Positive Mood(le)s?

[Houski]

So, I'm pretty sure that I've taken care of my character pretty well - he has a stash of (naughty?) magazines and books, drinks tea, eats good, fresh food, takes his anti-depressants - but he never seems to be happy! He's never gotten more than a little bored in the 2 months he's survived, and only sad once (which sent him on a bender). Why is it that there isn't a positive side to the mood(le)s?

Would it be possible to implement some positive moodle if you get your mood stats greater than zero?

You wouldn't necessarily need it to be anything more than basic - say "Relaxed" (Bonus to skil acquisition) or "Confident" (Bonus to attack and damage) or "Happy" (Increased disease resistance). These aren't hard and fast suggestions - more an opening for discussion. Has anyone else wondered about this?

[migulao]

I like this, but I dont think it should ever be an ''extreme'' case of happiness, as nobody would be truly happy in a zombie apocalypse, considering the fact that the survivors know that their end is inevitable.

[Svarog]

Good idea, it would give people a reason to read or use cooking for something else than simply 'curing' an annoying negative moodles. I'd like to see that in the game.

[Houski]

I like this, but I dont think it should ever be an ''extreme'' case of happiness, as nobody would be truly happy in a zombie apocalypse, considering the fact that the survivors know that their end is inevitable.

This might get a bit heavy, I apologize, but here we go:

You're going to die one day, inevitably. Are you saying that you're incapable of happiness because of that fact?

I would hope not, as that is the human condition:The capacity for happiness in the face of inevitable annihilation.

If you look at literature - especially the autobiographies of those who have survived extreme circustances - remaining open to glimpses of happiness is not only possible but essential. As Viktor Frankl put it: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” He was referring to his time in a Nazi Concentration Camp.

[Rathlord]

That was a really well thought out response Houski, thanks for that.

 

I can't say I'd mind seeing more positive moodles (there are some, like being well fed).

 

I think the one reason for not having them that I can think of off the top of my head is that power-gamers will want to keep their characters in an eternal state of the most positive attributes possible, and that could compromise the fun of the game some if people feel like they always need to keep their characters at peak happiness/unboredom/whatnot. Fussing with moodles can be a bit micromanage-y, and we already have the opposite extreme causing problems (people think that just because they see a negative moodle they need to drop everything and fix it, and if they can't do that they complain the moodle is broken/game too hard).

 

You could also think of it this way: not having a negative moodle could signify not that your character is in a state of flux between happy and unhappy (et al), but that their normal mode is happy, not bored, etc. So if you're not seeing moodles, that means you're good to go. Whether you need to be rewarded for being in this "normal" state I don't know.

 

Just some stuff to think about and a bit of devil's advocate; I could see this going either way.

[Ontogenesis]

Logotherapy's 'will to meaning' has appeared on the PZ forums? I think we're maturing 

 

You are completely right though - the safety that society brings is not what creates a sense of happiness. In fact, I imagine some of the comforts actually remove a lot of a sense of purpose and meaning that we gain from the more simple things, leaving an existential void. I work quite a bit of young people entering adulthood, who have no idea what to do with their lives, often leaving them agitated and unhappy. In the zombie apocalypse there is always something to be striving for.

 

More on topic though, you are completely correct in that the happiness spectrum only goes from -4 to 0. A good comparison would be the hunger moodles, which from -4 to +4. I think this is a good suggestion (although I do think the whole mental health system needs a makeover).