INTRODUCE CHARACTER ARCHETYPES, EXCLUSIVE LOADOUTS

[SonoftheThrone]

A wonderful suggestion in order to ramp up character investment by players is to allow (like the Oregon Trail PC games, and/or Mass Effect games) a player the opportunity to choose a character backstory for their chosen avatar! In doing so, they might have a bio-exclusive ability that other characters would not. For example, a DOCTOR could heal themselves easier, a NUTRITIONIST could have knowledge to ration a proper survival diet, a TRAIL GUIDE/BOTANIST could have a deeper knowledge of natural flora/fauna, a LUMBERJACK would have a hatchet tool pre-equipped on their avatar, an ARCHER would have a bow pre-equipped, a HUNTER would have a firearm pre-equipped, a FIREMAN would have a fire-proof uniform by default, a MECHANIC would have technical expertise as well as a hardware belt w/ tools to expand inventory but also to craft exclusive items, etc.

A character would have a some-what customizable bio, as well as BENEFITS for choosing a certain character archetype!

Sincerely,

SonoftheThrone

[Fluffy]

I thought our backstory was that we were a bush pilot, and we come with the inherent benefits of having just dropped unexpectedly out of the sky These include being pre-equipped with unsuitable clothing for walking around in a snowstorm, no weapons and next to nothing of real survival value!

I play a lot of RPG-like games, so I love the genre, but I'm not sure that I want an RPG-like character selection/progression in this particular game. At least not in the sandbox. I like the idea that I'm suddenly, unexpectedly dropped into a survival situation, and it's just me and my own prior experience of the environment. In effect, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't feel like I'm training a character, that you invest in until it dies, but like I'm training myself, that carries over to the next game. I know that everyone else playing has an equal starting base too, so I like reading about how they're getting on and what they're doing differently.

In TLD sandbox the biggest survival aids are not the same old tired and predefined character options that have become almost ubiquitous in other games (Doctor, Hunter, Mechanic etc.), but your own learning curve, such as remembering survival strategies that worked (and those that didn't!) and getting to know the maps. I actually learned a few things about myself from playing as myself too (e.g. the moment where I realised I was almost always dying after a spell of good luck, not bad luck, and recognised that greed might possibly be an issue :oops:. Now I've learned not to be lured by big rewards into risking my immediate safety - e.g. carry less, don't stay out too long or venture too far from what you know).

Selectable characters would spoil the sandbox for me. In story mode, I'd be much more open to character selection and progression.

[SonoftheThrone]

I suggested character archtypes to add to the realism of the game. Why? Simple. ANYONE could be THIS CHARACTER. Me, you, your aunt, that guy down the street, even your pet dog, Mocha Latte of Barkington!

Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime. Even the most professionally trained so-and-so can melt down mentally into an infantile, defenseless mass of nothing in the scenario of a randomly-crashed-survivor. Even "you" could be the (coincidental) online RPG player surviving a crash with (now useless) tech know-how but who built up some realistic, useful survive skills from, yes, playing a survival simulator. See? ANYONE! The option that YOU could actually be "you" by adding "your" backstory. No harm. No foul. God is into details....and so am I! Where is he/she from? Why? What is his experience mentally that would contribute to his/her situation? Is he/she a hopeless, depressed so-and-so or will the person have the mindpower to plow through this nightmarish section of life they're currently dealing with?