Varied Survivor Story...Things

[SPACEpotato1]

Summary (a quick, 2-3 sentence summary): Add in different 'opinions' that the survivors start with.

Benefits (How this will benefit the server and game as a whole): Different kinds of survivor tactics in response to marines. Encourages RP, such as two co-operating survivors debating about what will happen.

Details (Description of how you think this would work, the benefits, etc): So, right now, the survivors start with notes about what happened to them, very brief. So, I would like something to be added about what they think will happen in the future, there will be two 'sides' to the survivor thoughts. And when a survivor spawns they will start with a certain percentage chance of having one of them. I know this might take away some of the freedom of being a survivor. But I think it has the potential to be a super cool idea when it comes to RP. As is, some RP-based folks might have a hard time deciding how they're going to respond to everything, etc, etc.

Some examples include,

Company Cover-up

After all that's happened...Weyland Yutani is bound to send people to cover this up. They're probably going to send mercenaries to kill us all! I have to hide...Maybe I can find that fucking Corporate who was working with us.

Effects - Survivor would start thinking that they are going to be killed by mercs. They will usually mistaken the marines for Weyland mercenaries. With this belief, they definitely wouldn't be hanging around the nexus. After all, that could be the first place they look! They have developed a distinct fear that Weyland Yutani sent people to kill them. So they'd take an instant disliking to the Corporate Liason and even if they get saved, they would still be suspicious towards the Liason. Maybe so much, that they would withhold information from them...

The Optimist

Someone's coming...I don't know who, but they're coming to help! Weyland Yutani is probably sending someone to help. I should stick around the domes a bit...

Effects - Survivor would start with the idea that Weyland Yutani has sent people to help. They'll probably hang around near the DOMES, not specifically the nexus, though. They would probably take a disliking to the guy with the Company Cover-up belief, deeming them "Crazy" and "Just another conspiracy psycho".

Neutral Survivor

Bunch of fucking morons, quarrelling over useless bullshit. I need to survive, whether we're being helped or not...People would be a burden, but I did work with them.

Effects - Kind of like the 'Freeloader' role, they can basically stroll around being an average survivor. They can range from wanting to stay in small groups, to a 'Teamwork be-all end-all' person who would try to calm the other survivors down. They don't care about marines and might even ignore them. Their opinion on Weyland can vary, they might even just be someone who just wanted to get paid.

The Psycho

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! FUCK! They're all infected! The bastards! Probably plotting against me! I need weapons- NO! I need to HIDE! The caves...The jungle...SHIT- What if Weyland wants to KILL US? I'll kill 'em first! They're probably infected too!

Effects - These people would be absolute loners, sticking to themselves and only themselves. They can respond to marines by either distinct fear or perhaps even aggression (Though at the end of the day, this is just a panicked person. No way they're going to fight against confirmed-armed marines. Obviously no murderboning but a warning shot to try and scare them off is O.K). They would be terrified of Weyland, and would generally carry the thought that all survivors are infected (Once again, no 'shooting-on-sight-no-rp' like aliens, they would just avoid survivors completely).

Now, I intend for this not to be a hard-set rule or anything, you wouldn't HAVE to follow these. But it'd give you an idea on how your character looks at the world, considering the situation that has happened to them so far.

But it's also to encourage varying forms of RP, other than just "Either murder da marines and run off probably get eaten lol" or "REGURGITATE ALL THE XENO SCUM INFO YESSSSSS". And while they can certainly still do those things (Probably not the murder-the-marines part, but you know). They will have thoughts and opinions, which could give the Liaison something more interesting to do, other than just "wot happened..." and ending it there. They would have to negotiate with people who think they're out to hurt them. They MIGHT - MIGHT be able to hitch a ride down to the planet to talk down a survivor blocking the path or something. And while this is certainly all possible. I just want to give survivors an idea of how they could be acting. As I try to RP as best I can with the information in the notes. But I usually just end up going and doing the normal, boring survivor shit (walk around on sulaco, get 'Survivor' ID, either go back and get insta rekt as a marine or end up bored as fuck on the Sulaco, until you DARE HURT A MARINE WHILE ON THE SULACO (AKA 'accidentally' fucked the entire SM into murdering ground comms).

I don't know. I'm ranting, but I hope you understand I'm just trying to improve da RP and what not. Alrighty, that should do it!

P.S - Don't worry, I've only been in the SM room once, as an MP...

And I might make another relating to the muhreens, but I decided to leave it out to see how this would go.

Implementation (Optional, if you have an idea how to implement it):

Probably by using the power of MAGIC JEEBUS CODING STUFF

[Karmac]

This is neato, normally I play the self-preserving corporate stooge that doesn't really have the balls to protest marines telling him to go with them, or to protect his fellow survivors should things go south.

[DeadLantern]

I do this already in game... But it would be good to add this in to encourage this for everyone.

It would be good to add in an Iron Bears supporter who hates the marines, and if the iron bear survivor makes on the ship he can call for the Bears to come.

[Renomaki]

I myself already tend to do this, it shouldn't have to be enforced if you ask me.

Although I wouldn't mind limiting survivor information, since oftentimes they just spill the beans with little resistance, not even putting much detail in their explanation as to HOW they learned such things.

[Karmac]

I've found that the little survivor stories the game gives you actually sometimes tells you what you know about the aliens, I got one the other day that explained to me how the aliens birth new aliens.

[SPACEpotato1]

I myself already tend to do this, it shouldn't have to be enforced if you ask me.

Although I wouldn't mind limiting survivor information, since oftentimes they just spill the beans with little resistance, not even putting much detail in their explanation as to HOW they learned such things.

I know, I don't really want to suggest a rule. I simply think this would be a cool thing to have as a guideline on how people could act in game.

[Warnipple]

+1

I like the idea of giving survivors more incentive to RP. I think there should be added item bonuses along with the flavour text. I'm not sure what you quite mean by effect but I'm sure it'll have a different effect on different players when reading the flavour text. The downside of bonuses is the chance of survivors metarushing the caves which is a no-no. So perhaps anything other than weapons would be nice. Optimist should have loads of money, maybe the psycho could get a katana. WY guy gets a box of unloyalty implants.

[TopHatPenguin]

I think being able to perhaps choose what survivor story you want to play out in setup character might be an idea, or perhaps when you spawn.

Then the stories can fit what the survivor players wants to Rp like that round.

[SPACEpotato1]

+1

I like the idea of giving survivors more incentive to RP. I think there should be added item bonuses along with the flavour text. I'm not sure what you quite mean by effect but I'm sure it'll have a different effect on different players when reading the flavour text. The downside of bonuses is the chance of survivors metarushing the caves which is a no-no. So perhaps anything other than weapons would be nice. Optimist should have loads of money, maybe the psycho could get a katana. WY guy gets a box of unloyalty implants.

Perhaps the survivor could start with a radio.

Psycho could get a mask or something, make it 1 facehugger resistant or something.

[Karmac]

Jason Vorhees hockey mask, sounds good.