About the claustrophobia trait...

[Migoxiss]

So, In my new Playtrough I chose the claustrophobic trait. The Problem is that when you choose this trait you always will be panicked. Somehow thats a bit annoying because even when you are outside it takes SO long to calm down for your character. I dont know claustrophobia for myself, but the Panic should stop when you are outside immediatly and not like after 12 hours.

[Josephkhland]

Totally Agree with you .

[Viceroy]

Anyone here know someone who is claustrophobic?

 

Shouldn't the freakout be related to the size of the open area around the player (range to wall on each compass direction) rather than merely being indoors?

[ravenous369]

Anyone here know someone who is claustrophobic?

 

Shouldn't the freakout be related to the size of the open area around the player (range to wall on each compass direction) rather than merely being indoors?

 

I think that will make the trait very unbalanced if it involves the size of the open area. If the trait is related to the size of the open area then you have the chance of being panicked while being indoors AND outdoors. If that is the case why would you choose this trait over agoraphobia (gets panicked only when outdoors)?

 

Or maybe they can add an additional 3rd trait to balance things out. Maybe something like this:

 

-fear of buildings - gets panicked when indoors

-agoraphobia - gets panicked when outdoors

-claustrophobia - gets panicked in tight spaces (this can be tight spaces in both outdoors and indoors)

 

 

So, In my new Playtrough I chose the claustrophobic trait. The Problem is that when you choose this trait you always will be panicked. Somehow thats a bit annoying because even when you are outside it takes SO long to calm down for your character. I dont know claustrophobia for myself, but the Panic should stop when you are outside immediatly and not like after 12 hours.

 

I agree. It takes way too much time for your character to calm down. I don't think it should stop immediately once you're outside but I definitely do think the panic time should be reduced.

[Connall]

Anyone here know someone who is claustrophobic?

 

I used to be claustrophobic when I was younger, wouldn't say I outgrew it but I did learn to handle it a lot better so it eventually kind of subsided for myself.

 

Thing with claustrophobia is it kind of varies on scale, varies from people to people so really all you're getting is one person viewpoint on the matter of claustrophobia so think whatever you wish with what I say since, again varies from people to people. When it came to me small areas it would almost be paralysing, found it hard to breath and became easily disorientated making it harder to escape, what triggered it seemed to vary wildly, a basement here was fine but a basement there would have me in the fetal position on the ground. I think it might of been something with no way out, or escape which made it worse since some small spaces I could handle really well, as long as there is a clear way out. Anyway, not really the point of discussion I guess, what is really being discussed is the timeout for the effect scaling down.

 

Again it kind of varies, sometimes you just need to be outside for a bit, sometimes thinking about it made it feel like it was happening again hell just writing out this post is starting to stress me out ha!

 

It's just a varying thing, it can take a while to get back to a calm demeanour, or it can be relatively quick as soon as you get back to an open space. It's a complicated matter really. That's the thing with mapping emotions and conditions in games, their tricky business since their complex things.

[Geras]

So, In my new Playtrough I chose the claustrophobic trait. The Problem is that when you choose this trait you always will be panicked. Somehow thats a bit annoying because even when you are outside it takes SO long to calm down for your character. I dont know claustrophobia for myself, but the Panic should stop when you are outside immediatly and not like after 12 hours.

 

I've noticed that as well. I think the best solution would be to create a whole new moodle for that, which would affect you in a similar (or the same way) as panicking does. This would prevent panic moodles from being affected (nevertheless, I agree that calming down from panic state should be sped up, as you can go to sleep when extremely panicked and wake up still panicking - doesn't make sense).

 

Claustrophobia moodle should then, in my opinion, fade away in a matter of real time seconds after exiting a building. A good way to do balance this trait would be:

 

- Level 1: big rooms - like warehouses and so on (more than x square tiles) make you anxious (uncomfortable?): "Confined space makes me anxious"

- Level 2: average-sized rooms - living rooms, etc. (more than y to x square tiles) make you agitated "Walls are a little bit to close" or "Walls are closing on me a bit"

- Level 3: small-sized rooms - bedrooms, etc. (more than z to y square tiles) make you stressed "Walls are definitely closing on me!" or "Walls are way to close!"

- Level 4: tiny rooms - bathrooms, toilets, closets (from 1 to z square tiles) make you freak out "I want to get out!"

 

How it would work:

 

You enter a living room > you get Level 1, and quickly Level 2. Then you enter a 1 square tile closet > it jumps through Level 3 to Level 4, then you leave the closet to enter a warehouse > it drops through all levels all the way (quite quickly) to reach Level 1.

 

What do you guys think?

[Migoxiss]

So, In my new Playtrough I chose the claustrophobic trait. The Problem is that when you choose this trait you always will be panicked. Somehow thats a bit annoying because even when you are outside it takes SO long to calm down for your character. I dont know claustrophobia for myself, but the Panic should stop when you are outside immediatly and not like after 12 hours.

I've noticed that as well. I think the best solution would be to create a whole new moodle for that, which would affect you in a similar (or the same way) as panicking does. This would prevent panic moodles from being affected (nevertheless, I agree that calming down from panic state should be sped up, as you can go to sleep when extremely panicked and wake up still panicking - doesn't make sense).

Claustrophobia moodle should then, in my opinion, fade away in a matter of real time seconds after exiting a building. A good way to do balance this trait would be:

- Level 1: big rooms - like warehouses and so on (more than x square tiles) make you anxious (uncomfortable?): "Confined space makes me anxious"

- Level 2: average-sized rooms - living rooms, etc. (more than y to x square tiles) make you agitated "Walls are a little bit to close" or "Walls are closing on me a bit"

- Level 3: small-sized rooms - bedrooms, etc. (more than z to y square tiles) make you stressed "Walls are definitely closing on me!" or "Walls are way to close!"

- Level 4: tiny rooms - bathrooms, toilets, closets (from 1 to z square tiles) make you freak out "I want to get out!"

How it would work:

You enter a living room > you get Level 1, and quickly Level 2. Then you enter a 1 square tile closet > it jumps through Level 3 to Level 4, then you leave the closet to enter a warehouse > it drops through all levels all the way (quite quickly) to reach Level 1.

What do you guys think?

Yep, that would be great if the devs would actually implement it

[Spensume]

toon is agoraphobic and claustophobic both, allowed me to take both athletic and strong plus some others, never had a problem zombie bashing anyway it goes, always in a heightened state of freak out, beta's don't do much.  lol

[Kelgo]

toon is agoraphobic and claustophobic both, allowed me to take both athletic and strong plus some others, never had a problem zombie bashing anyway it goes, always in a heightened state of freak out, beta's don't do much.  lol

[Shinnorin]

The suggestions in this thread are nice, but wouldn't it just be easier to just have different levels of claustrophobia/agoraphobia in the traits list? They would scale just like the weak-feeble-stout-strong traits. Claustrophobia isn't an outright panic attack for EVERYONE who has/had it (see Connall's post), so in my eyes it'd make sense to have it scaled like I've said earlier. The devs could mix this in with Geras's suggestion earlier in the thread for tiered panic levels depending on space so minor claustrophobia/agoraphobia are still an issue in severely tight/open spaces, but not nearly as difficulty-raising as their major counterparts.

[Geras]

I support Shinnorin's idea. Good thinking.

[Kitt Frostpaws]

This is off-topic and I apologize for this;

But there are so many Spiffos popping out of watermelons on this thread.

[Shinnorin]

This is off-topic and I apologize for this;

But there are so many Spiffos popping out of watermelons on this thread.

 

Would it surprise you if I said I made an account just to post about this topic because it annoyed me so much? Haha

 

On topic - I sincerely hope the devs at least consider the idea. Adding different levels of spatial phobias and making panic levels scale with the size of an area wouldn't exactly make the game easier; just more in-depth.

[Bonesmccoy81]

Agoraphobia/claustrophobia would all use the same value. Openspace/high value = agoraphobia. Tightspaces/low value = claustrophobia. Moderate values = normal.

Maybe it can be caculated by how far you can see in front, left, and right of you.

[Packbat]

*necropost*
 
 
I hadn't thought of doing different levels of phobia - I think that's definitely a good idea - but I wanted to suggest shifting away from the literal definition towards the medical definitions. Pulling from Wikipedia because I Am Not A Doctor...

 
Claustrophobia:

Claustrophobia is typically thought to have two key symptoms: fear of restriction and fear of suffocation. A typical claustrophobic will fear restriction in at least one, if not several, of the following areas: small rooms, locked rooms, cars, aeroplanes, trains, tunnels, cellars, elevators, caves. Additionally, the fear of restriction can cause some claustrophobics to fear trivial matters such as sitting in a haircutter’s chair or waiting in line at a grocery store simply out of a fear of confinement to a single space. [...] Often, when confined to an area, claustrophobics begin to fear suffocation, believing that there may be a lack of air in the area to which they are confined.

Many claustrophobics remove clothing during attacks, believing it will relieve the symptoms.

 
Reading this description, what I am imagining is claustrophobia being based on two things:

• Local airflow. If you are outdoors, this will be automatically taken care of; indoors, in a non-air-conditioned space, this will rely upon the number of open doors and windows to the outdoors or to other ventilated rooms. (Note that an open window with closed curtains would barely improve air circulation.) Larger spaces will take longer to air out if they have been sealed for a long time (e.g. if no-one has been in the warehouse for months), but not actually require more open windows to remain airy.
• Perceived safety of escape routes. Depending on degree of claustrophobia, this requirement could be anywhere from "I circled the house before going in, and there weren't any nearby zombies" to "there's an open window right next to me and no zombies visible - and I know because I checked within the last ten minutes" - more claustrophobic means that you need to be closer to your exit and more recently assured of its safety. The AI pathfinding algorithms will probably help here.

However intense the claustrophobia is, the degree of panic that it creates should be based on how strongly it is triggered. Reading at home with the windows closed, the curtains open, and no zombies nearby might cause slight panic; looting a tiny container with a single door inside a windowless storage facility, and you're flirting with extreme.

Agoraphobia:

Agoraphobia is a condition where the sufferer becomes anxious in environments that are unfamiliar or where he or she perceives that they have little control. Triggers for this anxiety may include wide open spaces, crowds (social anxiety), or traveling (even short distances). Agoraphobia is often, but not always, compounded by a fear of social embarrassment, as the agoraphobic fears the onset of a panic attack and appearing distraught in public. This is also sometimes called 'social agoraphobia' which may be a type of social anxiety disorder also sometimes called "social phobia".

Not all agoraphobia is social in nature, however. Some agoraphobics have a fear of open spaces. Agoraphobia is also defined as "a fear, sometimes terrifying, by those who have experienced one or more panic attacks". In these cases, the sufferer is fearful of a particular place because they have experienced a panic attack at the same location in a previous time. Fearing the onset of another panic attack, the sufferer is fearful or even avoids the location. Some refuse to leave their home even in medical emergencies because the fear of being outside of their comfort area is too great.

What I'm seeing as most possible to implement here is perceiving locations as "safe" based on there being no way for zombies to get in - doors closed and barricaded, windows closed and barricaded, surrounded by walls, etc. If it has been cleared and kept cleared, there aren't many ways for zombies to get there, and it is familiar, even a relatively open space could be perceived as "safe", but:

• Zombies would be frightening even when seen from a distance;
• Wooded areas would be frightening because they could contain zombies that can't be seen;
• Exits you can't see are frightening because zombies could be coming in through them.
• Open spaces are frightening because there are too many directions a threat could be coming from.

et cetera.

 

Looking at everything, I actually think that you could implement these two things simultaneously ... and it would be absolutely horrifyingly difficult to keep from panicking. The only way would be to be in a safehouse with a safe route to another safehouse pretty much always. Maybe you could get away with sleeping in the living room on the first floor if you knew zombies couldn't prevent you from running to an upstairs saferoom with a sheet rope exit, though.