Character Traits

[mdf25]

I think it would be quite cool if we were able to have each of the four teens have different traits. They would be buffed in one area in particular, but have a drawback to their character as well. Here were some ideas for each character...

MAX: Since Max seems like he's optimistic and from what I envision, quite into sports, he could have the following traits.
Perks:
- 50% more Max Stamina
- 3 extra items to base Hauling Capacity
- Deal 15% more damage to bugs with melee weapons.
Detriments:
- Hunger and thirst drain 30% faster.
- Armor offers 20% less defensive capability.

WILLOW: To me, Willow seems like she's in a situation she doesn't like or want to adapt to readily and would be the type to avoid combat when possible. But, she does seem resourceful and able to take care of herself.
Perks:
- 20% faster run speed.
- Harvestable items and bugs give 50% extra resources.
- 50% resistance to poison.
Detriments:
- 30% less damage dealt to bugs.
- 20% more damage received from bugs.

PETE: Pete has scout training and seems like he is the intellectual of the group, but he is the least athletic of the bunch. He would be able to make more use of crafting ingredients than others.
Perks:
- Crafting recipes are cheaper.
- BURG.L quests and science nodes give double the raw science.
- Exclusive crafting of the Vitality Smoothie that recovers health and stamina by 40%. (Aphid Honeydew, Poison Gland, Acid Gland)
Detriments:
- Harvesting resources takes 30% longer.
- Wearing armor causes stamina to regenerate 50% slower.

HOOPS: Hoops seems like the most optimistic and happy-go-lucky of the group, but this also makes her less aware of real threats and dangers in her attempts to stay positive.
Perks:
- Food and water go down 50% slower.
- 50% extra Max Health.
- Successful perfect blocks reduce cost of next attack by 50%.
Detriments:
- 15% lower movement speed.
- Armor benefits have their buff and set bonus effects halved.

[Gnith]

It's a cool idea .... but

These are M A S S I V E changes.
So much that each character would now have a specific use and be completely pointless for anything else.
For a Single Player that is constantly switching characters .. this would be awesome.
For Multi-Player Groups .... Noone would ever play Hoops (not by choice anyway)

Lets look at these changes ... 
Max - Max is now a MELEE GOD
           Extra Damage and enough Stamina to kill a Wolf Spider without Resting
           Max is now the ONLY Combat character worth playing ..... At All

Willow - Willow is now a Harvesting MACHINE ... 
          If you're Harvesting anything and NOT using Willow ... you're wasting a massive amount of resources - Get back to work, Willow.
          She will also die the second anything attacks her.

Pete - Professor, Doctor, Scientist, Architect .... but definitely NOT Scout-Ranger Pete
         Anyone picks up some Raw Science and they AREN'T Pete .... they just got kicked/banned from the Server !
         Pete will never swing a Mint Mallet (or most any weapon) more than once EVER in a combat.
         Pete will die before he gets enough Stamina back to swing a second time.

Hoops - Hoops can jump, but she can't run and will always be first to die 
        You don't have to outrun the Wolf Spider ... you just have to bring Hoops with you ... she can't outrun a Weevil

I do kinda love the concept of what you've done here ...
but the changes are WAY too much both good and bad ... 

[mdf25]

They are quite extteme sure. Just some ideas to throw around and ofc values can be adjusted. Personally I would play as Hoops with the changes as I like to block over circling around enemies, so I wouldn't see the movement penalties as something to worry about. 

For Pete he could make use of lighter weapons and his exclusive smoothie to succeed in melee combat, so he can recover stam quick enough. Most bugs don't take too much from a mint mallet before they die anyway. Though that could definitely change.

Another thing is that each character could specialise in a weapon type. Eg Max likes 2H, Willow likes harvest tools, Pete prefers spear and bows, Hoops prefers blades. That could be another less intrusive way to add variation without breaking the multiplayer experience.

Edited September 28, 2020 by mdf25

[Gnith]

I think the big thing they are going for here is that 
Any Child Can Do Anything ... 

So choosing a character that you want to look like ... doesn't affect how you are forced to play the game
I love the idea of skill perks and personality traits .... 
but if they aren't linked to any default character .... and any player can unlock them with any character
that opens up a GREAT variety of possibilities for personal character development, role-playing and story-telling
while still allowing the fun of having those kinds of Perks in the game ... 

The way I would have it is partially just like the current Perk System ... 
You have to perform the basic action of the perk you want to unlock, enough times to Unlock the ~Option~ of enabling it.
However, in order to enable the Big Bonus Perks, you have to pick a Disadvantage to go with it.
Disadvantages don't need to have any related connection to the chosen Perk, you just have to choose one.
You could even put in things that are Permanently Enabled Perks (for that Game Save) not account wide.

I've played a lot of Perk, and Advantage/Disadvantage based game systems......
Variety and Flexibility in Character Personalization are the Key Factors in games that Survive and Last for Years ... 

[YaBoyJenkins]

I would like character traits, but on a MUCH smaller scale. Things that wouldn't really affect which character you chose. For example, Max could have more stamina. Pete could get more science points. Willow's food and water would go down slightly slower. Hoops could jump a little higher. Things like this would add more layers to the game but wouldn't be too complex or groundbreaking (pun intended.)

[McSquirl Nugget]

i think you have max and willow backwards.  might just be me but it seems like whenever i play willow, i finish fights faster, and take less damage than with Max, and i die more with Max.  I've rarely played Pete so not sure about him, and i haven't ever played Hoops.

I'd like to see some variance between the characters though, not this extreme where people would drop out if they were stuck with Hoops or even Pete.  I think each character should have something that can benefit the group, and also have a weakness for each character.  maybe something like this.

Hoops

• More health when she revives someone or uses a bandage
• Takes more damage than the rest. 

Max

• can take more damage 
• attacks are slower than the rest. 

Willow

• faster with one hand weapons
• Less damage with 2 hand 

Pete

• Blocks and evades are slower
• higher crit chance

[Gearhart]

I think weapon proficiency should be postponed until they add more variety in weapon selection.

As for stats, maybe instead of each character having their own advantages and disadvantages, each of them could have their own "Character perk" that starts at level one and improves as they do the things related to their perk.

For instance:

Max: "Scrapper" Reduced stamina cost for melee weapons. Higher tiers could unlock increased attack speed and/or damage. Levels up by swinging melee weapons

Willow: "Resourceful" Gets more out of food, water, and bandages.  Maybe torches and dandelion tufts would last longer as well. Higher tiers could unlock greater yield chances from harvesting (particularly useful for collecting insect parts) increased inventory space. Leveled up by foraging.

Pete: "Crafty" Better durability on crafted items. Higher tiers could unlock reduced crafting costs (or a random chance of a material or two not being consumed in the crafting process) and learning more recipes. Leveled up by crafting.

Hoops: "Sporty" Reduced stamina cost for running, jumping, and throwing. Higher tiers could unlock increased speed, higher jump height, and/or greater throw force (projectiles move faster, travel further, and do more damage) Leveled up by running, jumping, and throwing.

The beauty of this system is that due to the way the perk system works, players can unlock other characters' perks the same way other perks get unlocked. The only difference would be that while character perks are always active for the character they are associated with, when other characters unlock them they are treated like regular mutations. That is, while Willow can have "coup de grass," "Grass Monster," and "Rock Cracker" active without needing to turn off her "Resourceful" perk, Pete would only be able to have "Grass Monster" and "Rock Cracker" active without needing to deactivate the "Resourceful" perk he unlocked from all his resource gathering.

[Gnith]

I love the idea of the personalization of skills, perks and proficiencies ... 
I'd just rather they NOT be tied to the Characters .... but more to the player and your personal play-style

So that you can be the visual character that you most identify with ... 
without that -shoe-horning- you into specific traits and disads

[mdf25]

That works as well. 

Maybe as well as mutations, there's a Traits tab where you select permanent traits to apply to your character. Unlike mutations, traits can't be undone. Each has a positive and negative aspect.

[Maverick1911]

On 9/30/2020 at 9:37 AM, mdf25 said:

That works as well. 

Maybe as well as mutations, there's a Traits tab where you select permanent traits to apply to your character. Unlike mutations, traits can't be undone. Each has a positive and negative aspect.

You just need to make a system of skills that is not tied to the hero and we ourselves chose what he would be, so that from a child who at the beginning does not know how to do anything and cannot, we could "grow" a real warrior.  Two options for the pumping system, the first, which you use, you pump, and the second option, any action adds points, we get a level and choose the desired skill, skills can be thrown off and distributed over a new one, for science points)

[Aurelius13]

This is an interesting conversation! I really enjoyed reading all the ideas, and I’m here to pitch in one as well.

now, as cool as it would be to have traits specific as that, I also agree that it shouldn’t be something linked with a specific character. A therefore, I think it should be a class/skill tree of sorts that’s selected.

this not only allows the ability to have perks to one person (following the “Scrapper, Resourceful, Crafty, and Sporty idea”), but it also gives the freedom for people to play a character they envision, without having to go use someone they don’t want to (I.e. I play Pete a lot, but I also engage in combat a fair bit and tend to tank stuff, causing him to not be as desirable in the case that he were to be weaker in this field).

anywho, that’s just my two-bit, and none of this has to actually exist, but I think this would be a very cool alternative and pleasant compromise! This conversation was, again, very fun to read, and wonderful to think about.

[lipd]

me and my friend thought about this