A preview of the moral mechanic from a live session at PAX 2013.
Morale is one of the major systems in the game, reinforcing one of the bigger themes in a zombie apocalypse scenario. Maintaining positive Morale is one of the major tasks the player has to do. Morale is based on Mood, which is generated by allies. Morale can be thought of as the sum total of good will generated by the player. Morale is what keeps people’s spirits up, keeps them going, and prevents the pocket society they have created from breaking down. As long as Morale is positive, the player doesn’t have to worry about people leaving, refusing to do tasks, or being difficult in the field. Certain story events, activities, and luxury items can build up Morale. Other actions such as starvation, killing an ally, or having an ally die in the field can reduce morale. Certain allies (especially those with negotiation skills) and upgrades (like the generator) will give the player daily morale bonuses. Like Food, good Morale can be stockpiled, meaning that as long as people have distractions and Food, generally they will forget about the harsher realities of life.
The general Morale number is to make sure that you are aware that the general Morale is positive. There are consequences if it is continually negative.
The amount of Morale that an ally loses is equal to their Mood. Each ally loses Morale every day, no matter what their Mood – even under the best circumstances, the reality of living after society has broken down takes its toll on the survivors. There are several ranges of Mood, from Good to Disgruntled, with the least amount of Morale being lost if they have a positive outlook on their survival. Mood is influenced by player actions and events that have affected the Shelter or that ally, both good and bad. Mood is not necessarily tied to an ally’s respect for the player – for example, their Mood might drop because a loved one dies – but making people hate you is not going to do wonders for their Mood and the Shelter’s Morale.
Luxury items are scavenged from houses, buildings, stores, etc. and are stored at the Shelter as a way to offset Morale losses.
Known Morale Bonuses:
- Allies Negotiation Bonus (varies)
- No Starvation +5
- 7 Days of Positive Morale +10
- Player Negotiation Bonus +20
- Food found bonus(>= 100) +20
- Parts found bonus(>= 50) +20
- Cat-based pest control +5/Cat
- Stone-Reinforced Fence Bonus +5
- Watchtower +5
- Working Toilets +5
- Working Generator +10
- Working Well +5
- Rooftop Garden +1/Affected Ally
- Mushroom Patch +1/Affected Ally
- Chef /assignment dependent
- Guard Duty /assignment dependent
- Hospitality /assignment dependent
Known Morale Penalties:
- Fence Broken -10
- No Electricity - 20