Note: Not to be confused with the “Families” antagonist type that’s syndicated crime families, that many servers seem to run or at least used to.
Discretion: I do not expect my idea to be actively added into the game, nor do I think it to even be a possibility. I’m moreso making this to gauge two things,
A, Demand for a feature or similar features
B, Balance, and the Do’s and Don’ts of antag types, so that when I do eventually pick up coding I can MAYBE hope to do something useful with it in the wacky spacegame.
That said, nobody need clarify to me that this idea won’t be put in the game, or that the coders are all horribly busy, I’m quite aware. Instead, what I personally may like to see in this discussion is feedback, thorough or otherwise, on the balance of the concept at hand, and SO,
The Family
A maintenance-dwelling clan of serial killers, who commit murders not only to survive, but to sustain their family’s morale in the harsh vacuum of space where broken-down hippie vans are a thing of centuries passed.
This antagonist is designed around requiring sustained harm of the crew to succeed, without being a mass boning type antag - They have to take it one or two at a time, and if even a single member of the Family dies, it’s game over.
The Family spawns together in a random abandoned location in maintenance.
Morale Management
The Family is an antagonist type that hinges on a morale system. Hypothetically, the Morale system is a number scale from -100 to 100. The number starts at 0. Reaching 100 Morale means greentext and perhaps an escape from the station, to be thought of. Reaching -100 morale means the Family’s location being effectively outright told to Security. To be expanded upon as feedback is given.
As any family member, a previously-incapacitated victim escaping Maintenance loses family morale.
The Family has 3 separate roles within the antag type:
The Cook
“I just can’t take no pleasure in killing. There’s just some things you gotta do. Don’t mean you have to like it.”
As the Cook of the family, you start next to a grill, which is too big to hold but can be dragged. You spawn with a spatula in your hand, for flipping cuts of meat, and cable restraints, on the odd chance you’re the one dealing with a victim.
As the Cook, you gain your family morale by cooking and serving victims to your Family.
As the Cook, you hate killing. While not incapable of dealing lethal attacks, to take a life yourself loses your family morale, and worsens your mood permanently.
The Hitchhiker
“Oh, that gun’s no good. The old way… with a sledge! You see, that way’s better. They die better that way.”
As the Hitchhiker, you spawn with a polaroid camera, a lighter, a straightrazor, cable cuffs, and a stunprod.
As the Hitchhiker, it’s effectively your job to “coax” people into your family’s arms, be it with words, or with your trusty stunprod and cables. Cuffing people earns your family morale, however, killing somebody in cuffs drops your family’s morale, and permanently drops your own sanity.
Your job is effectively to get people to your family’s abode, alive.
Fail to do it, and you drop family morale, whether they escape or die in cuffs.
As a bonus, making somebody in cuffs scream gives a small amount of morale.
The Butcher
“Sally, I hear something. Stop! Stop!”
As the Butcher, you spawn in with a chainsaw, an apron, brain damage, and a unique carving knife, capable of taking faces off of victims.
Wearing a victim’s face as a mask slowly raises your family’s morale meter, at a rate of 0.3 per 10 seconds.
Time spent without a mask slowly drops morale, at a rate of 0.5 per 5 seconds.
Butchering a corpse gives a hefty chunk of morale.
Getting shoved around by a victim who’s escaped cuffs loses family morale.
As any member of the Family, eating cooked human meat means an up in your mood and sanity, as well as a small amount of morale.
As any member of the Family, dying means a loss of 50 morale, and your Family being left utterly defenseless on their own.
So, fellow spacegamers,
Thoughts and criticism? Beyond pointing out the obvious reference the whole thing is, I’d like to know what you guys think could make the morale system more impactful, what the grand end-game of the Family should be, as well as how any singular given aspect of the concept could be improved in your opinion. Discussion is wholly encouraged and welcome.