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alexmasse
alexmasse

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🏢 Huge Paralives Dream Office Build + Bonuses!

Hi, it’s Alex!

Over the past 2 months, I’ve been spending many hours a week playing Paralives, uhhh, I mean testing the build mode thoroughly to make sure the experience is smooth. While doing so, I made the classic life simulation game mistake I’ve been making since I was 12 years old: deciding to build something that is just too big and that I’ll never be done furnishing and decorating! Even though it could have been more complete and polished, I’m still proud to show you the result today: the Paralives offices of my dreams!

⬆️📽️ Watch the above video for a full tour! ✨


Office Tour

The build has 4 floors in total, if we include the rooftop.

The front and top of the building at sunset.

The lobby. I can already hear Andrei playing music for us on that grand piano! 

Top left: two conference rooms. Top right: the kitchen. Bottom left: the recording studio.

The stairs from the lobby lead to the second floor where you can find desks, a library as well as a coffee and breakfast corner.

The third floor has more desks and it also includes a balcony.

This is my favorite spot of the build: a small nest hidden behind a secret bookcase.

A second angle of the hidden room. This is the perfect place to cool off when your code just won’t work!

The office building includes an apartment with its own private balcony. Useful for when a team member needs it for a few days or if a business partner comes to visit.

The living room where we can play games or get together for a big meeting with the whole team.

The summer house: a big open space to have lunch and enjoy the weather!

That’s it for the tour! I could definitely see myself working in a place like that… Maybe one day!


Bonuses


💾 Load Game Menu

I added a small feature in the menu that lets you browse and load saved games: you can now see your total playtime.

 Time flies when you build. I’m sure that this playtime label will often be higher than what a lot of us would like to admit!

🕑 Working Clocks

During my Hackweek back in June, I took a few hours to code a new feature into the game which animates the hands of all the clock objects, making them show the time of day.

I really enjoy these small details and I’m glad I could make it work!


🗺️ Tow Map: Tilt-Shift Effect

Anna recently added an effect to the town map to simulate a camera focus effect:

I know that a compressed GIF is not the best way to show it but notice how when I zoomed out to the town map, it creates a cute effect, as if we were looking at a miniature world. The camera focuses on the center of the screen while the edges are blurred.

🗺️ Improved Lighting

Anna also added another image effect to make lights glow more at night.

Before and after. Notice how the light bulbs are shining on the right picture!


I hope you liked today’s post and we wish you a wonderful weekend!

Alex 🐶

Edit - December 12th, 2024: This post is now public, feel free to share it!

Comments

So, I had an idea what if there was an item to decorate townhouses, or cities or to make a fire station. A fire hydrant! It wouldn't have to be functional just to provide extra outside decorations for large cities or a town in general. Or maybe phone lines I always see those outside.

Valencia Bernal

Please release a build video🙂😭. The first one is so soothing and calm. I use it to calm my nerves.

Thabiso Ptk💚

I'm so hyped for the game ❤️ I love all the little details like the laundry moving in the wind and the diversity of the paras that makes the game a real life simulation. The movement looks so smooth. Thank you for creating the game we've been waiting for ❤️

Cora Berger

The vibes are unreal 😍❤️. I can’t wait

Nyssa Joseph

i can't describe how happy it makes me to see disability aids in a simulation game! thank you for your inclusivity <3

mossbiird

Omg... I love it. Did anyone pay attention to the a little detail from the clip "Office Tour"! I had paused the clip and notice a wheelchair 😫 in the game. I'm very sold in this game 🙌

Reginald Love

Yeah the sound is loud… maybe we can check on setting’s game

Kyle Laurenza

It’s look stunning!! All the detail, of course this construction is huge… not an easy one to create by a real model! Well done ✌️ will there be spiral staircases in the game? Sorry for my english…hello from 🇨🇭

Kyle Laurenza

Oh!Oh! This reminds me about one thing I - and many others - wanted to be possible in Sims 3 (and maybe others): apartment living! Not to have only one possible flat in a whole skyscraper. Having town houses and being able to place several households in one building and being able to switch between them making other households "closed". Like in Sims 3 I wanted to have a building for single bedroom flats for single new townies, or a senior home with seniors having their small studios <3 Thanks for reading, and I hope you can enjoy the process of creating your lovely game! ^^/

pinkdipi

Looks so cool! Love seeing the progress 😁 can't wait to play 😀

Sammy Clark

This looks great :) I love your dream offices. I also agree the bright lamp is a little too bright perhaps, it would be great if this could be adjustable.

Christina Ozeki

This looks awesome, but I'm not convinced by the shiny lamps, it's a little too bright for me. Can this be optional?

pekeniax

That grand piano 🤣

jrrt1459

I know it’s probably not a priority but I really hope elevators are added at some point in the future. It would definitely add a bit of realism to larger builds or even multi story builds like this one! Even if it is a simple rabbit hole that just teleports the para from one floor to another. It would also be great for movement impaired paras (note the wheelchair on one of the upper floors)

Beau R

This looks so good!!! I can’t wait for it to release so I can build to my hearts content

SimplyDeeSims

Cannot wait to get my hands on this game

just a little bawn

I. Need. This. Game.

Ugo Uchendu

That's awesoooome, I hope one day that dream office can become reality. And why do the corners of the screen blur on map view, is it just an aesthetic choice ? Is it better than seeing everything all at once ? Does it improve performances ? And what do you think of the map without ?

Ghislain Pedro

The scale of the building in this game looks to be on point - very excited !

JazzyJay

While I’m super excited to play this, I am curious if we’ll be able to turn off / lower the background white noise? I already hear fan noise constantly from my PC so I feel like the constant white noise coming from the game would make my head hurt after a while 😅

dinoPharaoh

Haha that's actually a pretty funny way of getting up and down a ladder. I like that but glad that you guys will add an animation for it eventually

Jordan Harrison

Building stuff looks okay (not into building), but could we please have more gameplay videos! Really interested in the possible careers, workday/-time possibilities. Other ways to make money? And also some glimpse to what kind of living costs our paras will face and what affects the costs. Thank you so much for your hard work - I love how everything looks!

Queta

Will we be able to toggle the visibility of/hide the walls closest to the camera like in The Sims 3?

Ferb Sánchez

Plus de petits détails comme ça *-*

KittyPara

I LOVE THE CLOCK!!!!! INCREDIBLE WORK!!!!

Emily Sidlow

Working clocks is my favorite detail! Build is wonderful!!!

Jessica Tourtellotte

I love the selection of the types of furniture for their original shapes and colors and mapping, it makes each one maintain its charm without detracting from the other. I like it because they perfectly combine a balance within the same piece of furniture between vintage and relatively modern, without being excessively old but without losing the freshness of a vintage piece of furniture. That makes me excited again when it comes to thinking about furnishing my new house and I had almost completely lost that feeling a long time ago. I will also find a new illusion that I could never have, which is having a functional watch, for me they do not exist in a simulation game and they have a lot of charm to be used in the game, so another minipoint for the Paralives team. I found the recycling bins that you have shown us very interesting. I would like to know if they are going to be functional in the sense of whether there is going to be any specific recycling, not just throwing away garbage, including the general concept of recycling and concern for the environment is going to be included in the game. Just like knowing if the washer, dryer and doing the laundry, whether indoors or outdoors, will be functional. Likewise, I like that there is a selection of sinks that do not need a countertop to be used, with a slightly country look, that gives life and diversity to the game, I hope there is variety to choose from. I love the wicker furniture and decorations and the book shelves are beautiful and the sofas drive me crazy. Finally, zoom out the camera on the map and you can see which plots are occupied, by whom, which ones are free, etc; It seems to me that it speeds up and facilitates the gameplay a lot compared to others, saving me from having to take many steps to get to that information, it is much more intuitive than I expected to have, very refreshing. Sorry for this piece of text, thank you very much for making us feel heard and being able to actively participate in a certain way in this process with you. Thank you for putting your heart in the game.

Lenina Hastley

The clothing line 🥲

jenongliandra

If not at launch, I'm sure someone creative and the community will! I personally am excited to start making objects for the game.

Madragal

this game is absolutely gorgeous! and all the little details are amazing :)

mel_diamonddove

Omg, this build is amazing! It will be in the game, yes? YES? I'm not much of a builder myself, and the builds your team is making are so wonderful. I need them all in my life, but I think this is my favorite by far!

Slippers

I love this! It looks so cozy! The working clocks and brighter lights at night are especially great. Every post, I get more excited to play

Courtney Aloisi

Looks amazing as always! One concern: When you did the split level floors in the living room area I notice the edge of the floor is white. Will there be a way to change that to a different color? It would be nice to be able to apply wall or floor textures to it, but even just being able to change the color from a color wheel would make a huge difference.

r m

Thanks! Right now, this ladder is functional and the character uses it but we don't have an animation for it yet though. So the character just moves up while standing straight, haha! We will add an animation eventually, probably before the Early Access release of the game!

Alex Massé

Sweet (: I’m stoked to build in this game!! It’s coming along 💜

Miss Lara Light

We are still tweaking that on our side The player will be able to change the color and intensity of the lighting for a given lamp by using the interface to create and edit swatches

Alex Massé

Thank you! Yes, when we look into a room, we remove the ceiling to let you see what's inside and since the ceiling is removed, the sun light gets in. We decided to do that because it's hard to do interior lighting right. We might rework that in the future, after the release though!

Alex Massé

Hi! I think it shouldn't cause too many issues but you should be able to tweak settings to improve that!

Alex Massé

For now, since we are only 2 animators in the team, we won't be able to do that many specific collecting animations but we might add more after the release!

Alex Massé

I love the little details like that as I usually always notice them, especially the clocks for some weird reason :'D My only critique is to turn down the bloom effect just a tiny bit, but maybe it's personal preference. I like it visually, so I wouldn't like to get rid of it, but I feel it's just a tiny bit too strong for someone who's light sensitive

Domon0310

Omg the tilt shift effect is superb, stuff like that really helps bring together the visual feel. I'm also blown away by the clock hands thing, that is just too cool

nemo

Oh I am loving this! As always! Quick question: I see some ladders in this build. Are the ladders functional in live mode or are they just deco for now?

Jordan Harrison

I like that lighting glow. Will we be able to adjust the intensity of lights, and if so, will the glow effect adjust proportionately? Only I was just thinking the table lamp would be cosier with a little less glare.

I JONES

Simply Cannot Waitttttt . 🫶🏽🤧🤧🤧🥹👌🏾🫡

LBoogie

Gosh this game is beautiful!! I am SO hyped. I do have one question though, when you show us the rooms, it feels like there's no ceiling, like the light inside the room is the same as the outside. Am I wrong? I wish we could see dimmer rooms with more light coming from the windows. Thanks 🌸

Laura

Hey Alex! With the lighting upgrade, is this going to impact the quality received from the graphics card a player might have? I already have astigmatism 😅and I worry it’ll cause a major blur if played on a lower quality 🤔🤔

Miss Lara Light

This game keeps getting better!

Daingo A

yeah, i am speachless. i dont think you guys are witnessing this right cus. i've seen so many details and posibilities in this building that any other simulation game is not posible to even think about. the little apartment on the top of the roof !HELLO!? and everything just looks so nicely done and realistic at the same time. its just too good to be truth. I CANNOT WAIT for the DETAILS YOU DEVS ARE GOING TO GIVE US ONCE THE TOWN OF THE GAME IS DONE. POSIBILITIES HERE ARE ENDLESS. i also cannot wait for the people CREATIONS once they finally got the game.

Joel Jimenez

I wanna work in that office

Court12413

Love everything! I wonder if Paralives will focus on adding custom animations for interactions with objects rather than universal ones like collecting an object in TS4? I know it‘s hard to animate but things like this would add a lot of character I think.

LightDeficient

@ Alex : A weekly dev update is a fantastic thing to have (however you guys would know best whether Patreon is the right platform for that). It's a ritual that really makes people feel like communication is going on, but also makes players feel heard because of the comment section. It does not necessarily have to be just for news ; for instance I play ARK, and the weekly Community Crunch on survivetheark.com includes a fan art corner, screenshots, videos from the community, etc. Every Friday (for me it's at 2am T_T ) you see players gather on social media, discord, and livestreams, to discuss the latest Crunch with excitement or, at least, with anticipation of what is going to be in it. It's probably true of other games, too.

ladyteruki

Oh and I think you should have the option to disable that with a shortcut for those who want to take pictures without the focus

Tauras Giedraitis

Ouch, really ? >_< Ok, new plan : first, investing in new chairs ; second, investing in buying an old school to get your dream office !

ladyteruki

I wonder whether we could have a grass type of flooring, so that we could have a rooftop garden without necessarily using crop plots or potted plants.

ladyteruki

Thanks for the feedback, I see what you mean. We are still tweaking all that! It's true that the effect could be nice too when zoomed in really close

Alex Massé

Thank you :) Haha! These chairs are like the one we have at the office right now, I agree they could be better :P

Alex Massé

It's something we'd like to add later on! It will probably be after the initial launch though

Alex Massé

Thank you Synthia!! Yes, there will be different lot types! We have not started to work on functional speakers yet but it will come Autosave is a feature we'd love to add but it's still unsure if we will have it a launch

Alex Massé

Correct! Right now, we often play in a very small map so that's why we see the edges of the world but the map will be bigger at launch and it will be a full town

Alex Massé

Yes! See this post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/112814990

Alex Massé

Good idea, we could add an option for it!

Alex Massé

Yes hehe

Alex Massé

Only deco for now but we will make it work (probably before the early access release or else after)

Alex Massé

Thank youuuu! We haven't confirmed what we will do with the Patreon but we could still use it for updates from time to time, that's true!

Alex Massé

We'd love to add elevators in the future! For now, wheelchairs are not functional but if they are later on, elevators would be perfect

Alex Massé

Thank you so much!! We're still working on the secret door so it's not sure yet what will be possible with it :)

Alex Massé

Good eye. Three flights of stairs can also be hard on some people who are able to walk too. Plus, an elevator would also be useful for moving things like all those desks to the third floor. Would be a great addition to the build.

BonaparteBardithion .

this isn't the finished town.

Pvydrow

Ugh amazing I can’t wait!

Emilio Miriano

The glow effect is giving The Sims 3 and I LOVE IT!!!

Tauras Giedraitis

When zoomed out in map view I think it’s best to not add the grayish filter so we could see the worlds true colors but I do love the camera focus, and I think it would also suite when camera is closeup an object

Tauras Giedraitis

Hi Alex, this is a fantastic build ! Thanks for play-... taking the time to extensively test the current version of the game ! Very professional of you. It's nice to have something to show to the architect once the time comes to actually get this built... ;) I like how the focus of the rooms designed for eating (the kitchen and the summer house, mainly) is not bars but communal tables. This place is really designed around being together, not just around efficiency. But there are also places to be alone if needed, and enough spaces that the employees can spread without HAVING to interact if they just need some quiet time. It's also very cute to have this room with all the plants upstairs, it creates a nice separation between the "work" side of the building and the apartment. My only issue would be your choice of desk chairs... they don't seem very comfortable for spending 8hrs a day looking at code or animation rigs ! On a different topic, the working clocks are something I always look at in a game. It's not something hugely important in the grand scheme of things, but you're right that details matter, and a game where clocks don't show accurate time (or, worse, where the hands don't move at all !) will always feel a bit off and rushed. Knowing how detail-oriented the Paradevs are, it's going to be a lot of fun to look at many of the game's details (especially after Early Access, I'm guessing).

ladyteruki

I noticed that the floors of houses are flat planes. Will Floor thickness be added for the release?

TechPlasma

They will create a small open world town for launch, and i doubt that it will have visible borders like in this video

Maxx

Omg i didnt even notice that. Thats genius

Maxx

I cant get over how beautiful the game looks at this point

Maxx

This looks so good and amazing!

Eraina Green

Goodness me, you guys are so amazing at your jobs. IM SO EXCITED

Olivia Moore

This... Is SO cool! I love that the roofs can be liveable, so you could have rooftop dining or gardening. Also, the working clock is the attention to detail I'm extra excited for. Bravo, team!

Madragal

Sooooo... I admit it, I was reading through this post enjoying it but thinking "ok, another build mode post, nothing new"... but then I saw the working clocks, they're amazing! I really like this cool detail

Chiara

yes!! i feel like that might be a little difficult to do at first lol i’d totally be ok w just a check box to turn it on & off

Maija Herbst

Maybe there could even be a slider to adjust the amount of glow we can get 🤔 Thinking out loud

Synthia Hubbard

Some questions. -Can we identify lot type? School, hotel, homeless shelter, clinic, hospital, mansion, business, etc? Private vs public? Both (ex. clothing store downstairs, living quarters upstairs)? -Functional speakers in game? -Autosave file(s)? Can't wait to invest hours into this game! Love the clutter and decor in the rooms. The zoom out function looks awesome! You did good on the build, Alex. It looks like a cool place to work 🤗

Synthia Hubbard

Thanks!

Keela

It is open world

Wow Wat

I cannot wait to get my hands on just build mode honestly I think it will be so exciting. This looks great. ❤️

Toastybrioche

This is so effing cool. I can not wait to play this game 😭😭😭

Keenan Ventling

This is absolutely *incredible.* Thank you for building this Alex and for sharing it with us!! Every time you all showcase a new build, it blows me away, and you've done it yet again. I especially loved being able to hear the ambient sounds, and how they change depending on where the camera is. And my favorite part was seeing the sheets blowing in the wind on the roof! Seeing it as part of a finished build is so cool - it's a small detail that adds a lot of life to the scene. I also love the old TV in the hidden room, and the recycling/trash bin under the clock!! There is so much to love. You're building a beautiful game, and the possibilities are clearly endless. Now I have to try not to spend the whole rest of my day staring at every detail haha!

Lane Brettschneider

Loving all those little details as always, amazing job team! A lil emotional here but I look forward to the Patreon Ping every day and it’s the absolute highlight of my week. Thank you for helping a silly little British girl smile genuinely :> u got this team!

Cece

This reminds me so much of Broxburg. Love it ❤️

Mary Adebayo

I really hope they keep the patreon as a way for us to fund the game updates and get these awesome diaries

Daniel Beauchamp

Sorry if this has been mentioned already, on release is the town going to be sort of floating over a void with that light blue background, will there be props in the distance like the sims 4 or will it be open world?

Keela

Wow!! And a wheelchair?!

Hollie Burton

is there a chance to either make the glow optional at all? the NoGlo mod is the very first one i always download for sims lol it just makes it a little hard & hurt to see through (as someone w astigmatism and visual snow lol) the lights start to vibrate/shake with the glow that bright

Maija Herbst

Thank you! And thanks for reporting the typo!

Alex Massé

Please tell me the secret bookcase swings out like a door.

enerG

Thanks for the feedback! We will tweak this!

Alex Massé

We need slides to make the Google office lol I love the working clock and light features too! Can't wait to play myself! (That's not me trying to rush lol take y'all's time, just loving it so far)

Amanda Hotchkiss

Does the vending machine work, or is it decoration?

Eleanor Swan

I think I'm in love with your office build...When can I move in?? It all looks fabulous!! I am always amazed at what I see every week. I love these posts, so much that I'll almost be sad if these post stop when the game comes out...almost... Unless you keep the Patreon going with updates on everything you're working after the game comes out... I'm betting many of us would still be here for that...

Fran Smith

It does! Check out this video at the end! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2_lizlXl-U

Eleanor Swan

Love that the clocks are functional...non functioning ones are just ornaments. The lights are amazing too. As usual the work you are all doing is so impressive. Love your over-large office and the time spent on it...we've all been there, done that...and got the t-shirt. 😂

Mysteri

Oh, you spoiled us with this one. I LOVE that building! Anything with a courtyard/open space is so beautiful to me and the decor is always amazing. Also it really scratches an itch when I see a clock that shows the actual game time in a game! Thank you. And seeing the little map of the neighborhoodddd 😭 we're almost in 2025, yall 😭😭 Also ✨May all the success from Paralives (and your other endeavors) provide that beautiful office palace you designed✨ You guys deserve it! 💕 #takemymoney

ZLoves

uh… wow! Are there seperate garbage and recycling cans??? Even if they’re not functional, they’re so cute!!!

Remy W

Wow this is amazing!

Brianna

I love the detail

Tanisha Rogers

This is looking so good! I am so excited to be able to play around in build mode myself! I do have a question, though. You have a wheelchair user on the 3rd floor of your office building, but I didn't see any lifts? Maybe I missed it, or is this a feature you haven't added yet? Just curious!

Fran Denman

I love it! Can't wait to see how the neighbourhood shapes up. The animation of the camera ascending reminds me of The Sims 3 and makes me nostalgic 🥰

Rodrigo Escribano

I was hoping someone commented about the light bulbs being a little tooo bright. my eyes are super sensitive and the lights legit made me squint 😭

Soinknē Morant

I really love your office building. It looks so cozy, eve working spaces look so comfy in this game :) I recognised the secret entrance immediately and wondered why you blocked the door with a shelf 🤔 So I am even happier to see that this is part of the game ❤️ Will we be able to customise the secret door? You used a shelf here but maybe there is a way or tool which says, this is a secret door and it can be "decorated" with an amour, a big plant, a simple wall, or a mirror, for example. Beside that, I just wanted to thank you all for your weekly update and even if there is maybe one more year to go, I am already a bit sad and will miss your messages in advance. They give me a good feeling ever Friday afternoon at around 15.00 to 16.30 when I usually receive them. They are really appreciated ❤️

Liesel Strick

every single new build you guys show us just makes me so excited for the game. I think my favorite part of this was the suite on the third floor with the full bathroom. I was like wowwwwwww. If only I could work in an office like that 😂

Soinknē Morant

I absolutely love the clock feature showing the time! It's always the little things that get me. Helps with the immersion into the game though!

Megan Runels

So fun! My first thought when watching the video was that there is a secret apartment that none of the workers know about, they just hear weird noices. I love the little bonus details you guys added. It would have been so easy to not think about it and move on but those things, although small, will enhance the game experience a lot. I fully trust you guys to make this awesome and it will be my new favorite game 😍 Awesome job! Keep at it!

Amanda Hannu Näckros

The building is just marvelous and I can't wait to create my own buildings when I get my hends on this wonderful game. The little details such as the clock one are just perfect and make games even more enjoyable. I love that Paralives pay always attention to that, such as Paras getting dizzy when you turn them around too much while creating them. Lighting looks amazing too

Una_simple_ kpoper

The background noises are so calming, I’d definitely work harder if this was my office. Those parafolks are so lucky! Great job as usual mates! Happy weekend 🥰

Andie

I loved the office building. I do the same mistake as you, always building a huge outter shell and I tend to give up the furnishing process midway and just downloading something from the gallery.

Pedro Lima

Oh goodness this looks amazing! I would love to see the office in-game as some sort of easter egg. Also, even if its early, I'm loving how the town navigation is looking. Speaking of which, there's a typo: I believe "Tow map" is supposed to be "Town map"?

Mauro Fantin

This would be a perfect office for sure! Love seeing all the little details of build mode, it looks so realistic, cosy and homely 🥰 Making sure the clocks move accordingly to in-game time is a detail I absolutely adore, so happy you made it work! So excited to play this and I hope you had so much fun playing (I mean testing 👀) this!

Anna Wendel

Absolutely gorgeous oml and I am IN LOVE with the tilt map effects with house icons and my only critique is to turn the bloom down on the lightbulbs just a teensy bit (or an option to do so because my eyes are sensitive and I know I’m not the only one)

Yvette Lopez

Please tell me that bookcase door works? Love the whole detailed build!

Charles Follett

Thank you for sharing so much with us. From the office building you did, which looks so good and honestly I'm the same with always doing huge builds. 😂 To a working clock!!! That is a perfect little detail to have. To that loading menu (which looks really good) and the map shift effect, which I love. It's all looking so good. I love when you all show off builds you worked on. And knowing you could make the clock work makes me so happy. It adds a nice little bit of realism. Also I just love the map view we've seen in general.

Trisha

I love how much love is shown in the making of this game ♥️

Gina Ayars-Ritchey

I love the detail

Sláine Sheils

I love how the trees and grass move in the wind. And the secret room behind the bookcases!

UsrNmTkn

OMG!!🩷🩷🩷♥️♥️♥️

Ruslana Ivasenko


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