Here is a suggestion - as it seems that the Followers of the Apocalypse are basically a peaceful group that help anyone in need, when you get defeated, you can awaken in a local FotA field hospital comprised of one tent, a medic, and a couple of guards. As long as you are in the area of the tent, you are safe from predators (in other words, no spawns in a radius around the tent area).

There could even be a dialogue where the medic says,

"Someone dragged you in here. You were a real mess, but I think we have you patched up." (character at about half health)

a) "Would you lie us to get you back into shape?" (for payment, full restoration)

b) "Would you like me to tell you how to use your medical supplies?" (opens tutorial on types of med items and what they are used for)

c) "Do you need to buy any from us?" (opens shop for med supplies, basic stuff mostly)

d) "Be safe out there." (exit from dialogue screen, player character back in play)

You would go to the nearest facility, whether you have discovered it or not, which could prove interesting in trying to escape.

Once you have a guild town with a clinic, you could be transferred there instead of the random locale.

Nah, i have a better idea, instead of the Followers, how about your best faction?

What i mean by this is, the faction that likes you best, What happens if i shoot at the followers all the time? In reality they wouldn't take me in.

Example:

FACTIONS

Brotherhood Of Steel:Idolized

Raiders:Vilified

Followers of Apocolypse: Liked

If you die, you should go to the faction your most loved by, in this case its the Brotherhood, that means you'll go to the nearest of their bases, that you have been too.

I was thinking in terms of something that would be standard across the boards for all players, like stones and graveyards were in other games. This way, if a party is wiped in the same area, they all come back together.

Whilst Chris has already posted that they got a pretty concrete view of what they're going to be doing with game overs, in the off chance it is still being reviewed I would just like to say I hate the good samaritan handwave. In many ways it is just as stupid as resurrection when it is overused.

Any game company is going to be hesitant about implementing loss of progress where customers effectively have to pay to progress, so my hopes aren't up. I could develop my own MMO*, death (rather than left for dead) means time to create a new character, so that a character that actually does anything of note and is still living is indeed something special. I think that would suit Fallout, but I accept I'm in the minority here.

I'm holding out for a tiered defeat. Soft defeats (left for dead and robbed) can be rescued by good samaritans, so long as it's reasonable. Therefore your arse is hauled to the local hospice if you're near a town or the area is considered travelled by appropriate npcs. Otherwise I think players should face a puishment challenge of sorts. You may have to escape your capture by slavers (mostly likely pretty incompetent ones so it's not too hard) or just regain consciousness hurting pretty badly, strangely not being radscorpion food and limping it to safety.

Regardless of what is chosen, I hope more explainations aren't provided. Whatever the system, it just is. Players can accept illogical aspects for the sake of gameplay, and are curious for a bit of explaination but leave the element of mystery in there, especially when the method is a bit farfetched.

* EDIT: Such an MMO would also be player skill based. Slightly important detail Why do games studios have to fight and die? War, war never changes : (

WEll, I'm all about RP element so I guess I can always let my character die after "defeat" and start a new one - but!

I'm ok with some help from the locals or by some group of good doers that just happen to be around, but then again, I get shivers when thinking about the wasteland filled with those guardian angels. I think it's better just to have some respawn time than a stupid excuse why my character is back to life and that could ruin the overall atmosphere - this is a game after all, so not everything needs to be explained.

It would be cool to have some time limit that could allow our characters recieve first aid in some cases, but to die as well if such help isn't provided or if "the good samarithan" doesn't have enough skills. That sort of little details would look good and create better atomsphere in the game itself.

Other thing is, well, sometimes I just like to put my combat shotgun in some poor bastards mouth and shoot a burst of bullets in them just to make sure he stays dead (heh, he started it ). Having a bunch of encounters where everybody just stay wounded or passed out doesn't appeal to me. So I'm willing to go over unexplained respawn game mechanics for this.

Then again, our characters could have some reanimation system built in let's say - a pip boy, that could try and kickstart his/hers heart when it stops - but in that case, the characters should try first aid, or healing ASAP before they loose their blood, pass out, die again, etc. But that still leaves us with the problem what happens if they don't get that help? Would they die permanently or just respawn? If they just respawn (for example, they wake up in Golgotha without any idea how they got there) does that realy need some weird explanation or should the player behind the character just accept the fact it's just the way the game works?

I agree, not everyone is gonna be a good samaritan, maybe random events when you die?

Like maybe.

Random event one.

You are defeated (Probably should happen all the time..) And your taken to (The faction your mosst loved by.) the Brotherhood base for recovery.
Effect:Safe area and healed.

Random event two.

You are defeated, and looters come and steal some of your stuff.
Effect:Items lost

Random event three.

You were hauled off by raiders and put in their jail cells.
Goal:To get out

I think random events when your defeated is cool.

I like the random events, except for # 2, unless they would implement a quest to get your stolen gear back, since you could have some really expensive item that gets stolen, are you really just gonna let some jacka** from the wastes take that?

I think that I would not buy nor pay a monthly fee to play a game that any of you folks above just described.

Getting robbed? Prison? Slavers? I would have to say FTS! (and leave you to figure out what that means)

If Prison or Slavers are a consequence of a quest path, then sure, fine. If they are a consequence of standing too near a spawn point for baddies while fighting other baddies (the primary reason that I ever suffer defeat), then I say BS. That is the reason I am not playing the "other" online post apocalyptic game.

You would rather just have some unexplained reason that you just happen to wake up somewhere? I would say that you do not seek the same level of immersion as I do.

I mean, what I described, before people had to come along and lift their leg on it, was a way of explaining a game mechanic, nothing more. Don't like the Followers? Well, make it some medically inclined trader. Who really cares? I really do not think that the devs are going to waste a lot of time putting in code that determines which local camp you should spawn at based on Faction.

Making the "rez" process into an ordeal will certainly annoy casual players who just want to get back to what they are doing. Something like that makes more sense in a single player game, anyway.

Fecalmatter Transfer Service? ;P

I think i find myself at a bit of a middle-ground here.
I like the idea of FotA as a standard "respawn point" - say you have neutral standings to nearly everyone, or aren't that generally well-liked (no standings above "Accepted")
When you get up to higher standings, it's a matter of nearest respawn location. If you're lucky enough to respawn at a place where you are well-liked (for the sake of argument, let's say Idolized), you get some benefits. Top physicians tend to you, so you respawn with little to no penalties - and if you were killed in PvP, or you've gotten your things stolen (this i think should only be possible by other players - always, even if they didn't make the kill - could make som interesting play mechanics - Kill X, Scavenger Y comes, Kill Y, bad karma + 2x loot \o/) you get the chance to "avenge" yourself, and can prosecute the player who wronged you without legal action from the faction that you are Idolized by (read: within their territory) - conversely, killing someone who is Idolized slightly increases the offenders "Outlaw" status, eventually to the point where any law enforcement doesn't give a hoot. Deters ganking but leaves in the possibility of malevolent players trying to rob you - doing so for the sheer fun of it isn't without consequence anymore.

As for death/defeat. Well, possibly make it a selectable feature?
Say, if you get killed too many times in much too fast succession, your character becomes more and more at risk of permanently being killed - or if you are too far away from any NPC settlements the risk rises aswell. Tradeoff here being that you could possibly be awarded extra traits/feats or some such.

As for the whole slaver idea, i'm sorry, but i'd think - regardless of RP - that it'd eventually turn into a chore more than anything - unless it was carried out right. Only instance would be if you were fighting slavers, as i don't think they are that interested in capturing nigh dead people and expend the resources to get them up and running again. Also, what about the supposed Deathclaw/Robot characters? I'd think twice before attempting to put any of the two to any kind of slave labour.
So should they all get a get out of jail free card? ;o
Frankly, i just don't see it mesh very well with either the RP aspect nor gameplay aspect of a game, despite it being FO

Frozen Toxic Sludge (drink)?




Dave Chase

There's no need to get uppity with "my type of immersion is superior to yours".

I think that I would not buy nor pay a monthly fee to play a game that any of you folks above just described.

Getting robbed? Prison? Slavers? I would have to say FTS! (and leave you to figure out what that means)

If Prison or Slavers are a consequence of a quest path, then sure, fine. If they are a consequence of standing too near a spawn point for baddies while fighting other baddies (the primary reason that I ever suffer defeat), then I say BS. That is the reason I am not playing the "other" online post apocalyptic game.

Yeah, not everyone likes the same game and your version is probably more marketable, and even if the market desires it'd be reasonably hard to implement well, but neither of those point make it a less valid aspect to a game. I'll agree getting my arse handed to me in a sling giftwrapped constantly by unavoidable "random" happenings is annoying, as is a lack of challenge. It is crucial balance for each individual player and whatever the developers go with somebody isn't going to be happy.

Of course I'd would prefer the game was aimed more towards my end of the spectrum, as presumably every other person here including you. It doesn't make it any less valid of a game.

I mean, what I described, before people had to come along and lift their leg on it, was a way of explaining a game mechanic, nothing more. Don't like the Followers? Well, make it some medically inclined trader. Who really cares? I really do not think that the devs are going to waste a lot of time putting in code that determines which local camp you should spawn at based on Faction.

Making the "rez" process into an ordeal will certainly annoy casual players who just want to get back to what they are doing. Something like that makes more sense in a single player game, anyway.

Agreed regarding 'casual players', although sometimes game mechanics do not need over explaining. It's hardly a bad idea (FotA), but certainly not a be all and end all. Funnily enough a lot goes on in the world with or without you understanding it or getting an explanation. Plus it's still a game. Why do games studios have to fight and die? War, war never changes : (

Get Rick Rolled for an hour.

In all seriousness. I like the idea of getting patched up etc. As long as it takes time. Otherwise dying will be nothing really, other than just going through a loading screen.

I like everyone's ideas here. I agree there should be a substantial penalty for dying. I especially like the idea of waking up with the faction that likes you most. Or if there are factions that are tied (maybe they both revere you, for example), the player could choose ahead of time which faction they prefer to wake up at in the event of death.

And if your character has really bad karma and no one likes him, you could wake up in the middle of the desert or in an outhouse or something. Maybe some kind of ghost could appear and talk to you like in a Christmas Carol. Show you all the horrible things you've done. And then if you decide to stay evil after all that, you could shoot the ghost.