Hey,
Just dropped by to write you this suggestion, which maybe it might be a quick feature to implement with a very nice return for the effort:
WHAT IT IS
Add an option where you could use vanilla mode infection (the standard stats for scratch/bite/laceration infection rate),
OR
1. Add a custom range of values for them, that will pick a random value within that interval.
meaning you could just go 0-100 % which is full misery mode!
if 0 lands, that actually means you're simply the lucky few who is immune, or are you? Take some more bites
(of course some minor auto-adjust logic is needed so that scratch is always lower than laceration, and laceration is always lower than bite, and so on - or maybe not! )
2. A toggle-able option where disinfecting wound/taking antibiotics MIGHT actually reduce infection chance (the quicker they're applied, the better).
The button would have a state of, OFF, ON, MAYBE. Where "MAYBE" is either on or off randomly, without knowing.
Further settings might be needed how effective these medication/measures might be.
3. An option to make symptoms random
After all, not all people respond the same to infection. You might get fever, runny nose, headache, etc.
(also, symptoms might not necessarily mean the infection defeated your body)
BONUS: new traits/profession advantages: doctors/nurses might have had some previous exposure to sick patients and COULD know the the symptoms and sickness phases.
THE WHY!
1. This sort of mystery settings would make each play-through fresh & tense and wipe away the META knowledge the player gains over time by playing Zomboid, which would stop gamey attitudes/responses.
2. It would also help immersion, since the actual player wouldn't know the exact specifics of the zombification process, and of course would try all means to sanitize the wound/use pills, which is actually the normal behavior of every human being: maximizing chances. Without this, meta-knowledge would lead to abnormal behavior in-game.
3. It would also keep the suspense throughout the game and stop people from early quits, keeping them in game till the bitter end.
4. Even more, in the future when NPCs will be implemented, you could actually share info about how the disease manifests and rumors/gossip about how you can fight it.
Currently, if you're only on single-player, you will never know what setting was chosen, since you are the only "test-subject".
