Section8
Cipher
Overview
All characters have Needs, and these are key variables that decrement unless the character devotes effort toward satisfying them, or avoids conflicting them. For NPCs, these represent a simple range of factors to drive sensible behaviours. A NPC whose need for food is not being satisfied will engage in activities to satisfy that need, or ensure it will be satisfied at an appropriate time. For PCs, these encourage the achievement of procedural goals based on negative reinforcement when Needs fail to be met. To draw parallels with the standard RPG model, Needs are like an internal quest giver, and the motivating "reward" is continued existence - ''get food, or you will die''.
Related Functions
In addition to tracking individual Needs, the Needs of the community are also tracked as Resources. Put simply, Resources represent the community's potential to satisfy the Needs of the whole, and drive communal goals. More on this later.
Thirdly, the game also introduces Desires, which represent more explicit Needs requiring no ongoing attention. Instead, Desires ask that the character fulfill specific (and generally unfavourable) requirements, or incur increasingly negative consequences for inaction. Unlike Needs, Desires can be also be overcome by (specific) means contrary to fulfillment. Again, more on this in it's own topic.
Last of all, Addiction is also a possibility. Partaking of physically addicting substances, or the over-stimulus of an enjoyable activity can result in an ongoing Need beyond the scope of convention. Once again, more later.
Needs
This is basically a copypasta of the design wiki, so I can explain further if none of that makes sense. So what do people think? I can already sense some hostility toward the idea of "Sims-like" bars and micromanagement - which I want to avoid, while still preserving the overall concept.
All characters have Needs, and these are key variables that decrement unless the character devotes effort toward satisfying them, or avoids conflicting them. For NPCs, these represent a simple range of factors to drive sensible behaviours. A NPC whose need for food is not being satisfied will engage in activities to satisfy that need, or ensure it will be satisfied at an appropriate time. For PCs, these encourage the achievement of procedural goals based on negative reinforcement when Needs fail to be met. To draw parallels with the standard RPG model, Needs are like an internal quest giver, and the motivating "reward" is continued existence - ''get food, or you will die''.
Related Functions
In addition to tracking individual Needs, the Needs of the community are also tracked as Resources. Put simply, Resources represent the community's potential to satisfy the Needs of the whole, and drive communal goals. More on this later.
Thirdly, the game also introduces Desires, which represent more explicit Needs requiring no ongoing attention. Instead, Desires ask that the character fulfill specific (and generally unfavourable) requirements, or incur increasingly negative consequences for inaction. Unlike Needs, Desires can be also be overcome by (specific) means contrary to fulfillment. Again, more on this in it's own topic.
Last of all, Addiction is also a possibility. Partaking of physically addicting substances, or the over-stimulus of an enjoyable activity can result in an ongoing Need beyond the scope of convention. Once again, more later.
Needs
- Sustenance - This is a catchall for hunger and thirst, and represents the character's Need for physical nourishment. With sufficient neglect of this need, Primary Stats being to suffer temporary penalties. A significant degree of neglect will result in permanent damage to Primary Stats. A critical, life-threatening neglect will drive the character to acts of depravity and psychosis in the form of Desires until the Need is satisfied.
- Social Interaction - Though a character's need for Social Interaction is broadly variable, all characters who have any degree of respect for their sanity will have to engage in social activity. Neglect of this need doesn't incur stat penalties, but will introduce Desires based on psychological compulsions
- Security - In a strange and hostile environment, it's important for characters to feel as though they're not under constant threat of harm. Hostility toward the character runs contrary to this need, and significantly affects this Need, however a simple awareness of factors is enough to satisfy this need. A character who feels safe in the knowledge of an ally's combat skill will be reassured as long as the ally is nearby. A character may have similar feelings for a six inch thick steel door. Slight insecurities affect all skills. Significant insecurities will create Desires that may not be logical.
- Relaxation - It's not easy, but even in a horrific gameworld, rest is essential, and this Need represents the importance of recuperation and extra-curricular activities beyond a character's regular "workday." Without adequate rest, Primary Stats temporarily suffer. Significant neglect of this need will trigger strange Desires, and in extreme cases, unconsciousness.
- Erstwhile Nature - As recovering amnesiacs, all character will begin to remember their previous selves, and feel compulsion toward what was once familiar to them. Even if the character is a pillar of good deeds in their current incarnation, their previous life as a savage murderer is likely to haunt and conflict them. A neglect of this Need introduces Desires to act consistently with recovered memories, and therefore introduce narrative events to redeem or repeal the deeds of a character's Erstwhile Self.
This is basically a copypasta of the design wiki, so I can explain further if none of that makes sense. So what do people think? I can already sense some hostility toward the idea of "Sims-like" bars and micromanagement - which I want to avoid, while still preserving the overall concept.
