It’s not going to be like video game research where scientists are hired to ‘discover’ something that’s always existed? Like, the survivor toiling away in the lab to discover how to build a machinegun or cook lasagna?
Research isn’t quite the same as discovery, though there will be both reverse engineering and study of organisms. Computers will be a convenient way to get the same information with less effort (as will books) - no need to reinvent the wheel. But you’re probably not going to figure out how to build a plasma rifle on your own without disassembling a few, finding some instructions, or gradually building your way up to it.
Primarily, though, research will be an effective way to learn about the lore.
How to prepare human:
Human is best stewed because the natural saltiness of the meat adds to the flavor of any vegetables added to the stew, also human meat is very stringy and fatty.
speak for yourself!
Personally, I think this game should embrace an already proven system apocalyptic games employ when it comes to computers. It’s the one dedicated to preserving knowledge and some advanced features one could happen to use once sh*t has already hit the fan, apart for utility systems those consoles represent in the game. So it’s really the PDA or nuthin’. What is the conventional PC doing ingame? If it’s fusion powered it could prove useful to charge mp3s and such, not much else.
Other than that, I had a useful idea regarding onboard computers: if we had PDAs (as seen in .json files) and scattered stuff with displays all around the map, the personal data could be uploaded to the computer to find paths and thus, travel efficiently. It’s really where those places of interest pop out, so one can even have waypoints for gas stations (makes sense) and maybe even secluded resorts (this may seem a little meta-thought) of those distant, still unexplored areas. Also, something like this should have an override - if there is a new Fungal Bloom near the road that can’t be simply avoided by slowing down and wiggling around the set path, the game stops the travel regime and wakes up the player.
Like satelite up-link images? with enough computer skills you’d be able to see some parts of the map near you? hmm sounds interesting, yeah the PDA never got improved other than a flashlight function well perhaps some upgrades to computer consoles you should be able to download MP3 function or anything applicable
I was coincidentally thinking about fast travel recently, though I’m not sure tying it to a PDA is necessary, as it’s mostly a convinience function. Might have a better version if you have the PDA? not sure.
I was thinking just setting waypoints on the overmap would be nice, and then you could auto-run between the points unless you hit an obstacle or saw something dangerous.
Really I’m at a loss for what use there would be for computers in the game, some minor stuff like using a PDA to download maps and data, perhaps communication, and a way to interface with existing systems, e.g. unlocking doors and hacking robots.
The “Data” part might cover virtual books, and might provide some mission hooks (read something that makes you aware of something instead of it just coming from a NPC)
That having been said though, I’m always interested to see what the forums come up with 
Those perks are definitely nice as it allows people that invested in computer skills at the start to utilize said knowledge (not just limiting them to hacking and setting up robots in their current state) like those virtual books that teaches you skills and recipes.
Also I’ve been wondering but how can characters use computers without even having single point invested into it? (in real life some people I know with no computer knowledge/background can’t even use computers with some assistance), Perhaps some intelligence check could be applied if not yet skilled in computers?
With enough computers skill I want to be able to code a game on the computers.
So I can play a video game while playing a video game.
[quote=“gtaguy, post:29, topic:1772”]With enough computers skill I want to be able to code a game on the computers.
So I can play a video game while playing a video game.[/quote]
no but you can make the computer have a video game function which is just like an mp3 player that gives morale bonus
Don’t respond to him. He’s kind of just trolling. It’s what he does around here.
Related to the thread, I do agree that computers should be something that enhance gameplay without ever being required to survive. Honestly, no single skills is absolutely needed to keep yourself alive; dodge is useless if you stay at range, firearms doesn’t matter if you fight with an axe, if you move on foot, you don’t need driving, etc. Giving computers a bunch of bonus stuff (maps, morale boosts, mission hooks, security overrides) doesn’t bog down gameplay by forcing you to grind computer skill, but it does reward players who use computers by offering additional routes to their continued survival.
yeah it would actually have computer skills have VALUE, seeing that you can also RP as a hacker type survivor that survives on using computers (Makes Flavor builds more available) more than by being simple brute or super-soldier.
Though if hacker types are to exist there should be a portable console type item (Working Laptop?) that you could carry around so it could also function as some sort of electro-hack,mp3 player,noise-maker,Light-source.
The computer skill does really cool things right now:
hack into evidence lockers, medical analysis systems, laboratory cybernetics coffers, etc.
The problem is that you can’t do those things every day. They are all high-skill actions that you do at most every other in-game day. The only way to build up or maintain your skill is by constantly reading computer books.
Some more basic actions are in order, which should provide some reasonable benefit and train the skill.
I agree that computers should not be a required skill, but right now good luck using it at all with skill rust on. While you’re reading that SCIP book for hours you’re going to lose precious dodge, electronics, mechanics skill, etc.
At it’s most basic, simply put computers that you can hack in more places, please, with smaller rewards and which are easier to hack. Like, instead of even hacking them you are just using an unfamiliar interface or whatever. For instance, the Labs could have various terminals at different clearance levels; maybe accessing a supply closet with extra batteries is a low skill check but getting the CBM supply to open up is harder.
I’m not even saying that ‘hacker’ should be a complete playstyle, just a more valid complement to some other playstyle.
Though I really would like to build a terminal in my house/mobile fort and collect data from various labs and so forth on it.
I would like to see the computer skill have more practical use, perhaps even as a combat method by programming robots to follow your orders? Perhaps even advanced traps that require some computer knowledge.
I think the big thing is this could with a bit of work become VERY not minor. We have the groundwork laid - we just need to expand the lab system, introduce hackable security systems, work out the details of the Copbot Security Stations we’ve talked about before, and I think there will be plenty of use for the computer skill.
Also, the player should be able to build their own robots, and it should take computer skill to program them with various Behavioural AIs we’ll develop.
Electronics and Computers go hand in hand. I propose that existing ‘broken consoles’ should be harvest-able if not repairable. Portable computing should be rather rare with PDAs being more common than laptop but capable of less outright. You can already craft battery expansion mods for electronics but with working computers more craftable modifications crated using Electronics with Computers as secondary skill would be useful:
Memory expansion, signal booster, enhanced processor, camera, interface cable (requires electrohack to craft, allows you to bring your machine into the equation when hacking for a ‘tool bonus’?)
Does making turrets require computer skill?
It really, really should.
The idea of converting a radio station into a giant transceiver for remote-controlling robots around a town sounds pretty sweet.
A survivor raiding party comes to your town and gets swarmed by axe wielding franken-bots while you watch via remote camera feed.
This actually sounds good to me. Very fitting for the setting, actually. The whole zombie survival genre was started with the book “I am Legend” and the last man on earth protagonist was in it researching the monsters.