TrailerParkThor

Glad you posted this since the Examine thread you made became this thread anyways hahah. Gonna repost part of my comment from there: "Maybe Inspecting the doors would allow you to see where the damage was and you could get planks, hinges, or a new knob as necessary. High enough carpentry and metalworking could even allow you to reinforce doors at full HP." This would be the best way to do it imo. Garage doors would probably be repaired similarly to the way hoods can now be fixed up. Metal sheets welded on makes the most sense.

The hair growth system is pretty near perfect atm, and the new hairstyles we just got are amazing. However, I do think there is one simple thing that could make it a little more realistic. The comb is basically a useless item, and I think a function could easily be implemented into the current system without many changes. Very few people have naturally straight hair, especially if they aren't showering and brushing their hair everyday. Players should have to utilize the comb if they want to maintain straight and well-kept hair. I have a basic concept and a few further ideas on how this could be done. The most simple way this could be added to the game would be to not add anything else. Simply lock a few hairstyles behind 2 walls. Require that a certain category of hairlength is met, and then require that a comb is in a nearby inventory. For example, you have a Fabian hairstyle and you want a Right Parting. You cut your hair into a Short hairstyle and then use the comb. There aren't too many hairstyles this would cover, but it would be a nice realism addition. If the devs were willing to take it further, I have long thought that a second checkbox next to chest hair should be available in character creation. Hair should default to straight, but players should be able to select Curly hair as an actual branch of hairstyle instead of an option they can always grow. This would lock certain survivors to certain types of hairstyles, and would probably mean adding a few more curly styles to make it work. However, we definitely need a Full Afro, Dreadlocs, and a Long Curly anyways so might as well build a cool system around it. By default, straight-haired survivors will start to grow either messy or curly hair variants if they don't comb their hair for a long time. After combing, it will return to normal and stay straight until the threshold is met again. Curly-haired survivors, on the other hand, will start to grow a Short Afro, Cornrows, or Dreadlocs depending on how long their hair is. Cornrows would not be able to be combed, but can be undone with a little time the same way a Ponytail can, just takes longer. Dreadlocs cannot be combed, and must be cut to return to normal hair. Perhaps there could even be a Long Dreads style that can only be grown if left for over a year. A few other little thoughts I had. Firstly, it would be nice if a Rubberband was required to pull hair back into a Ponytail, Bun, or to put in Cornrows. This could also be applied to the potential Dreadlocs I mentioned. If the Straight/Curly hair system was implemented, then this would be the only way for straight-haired survivors to change to these hairstyles. I also thought that maybe there was a way to work Hairdryers into it, but I figured it was too micromanagey and couldn't think of a good use for it. Finally, there would be an opportunity to add a few other hair-related items here. A Hairbrush could be added, to serve the same functionality as the Comb, but for longer hair. You wouldn't comb a Curly Fabian into a Straight one, you would brush it. I can't recall ever running into a brush, but it could already be in the game so someone tell me if it is. Hair Clippers could also be a fun idea if the devs made it possible to cut yourself while using a Razor or Scissors. Obviously a razor would have a much higher chance of cutting than scissors would, and the chance of it happening would be affected by things like Panic level and the All Thumbs trait. Hair Clippers would require a battery and could only cut certain short hairstyles like Buzz Cut and Goatee, but would have no chance of slicing a nervous survivors head. All in all, I think these are pretty simple ideas. Even the more "complex" ones are straightforward and shouldn't require much other than models and textures. Some of this could fall too hard under the category of life sim, but I always find that the small sim-like aspects of Zomboid are the ones that sell you on the realism and ground you in the pixelated hell we all love. So I hope some of this is added someday, if not all of it, because I think it would make the game just a little more special and make the RP just a little more engaging.

@BentNosetried the mod and I love all of it. Fried chicken, milkshakes and chili cheese dogs in there too definitely some small victories during the apocalypse. If the devs really wanted an American Cooking Overhaul this is definitely a good mod to find some inspiration. Here's the link for anyone who hasn't tried it: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2026187681

Good point, would be fun for RPing as neckbeards and weebs haha. I do still think Javelin Star or something would be a fun addition that could serve the same function while being more widely applicable to different builds. Honestly agree with this as well. Adding both a Hobby and an Occupation that can give Spear specialization would be great. Pitchforks should definitely be added to the game as well. Hand Forks already exist, and with the skill and animations for Spear now fully implemented, there's a big opportunity for devs to easily add Pitchforks and expand the spear tree some more.

Bro check the latest patch notes lmao

@Nazarito22true

Pretty basic concept, I just think it's weird that you are playing a rural Kentuckian living in the 90s, and the only classic american food you can make are Burgers. PC can eat Fries and Mac, but why can't they make them. Survivors can cook up a 5-star italian pasta dinner, and grow hundreds of hearty potatoes, but still eat stale fries out of the local Spiffo's and down a whole box of Kraft Dinner raw like some drunk frat boy. The cooking system has come a long way since these foods were added, we can do better! Anyone who's eaten it before knows that Mac & Cheese comes with it's own cheese packet. Butter, Milk, and Boiling Water are all that are required. All of these are already implemented with easy access by the player. It would be fun to actually cook the Mac players can find. Crafting recipe could just be the box, milk, butter, and a cooking pot of hot water together. Then cook it for 2-4 bowls of steaming Mac & Cheese. Eating it raw could still be a possibility, but would cause some unhappiness and a lot of boredom. If the devs really wanted to make Mac & Cheese a sought after food source, they could even expand on the cooking of it by allowing players to spice up their Macaroni meals, add meats, and vegetables. Maybe we can even unbox the Mac & Cheese and get Dry Macaroni Noodles as well as a Powdered Cheese Packet. Macaroni could just be an aesthetic flair used as a substitute for different pastas and noodles in recipes. Mixing Powdered Cheese and Water in a Saucepan and heating it should produce cheese. This would allow players to renew cheese after the power is out. Useful for trappers and cooks alike. It would also give a taste of the (hopefully) future cheesemaking we could get with B42 animals. Fries are self-explanatory. Using any kind of knife, survivors could slice a potato into Uncooked Fries. Then put them in the oven, and voila some Fresh Cooked Fries. Obviously this would probably mean a change to the Fries icon, or we could all just accept the weirdness of it still being packaged lol. Maybe devs could even expand upon this by allowing PCs to add chili, cheese, and spices to make Chili Cheese Fries. Ideally, it would be fun to make Fries with lots of different meats and vegetables too. Maybe even a way to shred potatoes and make hash browns and hash scramble as those are classic american foods as well. I think this is a pretty simple addition to already implemented systems that uses existing items to add a much more authentic american feel to that Knox Country cooking. Maybe devs can even add gross combinations of ingredients to these meals, the same way you can make a Cabbage and Egg Ratburger. Imagine eating Mushroom Soup Fish Fries, or Radish Squirrel Mac & Cheese. This would definitely fit the morbid survivalist atmosphere and the 90s americana of the PZ universe at the same time.

Simple to add with already existing items in the game. Could be a taller alternative to gravelbag walls

I don't think we need to make this a true skill but I do like the Crammer and Meticulous traits, and the Mover Occupation is a cool idea!

Then on the flip side, there could be a selectable trait like "Couch Potato" that causes increased anxiety and boredom when exercising. This could be lost by completing the same threshold it takes to become a "Gym Rat," adding an extra challenge.

Just wondering what the lore reasoning behind a skill in spears would be? I think the only logical trait would be Javelin Star or something. Similar to Baseball Player, there is a logical reason a normal person in 90s Kentucky knows how to handle a spear well. Warrior just doesn't make sense to me, but I like the idea.

Solid idea. Bump

Solar panels aren't coming as they weren't available for consumers in the 90s and they needed to be replaced so frequently it wouldn't even be better than gens. Plus, they require super rare and specific materials/components. Can't just jerry-rig a solar panel based on what you read in a magazine.

Masonry should definitely be a skill one day. There's a lot you can do with rocks and stones, especially in a low tech setting. Cobblestone paths/roads like OP said would be awesome for building new car roads and general aesthetics. Loose stone walls would be even better for aesthetics, but also utility. Especially when using the fence jump strat to pick off zombies. Now, the real meat and potatoes of masonry in project zomboid would be bricks and cinderblocks. Concrete/cement/mortar as a whole would be a nice addition as it's super easy to make even in the wilderness.

I like the idea but I think it might be impossible under the current code of the game. Could be some cheeky way to pull it off, but a diagonal direction for roads/tracks is more feasible i think

If only people read the pinned "How To Make A Good Suggestion" thread they wouldn't keep reposting things the devs already know we want

Honestly, I would just prefer it if doors and windows cracked as they were damaged. I feel like I remember something a long time ago about that not being possible, but if that has changed in Build 41, changing textures would be the best way to add that functionality. Examining would be useful during base maintenance, but most situations you need more immediate easy access to entryway hp. I do think expanding the Inspect option would be good. Maybe Inspecting the doors would allow you to see where the damage was and you could get planks, hinges, or a new knob as necessary. High enough carpentry and metalworking could even allow you to reinforce doors at full HP. This is one of those features I expect to see before full release, as its an obvious addition that shouldn't be too hard based on my knowledge of the game code.

Yeah I play with Normal Sight, Poor Hearing, and Bloodhound Smell. Hunger is tied to smell so heightened hunger should mean heightened olfactory senses. Also human smell is one of our strongest senses we just barely have practical use for it these days. Zombies have pretty lame sight already. Hearing needs to be lowered to even match base human level hearing irl. Really like this idea. Maybe doors should be contextual. 3 types of door openings. The current fast open/close with the loud slam should only happen if opening a door while Jogging/Sprinting. There should be a slightly slower open/close that will be significantly quieter that is done while walking. Finally, a super slow and incredibly quiet open/close for crouching. This one could be the one that has a chance at creaking. Imagine a high level Stealth build creeping through an overrun building and all the sudden, the door creaks loud as hell. You dead son

Yeah, I agree with the fact that zombies have annoyingly good hearing even at Normal Hearing settings. I get that they might be able to hear the TV on if it's loud and they're right outside the wall, but how can they hear me closing a door upstairs from the street? They're supposed to have base level human hearing. When I'm outside a house, I can't hear much inside unless people are yelling, listening to loud entertainment, or doing some handy work. Kids manage to have quiet parties that even cops can't hear if they're worried about getting busted. How can zombies mindlessly hear better than humans trying to listen for loud teens?? Definitely needs work. I like the idea of zombies having different states but I don't think that they are supposed to have rational thoughts. They just follow the last noise they heard until something new grabs their attention. They are like forces of nature. Doesn't really make sense for them to be curious. It might also mess with the strategy of the game. You couldn't use sirens, noise makers, or alarms to distract zombies if they would walk away when not seeing a survivor and you wouldn't have safe looting. Maybe, instead, they could define the noise reduction of each type of wall, floor, window, and door. Trailer and cabin walls could be very thin. Even listening to quiet radio in a shack would be audible to zombies. On the flip side, concrete walls would be essentially soundproof. Certain stone-type buildings would be safe to watch loud tv or build things inside even if surrounded by zombies. Normal houses would have insulation and should be decently soundproof. Player-built structures should scale with skill level, probably never maxing out at normal house noise reduction. I would assume metal walls would have better soundproofing, so maybe max level metal walls could be slightly better than prefab house walls. Doors would have the best sound dampening, windows the worst. I would imagine something over the window would help the low noise reduction. Blinds would probably have a minor effect, sheets would have a moderate effect, and curtains could keep the most sound in. Maybe we would even find or craft an item that could help block even more, but I think that would be kinda dumb lol

No need to add this when NPCs are coming in the next few years. Realtime metagame events will occur using persistent survivors and factions. You could go to your favorite trader's base to find it completely overrun. Will you find him again someday in a new base? Maybe he's one of the zombies. Or he could run to a different location and commit suicide and you later find his body. The devs have also mentioned real quests. These could be emergent via maps or journals like you said. They could also be fixed side quests given by NPCs like making some sandwiches or getting 50 logs or retrieving an old family photo from an overrun house.

The virus is already an airborne strain. That's why the infection spreads worldwide. In the lore, PCs are immune from this airborne strain. That's why we're all alone and can only die from scratches/bites. Wouldn't really make sense to worry about that strain. However, contamination zones where zombie bodily fluids have covered every surface would be a fun challenge. Gas masks would be required and you would have to wash with soap/disinfectant afterwards. If desiring better protection or if you have open wounds, a hazmat suit would be required. This could be a CDC field HQ or maybe a quarantine zone that become contaminated.

Just edit the sandbox settings bro. Not very hard. Apocalypse is built the way it is for a reason.

Good to know, but maybe a yoga mat could still be a good idea?

The issue currently, is that probably only 20% of the playerbase is surviving until the "late game." The other 80% are dying in the "early game" or winter at latest. It is more important to fill the early and mid game with content atm, since that is most people's experience with the game. Early game and Day 1 are also player's first impression so that is a huge priority. The devs are caught in a place where they have to make the late game more full by creating systems that carry from the early game onward, and can be expanded infinitely with a branching progression tree. This way, they can create a lot of content for the casual majority, but also create fulfilling systems and mechanics for hardcore fans. They've laid the groundwork for a lot of these, but haven't made a lot of them as complex as they could be. This is currently the PZ meta as of current IWBUMS: Day One) Trying to find weapons and food, looking for a bag. Clearing out campsites. Moving furniture. Watching lots of TV. Early Game) Decent loadout and good gear. Semi-permanent base with relatively good security. Scouting out buildings for better base. One vehicle, probably crap. Reading Beginner Skill Books. Disassembling things. Crafting basic items. Scaving food from urban areas. Preparing for winter. Mid Game) Most likely decked out survivor survived through the winter with relative ease. Permanent base with good defenses. One good vehicle, and a few part/fixer-upper cars. Might have a generator. Working on chosen skills. Basic farming, foraging, and fishing. Rarely needs to go on food runs. Securing huge area for future base expansion. Late Game) Best gear in the game. High level combat/agility/fitness/strength skills. Building your own base either completely from the ground up, or walling off cleared out prefab areas. High level security and almost no chance for hordes to get you. Multiple good vehicles, generators, and lots of fuel. Maxed out in chosen skills. Self-sufficient/surplus farm with a few traps and no need to scav food. No real incentive to leave your safe haven or do anything further other than watch the days rack up. End Game) ??? Imo, the game is really fun, but there is no real purpose to your playthrough other than RP. There isn't a goal other than indefinite security. The interesting thing about this game, and the pull for me, is that the actual goal is death. It's the only game in the world where you are meant to DIE. That's the only way to end the game. The fun for the player comes from trying to die in the most prolonged, epic, badass, awesome way they can. Will you die on Day 2, cowering in your shack with a spoon in your hand as one zombie takes you out? Or will you die in the mall, blasting hundreds of undead with a shotgun knowing you've done everything else you can. That's the appeal to most of us, I think. This doesn't, however, exclude the game from having an end-game. We just need to get creative. The end-game of Project Zomboid should be to essentially confirm the extinction of humanity. To ensure that, no matter what you do in this game, everyone and everything will die. The goal of the game should be to fight against death for just long enough to strengthen the last bastion of humanity, and watch it get wiped out. Maybe you can survive from there, but you would be alone. The last human hoping for just a few more days or years. The current update schedule seems to aim at furthering the game in this direction. Build 42 will bring in animals. Hopefully this means companion dogs, livestock farming, hunting game, and even feral animal enemies. This update alone would add so much variety to the game that it would extend playthrough lifespans by a lot. These features will definitely fill in more of the tailoring, farming, combat, base building, and survivalist aspects too. Mostly, this will just be adding more fun content and laying the groundwork for more advanced AI, without really addressing the late game problem. B43-45 will supposedly bring NPC survivors back with quests, stories, events, groups, and factions. This is the real meat and potatos of this topic. Suddenly, you have stories and events to diversify gameplay. You have your group to help you survive and develop relationships with. You have raiders and feral animals to attack your base. They could have different strategies than zeds so you would need to prepare for all different kinds of defensive situations. Ally and enemy factions could even give you a reason to build different bases. To secure certain resources or buildings, or to have a more strategic position against an enemy or trade partner. If quests are done right, they would be the perfect middle ground between the bigbrain goals you set, and the micromanagement survival stuff you do on a regular basis. Quests could be little things like making 10 spiked bats or collecting 50 logs or finding a 6 pack of root beer for someone. Small things like this would give players a break from the day to day monotony and the intimidating lofty goals they set for each playthrough. This would essentially pose the game as so: Day One) Trying to find weapons and food, looking for a bag. Clearing out campsites. Moving furniture. Watching lots of TV. Maybe finding an animal or human friend if they're around. Early Game) Decent loadout and good gear. Semi-permanent base with relatively good security. Scouting out buildings for other survivors. Building up a small, tight-knit group. A decent mount or one crap vehicle. Scaving food from urban areas or hunting and foraging from rural areas. Maybe working on some skills and crafting. Preparing for winter. Mid Game) Good survivor loadout and gear, decent group loadout and gear. Difficulty finding enough for for everyone through winter. Permanent base with good defenses. One good vehicle and/or mount. Maybe a few part/fixer-upper cars or some pack animals. Might have a generator. Reading beginner books, disassembling things, and basic crafting. Basic farming, foraging, and fishing. Regular food and supply runs to keep up with higher demand from bigger group. Securing huge area for future base expansion. Might have a specialist in group. Defending from zombies and raiders as more people means more noise. Late Game) Decked out PC. Probably a few decked out NPCs and some lame redshirts too. Several specialists in group (doctor, mechanic, soldier). High level combat/agility/fitness/strength skills. Building your own base either completely from the ground up, or walling off cleared out prefab areas. High level security and almost no chance for hordes to get you. However, strong raiders and enemy factions provide a way larger threat. Multiple good vehicles, generators, and lots of fuel. Multiple good mounts and pack animals. Working on chosen skills. Good food industry from farming/fishing/trapping/hunting, but still need occasional supply runs. NPCs automate a lot of monotonous work. PCs can focus on bigger picture goals and special ops. Bitten NPCs can turn and kill everyone in group if not careful, so no one is ever safe. End Game) PC has best items in game. Lots of high level, decked out NPCs in group. Network of outposts and bases all under one faction. Multiple vehicles, mounts, and pack animals all supporting trade and travel between settlements. Massive walls and traps and defenses protecting humans from zombies and animals. Opposing factions diminished in strength as to no longer pose a threat. Maxed out in all chosen skills. Massive network of industry and agriculture completely handsoff for players. Self-sufficient society means no need for scavenging. Only threat is a group member getting infected and spreading the disease, but this will not be a restart if there are multiple base locations. No real point to continue on other than to push civilization to its absolute limits. At this point, we have extended and expanded the game a lot. Although, we still have the issue of no real conclusion point. No moment you can say, "I WON!" My dream "win condition" that fits the lore and themes of Zomboid is this: The Megahorde. The Megahorde will be the ace up the sleeve of the Sadistic AI Director. If you managed to survive all the hordes, surprise bathroom zombies, feral animals, raiders, faction wars, internal infections, the winter, and all the other survival threats; you would be granted one final challenge. This event could not occur until some threshold like population, faction dominance, time limit, or some combination of the 3. Essentially, once you hit that point it would just be up to RNGesus. It might be the next day, it might be a whole year, but it will come. The Megahorde would be a wave spawning horde of zombies that would keep coming until you were dead. Think Last Stand Mode built into Survival. You could probably get yourself to total safety with some cheeky ingenuity, but there's just no way to save everyone. You would have to watch as everything you've built and everyone you know would be destroyed. No point in adding special infected when you can literally have zombies decked out in the awesome gear you gave them. At this point, you would essentially have a New Game+ where veteran players would see how long they can survive in the Megahorde. It might even develop a cool meta of building up your settlements strategically so you can survive longer after the Megahorde. Eventually, the waves will become super intense meaning there would be a hard cap on how long you could push it. This would essentially be the Ender Dragon of Project Zomboid. The place everyone wants to get to, and then start a new game after.

Lol I meant that you can right click outside when it's raining and wash your clothes but you have to stand still while doing it haha my bad