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This mod is absolutely incredible, thank you for all your work! I have only one question though - with the ability to have dogs, rabbits, etc - did I miss the cats?

Just some ideas I'd really like to see - started thinking on it in the Erosion announcement thread and figured I'd start something more in-depth here on the PZ Suggestions area: New Tools: - Garden Shears: Could work as a Short Range Melee Blade Weapon in a pinch. Relatively quiet, good for taking out small bits that are in the way without resorting to louder means. Gets rid of grass clumps and small brush slowly (About as long as cutting a tree) Loses durability swiftly. Repairs similar to Knives. - Weedwacker: Decently loud. Uses Gasoline as ammunition. Could be used as a Melee Blade Weapon, but is not its best use. Gets rid of grass clumps and small brush swiftly with low durability loss. Repairs can use Twine, Wire, and similar items. - Chainsaw: Very loud. Uses Gasoline as ammunition. Definitely capable of being used as a Melee Blade Weapon, especially in situations where noise doesn't matter any longer (last stand?) Gets rid of grass clumps, small brush, even trees very swiftly and with low durability loss. Repairs can use a variety of items, especially Oil if it is added for automotive stuff later. New Item Functionality: - Weed Killer: Now works on grass clumps and small brush, in addition to its current use. Not strong enough to kill trees. - Concrete: Functionality extends to also restoring cracked road tiles to normal road tiles. - Bag of Plaster: Functionality extends to also restoring cracked/decaying walls to normal walls. New Recipes: Improvised Weed Killer = Bleach, Salt, Water Bottle, Sprayer

This is one of the things PZ has really needed - seeing the world change around you gives you a sense of 'wow, I lived long enough to see the nature overtake civilzation.' I sincerely hope though that there are ways to reverse said erosion in small amounts using things like garden shears (Large bushes/plantclumps), axe (trees, just like vanilla), concrete (fill in cracks in roads), and so on, so as to tidy up areas inside safehouse perimeters. It would be a great time to add in that Chainsaw, too - if you are setup enough to be able to withstand the attention of the noise. It would be nice to see hold outs cropping up on multiplayer servers and to be able to recognize them by well kept grounds. Outposts of lost civilization. After all, the safehouses are likely to outlive individual characters.

I was having the same problem using commas. Switching to semicolons (as recommended by EasyPickins) did cause the game to recognize the mods, but now I get stuck at a 'Doing Checksum' whenever anyone or myself attempt to log into the server. I'm wondering if I'm having a mod conflict that is causing this particular issue. ***UPDATE****! Disabled checksum in the servertest.ini. The mods are recognized and working fine so far as I can tell. Did you make sure that the loaded.txt listing matches the order you've put in the mods= and that it is case sensitive?

I live in Kentucky, not too far away from Frankfort. That's not too much farther away from the Fort Knox area (It's southwest of me) and I can tell you people in my area know a lot about solar power and it's been a pretty big topic lately. Lots of places out here, old farmhouses and the like, eat up tons of electricity every year trying to stay warm or cool - it's often cheaper to invest in them than to keep dealing with the Electric companies (it's even a way some people make money back by putting power back into the grid). So they're pretty well known around here. Next, panels are getting cheaper to produce. There's a new panel being developed using the stuff that they use to set Tofu, rather than the toxic mercury based stuff that makes them so expensive - this means they're also getting more easily invested in by locals. They'd be possible to be scavenged in some spots (like, say, the Muldraugh rural farm might have a chance, or even the Lumberyard) and even some government buildings are starting to use them. I think the implementation of solar energy sources in PZ would have to be the really advanced endgame, however. There would be several components: The wiring (which I think the PZ team is working on a wiring concept similar to Minecraft Redstone), The Panels (which would have to be arrayed with aforementioned wiring), the Converter, and a Battery (if there's no power). If Electrical or Tech become crafting skills, they'd be especially high. Wind generators are much more common around here, especially with how hilly it is. They'd be more mid tier I think and require Carpentry to actually build the frame and mill. Otherwise, similar converter, wiring, and battery. (this can thus be simplified) that would use Electrical or Tech skill. Some farms out here have one or two wind generators, where they have the space. They're nice to have if you've got a good spot. I think the most common thing would be for early players to loot a hardware store for a gasoline generator (or make one out of a car, making an easy alternative method for players with Automotive Skill?), set that up with an Electrical or Tech skill as a constructed item, and wire it up. The downside is it isn't continuous - it would require gasoline - but the positive side is that if they add Automotive Skill you could probably scavenge engine parts and gas from cars. Thus, it'd be low tier and easier to get when you've progressed to a point where electricity is going out and you've got a stable spot picked out. The generator would be heavy as heck, though... I couldn't see the player dragging around anything like that safely until vehicles are added. Solar Panels could be made lighter than a body (About the weight of logs, I'd say - consider these as the thin cheap ones not those big heavy efficient ones with the mounting racks) and easier to transport if the player's lucky enough to find and save them. The other stuff would be considerably easier to carry back to a safehouse. As for survival, I can honestly say that most of the people I know around my town would be strapping all kinds of crap together to try to get their electric back on - especially when it gets cold up here (cutting wood in winter sucks, I know from experience). Trial and error, with a dash of motivation, can yield some pretty cunning things - especially if you have even the faintest inkling of where to start. Tech school/vocational education is pretty common around here, especially in local high schools - I had a neighbor make an array of well ventilated old car batteries that powered some of his electric heaters in the winter. Also, more people have things like electrical pumps for some of their cisterns or such, so having a power source is pretty important to keeping safe water available. More people would be concerned with electric than water, though I don't see water turbines as an option even next to the ohio river. I could be wrong about that though.

I think it'd work better as a protege system; you build a strong relationship with an NPC you adopt (raising an NPC child from baby to adult would be pretty immersion breaking in the space of a few nights) - and there is a chance (A chance, to make it interesting) to - after your death - become that NPC as your new player character. This NPC would inherit whatever skills you've helped them acquire (depending on the sophistication of the NPC system) during their time with you (with them flagged as your Protege). That way, the work you put into NPCs you rescue or spend your time with (or hell, imagine if one KILLED you in the first place for some reason!) actually has a purpose other than playing house. Incentivize it further... they might have access to unique backgrounds that aren't available at character generation. What could you find? Imagine finding out your protege was actually an escaped convict who'd been lying to you all along (complete with bonuses due the background)! Imagine playing as your invested protege now turned cold blooded backstabber? Intrigue! Otherwise play as your former best friend/adopted sibling/child (though I still doubt anyone but modders will put children into PZ, I would), now finding your zombified body to put you to rest? That's the grim stuff that could really put the "This is how you died" in perspective. Ultimately, I think PZ's tagline "This is how you died" itself is a bit too negative especially when it has little else to redeem it. We all die, after all. A better question is "What did you die for?"

Brilliant idea - it'd make the moodle system quicker to read. If something is really heavily affecting your character, you'll see it on your character's face indicator and look to the moodles to see what it is exactly. If it's not super important, you might be able to put it off... maybe. It could even be helpful if it could be applied to the NPC system later on, if you end up in some sort of close dialogue mode you can try to read their expressions. - Did they agree with your request/order? - Are they bit/sick/pained? Reading an NPC would be very helpful in figuring out if they're just fluffing you up to stea from/kill you. They did mention that they're gunning for a system as treacherous as Crusader Kings 2, yes? Finally: Make it modable - people could probably make/install their own facepacks. I could even see some people taking some slides with webcams to add themselves into the game (or maybe making their own NPCs for Storybased stuff, depending on how all that goes). As for difficulty of implementing such a system, I could imagine it could hook into the same lines as the moodles and just pretty much act as an indicator. Not too terribly complicated, but it could take some time (modders could go wild with it, only offer a few default presets to switch through). It wouldn't necessarily need to be actually animated - maybe do it as a .png file with referenced frames that can be swapped triggered by active/inactive moodle combinations. Kind of like some of those wierd Japanese dating simulator things.

One of my favorite and long missed game features (due to the prevalence of multi-platform games being designed for being played without a mouse) was back in the old Black Isle games Fallout 1 & Fallout 2, where you could click on inanimate objects in the game and get a text 'description' your character utters. It'd be great for fleshing out the world and adding some more personality to it. It'd also be a great way of scoping out if an NPC looks friendly or strung out and ready to turn you into barbeque - or even to gauge roughly the health of another player or NPC; "That guy/lady doesn't look like they're feeling so good..." / "That guy/lady looks like they've been dragged backwards through hell twice." / "<Name> is looking as anxious as a rat in a room of full of cats." You could even tie different textual descriptions based on the background you'd chosen for your character. It'd also have some handiness for server roleplaying/storytelling - especially if it is easy for modders to tweak to their liking. Another Example: You right click on one of the old mattresses in the Trailer area of Muldraugh. "Even the bugs crawling on this bed get better sleep than you do..." Could tweak it for more atmopsheric somberness or more sarcastic/gallows humor. I'd recommend the latter, really - as it could help lighten the intensity of all the other survival brutality and the player's innevitable demise.

One word: Clementine. I know the creators of the game want to skirt the idea of a violent zombie apocalypse somehow averting children being harmed, but I have consistently found it to be immersion breaking to just deny they exist (especially when TellTale Games has done such a wonderful job showing some kids are not as helpless as they seem). I think there should be something, and having heirs - a reason to try to survive - would be a great way to add depth to survival when it comes to NPC juggling. It would be bad enough losing your character ("this is how you died"), but imagine coming back in as a new stranger, eventually running into your growing, possibly bitter, orphan child. What if they become an enemy or raider? Interesting opportunities for server storytelling. Honestly, though, it'd be something I'd rather see as a mod after we get more insight into how the NPC stuff is going to work out - that way it'd be optional for people rather than force the idea on them. That way, everyone wins.

What about Flea Market Katanas? They'd not have much durability (definitely not as good as a 'true' Katana), but they'd be a lot more plentiful, especially in Muldraugh.

I have not done a search myself and I do not know how detailed these other suggestions were. Even 67 results might offer some differing observation or point of interest another might not have. When designing a game, it's a good idea to have a variety of things to draw from - 67 posts might have the same points in most cases, but maybe one or two insights that are somewhat different; really go 'huh... didn't think of it that way, that's kind of cool' and be taken into consideration for this game. In particular, I put this on here because I live near the area the game takes place in and wanted to offer insights of a person who lives here and occassionally hunts. Are my suggestions that different from others? Possibly. Possibly not. Does not change the fact that I offer them and hope they're considered in the game. I'm still pretty new here, so I haven't read the pages upon pages of suggestions. I have, however, read the rules and the stickies. So yes, I put this concept and labeled/tagged it thus. Perhaps I should've titled it "Additional Kentucky Wildlife Insights" or something more specific.

Not with the map editor. It'd be nice to be able to move a character between, for example - West Point and Muldraugh. Or move from West Point to a user created map. I was thinking more along the lines of mod potential, truthfully. There are many things on their list that I plan to work on myself if they won't. Maybe a lineages NPC mod when all the NPC stuff gets worked out. Also, I think they also said there'd be no military in that same post you linked. But still, mod potential. The Endgame tends to be a sticking point in games like this and I hope there continues to be challenges no matter how stable you think you've finally built up. Zombies always, NPCs to juggle, Bandits to fight off - and maybe eventually Military or Ex-Military Raiders. Always a bigger, badder fish.

I had a talk with my friends not long about bears in a zombie apocalypse in particular (we were playing the Zoo expansion to Zombies!!! Board game, which kind of led to it). There are black bears around here but they're usually in fairly protected parkland spots to my knowledge. It'd be likely they'd start getting bolder as the apocalypse went on, but at first it'd be rare to see them. If they did make it into Project Zomboid, it'd be interesting and finding one would probably be one of those 'oh-CRAP - don't p--s it off' kind of uncommon situations. Cougars are in a pretty bad way around here near so far as I know - though wildlife cams people have on their land pick them up sometimes and cause a bit of a scare with the farmers. I doubt there'd be sufficient population (at least at first) to be much of a concern. If the game took place about ten years post the apocalypse, it'd be more likely to see some. It'd probably take longer than that. I don't think it'd be like Red Dead Redemption style cougar attacks for at least a couple decades, though. What'd be really cool is as you progress in time in the game, more and more wildlife starts making its way into suburban areas. When you first start off, you don't see too much, but by about your 4th-6th month, you start seeing more coyotes, bears, deer, and other creatures getting bolder by the lack of noise from cars and living people. Oh, and I forgot to include Opossums, Skunks, and Raccoons on my list - how dare I. Heh. They're all very common around here to the point of being common pests. Imagine running into a Skunk - as if the zombie apocalypse wasn't bad enough as it is. Their musk could cause a moodle that causes depression. All three of those could wreck some hard worked on farm plots. But hey, the meat could be a consolation prize for losing your precious patches. Also, dragon attacks have been at an all-time low since Skyrim came out. Video games cause violence, apparently.

The way I see it, this is how I hope game progression works: 1.) Initial stage. - Player gets bearings. - Zombies do not yet migrate from outside map, so you have all you have to deal with. - Water & Electricity are up, for now. - Stockpiling and skill upping (Generally Cooking, while fresh materials available). - *may* run into NPCs and start bringing them in. - Generally the big Looting phase. - Warm weather will make things difficult slightly. 2.) 1-2 Month Later. - More zombies migrating from edge of map, small horde (probably signified by helicopter noises or machine gun sounds) - Water & Electricity could go out at any time. Likely Electric First. - Stockpiling and skill upping cooking (hopefully). Perishables slowly rot. - Player has better knowledge of the area they're in; knows where many things are. - Odds are that player has looted a full set of tools for carpentry by now. - Undoubtedly has run into NPCs and has a few back at their safehouse. - Still generally looting, some experimental carpentry and the like. - Preparing for harder times. - Less warmer weather as months progress. 3.) 3-4 Months Later. - More zombies migrating from edge of map, repopulating area with threats. Lots more zombies. - Water & Electricity are out. Player has to have renewable water source & start to consider food sources other than stockpiles. - Much more building with resources from looting. Farming starting to become a requirement now. - Player knows where just about everything is; less and less to loot every day. - More (or less) NPCs to deal with. Higher likelihood of bandits, especially as less lootables are available. - Weather is rainier/cooler. 4.) 5 Months Later. - More zombies migrating from edge of maps, larger hordes. - Bandits packs start spawning, hunting for spots to loot. Shoots at Zombies, NPCs, and Players. Often attracts zombies. - Water is sourced in Rain Collectors or else player wouldn't have made it this far. - A rudimentary farm is going that is fully reinforced. Player has at least some fresh food. - NPCs bickering; have to deal with that. - Much more building, now with a more defensive requirement. - Bandits may find Safehouse. Zombies will get more populous. - Winter is coming. 5.) 6 Months Later - More zombies migrating from edge of maps, average hordes. - Bandits start their own safehouse in a random spot (if AI is up to it) - Bandit NPCs are more common - NPCs bickering; potentially have to deal with NPC relationships? - Nearly nothing to loot that hasn't been already. - Must keep and protect fully functioning safehouse. - Potential to leave to another map? (Possible Transit using Automotive Skill/Vehicles) - Winter is here, and it sucks. 6.) Endgame (6 Months - 1 year) - Zombies continue migrating; constant danger. - Bandit safehouse either taken down or growing. Maybe another Bandit Safehouse is established. - Bandit NPCs hassle any attempt to leave Safehouse. Attack safehouse often. - NPCs under pressure. Potential for NPC births? - Possible winter season issues with farming food (hope canning/preserving added to game by this point) - Water Collectors potentially freezing, causing issues (hope electric heaters/generators added to game by this point) - Lots more fighting on all sides to protect safehouse and your NPCs. - Potential to leave to another map is very very attractive. - Repeats from Step 3; keeping your repopulating society going and smacking down zombies & bandits. - Seasons start getting warmer as things progress.

I would love to see holsters in the game, they shouldn't take up the same equip slot - though. I can imagine a Onehander Holster and a Twohander Holster. This can holster a melee weapon or range weapon, and make it easy to switch between the two while decreasing the weight to carry them by half or so. Belt fed weapons might be more handy when dealing with NPC Bandit Groupings or PvP on Servers. But the risk with them is weight and loudness - if you're going to war, just showing the enemy you have one might be enough to dissuade crazy assaults rather than attract entire armies of Zombies. I'd also like to see placable Rubbermaid Bins be findable among the salvage; they'd provide a handy alternative to making crates for those in the early game without the carpentry skill. For balance purposes, though, make them contain about 10-15 lbs less. They could also be used instead of lumber+nails to make decreased capacity rain barrels (Carpenty Rain Barrels should contain more due to the skill requirement and need of nails).