Fallout-Esque Point and 'Examine' Texts

[Smiley]

One of my favorite and long missed game features (due to the prevalence of multi-platform games being designed for being played without a mouse) was back in the old Black Isle games Fallout 1 & Fallout 2, where you could click on inanimate objects in the game and get a text 'description' your character utters.

 

It'd be great for fleshing out the world and adding some more personality to it. It'd also be a great way of scoping out if an NPC looks friendly or strung out and ready to turn you into barbeque - or even to gauge roughly the health of another player or NPC;

 

"That guy/lady doesn't look like they're feeling so good..." / "That guy/lady looks like they've been dragged backwards through hell twice." / "<Name> is looking as anxious as a rat in a room of full of cats."

 

You could even tie different textual descriptions based on the background you'd chosen for your character. It'd also have some handiness for server roleplaying/storytelling - especially if it is easy for modders to tweak to their liking.

 

Another Example:

 

You right click on one of the old mattresses in the Trailer area of Muldraugh.

 

"Even the bugs crawling on this bed get better sleep than you do..."

 

Could tweak it for more atmopsheric somberness or more sarcastic/gallows humor. I'd recommend the latter, really - as it could help lighten the intensity of all the other survival brutality and the player's innevitable demise.

[Drious]

    I really, really like the idea, especially for NPC's so you can actually have an idea of what they are thinking of and what will (possibly) be the consequences of their thoughts and that would make them less ''neutral''. Overall i really appreciate the idea : Thumbs up for you

[Suomiboi]

I actually suggested this a while back and I'll say it'd be an awesome mod. I don't necessarily see it in vanilla since so many players like to play as themselves so it'd break the immersion for them.

We also talked with Realmkeeper about turning that system into a no HUD type of mod, but it's mainly just a thought and we haven't really done anything, but thrown ideas.

[Tsukune117]

amazing idea. your making me feel all nostalgic back when those two games where amazing. that is a very clever idea, maybe you could choose from stereotype backgrounds.

[Ken]

This could really help when the NPC's are in the game. And with a trait for that so you can see who is friend and who enemy:)

[Jatta Pake]

I think an "Examine" option on click could provide several cool features. A progress bar would run while the character examines the object.

 

1. Hints - The default could provide some tutorial like hints for beginners - Selecting "Examine" on a BBQ grill could say, "A well used BBQ grill with connectors for a propane tank."  Selecting "Examine" on a toilet could say, "Although the water in the toilet bowl looks unsanitary, the water in the upper tank appears clean."

 

2. Scavanger Bonus - Used in conjunction with a Scavanger skill, the "Examine" action could randomly spawn some bonus loot on an object.  For example, selecting "Examine" on a cabinet might spawn a single nail.  You would probably want to limit the number of times this could be done on a single item.  A "Cabinet" might be able to spawn four individual nails before it gets changed to "Broken Cabinet" and no longer spawns bonus loot.

             a. Purpose - I don't think this feature would add to gameplay by itself.  The idea would be that characters with no Scavanger skill would get a Hint while characters who have Scavanger skill would get some type of reward for their effort.

             b. Minor Loot - Scavanging this way should provide only very minor loot - one nail, one seed, one screw, one stick, one wire etc. The purpose of Scavanging this way wouldn't primarily be to get loot, but build the Scavanging skill.

             c. Scavanger Skill - Higher levels of the Scavanger Skill would unlock a new action "Scavange" to use on objects.  Using "Scavange" on an object would eliminate the object similar to using a sledgehammer and produce a stack of loot.  For example, using "Scavange" on a bed would eliminate the bed but spawn eight planks, four sheets, ten nails, and six springs.  The Scavanger Skill might require a crowbar to use.

 

3. RPG Elements - Other objects could be set to trigger specific role-playing type messages.  For example, a desk in Cortman could say, "Amongst the random papers and folders piled upon the desk, you notice a name block etched with 'Dr. Jeremy Cortman' and a single page fax from the United States Center for Disease Control stating, 'There is no known cure'."

 

4. Corpses - Examining corpses would always only provide unhappiness unless the character has the "Coroner" or "Mortician" profession.  I think it would be depressing and unpleasant to really examine a corpse unless a character had a trait for it.  I'm not sure what benefit examining a corpse would provide other than maybe identifying whether the corpse was zombie or player/NPC. Maybe it could also provide the ingame date the zombie or player/NPC died.

 

5. Wilderness Skill - Examining trees, bushes, and tall grass could boast points towards a "Wilderness" skill.  A high "Wilderness" skill could make sleeping in a tent safer (because you know how to better conceal your shelter), allow a "Dowsing" option for getting water from the ground, and occasionally spawn edibles like: one patch of wild violet leaves, one pecan nut, one smilax root (bonus to happiness - it was the original source of sarsaparilla), one black walnut, one ground cherry, and one patch of curly dock.

 

Pictured below: Wild Kentucky Black Walnut "Juglans Nigra".

 

I could go on, but a default "Examine" option could provide the initial entry point for acquiring points towards a particular skill set depending upon what is examined.  The game play purpose would be to teach players to pay attention to their environment, and reward careful, thoughtful environmental assessments by survivors.