Development Info BRIIIIAAAAAAANS!

[SerratedBiz]

It's all about the interaction between the survivors trapped inside the last remaining safehouse. While the game sounds like it has an awesome premise, I'm sure it will be filled with original characters such as brooding cop who's good at shooting, pretty chick who's escaped tragedy to get here, coward dude who will create at least one fuckup situation when he fails to do his job / tries to escape and old geezer who philosoraptors on the events around them but dies because he's too wise for this world.

No rly, I love zombie films and a zombie RPG in the same setting might be interesting. Considering it's not supposed to be Resident Evil and so it will focus on the interactions between people when trapped together and forced to survive. I predict one light/dark situation where you choose whether to leave coward guy to the zombies or save him.

 

[Forest Dweller]

OMG there are zombies in my Thief! It is so unserious, b-class, full of combat and atrocious writing!

Good job self-trolling yourself.

 

[bhlaab]

It's all about the interaction between the survivors trapped inside the last remaining safehouse. While the game sounds like it has an awesome premise, I'm sure it will be filled with original characters such as brooding cop who's good at shooting, pretty chick who's escaped tragedy to get here, coward dude who will create at least one fuckup situation when he fails to do his job / tries to escape and old geezer who philosoraptors on the events around them but dies because he's too wise for this world.

From the sounds of things any character can (un)die at any time if not taken care of (or you kill them on purpose)

Probably a very flexible plot.

Hell there might not be a "main" questline at all.

 

[RottingNaziSurfer]

In a realistic (and by that I mean "taking place in a version of the real world") setting the common name for the walking dead would probably turn out to be Zombies, because of pop cultural influences.

 

[SerratedBiz]

From the sounds of things any character can (un)die at any time if not taken care of (or you kill them on purpose)

Probably a very flexible plot.

Hell there might not be a "main" questline at all.

I'm skeptic as to this. Still butthurt from the days of ' X is unconscious ', which is what I expect from a game where the number of important NPCs might be reduced to those who will join you whether you like it or not and their fates determined beforehand. It would be interesting, though, getting the chance to save more people for your hideout and them not being completely scripted and the game allowing for an open-ended resolution.

 

[Pliskin]

In a realistic (and by that I mean "taking place in a version of the real world") setting the common name for the walking dead would probably turn out to be Zombies, because of pop cultural influences.

More this, actually:

 

[DarkUnderlord]

Yes, I was reading the forums and saw this fascinating idea about these creatures called zombies. They are dead people who aren't really dead (hope I'm making sense here). What a marvelous idea, thought I. I should stealzor it immediately. I even have a great title, check it out - The Night (which is awesome because it's dark and its a metaphor symbolizing the decline, get it?) of the Living Dead. Living Dead! They are dead but they are alive. Get it, get it? Much better than The Night of the Corpses.

I want to see credit appropriately given to OldSkoolKamikaze. Also stop stealing ideas from the Codex for your shitty indie games. I'm hereby advising you that the Codex will be suing for its cut of sales revenue.

 

[KreideBein]

All of the stuff you talk about there can, and from what Brian's said will, be in the game along with zombies.

The zombies are the disaster. The theme of the game is how the remaining humans deal with it and each other. As Brian said, this is a "Serious examination of a national crisis or natural disaster. Humans and a lack of order are a bigger threat than the undead. Think Hurricane Katrina, Children of Men, Dawn of the Dead NOT Resident Evil, Return of the Living Dead, zombie shooter-type games".

The main issue is that the internal dynamics are going to vary between a natural disaster like that which I mentioned and a zombie apocalypse. In the former, due to the highly limited food supply, the prospect of help coming and returning things to normal, and the lack of anything which might unify survivors in any way (since people tend to try to hurt one another less often when they're all fighting off an obvious and tangible enemy), the possibility of unscrupulous people trying to take advantage of the situation by mugging others, looting, raping, and so on is strong.

In the case of the latter scenario, though, since the entire world is threatening to collapse and survival is dubious at best, things are going to be a bit different. With a typical natural disaster, there's no external enemy and there usually isn't ongoing destruction. With a zombie disaster, though, there's a tangible enemy which is continually threatening the survival of everyone left alive. Conflict over food would still be inevitable, but killing someone to take their stuff is less likely because killing someone means that there's one more potential zombie and one less person to help fend off attacks. Basically, I'd imagine that the having zombies as the disaster would aid in galvanizing the remaining people against the zombies and avert a lot of the violence between survivors that often happens with real natural disasters.

Now, I may be vastly overestimating the extent to which people will employ logic in their decisions. It's also possible (more than possible, really) that BD will be able to still make a really great game using this setting. I'm just saying that this seems like perhaps a lost opportunity to do something both plausible and original.

 

[OSK]

I want to see credit appropriately given to OldSkoolKamikaze. Also stop stealing ideas from the Codex for your shitty indie games. I'm hereby advising you that the Codex will be suing for its cut of sales revenue.

This was an idea I was kicking around a couple years ago. It's actually eerily similar with many of their leadership/party ideas. I imagined randomly generated towns and survivors with personality traits who may disband or even attack a poor leader. It involved scrounging around for supplies while surviving zombies and dealing with other survivors. It never got any further than a sprite moving around a blank screen.

 

[Vault Dweller]

/ writes down "scrounging around for supplies, surviving zombies, sprite moving..."

It's gold, Jerry! Gold!

 

[Jinxed]

Old news, it's already been done

http://www.sigma-team.net/games/action/ ... ooter.html

 

[Longshanks]

All of the stuff you talk about there can, and from what Brian's said will, be in the game along with zombies.

The zombies are the disaster. The theme of the game is how the remaining humans deal with it and each other. As Brian said, this is a "Serious examination of a national crisis or natural disaster. Humans and a lack of order are a bigger threat than the undead. Think Hurricane Katrina, Children of Men, Dawn of the Dead NOT Resident Evil, Return of the Living Dead, zombie shooter-type games".

The main issue is that the internal dynamics are going to vary between a natural disaster like that which I mentioned and a zombie apocalypse. In the former, due to the highly limited food supply, the prospect of help coming and returning things to normal, and the lack of anything which might unify survivors in any way (since people tend to try to hurt one another less often when they're all fighting off an obvious and tangible enemy), the possibility of unscrupulous people trying to take advantage of the situation by mugging others, looting, raping, and so on is strong. In the case of the latter scenario, though, since the entire world is threatening to collapse and survival is dubious at best, things are going to be a bit different. With a typical natural disaster, there's no external enemy and there usually isn't ongoing destruction. With a zombie disaster, though, there's a tangible enemy which is continually threatening the survival of everyone left alive. Conflict over food would still be inevitable, but killing someone to take their stuff is less likely because killing someone means that there's one more potential zombie and one less person to help fend off attacks. Basically, I'd imagine that the having zombies as the disaster would aid in galvanizing the remaining people against the zombies and avert a lot of the violence between survivors that often happens with real natural disasters.

Distrust of others you suspect of being bitten? Fighting over limited resources/safe places? Conflict over the best way forward? Government agencies wanting to quarantine areas?

Mitsoda has already clearly stated that people will be more dangerous than the zombies. So, I don't think there's going to be a lack of human on human conflict. Nor do I see your point of, everything will be roses because the zombies are an external threat. Firstly, they're not exactly external, they are people with friends and relatives (eg. Young child of another family is bit/looks as if she's bit? What do you do?). Secondly, disasters like bush-fires, earthquakes, terrorist attacks seem to bring people together. This is more about their relatively short term nature and the support of those not directly affected than the threat being external or internal. A zombie attack is more ongoing, more widespread, has the added Alien-the-movie-like wariness of others, and, over time, the growing convern that help is not coming. I'm sure a scenario could be created where a zombie apocalypse brought about harmony and unity between all peoples, but it's nothing like inevitable, and certainly not at all common in the genre.

 

[MisterStone]

If this thing stays true to this announcement, I sure hope that combat doesn't just use a "hit points" system, but rather wounds. If you're going to have Zombies, then you've absolutely got to have a sophisticated damage system in place; otherwise zombies wouldn't be very challenging, eh?

Another nice thing would be that it would make melee weapon action viable without sacrificing realism (*cough* Fallout *cough*) in combat.

 

[Laeda]

Now these are good news. All the best wishes & looking forward for the role-playing indie game!

Also, reminded me of one song

In your heeeaaad, in your heeeaaad
Zoombiee, Zoombiee, Zoombie, e, e
What's in your heeeaad, in your heeeaaad
Zombie, Zombie, Zombie, e, e, e, o...

Jawohl!

 

[Double Ogre]

David Gaider made a post on the ITS forums.

Hey there!

First off, congrats on a wonderful concept. I love zombie fic (the Walking Dead is one of my favorite comic book series), and this sounds like it could be a lot of fun!

Not knowing much about what you're planning, I personally would just like to throw in my two cents on the sort of thing I'd like to see. The shelter, to me, is where the most dramatic potential lies. Sure you have the whole survival aspect, needing to get enough food and ammo and water and so forth -- that's all fine and well. But I love the idea of being stuck in a shelter, potentially with people that you will have to manage carefully. These are probably ordinary people pushed to their limits and beyond, some perhaps even a little crazy (or very much so). Imagine having to pass time not only dealing with basic survival, but dealing with personality conflicts that slowly develop and just keeping people busy.

I imagine some people couldn't picture how that could be turn-based, but I could. You manage time in phases, and as each night passes plots could slowly develop based on who you've recruited. You need these people to help you survive, but some of them may grow to hate each other. Some may have needs, like going into some building to look for a loved one. Some may have dreadful phobias or just hanging on by a thread. How you deal with these people will affect how the others see you. What do you do with the crazy guy who may be a threat? What if one of the people you need is a nurse who just feels sorry for the guy and doesn't want to see him hurt? What if there are people in your group who think that some rival group of survivors offers them a better chance at survival? What about the possibilities for romance? (Yes, I know, what are the odds of me suggesting that? Still, if two people are going to cling to each other in any situation...)

Anyhow, looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Consider me giddy with excitement.

Dave

 

[bat_boro]

Quick, Codex, corner him on the ITS forums, he's got nowhere to hide now!

 

[Quilty]

I know Gaydar means well, but I still want to punch him anyway.

 

[Shannow]

As for the virus bit, I suppose there is nothing inherently corny in that, but I hate the way it is usually presented. I am thinking in particular of the movie I Am Legend, but it is usually a case of humans "playing God" and tampering with things they're not meant to tamper with, thus opening Pandora's Box and fucking the world. I hate that theme. But it's also unrealstic. Scientists have every reason to make sure their drugs are safe. It's not like they're bumbling idiots who recklessly plunge into things without knowing what they're doing. In all honesty, I believe my alien meddling situation, as far-fetched as it is, is more likely to cause a zombie infection than a man-made virus.

Hate to burst your bubble.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_Tes ... _test_site
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW5An5u2U70
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray#History (most of who died of cancer later)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geneticall ... troversies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceut ... tal_impact
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_re ... f_interest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_f ... of_science
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_pollution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_warfare
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanista ... _civil_war
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hus ... nst_Qassim

I could go on and on and on...

Otherwise I like your concept But it has the same weakness any non-supernatural zombie setting has: Why don't the zombies attack each other. If it is a virus that lets them go berzerk (28 days later) why not attack everything, including each other. If this parasite of yours makes them go berzerk through pain why are they only (primarily) a danger to normal humans...?

 

[Forest Dweller]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_Test_Site#Cancer_and_test_site

<blockquote>In 1982, a lawsuit brought by nearly 1,200 people accused the government of negligence in atomic weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site in the 1950's, which they said had caused leukemia and other cancers.</blockquote>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray#History (most of who died of cancer later)

I was never denying that harmful effects don't occur from new technologies/discoveries. But in this instance and most others the benefits far outweigh the downsides.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food_controversies

<blockquote>A 2008 review published by the Royal Society of Medicine noted that GM foods have been eaten by millions of people worldwide for over 15 years, with no reports of ill effects.</blockquote>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_drug#Environmental_impact

Who gives a shit about the environment? People saying that it's a serious concern are simply the modern doomsday activists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_pollution

That has nothing to do with scientific discoveries. Pollution is simply a natural by-product of modern industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_warfare

Those hurt people because that's what it's intended to do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW5An5u2U70
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_re ... f_interest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_f ... of_science
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanista ... _civil_war
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hus ... nst_Qassim

Not sure what you're going for with these.

Otherwise I like your concept But it has the same weakness any non-supernatural zombie setting has: Why don't the zombies attack each other. If it is a virus that lets them go berzerk (28 days later) why not attack everything, including each other. If this parasite of yours makes them go berzerk through pain why are they only (primarily) a danger to normal humans...?

Why indeed? I never said that they weren't. Yes, they would attack each other as well. As I said before, the primary danger to humans initially would be infection, not violence.

 

[Gragt]

David Gaider made a post on the ITS forums.

Ah, he can post lulz on ITS and not me!

 

[Shannow]

Dick, you don't seem to be able to get a picture. Pro tip: combine the information I provided and in that light review your perception of how "realistic" scientists fucking up and releasing a virus they cannot control is. I was about to take you by the hand and walk you through every link and what it signifies/suggests/implies but I really can't be arsed. IIRC from GD, you're quite resistant to education and knowledge that goes past your horizon so I'll call it a day and let you figure it out for yourself. Sry, if this sounds snobbish.

 

[Lyesmith]

Interesting.

Surely psychological impact of apocalyptic events on humans and society, could be shown without zombies, monsters or such. McCarthy's 'The Road' comes to mind.

But I suppose, it'd be less fun, without chance to blow some heads off. More public appeling.

 

[Mr. Teatime]

Zombie romance might be interesting. Society calls it necrophilia. But do you feel it's love?

 

[SerratedBiz]

Interesting.

Surely psychological impact of apocalyptic events on humans and society, could be shown without zombies, monsters or such. McCarthy's 'The Road' comes to mind.

But I suppose, it'd be less fun, without chance to blow some heads off. More public appeling.

It might be interesting in the context of a book, where the main character is someone else than you. However, once you start role-playing the role-playing game, you'd eventually ask yourself why you can't go outside and look the boogeyman in the eye.

 

[RottingNaziSurfer]

Zombie romance might be interesting. Society calls it necrophilia. But do you feel it's love?

Tom Smith's 'Zombie Pirates in Love'

You've heard of Captain Blackbeard,
How he had a dozen wives,
Well, we've got something more weird,
And it's surely changed our lives.
You may not think us gentle or kind,
But we're all gallant swains,
We admire a lady for her mind,
Or more precisely her BRAINZ!

Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love,
We used to be normal buccaneers
Till those lights came from above,
Our ship met a glowing fog one night,
And we came out with an appetite
For human flesh, if it's Miss Right...
Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love.

We've got that rakish swagger,
And we've got that roguish charm,
We've got that bug-eyed stagger,
And we've got somebody's arm.
Now, you may think you're faster
Than a zombie on a boat
But all we need's a pastor
And you're Mrs. Undead Cutthroat.

Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love,
We may be dead, but we'll be wed
When pushing comes to shove,
Come on, me beauty, take a chance
On eternal love and true romance,
At the wedding we'll do the Thriller dance....
Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love.

Our honeymoon will be a terror
Of connubial bliss
For no bride's mother can prepare her
For a night like this,
In matrimony holy
Our bones will groan and creak
And if we both chew slowly
We could make it last all week.

So let's hear all the cannons roar and
Let's all celebrate.
Raise the Jolly Roger, Corman,
I've acquired a mate.
You'll be my wife long after life,
You'll always have my heart,
We'll keep love fresh with living flesh
Until we fall apart.

Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love,
We'll roam the sea eternally,
My rotting turtle dove,
It's not the life you might have had,
But zombie pirating ain't all bad,
And I can't wait to eat -- meet! your mom and dad --
Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love.
Zombie pirates in love, yo ho!
Zombie pirates in love.
Yo, ho, yo, ho, we're zombie pirates in love!