Suggestion:20070914 Improve the Consumer Class By Imitating Oregon Trail
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This suggestion has finished voting and has been moved to Peer Rejected. |
20070914 Improve the Consumer Class By Imitating Oregon Trail
--Jon Pyre 02:02, 14 September 2007 (BST)
Suggestion type
Improvement in balance/roleplay
Suggestion scope
The Consumer Class
Suggestion description
The Consumer class is without a doubt the hardest class to start with. They start with a searching ability that only is useful in malls, which they can't enter, a cell phone, to contact people they haven't met yet, and a weapon which is really only good for flavor.
Now the game Oregon trail also has a class with no special abilities, the banker. To make up for not being able to heal or repair they start off with a lot more resources. This, theoretically, is what the consumer class is trying to do with their search skills. Since they can't use this to get resources, malls generally barricaded to full, I suggest giving the consumer class their choice of additional items when they start the game. Much as a banker in O.T. can afford to buy three wagon axles to compensate for being unable to fix things, this would give consumers a chance to pick items to compensate for their inherent weakness.
When the game starts for a consumer they would see this message above a field of checkboxes listing some, but not all, items: "You were able to grab some of your belongings before seeking more secure shelter. What did you bring?" The consumer would be able to select two items to start off with (but only one of each), in addition to their current equipment of melee weapon and mobile phone. The items would also have a description next to them. The selectable items would be:
First Aid Kit - A one use item that can heal yourself or others. The only way to cure health draining infections after a zombie attack. Knife - The best melee weapon when you have no combat skills. Binoculars - Allows you to survey nearby territories when inside tall buildings. Radio - Receives messages and news transmitted by other survivors.
Note that all of these items are useful for newbies to some degree and things someone could realistically have in their home or office.
Voting Section
- I deleted a few votes, 3 Spam 1 Keep, but it's pretty rude/nonsensical to vote on a suggestion before the suggestion is actually posted. No need to vote on a suggestion in the first ten minutes while I tweak something, ya know. It'll be here for days. If I broke some rule, please whoever is moderating now, restore those votes, but I think they'll be more accurate now that there is, ahem, content. --Jon Pyre 02:04, 14 September 2007 (BST)
Voting Rules |
Votes must be numbered, justified, signed, and timestamped.
Votes that do not conform to the above may be struck by any user. |
The only valid votes are Keep, Kill, Spam or Dupe. If you wish to abstain from voting, do not vote. |
Keep Votes
- Keep This would improve the roleplaying aspect of the consumer class, and give them a starting cadre of supplies that honestly, while better doesn't put them on par with a doctor or fireman. --Jon Pyre 02:07, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Keep - Agree with Jon Pyre --Themanwhocares4 02:38, 14 September 2007
- Keep - Although I'd prefer if items were just given randomly - it doesn't make sense to ask people with no experience with the game to decide which item to take, because they won't know enough to make a good decision. --Toejam A Stats Graph 02:47, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Keep Yes. Sockem 02:48, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Wonderful! - Yes, yes! Finally a good suggestion after all the insane trechie suggestions of the past few weeks. --Hhal 02:59, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Sure For a moment, I'd say no- the 100-per-any-skill is their reward, but then I remembered that there are other starters for the Civilians... Although, Consumer is still very popular... -DriaquerTM RIP 03:11, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Keep - I like it it makes a lot of sence, finally a good suggestion from you.--John Basil 03:47, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- YES YES YES!!! Sorry for being so loud but I was going to suggest something like this. Civilians have such a hard time when they start the game, this would make it a little easier. However, new players probably wouldn't know what to choose and none of those items seem to help directly with the player staying alive except for the FAK. Perhaps including a lead pipe or more FAKS? Bastetmeow 04:22, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Keep - As Toejam. --Private Mark 04:46, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Keep - Sure, this makes plenty of sense. --Ducis DuxSlothTalk 14:04, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Hoo-Ra - This makes it WAY more fun to be a consumer, for newbies and RPGers. --Officer 123satsitx 21:50, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Makes sense - To make up for the lame starting skill, they get moderately useful items. Makes sense, right? BoboTalkClown 23:02, 15 September 2007 (BST)
- Keep - Why not? --8 Bucks 22:26, 18 September 2007 (BST)
- Keep I like it. Even if a new player doesn't know which one of those few items would be best, they're all decent choices in one way or another, and it's a very modest improvement. --Doctor Venom 03:54, 19 September 2007 (BST)
- Keep The consumer really is a difficult starting class, and this would help its playability. --Thragnor 22:55, 23 September 2007 (BST)
- Keep - As above. --Kikashie ELT 04:14, 25 September 2007 (BST)
Kill Votes
- Kill - Most classes start weak. There's no need to change that. --Pgunn 03:39, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Kill - Just like in real life, a consumer is a useless drain on resources. Don't start as a consumer, it's the first stupidity test of the game The preceding signed comment was added by boxy (talk • contribs) at 03:53 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Kill - The consumer already has a bonus. All skills cost the same (100XP). My most succcesfull character started as a consumer and he's only died 5 times. It can be done, I'ts just a bit harder at the start.--Seventythree 11:35, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Kill - How about changing the starting location for the consumer class - so that they always start inside a mall? -- John RubinT! ZG 13:06, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Kill - Giving them a knife makes it too easy. --Midianian|T|T:S|C:RCS| 14:25, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Kill - I'd like to see the available items restricted to a small set of choices. --T 15:50, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- weak kill I like the flavour and reasoning but as a class the real reason to play them is for the challenge, giving them a boost reduces that challenge so I don't think its worth changing. Gotta say tho, I don't see any mention of "Rocket Launcher weilding Invisible Space Monkeys" so I am not sure why there are so many SPAM vote??? read the guidelines people... its not a strong kill! --Honestmistake 17:48, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Wouldn't normally be a kill - You deleted my "rude/nonsensical" vote. :P-- AHLGTG THE END IS NIGH! 18:55, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Kill Why? They are weak at the start, But after they manage free running they are cold blodded killers. Can get anything they need. --Kaynex 00:38, 15 September 2007 (BST)
- Kill - The purpose of the random melee weapon (which usually turns out to be a worthless one) is to emphasize the idea that low level comsumers ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT! I think we could cut down on crap suggestions in general by adding some sort of initial warning when starting any new character that states that they will probably not be able to hit anything until about level 3 or 4. Then it would suggest other ways of earning XP. --Steakfish 00:45, 15 September 2007 (BST)
- Kill Slow to start, but by selecting 2-3 important skills with their first few levels they can outpace everyone else with their cheap skill costs. I don't believe the class needs to be 'fixed.' --Shazzelim 12:10, 15 September 2007 (BST)
- Killl - Cuz i liek mah challenges all unwatered down liek.-- dǝǝɥs oʇ ɯɐds: sʎɐʍ1ɐ! 15:09, 15 September 2007 (BST)
Spam/Dupe Votes
- Spam - They are not a bad class. And they already start with crowbars, want in a mall tear your way in.--Karekmaps?! 02:25, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Re They start with no items or skills particularly useful to them. And they start with a random melee weapon, most of which are really flavour items, not necessarily a crowbar. And in most cases probably not a crowbar. I don't even know if they can start with crowbars. --Jon Pyre 02:30, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- One word: ZERG.--ShadowScope 03:04, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Re I don't really see how this lends itself to zerging more than a fireman (who could fight better) or a doctor/medic (who can heal better, and starts with TWO first-aid). This would just make consumers the class that can't do much, but at least they have STUFF. --Jon Pyre 04:03, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Spam Zergers. --Sonny Corleone RRF DORIS CRF pr0n 03:08, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Spam - Consumers aren't much weaker than Scouts (which are fine), maybe better, because Science skills don't cost 150xp. And they're WAY better than Medics, which are IMNSHO genuinely useless. It's not my fault if someone is a crud player and can't figure out to get past Lvl 3. Leave consumers alone -- for all the reasons you IGNORED in the suggestion development page. And basically you're making a consumer not a consumer anymore, but rather a scout or a medic with a cell phone AND an improvised weapon. Which makes your suggestion spam. --WanYao 03:52, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Spam - For the same reasons as above. Seems like you are back to your best, only ever hitting on a good suggestion by accident. --The Grimch U! 04:23, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Spam - no need to boost consumer --~~~~ [Talk] 06:48, 14 September 2007 (BST)
- Spam -1: don't post the suggestion until you finish, moron. 2: this would mean some consumers became uber item possessors and others became not that much better than current consumers (binoculars? I've never used those once.)--AlexanderRM 22:26, 16 September 2007 (BST)
- Zergs. --•▬ ▬••▬ • •••• •▬ ▬•▬• ▬•▬ #nerftemplatedsigs 22:47, 20 September 2007 (BST)