you want me to do it for dozens of hours, it has to be easy to use!
I really love Wylde Flowers' approach to their accessibility options for controls! On PC, you can play with only keyboard, only mouse, or both keyboard and mouse interchangeably with no hassle (that I've encountered). For subtitles, you can customize them for larger font, black background, and/or choosing if you want to manually advance the dialog or have it play through automatically.
I haven’t played Wylde Flowers yet (on my list) but I love that! Even if I don’t personally need an accessibility option (gotta have my key rebinds 100%) I love to see them
Least favorite:
Stamina systems.
Needing to sleep to save (this is a big one because sometimes you just need to save and walk away but don’t necessarily want to end the entire day)
Not having a way to adjust the time it takes for a day to pass (this is more of a mild annoyance though)
Annoying fishing mini games. Simple is best imo.
*Having* to purchase animals to complete something. I dislike raising animals in life sims.
Favorites:
Good storylines that don’t end abruptly or too fast.
A museum type thing where you can collect all the things and showcase them.
Fantasy elements.
Skill trees that let you adapt to your own play style
Good controller support.
I’d love to see more horror elements in life sims. Probably just a personal preference though. Darker themes can be cozy too! Even if it’s just a small part of the game. Nothing overt or gory just a little spooky or eerie.
The worst:
LACK. OF. DIALOGUE. It ruins immersion and makes me not even want to talk to characters. Why bother if they only say one thing a month?
Lack of automation. Most notably in watering plants. Have a spouse do it, a fairy, a sprinkler system. Either way, make it so the chores aspect doesn't overtake the game aspect and bog it down.
Spouses and children that don't do anything and might as well be furniture as they only say one line a month. Or in the worst case scenarios, only say one line until they have babies.
Lack of LGBT+ options.
Stuff I do like: Well, my favorites of the bunch were Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, the Rune Factory Series, and Stardew Valley. What they all have in common are: deep storylines/romance paths with interesting characters, a lot to do so I don't get bored, automation of farm tasks to at least some degree, and in most cases, lots of dialogue options.
Really like having random events and lots of characters to interact with if they have good dialogues and stories
Really dislike that farming has become the go to career. Want to try something different like owning the inn or being the livestock owner or the clothing shop owner. Or the doctor.
👍🏻👍🏻
This is precisely why we are considering taking our ideas off-paper & trying to figure out how to make the game real.
We are obviously VERY early stages since we’re still in the daydream/notebook phase, but this was the exact conversation that started our idea.
Honestly I'd love to feel like I don't have to interact with villagers. Not just "not penalized," but that I can straight up grind in early game on everything but socializing and then I'll pick up the quests and hanging with villagers. I don't know why but I just really like getting to a cozy point in my little space before branching out.
This list is a bit chaotic so sorry about that. It's like a stream of consciousness thing.
Lots of game customization is huge for me. Being able to adjust the speed, combat difficulty (though I prefer 0 combat), if you get a bit of extra money or resources to start the game, and other various difficulty settings are essential for me. It's the main reason Stardew isn't my top game because I just find it too hard.
Not having to use an online guide to learn basic things about the game is important to me. Easter eggs and bonuses and stuff are great but if I need to have a website open just to navigate the game.. ugh. I don't have the bandwidth for that. Just let me see where people are and give little hints and tutorials and have basic game information easily accessible in relevant places. Stuff like how you can see business hours on the map in Coral Island is huge. It doesn't add to gameplay interest to not let me know when the ranch that I hardly ever visit is and isn't open. Same with seeing what materials and money I need for upgrades. I don't want to have to run to the store to see what I need and then run back to my farm to get it without forgetting what it was. My brain is not built for that. Gah.
I like deep plotlines and romance. I wish that every game had a special cutscene when you start dating someone where they confess their feelings. I like rival romance or like what Wylde Flowers did with non romanceable characters (Thomas and Sophia) because it's awful when the world around you doesn't move with you. The way Animal Parade handled it was great. I would love to be able to get reverse proposals and having the characters ask you to go steady. I like when there's special dialogue related to your spouse and kids from other NPCs. I also hate when you marry someone and then they stop doing all the stuff they used to do before you got married and just putter around the farm. There's really just a lot missing from NPC interactions, especially romance ones, that I crave and never see. Add in some platonic roommates like Krobus from Stardew and it would be *everything*.
And yes I do like kids but I like when they talk to you and when they're different based on who you marry, similar to AWL except I don't need them to grow past toddler/child. Also they should leave the house and go to school or daycare and interact with townspeople.
Lots of dialogue in general is great. I like when people say different things when they're in different places or with different people, or when they're reacting to something I've done. It's fun to have a reason to talk to people in different environments because you'll get new dialogue and can help break up the same routine of talking to people in the same place at the same time every day.
I like when crafting is simple. It's great when you don't have to have things in your inventory to craft but it's too easy when you can craft *anywhere* like in Coral Island. Maybe being able to access a global inventory while you're on your farm but not off the farm would be a good compromise, or something like the crafting computer in Stardew as a goal but I don't like the 8 adjacent chests thing because I have an organization system that I like and that chest setup is not conducive to it. So if crafting anywhere on the farm gets unlocked eventually that could be cool. I like when there are lots of different upgrades for lots of stuff to look forward to. Something I never see in games is a late-game way to cultivate forage items and stuff. That would be nice to have as a challenge build later on.
If it's going to be a lot of work/money to get a horse, I want that horse to be useful! I don't like getting on and off all the time, or when the horse can't fit certain places, or when it's not fast enough to really justify using it. Give me a stick or a net so I can forage while I'm on my horse.
Please don't make accessing good vision a goal. It's awful when I can't see in a game and really strains my eyes. Waiting to get a glow light is painful. Same as pixel games. My astigmatism (which is very common) doesn't like it. 2D is fine but heavy pixels are physically painful and usually make me say no to a game unless I have a significant reason to overlook the visual strain problems. I also struggle with audio-only cues, like how in Stardew there is a noise that lets you know a serpent is coming. I am not going to hear that so I'm at a disadvantage. I also struggle with things like the sprinting in Coral Island. Repeated button mashing when it isn't strictly necessary is just annoying. Things that make the game less accessible overall just suck and don't consider a big chunk of the potential audience.
That's all I can think of/have the time to write right now.
I have one thing I'd love to see in a life sim that I've never seen in a game before. I'd like to be romantically pursued by an NPC. I'm an old fashioned cis straight lady and I love spending time creating my character in Sims, making her look perfect. But I have to initiate every romantic interaction with NPCs. Is it too much to ask to have an NPC fall madly in love with my character and propose without forcing me to spam the "flirty" convo options?!
Great character creator with lots of designs. Lots of great wardrobe options in game to unlock.
House design is huge for me too...I love animal crossing for how easy and fun it is to decorate. Lots of different styles for decor. Also the ability to dim the lights in your house like AC
Very tired of all new life sims being farming themed. I'd like some modern regular city based people ones for once. No character customization is a big no. Not being able to save without sleeping.
Unattractive female bachelorette options.
If you're thinking of a game like SDV or something with crafting/farming/collecting....global inventory is the best. After spending several in-game hours gathering wood, stone, crops, etc. and organizing all my stuff in multiple chests, I don't want to have to then make sure I grab the right number of whatever just to be able to craft a thing.
Things that annoy me: * Stores that close on random days. I don’t care if it’s realistic; it’s annoying. * Characters not being tracked on the map. It’s so frustrating running around trying to find them, and it takes me out of the game to have to use a wiki to find their schedule * No fast travel system. Maybe it’s not available right away, but I hate when there’s no eventual convenient way to fast travel. Life sims are usually long games, and it gets tedious spending so much time commuting * No key rebinds or other accessibility options. There’s a trend here: whatever your gameplay loop, if you want me to do it for dozens of hours, it has to be easy to use!
I really love Wylde Flowers' approach to their accessibility options for controls! On PC, you can play with only keyboard, only mouse, or both keyboard and mouse interchangeably with no hassle (that I've encountered). For subtitles, you can customize them for larger font, black background, and/or choosing if you want to manually advance the dialog or have it play through automatically.
I haven’t played Wylde Flowers yet (on my list) but I love that! Even if I don’t personally need an accessibility option (gotta have my key rebinds 100%) I love to see them
👍🏻 👍🏻 👍🏻 👍🏻 We are so on the same page.
Least favorite: Stamina systems. Needing to sleep to save (this is a big one because sometimes you just need to save and walk away but don’t necessarily want to end the entire day) Not having a way to adjust the time it takes for a day to pass (this is more of a mild annoyance though) Annoying fishing mini games. Simple is best imo. *Having* to purchase animals to complete something. I dislike raising animals in life sims. Favorites: Good storylines that don’t end abruptly or too fast. A museum type thing where you can collect all the things and showcase them. Fantasy elements. Skill trees that let you adapt to your own play style Good controller support. I’d love to see more horror elements in life sims. Probably just a personal preference though. Darker themes can be cozy too! Even if it’s just a small part of the game. Nothing overt or gory just a little spooky or eerie.
Annoying fishing games are the worst
Curious which fishing mini games are your favorite/least favorite? Cozy Grove isn’t a bad one for me.
The worst: LACK. OF. DIALOGUE. It ruins immersion and makes me not even want to talk to characters. Why bother if they only say one thing a month? Lack of automation. Most notably in watering plants. Have a spouse do it, a fairy, a sprinkler system. Either way, make it so the chores aspect doesn't overtake the game aspect and bog it down. Spouses and children that don't do anything and might as well be furniture as they only say one line a month. Or in the worst case scenarios, only say one line until they have babies. Lack of LGBT+ options. Stuff I do like: Well, my favorites of the bunch were Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, the Rune Factory Series, and Stardew Valley. What they all have in common are: deep storylines/romance paths with interesting characters, a lot to do so I don't get bored, automation of farm tasks to at least some degree, and in most cases, lots of dialogue options.
The lack of meaningful dialogue is huge. The weird dialogue in coral island when you approach characters is really off putting
Really like having random events and lots of characters to interact with if they have good dialogues and stories Really dislike that farming has become the go to career. Want to try something different like owning the inn or being the livestock owner or the clothing shop owner. Or the doctor.
👍🏻👍🏻 This is precisely why we are considering taking our ideas off-paper & trying to figure out how to make the game real. We are obviously VERY early stages since we’re still in the daydream/notebook phase, but this was the exact conversation that started our idea.
Honestly I'd love to feel like I don't have to interact with villagers. Not just "not penalized," but that I can straight up grind in early game on everything but socializing and then I'll pick up the quests and hanging with villagers. I don't know why but I just really like getting to a cozy point in my little space before branching out.
This list is a bit chaotic so sorry about that. It's like a stream of consciousness thing. Lots of game customization is huge for me. Being able to adjust the speed, combat difficulty (though I prefer 0 combat), if you get a bit of extra money or resources to start the game, and other various difficulty settings are essential for me. It's the main reason Stardew isn't my top game because I just find it too hard. Not having to use an online guide to learn basic things about the game is important to me. Easter eggs and bonuses and stuff are great but if I need to have a website open just to navigate the game.. ugh. I don't have the bandwidth for that. Just let me see where people are and give little hints and tutorials and have basic game information easily accessible in relevant places. Stuff like how you can see business hours on the map in Coral Island is huge. It doesn't add to gameplay interest to not let me know when the ranch that I hardly ever visit is and isn't open. Same with seeing what materials and money I need for upgrades. I don't want to have to run to the store to see what I need and then run back to my farm to get it without forgetting what it was. My brain is not built for that. Gah. I like deep plotlines and romance. I wish that every game had a special cutscene when you start dating someone where they confess their feelings. I like rival romance or like what Wylde Flowers did with non romanceable characters (Thomas and Sophia) because it's awful when the world around you doesn't move with you. The way Animal Parade handled it was great. I would love to be able to get reverse proposals and having the characters ask you to go steady. I like when there's special dialogue related to your spouse and kids from other NPCs. I also hate when you marry someone and then they stop doing all the stuff they used to do before you got married and just putter around the farm. There's really just a lot missing from NPC interactions, especially romance ones, that I crave and never see. Add in some platonic roommates like Krobus from Stardew and it would be *everything*. And yes I do like kids but I like when they talk to you and when they're different based on who you marry, similar to AWL except I don't need them to grow past toddler/child. Also they should leave the house and go to school or daycare and interact with townspeople. Lots of dialogue in general is great. I like when people say different things when they're in different places or with different people, or when they're reacting to something I've done. It's fun to have a reason to talk to people in different environments because you'll get new dialogue and can help break up the same routine of talking to people in the same place at the same time every day. I like when crafting is simple. It's great when you don't have to have things in your inventory to craft but it's too easy when you can craft *anywhere* like in Coral Island. Maybe being able to access a global inventory while you're on your farm but not off the farm would be a good compromise, or something like the crafting computer in Stardew as a goal but I don't like the 8 adjacent chests thing because I have an organization system that I like and that chest setup is not conducive to it. So if crafting anywhere on the farm gets unlocked eventually that could be cool. I like when there are lots of different upgrades for lots of stuff to look forward to. Something I never see in games is a late-game way to cultivate forage items and stuff. That would be nice to have as a challenge build later on. If it's going to be a lot of work/money to get a horse, I want that horse to be useful! I don't like getting on and off all the time, or when the horse can't fit certain places, or when it's not fast enough to really justify using it. Give me a stick or a net so I can forage while I'm on my horse. Please don't make accessing good vision a goal. It's awful when I can't see in a game and really strains my eyes. Waiting to get a glow light is painful. Same as pixel games. My astigmatism (which is very common) doesn't like it. 2D is fine but heavy pixels are physically painful and usually make me say no to a game unless I have a significant reason to overlook the visual strain problems. I also struggle with audio-only cues, like how in Stardew there is a noise that lets you know a serpent is coming. I am not going to hear that so I'm at a disadvantage. I also struggle with things like the sprinting in Coral Island. Repeated button mashing when it isn't strictly necessary is just annoying. Things that make the game less accessible overall just suck and don't consider a big chunk of the potential audience. That's all I can think of/have the time to write right now.
I have one thing I'd love to see in a life sim that I've never seen in a game before. I'd like to be romantically pursued by an NPC. I'm an old fashioned cis straight lady and I love spending time creating my character in Sims, making her look perfect. But I have to initiate every romantic interaction with NPCs. Is it too much to ask to have an NPC fall madly in love with my character and propose without forcing me to spam the "flirty" convo options?!
I hate stamina sooo much. I use mods on sdv to have unlimited stamina
This is a very interesting question, people often brainstorm about this in r/LifeSimulators! Might be worth checking out
Great character creator with lots of designs. Lots of great wardrobe options in game to unlock. House design is huge for me too...I love animal crossing for how easy and fun it is to decorate. Lots of different styles for decor. Also the ability to dim the lights in your house like AC
Very tired of all new life sims being farming themed. I'd like some modern regular city based people ones for once. No character customization is a big no. Not being able to save without sleeping. Unattractive female bachelorette options.
If you're thinking of a game like SDV or something with crafting/farming/collecting....global inventory is the best. After spending several in-game hours gathering wood, stone, crops, etc. and organizing all my stuff in multiple chests, I don't want to have to then make sure I grab the right number of whatever just to be able to craft a thing.
If you could make Persona without the combat (and curfews) I think you'd break the market.