Hello everyone, to preface this I didn’t see any other threads about this so i thought i might start it.
the main premise of this thread is to discuss potential positive and negative traits and your views on current positive and negative traits.
an idea i had for traits were, what if you could get certain traits that allowed you to withstand being hot but you were more susceptible to being cold i.e. someone who spent most of their life near the equator or vice-versa a trait that allowed you to not feel the affects of cold as often but you are more likely to grow hot i.e. someone who spent most of their life in russia or alaska or northern canada.
But then couldnt people run around with no clothes on. Or very low warmth giving clothes?
That would seem to be the point, yes. Being Canadian, I know guys who like to walk around in a t-shirt when there’s snow on the ground. It’s certainly possible. Of course, someone with a trait like this probably won’t want to be wearing extra layers with pockets or hot and bulky armour, except in the coldest of weather, so it balances out to a disadvantage. The guy who likes it hot has an even worse time, since cold is a bigger deal in this game.
exactly, as winter comes the man with the winter trait has a greater advantage but his disadvantage is the rest of the year he takes penalties for wearing more cloathing i.e. stuff that gives him volume. but vice versa, while the man with the warm trait can wear a shit ton of cloathing and is prepared for when winter comes he has to deal with getting cold much faster and easier.
Kind of like me and my brother. When it is the summer time I am fine and just happy with it. My brother is sluggish and is annoyed by the heat. But by the time that winter rolls around I am the one at a disadvantage, being annoyed with the cold and angry, while my brother is just happy and cool with it (get it?).
But back to the OPs main point, this is not just about this hot/cold preference trait, it is about all traits.
So do you have opinions on current traits that you want to voice? Or do you have ideas of traits that you want to see in cata?
While this is a scintillating conversation, I think a much more interesting question is what kind of mutations people would like to see added.
The mutation tree is already pretty deep, but it’s a place where more can be added with little to no interface clutter, and a lot more interesting effects are possible.
Probably my biggest request for mutations would be an on-off screen similar to the Bionics interface. Some stuff really feels like it ought to have a switch installed: Insect Wings, for example.
Mod to existing mutations:
Tentacles permitted to Grab (on a crit?) and possibly Throw as well as the existing-but-pathetically-weak Slap.
Leg Tentacles seem like they shouldn’t allow footgear. Where are you wearing it???
New mutations:
Fangs->Saber Teeth: You have a pair of 8-inch fangs. They slow your eating and make wearing mouthgear impossible, but allow a devastating bite attack. (Yeah, this should be a net minus)
Claws->Large Claws: More damage, hand encumbrance 2, no gloves. (I’m assuming the current Claws are retractible.)
Large Claws->Tearing Claws: Your claws remind you of that old dinosaur movie, and go through flesh like butter. Can one-shot most Zs but no gloves, hand encumbrance 4. (Thinking raptor claws here.)
Large Claws->Ripping Claws: Your hands have become extremely craggy and muscled, at the expense of precision. No damage increase over Large Claws…but can burn nutrition/incur Pain to rip through concrete, rock, etc. No gloves, hand encumbrance 5 so no guns either.
Haemovore: Your mutation-based attacks can draw blood, doing additional damage and providing marginal nutrition.
Leaves->Photosynthetic: Sleeping outside, on diggable terrain, during daylight causes you to lightly take root. You gain the effects of Inconspicuous & Heavy Sleeper whilst asleep, but gain Nutrition at a good rate as you process nutrients from the soil.
Bat Wings->Large Bat Wings: They still don’t help your balance any but they make for an excellent glider. Can choose where to land when jumping down a Z-level, with bonus to the Dodge roll. (As seen in Batman Returns.)
Web Weaver->Web Spinner: You’ve finally gained control over your silk glands. Press [key] to lay webbing; takes X amount ot movement points.
Whiskers->Long Whiskers: You can feel air currents sufficiently to help you navigate in the dark. Mouthgear can fit but is irritating: 1 Pain permanently so long as you wear it. (Can locate walls/doors in range 5 without light. As seen in cats.)
I think that’s enough for now.
[size=8pt][size=10pt]I[/size]'m not really a fan of the mutations and bionics and things like that in the game. They are interesting, yes, but I prefer the more classical zombie approach. However, more positive and negative traits could prove a good thing if they were varied enough. Maybe working like:
Brave <-----> Coward
Hyperactive <-----> Lazy
Temperate <-----> Gluttonous
Tall <-----> Short
As well as add in preset up injuries like maybe crippled in one arm or missing an eye. If would all depend on the traits and flaws and just about everything. More customization can’t hurt. Create any type of character and see how they fare when tossed into a zombie survival scenario.[/size]
ah ha this is fantastic this is the kind of discussions i was hoping for, and to go along with the main point of this tread one trait i wanted to ask you guys about was gourmand. while i see the point of it how often do you guys ever spend the 2 or more points it costs or how often do you see its effects if you do take it or in the very rare chance grow it out of a mutation? if that last one is even possible which i somewhat doubt from the description.
More mutation ideas! (with some traits)
Bad mutations:
- Tiny arms: You have small arms, you have trouble using melee weapons because of this. (Possibly -X to unarmed combat?)
- Scaly tail: You have a long, scaly tail, like that of a snakes. It is too heavy, and lowers your ability to dodge incredibly. (Lowered dodge, like with a club tail, but without any good things to it.)
Good mutations:
- Long legs: You have very long legs, meaning you can step over higher objects easily, however, this does make your legs easier to hit. (Like the parkour expert trait, the last bit is self-explanitory.)
- Long snout: You have a long snout, this prevents you from wearing mouthwear, but means that it is easier to breath, increasing your movement speed by 10. (The opposite of the flat nostrils mutation.)
Bad traits:
- Stiff muscles: You were one of the older people to survive the initial cataclysm, but not one to go outside much. (Could increase/decrease respect from NPC’s when they are fixed, also -X to movement speed.)
- Pessimist: You see the bad side of everything, and have lowered moral. (Self-explanatory, the opposite of the optimist trait.)
-Agoraphobia: Sometimes while outside or in large crowds you have minor to large-scale panic attacks and must stop to calm yourself. (Large crowds of zombies = You are probably gonna die.)
Good traits:
- Steady hands: Your hands do not shake as much as some other peoples do, increasing your accuracy with firearms.
[quote=“Mrnocamera, post:10, topic:963”]Bad mutations:
- Tiny arms: You have small arms, you have trouble using melee weapons because of this. (Possibly -X to unarmed combat?)
Good mutations: - Long legs: You have very long legs, meaning you can step over higher objects easily, however, this does make your legs easier to hit. (Like the parkour expert trait, the last bit is self-explanitory.)[/quote]
i approve of these two mutations just for the thought of having them both at the same time. 
i guess an idea for some bad traits are phobias, e.g: (Arachnophobia) lowers moral excessively when in a certain range of spiders.
(Claustrophobia) again, suffers morale penalties, but only when in very small spaces (like in a pit or a thin corridor, or something like that)
[move] I SUCK AT IMAGINATION [/move]