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Life Sims Are Having a Moment and We Have Thoughts · The Plumbob Report

• 0:00
  [Becca Hartwell] Bye-bye.
• 0:13
  [Danny Reyes] And welcome back to the Plumbob Report.
• 0:15
  [Danny Reyes] I'm Becca Hartwell.
• 0:17
  [Speaker 3] And I'm Danny Reyes, and oh my gosh this week.
• 0:21
  [Speaker 3] This week!
• 0:22
  [Danny Reyes] Right?
• 0:23
  [Danny Reyes] Like, where do we even start?
• 0:25
  [Speaker 3] I mean, a little game called Paralives dropped on Steam Early Access and the life sim world has not recovered.
• 0:32
  [Danny Reyes] No way has it recovered.
• 0:34
  [Danny Reyes] We are talking architectural freedom that's giving Sims 2 in the best way.
• 0:39
  [Danny Reyes] A no paid DLC ever promise and PC Gamer basically saying the genre finally has a real buffet of choices.
• 0:48
  [Speaker 3] A buffet.
• 0:49
  [Speaker 3] We've waited so long for this buffet.
• 0:52
  [Danny Reyes] So long.
• 0:54
  [Danny Reyes] We're also going deep on the Paralives early access roadmap,
• 0:58
  [Danny Reyes] which,
• 0:59
  [Danny Reyes] heads up, feels very different from every EA roadmap that has ever burned us.
• 1:04
  [Speaker 3] We'll dig into why the community is actually optimistic for once.
• 1:08
  [Speaker 3] Blunt,
• 1:08
  [Speaker 3] that's a whole conversation.
• 1:10
  [Danny Reyes] And then the modding scene,
• 1:12
  [Danny Reyes] which went exactly the direction anyone who has ever met a Sims player would expect.
• 1:18
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah.
• 1:19
  [Danny Reyes] Look,
• 1:19
  [Danny Reyes] we will say the name on air.
• 1:21
  [Danny Reyes] We'll get there.
• 1:22
  [Speaker 3] We absolutely will.
• 1:24
  [Speaker 3] Plus we have Zara Larsson CC,
• 1:26
  [Speaker 3] a gorgeous gallery lot,
• 1:28
  [Speaker 3] and,
• 1:28
  [Speaker 3] okay,
• 1:29
  [Speaker 3] brace yourself,
• 1:30
  [Speaker 3] EA is selling ten eyelashes for two dollars.
• 1:34
  [Danny Reyes] The Autonomy really said choose violence.
• 1:37
  [Danny Reyes] lens on that pricing decision.
• 1:38
  [Speaker 3] It really did.
• 1:40
  [Speaker 3] Okay,
• 1:40
  [Speaker 3] let's get into the news because we have a lot to cover.
• 1:43
  [Danny Reyes] Starting with the biggest life sim launch week in years.
• 1:47
  [Danny Reyes] Let's go.
• 1:53
  [Danny Reyes] We want to hear from you.
• 1:55
  [Danny Reyes] Submit questions via the web form in the description or give us a call at 747-677-1037 and leave your question.
• 2:03
  [Danny Reyes] Don't be shy.
• 2:03
  [Danny Reyes] Our AI assistant makes it super easy.
• 2:11
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 2:12
  [Danny Reyes] so can we just talk about what happened this week because Paralives hit Steam Early Access,
• 2:17
  [Danny Reyes] and I have not stopped thinking about it.
• 2:19
  [Speaker 3] I could tell. You texted me at like, what,
• 2:22
  [Speaker 3] seven in the morning?
• 2:24
  [Danny Reyes] $6.45, don't undersell it.
• 2:26
  [Danny Reyes] But here's the thing, Danny.
• 2:28
  [Danny Reyes] The build mode.
• 2:29
  [Danny Reyes] The architecture.
• 2:30
  [Danny Reyes] Mollie Taylor over at Yahoo Tech wrote about it, and she said it's the kind of creative freedom she hasn't felt from a life sim since The Sims 2.
• 2:38
  [Danny Reyes] Right?
• 2:38
  [Speaker 3] Okay, that's a big claim.
• 2:40
  [Danny Reyes] That's giving Sims 2 in the best way, and I don't say that lightly.
• 2:44
  [Danny Reyes] Sims 2 build mode before EA started slicing features into paid packs?
• 2:49
  [Danny Reyes] That was something special you could just build,
• 2:52
  [Danny Reyes] no friction.
• 2:53
  [Speaker 3] I mean,
• 2:54
  [Speaker 3] The Sims 2 comparison is the community's highest compliment.
• 2:57
  [Speaker 3] Like, that's the gold standard.
• 2:59
  [Danny Reyes] Exactly!
• 3:00
  [Danny Reyes] And Paralives is apparently landing there.
• 3:03
  [Danny Reyes] Mollie called it an
• 3:04
  [Danny Reyes] An amateur architect's dream.
• 3:06
  [Speaker 3] Okay,
• 3:07
  [Speaker 3] I'll admit,
• 3:08
  [Speaker 3] that got me.
• 3:08
  [Speaker 3] I'm a sucker for good build mode.
• 3:11
  [Danny Reyes] Everyone is,
• 3:11
  [Danny Reyes] you know what I mean?
• 3:12
  [Danny Reyes] That's where we spend half our lives in these games.
• 3:15
  [Speaker 3] So, how's the actual reception been?
• 3:18
  [Danny Reyes] Strong,
• 3:19
  [Danny Reyes] like genuinely strong.
• 3:20
  [Danny Reyes] And the bigger story,
• 3:22
  [Danny Reyes] the one that IGN covered this week,
• 3:24
  [Danny Reyes] Vikki Blake reporting,
• 3:25
  [Danny Reyes] is that the developer says all future content will be Free.
• 3:29
  [Speaker 3] Wait, Free-Free?
• 3:30
  [Danny Reyes] Free,
• 3:31
  [Danny Reyes] free,
• 3:32
  [Danny Reyes] no pay DLC,
• 3:34
  [Danny Reyes] Ever.
• 3:34
  [Speaker 3] Okay,
• 3:35
  [Speaker 3] I need a second with that,
• 3:36
  [Speaker 3] because developers say things.
• 3:38
  [Danny Reyes] Fair,
• 3:39
  [Danny Reyes] but according to Vikki's piece,
• 3:40
  [Danny Reyes] they're saying launch sales alone are funding continued development. They can afford to keep everything free because the game sold well enough out of the gate.
• 3:49
  [Speaker 3] Huh,
• 3:49
  [Speaker 3] so they're not relying on a DLC drip to survive.
• 3:53
  [Danny Reyes] Right, and in the IGN article the team framed it as,
• 3:56
  [Danny Reyes] and I'm paraphrasing here,
• 3:57
  [Danny Reyes] it's what they'd want as life sim fans themselves.
• 4:01
  [Speaker 3] Okay,
• 4:01
  [Speaker 3] that actually got me.
• 4:03
  [Danny Reyes] I knew it would!
• 4:04
  [Speaker 3] No, I'm serious.
• 4:05
  [Speaker 3] That's not PR language.
• 4:07
  [Speaker 3] That's a person who's been burned by a pack they didn't want to buy.
• 4:10
  [Danny Reyes] That's exactly what that is.
• 4:12
  [Speaker 3] We love a dumpster fire,
• 4:14
  [Speaker 3] actually,
• 4:14
  [Speaker 3] but like the opposite of a dumpster fire.
• 4:17
  [Danny Reyes] A campfire.
• 4:19
  [Danny Reyes] Cozy and intentional.
• 4:20
  [Speaker 3] Okay,
• 4:21
  [Speaker 3] but let me push back a little because the hype on this game has been enormous.
• 4:25
  [Speaker 3] GamerTok has been going wild.
• 4:28
  [Speaker 3] Ginger Koehler over at Her Campus played it herself and wrote about whether it lives up to the buzz.
• 4:33
  [Danny Reyes] And?
• 4:34
  [Speaker 3] She played it.
• 4:35
  [Speaker 3] She had thoughts.
• 4:37
  [Speaker 3] The vibe is that it's genuinely promising early access,
• 4:40
  [Speaker 3] not fake promising.
• 4:42
  [Danny Reyes] Which is a real distinction.
• 4:44
  [Speaker 3] Huge distinction.
• 4:46
  [Danny Reyes] And here's what I think is the bigger picture moment.
• 4:49
  [Danny Reyes] Lauren Morton at PC Gamer made this point on Thursday that's
• 4:52
  [Danny Reyes] That stuck with me.
• 4:53
  [Danny Reyes] She said,
• 4:54
  [Danny Reyes] life simmers finally have the variety they've been asking for.
• 4:58
  [Danny Reyes] Paralives,
• 4:58
  [Danny Reyes] Inzoi,
• 4:59
  [Danny Reyes] and Sims 4 all viable at the same time.
• 5:03
  [Speaker 3] Buffet.
• 5:04
  [Danny Reyes] That's literally the word she used,
• 5:06
  [Danny Reyes] a buffet of choice.
• 5:07
  [Speaker 3] I mean, for years it's been you either play Sims 4 or you wait.
• 5:12
  [Speaker 3] That's it.
• 5:13
  [Speaker 3] Those were the options.
• 5:14
  [Danny Reyes] Right,
• 5:15
  [Danny Reyes] and the community has been asking for competition to push.
• 5:18
  [Danny Reyes] Push EA.
• 5:19
  [Danny Reyes] And now there's actual competition.
• 5:21
  [Speaker 3] Do you think Sims 4 players are nervous or excited?
• 5:25
  [Danny Reyes] Think both?
• 5:28
  [Danny Reyes] I think longtime players are like,
• 5:30
  [Danny Reyes] good,
• 5:30
  [Danny Reyes] maybe now EA has a reason to try harder.
• 5:33
  [Danny Reyes] And newer players are genuinely curious to explore.
• 5:37
  [Speaker 3] That's a Fair read.
• 5:38
  [Speaker 3] I'm on both sides a little bit.
• 5:40
  [Danny Reyes] Me too,
• 5:41
  [Danny Reyes] honestly.
• 5:41
  [Danny Reyes] I want Paralives to succeed.
• 5:44
  [Danny Reyes] And I want it to make EA uncomfortable.
• 5:47
  [Danny Reyes] Those two things can coexist.
• 5:49
  [Speaker 3] The autonomy really said,
• 5:51
  [Speaker 3] choose violence.
• 5:54
  [Danny Reyes] Directed at EA specifically.
• 5:56
  [Speaker 3] So the launch is Strong,
• 5:58
  [Speaker 3] the No DLC promise is real,
• 6:00
  [Speaker 3] the Sims 2 architecture comparisons are flying,
• 6:03
  [Speaker 3] that's a lot of momentum for week one.
• 6:05
  [Danny Reyes] It really is.
• 6:07
  [Danny Reyes] And the question now is,
• 6:09
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 6:09
  [Danny Reyes] momentum is great,
• 6:11
  [Danny Reyes] but what does the actual plan look like?
• 6:13
  [Danny Reyes] What are players getting and when?
• 6:16
  [Speaker 3] Yeah, like vibes are great,
• 6:18
  [Speaker 3] but at some point you want a roadmap.
• 6:20
  [Danny Reyes] Well...
• 6:27
  [Danny Reyes] So the roadmap dropped,
• 6:28
  [Danny Reyes] and honestly?
• 6:30
  [Speaker 3] Okay, yes,
• 6:31
  [Speaker 3] what's on it?
• 6:31
  [Danny Reyes] GameGrin and NeonLightsMedia both covered it this week.
• 6:35
  [Danny Reyes] Cars,
• 6:36
  [Danny Reyes] Supernaturals, expanded life stages, and because the launch sales came in strong,
• 6:41
  [Danny Reyes] all of it free.
• 6:43
  [Speaker 3] Okay,
• 6:44
  [Speaker 3] I want to believe that, I do.
• 6:46
  [Speaker 3] But Danny has been burned so many times by roadmap promises that I have to ask,
• 6:52
  [Speaker 3] is this different?
• 6:53
  [Danny Reyes] You have PTSD from EA roadmaps and honestly valid.
• 6:58
  [Speaker 3] I have receipts.
• 7:00
  [Becca Hartwell] Topeka,
• 7:00
  [Becca Hartwell] a whole folder!
• 7:01
  [Becca Hartwell] Sims 4 roadmaps that said life simulation improvements and then showed up as Vibes, patch note vibes.
• 7:08
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 7:09
  [Danny Reyes] that's fair.
• 7:10
  [Danny Reyes] Here's the thing, though. The Paralives team's framing is different.
• 7:14
  [Danny Reyes] They said in the IGN piece by Vikki Blake that the free content model is,
• 7:18
  [Danny Reyes] what we would like as life sim fans ourselves.
• 7:22
  [Danny Reyes] Like, they're making the game they wanted to play.
• 7:25
  [Becca Hartwell] That's actually a really good answer.
• 7:27
  [Danny Reyes] Right?
• 7:28
  [Becca Hartwell] It doesn't feel like corporate speak. It feels like someone who is frustrated by The Sims.
• 7:33
  [Danny Reyes] That's giving indie developer energy in the best way.
• 7:37
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay,
• 7:38
  [Becca Hartwell] I'll allow it.
• 7:39
  [Becca Hartwell] So what's the actual pipeline look like, like priority-wise?
• 7:43
  [Danny Reyes] So according to NeonLightsMedia roadmap breakdown,
• 7:46
  [Danny Reyes] they're working in phases.
• 7:48
  [Danny Reyes] Immediate stuff is bug fixes and quality of life.
• 7:51
  [Danny Reyes] Then mid-term is expanding gameplay systems.
• 7:55
  [Danny Reyes] The bigger stuff-cars,
• 7:57
  [Danny Reyes] Supernaturals-that's further out.
• 7:59
  [Becca Hartwell] Which is honest at least.
• 8:01
  [Danny Reyes] Exactly; they're not promising supernatural werewolves by summer.
• 8:06
  [Becca Hartwell] Unlike certain other games that shall remain nameless but rhyme with The Sims Four.
• 8:11
  [Danny Reyes] I said what I said.
• 8:13
  [Becca Hartwell] And the community response to the roadmap?
• 8:16
  [Danny Reyes] Positive,
• 8:16
  [Danny Reyes] like genuinely positive,
• 8:19
  [Danny Reyes] which is wild because Sims players as a group have been conditioned to read roadmaps and immediately find the footnote that says,
• 8:27
  [Danny Reyes] subject to change,
• 8:28
  [Danny Reyes] please purchase the Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack.
• 8:31
  [Becca Hartwell] The trauma is real.
• 8:33
  [Danny Reyes] But with Paralives,
• 8:34
  [Danny Reyes] the trust feels earned because the free content promise came tied to actual launch sales numbers.
• 8:40
  [Danny Reyes] It's not a marketing bullet point,
• 8:42
  [Danny Reyes] it's a funded commitment.
• 8:44
  [Becca Hartwell] That's the part that matters.
• 8:45
  [Danny Reyes] And
• 8:46
  [Becca Hartwell] Anyone can write free updates forever on a Steam page.
• 8:49
  [Becca Hartwell] Proving it requires money.
• 8:50
  [Danny Reyes] they have the money,
• 8:52
  [Danny Reyes] so the roadmap optimism is actually grounded in something.
• 8:55
  [Becca Hartwell] You know what? I'll be cautiously hopeful.
• 8:58
  [Becca Hartwell] Not motherlode hopeful,
• 9:00
  [Becca Hartwell] like Rosebud hopeful.
• 9:02
  [Danny Reyes] Rosebud hopeful.
• 9:04
  [Danny Reyes] That's the perfect scale.
• 9:06
  [Danny Reyes] I'm writing that down.
• 9:07
  [Becca Hartwell] One simoleon at a time.
• 9:09
  [Danny Reyes] One simoleon at a time.
• 9:12
  [Danny Reyes] Okay,
• 9:12
  [Danny Reyes] so speaking of what the community is doing with Paralives while they wait for that roadmap to unfold,
• 9:18
  [Becca Hartwell] Oh,
• 9:19
  [Becca Hartwell] I know where this is going.
• 9:20
  [Danny Reyes] the modding scene has officially ARRIVED.
• 9:23
  [Becca Hartwell] That's it ARRIVED.
• 9:24
  [Danny Reyes] And I need to talk about it because the most popular mod right now is not a camera fix.
• 9:31
  [Danny Reyes] X or a UI overhaul.
• 9:33
  [Becca Hartwell] No,
• 9:33
  [Becca Hartwell] no it is not.
• 9:34
  [Danny Reyes] It is called,
• 9:35
  [Danny Reyes] and I say this with complete journalistic integrity,
• 9:38
  [Becca Hartwell] Opens lap.
• 9:39
  [Danny Reyes] Parapenis,
• 9:40
  [Danny Reyes] the most downloaded mod,
• 9:43
  [Danny Reyes] day one community energy right there.
• 9:46
  [Becca Hartwell] The autonomy really does say choose violence.
• 9:56
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay, so Paralives.
• 9:58
  [Becca Hartwell] We have to talk about it.
• 9:59
  [Danny Reyes] I mean...
• 10:00
  [Danny Reyes] Were we surprised even a little?
• 10:03
  [Becca Hartwell] Not even one percent surprised.
• 10:06
  [Becca Hartwell] Joshua Wolens over at PC Gamer put it perfectly,
• 10:09
  [Becca Hartwell] calling it the most popular Paralives mod within the first few days.
• 10:14
  [Becca Hartwell] The modding community said,
• 10:15
  [Becca Hartwell] and I quote,
• 10:16
  [Becca Hartwell] choose violence immediately.
• 10:19
  [Danny Reyes] First week of early access,
• 10:21
  [Danny Reyes] and that's where we are.
• 10:23
  [Becca Hartwell] That's exactly where we are.
• 10:24
  [Becca Hartwell] And honestly,
• 10:25
  [Becca Hartwell] good.
• 10:25
  [Becca Hartwell] That's a healthy modding community.
• 10:27
  [Becca Hartwell] That's the sign of a game people actually care about.
• 10:30
  [Danny Reyes] Right,
• 10:30
  [Danny Reyes] and OpenCritic framed it really well, saying the Sims fan base has clearly found a new home,
• 10:36
  [Danny Reyes] like they came over and immediately made themselves comfortable.
• 10:40
  [Becca Hartwell] Very,
• 10:40
  [Becca Hartwell] very comfortable.
• 10:41
  [Danny Reyes] But okay,
• 10:42
  [Danny Reyes] I want to pivot here because the creative stuff coming out right now is
• 10:45
  [Danny Reyes] is genuinely impressive across both games.
• 10:49
  [Danny Reyes] Sims community just did a roundup of Sims 4 camera mods ported over to Paralives,
• 10:54
  [Danny Reyes] which is kind of wild to even say out loud.
• 10:57
  [Becca Hartwell] Wait, seriously?
• 10:58
  [Becca Hartwell] Someone already ported Sims 3 camera mods?
• 11:01
  [Danny Reyes] Yeah, and if you know Sims history,
• 11:04
  [Danny Reyes] that camera is beloved. Like, people have been mourning that camera since Sims 4 launched. So the fact that modders are
• 11:11
  [Danny Reyes] Are already bridging that gap in week one of Paralives' early access?
• 11:16
  [Becca Hartwell] That's giving Sims 2 in the best way.
• 11:18
  [Becca Hartwell] The community just fills the gaps before the devs even get there.
• 11:22
  [Danny Reyes] Always.
• 11:23
  [Danny Reyes] And then on the Sims 4 side,
• 11:25
  [Danny Reyes] Sims community also reviewed this Zara Larsson inspired CC collection,
• 11:29
  [Danny Reyes] the Midnight Sun collection,
• 11:31
  [Danny Reyes] and it looks genuinely gorgeous.
• 11:33
  [Danny Reyes] New clothing,
• 11:34
  [Danny Reyes] hairstyles, makeup,
• 11:36
  [Danny Reyes] body glitter.
• 11:37
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay,
• 11:38
  [Becca Hartwell] body glitter.
• 11:39
  [Becca Hartwell] That's the detail.
• 11:40
  [Danny Reyes] That's always the detail.
• 11:42
  [Danny Reyes] And here's the thing. It's a good reminder that Sims 4 CC scene is still firing on all cylinders,
• 11:49
  [Danny Reyes] even while everyone's looking over at Paralives.
• 11:51
  [Danny Reyes] The creators didn't go anywhere.
• 11:53
  [Becca Hartwell] It's actually kind of beautiful. Both communities are just thriving in parallel,
• 11:58
  [Becca Hartwell] pun absolutely intended.
• 12:00
  [Danny Reyes] Sims all.
• 12:01
  [Danny Reyes] We love a pun.
• 12:02
  [Becca Hartwell] Look,
• 12:03
  [Becca Hartwell] you've got Paralives modders doing chaotic launch.
• 12:06
  [Becca Hartwell] crunch energy things and you've got Sims 4 CC creators dropping legitimate fashion collaborations.
• 12:12
  [Becca Hartwell] Both are exactly who they've always been.
• 12:15
  [Danny Reyes] And that's kind of the thing about this moment in life sims right now.
• 12:19
  [Danny Reyes] You don't have to pick a lane.
• 12:20
  [Danny Reyes] Players are in both.
• 12:22
  [Danny Reyes] Creators are in both.
• 12:23
  [Becca Hartwell] Which actually leads us somewhere kind of uncomfortable.
• 12:29
  [Danny Reyes] Does it?
• 12:30
  [Becca Hartwell] Because while all of this amazing free fan-made creativity is happening across both games,
• 12:36
  [Becca Hartwell] EA looked at Sims 4 this week and said,
• 12:39
  [Becca Hartwell] you know what the marketplace needs?
• 12:41
  [Danny Reyes] Oh no,
• 12:43
  [Danny Reyes] I'm
• 12:43
  [Becca Hartwell] Eyelashes.
• 12:44
  [Becca Hartwell] For two dollars.
• 12:47
  [Danny Reyes] not even shocked.
• 12:48
  [Danny Reyes] I'm just tired in a very fond way.
• 12:52
  [Becca Hartwell] That's the correct emotion.
• 12:53
  [Becca Hartwell] That's exactly the correct emotion for...
• 12:56
  [Becca Hartwell] This next story.
• 13:02
  [Danny Reyes] So two dollar eyelashes.
• 13:06
  [Becca Hartwell] Two dollar eyelashes!
• 13:08
  [Becca Hartwell] Ten of them for two dollars!
• 13:10
  [Danny Reyes] Sims Community covered it this week,
• 13:13
  [Danny Reyes] and I genuinely had to sit with that for a second.
• 13:16
  [Becca Hartwell] Like,
• 13:16
  [Becca Hartwell] not even a full set?
• 13:18
  [Becca Hartwell] Ten lashes?
• 13:19
  [Danny Reyes] Ten lashes?
• 13:21
  [Danny Reyes] And you know what?
• 13:22
  [Danny Reyes] EA has somehow made ten lashes a complete sentence that means something to this community now.
• 13:28
  [Becca Hartwell] We are so down bad for this game.
• 13:33
  [Danny Reyes] We really are,
• 13:34
  [Danny Reyes] and that is the thing, right?
• 13:35
  [Danny Reyes] Because while all of this is happening,
• 13:38
  [Danny Reyes] Paralives just launched,
• 13:39
  [Danny Reyes] Inzoi exists,
• 13:41
  [Danny Reyes] the genre suddenly has options,
• 13:43
  [Danny Reyes] and EA's response is $2 eyelashes?
• 13:46
  [Becca Hartwell] I mean, the autonomy really said choose violence on that pricing decision.
• 13:52
  [Danny Reyes] But here's the thing-and I want to be fair about this-there's a gallery lot going around this week, too.
• 13:58
  [Danny Reyes] EA posted it on their site.
• 14:00
  [Becca Hartwell] Someone rebuilt their own Sims 3 Self-Sim house from 2009,
• 14:05
  [Becca Hartwell] adapted it for Sims 4,
• 14:07
  [Becca Hartwell] mid-century design,
• 14:09
  [Becca Hartwell] art atelier,
• 14:10
  [Becca Hartwell] the whole thing.
• 14:11
  [Danny Reyes] Oh, wait,
• 14:11
  [Danny Reyes] that's actually sweet.
• 14:13
  [Becca Hartwell] Right?
• 14:13
  [Becca Hartwell] And it's play-tested!
• 14:15
  [Becca Hartwell] Like someone put real love into it and shared it.
• 14:18
  [Danny Reyes] That's the Sims 4 that keeps people around,
• 14:21
  [Danny Reyes] not the eyelashes.
• 14:22
  [Becca Hartwell] Exactly. And you know what else keeps people around?
• 14:25
  [Becca Hartwell] BuzzFeed.
• 14:26
  [Becca Hartwell] Reed just dropped part FIFTY-SEVEN of the single girl 100 baby challenge.
• 14:31
  [Danny Reyes] I mean, that's just genuinely impressive.
• 14:34
  [Danny Reyes] That's not a playthrough.
• 14:35
  [Danny Reyes] That's a commitment.
• 14:37
  [Becca Hartwell] That's a lifestyle.
• 14:38
  [Becca Hartwell] And it says something about what Sims 4 actually does well,
• 14:42
  [Becca Hartwell] you know?
• 14:43
  [Becca Hartwell] It gives people these ridiculous sandboxes and then gets out of the way.
• 14:47
  [Danny Reyes] When it's not charging $2 for 10 eyelashes anyway.
• 14:51
  [Becca Hartwell] Yeah,
• 14:52
  [Becca Hartwell] the eyelashes remain a choice.
• 14:55
  [Becca Hartwell] It's...
• 14:55
  [Danny Reyes] Here's what I keep thinking, though.
• 14:57
  [Danny Reyes] Paralives exists now.
• 14:59
  [Danny Reyes] Inzoi exists.
• 15:01
  [Danny Reyes] If EA is paying attention,
• 15:02
  [Danny Reyes] and I hope they are,
• 15:04
  [Danny Reyes] this is actually a real moment.
• 15:06
  [Becca Hartwell] You think competition changes things?
• 15:08
  [Danny Reyes] I think it has to.
• 15:10
  [Danny Reyes] Like at some point, the Sims team looks over and sees a small indie studio giving away all their content for free and thinks,
• 15:16
  [Danny Reyes] hmm.
• 15:17
  [Becca Hartwell] The comparison is pretty uncomfortable for them.
• 15:21
  [Danny Reyes] Right.
• 15:21
  [Danny Reyes] And players are noticing.
• 15:23
  [Danny Reyes] The discourse is already shifting.
• 15:25
  [Danny Reyes] It's not Sims or nothing anymore.
• 15:27
  [Becca Hartwell] Which, honestly,
• 15:28
  [Becca Hartwell] good.
• 15:29
  [Becca Hartwell] That pressure is what the Sims franchise has needed for a long time.
• 15:33
  [Becca Hartwell] A little we-could-go-elsewhere energy.
• 15:36
  [Danny Reyes] Rosebud hopeful that EA feels that.
• 15:40
  [Becca Hartwell] Look,
• 15:40
  [Becca Hartwell] I will always love this game.
• 15:42
  [Becca Hartwell] I have been playing since launch day.
• 15:44
  [Becca Hartwell] I am not going anywhere.
• 15:45
  [Becca Hartwell] But I also want better for it.
• 15:47
  [Danny Reyes] Same.
• 15:47
  [Danny Reyes] And the fact that people are still on PART FIFTY-SEVEN of a baby challenge while also downloading Paralives mods tells you everything.
• 15:55
  [Becca Hartwell] The community has room for all of it. That's kind of beautiful,
• 15:59
  [Becca Hartwell] actually.
• 16:00
  [Danny Reyes] Very beautiful.
• 16:01
  [Danny Reyes] Slightly unhinged, but mostly beautiful.
• 16:10
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay,
• 16:10
  [Becca Hartwell] that's a wrap on this one.
• 16:12
  [Becca Hartwell] And honestly,
• 16:13
  [Becca Hartwell] what a week for life sims.
• 16:15
  [Danny Reyes] A buffet of choice,
• 16:16
  [Danny Reyes] as Lauren Morton put it over at PC Gamer.
• 16:19
  [Danny Reyes] We've been waiting years for that sentence to be true.
• 16:22
  [Becca Hartwell] Right?
• 16:23
  [Becca Hartwell] And the Paralives free content thing is still sitting with me.
• 16:27
  [Becca Hartwell] Not a corporate promise.
• 16:28
  [Becca Hartwell] A team of people who've actually been burned by bad DLC before.
• 16:33
  [Danny Reyes] Rosebud hopeful.
• 16:34
  [Danny Reyes] That's exactly where I'm landing.
• 16:37
  [Becca Hartwell] Perfect scale.
• 16:39
  [Becca Hartwell] Okay,
• 16:39
  [Becca Hartwell] if you loved this episode,
• 16:41
  [Becca Hartwell] do us a favor and subscribe,
• 16:43
  [Becca Hartwell] drop a review wherever you listen,
• 16:45
  [Becca Hartwell] and find us on social at Plumbob Report.
• 16:47
  [Danny Reyes] Share your wildest sim stories with us. We genuinely read them.
• 16:52
  [Becca Hartwell] We really do.
• 16:53
  [Becca Hartwell] Thanks for hanging out with us this week.
• 16:55
  [Danny Reyes] Sul sul,
• 16:56
  [Danny Reyes] Simmers,
• 16:56
  [Danny Reyes] and may your Parafolk never catch fire.
• 17:00
  [Becca Hartwell] No promises.