Jump to content

What Doesn't Kill You - Character "Badges"


Jatta Pake

Recommended Posts

This worms thread, NOM NOM, got me thinking about character evolution.  What if the most extreme moodles triggered your character to develop a permanent "badge" or trait that affected the character for the rest of his or her life?

 

I envision these as having both positive and negative qualities, as well as shaping character interaction with NPCs.

 

Perhaps if you survived Starving you would need to carry non-rotten food on you at all times or suffer a Panic penalty.  On the flip side, newly searched garbage and trash cans now can spawn food.  You would have a bonus modifier with NPC relationships who have survived starvation.

 

Thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe, but better to have it as an option,

If you fulfill the requirements, you have the choice of keeping the badge or not.

But I doubt people would actually go for that sort of thing, and it's not really worth the time spent on programing it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is quite a nice idea to incorporate extra traits and uniqueness to both players and NPCs.

With your starving example (which is pretty neat, btw), it might need to be even more specific to prevent players intentionally starving themselves within the first few days, but with a cache of food nearby just so they can get the additional badge. Maybe something going beyond just surviving starving - both surviving it and getting below 10% health, or surviving it with no edible items in your inventory.

 

I can see it as an augmentation to existing stats and traits too - once you've trapped something like X number of a certain animal, although your trapping skill may still be low, your ability/chance/likelihood of trapping that particular animal is greater than it otherwise would be. Or you've sighted 500 zombies over your lifetime, now you get less panicked at the sight of them.

As long as the badges were hidden modifiers, I could get behind this idea, because although it would be something that affected the character based on the player's actions, it would be less of a lure to 'achieve' the badges if you weren't 100% certain you had them already, or knew when you got them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Once you've trapped something like X number of a certain animal, although your trapping skill may still be low, your ability/chance/likelihood of trapping that particular animal is greater than it otherwise would be. Or you've sighted 500 zombies over your lifetime, now you get less panicked at the sight of them.

 

 

That sounds a bit too much like the sims 3...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

 

Once you've trapped something like X number of a certain animal, although your trapping skill may still be low, your ability/chance/likelihood of trapping that particular animal is greater than it otherwise would be. Or you've sighted 500 zombies over your lifetime, now you get less panicked at the sight of them.

 

 

That sounds a bit too much like the sims 3...

 

I've not played the Sims 3, but is there something wrong with it being similar?

 

I just took the most realistic approach off the top of my head - I have experience hunting and trapping Possums, but I have no idea how to go about trapping Weasels and Stoats. I understand it requires similar methods, but without looking up the information, I wouldn't know what bait to use, where to most effectively place the traps, or what kinds of terrain they frequent the most.

Once you've done a lot of one kind of trapping, it doesn't make you a master of every type of trapping - as a single Trapping skill would imply.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RANT ALERT:

Skip over if easily offended.

 

I don't see the similarity to sims, could you objectively look at the merits of the idea instead of comparing it to X game?

 

"Ohhh too much like the sims!"... So the reason not to do it? Or is the issue that the sims tries to simulate people and this game also tries to simulate people? Or is a health system also too similar to X Y and Z that features that? How about bandages? Those exist in other games too! No way we could use those...

 

Please just look at the merits of an idea... If you are good at baiting traps for rats, you are good at baiting traps for rats... That is what RealmKeeper is hinting at. I find it incredibly tiresome that everyone compares something that vaguely resembles sims with sims. How about the thousands of other isometric games? Did you know you could make people part of your 'group' in the old syndicate game? Imagine for a second how absolutely flabbergastingly inane it is to stop adding things that ever so slightly resembles reality that was also approached by another game/simulation in a similar fasion...

 

Or are oven fires also too sim-like? Maybe rain? They had a whole expansion pack devoted to seasons! Thus adding seasons must be 'like the sims' and not 'like reality'.

 

And yes this is a full blown rant but it really gets to me that everyone keeps confusing reality being simulated with simulating a game that simulates reality...

 

And seeing 500 zombies and getting used to them... Is simulating well... I dunno... GETTING USED TO THEM. Again, this is 100% a logical thing to expect in reality.

 

 

Although I could put what my rant says in more politically correct and inoffensive terms, I think the willy-nilly dismissal of valid ideas and concepts because you see the similarity firstly to other games and not to reality is unfair and ignorantly biased. Next you will want to avoid food because minecraft had food in it... You see what I am getting at?

 

I agree with RealmKeeper's Idea and think that getting used to things is realistic and should be simulated. Especially after killing masses of them. Same goes for eating worms and rats, the effect on morale should diminish as you grow accustomed to nourishing yourself off of it for weeks and weeks on end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just simply commented that it was like the sims, is that enough for a rant?  :P

 

EDIT: also, I was just talking about the trapping part, how does capturing a bagilion rabbits somehow make you catch SPECIFICALLY more RABBITS, not any other animal, just more rabbits, maybe you could learn what rabbits want, so you could catch them, or make better traps more suitable for rabbits, but you wouldn't just suddenly get better at catching rabbits without 1-upping anything. also, while not having any skill at trapping.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lol no to be honest that rant was MONTHS in the making and directed at the whole gaming universe. Sorry it had to be whipped out on you <3

 

And towards the whole thingy about trapping certain animals, it could be the portion, the cut, the positioning, the set up of the bait on the trap. There could possibly be many variables to consider when trapping things. Even how the animal itself starts eating it, some animals would try and grab it and run off, others would try and eat it in place. And the presentation of the bait in this case could make a big difference. Not saying you won't stop catching other things though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think this is a great idea. I have wondered why the player character panics around zombies, despite killing hundreds of them. I would assume that after surviving a few weeks around them, figuring out how they move and operate, that you would be less afraid of them.

 

One thing that annoys me, is i have a ton of perk points, but no open skill slots to use them on. It would be nice to use the excess points to either remove negetive traits, or unlock positive ones. Earining badges after meeting certian criteria, would not only make this feasable, but also more realistic, AND balanced.

 

so you survived starvation, earn a badge, and for five points, you can unlock the light eater trait, or remove the negetive one that makes you hungry, OR remove overweight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just imagine that you're in a constant state of PTSD, from the horrors that you've witnessed and perpetrated.

Wouldn't this also result in other mental fragilities alongside zombie panic?

I have no idea, as I don't have any personal experience dealing with people with PTSD, but from what I've heard it's more than just an unreasonable fear of 'triggers'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just imagine that you're in a constant state of PTSD, from the horrors that you've witnessed and perpetrated.

PTSD is a lot more complicated than that.

 

Worse still, nasty long term situations change people. Its why they rotate people out of war zones. A good example, is to look at the stories about people that lived in nasty regeimes like the chemer rouge, or others that have survived long wars.

 

People are different, and react to situations differently. Maybe there is a ptsd problem until month 3, then they suvivor turns into a hardened person.

 

Look at walking dead. Rick is a hell of a lot different now, then when things fist got bad. This type of slow change would make the game a bit more immersive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

PTSD is a lot more complicated than that.

 

Look at walking dead. Rick is a hell of a lot different now, then when things fist got bad. This type of slow change would make the game a bit more immersive.

 

dont use a made up character on a made up show following a script as a basis of reference when talking about PTSD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't envision these as being wholly positive or negative.  I think they should be change, transformation, or evolution for the character.  Much like real life, whether surviving these experiences change you in a good or bad way is often in the eye of the beholder.  Do you focus on the frustration of needing to always be encumbered by food, or do you relish the fact you can find food in places overlooked by most?

 

Tragically, I have close personal experience with both real starvation and clinical PTSD.  You cannot even imagine either if you haven't experienced them. Both change you in profound ways (provided you survive), but I'd struggle to say the change was "good" or "bad".

 

"Badge" is probably a misleading term, as you wouldn't want players to be able to game the system and get the badges.  But you really cannot control all player behavior in a game like this so I don't think you could design around those player actions.  But if you make the resulting effect balanced, you will reduce the incentives to "get" the badge.

 

The idea of creating a disincentive to getting the "badge" would suggest the overall effect of the "badge" should be negative.  However, I think the game itself should properly create a disincentive to getting a "badge".  You should really be close to death to qualify.  If the end effect is balanced, you will reduce the incentive to risk perma-death just to get it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...