SA Journal/Logbook

[shadowleaper 22]

Introduction: After playing the Mod for a long time and recently watching the SA release video a great idea popped in my head. I posted this on youtube in a simple form and it got a lot of attention, I even receieved a few emails.

I hope you guys like it too.

This idea isn't nessessary for release but could be something the team could implement after.

If this is TLDR, I understand! :P

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Every player can find a journal/logbook in the game. This book would accelerate your progress towards being a hero or being a bandit.

This takes no space in your inventory, maybe even has it's own slot (like map and compass)

After you pick one up the game automatically tracks certain actions you perform and begins to write them down.

Basic records:

-When and how you kill another player.

-When and how you kill a single or group of zombies.

-When and how you escape a zombie attack (They have to hit you once for this to trigger as an event)

-Where you found food/liquids and the state of hunger and thirst you were in.

-Learning new skills for the first time (skinning/crafting/hunting etc.)

-Finding objects of strategic importance: binoculars, map etc.

-Fixing and repairing a car: Where you found it, where you're keeping it safe.

-Any areas you logout are treated as safe havens when you do it more than 3 times in a row within a certain area of the map. These are logged as the area you and possibly your party has decided to camp/live.

Helping other players:

-Lists their names and what you helped them cure/stabalise.

-Giving them items of survival, in the case of food or liquids, also mentions the state of their condition.

Killing or wounding a zombie aggroing another player.

Players then have the option to edit their journal in the form of removing entries only.

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Now. As far as flavour is concerned, I'd like to see that each entry upon picking one of these up is written in a neutral way. Maybe even starting out with a little panicked back story.

Eg:

"Today I woke up to a nightmare. Everything has gone to shit. I don't know whether to carry on or find some quite place to wait and die, so far, all I've seen are dead bodies and people possessed with the need to eat flesh." -you get the idea.

Then perhaps as you develop your character the game will see what kind of player you are. (hero?bandit?)

Eg: Finding a toolbox.

Hero: "Today I found a toolbox. It lay beside a dead body. His blood soaked ID read one "Jeffery Hitchcock". I found a pistol beside his severed hand. It was empty, he died an honourable death. If only I could get there in time to help. He kept a journal too, perhaps it can help me find some other survivors."

Bandit: "Well well, a toolbox. This should come in handy. Hello, is that a pistol? The poor bastard didn't even have the decency to leave any ammo. Probably defending against those things out here. If Mr. Jeff had any brains he'd have realised killing is my job. It seems he was tracking his progress in a journal. Perhaps I can use this to find any friends he may have compromised."

Edited February 8, 2013 by shadowleaper

[gamerman001 182]

All this is an awesome idea. But you should also be able to make personal notes.

[declan223@gmail.com 271]

Good Idea, then you can make notes with out having to spend ages typing

[shadowleaper 22]

Good Idea, then you can make notes with out having to spend ages typing

Yes, the idea is to not remove from the game play and overcrowd the UI. It's just another element to enhance the game, story and choices a player makes.

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@Connor: It's a toss up. I think having a separate area where you can write your own posts would be nice too, but the danger is when players start logging profanities or troll the system, this way it keeps it neat and rewards you for playing a certain way -You get to see what's unfolding in your character's head and steer it in a new direction. I do believe this concept would be tough as heck to implement as it is. They'd need a full time writer and a coder dedicated to this developments, including a system for these events being tracked, logged and saved.