TheStoryteller

Body-Part-Specific Interations Orientation: Singleplayer/Multiplayer TL;DR: The pulling, punching, grabbing, tying, blinding, biting side of Project Zomboid. When looking back at one of my previous posts (shameless self promotion incoming: http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/8689-hostage-takingdraggingcarrying-bodies/#entry112447) I realized something that could both improve that idea, and become its own idea all together, at the same time. The simple interaction of two characters, living/living or living/dead. Here's an example: Will has been shot in the stomach. Poor Will. Ted, wanting to get his best friend out of there, grabs him up under his arm, and drags him off. Now, Ted could have just threw Will over his shoulder, and RAN off, but he knew this would cause complications for the wound. Example Número Dos: Will wants to show Ted his new hideout, but he doesn't want him to know where it is quite yet - Ted can be a bit of a jerk, when it comes to stealing things - so Will wraps a blindfold around Ted's eyes, and slaps on a set of handcuffs for good measure. And, just for a good laugh, he slaps a second pair of handcuffs on Ted's feet. Will is also kind of a jerk. Example Номер три: Ted is bleeding bad from a nasty bite from one of the zeds. The bite is right around his left arm. However, right now, Will just wants to get him out of there. So, being the good friend that he is, he throws him over his shoulder, and runs off. On the way home, Ted starts whining about how it hurts, and how Will is only making it worse. Will gets tired of this, and bonks him on the head, knocking Ted out. He then proceeds to drag Ted inside by his legs, and throw him on the bed (The simplest way this could be implemented is a new small GUI that shows a person's outline.You could then click on the outline to select which body part you want to interact with. Arms, legs, torso, head, eyes, mouth, etc.)

Thank you for the post! It was a nice read, and I happily agree with the suggestion in it. Anything that turns up the immersion and realism factor in games really gets me excited. Just feeling like I could be/am in the game is a really awesome concept for me. I'd love to see any/all of the stuff in that thread in the game, but this post is more for standing still, rather than when you move. Animations that the player does by themselves, almost entirely aesthetically. Things like siting down, lying down, or relaxing on a couch. Possibly interactions with other survivors, things like that. Like I said, just the idea of sitting around a campfire with a group of weathered survivors, or lying in a bathtub, bleeding and tired. I don't know, I'd just really like to see it in the game. It'd really make it a whole new situation for me. I'd really feel like I WAS the character. I understand that unsolicited handshaking could be a potential problem, but I had figured it could be added in a way that requests permission from the player who is being offered a handshake. Maybe a little pop-up, or something, I don't know. Nothing too big, or scene-breaking. I'm not sure how it would work, specifically.

Perhaps, trying to use specific colors is a bit too simple, and it may come to either; just using the names in front of the text, or having the ability to set allies. For example, right clicking on someone, and setting them to friend/ally/acquaintance, and therefore giving them a specific color code, or symbol before their name.

Could you tell who's talking on a random walkie-talkie that you find? I just think otherwise it would devolve into: "At the camp." "That you Jerry?" "No it's Mike." "Well I'm at Spiffo's." "Jerry?" "Bill." "Just saw a zombie down the road." "Bill?" "No it's Mike again." Obviously you would have to know them first of course, not saying you should recognise a randomners voice. I think, the simplest way to resolve this without resorting to "Mike: At the camp." and such, is by having players customize their text, so that they could choose the color, maybe italics, maybe bold. Perhaps, even between some fonts. This way, if a person knows someone, they can recognize their "voice" due to the text coming from the walkie-talkie.

Idle Animations Orientation: Singleplayer(?)/Multiplayer TL;DR: Idle animations within the game for certain activities. Two of the best things in video games - in my opinion - are both realism and RP elements. I love being able to BE my character when I'm in the game, with other people around me being their characters as well. This is a simpler idea, depending on how you look at it. When I refer to idle animations, I'm talking about if you're running around in the woods, and decide to sit down for a while. The animation doesn't stop until you want it to. I don't know, I just imagine a group of friends sitting around a campfire for the night, the soft glow of the fire illuminating everyone as they sit and talk. Example: Will and Ted are with their survival group, everyone is sitting in chairs in the meeting room, talking about their next move. After a long, and very helpful group chat, Will stands at the door to will his group farewell as they go out to work. He shakes hands (I realize some animations would just be arduous to code/sprite/make shortcuts for, but whatever works for the game. Some animations could work for certain singleplayer situations, but this would mostly be a multiplayer feature) with everyone, waving as they all exit the room.

New Diseases and Class Abilities Orientation: Singleplayer/Multiplayer TL;DR: Includes realistic diseases for the situation, and new class-specific abilities. Before explaining this suggestion, the idea to add diseases to the game does not stem from the idea that the game is not hard enough. However, the ultra-realistic vibe that comes with playing the game suggests that adding such things to the game would make it even more real for the player. Simply put: Diseases that fit the situation could change gameplay a bit. In the winter, staying out without proper clothing could cause fever, and require specific medicine. Stay near the bodies of rotting corpses without properly disposing – such as burning – of them could cause any number of possibly fatal diseases, some of which bring about the second suggestion; new class-specific abilities. For example: Ted has a habit of going zombie hunting, then piling up his kills in his living room next to his couch, chillaxing next to his trophies as he watches the static on his television. However, it just so happens that one – or forty – of the corpses has(if they were a player)/had a bad case of malaria, and now Ted is sick! However, Will was a doctor before the apocalypse, and can now examine Ted, and tell him exactly what’s wrong. Maybe even – with the proper medicine – could treat this illness, and save Ted’s life. This makes Will an essential addition to any zombie survival team, as Ted just doesn’t have the qualifications to deal with this kind of thing, being a body builder and all.

Moving Corpses/Bodies/People Orientation: Singleplayer/Multiplayer TL;DR: The moving of dead and LIVING bodies/people. The moving of corpses is already being included into the game. This allows for some cool possibilities, such as stacking up piles for burning away, or – for the more sadistic – stacking up piles to send a message/make a wall. But, on top of that, the inclusion of methods to move bodies of the living could add a few new mechanics to the game that could make it even more interesting. This could benefit role play, and general game play together, and with the right tweaks, wouldn’t be incredibly unbalanced(for example: Will knocks out Ted, then drags him around for 10 hours before offing him in his sleep). The mechanic could be used in several ways. For example: Will is incapacitated while having a run-in with the more frisky neighboring survivors, Ted finds his buddy lying in the dirt, and drags – or carries over his shoulder – his buddy to the safety of their pillow fort back home. Carrying over the shoulder/dragging the player could have buffs/de-buffs of their own; the obvious being that carrying over the shoulder would hinder movement, but would not injure the wounded player unless they had some form of chest damage, whilst on the other hand, dragging would be exponentially faster, but could risk extra damage to the injured player’s health. This could also incorporate the use of new hand-made/found items, such as stretchers and such. Another example: Will is the leader of a new group of super awesome survivors. However, in his hasty creation of this new coalition, he forgot to invite Ted. Ted, being the jealous type, decides that he’s going to make Will pay for stiffing him after all the things he’s done for him, so he sneaks up behind him when he’s going through the rations bin, and bonks him on the head. Will goes down, but isn’t pushing up daisies just yet. Ted leaves a note at the scene, and drags Will off to his house, and ties him up to a chair. He then calls up Will’s buddies, and demands half of their rations for their precious leader back. Yet another example: Will, being incredibly resourceful, fidgets his way out of his bonds, and scrambles to the radio, shouting to his friends on the other side where they are. Ted, being the stronger of the two gentlemen, takes control of the situation. When Will’s friends arrive, Ted has got his arm around Will’s neck, and a pistol pressed firmly against the side of his head.

My apologies! I figured if I posted it all together, and labelled each specific idea with a short description, this would make it easier for everyone.

Yes, I did read that moving corpses would soon be involved in the game. This is why I commented "The moving of corpses is already being included into the game." in the original post. However, I have heard nothing of the ability to incapacitate and move living bodies, which is what the main idea is about, not the moving of corpses. I also am aware that classes are on the way, but I was referring to this that could be specifically done by each class, not the fact that the game needs new classes. I wrote an example saying that the doctor could have the sole ability to treat abnormal illnesses. Abilities such as this could be considered for other classes, as well. As well as some of the buffs, such as, perhaps, "Medicine is 10% more effective when used by this character on him/herself or other players."

All of my suggestions have been moved, and in the future, will be added to this post! Please feel free to leave any and all feedback or suggestions that come to mind. I'd love to add to this post, or at the very least, know what you guys think of my ideas. Edit: I've added a poll, as I've realized that some people do not wish to take the time to respond directly to a post, when voting is much easier. This is quite alright, so please vote honestly. Radio Communication Orientation: Multiplayer TL;DR: Incorporation of hand/stationary radios within the game. The incorporation of hand or stationary radios into the game would add a new level of communication and depth on servers. Having a hand radio, or setting up a stationary radio in your home would allow you to speak with players or NPCs on opposite sides of the map. You could browse frequencies, and stumble upon a distress call repeating every 2 minutes, or come across another player willing to trade goods for food. Maybe, even, kidnap a player, and bribe his friends over the radio, ensuring that you’re in a safe position while making your demands. This could also bring another new item into the game: the map. This could come in the form of a travel brochure, or a dedicated map of the city/town you are in, and could be used in conjunction with the radio to plot locations, player-made shelters, meet-up points, or simply any location you want to go/have been. For example: Player 1 – we’ll call him Will – gets trapped in his home by a horde of savage face eating neighbors. Luckily, Will just installed this fancy new radio system in his living room – no wonder the neighbors are jealous – and can now call out (or set up a pre-recorded – self repeating – message), “I live down the street from Jerry’s Diner,” or “I live at coordinates 23, -243.” Player 2, Ted, happened to be listening on the same frequency Will uses, and pulls up his map alongside his radio. He then finds Jerry’s Diner, or the coordinates previously stated on his map, and marks there with a pen. Moving Corpses/Bodies/People Orientation: Singleplayer/Multiplayer TL;DR: The moving of dead and LIVING bodies/people. The moving of corpses is already being included into the game. This allows for some cool possibilities, such as stacking up piles for burning away, or – for the more sadistic – stacking up piles to send a message/make a wall. But, on top of that, the inclusion of methods to move bodies of the living could add a few new mechanics to the game that could make it even more interesting. This could benefit role play, and general game play together, and with the right tweaks, wouldn’t be incredibly unbalanced(for example: Will knocks out Ted, then drags him around for 10 hours before offing him in his sleep). The mechanic could be used in several ways. For example: Will is incapacitated while having a run-in with the more frisky neighboring survivors, Ted finds his buddy lying in the dirt, and drags – or carries over his shoulder – his buddy to the safety of their pillow fort back home. Carrying over the shoulder/dragging the player could have buffs/de-buffs of their own; the obvious being that carrying over the shoulder would hinder movement, but would not injure the wounded player unless they had some form of chest damage, whilst on the other hand, dragging would be exponentially faster, but could risk extra damage to the injured player’s health. This could also incorporate the use of new hand-made/found items, such as stretchers and such. Another example: Will is the leader of a new group of super awesome survivors. However, in his hasty creation of this new coalition, he forgot to invite Ted. Ted, being the jealous type, decides that he’s going to make Will pay for stiffing him after all the things he’s done for him, so he sneaks up behind him when he’s going through the rations bin, and bonks him on the head. Will goes down, but isn’t pushing up daisies just yet. Ted leaves a note at the scene, and drags Will off to his house, and ties him up to a chair. He then calls up Will’s buddies, and demands half of their rations for their precious leader back. Yet another example: Will, being incredibly resourceful, fidgets his way out of his bonds, and scrambles to the radio, shouting to his friends on the other side where they are. Ted, being the stronger of the two gentlemen, takes control of the situation. When Will’s friends arrive, Ted has got his arm around Will’s neck, and a pistol pressed firmly against the side of his head. New Diseases and Class Abilities Orientation: Singleplayer/Multiplayer TL;DR: Includes realistic diseases for the situation, and new class-specific abilities. Before explaining this suggestion, the idea to add diseases to the game does not stem from the idea that the game is not hard enough. However, the ultra-realistic vibe that comes with playing the game suggests that adding such things to the game would make it even more real for the player. Simply put: Diseases that fit the situation could change gameplay a bit. In the winter, staying out without proper clothing could cause fever, and require specific medicine. Stay near the bodies of rotting corpses without properly disposing – such as burning – of them could cause any number of possibly fatal diseases, some of which bring about the second suggestion; new class-specific abilities. For example: Ted has a habit of going zombie hunting, then piling up his kills in his living room next to his couch, chillaxing next to his trophies as he watches the static on his television. However, it just so happens that one – or forty – of the corpses has(if they were a player)/had a bad case of malaria, and now Ted is sick! However, Will was a doctor before the apocalypse, and can now examine Ted, and tell him exactly what’s wrong. Maybe even – with the proper medicine – could treat this illness, and save Ted’s life. This makes Will an essential addition to any zombie survival team, as Ted just doesn’t have the qualifications to deal with this kind of thing, being a body builder and all.

Radio Communication Orientation: Multiplayer TL;DR: Incorporation of hand/stationary radios within the game. The incorporation of hand or stationary radios into the game would add a new level of communication and depth on servers. Having a hand radio, or setting up a stationary radio in your home would allow you to speak with players or NPCs on opposite sides of the map. You could browse frequencies, and stumble upon a distress call repeating every 2 minutes, or come across another player willing to trade goods for food. Maybe, even, kidnap a player, and bribe his friends over the radio, ensuring that you’re in a safe position while making your demands. This could also bring another new item into the game: the map. This could come in the form of a travel brochure, or a dedicated map of the city/town you are in, and could be used in conjunction with the radio to plot locations, player-made shelters, meet-up points, or simply any location you want to go/have been. For example: Player 1 – we’ll call him Will – gets trapped in his home by a horde of savage face eating neighbors. Luckily, Will just installed this fancy new radio system in his living room – no wonder the neighbors are jealous – and can now call out (or set up a pre-recorded – self repeating – message), “I live down the street from Jerry’s Diner,” or “I live at coordinates 23, -243.” Player 2, Ted, happened to be listening on the same frequency Will uses, and pulls up his map alongside his radio. He then finds Jerry’s Diner, or the coordinates previously stated on his map, and marks there with a pen.

The ability to drag around corpses was added/talked about in a recent patch notice, so I was thinking that it'd be cool if the same could be done to living humans. For example, if a player were to incapacitate a living human, player or NPC, and drag them off somewhere safe, or dangerous, or locked away. You could knock out another player, and drag them off to a room, and lock them inside, or tie them to a chair, and make demands, maybe call up their friends. Typical hostage stuff. On another note, maybe being able to use incapacitated enemies as human shields, and such. Like, knocking someone out, handcuffing them, then waking them up and dragging them around by the arm, or with an arm around the neck, gun pressed to their cheek.