Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 25 (click to see context) from:
* BodyHorror: As in most Roguelikes, mutations exist. Some are good, some are bad, some are double edged swords. You can also modify yourself with biotics, which are likely visible.
to:
* BodyHorror: As in most Roguelikes, mutations exist. Some are good, some are bad, some are double edged swords. You can also modify yourself with biotics, many of which are likely visible.visible. After several augments and mutations, your character will barely look human.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** .22 rifles even more so; with decent skill, a silencer, and other mods, you can have a near-silent headshotting machine with a 30 round magazine and plentiful ammo. Unfortunately, .22 will do nothing against enemies with thicker hides.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BodyHorror: As in most Roguelikes, mutations exist. Some are good, some are bad, some are double edged swords. You can also modify yourself with biotics, which are likely visible.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 11 (click to see context) from:
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The sewers of this game readily serve as an alternate means of walking between areas.
to:
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The sewers of this Sewers are generally 5-7 spaces in width. If the game readily serve as an alternate means of walking between areas.went by d20 rules (which, for the most part it doesn't), one space would be 10 feet in width, length, and height, which is already absurdly large for a sewer.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* ArtificialSupidity: Most of the enemies are zombies, so it's ''somewhat'' justified. You can funnel zombies into a window sill and they'll just climb on top of each other trying to get to you, only to take a crowbar to the face for their troubles. Throw down a molotov, and zombies will try to shamble through it, only to die after a few steps in. This also applies to insects and other fell beasts that appear, but they don't blindly charge at you, so they're more likely to avoid it, but they're not aware that there ''is'' a fire to begin with.
to:
* ArtificialSupidity: ArtificialStupidity: Most of the enemies are zombies, so it's ''somewhat'' justified. You can funnel zombies into a window sill and they'll just climb on top of each other trying to get to you, only to take a crowbar to the face for their troubles. Throw down a molotov, and zombies will try to shamble through it, only to die after a few steps in. This also applies to insects and other fell beasts that appear, but they don't blindly charge at you, so they're more likely to avoid it, but they're not aware that there ''is'' a fire to begin with.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* ArtificialSupidity: Most of the enemies are zombies, so it's ''somewhat'' justified. You can funnel zombies into a window sill and they'll just climb on top of each other trying to get to you, only to take a crowbar to the face for their troubles. Throw down a molotov, and zombies will try to shamble through it, only to die after a few steps in. This also applies to insects and other fell beasts that appear, but they don't blindly charge at you, so they're more likely to avoid it, but they're not aware that there ''is'' a fire to begin with.
** Your clothes get damaged as zombies whale on you. Your shoes and pretty much everything else can only be destroyed by acid. You can kill dozens of zombies with a pane of glass and it won't break.
Changed line(s) 40 (click to see context) from:
* GiantSpider: One of the many categories of enemies.
to:
* ExtremeOmnivore: Once your food runs out, you have to switch to butchering and preparing your own meat from corpses. Zombie meat is pretty much a last ditch move until you learn how to cure it, but rat, ant, and slug meat are all fair game. Currently, the game doesn't consider ''where'' the meat came from, as long as it's not from a zombie, so your character can eat cooked ''slug meat'' and enjoy it.
* GiantSpider: One of the many categories of enemies. Along with centipedes, wasps, bees, slugs, ants, and mosquitoes.
* GiantSpider: One of the many categories of enemies. Along with centipedes, wasps, bees, slugs, ants, and mosquitoes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TheManyDeathsOfYou: Be prepared to die a lot starting off while you fumble around, deciding the best tactics to killing a horde, with what, what to carry, what to sustain yourself on, where to sleep, etc.
Added DiffLines:
** The player will start off struggling to kill one zombie. As you level up, your character will be able to take on larger and larger hordes, and you as a player get smarter figuring out better and more efficient tactics.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* AwesomeYetPractical: The longbow is more useful than most guns, due to the fact that it's silent, accurate, fast, and powerful. Shots can be reclaimed from corpses, and when you need to make more, resources are plentiful. At higher skill levels your character becomes a human Legolas, and every other shot you make with it will be a headshot.
Changed line(s) 65 (click to see context) from:
* ShoutOut: Listing all the other zombie or horror works that ''Cataclysm'' references would probably require a whole other wiki in its own right.
to:
* ShoutOut: Listing all To name a few, Half Life 2, Left 4 Dead, Fallout, Dawn of the other zombie or horror works that ''Cataclysm'' references would probably require a whole other wiki in its own right.Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Deus Ex, Doom, Mad Max, Dune, RIFT, I Am Legend, The Day of the Triffids, and Tremors.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 68 (click to see context) from:
* SurvivalistStash: What you can find in a house's basement, if you're lucky. And of course, you can make your ''own'' stash.
to:
* SurvivalistStash: What you can find in a house's basement, if you're lucky. And of course, you can make your ''own'' stash.stash, and loot the stashes of your previously deceased characters!
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 57 (click to see context) from:
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: They seem to be of the fast variety, as they move at a deceptively quick pace, and then there is the ''fast'' zombie which plays the trope completely.
to:
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: They seem to be of the fast variety, as they move at a deceptively quick pace, and then there is the ''fast'' zombie which plays the trope completely.archetype completely. And then there's also the Left4Dead inspired zombies.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Later on he might find dead squads of soldiers and scientists, as well as military and scientific infraestructures which are invariably overrun by the undead.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* QuicksandBox: Part of the fun resides in just trying to survive for the first days. After securing a safe house, players might stumble around the game world for (ingame) days on end [[spoiler: until finding neat stuff like science labs or bunkers.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* RareGuns: A fair share of them, you may find the Saiga semi-auto shotgun, a revolver grenade launcher and the American 180 (a 60s sub machine gun that can hold up to [[MoreDakka 165 low powered rounds]]). You can craft an electromagnet gun that fires nails at incredible speeds. And then there is more technological stuff.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* AwesomeButImpractical: Shotguns in general. They are incredibly loud and a single shot will draw the attention of all neighbouring zombies, silencers are off limits to them. They also have their dedicated skill and as such they are hardly useful outside emergencies due to lack of training. Most of them also suffer of ShortRangeShotgun. Ironically the most useful of them all might be the SawedOffShotgun, thanks to the decreased weight and volume and its status as an emergency weapon.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: You can call for help to the factions in the game. Most of the time, they will send an armed NPC to help you. You can blow his head off and take his gear with little consequence.
** Due to a programming oversight, some explosives still had trade value while lit. So yes, you could trade someone your armed C4 for their medkits and his gun and run like hell.
** Due to a programming oversight, some explosives still had trade value while lit. So yes, you could trade someone your armed C4 for their medkits and his gun and run like hell.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* DisabilitySuperpower: Certain "bad" mutations are not necessarily bad. Some of them can actually mutate further into useful ones. For example, you might become carnivore and able to eat only flesh; further mutation might allow you to eat tainted flesh (for example, ''zombie'' flesh).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BlobMonster: Dungeon feature. [[spoiler:Logs left behind by scientist imply they are some sort of GreyGoo.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* EatsBabies: [[spoiler:YOU, if you want to.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** If you have a safe place and enough food, is safer to use the hardest drugs for their boosts, as the easiest and most reliable way to get rid of the withdrawal syndrome is to [[BoringButPractical sit it out]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* GunAccessories: A good amount of them, and currently you may have any amount of modifications on your gun, for your inner tacticool commando.
-->''[[ShoutOut Remember]], only YOU can prevent [[DeathByIrony forest fires]]!''
Deleted line(s) 40 (click to see context) :
-->''[[ShoutOut Remember]], only YOU can prevent [[DeathByIrony forest fires]]!''
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
* ArmorIsUseless: Maybe not ''useless'', per se, but you'll have to decide whether the protection is worth the torso encumbrance.
to:
* ArmorIsUseless: Maybe not ''useless'', per se, but you'll have to decide whether the protection and storage space is worth the torso encumbrance.
Added DiffLines:
* FantasyKitchenSink
Added DiffLines:
* InventoryManagementPuzzle: Not only does your character have a weight limit of loot to work with, but he is also limited by the size (volume in game) of his loot. Each piece of clothing available may have a set amount of storage space which must be managed separately from weight. Going above your weight limit will slow you down; going above your volume limit will increase your encumbrance, which usually will slow you down ''as well'' as other penalties.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 37 (click to see context) from:
* IncendiaryExponent: Some though enemies if they stand in fire for long enough. For example, [[EverythingIsWorseWithBears bears]] .
to:
* IncendiaryExponent: Some though tough enemies if they stand in fire for long enough. For example, [[EverythingIsWorseWithBears bears]] .
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 37,38 (click to see context) from:
* IncendiaryExponent: Some though enemies if they stand in fire for long enough. For example, [[EverythingIsWorseWithBears]] bears.
-->''Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires!''
-->''Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires!''
to:
* IncendiaryExponent: Some though enemies if they stand in fire for long enough. For example, [[EverythingIsWorseWithBears]] bears.
-->''Remember,[[EverythingIsWorseWithBears bears]] .
-->''[[ShoutOut Remember]], only YOU can prevent [[DeathByIrony forestfires!''fires]]!''
-->''Remember,
-->''[[ShoutOut Remember]], only YOU can prevent [[DeathByIrony forest
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* IncendiaryExponent: Some though enemies if they stand in fire for long enough. For example, [[EverythingIsWorseWithBears]] bears.
-->''Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires!''
-->''Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires!''
Added DiffLines:
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: They seem to be of the fast variety, as they move at a deceptively quick pace, and then there is the ''fast'' zombie which plays the trope completely.
Added DiffLines:
* ShockAndAwe: The shocker zombie. A middle game weapon is a tazer which isn't that useful against zombies.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* CriticalExistenceFailure: Zigzagged; while you do have health points, there's a set amount of them for each body part (and losing all of them in one part equals death), but the pain mechanic reduces movement speed as the character receives damage.
Added DiffLines:
* HollywoodSilencer: You'll want to use these a lot. Fortunately they have a relatively easy crafting recipe.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added tropage!
Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
While bearing a few similarities to ''RogueSurvivor'', ''Cataclysm'' stands out by leaning much more towards the [[SimulationGames simulation end of gaming]] than most roguelikes (indeed, most role-playing games, period). Your character's inventory is limited not only by weight, but by the storage volume their clothes provide. Instead of the usual ClassAndLevelSystem, you learn different skills independently of each other, and they only improve through study and use. The sheer ''volume'' of different weapons, food, drinks, tools, clothing, armor, drugs, bionic implants, traps, and just plain ''clutter'' in this game is one of its proudest features. Monsters hunt by sound as well as sight, and a single non-silenced gunshot in an infested area can bring a zombie horde right to your location. Perhaps most importantly, the wound system in ''Cataclysm'' is very harsh. There are no exploding [[HitPoints HP]] or easy healing in this game - characters can feel pain and be seriously impaired by wounds, and if you have no medicine or first aid skill, you'll probably be making a new character very soon.
to:
While bearing a few similarities to ''RogueSurvivor'', ''Cataclysm'' stands out by leaning much more towards the [[SimulationGames simulation end of gaming]] than most roguelikes (indeed, most role-playing games, period). Your character's inventory is limited not only by weight, but by the storage volume their clothes provide. Instead of the usual ClassAndLevelSystem, you learn different skills independently of each other, and they only improve through study and use. The sheer ''volume'' of different weapons, food, drinks, tools, clothing, armor, drugs, bionic implants, traps, and just plain ''clutter'' in this game is one of its proudest features. Monsters hunt by sound as well as sight, and a single non-silenced gunshot in an infested area can bring a zombie horde right to your location. Perhaps most importantly, the wound system in ''Cataclysm'' is very harsh. There are no exploding [[HitPoints HP]] or easy healing in this game - characters can feel pain and be seriously impaired by wounds, and if you have no medicine or first aid skill, you'll probably be making a new character very soon.
soon. You can also [[DrugsAreBad abuse, get hooked on, and suffer the side effects]] of a wide variety of ''non''-medical drugs.
Changed line(s) 23,25 (click to see context) from:
* CrowbarCombatant: Players who find (or make) their own crowbar. And for good reason, as crowbars are not only good for bashing zombies, but they can also pry open locked doors and manholes.
* DeathTrap: You'll find these laying around here and there, and picking up a few levels in traps skill (and having the right components) will allow you to set some traps of your own.
* DrunkenMaster: One of the selectable advantages boosts your melee skills whenever you're intoxicated.
* DeathTrap: You'll find these laying around here and there, and picking up a few levels in traps skill (and having the right components) will allow you to set some traps of your own.
* DrunkenMaster: One of the selectable advantages boosts your melee skills whenever you're intoxicated.
to:
* CrowbarCombatant: Players who find (or make) their own crowbar. And for good reason, as crowbars are not only good for bashing zombies, but they can also silently pry open locked doors and manholes.
* DeathTrap: You'll find these laying around here and there, and picking up a few levels in traps skill(and having (plus the right components) will allow you to set some traps of your own.
* DrunkenMaster: One of theselectable advantages boosts your melee skills whenever you're intoxicated.
* DeathTrap: You'll find these laying around here and there, and picking up a few levels in traps skill
* DrunkenMaster: One of the
Changed line(s) 27 (click to see context) from:
* DrugsAreBad: Averted with pot - smoking a joint is good for morale, with only mild drawbacks. Fully enforced with all other recreational drugs, though. If you manage to get hooked on booze or cocaine, the withdrawal penalties ''will'' hit you hard.
to:
* DrugsAreBad: Averted with pot - smoking a joint is good for morale, with only mild drawbacks. Fully enforced with all other recreational drugs, though. If you manage to get hooked on booze or cocaine, the withdrawal penalties ''will'' hit spank you hard.
Changed line(s) 30 (click to see context) from:
* EverythingsWorseWithWolves: Wolves are one of the worst non-zombie enemies, at least in the beginning.
to:
* EverythingsWorseWithBees: The various giant insects in this game are hard to hit, often poisonous, come in swarms, and have an uncanny talent for hitting you right in the eyes.
* EverythingsWorseWithWolves: Wolves are fast, hit hard, come in packs, and have a letter color that can make them hard to spot before it's too late. They're one of the worst non-zombie enemies, at least in the beginning.
* EverythingsWorseWithWolves: Wolves are fast, hit hard, come in packs, and have a letter color that can make them hard to spot before it's too late. They're one of the worst non-zombie enemies, at least in the beginning.
Changed line(s) 34,35 (click to see context) from:
* ImAHumanitarian: Your mistakes are not the only source of dead human corpses in this game, and if you get desperate enough...
* ImprovisedWeapon: Since using guns without a silencer can often be suicidal, it pays to learn which objects make good melee weapons. (Hint: you can smash the front door of the house you start in and get a nice two-by-four.)
* ImprovisedWeapon: Since using guns without a silencer can often be suicidal, it pays to learn which objects make good melee weapons. (Hint: you can smash the front door of the house you start in and get a nice two-by-four.)
to:
* ImAHumanitarian: Your mistakes are not the only source of dead human corpses in this game, and if you get desperate enough...
* ImprovisedWeapon: Since using guns without a silencer can often be suicidal, it pays to learn which objects make good melee weapons. (Hint: you can smash the front door of thehouse building you start in and get a nice two-by-four.)
* ImprovisedWeapon: Since using guns without a silencer can often be suicidal, it pays to learn which objects make good melee weapons. (Hint: you can smash the front door of the
* MolotovCocktail: The most easily-improvised bomb in the game, readily available to any player who has a bottle, rag, gasoline/alchohol, and a lighter.
Changed line(s) 43,44 (click to see context) from:
* PinataEnemy: Triffids, at least the rank and file ones. They're not ''that'' tough, and unlike zombies, they leave behind raw vegetable matter that any character can safely eat without needing any preparation whatsoever.
* PointBuildSystem: Character creation involves a [[TabletopGames tabletop-style]] system where you buy stats, skills, advantages, and disadvantages out of a pool of points.
* PointBuildSystem: Character creation involves a [[TabletopGames tabletop-style]] system where you buy stats, skills, advantages, and disadvantages out of a pool of points.
to:
* PinataEnemy: Triffids, at least the rank and file ones. They're not ''that'' tough, and unlike zombies, they leave behind raw vegetable matter that any character can safely eat without needing any preparation whatsoever.
whatsoever. [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Queen triffids, on the other hand...]]
* PointBuildSystem: Character creation involves a [[TabletopGames tabletop-style]] system where youbuy select stats, skills, advantages, and disadvantages out of a pool of points.
* PointBuildSystem: Character creation involves a [[TabletopGames tabletop-style]] system where you
Changed line(s) 49 (click to see context) from:
* SurvivalistStash: What you can find in a house's basement, if you're lucky. And of course, you can make your ''own'' stash...
to:
* SurvivalistStash: What you can find in a house's basement, if you're lucky. And of course, you can make your ''own'' stash...stash.
Changed line(s) 54 (click to see context) from:
* YetAnotherStupidDeath: Like most classic roguelikes, part of the fun in ''Cataclysm'' is seeing all the innovative ways you can get killed.
to:
* WorldMap: A map of the local region can be accessed at any time, conveniently for players who are trying to find a specific type of building to loot.
* YetAnotherStupidDeath: Like most classic roguelikes, part of the fun in ''Cataclysm'' is seeing all theinnovative inventive ways that you can get killed.
* YetAnotherStupidDeath: Like most classic roguelikes, part of the fun in ''Cataclysm'' is seeing all the
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added trope!
Added DiffLines:
* CrowbarCombatant: Players who find (or make) their own crowbar. And for good reason, as crowbars are not only good for bashing zombies, but they can also pry open locked doors and manholes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Typo! Augh!
Changed line(s) 39 (click to see context) from:
* NintendoHard: It's a roguelike, using a gun carelessly can get you killed, your character doesn't get more [[HitPoints max HP]] as they gain experience, //and// healing is much slower? Yes, it's hard.
to:
* NintendoHard: It's a roguelike, using a gun carelessly can get you killed, your character doesn't get more [[HitPoints max HP]] as they gain experience, //and// ''and'' healing is much slower? Yes, it's hard.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Added tropes!
* AbandonedLaboratory: Along with mines, abandoned laboratories dot the land and serve as the game's dungeons. [[spoiler: Except that they're not always abandoned.]]
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The sewers of this game readily serve as an alternate means of walking between areas.
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The sewers of this game readily serve as an alternate means of walking between areas.
* EverythingBreaks: Both you and the monsters can break through or burn down the buildings in this game with the proper armament.
* GiantSpider: One of the many categories of enemies.
Changed line(s) 34 (click to see context) from:
* MooksAteMyEquipment: Whacking certain enemies with a non-blunt weapon is not a good idea.
to:
* MooksAteMyEquipment: Whacking certain enemies with a non-blunt cutting or piercing weapon can cause it to get stuck, which in turn can cause you to drop the weapon.
* NintendoHard: It's a roguelike, using a gun carelessly can get you killed, your character doesn't get more [[HitPoints max HP]] as they gain experience, //and// healing isnot a good idea.much slower? Yes, it's hard.
* NoZombieCannibals: The zombies in this game will chase you to the end of the world and maul you, but they never seem to have an appetite for their own kind.
* NintendoHard: It's a roguelike, using a gun carelessly can get you killed, your character doesn't get more [[HitPoints max HP]] as they gain experience, //and// healing is
* NoZombieCannibals: The zombies in this game will chase you to the end of the world and maul you, but they never seem to have an appetite for their own kind.
Added DiffLines:
* PointBuildSystem: Character creation involves a [[TabletopGames tabletop-style]] system where you buy stats, skills, advantages, and disadvantages out of a pool of points.
Added DiffLines:
* TheUndead: The zombies in all their variants aren't the ''only'' type of enemy you'll face in this game, but they're the majority.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
''Cataclysm'' is an open-world post-apocalyptic {{roguelike}} in the ZombieApocalypse genre, although its enemy list also features [[EverythingsWorseWithBees killer insects]], [[TheDayOfTheTriffids triffids]], [[GiantSpider giant spiders]], graboids, killer animals, turrets, entities from the CthulhuMythos, and [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot probably lots of other things, just to be sure]]. You're an average person left alone in this hostile world, and your survival depends on your wits and what resources you can scavenge.
While bearing a few similarities to ''RogueSurvivor'', ''Cataclysm'' stands out by leaning much more towards the [[SimulationGames simulation end of gaming]] than most roguelikes (indeed, most role-playing games, period). Your character's inventory is limited not only by weight, but by the storage volume their clothes provide. Instead of the usual ClassAndLevelSystem, you learn different skills independently of each other, and they only improve through study and use. The sheer ''volume'' of different weapons, food, drinks, tools, clothing, armor, drugs, bionic implants, traps, and just plain ''clutter'' in this game is one of its proudest features. Monsters hunt by sound as well as sight, and a single non-silenced gunshot in an infested area can bring a zombie horde right to your location. Perhaps most importantly, the wound system in ''Cataclysm'' is very harsh. There are no exploding [[HitPoints HP]] or easy healing in this game - characters can feel pain and be seriously impaired by wounds, and if you have no medicine or first aid skill, you'll probably be making a new character very soon.
Another unique feature is that the game's world map is randomly-generated as usual, but also permanent. New regions are generated as your current character explores farther from their starting point, but it's possible to re-discover regions where your previous characters explored and died.
Like many roguelikes, ''Cataclysm'' is still in active development. Its wiki (and links to downloads and the official forum) can be found [[http://whalesdev.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page here]].
----
!!Examples:
* ActionSurvivor: The player character, by default. Especially if you never acquire the rather steep medical/mechanical/electronic skills needed to install your own bionics.
* AfterTheEnd:
** And about [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 20 minutes after the end]], from the looks of things.
** It's actually exactly 8 hours after the end. Nice to see an apocalypse that keeps its appointments.
* ApocalypticLog: What you find in some of the unique locations.
* AtomicSuperpowers: Radiation and mutagenic substances can give you mutations. If you're really lucky, they might even be good.
* ArmorIsUseless: Maybe not ''useless'', per se, but you'll have to decide whether the protection is worth the torso encumbrance.
* BadassBookworm: Since reading books is the most efficient way to learn new skills, and a viable early game strategy is "Find a library and read the skill books until I've exhausted them", many successful characters end up evoking this trope at least a little.
* BoringButPractical: Part of learning to survive is figuring out productive uses for all the clutter objects you find.
* BottomlessBladder: Toilets exist in the game, but you never need to use one.
* CrapsackWorld: Aside from the ZombieApocalypse scenario, all the illegal drugs you can find laying around in the abandoned houses paint an unflattering picture of ''pre''-apocalyptic life in this world.
* DeathTrap: You'll find these laying around here and there, and picking up a few levels in traps skill (and having the right components) will allow you to set some traps of your own.
* DrunkenMaster: One of the selectable advantages boosts your melee skills whenever you're intoxicated.
* DungeonCrawling: Labs and mines offer this, if you were in the mood for a more traditional roguelike experience.
* DrugsAreBad: Averted with pot - smoking a joint is good for morale, with only mild drawbacks. Fully enforced with all other recreational drugs, though. If you manage to get hooked on booze or cocaine, the withdrawal penalties ''will'' hit you hard.
* EverythingTryingToKillYou: As usual for a roguelike, ''Cataclysm'' plays this trope to the hilt.
* EverythingsWorseWithWolves: Wolves are one of the worst non-zombie enemies, at least in the beginning.
* HappyGoLucky: The Optimist advantage, which grants you a slight (but permanent) bonus to morale.
* {{Homage}}: The main zombie types reference the ''LeftForDead'' series.
* ImAHumanitarian: Your mistakes are not the only source of dead human corpses in this game, and if you get desperate enough...
* ImprovisedWeapon: Since using guns without a silencer can often be suicidal, it pays to learn which objects make good melee weapons. (Hint: you can smash the front door of the house you start in and get a nice two-by-four.)
* ItemCrafting: The game's item crafting system is very robust, and gaining the proper skills to make things is highly recommend if you want to extend your character's lifespan.
* LateToTheParty: The player, evidently. ''How'' exactly you ended up as one of the last people alive in the region is left to your imagination.
* LevelGrinding: Or ''Book'' Grinding, rather.
* MooksAteMyEquipment: Whacking certain enemies with a non-blunt weapon is not a good idea.
* {{Permadeath}}: As usual for a roguelike.
* PinataEnemy: Triffids, at least the rank and file ones. They're not ''that'' tough, and unlike zombies, they leave behind raw vegetable matter that any character can safely eat without needing any preparation whatsoever.
* SealedEvilInACan: What you can find in certain labs and mines. You know, in case [[TemptingFate all the zombies and other horrors infesting the land aren't enough for you]].
* ShoutOut: Listing all the other zombie or horror works that ''Cataclysm'' references would probably require a whole other wiki in its own right.
* SocketedEquipment: One advantage to using a gun is all the nice upgrades you can give them.
* SuperSerum: The mutation-causing compound that you can find in labs or near dead scientists.
* SurvivalistStash: What you can find in a house's basement, if you're lucky. And of course, you can make your ''own'' stash...
* TookALevelInBadass: Most of the skill books you can find are decidedly not combat-related. But then there's the Spetsnaz Knife Techniques book...
* WideOpenSandbox: The map keeps expanding and generating new regions as you explore it. There is no win condition, other than simply surviving for as long as possible and/or killing as many enemies as you can.
* WizardNeedsFoodBadly: And he needs water badly, too.
* YetAnotherStupidDeath: Like most classic roguelikes, part of the fun in ''Cataclysm'' is seeing all the innovative ways you can get killed.
* ZombieApocalypse: Of course.
While bearing a few similarities to ''RogueSurvivor'', ''Cataclysm'' stands out by leaning much more towards the [[SimulationGames simulation end of gaming]] than most roguelikes (indeed, most role-playing games, period). Your character's inventory is limited not only by weight, but by the storage volume their clothes provide. Instead of the usual ClassAndLevelSystem, you learn different skills independently of each other, and they only improve through study and use. The sheer ''volume'' of different weapons, food, drinks, tools, clothing, armor, drugs, bionic implants, traps, and just plain ''clutter'' in this game is one of its proudest features. Monsters hunt by sound as well as sight, and a single non-silenced gunshot in an infested area can bring a zombie horde right to your location. Perhaps most importantly, the wound system in ''Cataclysm'' is very harsh. There are no exploding [[HitPoints HP]] or easy healing in this game - characters can feel pain and be seriously impaired by wounds, and if you have no medicine or first aid skill, you'll probably be making a new character very soon.
Another unique feature is that the game's world map is randomly-generated as usual, but also permanent. New regions are generated as your current character explores farther from their starting point, but it's possible to re-discover regions where your previous characters explored and died.
Like many roguelikes, ''Cataclysm'' is still in active development. Its wiki (and links to downloads and the official forum) can be found [[http://whalesdev.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page here]].
----
!!Examples:
* ActionSurvivor: The player character, by default. Especially if you never acquire the rather steep medical/mechanical/electronic skills needed to install your own bionics.
* AfterTheEnd:
** And about [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 20 minutes after the end]], from the looks of things.
** It's actually exactly 8 hours after the end. Nice to see an apocalypse that keeps its appointments.
* ApocalypticLog: What you find in some of the unique locations.
* AtomicSuperpowers: Radiation and mutagenic substances can give you mutations. If you're really lucky, they might even be good.
* ArmorIsUseless: Maybe not ''useless'', per se, but you'll have to decide whether the protection is worth the torso encumbrance.
* BadassBookworm: Since reading books is the most efficient way to learn new skills, and a viable early game strategy is "Find a library and read the skill books until I've exhausted them", many successful characters end up evoking this trope at least a little.
* BoringButPractical: Part of learning to survive is figuring out productive uses for all the clutter objects you find.
* BottomlessBladder: Toilets exist in the game, but you never need to use one.
* CrapsackWorld: Aside from the ZombieApocalypse scenario, all the illegal drugs you can find laying around in the abandoned houses paint an unflattering picture of ''pre''-apocalyptic life in this world.
* DeathTrap: You'll find these laying around here and there, and picking up a few levels in traps skill (and having the right components) will allow you to set some traps of your own.
* DrunkenMaster: One of the selectable advantages boosts your melee skills whenever you're intoxicated.
* DungeonCrawling: Labs and mines offer this, if you were in the mood for a more traditional roguelike experience.
* DrugsAreBad: Averted with pot - smoking a joint is good for morale, with only mild drawbacks. Fully enforced with all other recreational drugs, though. If you manage to get hooked on booze or cocaine, the withdrawal penalties ''will'' hit you hard.
* EverythingTryingToKillYou: As usual for a roguelike, ''Cataclysm'' plays this trope to the hilt.
* EverythingsWorseWithWolves: Wolves are one of the worst non-zombie enemies, at least in the beginning.
* HappyGoLucky: The Optimist advantage, which grants you a slight (but permanent) bonus to morale.
* {{Homage}}: The main zombie types reference the ''LeftForDead'' series.
* ImAHumanitarian: Your mistakes are not the only source of dead human corpses in this game, and if you get desperate enough...
* ImprovisedWeapon: Since using guns without a silencer can often be suicidal, it pays to learn which objects make good melee weapons. (Hint: you can smash the front door of the house you start in and get a nice two-by-four.)
* ItemCrafting: The game's item crafting system is very robust, and gaining the proper skills to make things is highly recommend if you want to extend your character's lifespan.
* LateToTheParty: The player, evidently. ''How'' exactly you ended up as one of the last people alive in the region is left to your imagination.
* LevelGrinding: Or ''Book'' Grinding, rather.
* MooksAteMyEquipment: Whacking certain enemies with a non-blunt weapon is not a good idea.
* {{Permadeath}}: As usual for a roguelike.
* PinataEnemy: Triffids, at least the rank and file ones. They're not ''that'' tough, and unlike zombies, they leave behind raw vegetable matter that any character can safely eat without needing any preparation whatsoever.
* SealedEvilInACan: What you can find in certain labs and mines. You know, in case [[TemptingFate all the zombies and other horrors infesting the land aren't enough for you]].
* ShoutOut: Listing all the other zombie or horror works that ''Cataclysm'' references would probably require a whole other wiki in its own right.
* SocketedEquipment: One advantage to using a gun is all the nice upgrades you can give them.
* SuperSerum: The mutation-causing compound that you can find in labs or near dead scientists.
* SurvivalistStash: What you can find in a house's basement, if you're lucky. And of course, you can make your ''own'' stash...
* TookALevelInBadass: Most of the skill books you can find are decidedly not combat-related. But then there's the Spetsnaz Knife Techniques book...
* WideOpenSandbox: The map keeps expanding and generating new regions as you explore it. There is no win condition, other than simply surviving for as long as possible and/or killing as many enemies as you can.
* WizardNeedsFoodBadly: And he needs water badly, too.
* YetAnotherStupidDeath: Like most classic roguelikes, part of the fun in ''Cataclysm'' is seeing all the innovative ways you can get killed.
* ZombieApocalypse: Of course.
