The year is 2025. You have been called to advance scientific development in three areas of study - Psychology, Space Travel and the study of unknown artifacts gathered from your very own solar system. Unfortunately for you, however, you're studying alongside individuals inept in fulfilling their own needs and trusting one another with the simplest tasks - Factors which inevitably caused a disaster on the station where you reside. Now, something is wrong with the crew and it seems to be spreading. The lack of trust that was present before has reached it's boiling point and your fellow crew are losing their cool, needing to urinate compulsively every three minutes or else they lose their sanity and collapse. The mission has been abandoned. Your friends are going crazy. You need to shower for the fifth time today. The question isn't whether or not you can survive any more; it's simply a question of how many times you can urinate before falling off of a ladder or being consumed by a trusted friend. This guide hopes to give you information on just how to survive, where to find your food and, more importantly, how to climb down ladders. This is Morbus, and you'll be damn lucky to survive.

"Morbus. A combination between the tension and paranoia of 'The Thing' and the gunblazing action of 'Aliens'."
- Socrates, 407 BC.

Game Summary

Morbus is a gamemode which fundamentally focuses on 3 things. Survival - Which can, in itself, be extremely difficult, with the constant threat from teammates and aliens alike. Instinct - Which is essential for detecting just who in your group is looking to devour you all. Finally, Trust - A necessary component to any round, be it trusting yourself or trusting other players to protect you in a firefight. It is a gamemode which will pit you against your oldest friends and team you up with strangers. You can't trust anyone, but you also can't survive on your own.

The game starts with assigning the players to either of the two following classes: Humans, which have only a single goal; Surviving long enough to be extracted from the nightmare that is Morbus. This inevitably means 10 whole minutes of nail-biting paranoia, tension and hostility, as the Humans blindly navigate darkened hallways in an attempt to fulfill Needs. The lack of trust for one another is enough to keep the survivors on the edge, and to keep them looking and hoping to spot the other class of players who spawn alongside them, disguised as simple humans.

Who are they? They're the godforsaken hellspawn that hope to infect everyone on the station. They could be your friends, your enemies or that 12-year-old kid who won't stop crying on the mic every time he gets killed. They're the Brood aliens, and they are game changers. They look just like anyone else, as innocent humans, but they're just waiting for the right moment. Depending on how many players are on the server, the game could start with multiple Brood aliens, so safety is not necessarily in numbers.

Have you got what it takes to survive?

General Information

• A round is ended when either of 3 conditions are met: The time limit is up (Winning the round for humans), there are no humans remaining (Winning the round for aliens) or there are no brood aliens remaining (Winning the round for humans).
  
• Rounds last 10 minutes before any remaining humans are extracted.
  
• At the beginning of the round, you spawn as either a Human or a Brood alien. Upon dying as a Brood alien, you transform into a Swarm alien. Upon dying as a human to a Brood alien's melee or a Swarm aliens melee/ranged attacks, you will become a Brood alien. However if a human dies to firearms, suicide or Need deprivation, you will automatically become a Swarm alien. This is the reason that Broods should not shoot humans when the amount of Humans outweighs the number of Broods
  
• You can type // to talk in OOC chat (Out of character.) For more information on this, see the 'Controls, Chat and HUD' section below.
  
• General rules for Garry's Mod:
  - Using hacks or cheating is completely unacceptable.
  - No microphone spamming or text spamming.
  - Listen to the admins present in the server and abide by server rules.
  - Show respect to others.
  
  It is recommended that you view and understand the rules of the server you are playing in to further improve your experience and avoid disrespecting admins and moderators alike. To view this on most servers, type '/motd'.

Controls and Chat

While the control scheme does essentially follow the standard (wasd to move), there are a number of keys which are worth pointing out. (NOTE: These key bindings are subject to any changes to controls you may have made.)

C : Upgrade menu for Broods. (More information on this menu is given in the 'Class: Broods' section of this guide.)
E : Interact key (Complete needs, pickup weapons etc.).
Q : Drop currently held weapon.
U : Alien text chat (Team chat is disabled for humans).
X : Voice chat.
Y : Local text chat.

Another noteworthy command is the OOC option for text. Typing '//' before the intended message will broadcast it to the whole sever, as opposed to local chat.
e.g: "//Does anyone know how to open doors?"

OOC means 'Out Of Character', so please to do not use it to transmit in-character messages, such as reporting who is a brood alien. This is unfair and may lead to a ban, as it goes against the rules of Morbus.

In Morbus, proximity rules apply to text and voice chat, meaning players can only hear you if they are in a certain proximity to you. It is estimated at around 16 feet before the player becomes completely silent, and as players travel further away from you they will progressively get quieter and quieter. This means you can only talk to the whole server via OOC chat, or during the 'Preparing' stage before the round begins.

HUD

The image below shows all the key aspects of the HUD, that of which are marked from 1 - 10:

-
1. The name of the players speaking over voice chat. As this screenshot was taken during the 'Preparing' stage, the player's steam name ('Shingen') is shown. However, when the game round begins, this box will say the player's randomly generated in-game name ('Carrie Ding'). For more information on the proximity rules of voice chat please look above to the 'Controls' section, and for more information on Human names; it is detailed more thoroughly in the 'Class: Human' section.

2. The Need indicator. This will change to either toilet, shower, eat or sleep depending on the need. The time remaining (in seconds) to complete the action is to the right hand side. Needs are documented further in the 'Class: Human' section.

3. The time limit until the round is ended, or until 'Extraction'. If this ticks down to 0, the surviving Humans win the round.

4.The default paragraph telling you what class you are as the round starts. This disappears after about 10 - 15 seconds.

5. The in-game name of the player, their health and their current sanity levels. As their sanity drops, 'perfectly sane' will be replaced with others tags such as 'Insane' which indicate the player's mental state. Sanity is detailed in the 'Class: Human' section.

6. The current battery power remaining in the flashlight. This depletes rather quickly when the flashlight is in use yet it recharges automatically when the flashlight is not. Therefore, it is important to keep an eye on this section of the HUD as it could be the difference between life or death in dark maps.

7. The in-game name of your own character. This is visible to anyone in the game, changes every round and is shown when using local chat or voice chat as opposed to your actual steam name.

8. Your current class. This can be either 'Human', 'Brood Alien' or 'Swarm Alien'

9. Your ammo counter. This allows you to keep track of how much ammunition for that weapon you are currently holding.

10. Server notifications. These can include people becoming Brood/Swarm aliens, or information about the duration of the round.

What is a Human?
Before you begin to read this section, please divert your eyes down to your body. Do you have a body? Good, it's a start. Do you have intelligence greater than any living organism on this planet? Probably, unless you didn't actually realise you were human before reading this. Now, imagine you're transported onto a space station full of aliens - What abilities would you have? None; nothing but a compulsive need to urinate, shower, eat and sleep as much as you can within 10 minutes. Humans, unfortunately for them, can do nothing but survive as long as they can in what is usually a hopeless round; trapped stumbling over their friends' dead bodies with as flickering flashlight, the only consolation being the one player in the server who keeps turning on and off the lights despite being repeatedly asked by admins not to do it.

So now you're human. How can you survive what seems to be utter damnation?

Human-specific rules
Human-specific rules are usually presented on the server during either the loading screen or an information box shown when you first enter the game. Therefore, you should really read and understand the server's rules for Human/Brood/Swarm to avoid being disrepectful/admin intervention. If these are not accessible, here is a brief list of Human-specific rules shown on most servers:

- Do not kill players for no reason, even if they are idling as they may return before the round has ended. However, there are certain circumstances under which you may kill a fellow 'Human':

• Shooting/Crowbaring other Humans
  
• Not shooting at Swarm/Brood aliens when they are an immediate threat
  
• Claiming to be an alien, i.e "It says kill on the top left, what does that mean?"
  
• Lying in order to get other Humans killed

However, before killing a player whom has shot another human you MUST ask for their reasoning before shooting them instantly - They may have a perfectly good reason for the attack and may even have evidence that the victim of the attack is an alien.

How to human

Needs
Understanding and fulfilling needs is an essential part of survival when playing as a human, as failing to do so will result in the player's death and transformation into a swarm alien. There are currently 4 basic human needs; the need to eat, sleep, urinate and shower; which appear in the top left corner of the HUD after the round has been running for at least 30 seconds, with a randomized timer given as a time limit to complete the need before the player's health begins to deteriorate.


An example of a need shown on the HUD.

As it stands, it takes approximately 100 seconds to die after the need's timer has ticked down to zero. However, this can be extended for a period of time by using a Medikit to combat the health deterioration but one must be aware that once the Medikit has lost it's healing ability (once it's supply drops to 0) your health will continue to deteriorate until you have completed the unfinished need.

UNFINISHED

--------------------------
- Proving

Leaderboard Tags
Leaderboard tags, or 'marking' as it is called by some players, is a quick and easy way of keeping track of whom you trust and who you don't. There are two different types of marking, which is corpse marking - pressing E on a human corpse so they're tagged as 'Alien' on the global leaderboard - and localized marking, which can only be done via the leaderboard which can be accessed by holding TAB. Below is a visual explanation of localized marking, which was given it's name due to it only being visible by the single player as opposed to corpse marking which is visible to the entire lobby when performed:

To tag someone on the leaderboard, hover your cursor over their name and press LMB. This will bring up the menu displayed, in which you can choose the oppropriate tag for the individual. In this case, Logical.Soup will showcase both 'Friend' and 'Brood' tags. Note that only one tag can be present at any given time, however, although they can be changed at will or removed completely by selecting the chosen tag again through the leaderboard.


UNFINISHED - NEEDS CORPSE MARKING PICTURE

---------------

When should I shoot?
Has a friend of yours disappeared for an entire round, only to turn up covered in the blood holding a crowbar? Does that mean they have became a Brood alien? Hopefully, using your own reasoning and the tips below, you can limit your chances of misjudging a character and killing an innocent or showing too much trust af
- Sanity

Equipment

Slot Sharing
Before setting out on your merry alien hunting adventure, it's important to grasp the function of the slot sharing system. Quite similar to Trouble in Terrorist Town and various other game modes, slot sharing prevents you from picking up an entire arsenal and instead limits you to three slots - Primary, secondary and equipment - and as such only one primary weapon can fit in a primary slot, one secondary for a secondary slot and so on. Here's an example:

'Roger has just found a shotgun, which is a primary weapon. Roger does not like shotguns but he decides to carry it with him anyway. Upon stumbling over dead bodies in a corridor, he finds an assault rifle - This is, too, a primary weapon, and thus Roger must press 'Q' to discard his shotgun in order to pick up the assault rifle.'

The following list categorizes weapons/items, further, into primary, secondary and equipment slots:

Primary - Assault Rifles, Shotguns and Heavy Machine Guns
Secondary - Sub-Machine Guns, Pistols
Equipment - First-Aid Kits (which look like a bomb when not in hand), Glowsticks and Grenades

- Weight
- Torch charge
- Reloading


Useful tips
- Morbus, unfortunately, has an absolutely ridiculous fall damage system which applies to all 3 classes of players. However, it is most costly as a human as it will cause you to spawn as a swarm or not spawn at all (if the swarm's lives are at 0). Therefore, when climbing down ladders, take extra care not to fall, which can be accomplished using ALT to walk back onto the ladder, or to land on someone's head, as this can damage both players despite being hilarious.

- Glowsticks can be used to give your torch an oppurtunity to recharge, can be thrown to illuminate corridors and can be dropped pressing by pressing LMB if the lights go out.

- If someone fulfills a need, they're not an alien. Brood aliens do NOT have needs to fulfill, nor do they say dialogue which is only activated when a player gets a need (see: "Gordon Freeman! And about time too!")

- If you're ever alone, go to a room where players can fulfill a need. There will almost always be someone in there, although whether they're human is questionable.

- If you have a mic, use it! If people can hear your voice, they'll trust you more in most cases and it is much more easier to communicate needs/scream as you're being eaten.

- Camping areas is a viable tactic, although the need system makes it difficult to maintain for an entire round. That said, if other players tell you to stay away from their camp or you'll get shot you really ought to listen. After all, if you hover around them and do get shot it's nobodies fault but your own - That and it doesn't count as RDM, so there's nothing you can do about it.

- Stuck inside somebody at the start of the round? Type 'kill' into the console during the preparing stage and you'll spawn again individually when the round actually begins!

"ONE OF US, ONE OF US!"

What is a Brood alien?
Brood aliens, otherwise known as Shingen whenever he disappears for more than 10 seconds, are the reason everyone is so paranoid; Brood aliens have two forms, both human and alien, which can be switched in a matter of seconds - This, unfortunately for the humans, means you cannot trust anybody; that man you just saw? He might be a brood. That 12 year old screaming over voice chat? He/She might be a brood. Hell, I could be a brood while I'm typing this. Nobody knows anymore and so it's vital that you understand this class of players before inevitably falling victim to one yourself.

A Brood aliens main objective, as a disguised member of the crew, is to ensure the elimination of any remaining survivors before they're extracted from the complex (after 10 minutes of roundtime). To complete this objective you must decieve the survivors of the station and remain undetected, long enough to spread the infection through the killing of lonesome players who have lost their way. Relied on by the Swarm aliens to stay alive to prevent the round from ending, you have an arsenal of upgrades avaliable to you - Those of which can increase speed, vision, attack damage and other useful skills exclusive to this class and this class only.

Brood alien Specific Rules

Conditions to become a Brood alien

"Don't point that gun at me"

How to Brood
-Blend in
-Split the group
-Coordinate with swarm
-Pretending to have a need

Tips and Tricks

What is the Swarm Alien?

How to Swarm
-Melee and ranged attacks
-Stronger in numbers
-Whittle down humans
-Explanation of how lives work (Lives increase as time goes by and when a human is converted to brood)
-Communication with broods (u - team chat/mic chat)

Conditions to become a Swarm alien

Smart Movement or: How I Learned to Stop Making the Brood Alien Obvious
-Don't walk side by side when near humans
-Pretend to attack, you can't damage a brood (I think)


Tips & Tricks

This guide was created and published by Logical.Soup and Appleman, although the game mode featured alongside the maps were created by individuals whose work is not our own. The sharing of this guide is completely encouraged, preferably through the steam community and the page you are currently viewing. Sharing to other websites without giving creator credit is disrespectful of the work and effort given to this project by both Logical.Soup and Appleman.

If you have any questions about this guide or wish to see something included please contact Appleman or Logical.Soup, otherwise use the comment section below to suggest improvements or give praise. We are appreciative of any interest shown by the Garry's Mod community in both Morbus and this guide, so thank you! Hopefully, together, we can stop people from shooting as Brood aliens and starving to death next to the kitchen.

We hope you enjoyed the guide and learned something new about the gamemode. If you did, leave a comment! Also, thank you to everyone who showed interest in the project during its creation, or who are featured in the guide despite not being credited (via leaderboard screenshots, for example).

Thank you for reading and showing interest!
- Appleman and Logical.Soup

"Please stop shooting me, I just need to pee!" - Logical.Soup

"It says I'm a Bored alien in the bottom left, what does that mean?" - Appleman

Thanks to Shingen for being the sexiest pizza in the universe and assisting with images for this guide.

'Morbus 101' images courtesy of Nikopol and his cat (Below).