0.A Stable SDL: Morale and NPC spawn

Ebon_Kitsune · 2014-05-02T12:09:18.000Z

0.8 Stable
SDL
Win 7

Not sure if either of these are by design, but…

Morale seems to be extremely steep for killing NPCs, with “Killed Innocent” easily dropping to -300 or more if you’re particularly malevolent toward NPCs. This value does not return to normal very easily, either, taking several days to drop even a few points. While entirely justifiable that a person would feel bad about killing another survivor, the morale penalty seems to be the same, even having killed dozens of NPCs, for whatever reason.

This brings me to the second issue I’ve found. NPCs seem to be able to spawn in or wander into a fortified shelter… Obviously your home is your castle and intruders must be dealt with, so slaughter ensues, which creates a vicious cycle of constantly getting more and more depressed about killing innocents.

ID404-NotFound · 2014-09-17T11:46:10.000Z

I would like to bring up this topic again.

It would be neat to make a change that a character constantly killing NPCs will eventually be numbed by it (either becoming neutral to NPC death, or having trouble gaining any positive or negative morale, due to stunted emotions)

It is also annoying that after finding an NPC in my LMOE shelter’s bed, dealing with him, moving his body/things out, I FIND ANOTHER ONE IN MY BEDROOM WITH A GUN POINTED AT ME >:(

Barhandar · 2014-09-17T12:10:43.000Z

[quote=“ID404-NotFound, post:2, topic:6008”]I would like to bring up this topic again.

It would be neat to make a change that a character constantly killing NPCs will eventually be numbed by it (either becoming neutral to NPC death, or having trouble gaining any positive or negative morale, due to stunted emotions)

It is also annoying that after finding an NPC in my LMOE shelter’s bed, dealing with him, moving his body/things out, I FIND ANOTHER ONE IN MY BEDROOM WITH A GUN POINTED AT ME >:([/quote]
Maybe doing immoral actions like murder of survivors eventually resulting in you gaining ‘Psychopath’ trait?

Also, use traps. Nothing discouraging theft and burglary more than a landmine.

Coolthulhu · 2014-09-17T17:30:12.000Z

You don’t get a psychopath trait, but every time you kill the same type of target you get less morale penalty.
I think it drops to 0 once you gain 100 kills. Easiest to notice when killing zombie children, because they’re just so plentiful.

ID404-NotFound · 2014-09-17T20:53:18.000Z

I’d like more of the discussion leaning towards how NPCs are spawning all over

KA101 · 2014-09-18T03:38:22.000Z

ID404-NotFound:

I’d like more of the discussion leaning towards how NPCs are spawning all over

Random NPCs default to OFF for a very good reason. I’m in favor of removing them from the game.

Snaaty · 2014-09-18T12:36:58.000Z

Noo, don’t remove them from the game!

In my opinion we need merely two things in order to ‘fix’ the worst tings about random NPCs:

a reliable way of preventing them from taking your stuff. Ideally you could say: “this is my stuff, if you take it, I attack you”(same goes for NPCs, of course, but for now easily lockable furniture would suffice (crates are good, but not for everyday stuff you need often.
a way to make random NPCs less of a binary case, meaning either they’re loot pinatas (because they don’t have a gun) or they are the random unavoidable death, as soon as they’ve decided that they don’t like you and start blasting you with their makeshift flamethrower.

I am not sure how to fix 2), perhaps give all NPCs a (small?) gun, so they can defend themselves, while at the same time making them smarter and more reluctant to blow away every squirrel they see?

detahramet · 2014-09-18T14:10:47.000Z

[quote=“ID404-NotFound, post:2, topic:6008”]I would like to bring up this topic again.

It would be neat to make a change that a character constantly killing NPCs will eventually be numbed by it (either becoming neutral to NPC death, or having trouble gaining any positive or negative morale, due to stunted emotions)[/quote]
Of they do. You just have to kill 100 of them to be numbed to killing that particular thing.
Kill 100 Zildren, and you wont get the minor morale penalty for it.
A worthwhile use for all those LAWs you find just lawing around at camp sites.

Barhandar · 2014-09-18T14:11:19.000Z

Snaaty:

I am not sure how to fix 2), perhaps give all NPCs a (small?) gun, so they can defend themselves, while at the same time making them smarter and more reluctant to blow away every squirrel they see?

Maybe every NPC starts out with makeshift weapon or personal defense gun, and then it’s whatever they find (or are emulated ‘finding’)? Sorta like AI-controlled survivors minus actual maintenance of things.

KA101:

Random NPCs default to OFF for a very good reason. I’m in favor of removing them from the game.

I’d rather not, they’re pretty fun. Just leave them a default-off option and it’s fine.

Snaaty · 2014-09-19T09:14:20.000Z

Also, static NPCs suffer from another thing:

If you are able to kill them (=they have no decent weapon), you can easily aggravate them by repeatedly threatening them to kill them unless they join your group. At some point they turn hostile and you can easily kill them and grab their loot.

I do like that “feature”, but for balance reasons, they should probably just stop talking to you, instead of going aggressive.