Difference between revisions of "HIERARCHY OF NEEDS"

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Hierarchy of Needs (Game-Tracked)

The main course of this game is that of a harsh wilderness survival, so all of the needs that will be satiated will be Deficiency needs. Self-Actualization and Transcendence will have to wait for a different title. The game will actively track and display the Physiological needs; if the avatar is thirsty the player will know this and will know to sate that need. The rest of the needs are more implied objectives. While there will not be a little bar showing the ‘security’ need, the player will know that sleeping out in the open in a dangerous area is not the best idea, and will seek to improve the Avatar’s condition without being directly told. There is an intentional cross at some points between the Player’s own Needs and the Avatar’s (Esteem, Cognitive, Aesthetic). This encourages the player to relate to the Avatar, further immersing them into the world. Those familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy will notice sex has been removed/merged with the social needs (family); this game focuses on the player’s life, not the continuation of the species. In addition, many needs have been removed that do not mesh with the game (security of employment/revenue/mental/moral, sexual intimacy, the self-respect and inferiority complex aspect of Esteem Needs). Instead of growth needs, the player has the option to choose his own motivations and goals for his personal self-actualization; many examples of this are listed in the ‘gameplay’ examples mentioned previously.

DEFINITIONS

Decrease/reduced: Reduce the % in any amount.

Increase: Increase the % in any amount.

Fulfilled: Need is at 1% or higher.

Deprived: Need is at 0%.

Sate: Need is at 100%

FORMAT

Need Group

• Need TRACKED (if the need is manually tracked or a player’s mental need)
  • Descriptor
  • Priority
    • How this need is displayed/communicated
  • How this need is decreased
    • Effects of Reduction
    • Effects of Zero
  • How this need is increased

Physiological Needs

• Health TRACKED
  • Description: Before the player can worry about thirst, hunger, or anything else, the immediate need for living takes priority. This is addressed through immediate personal safety; is the player being attacked? Is the player bleeding to death? Is the player drowning? Is the player (due to neglect of other needs) dehydrated/starving to death?
  • Priority: This need is above all others, although if a Player’s stamina is reduced enough to cause passing out, a player may pass out regardless of his healthy condition (which will often lead to the player bleeding to death).
    • Communicated: This need is displayed on the avatar by the amount of fresh/bandaged wounds, as well as a red tint around the borders of the screen for fresh damage, proportionate to the amount of damage (old or treated damage is a grey tint. Any fresh or untreated wounds take priority). The player may hear the avatar grunt, growl, or yelp in pain when hit. The avatar may also groan or whimper when suffering from low health. The avatar acts normal when this need is sated.
  • Reduction: This need is depleted from damage. This is usually in the form of attacks on the player, or environmental damage (falling, traps, etc). Health is also reduced if the thirst or hunger needs are deprived, as those needs will begin to take their usual reductions out of “health” until they are fulfilled.
    • Effects of Reduction: Health reduction leads to a proportionate reduction in stamina and agility. The scale is 1%:100% Health, 60%:100% Agility and Stamina. Note that this does not stack with other need reductions; the highest reduction applies.
    • Effects of Deprivation: If this need reaches zero, the player dies.
  • Increase: This need slowly refills itself if there is no condition decreasing it (Thirst/hunger deprivation, bleeding wounds, poison/ailments). Note the heal rate is dependent upon some skills/abilities (health, medical), and proportionately tied to the player’s comfort. This need can be substantially increased by treating fresh wounds, bandaging bleeding wounds, and by sating the other needs. In order of healing effect: Comfort, Thirst, Hunger, Sleep.

• Stamina TRACKED
  • Description: Humans cannot run continuously, and no matter how strong or well taken care of every person needs to sleep.
  • Priority: While usually a fairly passive need, if left unfulfilled too long the need to sleep can dominate all others, even the need to live (the player can pass out in a dangerous situation).
    • Communicated: This need is displayed by the physical animations and audible noises of the avatar; he will stumble and slouch, or the player may hear a yawning, and grumbling. When this need is sated the avatar’s actions seem a bit faster, and his combat sounds seem a bit more aggressive.
  • Reduction: This need is slowly reducing as long as the player is awake. Strenuous activity (fighting, crafting), severe weather or temperature, need deprivation (see Effects of Reduction in other needs), and injury (health reduction) all increase the rate at which stamina is reduced.
    • Effects of Reduction: As stamina reduces, all skills are proportionately decreased; attacks vary farther from the crosshair, crafted items fail or are if inferior quality, etc.
    • Effects of Deprivation: If this need reaches zero, Agility beings to rapidly reduce to zero. When agility reaches zero from Stamina deprivation, the player begins to have a rapidly increasing chance of passing out, until shortly, the player has 100% chance of passing out. This causes the avatar to collapse and sleep until a portion of his stamina is recovered (around half, modified by chance and factors that may potentially wake any sleeping person).
  • Increase: This need can be increased by sleeping. It increases faster based on the avatar’s shelter (and improvements), and comfort. Eating or drinking decreases the rate at which stamina is reduced, but does not increase it. Encountering a hostile gives a temporary boost to stamina (only once every few hours. Repeated encounters do not all give boosts) due to adrenaline. There are certain herbs, drinks, and foods which give large boosts to stamina (although usually temporary before increasing the rate of stamina reduction).

• Thirst TRACKED
  • Description: Water is vital to any living organism, and humans are no exception. An otherwise healthy human can die in three days without water.
  • Priority: This need is above hunger and comfort.
    • Communicated: This need is displayed by the physical animations and audible noises of the avatar; he will stumble and slouch, or the player might hear panting, or whimpering. The avatar acts normal when this need is sated.
• Reduction: This need is always slowly reducing. Strenuous activity (fighting, crafting), severe weather or temperature (wind or heat), need deprivation (hunger), and injury (health reduction) all increase the rate at which thirst is reduced.
  • • Effects of Reduction: Thirst reduction leads to a proportionate reduction in stamina and agility. The scale is 0%:100% Thirst, 70%:100% Agility and Stamina. Note that this does not stack with other need reductions; the highest reduction applies.
    • Effects of Deprivation: If this need reaches zero, then all further reduction to the thirst need is instead applied to the health need. All modifiers of thirst reduction apply (for example, strenuous activity will increase the rate at which health is lost).
• Increase: This need can be increased by drinking. It increases faster based on the liquid consumed, and comfort. Eating slightly increases the thirst need. Note that the player can choose to drink “rain” during such weather.

• Hunger TRACKED
  • Description: Food provides human with the protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and energy needed to perform and survive. An otherwise healthy human can die in 1-2 months without food.
  • Priority: This need is above comfort.
    • Communicated: This need is displayed by the physical animations and audible noises of the avatar; he will slouch and grab his stomach, or the player might hear a stomach growl, grumbling, or whimpering. The avatar acts normal when this need is sated.
  • Reduction: This need is always slowly reducing. Strenuous activity (fighting, crafting), severe weather or temperature, need deprivation (thirst), and injury (health reduction) all increase the rate at which hunger is reduced.
    • Effects of Reduction: Hunger reduction leads to a proportionate reduction in stamina and agility. The scale is 0%:100% hunger, 80%:100% Agility and Stamina. Note that this does not stack with other need reductions; the highest reduction applies.
    • Effects of Deprivation: If this need reaches zero, then all further reduction to the hunger need is instead applied to the health need. All modifiers of hunger reduction apply (for example, strenuous activity will increase the rate at which health is lost).
• Increase: This need can be increased by eating. It increases faster based on the food consumed, and comfort. drinking slightly increases the hunger need.

Safety Needs

• Comfort TRACKED
  • Description: People always strive to feel secure in their surroundings, by building shelters and fire, communities, decorating their surroundings… This need is an abstraction of all safety needs, and combines physical comfort. While it doesn’t have as dire an effect as the other needs, it has a constant effect on about everything. An uncomfortable person will tire faster, get sick more often, and just generally devolve into a mess. Comfortable and happy people are invigorated by work and their progress, and feel they have found their right place in the world.
  • Priority: Comfort has the lowest priority, but a player would be unwise to ignore this need.
    • Communicated: This need is displayed by the physical animations and audible noises of the avatar; he will slouch, may occasionally look over his shoulder, itch, seem a bit jittery, and look at the ground more often. The avatar may make short alert noises as he looks over his shoulder, grumble, whimper, or quietly sob. When this need is sated the avatar will stand up straight, smile, and look up more often. The avatar may audibly hum or idly whistle, or occasionally laugh.
  • Reduction: This need is stable, but is reduced by strenuous activity (fighting, crafting), severe weather or temperature, injury (health reduction) or old wounds, sleeping exposed or in inferior shelter, sleeping in unexplored or unsafe lands, proximity to enemy tribes, new clothing(or clothing of uncomfortable material like wood, bone, thatch, etc), etc. Need deprivation continually decreases comfort. Note that not performing spiritual rituals does not decrease comfort.
    • Effects of Reduction: Comfort reduction leads to a proportionate reduction in stamina and agility. The scale is -50%:50% Comfort, 90%:100% Agility and Stamina. Note that this does not stack with other need reductions; the highest reduction applies. Comfort reduction will also increase the rate at which other needs decrease (hunger, thirst, health), lessens the chance of skill success, reduces the effect of sleep (sleeping takes longer), and reduces the disposition of people the player interacts with. Comfort it on a -50/+50 scale, so sating comfort will reduce the rate at which other needs decrease (hunger, thirst, health), Increase the chance of skill success, increase the effect of sleep (sleeping takes less time), and increases the disposition of people the player interacts with
  • Increase: Comfort is increased by casual activity (fishing, farming), temperate weather and temperature, treating or fully healing wounds, sleeping (further increased by better or improved shelters), sleeping in explored or safe lands, proximity to friendly tribes, wearing tailor-made clothing (or clothing of comfortable materials like fur, linen, etc), building a fire, performing rituals, etc. Sated needs continually increases comfort.
  • Agility TRACKED
  • Description: Agility is less so a need, and more of an essential to human action. Agility is mostly used to keep humans alive; dodging attacks, and placing well aimed strikes against the aggressor. Agility’s primary role is as a “shield” to protect the generally frail human from injuries, as even the smallest scrape can become a problem (let alone a gaping wound).
  • Priority: Though vital to the success of the player’s actions, this need is not included in the standard priority list, as the importance of agility will differ depending on play styles.
• Communicated: This need is displayed by the physical animations and audible noises of the avatar; When agility is low the player’s actions will be clumsier, slower, and less accurate. The avatar will occasionally make the “whoa” sound if he begins to stumble. The avatar moves slightly faster, more accurately and appears more “on his toes” when this need is sated.
  • Reduction: This need can be temporarily decreased by strenuous activity, severe weather or temperature, need deprivation (see Effects of Reduction in other needs), and injury (health reduction). The second biggest reduction in agility is when the player attacks (which can be reduced more if the player misses, as the avatar is thrown off balance). The biggest reduction in agility is when the avatar dodges an attack.
  • Effects of Reduction: Agility is the “shield” for the player, so if his attacks or dodges lead to his agility decreasing faster than it can restore, he proportionately increases his chances of being hit, and proportionately increases his attack radius (decreasing the chance of hitting the target)
  • Effects of Deprivation: If this need reaches zero, the player can no longer dodge attacks, and has a large attack radius. Every time the player deprives his agility (whether though repeatedly attacking/missing, or dodging/being hit) he has an increasing chance to trip. This chance of tripping decreases within a minute or so. Tripping is more of a concern when sustaining a barrage of attacks (or delivering them).
  • Increase: Agility rapidly increases on its own. This rate can be temporarily increased by performing a casual activity (sitting, sleeping, eating, etc.).

Hierarchy of Needs (Player-tracked)

These needs are considerations that the player will have to make within the game space. By transferring his own mental needs into the gameworld (aided by caring for base needs in the gameworld), this can increase player immersion

FORMAT

Need Group

• Need
  • Descriptor, questions on how the player can gauge this need mentally.

Safety Needs

• Physical Security
  • An extension of the “Need to Live”, this is with a broader time frame. Will the player be attacked soon? Is the player in a dangerous location (wolf den, Cliffside, etc)? Is the players health in a poor state?
• Resource Security
  • Is there access to Water and Food nearby? Can I get to these resources easily and without obstruction or danger?
• Property Security
  • Is my camp secure? Do I need to worry about robbers or animals invading my location?
• Family Security
  • If I have a family, partner, or tribe, then are they safe? Are all of their physiological and safety needs met, as well?

Social Needs

• Friendship and Acceptance
  • Once the player has established his own life and is healthy and secure, he can expand his world and explore, attempting to meet other people. The first contacts the player makes with other humans will sate this need, but this level of contact is transient at best. Beginning with passing trade, this can evolve into a temporary hunting partner. However, social contact runs the risk of a hostile engagement (and humans are often far more dangerous than animals), as the human might simply want to finish its own task, is nervous, or is actively seeking to harm the player.
• Community
  • The player may seek to befriend and even join an existing tribe. This network of people allows for greater security; there is a group of people to trade with, they could help the player in times of need, and there is a greater defense against animals or robbers. However, being in a tribe carries certain emotional and logistical responsibilities to that tribe, and you may be caught up in tribal warfare that you otherwise would have avoided, and will have to consider the tribes needs (from base food and water, to safety) as you progress in authority.
• Family
  • The player may seek to begin his own family, either for a “Strength in numbers” or for the player’s own emotional needs and connections. However, Families require the player to provide for anyone who is unable to provide for themselves (children), expose the player to worrying about his own security as well as his family’s, and generally makes a nomadic life more challenging (reestablishing shelters for multiple people, finding and carrying food for long treks, safety concerns).

Esteem Needs

• Authority
  • The player may wish to extend his Social needs once he is incorporated into a tribe by attempting to climb the tribal authority ladder. This is covered in the section below Needs in Tribal Leadership.
• Competence and Confidence
  • This would be a need sated only in the player’s mind. As he begins to gain control over nature around the avatar (and understands the rules of the game), his confidence will increase with his competence, encouraging him to try other things and expand ever farther from the base needs.

Cognitive Needs

• Learning Skills
  • The Player will wish to expand the skills of his avatar, thus sating the Avatar’s “cognitive needs”, while also sating the player’s cognitive needs expressed through the desire to be better at current skills, increase the options those skills provide (more craftable items, new attacks), and broaden his abilities to incorporate a breadth of different skills for different situations and strategies.
• Improving Abilities
  • This is a bit of a mix of Esteem and Cognitive Needs (and a bit of physiological, on the Avatar’s side). The player will wish to expand the abilities of his avatar, potentially increasing the characters strength, agility, or intelligence.

Aesthetic Needs

• Visually Pleasing Imagery
  • This can be achieved by the player’s own definition. They might want to collect a full suit of grey wolf-hair garments, or carve their outfits and weapons with elaborate symbols.