User talk:Velancious

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My non-SH game idea
Got this idea after observing the evolution of the zombie genre. My vision for a game would be set in it's own universe. Storylines would vary and none of them would really be anything to write home about, but the main appeal would be the customizeable gameplay. "Sim zombie apocalypse" if you will.

Imagine a 3D first or third person zombie game with much of the old X-COM type mechanics. Main areas would be pre-designed, with randomized environments in lesser destinations. A certain number of randomized environments could be "bookmarked" if you decided you wanted to return to them later.

Survivors could be found and integrated into your "survivor posse". Each survivor would have different professions and skill levels. A few examples would be soldiers, scientists, engineers, doctors, construction workers. Soldiers would help with combat and security enforcement. Scientists would help in the development of tech and prototypes. Engineers help in the construction of items and structure durability. So on and so forth.

Survivor politics would also play a part. Each one would have a trust rating for you and for various groups. Some people may not trust soldiers for example. Different policies you enact (if you're the defacto leader at the time) will alter your trust level. If you say that only soldiers can have guns, and you'll lose trust with most other people, especially if they don't trust soldiers. Lose enough trust, and someone may start a coup. If you don't want to bother with trust, you could maintain control with fear, but then if a person's bravery and morale is high enough, they may still make an attempt.

You could set up base in pre-existing structures or, with the right personel, create a structure from the ground up. Different structural elements varying between walls and fully functional rooms would be available. Each element can eventually be torn down.

Zombies would be variable. The main point would be to give them randomized attributes so that you enter the situation not knowing what to expect, but there'd also be the option to pre-define certain variables if you want your enemies a certain way. Some examples would be:
 * Source of zombification: virus, universal zombifier, magic, chemical spill etc.
 * Potency of zombification: the chance of a person becoming a zombie when the conditions are met.
 * Durability of zombie: normal human, durable human, gotta cut off the head, immolation, or has to be completely annihilated, and anywhere in between.
 * Speed of zombie: classic slow, normal human, or crack addict
 * Physics realism: realistic, Hollywood, or balls-to-the-wall ridiculous.

Resolution of the story depends on which variables are active. A virus epidemic could be resolved with scientists and doctors creating a cure. A crashed probe source could be resolved by destroying the probe (wouldn't be an easy task). If you wanted a quick game, you could even set up a scenario in which you just have to survive the night holed up somewhere. If you so choose, you don't even have to resolve it, just continue existing in the post apocalyptic society you created.

I know it's not quite SH related, and there are many differences in our ideas, but I figured there were enough points of commonality and scope that we may both get inspiration from one another. I'm sure I left some stuff out though... -- Shoggoth1890 09:48, May 14, 2011 (UTC)


 * How about Resident Evil Outbreak File #3? In Outbreak, you have preset characters like David (the handyman) and Cindy (the healer) instead of custom sims. It'd be online, and you could chat using the microphone or type with the keyboard. There'd be a limit of 4-5 players instead of one huge world like WoW so that you could become friends with other people. Personally if I made a zombie game, I'd place the appeal not on customizing but more on survival, coop and teamwork. Though creating your own Outbreak characters would be pretty sweet. — Alex Shepherd   ツ  16:21, May 14, 2011 (UTC)
 * Main idea behind mine was more of a focus on survival and social structure (teamwork) as well. I guess I forgot to mention that the primary mode would be using randomized variables, so that you don't know what kind of zombie rules you'll be facing.  Customization would be there as an option, preferably only unlocked after completion of 1 randomized playthrough or a set scenario.  Scavaging and using what you can find would also play a big part.  Even though the game was a flop, Trespasser got my hopes up for a "use anything not bolted down" style play.  The video game for John Carpenter's The Thing got the hopes up for the trust system, although their mechanics ended up being very superficial.  A multiplayer zombie game can be fun, but I don't want to see singleplayer games get pushed to the side either.  Although truly great games can maintain a player base for many years, the reliance on someone else needing to be there can be a turnoff to many players. -- Shoggoth1890 17:13, May 14, 2011 (UTC)