A more immersive survival experience
Posted: September 16th, 2022, 6:20 pm
As of this moment, the survival aspect of this zombie apocalypse survival server is in my opinion simply not up to par considering the in-character setting we RP in. I'd like to propose some suggestions that would change that and make for a more challenging but rewarding experience in DSRP.
1. Infections
Right now, infections are not being taken seriously because the infection game mechanic in DSRP is not a serious threat. In a setting like this, someone being bit or scratched would immediately raise concerns from not only the infected, but also those around the infected individual that are aware of the bite. Immediate actions would need to be taken as to whether the infected person would be put down or exiled, or if they should be immediately taken to the nearest doctor available.
That does not happen IG. People who get infected continue to play infected without RPing the consequences. People continue to run straight into zombie infested areas without any concern, keep themselves alive with a healthy dose of fish fingers and milk, and carry on as if nothing happened. Then they go to a doctor in Scarville or Ilyansk to get an easy /cure, often by mods or admins that never RP'd obtaining the antidote in the first place.
I suggest we increase the severity of infections by implementing some or all of the following features:
a. Food and water no longer prevents your HP from dropping when infected. First aid kits do not work on you; you cannot heal. You have a set amount of time while your health bar continues to deplete to figure out what to do. You are essentially a ticking time bomb.
b. As the infection spreads and your HP reaches below a certain threshold, you begin to see physical effects of the virus; at one point, you can no longer sprint or run. Or perhaps your vision gets blurred and your screen begins to shake.
c. Admins/mods should not be able to /cure without an RP reason. Or better yet, they should not be able to /cure at all.
d. Reduce the amount of antidotes available to IC doctors.
To mitigate this, we can also implement some of these features to make infections a *little* less annoying:
a. Allow IC doctors to slow the infection for a bit using medication on hand (painkillers, antibiotics, beta blockers) that would slow the virus, but not completely stop it. This would help encourage more doctor RP and give them something to do that's more involved than a simple quick /cure RP. Essentially, this encourages more in-patient medical RP over boring and quick out-patient stuff.
b. Reduce the probability of infection when being bit by a zombie.
c. This would take a lot more work and scripting, but maybe introduce a sneak game mechanic so people can sneak up on zombies and kill them stealthily?
2. Gunfire
This suggestion is entirely dependent on what people think a 'zombie' should be, but in almost every depiction of a zombie apocalypse in movies, TV and literature... zombies can hear. If you shoot a gun out in the wild, you SHOULD be concerned about attracting zombies to your location. Using stealth to AVOID zombie encounters should be the #1 option; #2 should be disposing of zombies quietly using melee weapons, or a silenced pistol. Pulling out your AK47 to mow down zombies indiscriminately should be a last resort.
That's why I think we should implement a game mechanic that alerts zombies (both NPC and player) AND humans to your location if you fire a weapon that's not silenced. Something like a map marker appearing briefly at your location within a certain radius.
Another proposal would be to spawn NPC zombies in the distance and have them immediately run toward the location. This can be either probability-based (a set % chance to spawn a zombie after firing a gun) or based on how often you fire your weapon... or both!
I really think this (and perhaps other changes) would make for a more engaging and immersive roleplay experience in our setting, and provide more RP. This can also provide opportunities for creative roleplay surrounding the virus and zombies; maybe we see scientists and researchers pop up trying to reverse engineer more cures... or perhaps even engineer a more potent virus? Maybe we see more players decide to play as zombies. Might even see a certain fanatic zombie-worshipping cult come out of the woodworks... ya never know!
I hate to say it, but the current meta is essentially nothing more than a loot grinder. All that being said, these are major changes to how the game is played so it is something that the entire community should decide on, if management is okay with it first.
Let me know what you guys think!
1. Infections
Right now, infections are not being taken seriously because the infection game mechanic in DSRP is not a serious threat. In a setting like this, someone being bit or scratched would immediately raise concerns from not only the infected, but also those around the infected individual that are aware of the bite. Immediate actions would need to be taken as to whether the infected person would be put down or exiled, or if they should be immediately taken to the nearest doctor available.
That does not happen IG. People who get infected continue to play infected without RPing the consequences. People continue to run straight into zombie infested areas without any concern, keep themselves alive with a healthy dose of fish fingers and milk, and carry on as if nothing happened. Then they go to a doctor in Scarville or Ilyansk to get an easy /cure, often by mods or admins that never RP'd obtaining the antidote in the first place.
I suggest we increase the severity of infections by implementing some or all of the following features:
a. Food and water no longer prevents your HP from dropping when infected. First aid kits do not work on you; you cannot heal. You have a set amount of time while your health bar continues to deplete to figure out what to do. You are essentially a ticking time bomb.
b. As the infection spreads and your HP reaches below a certain threshold, you begin to see physical effects of the virus; at one point, you can no longer sprint or run. Or perhaps your vision gets blurred and your screen begins to shake.
c. Admins/mods should not be able to /cure without an RP reason. Or better yet, they should not be able to /cure at all.
d. Reduce the amount of antidotes available to IC doctors.
To mitigate this, we can also implement some of these features to make infections a *little* less annoying:
a. Allow IC doctors to slow the infection for a bit using medication on hand (painkillers, antibiotics, beta blockers) that would slow the virus, but not completely stop it. This would help encourage more doctor RP and give them something to do that's more involved than a simple quick /cure RP. Essentially, this encourages more in-patient medical RP over boring and quick out-patient stuff.
b. Reduce the probability of infection when being bit by a zombie.
c. This would take a lot more work and scripting, but maybe introduce a sneak game mechanic so people can sneak up on zombies and kill them stealthily?
2. Gunfire
This suggestion is entirely dependent on what people think a 'zombie' should be, but in almost every depiction of a zombie apocalypse in movies, TV and literature... zombies can hear. If you shoot a gun out in the wild, you SHOULD be concerned about attracting zombies to your location. Using stealth to AVOID zombie encounters should be the #1 option; #2 should be disposing of zombies quietly using melee weapons, or a silenced pistol. Pulling out your AK47 to mow down zombies indiscriminately should be a last resort.
That's why I think we should implement a game mechanic that alerts zombies (both NPC and player) AND humans to your location if you fire a weapon that's not silenced. Something like a map marker appearing briefly at your location within a certain radius.
Another proposal would be to spawn NPC zombies in the distance and have them immediately run toward the location. This can be either probability-based (a set % chance to spawn a zombie after firing a gun) or based on how often you fire your weapon... or both!
I really think this (and perhaps other changes) would make for a more engaging and immersive roleplay experience in our setting, and provide more RP. This can also provide opportunities for creative roleplay surrounding the virus and zombies; maybe we see scientists and researchers pop up trying to reverse engineer more cures... or perhaps even engineer a more potent virus? Maybe we see more players decide to play as zombies. Might even see a certain fanatic zombie-worshipping cult come out of the woodworks... ya never know!
I hate to say it, but the current meta is essentially nothing more than a loot grinder. All that being said, these are major changes to how the game is played so it is something that the entire community should decide on, if management is okay with it first.
Let me know what you guys think!