Am I the only one that thinks that C:DDA would greatly benefit from a over-arching goal? I realize this is contrary to the design outline of the game, but I feel like C:DDA could grow into so much more than it is right now. I know traditionally for roguelikes that means exploring a dungeon and retrieving some sort of item. I think C:DDA could benefit form something similar. Hunting for a specific one-time-spawn enemy to kill, or making a full dungeon-like experience out of strange temples, labs, or mines (Or a new location type entirely) would add a sense of purpose to the game. You could be looking for a time-machine, or a zombie overlord who controls the hordes, etc.
I say this because I just think the millions of crafting, cooking, combat, construction, and vehicle options are much less entertaining when they don’t actually need to be used to survive. It is very easy to scavenge all you need to survive from a few supermarkets and then live comfortably in a tiny woodland shed. I know this isn’t the most imaginative survival plan, but one could argue that it’s the safest and most effective. Wouldn’t the ability construct a custom death-bike be much more fun if you actually needed that cool bike to complete some task, and weren’t just building it just because? This game has so much content, but when the objective is merely survival/exploration most of it seems trivial. And when you do finally explore the depths of mines or the lower levels of labs/temples, you’re a bit underwhelmed. After spending a couple weeks playing the same character you wonder what you’ve really accomplished from day 5-200 other than eating, reading, and hoarding.
I’m sorry if this seems like harsh criticism considering I’m asking to change a fundamental design philosophy in the game. I really do love the sheer amount of content this game has. What I’m suggesting is that a purpose be added to create some use for all of this content. Has anyone given this some thought before?