Deluded Diaries: Social survival

Time for another diary entry!

Giving you another glimpse into our plans to make Deluded as immersive and well-thought-out as possible!

Hope you didn’t forget that Deluded is not only RPG, but also survival. But what does survival actually mean in the world of Deluded? What purpose does it serve? Why add survival to a game like this at all?

That’s what I wanted to talk about today.

Imagine a typical survival game. You explore unknown locations, gather resources like wood, rocks and then you craft weapons, instruments from it to further explore, level up and survive.

Now imagine this game: to gather resources and survive, you don’t just go around collecting things, but you communicate with people, build relationships, trade with them, taking into account their personal needs and their character.

Deluded embraces classic survival principles while including a social element in it.

How does social survival work in Deluded?

After the prologue Alisa finds herself in an unknown place, and at first the NPCs living there don’t trust her, because Alisa doesn’t have any reputation in the area. Unlike typical survival games, where you chop trees and mine for ore, here, you have to study the NPCs — their factions, behaviors, and needs — to secure your place in the world.

NPCs belong to different factions: troublemakers, cultists, bandits, thieves, hobos, farmers and commoners. Each group has its own values, goals, and attitudes toward outsiders. Some will give you work, others will take advantage of you, and some will want nothing to do with you — at least, not until you prove yourself.

In the world of Deluded people are the main resource. Your attributes influence the relationships with people, and your relationships influence the access to resources.

But survival isn’t just about keeping Alisa fed and warm — it’s about managing how others perceive her. Your skills, appearance, and actions determine which doors open for you and which slam shut.

RPG stats

Your RPG stats play a big role in how you navigate this world. Here are some examples:

• Playing as a PURE character (focused on innocence and morality) is a hardcore choice. It locks out some options, such as using charm or seduction to persuade NPCs, forcing you to rely on wit and physical skills. But it also opens doors — certain factions, like cultists, may respect you more, and you might gain advantages in uncovering some secrets.

• A high INTELLECT character will be better at solving puzzles, spotting hidden details, and making smart trades, but might struggle with physical confrontations.

• A SUBMISSIVE character avoids major conflicts but has fewer resources and must rely on persuasion and luck to get by.

• A DOMINANT character is bold but faces higher risks. You’ll have to compensate with either strength (to fight) or manipulation (to control others).

• A FOOLISH character implies better communications with lower classes of society (e.g. understanding the drunkards’ speech), lesser negative effects (due to a carefree attitude) and getting involved in numerous silly situations.

Each approach creates a different survival experience.

Difficulty waves

Your struggles won’t remain the same throughout the game. As you progress, new challenges arise:

• Lindcliff society changes, and at first, people are merely suspicious of you. But as unexpected events occur (no spoilers!) — their distrust turns to hostility. Earn their trust in time, or surviving in this city will be brutal.

• Winter hits, and living on the streets becomes much harder. Securing steady work and shelter becomes crucial.

• Acreton opens up, a more prosperous location, but one where everything is incredibly expensive. You’ll need status or wealth to thrive there.

So, that’s how things are regarding the social survival game design in Deluded. Not all of these features might be implemented yet, but we just wanted to share our vision. Hopefully, you find them interesting! Looking forward to your interesting questions in the comments! 😉

Best regards,
kufe7

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