Originally posted by CellNav:

Note the left hand side scripts where there is a "CauseOfDeath" referring to the "zombie", and above that there is one of the basic scripts for Blame without any specific condition. I don't know if "Cause Of Death" means a zombie caused a death or the NPC turned into a zombie causing the death ...

It appears to be the former, though there's no reason both couldn't apply assuming the game notes someone turning as being killed by a zombie. For reasons evident in the scripts that have escaped me between there and here. (This old melon is so ill equipped for this anymore.) I suppose I could hop in and test it next time I'm at this, I'm betting if a community member turns while the PC is standing around, they'll be blamed, just the same as if it were an actual ZombieMurder.

One thing I noted in my search is a complete lack of any interim state in the hostility scripts. Some scripts call for going straight to war with no other qualifier than the script tripping, and many have no apparent impact at all aside from some fun text, from just looking at the script anyway. I'm seeing no memory assignment or relations change for these, etc.

I think there needs to be a more nuanced progression to war. So instead of 'DeclareWar' firing as a guaranteed result of BlameForZombieMurder for example, what about: IncrementVariable (I'm not sure just what variables I'd have at my disposal yet, nor syntax) <Despise?> -80 or whatever and then ultimately a script related to despise value popping off from a faction leader or whomever: "You're nothing but trouble!" -> DeclareWar.

This would allow for a lot of in between states, and possibly allow the player an opportunity to salvage the situation pro-actively.

It might allow for the illusion of memory exchanges, i.e. the community arguing about what to do possibly, presenting 'evidence' (I'm seeing nothing to do with Saw/Witnessed X, though I could certainly make a facade using relationship values), etc. These interactions could then adjust this assumed despise variable this way or that before the sentence is meted out. Interrogating the player could be kind of applied, albeit pretty clunkily.

I'm not sure if it's possible to detain the player at gunpoint yet, but I'm hoping to find something in the looter greet script I can use. (It would be mighty silly to have an across map interrogation, and having someone running after the target to initiate the related dialogue would get very wacky.)

I'd even like to see a delay with the declaration: "You've got five minutes to clear out of here and I'd better never see your face again!" -> DeclareWar Delay=5min
This is what I think I'm going digging for next.

I'm concerned that DeclareWar will then result in the constant raiding business. It'd be nice if there was a defensively red state one could put a community into, but perhaps that's hand waveable.

The goal of all of this being to reduce the theft of the player's agency in these circumstances, and help them understand better what's happening at the very least, before everyone stats shooting.