[Brian]

So, two things:

1.   Sorry about the lack of an update last week. I was taken down by a nasty flu, so Annie was going to post for me, was taken down by the same nasty flu, and therefore I spent Monday trying to make up about three days of work.

2.   We’re making great progress on our latest build and adding new art, dialogues, GUIs, music, and code practically daily. Our internal weekly team updates have been massive lately. We can’t wait to show you the progress when we finally debut our trailer.

Now, this week, I thought we’d open up the forum to questions for the developers. Since we have some new members to the forums and quite a few people are still wondering about our Kickstarter plans, we’re dedicating the update to answering your questions. Ask us about Dead State, Kickstarter, RPGs, making indie games – whatever you’ve been itching to ask the devs, we’re here to take your questions.

We have just a few simple rules:

1.   It should be a question. I know that seems obvious, but it has to be said.

2.   If you think it’s a suggestion, snarky comment, irrelevant to this thread, please don’t post it.

3.   Please read the FAQ if you haven’t before – we answer a lot of basic questions in there.

4.   If we don’t answer something, it was probably because of rule 2 or 3.

We’ll answer your questions up until next Monday, so if you don’t have one right now, you’ve got a whole week to come up with a good one.

So… who’s first?  

[Fryster]

Several questions, if I may.

1. Will there be zombie animals?

2. Is there some sort of a marketplace I can exchange my loot at (by bartering or with ammo acting as a currency)?

3. Will weather conditions affect combat? For instance, if there's a storm outside and I decide to go out, will it act as a natural sound suppressor, making noise unimportant as it is hard to distinguish gunshots from thunder (for a zombie, that is)?

4. Can you get ill and cough or sneeze soundly, giving away your presence and making noise?

5. Can you get drunk (or drugged) and ignore panic and crippling injuries completely, entering some sort of a berserk rage (and suffer severe kickback afterwards)?

[Wooly]

You mention in the FAQ that there will be a "regular" game mode where the player cannot be infected and a "harder" mode where they can. You also mention that the game will eventually have an "Ending".

My question is (or rather, are), will there be a sandbox mode where the game simply continues more or less indefinitely (untill the fortress is destroyed/the player dies.etc) without the eventual "You Won"?

Also, will there be a "cap" on the number of survivors living in the fortress? If so, how high will this be? And will it be able to be expanded with fortress upgrades?

Lastly, will there be a trade system for use with other survivor groups? eg. selling food to a militia group in exchange for weapons.

That's all i can think of for now, looking forward to your response.

[GhanBuriGhan]

Two Kickstarter-related questions:

• Have you decided on your funding target for Kickstarter?
• What are your plans if the Kickstarter drive is a massive success, or conversely, if it is a massive failure?

[Darkthia]

Two Kickstarter-related questions:

• Have you decided on your funding target for Kickstarter?
• What are your plans if the Kickstarter drive is a massive success, or conversely, if it is a massive failure?

This


Also: have you decided upon a rough date to start the kickstarter?
And: if you get a higher amount of money from the kickstarter, will you reconsider adding cover mechanics?

[Zombra]

All Dead State questions.

• You mentioned a trailer.  Exciting!  When, roughly, do you expect a debut?
• Having answered that, when can we legitimately start complaining that there's no trailer yet?  I need an exact answer for this one.  
• How many characters can travel together outside the shelter?  That is to say, how big is the party?
• Does my character always have to be on the "away team"?
• The game has a beginning, middle, and definite end.  How much time does this arc take, roughly, in game days?  Obviously it can end immediately if I go out and die or invite zombies to the shelter, but assuming I don't screw up, how many times can I expect to click the "go to sleep" button before the endgame?  Will my survival story take place over the course of a week?  A month?  A year?
• How about in terms of real life gameplay hours?  Total hours, roughly, for an entire campaign?
• How about the gameplay hours for a single expedition outside the shelter?  Can I jump in and play Dead State for 10 minutes, or should I set aside a couple hours or more per session?
• Are there any non-cosmetic variables when we create our protagonist, or do all PCs start out functionally identical?
• Is it theoretically possible to leave the shelter indefinitely?  Can the party rest outside the shelter?
• Are there children in the game?  If so, are they immune to danger or unpleasantness?

A meta-question:

• Can we discuss your answers in this thread, or should we take discussion elsewhere?

And one non-Dead State question

• What PC RPGs would you recommend to enthusiasts who share your tastes?

[leeratsin]

ok so i'm very tired just about to crash but seeing an update to this is awsome.

First question: Once you leave the home base or HQ, can they be attacked while your out?
First question part two: is their a way to keep in contact with HQ, or home base? *like a walkie talkie or cell phone*
Second question: will their be a marriage system, ie can you get married? * or just have a spouse/lover*
Second question part two: if you can have a spouse/lover will this have any positive/negative effects?
Third question: will this game incorporate a sims like character creator, if so will the creator be for cosmetics only or will the way your character look play a part in game?  *such as how an all black khajiit in skyrim SHOULD conceal you better while your in the dark but doesnt*
Third question part two: if the above does have more then cosmetic affects, will scars cause players to ask about them or notice them? will cuts on arms and legs make others question whether or not you've been bitten?
Fourth question: will their be a trust bar or gauge? like in The Thing? how if your character acts a certain way other's suspect him or her?
Fifth question: will the main hero be able to choose their gender?

i know some of these may have been asked before, or have been answered in the faqs, and i'm sorry if posting them here gets them rejected. also i'm sorry if my spelling is lacks a bit. see beginning of this post.

cant wait for this to come out.

[wiande]

  Will the line of chat will be changed regarding  your charac, gender, job ?

  Will every character having special lines with every other one you can encounter in the game or just a few ?

  Still doesn't want to put range weapons a melee value and having all weapon a % of break regarding its quality and the character skills with it ?

  Will you include perks as job specialities (at least) ?

 8) Will you be able to team up, commerce, be friend with other group, exchange character of abilities for projects ?

  Will there be kids ?

  Will you enhance the game over time (making add ons etc) or will you move on to other projects once dead state is released and bug free ? Will it depend of the sellings ?

  Will be paranoia a trait , and if so will it be represent in dialogues ?

  Will there be a jauge of stress, effort, illness, infection fpr every character ? Will it be hidden for your own character (i mean for example, you know you're infected or ill but you don't know how bad unless you're a doctor)

  Will the ultimate purpose just suvrive, or will you try to escape somehow, like in the walking dead comic, always trying to find a way out or a place to stay as long as possible, or like in rebuild 2 ?

  Can a character be pregnant ?

  Will items be more shown on the screen if your character got a good perception, will the use of items will be indicate if you got knowledge in that kinds ofstuff (parts for a mechanic, medical equipment for a paramedic etc) ?

  Will there be dynamic events in combat ? for example shooting a can will cause fire on an area, or breaking a door to fle combat

  Will vehicule be upgradable ? I know at first i think you already said it won't be will it be a possibility in the future ?

Think that's all for me ^^

[Brian]

Several questions, if I may.

1. Will there be zombie animals?

No zombie animals.

2. Is there some sort of a marketplace I can exchange my loot at (by bartering or with ammo acting as a currency)?

There may be people you encounter who might be convinced to trade, but there is no organized marketplace - it's the apocalypse and there is very little structure left.

3. Will weather conditions affect combat? For instance, if there's a storm outside and I decide to go out, will it act as a natural sound suppressor, making noise unimportant as it is hard to distinguish gunshots from thunder (for a zombie, that is)?

No weather - we like the concept but it's a bit outside our scope right now.

4. Can you get ill and cough or sneeze soundly, giving away your presence and making noise?

Allies can get sick, but when they do, they'll ask you for the day off. Depending on your leadership or negotiation, you may be able to get them to stay on the job without making them angry at you for not caring about their physical health.

5. Can you get drunk (or drugged) and ignore panic and crippling injuries completely, entering some sort of a berserk rage (and suffer severe kickback afterwards)?

Not drunk, but there is an item or two that can reduce the chance of panic.

You mention in the FAQ that there will be a "regular" game mode where the player cannot be infected and a "harder" mode where they can. You also mention that the game will eventually have an "Ending".

My question is (or rather, are), will there be a sandbox mode where the game simply continues more or less indefinitely (untill the fortress is destroyed/the player dies.etc) without the eventual "You Won"?

If we add a sandbox mode, it will be after the game ships. We're hoping to release a few updates that address modes/challenges players want to see after we've got the main game out.

Also, will there be a "cap" on the number of survivors living in the fortress? If so, how high will this be? And will it be able to be expanded with fortress upgrades?

No cap, but remember you have to feed/provide for all of those people, so the more you have, the harder it gets.

[Brian]

Two Kickstarter-related questions:

Have you decided on your funding target for Kickstarter?

Yes, we have. It's reasonable without leaving us too little breathing room. We've also planned out budgets/teams for if we make 200% or 300% of our goal.

What are your plans if the Kickstarter drive is a massive success, or conversely, if it is a massive failure?

If it's a massive success, we'll hire on more people to full-time contracts and expand the team. If it's a failure, it's likely we'll have to move to a different funding structure and the game will take longer.

Also: have you decided upon a rough date to start the kickstarter?

Yup. We've got a schedule we're working on. We've done the budget, 99% certain on the tiers, and we know what we want to show off. We're finishing up a few tasks so we can cut the trailer and do other promotional material. When the whole team signs off on the trailer, we'll start doing a press push and launch the trailer and Kickstarter.

And: if you get a higher amount of money from the kickstarter, will you reconsider adding cover mechanics?

I don't know if we can promise to add new systems at this point - it really does add more than you think. Maps, combat systems, animations all need to be tweaked to address one new system. If we get additional personnel because of better than expected funding, they're going to be working on polishing the game and finishing implementing the content faster. 

[Brian]

You mentioned a trailer.  Exciting!  When, roughly, do you expect a debut?

It will trumpet our Kickstarter going live, so without getting specific, about a month. We don't want to release the trailer unless the team is 100% happy with the way it looks.

Having answered that, when can we legitimately start complaining that there's no trailer yet?  I need an exact answer for this one.  

You can complain, but it won't really help get it done faster.

How many characters can travel together outside the shelter?  That is to say, how big is the party?

The player plus three other characters. It will be pretty clear when you see the GUI. Which we might show off next week.

Does my character always have to be on the "away team"?

Yes. Because it's a game. And we want to encourage you to be an active part of it. Also plans tend to fall apart unless your character is there - you're that good.

The game has a beginning, middle, and definite end.  How much time does this arc take, roughly, in game days?  Obviously it can end immediately if I go out and die or invite zombies to the shelter, but assuming I don't screw up, how many times can I expect to click the "go to sleep" button before the endgame?  Will my survival story take place over the course of a week?  A month?  A year?

I'd rather not spoil the length of the game, but I'll say it's more than a few weeks. Actually, I'd say the first few weeks are downright comfortable compared to the rest of the game.

How about in terms of real life gameplay hours?  Total hours, roughly, for an entire campaign?

A lot. And there's a lot of optional content too.

How about the gameplay hours for a single expedition outside the shelter?  Can I jump in and play Dead State for 10 minutes, or should I set aside a couple hours or more per session?

I guess that's up to you? I'm guessing you'll want at least an hour at a time. Just talking to people or doing tasks at the shelter will probably take a good chunk of time up for people who squeeze out every bit of content from the game.

Are there any non-cosmetic variables when we create our protagonist, or do all PCs start out functionally identical?

I don't want to say before it's in or before I post an update explaining our decisions, but we're hoping to put some PC options in that are going to be unique for many RPGs.

Is it theoretically possible to leave the shelter indefinitely?  Can the party rest outside the shelter?

No, you have to return to the shelter and take care of it or it's game over. The party gets fatigued the longer they are out (and night is dangerous because of reduced visibility), and even though there are a few perks/items to extend hours outside the shelter, the group needs to return to get some sleep.

Are there children in the game?  If so, are they immune to danger or unpleasantness?

There are no children in the game. This is somewhat explained. We do have a few teens, though.

Can we discuss your answers in this thread, or should we take discussion elsewhere?

Here, sure.

And one non-Dead State question
What PC RPGs would you recommend to enthusiasts who share your tastes?

Aside from the classics like Fallout, JA2, X-Com, you mean?

I finally completed Space Pirates and Zombies (S.P.A.Z.) recently and I would recommend that, even if it's not a dialogue-driven RPG. Lot of fun, reminds me of Star Control and Space Rangers, very long game. It was also made with Torque, which is what we're using. I tend to play a lot of console games (mostly pinball) in the off hours because I get sick of sitting in front of my computer and I can play them on the couch with my wife (we just started Xenoblade Chronicles). Quite a few indie RPGs that I've bought and want to play, just haven't had time lately.

[Brian]

First question: Once you leave the home base or HQ, can they be attacked while your out?

No, nothing like that will happen while you are out, but actions you take out in the field can lure more zombies/humans back to your shelter. Which is why you always want to keep the fence repaired or have people work on it while you're out.

First question part two: is their a way to keep in contact with HQ, or home base? *like a walkie talkie or cell phone*

There's theoretically a walkie-talkie link, but I haven't had a need to pull it out in the design yet.

Second question: will their be a marriage system, ie can you get married? * or just have a spouse/lover*

No to marriage. Allies may be in relationships, but any relationships you might have with someone are fleeting. We really didn't want to make romances a big thing in the game. Also, your character may have been in a relationship before the game started, so they may have lost someone important to them at the start of the game.  

Third question: will this game incorporate a sims like character creator, if so will the creator be for cosmetics only or will the way your character look play a part in game?  *such as how an all black khajiit in skyrim SHOULD conceal you better while your in the dark but doesnt*

We'll be revealing more about the character creator in the future, but there are some non-cosmetic options.

Third question part two: if the above does have more then cosmetic affects, will scars cause players to ask about them or notice them? will cuts on arms and legs make others question whether or not you've been bitten?

If you're infected, it's a trait. Everyone knows because the wounds are pretty obvious and no one is taking chances.

Fourth question: will their be a trust bar or gauge? like in The Thing? how if your character acts a certain way other's suspect him or her?

There's mood (how positive/negative the ally feels about the future of the shelter), respect (how much they trust/support you), and morale (the overall positive/negative outlook of the shelter as a whole). Keeping people happy and morale positive is a general goal, but as long as the majority are happy, you don't have to worry about pissing off one particular ally, especially if they rub you the wrong way.

Fifth question: will the main hero be able to choose their gender?

Yes.

Will the line of chat will be changed regarding  your charac, gender, job ?

There is definitely reactivity to your character choices.

Will every character having special lines with every other one you can encounter in the game or just a few ?

Not every character, but certain ones. If we tried to have conversations for every combination of allies, we would never finish writing the game.

Still doesn't want to put range weapons a melee value and having all weapon a % of break regarding its quality and the character skills with it ?

Only certain weapons will break, otherwise combat becomes very frustrating. Ammo already limits ranged weapons and melee characters take a lot more risk when getting up close to groups of humans or zombies.

Will you include perks as job specialities (at least) ?

We have special perks for each ally, most being developed by your interaction with them.

Will you be able to team up, commerce, be friend with other group, exchange character of abilities for projects ?

You can get other groups to trust you enough to not kill you, maybe trade with you, and maybe open up a few new gameplay options, but they won't join your shelter or loan you new NPCs. You are the competition, after all.  

Will you enhance the game over time (making add ons etc) or will you move on to other projects once dead state is released and bug free ? Will it depend of the sellings ?

The plan is to support the game as much as possible - open up new game options, add some free content, fix major issues (if any) that players have.

Will be paranoia a trait , and if so will it be represent in dialogues ?

For the player? No. For allies, there are levels of panic.

Will there be a jauge of stress, effort, illness, infection fpr every character ? Will it be hidden for your own character (i mean for example, you know you're infected or ill but you don't know how bad unless you're a doctor)

There are statuses that will tell you the condition of an ally. For things like illness or other problems, they will tell you, and assuming you don't talk them out of it, you'll notice they are unavailable for work or scavenging that day. If you don't have enough food or antibiotics, it will be a major crisis at the shelter that will require immediate action.

Will the ultimate purpose just suvrive, or will you try to escape somehow, like in the walking dead comic, always trying to find a way out or a place to stay as long as possible, or like in rebuild 2 ?

There is an evolving focus on what the shelter needs to do to survive.

Can a character be pregnant ?

The PC cannot get pregnant.

Will items be more shown on the screen if your character got a good perception, will the use of items will be indicate if you got knowledge in that kinds ofstuff (parts for a mechanic, medical equipment for a paramedic etc) ?

There isn't anything like that related to perception, however characters with higher levels of the Survival skill will be able to spot wild sources of food on the area map.

Will there be dynamic events in combat ? for example shooting a can will cause fire on an area, or breaking a door to fle combat

There are breakable doors, but hitting them creates noise. There is no fire mechanic, but there are thrown weapons that can be used to set an area on fire temporarily.

Will vehicule be upgradable ? I know at first i think you already said it won't be will it be a possibility in the future ?

They can be upgraded and they must be maintained.

[Darkthia]

Thanks for answering my questions Brian. 

[RussellClank]

My question is mainly about the fighting styles and vehicles, since a lot of things have been covered already:

1.  What classes of vehicles will there be?  Will it be something like Truck, Car, SUV, and other?  Will there be a lot of different variants?  I.e. for trucks you can choose a faster light truck, or a slower heavy duty truck, or choose between a heavy-duty hummer and a reliable landrover type thing?

2.  Can you tell us a little about guns?  Are there going to be a lot of guns to choose from to arm your characters?  I.e. you can find semi-automatic AR-15s or lever actions to arm your characters with?

3.  What kinds of melee items are avalible?  Is it something realistic, like axes, sling-blades, pitch forks, ball bats and machetes?  Or are other more appealing fan-fiction items thrown in, like katanas?

4.  Is hand-to-hand combat possible for a character?  For example, let's say Charles knows Tae-Kwan-Do.  Can he drop-kick a zombie, or is that possible in game?

5.  You mentioned it is turn-based combat.  Could you provide some sort of example-game that compares quite well both graphics wise AND playability wise to this game?  i.e. Front Mission or something?

[Thnos]

Hi,

I just read the FAQ and I did not find the answer to my questions:

- What languages will Dead State be localized in ? (i'm french and I do not speak more than three words of English   )

- It will be possible to use paypal (like wasteland 2) to help finance your project ?