Post by HilitedDrake in Content Suggestions

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I have an idea for a time based event. In most survival games, for example, project zomboid, nature starts to retake civilization after the collapse. Buildings turn to rubble, grass grows, roads crack. What if something similar happens in the narrative where the blue mold you encounter in the bunker starts to overtake some parts of the world. It can build tension, though I can see how it can become a tedious thing to deal with, especially if you struggle with maintaining your needs.

I was thinking this event would happen late into the game where (depending on luck) you’ll have plenty of Zanthrozia, elastinups, etc to keep you going. How does day 100 sound?

captainstupids19 days ago

There are a few events that can only happen after a few days (25, if I remember right), at least one in the bunker, though more are indeed planned.

AzureDragoon19 days ago

25 daysseems a little excessive. Not impossible, but it means most of the special events are hidden. I'm lucky to make it to 20 without constant save scumming.

Also, it may help to have a more static time cycle of 4 hour increments. Takes out some of the RNG of how much time some events take.

We could have Midnight, Early Morning, Morning, Noon, Afternoon, Evening.

Midnight goes from 10 PM to 2 AM. Early Morning is 2 AM to 6 AM. Morning is 6 AM to 10 AM. Noon is 10 AM to 2 Pm. Afternoon is 2 PM to 6 PM. And Evening completes the cycle at 6 PM to 10 PM.

Each "Time Segment" takes one action, regardless of what you do. Bars are still affected normally by actions taken within that segment. Sleep doesn't even need to be changed because you can still sleep for 8 hours by doing it twice in a row.

HilitedDrake17 days ago

I don’t think the time frame for special events to start appearing isnt excessive. Some of these events are hard to deal with and could definitely soft lock you. Also, this game at the moment, is made for save scumming.

I do like the idea of having time frames and each frame only taking one action. I’m not a fan with current exploring mechanic. You can spend 6-8 hours out exploring and come back with literally one thing.

Can’t wait for the next update to come, especially if it has proper caravans/merchants where we can sell multiple items—the item stash bloat is not ideal.

captainstupids17 days ago

That’s a neat idea. It would be a pretty simple change to just have everything take four hours. I’m not sure what it would do to balance, and I’d probably leave in the legacy system of clock ticks, but it might help make things easier.

The biggest risk to changing mechanics is just that it’s not adding content. I’ve been lazy/busy and haven’t written the last two encounters.

As for save scumming, I was leaning pretty hard into the roguelike ‘lose often’ style. If the early game isn’t enjoyable then maybe I’ll have to try and add some one-time things at the start to move people along faster or do some kind of new game+.

HilitedDrake17 days ago

well we all have different ways of playing. Artist intended audience versus actual audience. I mostly play to see how big my character gets, and loosing all the process is kinda annoying. I don’t save the game every time a day passes, my first save usually takes place 5-10 days in when I have enough batteries, Z-packs, and other items to continue my run.

I by no means save scum when I can’t ignore the slop in basement. I usually go with what the flow. However, I’ll say playing as Female B is slightly harder than A because B character doesn’t show signs of fatigue (like laying down). While of course I can just look down at the moodlet bars, it’s a consistency error.

AzureDragoon17 days ago

In this particular case, I don't think there's a huge shift to the balance. Most events are already around 4 hours to begin with. The Laboratory would probably need to be limited to 4 actions though, to better represent the passage of time for looking around and making chemicals.

You're still right the, on its own it doesn't introduce content. On the other hand, Momo's farm might be closed down at night. Maybe you'll sneak in and surprise her at night for a new event. Perhaps there's a group of bandits who only roam at night to avoid the more bloated ones who would relentlessly blow you up without negotiation. Maybe the market you can access changes based on daytime/nighttime hours? Lots of potential gets opened up by having time-based events.

It's not that the early game isn't enjoyable, it's just that getting a lot of progress is extremely difficult. Especially if you still want to keep yourself fully infected for not dealing with food. And with how some success rates are calculated, the difficulty tends to ramp a little quickly.

captainstupids17 days ago

Oh, there are a few time-of-day locked events, and I don’t mean just dream-based ones.

Perhaps more food for the early game would be useful.

itch.io

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