A witch.
The magical and the occult has always been a fascination for players in Sims community. New life states, interactions and features ? a step in the fantastical dimension of mythological possibilities. To have these fantasies played out in a life simulation has been a highlight for many sims players, storytellers, creators and viewers. However, The Sims 4 has remained relatively magic free.
Over four years after the release of The Sims 4 and the community has yet to see an expansive supernatural inclusion in the game. In 2017, The Sims 4: Vampires game pack was released. It brought with it a new life state and world, Forgotten Hollow, as well as new Create-A-Sim options. Players were provided with brand new appearances and abilities that only vampires could possess. While there were some issues, it was largely a success.
A notable difference from the previous installment of the Sims franchise was the developers? choice to separate and focus exclusively on a single occult. There could be many reasons for this, but statements in the past in relation to other packs have pointed to a more detailed exploration of individual ideas. In that respect, their venture was a hit and miss. The Sims 4: Vampires also gave an important hint to the Sims community about the future of other supernaturals ? the possibility that new life states would be released similarly on an individual basis. This means that there may not be an entire expansion dedicated to the occult and magical like there was in The Sims 3.
On 27 June 2018, Sim Guru Grant made a twitter poll asking for people to vote between four supernatural life states. The tweet read: ?LET?S DO A POLL. Which life state (that isn?t currently in the Sims 4) would you want? We?re going to do two different polls, each 1 day long, and then we?ll do a final round with a third poll. Like a tournament bracket. VOTE.? The options provided were werewolves, fairies, witches and genies. As a result of this, excitement around the potential arrival of new supernaturals took rise in the Sims community with witches being the main life state assumed for a new game pack. Although, nothing further developed from these polls it serves as food for thought on what witches will look like once implemented in the game.
Haven?t thought about it? No harm in getting started. Here are some things to consider about the witch life state in The Sims 4:
New CAS Options
Horns and facial tattoos.
When the Vampires game pack was released, Create-A-Sim was updated to include more options such as cracked skin, pointed ears, new eye colours, new skin tones and other facial details. Should we look towards similar things for CAS options with witches?
In The Sims 3, witches did not have any apparent physical differences but that doesn?t mean changes can?t be made in The Sims 4. New eye colours which point towards a magical residue could be implemented. These could be normal tones such as brown, blue and green with gold or silver rings. Skin tones don?t jump to the forefront of things that could be updated but tattoos could be worked on! Witches are quite often associated with ritual, so new and unique symbols in a larger variety than has previously been introduced could be added to the game?s tattoo collection. Currently, The Sims 4 does not have any facial tattoos. Custom content creators have addressed this in their creativity but a witches game pack could be the perfect opportunity to include these.
As with any new inclusion, developers have the power of shaping the aesthetic of the life states they bring into the game. While Sim Gurus take a lot of inspiration from cultures across the world, their inclinations are usually towards western myths and legends. With this in mind, witches often have a symbolic association with horns. This could be a new CAS option introduced for the witch life state. If witches are given a secondary form like vampires then the horns could be an option included in that state.
New World
Map view of Forgotten Hollow.
The Sims 4: Vampires came with a new world called Forgotten Hollow. Based in a shadowy settlement at the edge of the woods, it included five lots with the largest being 40 x 30. The atmosphere for this world was fantastic for the supernatural life state they were trying to represent and most importantly, it was something the Sims 4 community hadn?t seen before. By extension, it is given that a witches game pack should come with a new world of its own.
Almost all worlds introduced into The Sims 4 follow along the same theme: urban, contemporary or city. This is with the exception of Forgotten Hollow and Windenburg which came with the Get Together expansion. This means that worlds in Sims 4 lack variety, particularly, for fans and audiences geared towards fantasy. For this reason, the development team has a responsibility of crafting unique worlds for any supernatural game packs released.
For a witches game pack, a desert or mountainous world would be quite interesting. This, of course, would be without any city or urban backdrops. The idea of a tribal desert settlement works just as well as a secluded coven of witches hidden in the mountains. With a game pack, five lots are a reasonable amount to expect. However, larger lots are a must as they are more popular with players. The reason for this is that even if a world does not have many lots, players can use larger lots (50 x 50 or 64 x 64) to build smartly and simulate a community within one household.
New Harvestables/ Collectables
A frog in The Sims 4.
Forgotten Hollow brought with it new harvestables like garlic, wolfsbane, and plasma fruit as well as a new fish, the vampire squid. These plants had certain moodlet effects on vampires and could even be used in crafting special drinks at the bar such as plasma jane, sunlight reversal cocktail, vampire resistance cocktail, draught of reconfiguration and the ultimate vampire cure.
In a witches game pack, new harvestables and collectables are even more essential. This is because, of all the supernatural species, witches have the strongest association with strange ingredients and ritual. Things like new frogs, toads, fish, and insects would be great additions to the new world. Of course, the specifics would depend on the world as plant and animal species in an arid environment would differ from the varieties present in a lush environment.
This would also be the perfect pack to introduce minor pets and collectables such as snakes, scorpions, turtles, and small birds. While witches may not look as strange as other occult species, the idea that they would surround themselves with things others would not, seems to fit. If developers are unable or unwilling to implement minor pets as a new feature within this pack then something like scorpions could be introduced as a desert collectable, similar to the frogs currently in game.
New Skills (Alchemy)
Potions and elixirs in The Sims 4.
The Sims 3: Supernatural had an alchemy skill that could be used across all occult species. However, witches were the primary users for many players. This means that people recognise witches as potion makers more so than any other supernatural. If a skill was to be introduced in a Sims 4 witches game pack then the alchemy skill would be most appropriate.
With this skill, new items such as a functional cauldron or alchemy station could be added along with various new potions and elixirs. New and existing ingredients could be used to create these potions with some special potions requiring ingredients from other expansions or packs. If all life states are given the ability to acquire this skill, which is most probable, then existing species could have certain boosts added to their creations or certain recipes exclusive to them for added dynamic.
Alternatively, the same potions could have different effects depending on which life state they?re used on. However, this would have more variations than the previous suggestion and probably be much harder to do within a game pack. If detail to this extent is added to the practice of alchemy then the game pack would be okay without the inclusion of more than one skill.
New Powers (Magic)
A witch performing magic.
The Sims 4: Vampires arrived with a new power system where a vampire gained power points by engaging in vampiric activities, doing vampiric interactions or researching the vampire lore skill. This power panel allowed players to use accumulated power points for vampiric powers, although, some were disappointing. The catch with these were that as vampires moved up in their rank they would have to take on weaknesses.
A similar system could be used for witches but oriented towards magic. One side of the panel could be charms and the other could be curses. In replication of the vampire panel, curses could be fewer in number and their acquisition limited by the rank of the witch. Alternatively, curses could have a chance of backfiring on the performer with failure decreasing in likelihood the higher up in rank a witch is.
The Sims 3 had magic as a hidden skill for witches but a power panel would be more engaging and customized for the types of witches people wish to create. Of course, developers would have to be careful that the spells they implement in the game do not coincide in any way with the powers vampires are currently able to possess. For example, vampires can drain the needs of their victims. So a witch curse cannot do the same thing. They could, however, freeze someone to death or bake them in the sun.
Even though these aren?t things that will necessarily make it into a witches game pack, they are interesting possibilities for what could be a very impressive addition to the franchise.
That wraps up our look at the witch life state in The Sims 4!
