Will the Sandbox have a Morale System? Does it need it?

[cekivi]

This gameplay function must be long-term to have any meaning. By making it long term, the player is not monitoring another character stat bar: it should not be represented as a stat. It should only come up after it is affecting rest, energy levels. Voice-acted lines can reveal this information about the character. While dehydration, starvation, and cold will kill the player very quickly in TLD, depression should not be a cause of death in and of itself, but instead aggravate the existing complexities and problems of preventing the cold and lack of nourishment from killing you.

I really like this. Good, succinct description of how morale could work within the context of the game.

[Dirmagnos]

To start, I doubt mental health is solely a byproduct of the modern world. Much like obesity you can find historical examples of it.

Second, our characters are not primitive people. These are characters who were living in a highly developed country with all the perks and downsides that entails. Likely, you'll miss your menial job in an air conditioned building and microwave hot pockets would probably feel like a delicacy fit for kings if I'm stranded in the wilderness with no hope of rescue.

Mental health is not solely byproduct of the modern society, but it plays far greater role in a urbanized society, there is simply far more mental and emotional disorders than there used to be due to faster pace of life. Not to mention that people love to find illnesses in themselves simply because they exist.

And the fact that characters lived in highly developed country mean nothing. There is enough background given to presume that were dealing with rather hardy person. Among other stuff it states that he quite well familiar with life in the wild. So hes hardly some soft city boy whos knowledge of the wilderness comes from movies. Will has plenty of experience traveling around, seen worse parts of life and a few years prior to event has been living life of a loner with no attachments to any1.

And if you would be stranded in situation like presented in game, then that menial job would feel like a dream to you, that has no connection with reality. You wouldnt miss it simply because it wouldnt feel real nor have any point. Otherwise youd be one of those corpses in the snow. Those who were not strong enough, willing enough or able enough.

He may have crashed now, but hes been living in the Long Dark for quite a while by then.

[cekivi]

On 2016-02-10 at 6:26 PM, Dirmagnos said:

He may have crashed now, but hes been living in the Long Dark for quite a while by then.

I suppose that's possible. Since the timeline for the sandbox was never established I always assumed it was fairly immediately after the event. Otherwise, all of the supplies found lying around should have already been scavenged by the other survivors and corpses should have been buried in the frequent blizzards. However, if it has been a long time than the character likely would be indifferent to their surroundings.

[illanthropist]

I did think similar a while back how the possibility of books, successful item crafting or even a hot cloth wash etc could affect morale but then people replied saying it would be like playing the sims, keeping your happy and romance bars or something topped up as much as your overall health.  Despite meeting people who lecture in survival psychology for a living, after reading that I was pretty much convinced it's a mechanic we can do without.

[cekivi]

That's why it shouldn't be an obvious mechanic like a bar to maximize. Just something very subtle in the background. One of the earlier posters had a good comment on how morale could be subtly implemented wile avoiding min/maxing.

Also, it would be nice to see another use for books! I for one can never bring myself to burn them so it would be nice if I could read them

[Dirmagnos]

15 hours ago, cekivi said:

I suppose that's possible. Since the timeline for the sandbox was never established I always assumed it was fairly immediately after the event. Otherwise, all of the supplies found lying around should have already been scavenged by the other survivors and corpses should have been buried in the frequent blizzards. However, if it has been a long time than the character likely would be indifferent to their surroundings.

I meant that his life has been a dead end even prior to Event. He knows how to survive and is used to making hard choices.

[SteveP]

Perhaps morale and confidence should improve with each success such as making fire, repairing something, crafting something, a successful hunt or fishing. Being stuck indoors during a blizzard could destroy confidence; same after taking damage from a wolf or bear encounter. But if you get stuck overnight outside in a storm, confidence goes down but then bounces back if you make it back to "base" (any interior location?)

Neglecting your clothing or tool repairs could also mean you loose morale by not keeping busy and productive. Excess sleeping or random fussing? Is time spent carefully arranging supplies a plus or minus? I think sorting into containers is a plus whereas obsessive compulsions are a sign of mental fatigue or something. Rote behaviours on the other hand, do help long term survivors to cope.

Quote

Survival depends a great deal on a person's ability to withstand stress in emergency situations. Your brain is without doubt your best survival tool. It is your most valuable asset in a survival situation. It isn't always the physically strong who are the most effective or better at handling fear in emergency situations. Survival more often depends on the individual's reactions to stress than upon the danger, terrain, or nature of the emergency. To adapt is to live. Mental skills are much more important than physical skills in survival situations. A person's psychological reactions to the stress of survival can often make them unable to utilize their available resources. You most likely won't use your physical skills if you don't have a positive mental attitude.

http://www.backcountryattitude.com/survival_attitude.htm

Quote

Man has been able to survive many shifts in his environment throughout the centuries. His ability to adapt physically and mentally to a changing world kept him alive while other species around him gradually died off. The same survival mechanisms that kept our forefathers alive can help keep us alive as well! However, these survival mechanisms that can help us can also work against us if we don't understand and anticipate their presence.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/mind-2.php

[Fuarian]

Maybe a more passive morale system. Kinda like how skills are right now. No 5th status bar or anything. Certain actions can bring down your morale and as a result. Certain actions will be slower or less effective/effeicient. I can't really think of much else.