Family

[bladedsmoke]

So I was thinking about how you start out a game of Zomboid. Zomboid is meant to be hyper-realistic, but you begin the game with no family or friends who you want to look after. It's like you're literally plopped onto the world having never spoken to any other human before.

 

So here's my suggestion for when the NPCs are back in: During character creation, you can also choose whether or not your character has any "Family." Family members will include things like wife, husband, father, mother, brother, sister, best friend, grandparents, etc. If you choose to have them (let's say you pick to have 3 family members), all 3 will be placed on the map at random (though maybe all within the same town you start in). They get unique dialogue if you happen to find them, and while talking to other NPCs you can also ask about them to try and find out where they are.

 

This not only makes things more realistic and adds to roleplaying, it also adds a sort of optional sidequest - trying to track down and re-unite your family in the zombie apocalypse! Of course, if you're the lone survivor type, you can choose not to have any family at all.

 

Having family will have disadvantages - if you don't manage to track them down, you'll get the "Absent Family" negative moodlet as you miss them and wonder where they are. Your family are like any other NPC, and can die while you're not there - so if you track them down only to find a corpse, you get Depressed, but at least you know what's happened to them and your Depression should eventually wear off. The Absent Family moodlet, however, is persistent, and affects you when you're not busy with other tasks (perhaps could make it a more believable alternative to Bored?).

 

But if you do manage to find a family member, they'll start with a big boost to positive relations with you, making them a good option to join up with and unlikely to betray you! Also you'll get a positive moodlet from spending time with them.

 

...Although, of course, if they die, your character will get Depressed. That's another risk you have to weigh against the reward.

[Kevlar_29]

I like this idea, but in your description, I think that disadvantages outweigh the advantages to be honest. If that was the case I don't think I'd be selecting family members most games I start. 

 

It might be nice as a once or twice thing but I think there'd have to be more advantages to it or less disadvantages for it to be an every game type implementation for me.

[harakka]

The advantage would be having your family, a bunch of potentially very skilled, loyal and dependable NPCs, watching your back. It'd also add a fairly natural goal to the game: looking after them.

[ToastedFishSandwich]

This is very much planned for when NPCs are re-introduced.

[MrZombifiedGamer]

Put a poll on please and I really like the idea.

[MrZombifiedGamer]

This is very much planned for when NPCs are re-introduced.

 

I don't think it is, where did you get that from?

[ToastedFishSandwich]

Here's a passage from the blog post titled Tales from the Metaverse, published on the 7th of January 2013.

 

"Jack is a police officer. He’s been thrust into the role of leader to a bunch of survivors in Muldraugh. With him is his wife, Lisa. Others include two brothers, Bobby and Darren, and Shawn, Jack’s best friend, also a police officer.

 

Our characters are situated in a farmhouse north-west of Muldraugh, and exist purely in the meta-game, along with numerous other survivor groups all around Muldraugh."

 

Here's another to reinforce my statement.

 

"So how would the story above evolve naturally in the gameplay?

 

Each character has various personality traits, and a calculated opinion of every other character. Weak and Aggressive people don’t get on. Trusting people like everyone more than they should. Brothers, sisters, husbands and wives get a substantial bonus to relationship between each-other."

[MrZombifiedGamer]

Here's a passage from the blog post titled Tales from the Metaverse, published on the 7th of January 2013.

 

"Jack is a police officer. He’s been thrust into the role of leader to a bunch of survivors in Muldraugh. With him is his wife, Lisa. Others include two brothers, Bobby and Darren, and Shawn, Jack’s best friend, also a police officer.

 

Our characters are situated in a farmhouse north-west of Muldraugh, and exist purely in the meta-game, along with numerous other survivor groups all around Muldraugh."

 

Well I read that too actually but it didn't occur to me they meant you could make family members. I just assumed that was an example and not all of the little tid bits like brother sister etc. wouldn't come into play unless it was NPC's with family.

[ianopolos]

I vote for NPC kids and ability to marry some NPC you like.

This would greatly increase ur survival expirence because you would have kid to care about and all NPC wouldnt be adult only.

[Kajin]

Kids are a definite "no" because the devs don't want kids dying in their game, but having adult family members is very much a possible feature.

[lukaus]

I like the idea of having familial NPC's, but perhaps not as the OP suggested. The option to specifically choose which and how many family members to have running around might not balance well. One could add 20 'sibling' NPC's, and then just round them all up (or even not all, just some) and have a huge posse other NPC groups would be hard-pressed to stand up to.

 

Perhaps leaving it as a checkbox would be good, as players would have more balanced experience, without having no choice to exclude family should they wish to roleplay a 'loner.'

 

This got me thinking, it will be interesting to see how family members ending up in rivaling groups react.

[Brandon354]

I like the idea of having familial NPC's, but perhaps not as the OP suggested. The option to specifically choose which and how many family members to have running around might not balance well. One could add 20 'sibling' NPC's, and then just round them all up (or even not all, just some) and have a huge posse other NPC groups would be hard-pressed to stand up to.

 

Perhaps leaving it as a checkbox would be good, as players would have more balanced experience, without having no choice to exclude family should they wish to roleplay a 'loner.'

 

This got me thinking, it will be interesting to see how family members ending up in rivaling groups react.

No it would be better to just set a limit, random is okay to some but others actually want a personalized experience.

[Shivster]

I would agree with this if the family and/or friends cost something for each of them like a perk. Also they should not just automatically say all hail my master. They should have random personalities. Like the mean older brother or the protective sister. Some good and some bad mixed in.

[Brandon354]

I would agree with this if the family and/or friends cost something for each of them like a perk. Also they should not just automatically say all hail my master. They should have random personalities. Like the mean older brother or the protective sister. Some good and some bad mixed in.

making them cost points doesn't make sense though because that would mean you have to be a terrible character to have any family (who could die meaning you took 5 negative traits for nothing), points are for traits and that should be it. perhaps a different system could be used for family and other initial items, but even if you could take them for free you would still have to feed them, make sure they don't fall behind when you are moving, make noise, potentially draw a horde to you, etc. so it wouldn't be completely overpowered

[Shivster]

have the bad ones stay at home learn farming and cooking. Then you can come home to a nice home cooked meal after a hard day at the office. But remember Dad gets the big piece of chicken

 

You cant just have 10 friends and family around get all the benefits of having them and not pay a price. I like your idea of maybe having a starter package system. where you could buy skills, ammo, Bags, and/or Friends or family at the start. say you get like 20 points or take like some pre-made package. makes more since then just starting out with the cloths on your back.

 

Package ideas:

 

Family Man/Girl

Start with a Wife or Husband

Travel luggage

2 water bottles

Kitten Knife x2

Watch

Wine

 

Mr/Ms Popular

Start With a Girlfriend/Boyfriend

Level 1 Charisma

Comb/Mirror

2 Friends in town

 

Stuff like that.

[Brandon354]

have the bad ones stay at home learn farming and cooking. Then you can come home to a nice home cooked meal after a hard day at the office. But remember Dad gets the big piece of chicken

 

You cant just have 10 friends and family around get all the benefits of having them and not pay a price. I like your idea of maybe having a starter package system. where you could buy skills, ammo, Bags, and/or Friends or family at the start. say you get like 20 points or take like some pre-made package. makes more since then just starting out with the cloths on your back.

 

Package ideas:

 

Family Man/Girl

Start with a Wife or Husband

Travel luggage

2 water bottles

Kitten Knife x2

Watch

Wine

 

Mr/Ms Popular

Start With a Girlfriend/Boyfriend

Level 1 Charisma

Comb/Mirror

2 Friends in town

 

Stuff like that.

The problem is how to balance it and if others even like this idea.

[Shivster]

im just brain storming. Trying to throw stuff out to help with your suggestion. I try to be more of a help then straight out saying no to things. Just the kind of person I am.

[ianopolos]

well i would make it like this if i was developer:

I would put in character creation screen next to chose gender option female or male option to

 

1. With family

2. Single no family

 

so when you chose option with family you get to chose how many family members 1-2 and no more than 2 because that would probably slow game down, create bugs, and make you slow when you go in group to another house shelter.

Dont worry you can still add new NPC that you find in game thats why i said no more than 2 family members at begin of game for those who like it.

 

Next option is customize family members that you get at begin so you choose: a) ur wife b) ur brother c) ur sister d) ur dad e) ur mother ....... and you can only choose 2 of them so choose carefully

 

I dont know about traits you get when you choose single or with family i leave that up to you.

I would probably choose that as single you get negative trait like other NPC like you less and trust you harder and as family member other NPC will like you more, but having family is difficulty because you have to protect them and they can die if left without food or weapons.

[Suomiboi]

In creating the Kate and Baldspot story, we have also therefore automatically created the NPC scripting and AI decisions for NPC versions of any character the player can control. Likewise, any NPC interaction in the game could also involve the player instead, meaning the scripted meta events or stories can be used for both transparently. - Mondoid, August 4, 2013

 

This would somewhat imply that even if you aren't able to choose a family from the game itself, it most probably would be moddable to start "as an NPC" that has a family. It would be a nice addition in realism. Personally I wouldn't want to decide whether I have a family or not (the game is a story about a normal person in kentucky, not you in your hometown with your skills and huge backup plan against zombie invasion etc.), but I know that there are people that would like to personalize about everything in game and it is great fun to some degree. I think the best way would be in sandbox a check-box for family and or partner and maybe choose 1-3 members and only loners in survival mode.

 

You propably could and will be able to mass a 10-20 NPC mini-army on you, but feeding etc. 10-20 people isn't exactly an easy job. So you can't always count NPCs as more bonus to your character. A trait/point system adding NPCs wouldn't work imo.

[Kajin]

A normal person living in Kentucky would almost certainly have family and friends that would be capable of helping them in a zombie apocalypse. This is, of course, working under the assumption that normal people in Kentucky are like normal people everywhere else in the world, but I digress.

 

I think if a character is going to start with NPC allies, it should be a randomized thing determined at the start of the game. And who says it has to be an ally? Maybe it's with a person who hates your guts and vice versa, but have temporarily struck an alliance for the sake of survival.

[Suomiboi]

A normal person living in Kentucky would almost certainly have family and friends that would be capable of helping them in a zombie apocalypse. This is, of course, working under the assumption that normal people in Kentucky are like normal people everywhere else in the world, but I digress.

 

I think if a character is going to start with NPC allies, it should be a randomized thing determined at the start of the game. And who says it has to be an ally? Maybe it's with a person who hates your guts and vice versa, but have temporarily struck an alliance for the sake of survival.

With the  "normal person" comment I tried to say that it's more of a story of a guy rather than a simulation of you . Meaning that you couldn't make those kind of decisions by yourself, but they would just be around you.

 

But that's just like my opinion man.

 

and yes I love the idea that you could start with for example your cousin who you hate like no other person, but just because you were in the same family party and both lived thru you have to start surviving together.

[Kajin]

There are all sorts of interesting starting party configurations that I think would make for great possible stories. Like, give us the option to start with someone, but throw in possible complications that might make going solo more preferable.

 

Say, you start with the aforementioned cousin that hates your guts, and he has the traits petty and vindictive. So he works with you for now, but may end up stealing the resources you gathered together and run off with them later on. Or you start with a spouse who is horribly injured like in the Kate and Baldspot story and they'd make a great potential ally in the long run but you first gotta make sure they survive the short term, which would be quite difficult. And if you start with two party members, one of them would be your spouse and the other would be your best friend who secretly loves your spouse. Later on the best friend might try and kill you so they could be with your spouse.

 

Implement it like the current trait system. For every new member you add to the group, the system throws in a random complication that may well make going solo a better choice. Maybe the NPC hates you. Maybe the NPC doesn't work well with others, making it almost impossible to make the group any larger. Maybe the NPC is a big eater that's lazy as all get out and goes through food at a fast rate while not contributing hardly anything of his or her own.

 

The larger the group size, the more likely things are to devolve into a madhouse when the game starts, but the greater the possible advantage if you can manage to keep the group from imploding and work together.

[Thunderlord]

 

Here's a passage from the blog post titled Tales from the Metaverse, published on the 7th of January 2013.

 

"Jack is a police officer. He’s been thrust into the role of leader to a bunch of survivors in Muldraugh. With him is his wife, Lisa. Others include two brothers, Bobby and Darren, and Shawn, Jack’s best friend, also a police officer.

 

Our characters are situated in a farmhouse north-west of Muldraugh, and exist purely in the meta-game, along with numerous other survivor groups all around Muldraugh."

 

Well I read that too actually but it didn't occur to me they meant you could make family members. I just assumed that was an example and not all of the little tid bits like brother sister etc. wouldn't come into play unless it was NPC's with family.

 

i like the idea about having more control of having more control over what fam u might have since the guy wont always have the same wife and fam, that get boring and i play as the police offcier the most..

[Thunderlord]

i like this idea alot but i like to see a way to control how much u have or dont have a relationship with someone or know how much u may or may not be able to trust them.. (like set some type of relationship meter amd trust. so depending on who u mine might be a happy thing or not soo much. like u know someone in ur fave is very untrust worthly and shoot u in the back if u meet them (ex wife/ wife xD) vs if u find ur dad and ur like best friends...

 

and if u find someone u have the optino to kill them if they ask u to because there "turning"

[Suomiboi]

i like this idea alot but i like to see a way to control how much u have or dont have a relationship with someone or know how much u may or may not be able to trust them.. (like set some type of relationship meter amd trust. so depending on who u mine might be a happy thing or not soo much. like u know someone in ur fave is very untrust worthly and shoot u in the back if u meet them (ex wife/ wife xD) vs if u find ur dad and ur like best friends...

 

and if u find someone u have the optino to kill them if they ask u to because there "turning"

I think the trust and relationship shouldn't be a meter, but made into the game (dialog/behaviour) so that you could tell there's something fishy with that person. In real life you don't know how trustworthy someone is until you get to know him and start trusting him/her, but that still doesn't mean the person IS trustworthy or that you know it. You could be a bad judge of character or he's screwing you... Breaks immersion.

 

If an NPC acts all well and good, you know it yourself and don't need a meter for it.

 

EDIT: yeah I like the idea of post apocalyptic euthanasia