Town Showcase: An Abandoned Factory and a Cozy Diner

Oh, please tell me that all the buildings in town can be entered and used 😊

Case Crum

This looks so beautiful!

Kayleigh

The lore!! Very much in love with all the details and background you created for these builds. ♥️

Eddi

I AM LOVING IT ❤️❤️❤️ That's all I ever wanted 😂😂😂 sooo cool ❤️❤️

Nathalie Carluccio

Chloe's rough sketches are still way better than anything I could ever draw.

jrrt1459

Jumanji was my first thought as well!

jrrt1459

I'm loving that each build includes a rich background lore. I really couldn't be more excited for this game.

Hannah MacMillan

Oh my god this is amazing!! The details are incredible (the water marks under the drains on the walls are my absolute favourite) I think for the industrial area adding some sort of scrapyard or recycling centre would really do well, can implement some gameplay around reusing materials, maybe finding furniture that is a bit more beat up but for a super low price that can then be refurbished at a seperate workshop centre or in a paras garage workshop. I know it’s probably a bit complicated too but the idea of having an apartment above a shop like the diner or having the ability to renovate the abandoned buildings into some of the modern industrial apartments that are commonly found in cities that redevelop those areas would be amazing to see. In a lot of places around the world it’s common to have apartments multiple residences in one building, so I would love to see the ability to do that be implemented somehow. Genuinely the work on this game and the town as a whole is incredible, I’ve been following since the near beginning and the entire team should be so proud of how far they’ve come!

Beau R

I love this so much! I love the detail in the story and the buildings, it could be my current hometown. And the old painted advertisement for shoes, love it! What a great touch. I really enjoy old brick factory buildings, there's a lot where I live. There's something about the aged brick and large windows. I even tried making my own versions of them in previous Sims games.

Lonerette

Oh my, I'm in love! The lore! The potential! Even if it never runs as a factory again, I'm sure there's still plenty of awesome things to do with that shoe factory. P.S. It wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the shoe factory from Jumanji....would it?

Montehammer

Loving every aspect of this

Linda Seynaeve

I’m loving the attention to detail! I wonder if our parafolks would be able to clean up the neighborhood as well and buy these buildings and repurpose them, it would be so much fun ❤️

Pedro Lopez

it would be so cool if we could live in that small little white building lol bc its so cute

Simmer sinner

For the specific sign of Maurice and other businesses, they are custom signs so you won't be able to edit the text on these (they have specific fonts and textures that fit the branding of the shop best! :) ) I think maybe it would be cool to add one sign format that players could change the text on though, so it's something I'm considering adding!

Chloé Ouellet

We would like to have builds like these be explorable in the game :)

Chloé Ouellet

we will be creating new builds for the town along with businesses and other services :) keep an eye out for update posts!

Chloé Ouellet

The Worldbuilding looks exquisite, it could really make areas feel Truly Alive in a sense

Magestical Mysterium

the beauty of an open world is to explore many interiors. that other life sim you mentioned doesn't have an open world, thus less incentive to explore things which is probably why they have too many deco buildings

JossGun Shipper

The user interface for this exists, so even if we can't, it will be moddable.

Panthro Samah

I love the grunge aesthetic. Not all buildings have to be pristine. And the power poles are a welcome addition! I hope we can add them as props when building homes as well.

Allen Joseph Villano

I'm obsessed with the town posts so far! I can't wait to get my hands on the build tools in this game!!!

Katie Bellissimo

Paradimes is such a cool name to call their money! Too cute!😆😆

Angela

Paradimes!!! :D ;D I love it!

Mikkela

How about adding a bakery, coffee shop, Laundromat and grocery store.

Rini_Sama

Everything is so vibrant and beautiful! And, if we can explore the abandoned buildings, will be interesting... If possible! Can live without it. :)

Michelle Koleva

Ooh yes this is a great idea!

Melanie Engelbrecht

Re: Paradimes. How about a backwards P and forwards D (back to back) and two horizontal lines in the middle, going through the vertical ones?

Roe B.

The detail is amazing

I kinda forGoT

I have a question will the abandoned buildings be able to be explored? Like say a para has a certain level of handiness skill, would they be able to remove the block over one of the doors and enter? Or is this more of like set decorations? Either way I do love how it looks, just so used to seeing things like this in Sims and they are never more than set decoration

Alyson Betancourt

This is so exciting! I can't wait to get the game just to explore the world alone 😍

EaselEar

I'm pretty sure, yes!

EaselEar

Something I'm wondering is if we'll be able to edit the text on certain signs like Chez Maurice or the Edwards and co sign?

Donny Miles

YESSS! Dirt and damage and grime! Gonna love building some abandoned places!

ponyfhtagn

Awesome! I love seeing the town. My favorite thing to do in games like this, is build the town that my 'little people' live in. 😁

Sherri Small

Pls stick to using english for anything that's visible! I love the fact that we can actually read everything and adjust/edit it. Last thing we need is a sims imitate with another fictional language that just looks odd

Kayne

Will players be able to modify the buildings or convert them into apartments?

Derek Warren

Maurice has been providing warm breakfast for the factory workers 🥹 The lore of this town is really coming along! I also love the distraught frown in the factory tower. I actually love everything, who am I kidding 😍

ZLoves

It would have been interesting to situate them on the map like the previous ones. The world building is so interesting, especially adding lore.

Kazoo

Automotive! Vintage cars and automotive themed signs and structures 🛻

Del Wilson

I was hoping that we get a new post about the town 🥰 and there it is. Im so excited for this game ☺️ Would be cool to see a Gas station, Car dealer at the Industrial Neighborhood.

Priskilla

One thing that is still not clear to me about the town is: can we "use" these buildings? Can I choose to move my Paras to live in the apartment above the diner, for example? Or are they (or some of them, or some parts of them) essentially just background? Another thing: will we be able to modify the town, delete some items, move some others (example, I want to remove the telephone cabin, or I want to add some tables outside the diner)? Thanks!

Chiara

I like that things are in English/French. Making custom doormat messages, or tombstones, or t-shirt slogans that is so cool to me.

Jess

we are looking into it! as the game goes into Early Access and all, performance will keep being worked on and improved!

Chloé Ouellet

I love the fact that in the original drawing the shoe factory clearly has eyes and a horrified at what has become of it mouth and you kept that in the build it's so good! I love abandoned buildings so excited ty!

Kieran

Can I just saw how creatively you’ve named certain things around the “para” theming? I love that the currency is called paradimes (like paradigms).

polterkhoist

These are amazing! Love them so much! I know I've already said it, but I love the rundown builds, and I like how you managed to give the town some history with its design. Are these deco only, or do they have interactions as well? Very excited to see more of the town!

Ellen Kaluza

Lucie Baha

I love the graffiti and exposed brickwork! I can’t wait to explore the town and learn its secrets; the level of detail really makes it come alive.

Swampboot

I really like how lived in this looks, and how we can make buildings look old and like they have a long history!

Leaf

Thank you Chloé. For me not noticing and already building something so brilliant ☺️

Mysteri

It's a big aspect of Montreal that we like; old factories and buildings being repurposed into new, trendy spots! It's definitely something we are taking inspiration from for the city :)

Chloé Ouellet

indeed, Paras have their own language, Parli! I would think they'd have a written language, but for anything that's branding and all, we went for French/English to make sure it was recognizable for players! Maybe eventually we will write an alphabet or something like that :)

Chloé Ouellet

yes there are some broken windows in this build, but it might be hard to see since they are sometimes borded up, plus with the Patreon image compression!

Chloé Ouellet

Oh, this is making me so excited to explore the town with my Paras. I can't wait to take it all in on release day. Great job everyone!

Jordan Harrison

I can already see Sebastian buying Chez Maurice, because it's cheap, and then through his passion, hard work and dedication gentrifying the area. I feel like modern art and hipster aesthetic works really well for industrial area. Like Tate Modern in London is now a modern art gallery, or in Manchester there is a food court built entirely around and inside shipping containers. Maybe including this mix of modern and trendy and old and abandoned could make players want to go there and want to improve it rather than just avoid it because it's not pretty

Domon0310

im genuinely crying I LOVE THIS GAME I NEED IT IN MY LIFE

Atreyu

Paradimes as the currency is AMAZING haha I love it!!!

Artis Zaķis

I had this thought: it would be cool, even if these lots aren’t explore-able, that as your para travels around town it can like unlock a history lesson for the backstory of some of these buildings? Either by like reading a sign or by getting within a close enough proximity it fills in their “journal” or something so that we as players can learn the backstory for all the history that devs made 😊

Toria Stock

i really like the english words on the ads/posters !!!! the paras do have their own language tho, right? do you plan on making a written language for that?

Maija Herbst

Love what you did there! The details, the decals, the sand piles, the containers etc help so much to sell the world. However I'd say I prefer the diner (Chez Maurice) more than the rundown factory. I think you could have different models of the windows with actually broken window tiles (or them being more broken). I could link some pictures if that's okay with you. However it still looks kind of too clean, especially the windows. Though, I'm loving everything else, the metal fences, the concrete floor texture etc. Great work!

Kayne

Well done for this wonderful build. These buildings make me feel like this is a real town being built not a show town. I was just wondering if it's possible to have broken windows as well as boarded up ones? It would make abandoned buildings look more decrepid and could be added to residential homes of people who don't look after their property.

Mysteri

I would love being able to interact with our wonderful Para team ingame!! Definitely food for thought! ✨️

tey711

The factory and the chez Maurice is so Nice. It looks so realistic and maybe, just maybe we could think of some community/ neighbourhood projects like a flea market, collecting money to restore parts of the area, costume parade, collecting rubbbish, etc. I still would love to find you guy in this game. Maybe something like a quest to make friends with your Npcs in the game: There is a notice on the black board: dog is missing. Would like to get it back, Alex. The you find the dog, befriend with it and bring the dog to Alex. Or chloe lost her human size doll/ crashtest dummy somewhere and somehow, while the players stroll around in the city, you can find the doll and bring it to chloe. Or Andrei would like someone for a band and you can just meet him when you are able to play more than 3 instruments (like himself). I would find this idea charming but maybe it's too much work. But in the end it would invite the player to find more of these hidden gems and look out for notices, signs and newspaper articles.

Liesel Strick

They are simply stone, our marble texture have more of a marbled texture to them! :) The factory is inspired by some factories from all over Europe; this one was definitely a larger more ''profitable'' one when it was still up and running!

Chloé Ouellet

I honestly love seeing this kind of design, giving variety instead of everything always having a pristine look. Definitely gives the buildings some character

Joey

ooh thats a cool idea! :D

Chloé Ouellet

For a run down shoe factory, It's actually pretty fancy to have a marble fence on the roof.

Amir Mohanlal

Oh, that is just too funny, Chloe!! I love it! Lol.

tey711

The details that make the buildings look a little more worn and distressed are very atmospheric. I have an idea about this: in The Sims, every object adds to the value of the property. It could be that decorative objects and elements that have that worn look subtract from the value of the house instead of increasing it.

teszter.bp

Thank you Tey! :) We aim to have areas like these explorable for players! We are working on it and figuring out what we could have to find Oh, the figure! That's my Para, ahah! I usually use my Para to gauge the scale of things, since Para-Chloe has my height, and so it can help me see things in perspective! I forgot to remove myself from the scene in the first image!

Chloé Ouellet

Thank you for taking the time to answer :) 1) Nicccccccce ! There was a bakery in my hometown that very much was a version of this building, but in grey, so I'll add it to the list of things I'll be able to do in Paralives. 2) I wasn't sure because I couldn't see the line itself, it looked almost like it was actually pinned to the balcony. It goes to show how versatile this feature is ! 3) Oh my bad, I thought it was using the functionality we saw in a video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfMe8CklCbQ ), I thought it was the default. That's what I get for assuming things !

ladyteruki

Looks brilliant even if I agree with the person that said that the building isn't as rundown as expected. For the industrial Neighbourhood, if we are talking working class vibe, I would love to see some kind of flea market, pawnshop and some kind of second hand/workshop places (for repairing/buying bikes/cars/household appliances). Also once car are added, would love to see some "casses automobile".

Yunahara

Awesome! 👏

LightDeficient

We are currently testing game performance and studying different methods in which we can help the game run better in an open world; -LODs -Texture resolution lowering the further away you are from an item -Item despawning when they are out of view or far enough from the camera -Code optimisation -Etc!

Chloé Ouellet

I'm hoping we can explore this warehouse to discover what lies behind it's boarded up walls!? Seeing the figure in the parking lot makes me think there is a way in, hmm? Speaking of the figure, if they are facing toward the viewer it looks like they have a small sweater on. However, if they are facing the building, then it looks like they are wearing a backpack, or wings! They are indeed very white ...hmm? Was the word 'grave' mentioned? Mystery and lore afoot! No?, Yes?, Maybe? 🤭 You're work is just wonderful, and please keep potential glimpses of lore and mystery coming!! ✨️

tey711

Hi LadyTeruki! Thank you for your kind words! :D 1) You can recolor the brick decal! 2) It is the clothesline that was featured in the video you have linked 3) The Chez Maurice sign is a custom sign, so it cannot be customized! For the businesses, we want the branding to be identifiable and so we wanted something unique for each. I definitely think having customizable signs would be cool though, so it's something I'm thinking of adding :)

Chloé Ouellet

How will Paralives make sure performance is good being an open world? Will it have an LOD system or how will things work? Also this looks great

LightDeficient

Man I really like the graphics of this game. It really does have something unique to it, not just for life sims but indie in general.

Carelle

I love ❤️ the look of things. So much attention to details

Freya

I love the details, love the backstory. I can't wait to explore the area!

Gill Reid

So cosy!! 😭 It looks so alive! (despite being abandoned!) I feel immediately inspired to imagine a whole storyline for the person who owns the diner! 😍

Märta Elf

I totally understand where you're coming from! It's a bit tricky sometimes to add wear and really old looking materials to the game; there's a fine line between having it exclusively for old buildings, and have them be useful for players builds! The fact that things can be recolored also limit us on the different colors we can use, so it can be a bit hard to make things look as worn out as they should be!

Chloé Ouellet

The attention to detail is astounding. I am so excited to explore this world. It really feels like our Paras will be living in a town with a unique identity and rich history instead of just feeling like the same thing/different font or backdrop. I love this. All these little details really make it feel like the world has been truly lived in.

Courtney Cayo

Hi Chloé ! Thank you so much for this post, I'm loving this area of the town. The factory will be cool to restore (I hope to find some game mechanics around renovation of old buildings, but even if there's none, the build catalog will very likely cover a few needs). There are a lot of assets I'm seeing here that are just a lot of fun, like the old, probably not functional, phonebooth... And those brick decals are going to be so cool ! Are they recolorable so that they can match different colors of brick walls ? Is that the infamous dynamic clothesline ( https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SxvM40m8_ss ) I'm spotting ? The fact that Paralives has customizable signs and billboards means that the "Chez Maurice" signs necessarily match. It's pretty cool to imagine that the same signs could be used with a different name and a different color somewhere else in town, and it wouldn't look redundant. What I also like about this area of the town is that it doesn't look too fancy. I'm tired of "middle class" neighborhoods, particularly when what the game devs really mean is "upper middle class in one of the richest countries in the world" (you know what I'm talking about !). Chez Maurice caters to working class people, and I really like that. I can't wait to see more low income buildings/lots (a dollar store, for instance), and hopefully gameplay to match (which reminds me that unemployment benefits have been mentioned in a past Patreon post in 2023 https://www.patreon.com/posts/85360863 but it wasn't set in stone at the time and I don't know whatever happened to that). "eventually we will create the symbol for Paradimes and the posters will be updated to reflect this" You know I've been thinking about that lately XD The letter P is a bit tricky visually (not to mention, noone wants to confuse Paradimes with Rubles !).

ladyteruki

I’ll be nice!

ღPark Nikkiღ

I love the old sign on the back of the building! For those curious, those are called ghost signs. They used white lead paint back in the day, so typically the only piece that remains is that white paint from the original designs. I thought that was a neat touch! Great work!

Lena

The whole build is amazing. It is also so cool you created a phone booth. I love the attention to detail and how you're providing art assets to make playing in different decades more immersive. :)

Jennifer

Since there’s another town update, I thought I’d bring this up again! I was a bit late on the last post, but I had suggested adding train stations as Rabbit Holes in each district. This way, you could teleport between areas, which would save a lot of time - especially since cars aren’t planned for early access and walking will be the primary way to get around. Just an idea. Also, I love the town design :)

Rose

I love your ideas for old town and adding mystery to the game! And an old brick factory certainly reminds me of old brick factories in Australia. I am wondering though... (and it's a totally unqualified opinion - I'm not good at art or design, and nobody else seems to have noticed the same thing), but I'm thinking the old factory looks too new looking, like it's an old building recently built, and I think it's the trim and balcony - looks newly painted, instead of old and paint-chipped and rusty and dirty and weathered with time. Even the bricks look newly washed, instead of dirty and abandoned. Perhaps you're intending to add more of that stuff? It certainly looks old in style (wonderfully so!), but it doesn't quite look like it was built 100 years ago, if that makes sense. I also think it needs more vegetation sticking out of the pavement - even bits in the middle of the pavement - this tended to happen with old pavement many years old - pavement got cracks and grass and weeds grew in those cracks over time. A few broken windows also wouldn't go astray. As I said, I have no visual talent, just a very good memory of old factories from exactly the period of this one, and the ones I've seen tend to have a lot of rusty old rails, often with different coloured undercoats showing through, instead of a newly painted look. Chez Maurice looks absolutely awesome! Can't wait to see the whole map in future! :-)

Fran Smith

I’m so happy that you have included run down buildings and areas!! In real life not everything is shiny and new. Thank you!!❤️

Cesar A

Disclaimer: I'm not expecting any of this as I imagine the animations would be quite the task! However, the doll made me think how as a child I played in a construction lot. It would be neat if paras could: climb trees, reach/jump up to pull themselves up onto a roof/etc., and walk carefully along a leaning plank. :D

Jennifer

Ok, thanks! :) Lot numbers are a part of "IRL lore", so that is why it might cause such thoughts. If you walked past no. 45, 46 and 48, you'd wonder where no. 47 went. (Most likely absorped into either 46 or 48, unless magic was involved)

Vera Ohlsen

we are using english/french for the big text that is readable, but when it's on smaller items, it's just gibberish. Paras have their own language called Parli, and it would be safe to assume that they also write it. We decided to go for English so signs for stores would be recognisable for the players!

Chloé Ouellet

Yes we have different styles and sizes of graffitis! :) some low effort ones included!

Chloé Ouellet

to be honest, we didn't think about the number when we chose it, ahah! I don't think the lots will have an address number that's not just decor (to my knowledge, at least). You will be able to add it to your house as decor if you so want :)

Chloé Ouellet

I just noticed the telephone booth, that's really cool. It would be great if they were useable for 70s/80s/90s style playthroughs.

Dizzardy

Junkyard!! 💜💙💚🧡

Vera Ohlsen

Thanks Trisha! It would be cool if Paras could add graffitis! I don't think that's planned for Early Acess, but all the graffitis are available for players to use, and so you will be able to add them as you see fit :)

Chloé Ouellet

Ouuuu looks so goood! So just a question, Ik the sims has in game world text/ names in simlish, will the para’s have their own written language in the world? Or will it just be in English or whatever language the game is set in?

Wow Wat

oh i love the vibes of this! there are so many nice details that really tell a story like the decals to make the buildings looks run down and the graffiti! are there smaller rushes graffitis too? i feel like quite often you don't just find the big ones but the really small low effort ones that sometimes are even done with a marker. i think something that could be cool (but i'm not sure how possible that would be rn) is a sorr of hangout soace underneath a bridge next to a river or something. where there might be some old makeshift furniture and empty bottles lying around

Melina W

Chez Maurice is cute! I noticed the building no. is pretty high, so that must be a long road. I wonder if we have an easy way to discern the building no. from the build menu, in case we want to add our own house numbers. It would be a bit annoying to have to exit the lot just to check that detail.

Vera Ohlsen

Surprisingly little graffiti on the ground level walls, at least on the outside. I am sure there is more inside the building.

Vera Ohlsen

Thank you for another great post and especially for another look at the incredible town we're getting. My excitement levels rise even more with these little glimpses! I love how the area looks and the little diner next to it. Looks so cute but fits in if that makes sense. I can picture the factory being up and running and workers going in and out for food. And the dumpsters at the side? Perfection! All the little details are so immersive. Would it be possible to have teens and other mischievous Paras add more graffiti to it? Maybe some kind of mischief overall? Also, maybe we could see an old carpark in the industrial area? Maybe an unfinished shopping centre?

Trisha

Which buildings will be rabbit holes and which won't be hasn't been decided yet! We are currently in the decision-making process for that :)

Chloé Ouellet

ooh that's such a fun idea actually ! :D

Chloé Ouellet

Wow, I love that we are getting so many detailed decor options with each of these unique builds. The clutter and decals really do so much to add realism to the builds. I'm excited to see what you come up with as you add more buildings to each region of the town

Toto

we will be working on this a bit further down the line, but we wanted to maybe add some little things that make it worth your while to explore :)

Chloé Ouellet

The attention to detail!! You placed THE TINIEST SODA CANS for the sake of LITTER😅😅 Such an amazing build👏👏

Makingmacaroonracoon

I love this! I can imagine myself reconstructing the factory in something new, with the flair of an old factory. Thank you for your precious work! And love the silly little Miki easter egg hahhhs

Elias-Crayario

The rags to riches play style will be IMMACULATE

Phoenix

I LOVE the details that give it all a backstory.

Odeanette

Are these lots explore-able? Could some naughty teenage paras sneak into the abandoned factory and potentially get picked up by the cops or something?

Toria Stock

AAAAAAHHHH I LOVE IT!!!!!

Lisa Hedlund

Every time I see a building-related post I am so amazed with the attention to detail! Is this a Miki figurine on the factory lot? 😂😂 I'd love to see a concert stage (maybe in the basement?) and/or run-down practice rooms for musicians in the industrial neighborhood! Something for the musical Paras :P

Danny Juforier

This looks amazing and I'm happy to see anything the team designs! Something like a random ornament shop or a flower shop or car sales would be interesting to see since those seem to be around in industrial areas. Maybe even furniture shop or a junkyard

Lunal H

Oh my god, this is giving such an adventurous and melancholic atmosphere! I love lost places like Edward's. How exciting!

Anja

I love this all so much!!

aj west

Wow, it's full of detail and love! I can't wait to renovate this place. I'd love to see old factories that have been repurposed

Benigno Omar Bakali Antona

absolutely lovely, will Chez Maurice be playable or only a facade to make the city alive ?

Lula Insel

Second. It looks brilliant 👏

Sláine Sheils

First!

Thabiso Ptk💚