Hi All

I would like to draw your attention to our new game which is call 'La Vida' which were running on Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...game-about-life

Here's some fotage of the development too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=155...h3nZVJtMacwtO3m

We'd really like you support and feedback!


Thanks in advance!

Mike Hibbert

Maybe one day this will turn out to be a big hit and become a rival to EA. That would be good wake up call for them. Nothing makes companies better than competition, otherwise they just start throwing anything at us with ridiculous prices - which Ea already does...

Well. It's cute, but... looks -very- dated, something in between TS1 and TS2. A shame that you won't meet the goal, but..... tbh, with the way it's presented, I can't say that I'm terribly surprised - I know it's still very much in development but the pics and info don't really draw you in much.

Nice to know you have plans for doing it for the Ouya though (and on the FB it says you're still planning on developing it even if you don't meet your Kickstarter goals, so that's good!) - I've got the Kickstarter version of the Ouya, and I'm always looking for fun games to play on it.

It would be wonderful to have some real competition for EA. Wish them all success in making it happen.

I'll keep my eye on it. I am not too worried about it being dated looking, but already put off by hints at "succeeding", which seem to imply it's another strategy game like sims is becoming rather than a social simulation.

I agree with HP, it does look very dated.

I'd love to see another game compete with The Sims, but I'm left with a couple questions. What differentiates this from TS3 or TS4? What's the big pull that's going to make me want this game over TS2, 3 or 4?
I feel like just being an imitation of a Sims game isn't going to be enough to win people over. There has to be something different, unique, and big, to draw people in.

One area where I seem to be seeing a lot of dissatisfaction with The Sims franchise is graphics. The Sims has always been cartooney, with silly, light-hearted humor to match. I see a lot more people looking for something different, something more realistic, and they wished TS4 had gone in that direction. Most of the available CC hair, skin, eyes, etc. are a testament to that. A lot of people seem to be wanting GTA V or Skyrim quality graphics. We'll never see that in The Sims brand since cartooney is one of its hallmarks, but I think there is clearly an untapped demand for a more realistic sims game that takes advantage of modern graphics and PC hardware. That may not be the direction you want to go with La Vida, but I do see more realism, better graphics and animation, as a big pull that could set a potential competitor apart from just being a Sims copy.

Right, I pledged £100 which is a fraction of what I have spent on The Sims over the years. Let's get some competition going

The look is reminiscent of Second Life, which is a drawback for me, but I'm hoping it improves later in the development process. Relationships, procreation and life stages would be a big selling point for me. I'd like to see those aspects of life featured in this game. It has the potential to take the road not taken by the Sims franchise, although I'd prefer to play it on the PC. I don't want it to be a casual Facebook game like the Sims Social.

I kinda like the music. It's very chill and laidback.

This gives me a happy:

Is it loca?

Maybe a little, especially with that one guy doing the Gangnam Style dance. I really hope they get enough backers to get the ball rolling.

They left it a bit late to start advertising. Only 9 days left to go. Weird they only have 6 backers when you think that you can back as little as $10

Well, you did pledge almost half of what their current fund is, unless you were kidding in which case I'll feel really stupid.

No I did. At least you get it back if they don't reach the target. But seriously I think something's wrong with their publicity if more people hadn't heard of it. I'd never heard of it and I do actively look for simulation games and news of such from time to time.

Honestly, if I saw this out of context, I would assume it's a scam or something.

They should promote it more and polish the writing up a little.

I think potential backers are waiting for more specific information, such as whether La Vida will be geared toward PC users or mobile devices. Personally, I'm concerned about the possibility of it being watered down in order to appeal to Android users, Facebook gamers, etc. I would hate for that to happen. Also, is it more adult-oriented than the Sims games? Will it be more whimsical? More realistic? If it were up to me, I'd ditch the "Dudes" and "Dudettes" and simply refer to them as "characters" since that's what they are.

Procreation and aging would be a big plus for me.

I'd also like it to be open-ended. And, Mike, if you need life simulation ideas, I recommend Inge Jones.

In what way is that game supposed to be different from the Sims? I think a lot of folks would like an alternative, but the material that's displayed doesn't present ANY features which are not in one or another version of the Sims. It has to offer something significantly different to compete, because EA will be able to stomp on that team as far as production values go.

Well, for starters, it doesn't look like it's going to throw in a bunch of supernaturals and Disney princesses to attract certain players.

My point is though that they don't SAY that. And it's obviously far from finished, so you can't conclude anything from what ISN'T shown.

There isn't really anything that says what the idea is that would distinguish it from the Sims. Think EA will most likely sue if there isn't a really clear and major differentiator.

That's true. I think Mike needs to provide more details and highlight the features that distinguish La Vida from the Sims.

However, what little he mentions on the Kickstarter page is quite telling. Most of it pertains to domestic life and careers. Barring the moon idea (please...no), it sounds like this game will be more focused on actual life simulation instead of fantasy wish fulfillment. He mentions challenging aspects of life as well as death.

Unlike the Sims, I don't think this is the kind of game that allows you to resurrect your characters and have them carry on with their lives as ghosts and vampires.

Kickstarter it's one of the most greatest thing ever. Said so, i agree that it look too much graphically dated and it's too similar to the sims games already done.

Well .... I'm not sure if ghosts and vampires are entirely out of the question if enough backers want them. Or some strange concoction that many extend your life but yield some really strange side effects. Right now, it appears the game is in the earliest stages, so I know I can't quite hold it up to Sims 2/3 standards yet. That could change as you get more backers and resources.

But I do agree ... so far, the game is a cross between Sims 1 and 2, And yes, I think you might need some sort of "hook" ... something that clearly sets it apart from the Sims series and that could keep you from EA lawsuits while attracting the attention of those interested in the genre. It could be a "niche" angle such as the old The Movies game. Or some sort of "attitude". The latter might be difficult to capture, and is a little difficult to explain.

Also, rather than the "October 5th or bust!" deadline, because you don't quite have the publicity, you might need to extend the deadline and use what you have in stages. And you need to publicize like mad. I do realize that might shatter the March 2014 goal. And you might want to watch out for the Sims 4 release date as well. You don't want La Vida buried in the hoopla. Let's face it .... against EA's mega-marketing, you'll probably get buried.

I don't think Kickstarter allows you to extend deadlines, and it is an all-or-nothing thing; if you don't meet the goal, then you get $0. You can try again with the same project, though.

But that's the very sort of thing I *don't* want. Gameplay themes. What I want is a realistic simulation of human AI, needs and motives. That's the niche I am in. And there is not one single game in existence that wants to give us that. It's tremendously difficult emulating humans with all their personality nuances (which should have far more consequence than a mechanically minded sim throwing a wrench in the air and catching it), which may be why all other games have tried to steer us to just using the little people to achieve point-scoring goals - hoping we won't notice how devoid of human-like intelligence and feeling our avatars are.

Inge, you should start a Kickstarter project. We will back you up.

It is not a good idea to start your Kickstarter campaign before you are ready. I think it is absolutely wonderful that these folks are doing this but they need more information, more polish, better lighting in their demo, etc. I am not sure the graphics are so dated but the lighting is very poorly done. There are free engines out there they can use that will give them graphics equal or better (depending on the textures and shaders they use) than Sims 3.

I hope they do a little more work on it and then try again. Personally, I would love to develop a life game, but I would make it more strategy based, more realistic. As it is, we are locked into our current project and not sure anyone would agree to add peeing and showering to the features.