Spirit and purpose.

[Ridickulo]

This is derived from my "Rotten food frustrated me" thread. The back and forth there made me realize that it my issue wasnt really with the food but something else.

 

 

 

The game separates mental state into spirit and purpose. One being happiness an the later entertainment.

 

My problem is that they are sort of transversal so separating them is strange.

 

I mean that being happy makes you more tolerant to boredom and vice-versa, being unhappy makes you less tolerant.

 

(I will here begin referring to boredom/entertainment as "Purpose" and happiness as "Spirit".)

 

If so, then spirit has affects on purpose and purpose affects spirit!

The major problem with this is that spirit and purpose come only on the negative scale.

 

In my idea, the moodie level would have to change to see the inclusion of levels from +2 , +1, 0, -1, -2

 

Having just thought of this, i will just throw it out there to be fleshed out and i will start on the point of my food thread:

 

Food isn't entertainment, it is sustainability.

 

I have never been bored after eating an apple or a bowl of rice but if i am unhappy i will complain about it.

 

Purpose has no place in food.

 

Now, what food does is lift my spirit and eating bad food makes me low as eating fresh food makes me happy. Regular food has no impact either way.

 

So, in short like a [TL,DR] Being entertained (having purpose) slowly lifts your spirit (happiness)  and being bored lowers it.

[Ridickulo]

Examples of effects

 

(Spirit level, moodie) ( Derived effect on purpose)

 

(+2, Top of the world) ( Negates and hides effects of -2 purpose )

 

(+1, Happy) ( Negates and hides effects of -1 purpose )

 

(0, Content) ( Has no effect)

 

(-1, Unhappy) ( Something to be thought of later )

 

(-2 Miserable) ( Doubles Purpose penalties)

 

(Purpose, moodie) ( gives (1/purpose) gains in Spirit over time )

 

(+2, Thrilled)

 

(+1, Motivated)

 

(0, Going with the flow)

 

(-1, Bored)

 

(-2, Couch potato)

 

FOOD:

 

Fresh food adds spirit

 

Regular food has no effect

 

Rotten or weird food detracts from spirit

 

BOOKS and ACTIVITIES add purpose.

 

PURPOSE erodes over time

 

SICKNESS and DAMAGE detract from spirit

 

TIREDNESS and BURDEN detract from spirit

 

HUNGER detract from spirit (thx Sorania)

[booner352]

Food isn't entertainment, it is sustainability.

 

I have never been bored after eating an apple or a bowl of rice but if i am unhappy i will complain about it.

 

I have to disagree. If you've ever been on "the ramen every night budget" you'd realize that some foods become boring and tiresome sometimes.

 

I'd say that the system is broke, though. Initially, no food is going to cause you boredom and unhappiness the first time you eat it, well most foods won't. It should be something like:

 

if 'x amount eaten(this month)' > 'y number required'

boredom = -10 (or plus, whichever is the bad one)

unhappiness= -10

 

else-if 'x amount eaten(this month)' > '2y number required'

boredom = -20

unhappiness= -20

[Grimbot]

I think the circumstances justify it.  The world has ended and you're eating a jar of mayonnaise all by yourself in a bloostained bathroom?  Definitely depressing.  TV dinners remind you of TV and make you long for entertainment.  Opening that can of dog food because that's what it's come to?  Pretty bleak.

 

I'm okay with the way the food works, and the new system sounds even better.

 

I won't argue that spoiled food is frustrating, though.  

[Eblanc]

This seems.. complicated and overrated. 

 

I guess it's also each to what person finds what depressing. A Jar of mayonnaise all by myself in a bloodstained bathroom (now we're adding room decoration to the equation...)

 

If I'm really hungry, past week 1. I don't care. I',m happy I am alive and satisfying my basic needs. In fact I am ecstatic because I love mayonnaise and red is my favorite color. Please give me 2 points of purpose and spirit.  

[bvhv]

This seems.. complicated and overrated. 

 

I guess it's also each to what person finds what depressing. A Jar of mayonnaise all by myself in a bloodstained bathroom (now we're adding room decoration to the equation...)

 

If I'm really hungry, past week 1. I don't care. I',m happy I am alive and satisfying my basic needs. In fact I am ecstatic because I love mayonnaise and red is my favorite color. Please give me 2 points of purpose and spirit.  

I agree because if i'm alive during a zombie apocalypse there will not be any food complains from me (mind you rotten food long past expiration)

[Ridickulo]

This seems.. complicated and overrated. 

 

I guess it's also each to what person finds what depressing. A Jar of mayonnaise all by myself in a bloodstained bathroom (now we're adding room decoration to the equation...)

 

If I'm really hungry, past week 1. I don't care. I',m happy I am alive and satisfying my basic needs. In fact I am ecstatic because I love mayonnaise and red is my favorite color. Please give me 2 points of purpose and spirit.  

 

It is really not that different from the current system and very easy to do.

 

Perhaps it looks complicated because i suck at explaining!

 

In your example, sure, you get 2 points of spirit but not purpose.

Remember that your goal is to maintain your purpose which is constantly going down. Spirit can help or hinder you in doing that.

 

I'll come up with some examples in order to explain this better.

[Ridickulo]

Ok, i sorry for being convoluted but i spent years thinking about this very issue.

 

Some 10 years ago i was actually designing and beta testing my own pen and paper RPG.

 

Its name was "Dark" and it was set in a, surprise, medieval fantasy world.

 

Unlike most rpg's of the genre, mine was all about how desperation and hope or lack of it.

 

So, what do i want to say with all this?

 

The system is simple and designed to work as a foundation platform with the capacity to expand or adapt to changes.

 

My ability to explain it...is another matter.

 

 

But think about this: You can have either Spirit or Purpose eroding over time depending on what focus you wanna give to your RPG.

On a quest based game, Purpose would definitely be the main with Spirit as accessory.

 

In PZ it appears to be spirit.

 

Think about this example. Beta blockers could actually lower the amount of Spirit which is lost per day!

Everything i have seen in the game fits perfectly in the system.

 

But why have the system "overrated and complicated"? Because unless you have a gameplay mechanic that establishes the mood then you might as well be playing a beat'em up RPG!!!

 

Think for instance about "Don't Starve" and how the insanity and hunger mechanic create the mood and pace of the game.

[Kirrus]

The game is going to have your mental state affecting things. For example, the plan is for it to be possible for your character to go insane, and start hearing inanimate things talking to you. I'm not sure they'll use the exact system you've specified though.

[Eblanc]

The game is going to have your mental state affecting things. For example, the plan is for it to be possible for your character to go insane, and start hearing inanimate things talking to you. I'm not sure they'll use the exact system you've specified though.

 

that is really cool. where can i find more of this info? tell us more

 

how do you go insane anywyas?

[Kirrus]

 

The game is going to have your mental state affecting things. For example, the plan is for it to be possible for your character to go insane, and start hearing inanimate things talking to you. I'm not sure they'll use the exact system you've specified though.

 

that is really cool. where can i find more of this info? tell us more

 

how do you go insane anywyas?

 

 

You'd have had to have come to the Newcastle community meetup with the devs, where we discussed it for a bit

 

Not entirely sure yet -- the design isn't fixed probably