Paralives Needs System — Complete Guide to All 12 Needs

Key Principle

Not all needs are equal. The 4 "Survival-Critical" needs (Hunger, Sleep, Bathroom, Hygiene) can kill your Parafolk if neglected. The 8 "Secondary" needs affect mood and performance but won't cause death directly.

Section 2: Survival-Critical Needs (The Big Four)

These four needs directly impact whether your Parafolk lives or dies. Let's go through each one.

🍽️ Hunger

Decay Rate: Moderate (~3-4% per hour when awake). Faster during exercise, slower while sleeping.
Warning Signs: At 40%, Parafolk gets "Hungry" moodlet. At 20%, "Very Hungry" with stomach rumbling animation.
Fatality State: At 0%, "I am dying of hunger" — if not fed within ~4 in-game hours, the Parafolk will die.

How to Satisfy Hunger (Fastest to Slowest):

1. Cook a meal — Best fill value, 60-80% depending on recipe quality and Cooking skill
2. Quick meal from fridge — Instant but only fills 30-40%
3. Eat at restaurant — Fills 70-90%, costs money but super efficient
4. Snacks — Small stuff like fruit or chips fills 10-20%, good for topping off

😴 Sleep

Decay Rate: Steady (~4-5% per hour when awake). Fatigue stacks up over time.
Fatigue Effects: Below 50%, movement speed drops 15%. Below 25%, -30% speed plus random yawning animations.
Fatality State: At 0%, "Exhausted" — your Parafolk passes out on the floor. If you keep waking them up without letting them rest, their health deteriorates until they collapse for real.

Beds & Sleep Quality:

*Luxury beds give you bonus energy past 100%, which triggers the Energy Surplus need (more on that later).

🚽 Bathroom

Decay Rate: Slow (~2% per hour), but speeds up after eating/drinking.
Urgency System: Unlike other needs, Bathroom has an urgency mechanic. Drop below 30% and your Parafolk starts doing increasingly desperate "Potty Dance" animations. It's both funny and stressful.
Bladder Capacity: Slightly varies by Physique stat — higher Physique = bigger bladder.

Required Fixtures: Toilet is non-negotiable. Sink helps with Hygiene at the same time. Bathtub/Shower also covers Hygiene.

🚿 Hygiene

Decay Rate: Variable. Normal is ~2%/hour, but some activities make it way worse:
• Exercise/Gym: +5% per hour
• Gardening: +3% per hour
• Cooking (messy recipes): +2% per hour
• Sleeping without bathing first: +1% overnight

Social Impact: Drop below 30% Hygiene and other Parafolks get a "Disgusted" reaction when interacting. This tanks your social success rate hard. Below 10%, some NPCs will literally refuse to interact with you. Rude but fair.

Shower vs Bath Options:

• Quick Shower: Fastest option, fills 70-80% in ~20 sim-minutes
• Long Bath: Slower but fills 100% and provides relaxation (Peace need boost)
• Sink Wash: Emergency option, only fills 20-30%, useful when time-pressed

Section 3: Secondary Needs (8 Non-Lethal But Still Important)

🎮 Fun

Decay Rate: ~3% per hour during boring stuff (eating, cleaning, working). Slower when you're actually doing fun things.
Entertainment Sources: TV (quality varies by channel), PC games, video games console, reading books, playing instruments, jokes/social interactions, phone apps
Boredom Trigger: When Fun drops below 20%, the Bored emotion kicks in — which ironically makes Fun fill even SLOWER. Vicious cycle! Break it by trying something new.

💕 Affection

Decay Rate: ~2% per hour when alone. Decays faster if you've had recent social contact (the "crash" after hanging out with people).
Social Interaction Requirements: Hugs, conversations, group activities, romantic stuff — all fill Affection.
Loneliness Effects: Below 30%, Sad moodlet appears. Below 15%, your Parafolk might cry autonomously and refuse fun activities ("I'm too sad to have fun"). Yeah, it gets real.

🧘 Me Time

What It Is: The need for alone time — basically the opposite of Affection!
**Decay Rate:** ~1.5% per hour when you're constantly around other Parafolks.
**Privacy Requirements:** Being alone in a room, reading solo, meditating, solo hobbies all fill this.
**Crowding Effects:** In households with 4+ Parafolks, Me Time drains way faster. Make sure everyone has access to a private space or things get tense.

😤 Grump

What It Is: A cumulative "mood debt" need that goes UP (not down) when things go wrong.
**Triggers:** Failed social interactions, interrupted sleep, bad food, messy environment, work stress, broken objects.
**Management:** Grump fills UP instead of down. High Grump = perpetually bad mood. Lower it through: successful positive interactions, completing goals, relaxing activities, good sleep, keeping things clean.

⚡ Energy Surplus

What It Is: Only shows up when your Parafolk has excess energy (luxury bed, naps, energy drinks, etc.). It's a "positive overflow" need.
**How It Works:** Energy over 100% creates surplus that needs to be "burned off." If ignored, your Parafolk gets restless and can't focus on anything.
**Outlet:** Exercise, dancing, running, vigorous activity burns off Energy Surplus fast.

🕊️ Peace

What It Is: Need for a calm, quiet environment.
**Noise Sensitivity:** Loud music, construction sounds, arguments, crying babies — all drain Peace super fast.
**Relaxation Methods:** Meditation, quiet room reading, bath, calming music, nature/garden time.
**Impact:** Low Peace makes Stress emotions more likely and reduces how efficiently skills level up.

🏃 Need To Move

What It Is: Your Parafolk gets restless from sitting still too long. Relatable.
**Exercise Options:** Treadmill, weights, yoga mat, swimming pool, dancing, jogging outdoors, sports.
**Sedentary Penalty:** Go too long without moving and you'll see stiffness animations plus slight Fun/Hygiene decay acceleration.

🔥 Get Away From The Fire

What It Is: Emergency-only need that activates during fires. Hopefully never, but ya know.
**Trigger:** Any fire on lot, smoke detector going off, stove fire, lightning strike causing fire.
**Response:** Overrides EVERYTHING else. Your Parafolk will autonomously flee to safety outside. This is the highest-priority need in the game — nothing overrides fire escape except direct player command.

Section 4: Warning & Critical Thresholds

Here's exactly what happens at each danger level so you know when to panic and when you're fine: