Characters get bored/depressed too easily

[unmog]

Im not sure what the exact times are but I'll come back from an exciting loot run, and start eagerly putting stuff away... and after standing still for maybe a minute or two while Im looking through my inventory and storing stuff away my character has already gotten bored. Often times since I bring back multiple bags and it takes time to sort and store stuff my character's mood is already suffering immensely. Now I play with the time a bit longer than average and Im not sure if it factors that at all but Id think when your doing stuff like working and moving stuff from inventory to shelves and such it shouldn't be hurting your mood as bad.

 

Maybe if we could re-read books it wouldnt be so bad, or if I could play a game of solitare with cards or play with a yoyo or other things to improve the bored factor. But as it is the only sure fire way of not being bored is to be fighting hordes of zombies which somehow instantly improves my mood. Seems a bit crazy or sadistic really. But since its so easy to get bored and being bored makes it so you get sad I get super depressed really easy and quickly just having come back from loot runs.

 

I think it should take longer to get bored honestly, but other than that maybe a perk to make it longer/harder to get bored. Something called like, meditative or patient [can think of many names for it]... And you could have the opposite negative perk called ADHD or something where you get bored even easier than normal... perhaps the current speed. Really though it feels like all the characters must have ADHD standard though with how easily they get bored. Could even have perks/flaws where being bored had more or less of an effect to make you depressed, like being dull or pessimistic. That way even if your really bored you'd be used to it, so it wouldnt make you as depressed.

 

Of course there could be perks that center around being depressed more or less easy as well, and I dont mind people helping brainstorm some names for stuff like that. Just... right now it seems like theres not much I can do to control it other than "eatting" books and such. And, being bored or depressed doesnt seem to do anything other than make it take EVEN LONGER to put stuff away... which makes it harder to not get bored... which makes it impossible to stay from being depressed. Catch 22 I guess. I dont see why being depressed would make it take 10 times longer to put stuff away but meh~ sepperate issue I guess.

 

So far though, these moodlets only make the game take longer and, actually more boring to play. I dont think my character being bored should cause me to get bored, thats a bit of a breakage of the fourth wall I think. Seriously though I'll be trying to put away some cigs, nails or some ammo and it'll take "forever". Its like "well let me check other stuff while I take several minutes to put these cigs away...

 

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So, anyone know maybe which line I could alter in a file somewhere to change the rate that characters get bored maybe? Please?

[fluffe9911]

I could be wrong but I think moodlets are hard coded meaning they cant be edited nor can you make your own currently could be wrong though

[unmog]

Aww I hope not...

[Dudeman325]

All you need to do to reduce your boredom is to go outside for a while, no need to go zombie fighting. If you're spending too much time storing things in containers, go outside for a short break every once and a while, or build your containers outside or in a roofless building. You might get wet, but you won't get bored.

 

If you could re-read books or just play with toys, there'd be no need to look for more once you found one without giving them a condition that decays on use, which would be just as unrealistic as one time use, so I don't really see a need for a change.

[unmog]

The main problem however isnt that you cant re-read books, its that the default is if you're inside for any period of time your character gets adhd and gets super bored and depressed for no reason. Its not realistic. If anything the current default way boredom and depression is being handled should be a negative perk, that you get bored super easy when inside and you're very prone to getting super depressed for little to no reason. Like I was saying in the original post it happens far too quickly, and it takes way too long [as you say "a while"] to reduce your boredom by going outside.

 

Even though you're probably right and you wouldnt even have to worry about the problem if you built a bunch of storage containers in an "outside" area that still says to me that somewhere deep down you also agree that its sorta BS that you get bored so easy just from putting stuff away and so you know you dont have the problem if you do it outside, as a way of skirting the system. We wouldnt have to do any of that if our characters didnt get so bored and depressed rediculously fast in such situations. What makes outdoors less boring than indoors anyway? I find outdoors stuff to be pretty boring myself... and what would be the purpose of a toy if not a reusuable device to curb boredom?

[Amurayi]

ADHD ain't real as the scientist who "discovered" it admitted on his death bed.

 

Please don't teach a generation of gamers that it would be.

[unmog]

Hah okay even though it's completely off topic, I can poke a bunch of holes in that statement, because it doesn't take much to do basic fact checking. I will however remain being lovely.

 

First what you're referring to is probably the news that he supposedly said ADHD was a "Fictitious Disease", not that it wasn't "real". What the scientist [his name is Dr. Leon Eisenberg] actually said is that "ADHD is a prime example of a fabricated disorder, the genetic predisposition to ADHD is completely overrated." And saying he "discovered" or "invented" or is the "father" of ADHD might be a bit of an exaggeration but he DID contribute a lot of knowledge about it since he studied it a long time. And while it was never actually proven to be a "disease" it is a very real problem "some" people suffer with, though many more people are diagnosed with it when they probably shouldn't be... which is what Eisenberg was actually saying. The reason for this is that the medical industry can make lots of money selling medicine to people who don't need it. Really though what you heard was a purposeful mistranslation to cause the public to get upset about it.

 

Anyway, even if you don't like the name ADHD the "flaw" could be called anything, like "gets bored and depressed too easily." Or Emo, or anything. Like I said, saying ADHD was "fake" is a bit off topic. However in fairness... it really does seem to me that every single character we make in Project Zomboid currently IS suffering with ADHD At least in my opinion, according to modern diagnosis~

[Dudeman325]

Getting bored from staying inside is fine. Its implemented to add incentive to go outside (where danger and excitement happen) over staying in your safehouse with all your supplies (where nothing and boredom happens). Is it realistic? No, but it works as a game mechanic.

[unmog]

I understand it as a game mechanic, but what Im saying is the time needs to be extended. I should have at least enough time to put away stuff without growing super bored and suicidally depressed. That and I make my time longer and more realistic, like a couple hours for both day and night time. So this compounds the problem even more, barely "any" in game time will go by and my character is freaking out.

 

At the very least there should be an option somewhere to handle this. ive also tried setting it so stats dont degrade as fast, I set it to very slow for my test purposes. And Ill rarely every get hungry or tired or thirsty, but 10 minutes indoors and Im already "getting bored".