DoubleBear ZRPG Development Update

DoubleBear Productions' Brian Mitsoda has posted another design update for their "ZRPG" on the official Iron Tower forums, this time covering the significance that morale can have when you're trying to survive in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.
Today I'm going to cover the very basic Morale system and what it means for your character as a leader and what it takes for the Shelter to not fall apart from within. Morale can be thought of as the sum total of good will generated by the player. Morale is what keeps people's spirits up, keeps them going, and prevents the pocket society they have created from breaking down. As long as Morale is positive, the player doesn't have to worry about people leaving, refusing to do tasks, or being difficult in the field. Certain story events, activities, and luxury items can build up Morale. Other actions such as starvation, killing an ally, or having an ally die in the field can reduce morale. Certain allies (especially those with negotiation skills) and upgrades (like the generator) will give the player daily morale bonuses. Like Food, good Morale can be stockpiled, meaning that as long as people have distractions and Food, generally they will forget about the harsher realities of life.

The amount of Morale that an ally loses is equal to their Mood. Each ally loses Morale every day, no matter what their Mood even under the best circumstances, the reality of living after society has broken down takes its toll on the survivors. There are several ranges of Mood, from Good to Disgruntled, with the least amount of Morale being lost if they have a positive outlook on their survival. Mood is influenced by player actions and events that have affected the Shelter or that ally, both good and bad. Mood is not necessarily tied to an ally's respect for the player for example, their Mood might drop because a loved one dies but making people hate you is not going to do wonders for their Mood and the Shelter's Morale.