Fear

Fear plays an important role in horror movies in general, and the zombie movie in particular. Kevan's Zombie Infection Simulaton includes panicking humans.

This page is for suggesting, discussing, and voting on potential fear mechanics for Urban Dead.

The Intent of Fear

A fear mechanism should:

1. Make survivors more fearful of zombies
2. Allow zombies to induce screaming and running in survivors
3. Being afraid should make it harder to fight
4. Being afraid should make it easier to run
5. The existence of fear should be fun for both survivors and zombies (admittedly, more fun for zombies)

Panic Attacks

Here's my suggestion for a fear mechanic (RodgerYoung 16:57, 25 Sep 2005 (BST)):

• Survivors can enter a 'panicked' state, triggered by zombie's actions.
  • Survivors cannot be multiply panicked; panic is a binary on/off.
• Zombies cannot panic.
• A panicked survivor can use the 'Calm Down' action at the cost of 1 AP.
  • Optionally, survivors may calm down on their own, at the cost of increased complexity and server load.
  • Calming down may not always work, depending on the survivor's situation. This could get really complicated, but it would be harder to calm down if you were alone and chased by fifty zombies.
• While panicked, a survivor has less chance to hit a zombie in combat. (Potentially cut in half?)
• Any time a zombie damages a survivor, there is a chance that survivor will panic.
  • Survivor versus survivor combat may cause anger, but not panic.
• Higher level survivors are less likely to panic than lower level survivors.
• Military survivors are less likely to panic than civilians or scientists.
• If a panicked survivor is damaged again, there is a chance they will 'flee' to a random square at no AP cost.
  • Moving people without them being logged is a huge change, and I expect will be controversial. I think it would help low-level survivors caught on the street, though. I would also suggest that panicked survivors in a building don't flee into the street.
  • Alternate mechanic - if you are panicked, there is a 25% or 50% chance that movement doesn't cost an AP.
• Panic may be contagious - the more panicked survivors around, the more likely it is for you to panic.
  • Although this will help mitigate the 'large groups of survivors' problem, it would have a serious downside of encouraging higher-level survivors to lock out lower level survivors to reduce panic.
• Zombies should have skills set around inducing panic, potentially including area-effect panic chances. Again, multiple panics don't stack.
• Survivors should get a skill (like Dead Calm) giving them immunity to panic. IMHO, this should be a Zombie Hunter skill.
• Being infected should make you more likely to panic.

Fear Effects

My ideas for Fear. I've tried to come up with a workable system which isn't totally negated by higher level skills, but instills a creeping paranoia. --Zark the Damned 21:36, 28 Sep 2005 (BST)

Fear Points and Levels

Fear has multiple levels, which raise or lower based on various effects in-game. This is based on a system of 'Fear Points'(FP) which are accrued by seeing scary stuff. There are the following levels:

• Gung-Ho - (-1FP or lower) this is a Negative fear level - the survivor is temporarily brave and emboldened to the state of foolhardiness. They gain a +10% chance to hit Zombies in melee combat, but Zombies likewise gain 10% to hit them back (the survivor believes themselves to be indestructible and is not guarding themself). Gung Ho status can be gained through use of stimulants, or possibly by killing a lot of Zombies in x amount of action points.
• Wary - (0 to 5FP) this is the default level of fear. It has no effect.
• Shaken - (5-8FP) The survivors hands are so shaky that they suffer a -10% chance to hit with any attack.
• Panicked - (9-10FP) The attack penalty increases to 20%, and AP costs for anything other than movement are doubled.
• Terrified - (11+FP) The Survivor is scared beyond most coherent thought. They may only take movement actions (and 'calm down' actions, at triple AP - see below). They cannot move into a block or building which has more Zombies in it than their current location.

Fear Points are cumulative. Fear Points are not gained or lost as a Zombie, but are retained in case it is revived. (if the survivor had 3FP when they died, they will raise with 3FP, barring System Shock)

What causes Fear?

• Being Attacked - Each time a Survivor is successfully attacked, there is a 10% chance of giving them a FP.
• Falling Barricades - If the survivor is in a barricaded building, whenever the Barricades are reduced a level by being attacked from outside there is a 10% chance of gaining an FP.
• Being Killed - When a Survivor dies, there is a 100% chance of gaining an FP (not cumulative with the 10% chance on the attack that killed them).
• System Shock - Being Revived has a 20% chance of inflicting 1FP on the Survivor due to the shock to their system.
• Seeing Death - If another Survivor in visual range is killed, there is a 50% chance of gaining an FP.
• The Hordes - Upon entering a space with Zombies, there is a cumulative 5% chance per 5 Zombies of gaining an FP (e.g. 10Z's = 10%, 21 Z's = 20%). Only applies to the first time you enter that space each day.
• Zombie Infection - Being infected with a Bite reduces the chance of FP reduction (see below) by 5%. It's hard to calm down when there's a potent virus running through the system.
• Scent Fear - Zombies with this skill can see how many FP a survivor has. (OK, it doesn't cause Fear, but it helps the chance of 'Fearing Out' a survivor)
• Banshee Howl - Zombie Skill. Gives the Zombie a Scream attack, which has a 30% chance of giving 1FP to the target.
• Haunting Visage - Zombie Skill. Every attack made has a 10% chance of inflicting an FP, regardless of whether it hit.

What reduces Fear?

• Calm Down - Action available to all Survivors. This action may only be taken if the survivor has more than 0 Fear points, and has a 20% chance of removing 1 Fear point.
• Stimulants - Item that can be found in Hospitals. One use, reduces FP by 0-2 (random number). Can reduce Fear level to Gung-Ho if too many are ingested.
• They're not Unstoppable! - Seeing a Zombie die has a 30% chance of reducing FP by 1. This increases to 90% if you killed them yourself.
• Safety in Numbers - Upon entering a space with other Survivors, there is a cumulative 5% chance per 5 Survivore of losing an FP (opposite of 'The Hordes'). Only applies to the first time you enter that space each day.
• System Shock - Rather than being haunted by the memories of death, you are invigorated! 20% chance of losing an FP when revived.
• Counselling - Skill for Scientists which allows them to use the Calm Down action on other Survivors.
• Diagnosis - This skill is expanded to allow the user to see how many FP another survivor has.
• Therapy - Civillian Skill. Increases the chance of removing a FP using the 'Calm Down' action by 10%.
• Nerves of Steel - Zombie Hunter skill. The chance of gaining a FP for any reason is halved.