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How it all ends..


DTL

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Greetings, all. I've been thinking a bit about how this game will ultimately "end" from a story/gameplay perspective and wanted to stop by to share my thoughts. Pardon me if this is not an original idea, as I haven't spent a great deal of time on the forums. I'd also like to point out that I have practically no knowledge of game development, so I don't know the feasibility of any of this. This could all just be the ramblings of a kooky old man. So bear with me..

 

The Finale

 

Since the game has many role-playing elements within it, it only seems obvious to also have a "boss battle" at the conclusion of the story arch. Doing so would be a nice way to wrap up the play-through and signify that you've "won". So the next question becomes.. who's the final boss? Well, I suppose it could be some super tough, new zombie type that shoots acid and freaking laser beams out it's arse. But that doesn't feel quite right. Sure, zombies are a huge part of this game. But a good finale should have more personality than that. A real reason for existing. And as much as we all love the zombies.. going after one specific boss zombie just doesn't add that personal touch. The reason for us to want to be there doing it. Even if they shoehorned in some story element about it somehow ending the plaque or whatever, an ending like that would just feel lackluster in my opinion. As a player, I have no connection to a random arse-laser zombie. But there is someone I do have a history with..

 

The Duke

 

That's right, The Duke. From the moment you open your eyes in this scary new world, you're greeted with a message from the man himself. He seems to control everything in some way. The traders respect or fear him. We use his coin. He's about to have a bunch of his cronies running around making your life tougher in a future update. And worst of all... he stripped you, knocked you out, and left you for dead. There's obviously some history and bad blood between you two.

 

The Showdown

 

So you have to take down The Duke. Cool. But how do you do it? Well.. we're still a ways off from being able to see what the bandit AI will look like. But I don't think that a simple one-on-one battle with an AI controlled Duke would turn out very fun or interesting even if the AI turns out really well. We need to spice it up. But how?

 

(This is where things jump into the "I dunnu if can do" territory)

 

How do we spice it up? We add the namesake of the game. The major element that makes this game stand out amongst its peers. The blood moons. What if.. now hear me out here... what if we completely flip the concept of the hoard night around on the player and have it go a little something like this..

 

The Duke is held up in his own custom built hoard base that spawns somewhere in the wasteland (or irradiated zone if/when added). The exact whereabouts of his hideout can be obtained by bravely traversing the wasteland/irradiated zones yourself until you find it.. or by earning the trust of the traders and completing a custom quest chain unlocked in late-game. Similar to how the trader is only accessible during certain hours.. The Duke's base will only be accessible during a blood moon. This base will be designed in the same "mini-dungeon" way that other tier buildings currently are, but has the added challenge of containing all the various traps and turrets that players will be using on their own hoard bases. Bandits, blade traps, turrets.. all of them will have to be dealt with in order to work your way through the dungeon and get to The Duke.

 

Oh.. and let's not forget this is all happening during a blood moon you have no protection from.

 

Sounds pretty tough, eh? Well, there may be a solution to that.

 

Different perks, books, or items could be added that help the player traverse the dungeon-like base and its traps. For instance, a reduction to electrical trap damage. Or the ability to walk past turrets without triggering them. Or possibly EMP-like ammo or mods that temporarily disable electrical devices. These could all be late game and difficult to obtain items that help you prepare for the final fight. These, on top of the currently existing ways to mitigate damage and dish out pain, would make for a challenging finally. But not an impossible one.

 

However, one last change could make the scenario both a little easier for the player, while also adding a layer of strategy, chaos, and over all excitement... have the blood moon hoard also target the bandits and The Duke himself. Doing so would create a scenario where at least some of the zombies are rushing the base along side you. They're weakening traps, taking out a bandit or two, the bandits are helping you with the hoard.. it's all one big kill party until you get passed the defenses and finally make it to the man himself. And to me.. that sounds super fun.

 

The Credits

 

You gotta put them somewhere, right? You've killed The Duke. The blood moon ends. Somewhere in the corner is a reward crate you have to spend three full minutes breaking into because you forgot to bring lockpicks. You've officially won. Good Job!

 

The credits roll, we take a moment to appreciate the devs that made this great game, and our characters wake back up outside the now defeated base with our spoils from victory.

 

But now what?

 

Well, I thought as one last bonus for killing The Duke, perhaps you now get a permanent discount of some sort at the traders as a show of fear.. um.. respect for taking down The Duke. Just a little something for the folks who continue their world after the credits. 

 

After all.. The Duke is now dead. And you're the man or woman who killed him. I'd say that pretty much makes you The Duke now, don't you? And if The Duke happens to die at the hands of an irradiated big momma who managed to get the last hit in before you could.. it'll be our little secret.

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