c:dda.md

Cataclysm - Dark Days Ahead is my favorite video game.

1. I like that in C:DDA you live and you die by your strategy and your tactics,

   • but I dislike having to start over from the beginning every time I die.
   • I like that C:DDA is moving away from that and I like the direction they chose: CleverRaven/Cataclysm-DDA#53523.

2. I like that in C:DDA most problems can be approached in many different ways depending on your resources and resourcefulness.

3. I dislike the "waiting game". Examples:

   • Sleeping for 8 hours takes about one real life minute (under ideal circumstances; much longer if you sleep in a "busy" area)
   • Many crafting recipes also take on the order ~10 virtual hours (=~ 1 real life minute) to complete even after you have learned all the required skills and proficiencies
   • A broken limb takes your character out of commission for ~6 virtual days (simultaneously unrealistically fast recovery and way too long in real life)

   There are many more examples like this: reading books, practicing to gain proficiencies.

   What is worse than staring at a screen while the game plays itself? Babysitting a game that plays itself! Sometimes the game randomly interrupts you in the middle of an action and prompts for input. The result is that if you start an action and alt+tab you may find that the action did not finish when you alt+tab back. There is nothing protecting you from getting interrupted a dozen times at random points during an action.

4. I like that C:DDA has a large and diverse world and an incentive to explore it,

   • but I dislike that easily avoidable threats become a big annoyance when traveling long distances:
     • You can reliably avoid almost any enemy - you see them before they see you. You simply have to walk around them.
     • Nothing is faster than a car - nothing can catch up to you while you are driving.
     • Traveling by holding down a key without safe mode is guaranteed to get you killed (see 1)
     • Traveling by holding down a key with safe mode will randomly prompt for input similar to 3
     • Auto travel will also randomly prompt for input

5. I like the deep and complex mechanics

   • but I dislike it when it is hard to find answers to questions:
     • Reactive: "What just happened?", "Why did this happen?", "Why did the action take much longer than I expected?", "Why did I take damage?", "Why did I take more damage than I expected to take?", "Why am I dealing less damage than I expected?", "What is dropping my speed/causing my move cost to go up?"
     • What if: "How much better is +3 to-hit compared to +2 or +1? Is it worth sacrificing damage for?", "How much will 5 extra points of encumbrance impact me?", "Is 15 damage protection better than 10? Sometimes it is worse", "What do I get when I put points in STR/DEX/PER/INT?", "What the hell is dispersion for ranged weapons?"
   • I also dislike it when it is hard to figure out how to do something. "I need a rubber hose. Where can I get one?".
   • I also dislike it when it is hard to even find out that you can do something. Did you know that you can tame animals in C:DDA? Did you know that you can climb up a drain pipe? Did you know...

6. I dislike it when my followers move towards enemies when I want them to be moving away.

7. I dislike it when my followers move attacking enemies when I want them to attack.