Every once in a while, when I'm particularly bored or just can't think of anything to do, I decide to rebuild a human colony. The setting is simple, the zombie apocalypse has hit and you are the leader of four city blocks. As the leader, you slowly expand. You, as the leader, must balance morale, safety, and expansion. If you're lucky (or just skilled), you secure an entire city and/or eradicate the zombie problem.
How do I do this from the safety of my couch? Well, friends, the magic of free flash games. Below are links to version 1 and 2 of the zombie survival game of "Rebuild."
http://www.kongregate.com/games/sarahnorthway/rebuild?acomplete=rebuil
http://www.kongregate.com/games/sarahnorthway/rebuild-2?acomplete=rebuild+2
Although obviously a simplified version of the zombie threat, this game incorporates many different zombie myths and nuances of survival culture. Each survivor has the ability to develop several skills. Every skill is important, especially at different times of the game. In the first version of rebuild, the roles are similar to the divisions we make in class. You must decide between leader, builder, soldier, scavenger, or scientist. I suppose builder, scavenger, and scientist would be citizen roles. In the second game, each citizen has the ability to increase all of these skills. In the end, they can act as both a master leader and soldier.
First, you start as a leader. As the leader, you call all the shots. You, also, get the advantage of being a recruiter. As you explore the city and find survivors, having a high "leader" skill makes it more likely that a survivor will join your colony. In the second version, you also get the advantage of a tool which increases different skills. A dog makes you a better leader, a pistol makes you a better fighter. In the second game, not only do you decide the daily actions of each character; you also make important decisions about hiring prostitutes and gambling for food.
The soldier would clearly be the security council. A soldier is the survivor you want to kill zombies or defend the fort. Really, soldiers are consistently useful as the zombie threat grows around your colony.
Builders, scavengers and scientists are pretty self explanatory. The role of scientist is interesting. They improve overall life, especially in the second game. For example, once they research electricity, morale in the colony is greatly increased.
The survivor roles of the game creates different paths to pursue throughout the game. Events, however, are also important. In the first version, events can determine the type of zombie you deal with. For example, when you are close to solving the zombie problem, the hoards get quicker. Also, the origin of zombies is interesting between the two games. One ending implies the zombies spawn through a cursed graveyard, but you can research a cure to the 'infection.'
When completing this game (I recommend both versions), many decisions you make are indicative of issues we discuss in class. Instead of a single survivor/constant fighting game like Resident Evil or the Last Stand (also a flash game), this game occurs after the initial outbreak. The purpose of the game is to discuss how to survive as a community, not as an individual. Sustainability, morale, and continued security is the name of the game instead of nightly scuffles and consistent scavenging.
Also, some things are just clever like the zombie cage fights and turning the malls into defensive structures. Overall, an interesting game that builds off zombie culture while poking fun at many conventions.
How do I do this from the safety of my couch? Well, friends, the magic of free flash games. Below are links to version 1 and 2 of the zombie survival game of "Rebuild."
http://www.kongregate.com/games/sarahnorthway/rebuild?acomplete=rebuil
http://www.kongregate.com/games/sarahnorthway/rebuild-2?acomplete=rebuild+2
Although obviously a simplified version of the zombie threat, this game incorporates many different zombie myths and nuances of survival culture. Each survivor has the ability to develop several skills. Every skill is important, especially at different times of the game. In the first version of rebuild, the roles are similar to the divisions we make in class. You must decide between leader, builder, soldier, scavenger, or scientist. I suppose builder, scavenger, and scientist would be citizen roles. In the second game, each citizen has the ability to increase all of these skills. In the end, they can act as both a master leader and soldier.
First, you start as a leader. As the leader, you call all the shots. You, also, get the advantage of being a recruiter. As you explore the city and find survivors, having a high "leader" skill makes it more likely that a survivor will join your colony. In the second version, you also get the advantage of a tool which increases different skills. A dog makes you a better leader, a pistol makes you a better fighter. In the second game, not only do you decide the daily actions of each character; you also make important decisions about hiring prostitutes and gambling for food.
The soldier would clearly be the security council. A soldier is the survivor you want to kill zombies or defend the fort. Really, soldiers are consistently useful as the zombie threat grows around your colony.
Builders, scavengers and scientists are pretty self explanatory. The role of scientist is interesting. They improve overall life, especially in the second game. For example, once they research electricity, morale in the colony is greatly increased.
The survivor roles of the game creates different paths to pursue throughout the game. Events, however, are also important. In the first version, events can determine the type of zombie you deal with. For example, when you are close to solving the zombie problem, the hoards get quicker. Also, the origin of zombies is interesting between the two games. One ending implies the zombies spawn through a cursed graveyard, but you can research a cure to the 'infection.'
When completing this game (I recommend both versions), many decisions you make are indicative of issues we discuss in class. Instead of a single survivor/constant fighting game like Resident Evil or the Last Stand (also a flash game), this game occurs after the initial outbreak. The purpose of the game is to discuss how to survive as a community, not as an individual. Sustainability, morale, and continued security is the name of the game instead of nightly scuffles and consistent scavenging.
Also, some things are just clever like the zombie cage fights and turning the malls into defensive structures. Overall, an interesting game that builds off zombie culture while poking fun at many conventions.
This is a game I would definitely be interested in. Its almost refreshing to see a zombie game that isn't a first person shooter or something like it (though I do love Left 4 Dead and all the rest). I think a game more like Sim City or Civilization with zombie hoards rather than natural disasters would be very interesting and keep me playing for hours. Having the goal of rebuilding and protecting a city rather than surviving as an individual seems to have many more opportunities from a game design perspective. I'll definitely have to give this one a go at some point.