Ideas for Turbo's Devices (New TV Stations, Vehicle CD Players & Cassette Tapes)

[TrailerParkThor]

Now that VHS tapes and CDs have been confirmed for Build 41, I had a few ideas that could further the depth of the new system. First things first, it's safe to assume that VCRs will be functional, since it was said in one of the blog posts that there is a high chance of blank VHS tapes spawning in residential homes. This will hopefully allow us to record TV shows for ourselves instead of finding them. We also know that after this system is added, watching TV and listening to music will award buffs/debuffs to the PC. Since this is the case, I think it would be a good idea to add 1 or 2 more TV stations to help fill out this mechanic. An HBO parody for taping the new movies, and an MTV parody for taping music videos of the new and old songs. Both were huge TV channels in 1993, so they would be prime candidates for PZ.

 

Another idea I had was to simply add a Walkman and Cassette Tapes. The Walkman would basically just be a reskinned CD player that only works with Cassette Tapes. It would be more common than the CD player, but with the tradeoff of needing to rewind the cassettes and potentially even having a limited amount of uses on each tape. Essentially simulating them wearing down over time. Side note, I think it would be awesome if there was a similar functionality added to VHS tapes, making them a limited commodity and adding more use to the blank tapes themselves. There will be 53 CDs, so maybe we could limit the cassettes to only half of those, 13 audiobooks and 13 music CDs. Perhaps the Valutech Radio could have a built in cassette player, so we could even tape over radio stations and songs we hear on the radio. This way there are different reasons to use either a Walkman or a CD player.

 

Now one thing we don't know yet is how this system will work in terms of acquiring the actual VCR. There is already a CD Player in the game, which will almost definitely have new functionality after this update. However, in the blog video, we see that the Premium Technologies Radio has a CD Player function as well. Since this is supposed to be the high end radio, I would guess that this is built into it and so this radio will act as a 2-in-1. This makes sense for the CD player, since there is already a portable CD player in the game. What about the VCR, though. The same is probably true for the Premium Technologies TV, since we see the VCR specifically in that one as well. However, I think the VCR should also be an external device you can find too. Using a similar system to the interchangeable car parts, but with Electrical instead of Mechanics skill, you should be able to hook up a VCR to any TV.

 

To expand further on all of these concepts, I think there should also be cassette players/CD players for vehicles. Some vehicles could come with them built in, but they would have full functionality for installation and removal just like car radios. This way, you could use your CDs and cassettes on the go, which could be a great time to manage your mood or even gain some skills (assuming some of the audiobooks will be skill books) while you are traveling from one location to another. In real life, we all decompress by listening to the radio while commuting home from work. In PZ, now you'll be able to do the same while coming home from looting runs. This is probably the biggest idea I have, since it's the most likely to come to pass as it takes the least amount of coding and new systems to implement successfully.

 

These are just a few ideas I'm spitballing here, but overall I am super excited just to finally have functional VHS tapes and CDs. This will finally change the unrealistic meta of bingewatching Life & Living in the first few weeks of a playthrough, allowing more opportunities for early-game ops as well as more in-depth RP. Plus, having more ways to pass the idle time and manage your moodles will create more engaging gameplay, and more varied and dynamic stories.

Edited July 29, 2021 by TrailerParkThor