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[guruproto]

A friend and I are designing an zombie rpg, the typical shoot and earn XP ordeal. Combat and most of the game will be in real time, no turn-based. The problem is that he has considered using too many aspects of DnD for the RPG side of the game.

He suggests using Perception Checks whenever a player enters a house. If the check is successful he will see zombies at the same or lower level than he is. If he fails, or there is a zombie of a higher level, it will remain invisible to the player. If the player happens to pass near said zombie, the zombie will become visible and attack the player. He even considers limiting the amount of perception checks and having them recharge over time.

I think that having to perform a perception test every time you enter a building will break the pace and the appearing zombies will confuse players. Thoughts on this?

[Ashkin]

Honestly, just the idea of perception checks is rather strange- I mean, if you walk into a house and there are zombies shambling around, it would take an idiot not to notice them, unless they were hiding. Zombies, however, do not hide, as they are rather stupid. So I think get rid of the perception checks altogether. However, if you really need to incorporate a perception-affecting stat, make zombies behind the player/in other rooms invisible, but visible when the player has a high perception stat.

[guruproto]

Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing and wanted to get rid of it from the start. However, I kind of like your idea of having perception to see zombies in different rooms. Any thoughts of how else perception could be used?

[Ashkin]

Finding loot quickly, finding hidden passageways, not tripping over stuff when you're running; basically anything that requires extensive visual/aural investigation.

[XRA]

maybe you can add kind of a fog of war so that it is communicated visually, and by equipping items you can change the falloff range of that?

[rek]

Checking for zombies is something found in every zombie apocalypse movie ever made. Because it's common sense. Why wouldn't you include it in some way? Would you make Super Museum Heist Brothers but not include a check-for-invisible-red-lasers mechanic?

[Dragonmaw]

Honestly, just the idea of perception checks is rather strange- I mean, if you walk into a house and there are zombies shambling around, it would take an idiot not to notice them, unless they were hiding. Zombies, however, do not hide, as they are rather stupid. So I think get rid of the perception checks altogether. However, if you really need to incorporate a perception-affecting stat, make zombies behind the player/in other rooms invisible, but visible when the player has a high perception stat.

If you are going by the rules of zombie movies - there is always a zombie, somewhere, that you aren't paying attention to - the perception checks idea is actually a really ingenious way of capturing that "OH SHIT A ZOMBIE OUT OF NOWHERE" feel without relying on closets and other cheap scares

[Ashkin]

Checking for zombies is something found in every zombie apocalypse movie ever made. Because it's common sense. Why wouldn't you include it in some way? Would you make Super Museum Heist Brothers but not include a check-for-invisible-red-lasers mechanic?

Invisible red lasers are invisible.
Zombies, however, are large, greenish, and shambling.
Shouldn't be too hard to miss.

[baconman]

And if lasers aren't visible, then they certainly aren't red. >.>

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

perception checks were written for a time when you had to *imagine* whether you are seeing a zombie or not. for it to be used in a computer game (other than a text based game) is a bit weird because you can achieve the same effect by *hiding* the zombie in the shadows or something, so that what you're actually testing is the *player's actual perception* rather than a random number. videogames aren't just games, they also contain video, so it's good to take advantage of the video somehow

that said it depends on what kind of game you want to make, and who you want it to appeal to. some people like rpgs where everything is strictly rule-based and you roll the dice for everything (like some roguelikes, or battle for wesnoth, or unlimited saga). so it depends on if you want your game to be more casual like fallout 3 or more nerdy like a computerized version of a pen and paper rpg

[rek]

And if lasers aren't visible, then they certainly aren't red. >.>

If the invisible lasers aren't red, then they're invisible green lasers.