Preferences System: Loves/Neutral/Hates

GlyphGryph · 2013-05-26T00:11:29.000Z

Right now, all of our characters like the same things, and they like them the same amount. I propose the addition of an additional screen during character creation, “Preferences”. Moving things towards the “loves” category costs points, and moving them toward’s the hates category gains you points.

Moving things to the “hates” category earns you fewer points than you gain by moving things to the “loves” category as a general rule.

Here’s an example:
[table]
[tr]
[td]Likes[/td][td][/td][td]Hates[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Music[/td][td][/td][td]—[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][/td][td]Violence[/td][td][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][/td][td][/td][td]Rain[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Stimulants[/td][td][/td][td][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][/td][td]Driving[/td][td][/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td][/td][td][/td][td]Killing Children[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

If you wanted your character to love the rain, it would cost you 2 points per move - or 4 points total. However, you could hate driving (for one point), hate violence (for one point), and not really care about music (neutral). Note that hating music is blocked off, because doing so wouldn’t be something that should earn you points.

Your character obviously gets morale for situations they love, and loses it for situations they hate, though the amount in either direction is determined by the situation.

kilozombie · 2013-05-26T01:10:30.000Z

I would love this, but first we need to make morale long-term and matter a great deal more.

halberdsturgeon · 2013-05-26T01:16:02.000Z

That’s a good idea. Should be relatively straightforward to implement, shouldn’t it?

i2amroy · 2013-05-26T01:19:26.000Z

halberdsturgeon:

That’s a good idea. Should be relatively straightforward to implement, shouldn’t it?

Somewhat. The addition of the system should be relatively straightforwards, rewriting all of the current morale code in place to support it is a little bit more work though.

Reaper · 2013-05-26T01:30:40.000Z

it’s a gool idea, but i want to add.
Value of the effect of positive or negative events should be floating. For example:
Rain first 2 hour -60 morale, after 2 hour -50, after 4 -40. But 2 hour player dry player dry and again under the rain -60.
in other case:
Pizza first piece +20 morale, 10-th piece +10, 30-th piece -10. But after 2 days - everything as it was.
A person can get used to everything…
Also addiction to endorphins. If a person once had a very strong pleasure he will live memory of this, and his daily life will seem to him very boring. Usually this affects people who have stopped taking drugs and have experienced break-up.
In other case if you to be in deep shit, and then get out of there, the normal life will seem very fine for a some time.
In the language of game:
(x-=a - x less on a)
endorphine addiction(ea) -=1 once in two days. (maybe more)
morale lever(m)-=ea
if (m>150) ea=(m-150)/10

comparing the situation(cs) -=3 once in day (—/---)
m+=cs
if (m<-150) cs=(m-150)/10

Something like that.

Pthalocy · 2013-05-26T02:25:10.000Z

I was going to suggest a “Phobia” negative trait that would present you with an options list of scary things, much like choosing martial arts skills prompts you to pick from a list of styles.

HOWEVER!

This would go better under the preferences list, the way you’ve described it. The option to hate the hell out of dealing with insects, spiders, etc. ought to simulate aversion well enough. Not sure if loving bugs would be an option, I mean, I know people who think they’re the best, but disabling the ‘likes’ option like you suggested for ‘hates music’ could be rationalized easily.

TheRealTenman · 2013-05-26T03:48:13.000Z

Reaper:

I agree on most parts but some things it just doesn’t apply.

One of my friends is one of THOSE people who is into gore. Unfortunately he tells me ALL about it.
Every over the top thing he watches he enjoys. Every little thing he watches he enjoys.
He just loves the sight of blood no matter the volume.
Hell, I stubbed my toe in front of him and he grinned at the single drop of blood.

The law of diminishing returns isn’t a law all the time.

So I put forth:
Include a negative trait of Diminishing returns and Pessimist. They would work as the neutral and negatives of Optimist.

Pthalocy:

I reckon that should be separate to anxiety disorders. Hating something and fearing something is massively different.
One motivates you the other paralyzes you.

Compare The Incredible Hulk™ to some dude who can’t look at spiders with out his skin crawling.

A slider could work with the negative fear side of it.
Paralyzing-Panic inducing-Debilitating-Distracting-Unease-Neutral.

Then it could go into the beneficial side of hate. Something that gives a bonus to killing them with out limitations.

Fast_Zombie · 2013-05-26T06:51:46.000Z

I like this idea, mostly for even more character customization, but the power gamer in me is screaming FREE POINTS.

just pick one thing you do alot (aka violence, or stimulants) for your primary moral gain, hate everything else.

14 in all stats, quick, fleet footed, etc. Surely thats not the intended use for this system?

Maybe “Preference points” are only usable on the preference tab of chargen?

Austupaio · 2013-05-26T07:05:28.000Z

Well, even if this system doesn’t make it in, I would very much like to see a trait about rain.

I, personally, love the rain, although I realize many people do not. I did PT in the rain for weeks and while most of my squad seemed to hate it, it actually made me like the rain more. Backwards.

It’s nice and refreshing, helps with temperature control, should reduce scent. However, I will admit that in a real torrent, the rain can hinder you, especially once it manages to get your clothes weighed down.

Perhaps spending 30+ minutes in the heaviest rain setting should add an encumbrance point or two.

Weyrling · 2013-05-26T07:37:59.000Z

Austupaio:

Perhaps spending 30+ minutes in the heaviest rain setting should add an encumbrance point or two.

I definitely agree with this idea, though it makes rain coats even more valuable.
A way to implement this immediately would be to check the morale penalty of Wet and then add encumbrance, this probably wouldn’t be terribly difficult though it’s basically a hack.

I don’t know if this is planned, but in the future I’d like to see wet or bloodstained clothing to be an actual thing, which would make it a lot easier to implement other clothing conditions as well.
It’s my belief that after murdering a dozen wolves with a pocket knife, you would be covered in blood and much easier to smell for any other hungry wildlife nearby.
I’m not gonna go into the effects of swimming in raw sewage for several days…

Nighthawk · 2013-05-26T17:55:18.000Z

You should gradually learn to like what you are around often.

For example, if you sit in the rain all day, you’ll slowly adjust to not minding it, if not learn to like it.
Same with killing, if you have dark thoughts, like me. If you kill a lot of people, you could become almost addicted to it.

This opens up some really cool gameplay prospects.

KA101 · 2013-05-26T18:00:40.000Z

[quote=“Nighthawk, post:11, topic:1451”]You should gradually learn to like what you are around often.

For example, if you sit in the rain all day, you’ll slowly adjust to not minding it, if not learn to like it.
Same with killing, if you have dark thoughts, like me. If you kill a lot of people, you could become almost addicted to it.

This opens up some really cool gameplay prospects.[/quote]

Or at least learn to not-mind. Possibly have things able to move one “notch” toward the center, based on familiarity?

Nighthawk · 2013-05-26T18:09:59.000Z

Sounds fair to me.

ejseto · 2013-05-26T22:43:55.000Z

TheRealTenman:

The law of diminishing returns isn’t a law all the time.

Sure it is, it’s just not being applied correctly. The fact that your 2nd hamburger isn’t worth as much to you as the first, and your 3rd isn’t worth as much as the 2nd isn’t based on some vague and subjective thing like preferences, it’s based on the fact that much, if not most of the value of the hamburger is based on the fact that it satisfies hunger, and once that hunger is satisfied, it no longer has that value, or even has negative value if you overstuff yourself.

Pthalocy · 2013-05-26T22:57:21.000Z

phobiasA slider could work with the negative fear side of it. Paralyzing-Panic inducing-Debilitating-Distracting-Unease-Neutral.

My entire reason for portraying phobias inaccurately is because they are so variant in intensity to begin with. I have one; alarms. My general response to having to deal with alarms is to not approach them, true. But then, I don’t like garbage and I’ll leave it the hell alone too. If I am then if forced to deal with a sounding alarm, I get really tense, upset, and frankly kind of angry. I hate them because of the stress they cause me. I can face them, since I’ve learned the hard way to put up with them enough to do so, but it’s going to ruin my day. I assume in a situation like cataclysm, simple avoidance is not always possible so it made sense to figure out the morale side of it via the preferences menu.

tl;dr I thought it simpler to include the emotional response to the aversion under preferences, as opposed to code up yet another chargen tab.

At this point I feel there’s a way to implement phobias, and it’s something I’d like to see, but I don’t think we’ve found it yet.