[MODERATOR NOTE: THIS THREAD IS TO BE USED ONLY FOR OFFICIAL BUSINESS. PLEASE DIRECT YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS TO THE DISCUSSION THREAD. ANY SUCH POSTS HERE WILL BE REMOVED. THANK YOU.]
Map
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Players- 62
A Very Super Market
A1_Unit
Amsel
atheotes
Backwards Logic
Beefy187
Beskar
Captain Blackadder
Captain C
CCRunner
Centurion1
Chaotix
Confederate Jeb
Craterus
Crazed Rabbit
Csargo
Cultured Drizzt Fan
Death is Yonder
Diana Abnoba
DiamondEye
Double A
Elite Ferret
Ephrum
FactionHeir
Frozen in Ice
Greyblades
GeneralHankerchief
Ironside
Jolt
Joooray
Karo
Khazaar
King Jan III Sobieski
Leet Eriksson
Major Robert Dump
Merlox
Paulus Tertius
Pranas
Psychonaut
Renata
Rhawn
Roadkill
Rob_the_Celt
Scottishranger
Seon
Sigurd
Slashandburn
Splitpersonality
Sprig
Stildawn
Stuck in Pi
Taka
Thermal Mercury
Tibilicus
Tristan de Castelreng
White_Eyes:D
WilliamWallace
Winston Hughes
Wishazu
Yaseikhaan
YLC
Zain
Replacement Players: (5)
Tratorix
Major Darling
Warluster
Reenk Roink
Pinman
I will need to add a few more posts so that I can link to relevant information during the game.
Last edited by GeneralHankerchief; 12-18-2009 at 18:30.
The setting is a town called Dark Falls, a fictional town in the United States. A terrible accident at a local bio-research facility has resulted in an outbreak of an experimental bio-agent, a new strain of the so-called Omega virus. These events take place years after the original viral outbreak at Raccoon City, and the United States government has moved quickly to quarantine the area. Because there are thousands of lives at stake, and the political fallout from Raccoon City being nuked was rather severe, there is a rescue plan in operation. There will be only a few ways in or out of the quarantine zone, where victims of the outbreak and potential carriers will be placed inside vehicles which will transport people to a sealed underground facility for a thorough screening and observation process. If they exhibit no signs of the virus, or they are able to fight it off, they will be released after an extended stay.
However, exiting the town will be rather difficult. During the initial rioting, the local government sealed off the routes out of the town, as the federal government had not arrived yet. After the local law enforcement and many officials got infected by the Omega-II strain, steps were taken by these newly insane individuals to make it almost impossible to escape. Bridges were blown up, tunnels collapsed, and security walls, barbed wire, explosives, and infected dogs were deployed around the town, to allow further transformation to take place. But there is still Route 3, the main highway that runs north toward Canada. The United States government has deployed the rescue teams just outside the quarantine zone, on this highway. Leaflets were dropped urging people to exit in small groups and head to the rendezvous point in an orderly fashion. Presently there's no way to safely get to this highway, but it should be possible to break through the barricades and the zombies.
While some are trying to escape from Dark Falls, there are others interested in getting in. Some for nefarious purposes, some not. And some are trying to actively prevent people from leaving... the battle for the souls trapped inside Dark Falls begins.
THE FACTIONS
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Townspeople:
People who begin with basic skills, often starting in small groups. They rely on each other to stay alive. When they die, they turn into zombies, as they have all been exposed to the Omega virus. A minimum number of townspeople must escape from Dark Falls alive. The more who manage to do this, the better the town's overall score. In order to escape from Dark Falls, certain obstacles must be overcome, and certain items must be found.
Mercenaries:
These are trained, intermediate skilled fighters hired by the Umbrella Corporation, or their rival, Syntech. Some are actually rescue teams... others not so much. Their objective depends on who hired them. Each has an individual goal which may help, harm, or do nothing to the town.
Zombies:
These are fallen townies whose only objective is to convert more people into zombies. These are infected by the Omega Virus. Objective for the Zombies: Eat, eat, eat... kill the townspeople and turn them into the walking dead... spreading the seed of destruction further.
Plague Demons:
You don't know much about them, but you know these are terrifyingly frightening creatures. Don't even begin to think of them as human. Objective for the Plague Demons: It's a secret...
Secret Factions:
You will have to wait and be surprised.
HOW TO PLAY
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
How do I play this game?
You will be getting a ROLE which contains all relevant information about your character, with information about your personal mission. You'll have goals you wish to reach. You will also likely wish to take the points you are given and allocate them to your character in several categories, giving your character strengths in some categories, and possibly weaknesses in others. Or you can accept a perfectly balanced, bland character.
Strength: (The sheer amount of physical strength one has; to lift heavy objects, move obstacles, or hold back zombies from behind a barricade. Minimum strength thresholds allow certain actions)
Speed: (How fast you can move and react. You should be able to outrun enemies with this. If you are faster than the zombies, you could be very good with a melee weapon, able to do several attacks in a given turn)
Stealth: (How good you are at avoiding awareness checks from zombies or even other humans. This can help you hide from them. However, some creatures can smell you, or sense your heat source...)
Awareness: (How good you are at noticing hidden objects, or detecting clues, or sensing other players. High awareness allows you to gain a better sense of your surroundings and notice dangers.)
Combat: (How good you are at fighting, in terms of training and accuracy and deflecting blows. The better this rating is, the better you will survive assaults by trained forces or zombies. But nothing stops a bullet to your head or an explosive to your gut)
Luck: (This is your saving throw in case your other skills aren't up to snuff. It can help you avoid bullet fire and also help you "accidentally" make correct decisions, if you decide to flee from danger, your luck might make you flee in the correct direction.
Vitality: How much damage you can take before dying
Skill set: If you have special abilities, these go here
Item box: You can only carry so many items without being encumbered by their weight or bulk. Too many items will slow you down. You will also be restricted from doing certain actions if you're armed to the teeth. Game will be as "realistic" as I can make it.
Right off the bat, you will be told where you are on the map, and you'll have to make a decision as to how to proceed. You won't know too much at the beginning, so it is OK to make just about any choice. Do you stay where you are, or do you explore? Most likely, you'll explore.
1. Decide where you want to go on the map. You are aware of your starting location and your immediate surroundings, and you also have a reliable map of Dark Falls, since you live there, you're aware of the general layout. Make sure you don't die there.
2. You will be allowed to move a certain distance (radius) from your location, based on your speed and how much you're carrying. You will know how far on the grid you can move in any given phase. If this changes, I'll tell you. Your character card will also serve as a reference so you know how far you can move.
3. Decide what actions you wish to take when you get there. You can be purely aggressive, and wipe out anything you see... which can have good or bad consequences. You can be cautious and react depending on the situation, which can have good or bad consequences. You can be diplomatic and try to ally with other townsfolk and try to work together, which leaves you more vulnerable. You can also choose to exhaustively search the area once you get there, which also leaves you vulnerable to surprise attacks. You can also choose to move there slowly, so you arrive after other people might, and try to sneak attack them. If they are prepared, however, they will get the drop on YOU.
Movement and combat system:
You begin the round with an "awareness radius" around you. You can see any non-stealth mode players inside this awareness radius, but won't be able to identify anyone for certain unless you are standing in the same grid coordinate as you. You have a chance of identifying someone in the adjacent grid squares with a higher awareness rating.
Before you move, you have the option of doing the following, instead of moving.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
ENGAGE TARGET: uses movement points to prevent someone in your zone of control (your square and the 8 surrounding you) from performing their movement out of your range without at least one round of combat. Only works on one target in your zone of control. This is a manual command. It will not function without your explicit orders, and it also doesn't work against those who were engaged in combat with you in the previous round and chose to flee. This happens instead of movement orders.
SNIPER RIFLE: You may fire your long-range weapon once at anyone in your awareness radius. This counts as your move for the round.
SEARCH THOROUGHLY: Executes the search command. This is a manual command. It will not function without your explicit orders. This kind of search attempts to locate anything inside your zone of control (9 squares) and is more effective than the usual search command. This counts as your move for the round.
STEALTH MODE: Hides in this location. This is a manual command. It will not function without your explicit orders. This is your move for the round.
If you instead decide to move to a new location, you can set your character to automatically do the following when you get there:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
1. Berserker - Kill anything you see who isn't a known ally of yours.
(Automatically gets a first strike against all targets in your grid location)
2. Assassinate - Try to kill anyone you see while in stealth mode. This is basically the same thing as Berserker, but you try to get the drop on them while engaged in stealth. If you defeat them, you will still be in stealth mode! The risk here is that they spot you coming and attack first.
(This gives a first strike to any opponent who wins the awareness check against your stealth rating, but if they fail, you have an automatic first strike against them in your grid location)
3. Vigilante - Kill anything that doesn't look human
(Targets zombies and other non-human creatures in a first strike, but doesn't fire first on humans or things that look human in your grid location)
4. Stealth Vigilante - Kill anything that doesn't look human while in stealth mode. After combat, you will return to stealth mode.
(This gives a first strike to any opponent who wins the awareness check -in your grid location- against your stealth rating, but if they fail, you have a automatic first strike against non-human creatures. You do not attack any humans.)
5. Defensive - Kill anything that attacks you.
(Doesn't gain a first strike against anyone, but automatically returns fire against anyone who attacks you in your grid location, adds to your defense rolls.)
6. Stealth- Hide from everyone; pure stealth mode.
(This gives a first strike to any opponent in your grid location who wins the awareness check against your stealth rating, but if they fail, you remain hidden and do not attack them.)
7. Search quickly- Search this grid location for anything you can find.
(This is useful if you don't intend to stay in this location for longer than one round, but it only searches one square instead of nine. Basically a "search on the move" order)
8. Cooperate- Seek alliance with anyone who also seeks alliance.
(Automatically gives first strike to your opponent, who can use this to attack you in your grid location. If they also seek alliance, you will never automatically attack them, you must order the attack manually. Anyone who sees you in their awareness radius will know you seek an alliance)
BATTLE MODE: If you engage in combat, do you stand your ground until death, or do you run away and fight another day? If you both stand your ground, you attack one another over several "rounds" of battle (all within this turn) until one of you dies. Standing your ground may be a good idea if you are in a group, as your group won't scatter during the fight.
NOTE: YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE IN RUN AWAY MODE IF YOU DO NOT SPECIFY.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
HOLD YOUR GROUND- No retreat. Either they retreat or you fight to the death. If they retreat, you know which direction they moved.
RUN AWAY- Retreat after the first combat round. You do not know which direction your attacker moves.
Ok, sound complicated? Here, let me try to simplify it for you.
This is your Zone of Control.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
You are marked in the center, the white X. The black area in your square and the 8 surrounding you is your "Zone of control". At the start of the round, there may be no one standing inside your zone of control. If there is someone, you can attack them before they leave your zone of control. Likely, you will only be able to engage in one combat round's worth of battle before they leave, unless they decided to engage you as well in combat. But this won't happen unless you tell me so.
This could be your awareness radius (larger or smaller)
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Some of you may have a high awareness, and perhaps a long range weapon like a sniper rifle. You can use this turn to "snipe" at anyone you see inside your awareness radius. But you can't move. You also lose the first strike attempt against anyone attacking you, because you're focused on sniping, not your surroundings.
You may instead decide to search the entire area that is your "zone of control". That takes time. You are considered "busy" and won't get the first strike if someone attacks you.
You can also attempt to simply hide. This might be useful after you just killed someone and have no wish to move anywhere just yet... or you think this is a good location to stand your ground.
If you elect not to do any of these things, you'll move:
Anywhere inside your movement radius. Here is a sample movement radius:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
You'll then execute your post-movement behavior order, and your battle order, which could be any combination of several orders, example:
Defensive mode, but Run Away if there's combat.
Assassination mode, and Hold your ground if there's combat.
Stealth, Run Away.
Search, Run Away.
Vigilante, Hold your ground.
And so on, and so on.
If you elect to run away, then you have no choice but to flee in a more or less random direction in the next round, and give your post-movement behavior order again, and your battle order again.
Still looks confusing?
Okay. It's actually quite simple... Here's some sample commands.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
"Askthepizzaguy, I wish to search my zone of control this round instead of moving". Set mode to Run Away if there's combat.
Done.
"Askthepizzaguy, I wish to use my sniper rifle against the target distance 3 north and 1 west of me, instead of moving. Set mode to Run away if there's combat."
Done.
"Askthepizzaguy, I wish to engage in combat with the person adjacent to me in my zone of control, directly southwest of me, instead of moving. Set mode to Stand my ground."
Done.
"Askthepizzaguy, I wish to move diagonally up and to the left 2 squares. When I get there, engage Defensive mode and Run Away if there's combat."
Done.
"Askthepizzaguy, I wish to move 4 squares to the north, and when I get there, offer Cooperation to anyone who seeks it, and Run Away if there's combat."
Done.
"Askthepizzaguy, I wish to stay put and offer Cooperation to anyone who seeks it, and Stand my ground if here's combat."
Done.
"Askthepizzaguy, I wish to move 3 squares diagonally southwest, and go into Berserk mode when I get there. Stand my ground if there's combat... kill them all!
Done. See? Not that hard... but you have a lot of options, so you have a lot of control over how you wish to move and play your character, and what tactics and strategies you use.
Specific commands:
"Askthepizzaguy, when I move to the new location (police station) attempt to enter the building.
Or-
attempt to ascend the building and get on the roof.
Or-
Or attempt to hide behind the bushes... or whatever."
You've got a lot of options. You can tell me you want to get up on the roof and try to be a sniper, taking out anyone you see in your awareness radius. Your height advantage might give you an extra stealth point.
Or perhaps you hide behind the building, where you find a bunch of metal trash cans. You could use the lid as a shield and see what happens. Maybe you gain an item which gives you some sort of defense. Maybe you open the lid and a zombie pops out. You never know.
You can also give me detailed instructions on combat:
Detailed combat:
"Askthepizzaguy, I want to use my shotgun first, and then switch to my machine gun for the remainder of combat. I aim for the head." And I'll try to be realistic here. If for example you asked to aim for the head, what if they had head protection? It has a greater chance of failing. If they don't, it has a greater chance of working. And so on. You could also suggest to me that you want to run away (countermanding your stay and fight order) if you run into a zombie horde. I'm not a robot, you can give me detailed instructions, it does compute.
If you have a special item like a grenade, obviously you have to tell me to use it, even if you have no other items. I don't want to waste your items.
"Askthepizzaguy, I want to backstab the group that I am "allied" with inside my zone of control. I use my grenade and blow up as many of them as I can, then I switch to my Shotgun. I set mode to Run Away.... hehehehe.... kill them and then run away before the rest of them can do much damage!"
CHARACTER CARDS
Here's an example of what your character card will look like.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
YOUR NAME- This is your name, obviously.
A sample image of your character:
Your stats: (This tells you how many points you have in each category. If you lose all your vitality points, you die)
You have 28 allocatable points to spend on your character. (Some will have more than others)
MISSION: -This describes your character and his/her objectives
You are ___YOUR NAME HERE___. Your objective is to get yourself and your fellow townspeople out of Dark Falls alive. Your personal survival is your objective, but this is a team game. The more townies survive, the better your overall score. However, your personal score drops when you die.
Your best bet after that, if you become a zombie, is to go for a zombie victory and hope for the best.
GOALS: -If the game ends and these conditions are met, you get a better overall score!
1. Survive
2. Escape from Dark Falls by any means necessary
ABILITIES: (If you had any abilities, they might go here)
Example: Regeneration (replaces 1 lost vitality per phase until maximum)
MOVEMENT:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The white x represents the square you are in. You may move anywhere inside the green zone, unless that exceeds the playing area.
AWARENESS:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The white x represents the square you are in. You are aware of things which happen inside your awareness zone... perhaps not fully, but you have some data.
Zone of control:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
People inside your zone of control are susceptible to being targeted on the next round before they can even move! It costs your own movement to do this, however, and you can only target one player.
For the purposes of "sniper" actions, anyone inside your AWARENESS RADIUS is considered inside your zone of control.
ITEMS:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Green Herb
(Restores 2 Vitality)
Can be combined with Red Herb for FULL RESTORE
Can be combined with Yellow Herb for Restore 3, +1 Vitality
Can be combined with Red and Yellow Herb for FULL RESTORE +2 Vitality
WEAPONS:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Basic Handgun (10)
Damage: 1 vitality point per combat round.
Speed: 1 bullet per combat round.
Reload: Can fire 10 bullets before reloading (useless during the next 15 minutes)
ACTION PHASE
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The Action Phase
What is it? Well, this is when it is your turn to send me your orders for the day. You have either just started the game and gotten your character card, Role PM, and your starting location on the map, and you wish to make your first move, or
This is not your first move, so you got an update on your progress from the previous phase and now it is your turn to move again. The update will be sent to you privately and it will tell you your status, your ammunition left, your health, and what happened to you.
If you don't know what to do during the action phase, first make sure you've read the How To Play section. Then, read the Frequently Asked Questions section, it might help. If all else fails ask me a question, and I'll do my best to answer it. I can't tell you how to play, but if you need options, I can explain what your possible options are as briefly as I can. Some of them will be bad ideas, but they are still options.
This phase will last 24 hours if I have most of the orders. I might extend it to 48 hours if you guys need the extra time, but please send in your orders ASAP.
WRITEUP PHASE
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The Writeup Phase
What is it? Well, someone needs to take your 60-80 different orders and do something with it. That means carry out your orders. This is the most labor-intensive part of the game, and good news! You don't have to do it. That's my job. I search the area you wanted me to search, carry out your battle and non-battle orders, update your health, ammo, items list, etc... and then I give you a summary of what happened in your update, which I will send out as promptly as I can.
If I get my butt handed to me, this phase could take a full 24 hours. If I really need the help, I might extend it until it is all done, but I will END the writeup phase as soon as humanly possible. I'm just a boy... my processor can only carry out one command at a time.
Last edited by Askthepizzaguy; 11-27-2009 at 21:12.
1. Am I allowed to talk to you outside the thread about the game? (referring to the game host)
A: Yes of course, and you may also talk to anyone in your square, in an adjacent square, or if you have a communications device and so does your friend. Think: Two-way radio. The instant you are out of contact, however.... you move too far away.... you can't talk to them anymore. Not without that radio device.
2. How do you find out if anyone is there?
A: You will be "aware" of them. There is an awareness radius around you directly related to your "awareness rating". The larger the rating, the more you see. By "see", I mean I'll tell you they are there. If they are close enough you can even tell which player they are, and you'll be able to contact them if they are within your zone of control, which is 1 square radius around you. Now ask me how you make allies.
3. How do you make allies?
A: You have to set your mode to "cooperation" and see if anyone else is in "cooperation" mode within your zone of control. If so, then you become allies. If they aren't right next to you... perhaps a couple squares away, you will be allowed to "meet" in a square that is the median distance between you on the next turn. If you do this then you may become allies. You will never automatically fire at your ally, regardless of what attack mode you're in. However, you can override that at any time by telling me you wish to kill your ally. Ain't I a stinker?
4. I am very interested in the premise of the game and would like to join, but I am worried about the amount of time I will have to spend on it. So basically my question is it the type of game that requires a lot time or is it more of the type where I can get away with spending only a little bit on it every day when I'm busy but then get more involved as my time frees up?
A: Yes exactly! The action phases (player's order send-in phase) are 48 hours long unless I have all your orders. And then it takes another 24 hours for the host to roll the dice, move the people, and send out 80 reports to 80 players. So a few minutes every 3 days. It should be fun, but not at all taxing of your time.
5. which skill makes you use weapons the best... Combat?
A: That's a good question. If you mean the actual combat itself, then:
Melee weapons: Combat, Speed, and Strength
Ranged weapons: Combat
Although high stealth can get you first strikes much easier, and help you avoid combat if you wish.
Awareness will help you avoid getting surprise attacked with first strikes and can help you get first strikes against those who use stealth on you. Luck helps you avoid damage, but not consistently. Basically all skills come up in combat, but as for dealing damage, you want to have some combat skills.
6. Can you attack some one without them attacking back?
A: Yes. A first strike will cause damage without retaliation on the first round of combat. Then if they are set to "run away" they won't counterattack they will just run. There will be no second round of combat.
7. What about sniper shots?
A: Snipers are a different beast. If you choose to "sniper", you must have a long range weapon (sniper weapon), not every gun can do this. When you sniper someone, you don't move that turn, and you fire at someone in your awareness radius. They cannot counterattack unless they also happened to be sniping at you at the same time. And they will only see you if they already saw you.
8. Can different factions work together / not automatically attack each other?
A: Yes.
9. What about zombies, can I work with the zombies? Or the plague demons?
A: Zombies are different, they cannot cooperate with you. They are part of the zombie horde and have limitations on what they can do. And uh, the plague demons aren't friendly...
10. Are we able to make noise? Our awarness is limited but sound travels a long way.
A: Well, that's good thinking, but it goes against the limitations of what I designed the game to do. Let's pretend if you were to do something like that, the entire zombie horde comes after you, and that's the reason why you can't. However, there is something in the game, the flare gun, which if you fire it into the air, everyone on the map can see it. You can use that to rally people to your location... or lure them into a trap.
11. Do we start with 0 points on everything? When choosing what to add points to, Is there a limit to the amount of points I can assign to any one attribute ?
A: You start with all your points evenly distributed. You can choose to take away points from one category and add it to the other. So if you don't assign your points, all your skill sets will have an average number of points. And yes, your maximum points in a category at the start of the game is 10.
12. If I'm attacked does the attack take a fixed amount of my vitality or does it vary? Could I die in one strike (with no chance to fight back or run away), or would it take many?
A: Some weapons will cause more than one point of damage if you are hit successfully. Yes, you can die in one strike with certain weapons. For example: If you get blasted by the rocket-propelled grenade, you can possibly die instantly (especially if your luck fails). If you get hit repeatedly by an automatic weapon (several shots fired in one combat round) you can lose enough vitality to die that round. Also, some players will have the strength, speed, and skill to cause severe damage with melee weapons.
However, any attack which removes your final vitality point gets a special 50/50 "saving throw". If you win the "saving throw" you will survive the attack and keep your final vitality point.
13. Can this save throw be used multiple times? Seems like you could survive a long time if you get lucky.
Yes. Every time your final vitality point is taken away, you have a 50/50 chance at life or death.
This means someone can shoot at you with a machine pistol 4 times in a combat round, and have you miraculously survive each bullet. Or you could die on the first one.
14. Also can you combine the 'cooperate' and 'vigilante' statuses so that you try to ally with humans but attack any zombies?
No, and here's why:
Alliances will be a powerful strategic advantage. In order to gain access to the benefits of alliances, players have to risk something. The first thing they have to risk is being betrayed, but as it stands there are quite a few more townspeople than there are anti-townspeople. So the risk is real, but not completely prohibitive. The second thing they have to risk is their immediate safety during that round.
In order to indicate to someone you just met, in a survival situation, with crazy murderous psychos around, that you aren't a threat... you have to approach them with caution, with your weapons lowered, obviously and visually non-threatening. This is the only way they will be willing to trust you. Or, for the sake of the game being a challenge, that is what I have deemed necessary. If you do this, you risk being the victim of a first strike, much like being caught in stealth mode causes such a risk. In order to gain something you must risk something. Your weapon being lowered means anything in the area that is hostile to humans will attack you first, and that's what you risk.
On subsequent phases you may be more aggressive, but your ally (which you now recognize and trust) will never be a target of your weapons fire ever again, unless you tell me you wish to attack them specifically.
15. When are you allowed to combine orders, and when is it not allowed?
Here I have to say I am not sure. It depends on what the orders are, and I'll have to make a ruling depending on the situation.
If you wanted to do two incompatible things, such as "search" and "stealth" (how can you search thoroughly and remain hidden at the same time?) I have to rule against it.
There is an area where I will say yes, you can do this: You can issue a "stand your ground" order with exceptions. For example: You could order me to have your character stand his/her ground in battle until you are in danger of death, and then run away. Say you had 8 vitality points, and you felt confident enough to stand your ground... well, you risk death if you stand your ground against a more powerful foe or a group of attackers. So, let's say you lost 6 vitality in that battle, and you decided more than that is too much to risk. You could tell me you wish to leave the battle if you lose 50% of your health or more, or a certain number of vitality points (VP).
That kind of specificity I can handle, because I feel removing that option from the players would limit creativity while also gaining nothing in terms of simplicity, and balance. It allows intelligent play without sacrificing much of anything, and it isn't hard for me to implement, so it's in.
The trouble with some orders is that they are mutually exclusive of other orders. I can't combine the advantages (and therefore cancel out the risk) of say, cooperation attempts and also aggressive actions. One is a passive action, the other is aggressive. For the purposes of this game, in order to gain the advantage of one you have to lose the advantage of the other. The best compromise there is vigilante mode, where you attack non-humans only. If you see someone requesting cooperation while you're in vigilante mode, you might stay put and offer the same next round, hoping they also stay put and continue requesting cooperation. The risk there is that they don't stay put and you lose a round while also leaving yourself vulnerable.
To make headway in this game you have to risk something. Risk moving too far into unexplored territory.... risk losing time by staying put... risk your life and health by doing aggressive actions... risk giving up the first strike to aggressive people by doing passive or defensive actions... risk being sneaked up on while doing sniper actions.... and so on and so forth. To gain, you must risk. That is how I maintain game balance and ensure fairness, and also make it so there is no single correct strategy for the game which breaks it, or makes it dull and uninteresting.
16. Not sure if this has been asked before. Can you have more then two weapons? Eg, can you have a sniper rifle and a sub machine gun at the same time?
Yes. You can carry an unlimited number of weapons and items and gear, but at a certain point I will tack on a penalty to your speed, which reduces your ability to fight in melee situations, and reduces your movement points on the map. I will do this when (in my judgment) you have several heavy weapons or you have a super-heavy weapon. This will not apply if you keep the total number of weapons in your inventory to a reasonable amount that you think you could actually carry in real life.
For example it's possible to carry several pistols without a problem. Several gun holsters makes it easy. You might also strap a couple of machine pistols to your legs. You might have a sniper rifle with a strap around your shoulder, and a shotgun in your hands.
What would be a neat trick is carrying a rifle, a shotgun, and a grenade launcher. At that point, you aren't going to be moving around as well or as fast. Now pile on 4 more guns and try beating anyone in a melee battle. I want to keep it as realistic as possible in my judgment.
17. Also, a related point: During any given combat round can you use more than one weapon, perhaps one in each hand fired simultaneously?
You can use a different weapon on a different combat round, but not two different ones in the same round. The one exception is if you're using two guns that come as a pair. For example there's a pair of machine pistols that come as a pair and effectively count as one weapon. In all other cases, there are no exceptions.
18. Can you combine two similar pistols and treat them as a pair?
No. Pistols will be relatively common and there will be little point in having automatic weapons in the game when you could effectively turn common pistols into an automatic weapon simply by holding one in each hand. I know this breaks the realism a bit, but it's for the purposes of simplicity (I have made only rare sacrifices in realism for the sake of simplicity) and game balance. If I allowed that, I'd have to make automatic weapons even more powerful than they already are, and then anyone with automatic weapons will destroy anyone with any other kind of weapon, and that's a game balance issue. They are already powerful enough and I do not believe two handguns are more powerful than a single sub-machine gun, and that's the only reason I won't allow combining two weapons.
I really would if I could, but I'd need to re-work the game mechanics and I like them as they are. Maybe next game.
19. Do I need to know anything about Resident Evil?
Nope, you don't need to know anything about Resident evil. For people who aren't fans of the series:
1. The dead people in this game turn into zombies and keep playing. They can be killed with weapons, or you can outrun them.
2. There are non-human creatures that are much bigger and stronger than you. Especially the crowd-busting creature that I will be sending after you. He's about 20 feet tall.
3. Herbs can be mixed together to make heath items or attribute-boosting items.
4. There will be almost no one from the Resident Evil games in this game. 98% of you are all new characters. Yes, you have images that look like RE characters, but that's because I'm not about to make 60 brand-new images. These are new characters, with the rare exception.
5. Some of your fellow townsfolk may simply wish to kill you and take your weapons and items, to increase their chance of survival. Others want you eliminated anyway because they aren't ordinary townsfolk.
20. Can I go into the river?
There may be zombie fish which will um.... eat you.
Like piranhas, except they are undead and super, super strong and extra bloodthirsty.
STAY OUT OF THE WATER!!!
21. Does the river have sharks?
I would have sharks, but this particular mountain river doesn't have any.
22. How can I counter Snipers?
Combat, then Luck, then Vitality. Awareness will help you locate a sniper if indeed they are within your awareness range and they fail your awareness check. No extra bonus for defense there I'm afraid.
23. Is 4 awareness with 7 luck much worse than 7 awareness with 4 luck? I get the other perks of those stats just fine, but here we have a bit of overlap.
Luck tends to get you rarer items when you find them, or it helps you find items when you aren't even looking for them. But awareness is what will tend to find you items when you're searching for them. (items/weapons etc)
24. As a Botanist, does it mean that i have a 50% chance of finding herbs (during search mode) regardless of awareness? or does it mean x1.5 chance to whatever awareness stat?
50% during search mode regardless.
25. If i increase awareness, would this chance increase with it?
Nope, just your chance of finding OTHER items and weapons.
26. the combined herbs that give +1 or +2 vitality; that essentially means getting more stats points right?
All of your stats can increase depending on which herbs you find. Some herbs heal you. The really good herbs are rare.
27. Is there a limit to the number of items we can carry?
Nope
28. combat is good for guns but not so for melee yes?
Combat is important in all forms of... combat. Strength and Speed just enhance you damage and number of attacks you do in melee. But think of combat as your TO-HIT-YOUR-OPPONENT percentage no matter what.
29. What's the difference between strength and combat?
Combat is your To-hit-your-opponent percentage. Strength, as it pertains to combat, relates only to melee, and it increases the damage of your physical attack weapon, not your guns, if any.
30. Probability of snipers? Is their detection roll down to weapon alone, awareness alone or both combined?
If you're asking probability of snipers hitting you, it relates to their combat rating versus yours. So someone who already doesn't do well in combat would make a poor sniper. However, sniper rifles often lower their opponent's luck, which means that any damage you take will probably not get deflected.
Speed, how far you move is in post 142 of the discussion thread, Strength increases the amount of damage in melee combat based on a strength-minimum system. You must have x amount of strength to add 1 vitality point worth of damage in combat, and x amount of strength to add 2.
31. Can people inside a group have different commands? For example, one guy is in search mode, while the other is guarding in Vigilante mode and the third is in Cooperation mode?
People inside a group can have different commands, absolutely!
32. Can players give other players gifts or exchange equipment?
Yes, players can gift or exchange equipment. Both parties inform the host of their intent, and they must be in the same square or adjacent squares.
Last edited by Askthepizzaguy; 11-27-2009 at 21:07.
1. Observe all the Gameroom rules as posted in the Gameroom subforum. They are stickied for easy reference. The major thing that applies to this game is sportsmanship, because unlike most games, there are some aspects of the game I simply cannot police. I need you to be mature and not do things which break the game, as described here.
2. PRIVATE COMMUNICATION outside the thread about the game is not allowed unless specified exactly by the game host. No seriously, this is the biggest rule of them all. You cannot communicate telepathically across a city, so unless you have an item which allows such communication, you cannot talk to your friends or enemies about the game in any way shape or form. You may mention the game in passing to a friend who is not playing if you wish, but do not divulge your current stats, weapons, location, or other sensitive personal information. You never know who your friend might tell that information to... and having your friend communicate this information to other players on purpose is an intentional rule break and it is not allowed, no exceptions. If someone accidentally breaks this rule, please inform me immediately, and I'll send them a friendly warning. This is the best outcome for that situation. Otherwise, you're on the hook for this rule break as well.
ENFORCEMENT:
This particular rule is so important, that I need to be informed of any accidental rule breaks here immediately, to maintain the game balance. It is possible to keep playing, but there may be a penalty. Depending on the situation, I may have to release you from the game. However I value honesty and you may play other games of mine. Repeated or (In My Opinion) Intentional rule breaks will result in a ban from my games. Sorry. I am a pretty fair person, you'd have to really be doing wrong to be tossed out of my games. And if you get banned, you'd have to be doing something that would get you banned from other people's games too.
3. Screenshots or quoting/full revealing your Character Card or Private Message Role "Role PM" is also explicitly banned. However, you may tell people your name, your general objective, and what items or weapons you have, at your own peril. Just do not copy/paste my role PM, and do not ask anyone to reveal their role PM. Remember, the above rule (Number Two) still applies... you can't reveal anything to anyone you don't have contact with. (This means you need to have a method of communication, or you need to be in the same grid coordinate or you need to be in adjacent grid coordinates)
4. When you die
Hey, this is a survival game, but in games, sometimes you lose. It's not the end of the world. And, in this case, it's probably not the end of the game either. You can continue play as a zombie, provided you be a good sport and not break any of my rules, and you're OK giving up your previous allegiances and absorbing a new role and win condition. If the zombies lose the game, you should hope your original team wins. However, you get a better score if your new role (The zombies) win. If you go bananas because you died, I might ask a mod to delete your posts and remove you from the game. Be nice.
5. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION:
Much of the same rules apply to public communication as they do to private communication. You still cannot reveal your current location on the map or any private information. There will probably not be much public discussion... this is a game of hidden movements. However, you can comment on what you think of the public writeup (the update to the game everyone sees) or ask a question of the game host which does not reveal private information of yours. After the game is over, you may also make whatever comment you wish.
ENFORCEMENT:
See how I enforce the private communication rule. Only this time, I know when the rule has been broken and I'll warn against it immediately.
6. Other rules
If I need to adjust the rules or aspects of the game, I as the host have the prerogative to do so. I will attempt to keep my hands off, but I've never hosted a game like this before, and if I need to make a final balancing adjustment to the game or add or remove elements of the game, I reserve that right.
However, every change I make to the game (if any) will be logged and made public, with apologies that I did not do my job as a game designer and iron out any difficulties beforehand. If this change affects your character or your play in any way, you reserve the right to protest such an action, and you will get my sincere apologies. If I accidentally made your weapon too powerful, then I have learned my lesson for next time. However, if there is a major problem with the game (such as the LUCK stat being too powerful that it prevented normal combat) I may adjust its strength, globally, and announce that change. Other than that, I really have to leave the game as-is and hope for the best. Any change will be made in good faith and with the best interests of fairness and fun.
7. Phase length
All phases will be timed and based on either a 24 or 48 hour length, with the time adjusted to meet Eastern Standard Time (United States), which I believe is GMT -5:00 hours.
I will not end your action phases early. I may end my own writeup phase as soon as it is done, and just grant you the extra time as part of the next action phase, for your pleasure, convenience, and to keep the game moving.
I reserve the right to add a new rule here, if I need to do so I will announce it. Otherwise, just seven rules to worry about.
Last edited by Askthepizzaguy; 11-27-2009 at 20:29.
11 years after the viral outbreak at Raccoon City... the world was a very different place. Every nation on Earth was gearing up to deal with the threat of bio-terrorism... arming themselves to deal with the hordes of zombies which sprung up everywhere... it was a worldwide pandemic, and a new kind of warfare. Some warring states had decided to use the virus as a weapon against their enemies. Turning a hostile nation's population against itself would virtually guarantee there would be no resistance. Some militant factions, terrorist organizations, and resistance movements wished to seize samples of the virus for themselves, so they too could inflict pain and terror on their enemies. The Omega virus was slightly different from the other strains; it only seemed to infect a small percentage of the population. But when it was successful, it turned ordinary people into titans... psychotic, murderous titans. It was not particularly revolutionary, as several versions of a similar virus had produced more catastrophic results. The Umbrella corporation, in its final days, perfected the Omega-I strain. But then it was put on the shelf when the company collapsed.
With the world in chaos, national politics have changed dramatically. The United States Senate is now, and for the first time in modern history, without a Republican or Democratic majority. A third party has emerged... the Hawk party. Their agenda is quite simple; protect the United States at any cost, withdraw from the United Nations, and arm the country to the teeth against the threat of bio-terrorism. And if that means developing biological weapons as well, so be it.
Under contract to the United States government, a new pharmaceutical research company known as SynTech has picked up where Umbrella left off. They have managed to obtain a sample of the Omega virus, and have been working to perfect it. Since new vaccines, treatments and quarantine methods have reduced the threat of the T-virus and related strains, it was necessary to stay on the cutting edge of biological warfare, otherwise the United States would risk being the only major industrialized nation without an effective deterrent against attack. Now SynTech has produced a new prototype of the next generation of biological weapons: The Omega-II virus. This virus can infect people simply by touch, rather than by entering the bloodstream directly. However, this process takes much longer than by entering the bloodstream.
Not content to stay out of this struggle, several shadowy organizations, corporations, and criminal enterprises have allied together to protect their interests, and have re-formed the Umbrella corporation. No longer a publicly traded company, and bearing only some resemblance to the previous Umbrella corporation, the common denominator is that the new Umbrella corporation has tracked down and re-hired many of the executives, researchers, and security forces that they used to be affiliated with. They also have a similar corporate philosophy... the bottom line is the only thing that matters. Win at any cost. Umbrella's methods are too harsh and too illegal for the "legitimate" government of the United States to get involved with, so they failed to obtain government backing. Umbrella doesn't like competition, and it was far more profitable to simply steal the new Omega-II strain than develop it themselves, and under the reasoning that Omega was theirs to begin with, they have attacked and destroyed one of the main SynTech biological research facilities in a large town in the mountains of Montana; Dark Falls.
The Omega-II virus was released everywhere, and the townspeople began to succumb to the illness. However, this city was built for the purpose of biological research... the stone walls around the facility, and around the city, were built as a precaution against outbreaks. There's barbed wire, vicious dogs, land mines, and other security measures. When the local government became infected, they went insane and turned these countermeasures against their own citizens... the townspeople of Dark Falls. Now the very security measures and government officials that were designed to protect them from danger were threatening to kill everyone in town, and transform them into walking biological weapons.
With SynTech and Umbrella both scrambling to secure samples of the Omega-II virus, and infected townspeople roaming around biting people, the once-peaceful town of Dark Falls had turned into a warzone. As if that weren't bad enough, there are reports of sightings of some very hostile and inhuman creatures wandering about... terrifying beasts that look like demons... or something out of a nightmare. Then there are the crazy maniacs who are roaming free, killing everything in sight... but it only gets worse! Umbrella sent a helicopter carrying something very dangerous and dropped it into the center of town. The town of Dark Falls has suddenly become seventh circle of the fiery underworld. But something more terrifying than anyone has ever seen before has emerged... something worse than all the other threats put together.
Dark Falls has a new resident.... and it is the incarnation of evil.
---------------------------
GAME BEGINS NOW!
Instructions: (please read even if it seems like a pain)
1. Please allocate your stat points to the seven categories and tell me how you've got it set up. Remember, the points you see are the default configuration IF YOU FAIL TO DISTRIBUTE THEM. You do not add points on top of the ones you see, you re-arrange the ones you see.
2. I will then be able to send you your Character Card. Keep this as well as your Role PM. Never delete your Role PM.
3. Refrain from communication about this game outside of the thread unless otherwise instructed by the host (you have specific permission to do so, or the ability to do so because you have an item or you're standing next to the other player)
4. Posts in this thread: You may post in the thread, but you're very limited in what you can say. You can't reveal where you are, what weapons you have, what your name is, what your goals are, anything. You may simply make comments about my posts. I'd prefer if you asked the questions in private so I can make sure you don't give anything away. I'd also prefer to see questions posted in the discussion thread rather than on here. In other words, I'd like to keep this thread mostly free of chatter, but you can make comments in response to my posts. Player-to-player communication I discourage here, even the legal kind.
5. The rules for the game are clearly stated in post number 4 of this thread; read them please before you play. Don't play the game without reading the rules, please... it takes 10 minutes to read them and you'll get to enjoy the game for a month or more. If you break these rules... Don't, that's all I can say.
6. SENDING IN YOUR ACTIONS EVERY PHASE:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
IF YOU INTEND TO SEND IN ORDERS, REMEMBER:
1. Which coordinate are you moving to? If you're chasing down a certain player, tell me "Chase down person at coordinate Letter-Number"
2. What mode are you in?
(examples: Berserker, Assassinate, Vigilante, Stealth Vigilante, Defensive, Stealth, Search quickly, or Cooperate)
3. Run from a fight, and if so, when?
A) Run away immediately
B) Fight until one of you dies
C) Run away when you reach certain health or ____ this happens
Don't send in orders without this information!
Also suggested but not required:
4. If you have multiple weapons (you don't, yet) which one do you use? Do you switch to a different weapon, and if so, when?
5. Any particular strategy for your fight, if any? Aim for a specific part of your target? You can be creative.
7. I will use this thread to post announcements, write-ups, tips on how to play, and other pertinent information. Please subscribe to this thread so you don't forget to check it. It doesn't hurt to subscribe to the discussion thread either.
8. If you have a question, please read the F.A.Q section first. I will be very busy and I will courteously reply to your question even if I've been asked it 20 times. However, you will save me time and I thank you for any time you can do that for me.
9. If at any time you would like help or advice on what to do, I can talk you through what's expected of you this game. I want to make this as fun and simple for you as possible. Keep in mind any advice I give is simply this: What your present options are. I cannot advise you as to which course of action to take, and I cannot reveal which action is safer or better than another. This is for help only, not how-to-win. I can be contacted via private message, email at askthepizzaguy@yahoo.com, by instant message "Askthepizzaguy" on yahoo messenger, and Askthepizzaguy@yahoo.com on Windows Live Messenger. I prefer to use Windows Live Messenger.
I will be getting many questions asked of me via instant message and I do have a life and I also play other games, so I will respond to your instant message and any other form of communication ASAP. I like being prompt but I can't always be.
10. If you need to drop out of this game for any reason please inform me immediately. You're not obligated to play.
11. Finally, enjoy the game!
ANNOUNCEMENT:
The First Phase has now started. It will be slightly over 72 hours in length so everyone can get their cards and get their orders in, while fitting your busy schedule. If you can't meet this deadline, this game may not be for you.
The first phase (15 minutes "in-game" time) will be over on Tuesday, December 1st, at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time (Florida, U.S.A) Please get your Stat points distributed and to me, so I can give you your character card, so you can see how far you can move and finally send in your Phase One orders, before the end of the round. If you miss the first round, you will stay exactly where you are, with the default stats, in defense mode and you will run from battle. If you miss the second round as well, I have to boot you from the game. Sorry.
MAP WITH LEGEND:
Last edited by Askthepizzaguy; 11-28-2009 at 23:46.
Resident Evil: Dark Falls [Game thread]
Don't, that's all I can say.
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