Nynuc

:'( Why must the internet destroy everything? 

No PZ porn. Just ew... and this topic makes me so uncomfortable. This is not 4chan.

Excuse me while I dig my eyes out with a spoon.

ENLARGE YOUR SPIFFO !! FOR 0,99£ A WEEK

As much as I am impressed how much the game has evolved from what it once was, and really I am, if I am being honest my biggest sore point was what hooked me was the STORY it had, dialogue and such. It gave it an emotional touch and a more focused purpose that the current game lacks entirely.
 
I really wanted to see more of that, specifically Kate and Baldspot's story. That's why I bought it within minutes of playing the first demo. I thought that was what I was signing on for. I still would have bought it in short order even if I never saw the potential as a story driven game, sure.. But it would be nice to see it reclaim some of that potential.
 
Project Zomboid is a good Sandbox game, and is shaping up to be a good multiplayer sandbox game.. But it could be a good story game as well. That's the kind of NPCs I hope make a come back.

Dude, your message is exactly why they decided to stop mentioning NPCs. You could say players "deserve" updates on NPCs, but I disagree with this statement : we paid for the game and we "deserve" development. That's all.
 
I know NPCs could bring a new dimension to the lore and playstyle, but come on, it's not like the game's hollow and only SP. And I really can't see how implementing poorly-designed NPCs while waiting for the "real" ones can be a good thing. People will complain becuse they're not as good as they thought, then they'll complain when TIS adds the finalised NPCs because people got used to the previous ones. So no, TIS, keep on doing what you're doing. We'll get NPCs and I trust you on this. 
 
Oh well, sorry for this NPCs talk. 3 months on the forum and I'm already fed up about that too.
 
TheGrifter, I was going to give you the link, but Fluffe's been faster. Read it. You'll know why.

You know you play too much zomboid when you take off your shirt and rip it into pieces in front of your extended family and start shoving can openers in your pockets

You know you play too much zomboid when you take off your shirt and rip it into pieces in front of your extended family and start shoving can openers in your pockets

This has been the biggest problem in zomboid.

You know you play too much zomboid when you take off your shirt and rip it into pieces in front of your extended family and start shoving can openers in your pockets

It's not possible to attract them, at least, not in my experience. Zombies do not migrate over larger areas so if you clear out an area around your base you will never see a zombie, you can shoot from the rooftop all you want.

People want to have some excitement and danger mid to end game and currently there is little more than maybe one or two stray zombies. Also, helicopter sounds don't change much even if they play over your base as zombies that are "around" but are not visible might as well not exist.

There is little to no difference between setting up a base in a remote location or middle of west point. You can achieve the same level of safety in both the second one just requires you to clear out the area around your base. Goodbye zombies.

I personally gave up on base building altogether and started a nomadic life in PZ exactly because setting up a base removes all challenge but to find food and water, unless you're a gardener and have a water barrel, if you do then you're all set to die of boredom.

Hi devs, big fan here. I have an offer for you.
 
If you post an update about npcs...
 
I'll show you whats in... The mystery box...
 

Hi devs, big fan here. I have an offer for you.
 
If you post an update about npcs...
 
I'll show you whats in... The mystery box...
 

Oh shit... I didn't expect this......
 
 
HERE! ITS A FIREAXE!
 

Oh shit... I didn't expect this......
 
 
HERE! ITS A FIREAXE!
 

Oh shit... I didn't expect this......
 
 
HERE! ITS A FIREAXE!
 

Hi devs, big fan here. I have an offer for you.
 
If you post an update about npcs...
 
I'll show you whats in... The mystery box...
 

Oh shit... I didn't expect this......
 
 
HERE! ITS A FIREAXE!
 

Here is a picure of the behaviour debugger doing its thing poking into the brains of AI NPCs brains:
 

 
For more details on how behaviour trees work, look here: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ChrisSimpson/20140717/221339/Behavior_trees_for_AI_How_they_work.php
 
At this point most of the survival behaviours are in. NPCs can loot for food, barricade, will stockpile water, hang sheets on curtains, change dirty bandages, sew deep wounds, and all the stuff to keep them alive (am currently coding in specific looting targets based on items the characters want, say going specifically to Cortman Medical for medical gear). Their combat skillz ain't too great, but since there is a big combat rewrite incoming with the new animations there is zero point in working on zombie (or npc -> npc/player) combat as it'll all need rewriting once that goes in (and that will be released before NPCs, almost certainly), so at the moment am focusing on group interactions.  Group interactions use an entirely different system built based on inspiration from Crusader Kings 2 using xml driven event chains to describe story beats in kind of mini-plots that will be stitched together..
 
Currrently writing an event chain for when a group walks toward a safehouse of npcs. What happens if a patrolling guard spots you, what happens if a guard at a window sees you, what happens if you get spotted while trying to jimmy a window on the safehouse, what happens if you're spotted inside the safehouse. Each of these will lead to their own consequences, branching events based on the personalities of the people both in the safehouse, and the people approaching the safehouse. From a stand off with shotguns to begging for help dealing with some raiders, there will be all manner of outcomes based on numerous factors. We're going to have all these 'storylets ' that branch in numerous ways, and pieced together we hope they will make for a Walking Dead story like experience that's different each time*
 
Idea is to build a whole metric ton of branching possibilities for single events, so that they can play out dramatically different.
 
* without actual game wide plot arcs considered and discussed and written by a team of writers, the results are unlikely to be as narratively sound and tight as a TV show story or purposefully written main quest game story, however we hope for enough variation that it feels like a unique story each time.
 
NOW WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

Oh shit... I didn't expect this......
 
 
HERE! ITS A FIREAXE!
 

Hi devs, big fan here. I have an offer for you.
 
If you post an update about npcs...
 
I'll show you whats in... The mystery box...
 

Yes they do for me 90% of the time. Think of it this way, when I'm being chased by 5-10 zombies, I'm not running away because i'm afraid I'll die, I'm running from a long tedious boring fight. Which really destroys the mood for me.

I have been playing Project Zomboid since the continued smothering of bald spot's wife. When i first started playing zombies were a bit intimidating at first but after a few hours i would be fighting off hordes. Several updates later the new combat system came into play and i though this would bring me a scare or two but hasn't. I haven't been worried or afraid to enter a house or building with more than three zombies in it. I just fight them off simply enough and grab the loot and leave. I never get bit or scratched unless i am on multiplayer and alt tab quick or get hit while typing in chat. I am pretty good at the game but that can't be a reason for the game to be easy or at the least not scary, right? Is anyone else having the same or similar experience as me? Start off looking for bags and an axe, then once you have those you pick a safe house and just loot till you have enough supplies to fortify it way more than really necessary. Once you have your non-impenetrable safe house you either start leveling all your skills or just loot till you own everything. Then you just save/quit and never load that save again. I never really play till i die, i just play till i get to the point where anything else would just be a waste of time. If zombies were a bit scary just a bit this wouldn't happen like this, you would be made to rush out of places like alarmed houses. What do you do to keep things scary or challenging, besides taking all the negative traits to gimp yourself or giving them super strength/speed?