TheStoryteller

I just think otherwise it would devolve into:
 
"At the camp."
"That you Jerry?"
"No it's Mike."
"Well I'm at Spiffo's."
"Jerry?"
"Bill."
"Just saw a zombie down the road."
"Bill?"
"No it's Mike again."
 

 
Obviously you would have to know them first of course, not saying you should recognise a randomners voice.
 
I think, the simplest way to resolve this without resorting to "Mike: At the camp." and such, is by having players customize their text, so that they could choose the color, maybe italics, maybe bold. Perhaps, even between some fonts. This way, if a person knows someone, they can recognize their "voice" due to the text coming from the walkie-talkie.

Radio Communication

Orientation: Multiplayer

TL;DR: Incorporation of hand/stationary radios within the game. 

 

The incorporation of hand or stationary radios into the game would add a new level of communication and depth on servers. Having a hand radio, or setting up a stationary radio in your home would allow you to speak with players or NPCs on opposite sides of the map. You could browse frequencies, and stumble upon a distress call repeating every 2 minutes, or come across another player willing to trade goods for food. Maybe, even, kidnap a player, and bribe his friends over the radio, ensuring that you’re in a safe position while making your demands. This could also bring another new item into the game: the map. This could come in the form of a travel brochure, or a dedicated map of the city/town you are in, and could be used in conjunction with the radio to plot locations, player-made shelters, meet-up points, or simply any location you want to go/have been.

 

For example: Player 1 – we’ll call him Will – gets trapped in his home by a horde of savage face eating neighbors. Luckily, Will just installed this fancy new radio system in his living room – no wonder the neighbors are jealous – and can now call out (or set up a pre-recorded – self repeating – message), “I live down the street from Jerry’s Diner,” or “I live at coordinates 23, -243.” Player 2, Ted, happened to be listening on the same frequency Will uses, and pulls up his map alongside his radio. He then finds Jerry’s Diner, or the coordinates previously stated on his map, and marks there with a pen.

Radio Communication

Orientation: Multiplayer

TL;DR: Incorporation of hand/stationary radios within the game. 

 

The incorporation of hand or stationary radios into the game would add a new level of communication and depth on servers. Having a hand radio, or setting up a stationary radio in your home would allow you to speak with players or NPCs on opposite sides of the map. You could browse frequencies, and stumble upon a distress call repeating every 2 minutes, or come across another player willing to trade goods for food. Maybe, even, kidnap a player, and bribe his friends over the radio, ensuring that you’re in a safe position while making your demands. This could also bring another new item into the game: the map. This could come in the form of a travel brochure, or a dedicated map of the city/town you are in, and could be used in conjunction with the radio to plot locations, player-made shelters, meet-up points, or simply any location you want to go/have been.

 

For example: Player 1 – we’ll call him Will – gets trapped in his home by a horde of savage face eating neighbors. Luckily, Will just installed this fancy new radio system in his living room – no wonder the neighbors are jealous – and can now call out (or set up a pre-recorded – self repeating – message), “I live down the street from Jerry’s Diner,” or “I live at coordinates 23, -243.” Player 2, Ted, happened to be listening on the same frequency Will uses, and pulls up his map alongside his radio. He then finds Jerry’s Diner, or the coordinates previously stated on his map, and marks there with a pen.

Radio Communication

Orientation: Multiplayer

TL;DR: Incorporation of hand/stationary radios within the game. 

 

The incorporation of hand or stationary radios into the game would add a new level of communication and depth on servers. Having a hand radio, or setting up a stationary radio in your home would allow you to speak with players or NPCs on opposite sides of the map. You could browse frequencies, and stumble upon a distress call repeating every 2 minutes, or come across another player willing to trade goods for food. Maybe, even, kidnap a player, and bribe his friends over the radio, ensuring that you’re in a safe position while making your demands. This could also bring another new item into the game: the map. This could come in the form of a travel brochure, or a dedicated map of the city/town you are in, and could be used in conjunction with the radio to plot locations, player-made shelters, meet-up points, or simply any location you want to go/have been.

 

For example: Player 1 – we’ll call him Will – gets trapped in his home by a horde of savage face eating neighbors. Luckily, Will just installed this fancy new radio system in his living room – no wonder the neighbors are jealous – and can now call out (or set up a pre-recorded – self repeating – message), “I live down the street from Jerry’s Diner,” or “I live at coordinates 23, -243.” Player 2, Ted, happened to be listening on the same frequency Will uses, and pulls up his map alongside his radio. He then finds Jerry’s Diner, or the coordinates previously stated on his map, and marks there with a pen.

Thank you for the post! It was a nice read, and I happily agree with the suggestion in it. Anything that turns up the immersion and realism factor in games really gets me excited. Just feeling like I could be/am in the game is a really awesome concept for me. I'd love to see any/all of the stuff in that thread in the game, but this post is more for standing still, rather than when you move. Animations that the player does by themselves, almost entirely aesthetically. Things like siting down, lying down, or relaxing on a couch. Possibly interactions with other survivors, things like that.
 
Like I said, just the idea of sitting around a campfire with a group of weathered survivors, or lying in a bathtub, bleeding and tired. I don't know, I'd just really like to see it in the game. It'd really make it a whole new situation for me. I'd really feel like I WAS the character.
I understand that unsolicited handshaking could be a potential problem, but I had figured it could be added in a way that requests permission from the player who is being offered a handshake. Maybe a little pop-up, or something, I don't know. Nothing too big, or scene-breaking. I'm not sure how it would work, specifically.

Idle Animations

Orientation: Singleplayer(?)/Multiplayer

TL;DR: Idle animations within the game for certain activities.

 

Two of the best things in video games - in my opinion - are both realism and RP elements. I love being able to BE my character when I'm in the game, with other people around me being their characters as well. This is a simpler idea, depending on how you look at it. When I refer to idle animations, I'm talking about if you're running around in the woods, and decide to sit down for a while. The animation doesn't stop until you want it to. I don't know, I just imagine a group of friends sitting around a campfire for the night, the soft glow of the fire illuminating everyone as they sit and talk. 

 

Example: Will and Ted are with their survival group, everyone is sitting in chairs in the meeting room, talking about their next move. After a long, and very helpful group chat, Will stands at the door to will his group farewell as they go out to work. He shakes hands (I realize some animations would just be arduous to code/sprite/make shortcuts for, but whatever works for the game. Some animations could work for certain singleplayer situations, but this would mostly be a multiplayer feature) with everyone, waving as they all exit the room.  

Idle Animations

Orientation: Singleplayer(?)/Multiplayer

TL;DR: Idle animations within the game for certain activities.

 

Two of the best things in video games - in my opinion - are both realism and RP elements. I love being able to BE my character when I'm in the game, with other people around me being their characters as well. This is a simpler idea, depending on how you look at it. When I refer to idle animations, I'm talking about if you're running around in the woods, and decide to sit down for a while. The animation doesn't stop until you want it to. I don't know, I just imagine a group of friends sitting around a campfire for the night, the soft glow of the fire illuminating everyone as they sit and talk. 

 

Example: Will and Ted are with their survival group, everyone is sitting in chairs in the meeting room, talking about their next move. After a long, and very helpful group chat, Will stands at the door to will his group farewell as they go out to work. He shakes hands (I realize some animations would just be arduous to code/sprite/make shortcuts for, but whatever works for the game. Some animations could work for certain singleplayer situations, but this would mostly be a multiplayer feature) with everyone, waving as they all exit the room.  

Radio Communication

Orientation: Multiplayer

TL;DR: Incorporation of hand/stationary radios within the game. 

 

The incorporation of hand or stationary radios into the game would add a new level of communication and depth on servers. Having a hand radio, or setting up a stationary radio in your home would allow you to speak with players or NPCs on opposite sides of the map. You could browse frequencies, and stumble upon a distress call repeating every 2 minutes, or come across another player willing to trade goods for food. Maybe, even, kidnap a player, and bribe his friends over the radio, ensuring that you’re in a safe position while making your demands. This could also bring another new item into the game: the map. This could come in the form of a travel brochure, or a dedicated map of the city/town you are in, and could be used in conjunction with the radio to plot locations, player-made shelters, meet-up points, or simply any location you want to go/have been.

 

For example: Player 1 – we’ll call him Will – gets trapped in his home by a horde of savage face eating neighbors. Luckily, Will just installed this fancy new radio system in his living room – no wonder the neighbors are jealous – and can now call out (or set up a pre-recorded – self repeating – message), “I live down the street from Jerry’s Diner,” or “I live at coordinates 23, -243.” Player 2, Ted, happened to be listening on the same frequency Will uses, and pulls up his map alongside his radio. He then finds Jerry’s Diner, or the coordinates previously stated on his map, and marks there with a pen.

Radio Communication

Orientation: Multiplayer

TL;DR: Incorporation of hand/stationary radios within the game. 

 

The incorporation of hand or stationary radios into the game would add a new level of communication and depth on servers. Having a hand radio, or setting up a stationary radio in your home would allow you to speak with players or NPCs on opposite sides of the map. You could browse frequencies, and stumble upon a distress call repeating every 2 minutes, or come across another player willing to trade goods for food. Maybe, even, kidnap a player, and bribe his friends over the radio, ensuring that you’re in a safe position while making your demands. This could also bring another new item into the game: the map. This could come in the form of a travel brochure, or a dedicated map of the city/town you are in, and could be used in conjunction with the radio to plot locations, player-made shelters, meet-up points, or simply any location you want to go/have been.

 

For example: Player 1 – we’ll call him Will – gets trapped in his home by a horde of savage face eating neighbors. Luckily, Will just installed this fancy new radio system in his living room – no wonder the neighbors are jealous – and can now call out (or set up a pre-recorded – self repeating – message), “I live down the street from Jerry’s Diner,” or “I live at coordinates 23, -243.” Player 2, Ted, happened to be listening on the same frequency Will uses, and pulls up his map alongside his radio. He then finds Jerry’s Diner, or the coordinates previously stated on his map, and marks there with a pen.

Radio Communication

Orientation: Multiplayer

TL;DR: Incorporation of hand/stationary radios within the game. 

 

The incorporation of hand or stationary radios into the game would add a new level of communication and depth on servers. Having a hand radio, or setting up a stationary radio in your home would allow you to speak with players or NPCs on opposite sides of the map. You could browse frequencies, and stumble upon a distress call repeating every 2 minutes, or come across another player willing to trade goods for food. Maybe, even, kidnap a player, and bribe his friends over the radio, ensuring that you’re in a safe position while making your demands. This could also bring another new item into the game: the map. This could come in the form of a travel brochure, or a dedicated map of the city/town you are in, and could be used in conjunction with the radio to plot locations, player-made shelters, meet-up points, or simply any location you want to go/have been.

 

For example: Player 1 – we’ll call him Will – gets trapped in his home by a horde of savage face eating neighbors. Luckily, Will just installed this fancy new radio system in his living room – no wonder the neighbors are jealous – and can now call out (or set up a pre-recorded – self repeating – message), “I live down the street from Jerry’s Diner,” or “I live at coordinates 23, -243.” Player 2, Ted, happened to be listening on the same frequency Will uses, and pulls up his map alongside his radio. He then finds Jerry’s Diner, or the coordinates previously stated on his map, and marks there with a pen.