Expand how players can customize Moodlets for their characters
Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 1:54 am
The current moodlet system seems to have been kept deliberately vague but carries some pretty hefty mechanical impacts (Movement speed, hunger rates, effective health/crit meter). Fixing a low mood, or attempting to maximize mood, and even attempting to figure out what is damaging your mood can be an annoying unintuitive experience, with only a few quirks that allow this system to be somewhat under player control.
I think implementing a more catered moodlet quirk system, on top of the current one, that carries substantial and transparent/quantifiable mood buffs compared to generic alternatives would benefit players and the round in a number of ways
I Do think the mood system is a really cool idea, but I feel its implementation has led to a lot of player confusion especially when it has really good potential for improving rounds if properly understood and fleshed out, would love to hear people's ideas and opinions on this.
I think implementing a more catered moodlet quirk system, on top of the current one, that carries substantial and transparent/quantifiable mood buffs compared to generic alternatives would benefit players and the round in a number of ways
- Players can feel rewarded for fulfilling moodlet criteria more in-keeping with their own character's IC personality.
- Allows for a more impactful way for coders to incentivize desired behavior, and to limit undesirable behavior, but with player input and customization.
- Lowers the barrier of entry for efficient mood management making any potential powergaming of the current mood system less impactful.
- Lets players learn the mood system at a glance, instead of through arduous experimentation and brainstorming: ► Show Spoiler
- Remove the flavour text from quirks, replace/fuse with the descriptions with the mechanical impacts from the wiki: ► Show Spoiler
- Expand diet and food preference quirks beyond: "Voracious, Vegetarian, Ananas good or bad, Deviant." Add a series of 0 point food preferences that grant significant moodlet increases compared to the norm simple things like eating food from certain catergories, like Pasta, Meat Menu, loving cake. Encourage a player to request or seek specific food types and actually state what these quirks do, don't be vague about the impact a quirk has.
- Add more moodlets related to the primary quirk, and add these to the wiki. Things like if a character hates the dark, them having a flashlight or seclight on their person should make them happy, a Vegetarian may enjoy harvesting plants and hate butchering.
- Add moodlets that augment people's jobs -- A Snob quirked character could also enjoy putting items into the trash or mopping, making people very happy janitors. A Security officer could get a mood bonus when holding a shotgun. A mime could get a mood bonus hearing applause, psychologists/laywers get a mood buff for being fucking useless, etc.
- Add quirks that conform to certain playstyles/stances. Does the character like violence? Do they enjoy the sight of blood? Do they like rooms full of people? Do they like having a mindshield? Do they get sad around people with mindshields? Do they like hugs from non-humans?
I Do think the mood system is a really cool idea, but I feel its implementation has led to a lot of player confusion especially when it has really good potential for improving rounds if properly understood and fleshed out, would love to hear people's ideas and opinions on this.