User:Pgunn/survivor strategy

(sorry, I'm just starting on this)

An adequate understanding of strategy in a game might start with an analysis of what is scarce. What's scarce for survivors is not exactly the same as what's scarce for zombies.

For individual survivors, the following are directly scarce:

• AP
• Carrying Capacity
• Equipment
• HP

If we assume the end goal of survivors is to create a zombie-free Malton, the challenge is to manage the above resources to meet that end.

• AP regenerates on a regular basis
  • Depending on the accessibility and state of buildings around the survivor's location, is exchangable on partly-probabilistic rates into equipment.
• Carrying Capacity is the same for each character, and is decreased/increased only by taking equipment, dropping it, or using consumable equipment.
• Equipment is acquired by exchanging APs in partly-probabilistic rates in buildings (or, more rarely, by opening supply crates dropped from helicopters), the particular equipment dependent on building type.
  • Equipment can be understood along two axes, function and depletion.
    • Functions:
      1. Healing - FAK, beer, needle
      2. Terraforming - Generator, fuel, mobile phone mast, toolkit
      3. Combat - Weapons, needle
      4. Indirect communication - spray can, DNA Scanner
      5. Personal direct communication - cellphone, radio
      6. Misc - decorations (arguably terraforming but has no productive game effect), GPS
    • Depletion
      1. One-use - Item is consumed by use
      2. Auxillary depletion - Most guns have ammo as their inner state and are rechargeable after depletion by finding more ammo
      3. Occasional consumption - Like the pool stick, occasionally destroyed by use
      4. Permanent unless dropped - Most melee weapons

Interpersonal aspects

We might use one of two models to understand this side of the game:

• An "ideal hive" understanding where people in communion pursue the common good in tandem, assuming yes/no-style goodwill even if information is imperfect as to planning
• A social, chatty environment that balances social and other interests with the actual playing of the game. Decorations and clothing are primarily meant to satisfy this side