Experimental Features: Zombie slave derail

[system]

Well I prefer Pack Zombie, since that all it is for. Calling it a slave would mean that it would do more shit for you, like tending your plants or other things that require thought. I think for slaves we should wait until npc’s are improved enough to actually be able to follow commands. I have a few ideas for how an npc could be made a slave, but this isn’t the topic for that.

[KA101]

[quote=“Turtlicious, post:82, topic:6900”]everyone wanted to jump on because “Fuck yeah slavery.”

Personally i “jumped on” because of habbit of calling things their actual names. Zombies are same “humanity level” with imbeciles, Down’s syndrome victims, mentally challenged and Jennifer Psaki. Even more, few days ago Zombies were normal ordinary people. So, creating a slave from them is still a slavery. And personally i don’t understand, why do you think, that it is allright as long, as we CALL it some other way.
If you do not “support” it, don’t make slaves. If you make them - don’t lie to yourself.

Still, i think possibility to name them would be better afterwards, especially when we’ll get ability to domesticate animals and create own robots.[/quote]

Careful how you restrict the definition of “humanity”.

[Blaze]

Someone tell me: Is the “Zlave” an entry in the monster.json? Can’t each individual edit it to their liking?

Because sheesh, I once posted a mod where you could make a zombie into a horn by ripping off its limbs and attaching a taser that could be activated by remote control and I never caught anywhere near this much flak.

[KA101]

quote="Kevin Granade, post:95, topic:6900"
Uh, I haven’t tested vs zombie masters, it may well un-enslave them with it’s ability.[/quote]

Just checked. Masters can’t touch special-zed zlaves, and when one promoted a zed slave, the resulting spitter retained its zlave flag. So that’s another area we could improve: the rapid mutation from a Zombie Master should free the zombie slaves*, IMO. A Necro might not as that just accelerates existing regen, which the slaving process mutilates around.

*Ironic.

[kevin.granade]

I’m in favor of having masters and necros free the slaves.

[RadaRadaRada]

I too would prefer a two-word name to another (imo, dumb) z-name.

Z-Name might look dumb, but it becomes convenient then you need to name animal zombie specials (“Zombear Master” or “Zombear Brute”).

[Reaper]

Zombie slave

DDA goes to full shit. What next? Personal zombie army? ..and slaves for what? You can construct moving house from sticks and duct tape.

[IcedPee]

[quote=“Reaper, post:107, topic:6900”]

Zombie slave

DDA goes to full shit. What next? Personal zombie army?[/quote]

It is optional, you know.

..and slaves for what? You can construct moving house from sticks and duct tape.

Fun?

My personal opinion on this ‘controversy’:

I like the idea of this addition. This is a nice addition that actually adds a new dynamic to the game, with drawbacks and also strategies. I’m definitely hyped for the next stable so I can actually use it. I see how the name “zlave” could put people off, but ultimately DDA is left up to your imagination as to the properties of creatures and whatnot.

Reminder: You can always quickly hop into .json if you want to change the name.

[Belteshazzar]

[quote=“Reaper, post:107, topic:6900”]

Zombie slave

DDA goes to full shit. What next? Personal zombie army?
…and slaves for what? You can construct moving house from sticks and duct tape.[/quote]

Personally I’m hoping people get killed when their ‘safe’ zombie mutates ways around their binding spontaneously while they are sleeping and murders them, or walks off with their stuff… or worse, learned how to use said stuff from having watched the PC for so long.

Better yet, some apocalypse maddened NPCs decide they are a new Dr. Frankenstien and build a REAL zombie army (instead of a stumbling nutered shopping cart) to rule the wasteland with and chase down the player.

It’s a stupid idea, not because it cannot be done, but because it’s dangerous, sociopathic as hell and should probably end in a gory, hubris splattered death as they are ripped apart by their own creations.

[KA101]

I’m in favor of having masters and necros free the slaves.

If you wanna say that necros can forced-rebuild the mutilations, sure. Folks might have issues with that because necromancers can’t rez pulped corpses, but the idea is that the goo’s still in there. I’ve no objection.

[kilozombie]

[quote=“Reaper, post:107, topic:6900”]

Zombie slave

DDA goes to full shit. What next? Personal zombie army?
…and slaves for what? You can construct moving house from sticks and duct tape.[/quote]

You should moderate /r/CDDAcirclejerk.

Read the fucking thread before making a horrible, pointless post without any actual information.

[mwswimmer]

The lore say’s that the goo uses living things as hosts right, and if the Z slave or whatever you prefer to call it has it’s arms or lower jaw chopped off can the goo slowly leek out over time inhabiting living things in the surrounding area. That way you have some penalties for have a walking supply train, maybe the things the goo inhabits could be telepathic and try and find its way back to the original host, The one you have as a z’slave. Just musing on my part what do y’all thing

[Nathan]

The lore say’s that the goo uses living things as hosts right, and if the Z slave or whatever you prefer to call it has it’s arms or lower jaw chopped off can the goo slowly leek out over time inhabiting living things in the surrounding area. That way you have some penalties for have a walking supply train, maybe the things the goo inhabits could be telepathic and try and find its way back to the original host, The one you have as a z’slave. Just musing on my part what do y’all thing

It is already pervasive throughout the environment, the more likely thing is that said zombie will eventually grow tentacles and attack you with them. While I don’t particularly see this as useful(or in any way safe or smart) to do, I do share gryph’s hope for some eventual robot helpers from this.

[mwswimmer]

true, i just don’t want a mile long supply train think it would be a little op but hell im all for capturing a zombie naming him Alfred and having him serve me champagne

[kevin.granade]

My main problems with fast spontaneous regeneration:

1. Screws the player, it’s a hard game, but it’s a pretty damn fair one.
2. Can you prevent it?
   2.a if no, why not? It seems reasonable to just touch up your mutilation work from time to time.
   2.b if yes, why aren’t you just doing it automatically? Just to add a hassle and catch the player out if they miss it?

I propose zombie slaves regenerating over time if abandoned, not even very long, a week should do it. This would be both fair and easy to implement. Otherwise we assume any touching up that needs doing happens in the background, it’s like keeping a bonzai tree.

[mwswimmer]

that’s smart i totally agree with you perfect analogy bonzai tree mind if i use that from time to time… Screw it ima use it whatever your answer.

[Nathan]

[quote=“Kevin Granade, post:115, topic:6900”]My main problems with fast spontaneous regeneration:

1. Screws the player, it’s a hard game, but it’s a pretty damn fair one.
2. Can you prevent it?
   2.a if no, why not? It seems reasonable to just touch up your mutilation work from time to time.
   2.b if yes, why aren’t you just doing it automatically? Just to add a hassle and catch the player out if they miss it?

I propose zombie slaves regenerating over time if abandoned, not even very long, a week should do it. This would be both fair and easy to implement. Otherwise we assume any touching up that needs doing happens in the background, it’s like keeping a bonzai tree.[/quote]

From a game mechanics perspective certainly, being able to break free and attack the player makes the mechanic something that would never be used, but that has to be reconciled with the lore, which does state that low levels of trauma provoke growth, and that mutation can be rapid. I’d suggest making abandoned zombies become enhanced varieties, but then thats gameable for the ones that drop good stuff.

[Reaper]

Fun?

Really? Surviving - is fun. Epic losing - is fun. Playing with death - is fun. Permadeaths, lots of trash, press x to win, zombie-packmule, no challenge, zombie army, easy mutations and bionic, lots of weapon/food/etc - is no fun. It's boring. At this moment game has no balance and this - main DDA problem. Game has no hard to get targets. You can become supermutant/bonic monster/master kung-fu/... and [b]easy[/b] clear all region. With few zombie slaves it [b]easier[/b] right? Now you want regeneration of them, to make this feature [b]easier[/b] to use. How about do hard game? Or at least don't make easy.

[GlyphGryph]

2.b if yes, why aren’t you just doing it automatically? Just to add a hassle and catch the player out if they miss it?

Here’s a possible answer:
You see the sign that something is happening, but you’re under pressure because you’re busy doing something else, and the pruning is at least a little bit time consuming (maybe half an hour). And the signs you’re seeing probably don’t mean that it will turn now. You’ll just handle it later, when you finish up with what you’re doing. Okay, so the signs are getting worse, well, that’s bad. Maybe I should have dealt with that earlier. Well, I can still… shit. Shit. DEFINITELY SHOULD HAVE DEALT WITH THAT EARLIER.

OR:
Maybe I shouldn’t have slept in the same room as the zombie. Or at least tied the leash to something!

Basically, if you want to make it interesting:

1. Make it infrequent and unpredictable (once every couple of days? Maybe less frequently as time goes on, once a day at first or more often for progression but not a guaranteed risk). Make it an event, not a chore. Even better if its effected by circumstance - radiation, for example, could increase frequency.
2. Introduce a choice. Make it take some small resource, or a decent chunk of time. Give the player time to respond. Something like how infection works - at each stage there’s an increasingly larger chance of it breaking free, and the player decides whether to respond immediately or accept the risk. Have other methods to control the risk - give the ability to tie the zombie up to a post outside instead of leaving it in the bedroom, so if it does turn over night it still won’t be able to do much, or at least the player will have time to respond. Perhaps they’ll decide, if the cues indicate it’s probably just going to break free as a regular zombie, it’s easier to just leave it outside and re-kill it and re-surgery it only if it actually turns.

[kevin.granade]

Hrm, yea once every few days with warnings probably wouldn’t be too bad.

Side note, you can tie them up.

Other side note, poking at adding pack-wearing ability to dogs.