Jatta Pake

I thought of a few things about water.
 
Water Changes:
Add potable water to the game. Similar to food, water can be "Fresh", "Stagnant", and "Foul". Wells and houses provide "Fresh" water (until the faucets run out). Found water bottles provide "Fresh" water. Barrels, buckets, other makeshift collection devices could collect rain water. But they wouldn't collect much! Rain water would start "Fresh" but become "Stagnant" after a day or two. "Stagnant" water will not kill you but has a small chance of making you sick. "Stagnant" water can be made "Fresh" by:Adding Bleach Adding Iodine Adding Water Purification Tablets Boiling Putting water in Makeshift Filtration System (limited uses before breaking) or Advanced Filtration System (no breakage) "Stagnant" water slowly turns to "Foul" water over an extended time. "Foul" water is diseased and unsafe for drinking. Drinking "Foul" water will make you extremely sick. Drinking too much will kill you. "Foul" and "Stagnant" water can be used to water crops. "Foul" water can be made "Fresh" by:Putting water in Advanced Filtration System (does not break down) Plumbing Skill Level 2 allows the construction of Makeshift Filtration System Plumbing Skill Level 3 allows the construction of Advanced Filtration System I'd allow the collection of water from rivers, streams, and ponds but the water should be "Stagnant".
 
Killing You In The Late Game
After about eight months into the game, all well water and faucet water collected would be "Stagnant". After about eight months into the game, all water collected from rivers, streams, and ponds would be "Foul". (You've got zombies floating around in there). Plumbing Skill Crafting
Makeshift Water Filtration System Advanced Water Filtration System Crop Irrigation System Large Rain Barrels Rain Collection System (needed to maximize rain collection in Large Rain Barrels) Couplers (Needed to link Rain Barrels to other Rain Barrels, a Rain Collection System and an Advanced Filtration System) Dig Well (Level 5 Plumbing) Well Pump (Level 5 Plumbing) Latrine (reduces the effects of Miasma) Plumbing would definitely be a valued skill. Hobbyists could grind up the skill by purifying water until they can make a Makeshift Filtration System. But for a sustainable settlement, a group of survivors would want a professional plumber on the team to build the Advanced Filtration System.
 
PvP:
Wells could be poisoned (ancient military tactic) that turns all the water collected from them to "Foul". A sustainable settlement that can make "Fresh" water would be a powerful group in the late game. It would also be a big target for raiders and attackers.  
 
Sources: 
http://www.ehow.com/how_7516745_purify-non-potable-water.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Rainwater-Collection-System

I guess "edge of map" is incorrect. I meant the edge of the streamed cell or whatever the current mechanism is for spawning shit.
 
I don't think water quality should be irrelevant. Death form dehydration is a danger. And drinking bad water is a bad idea. Ideas behind the three kinds of water:
 
Fresh - Good stuff.
Stagnant - Poor quality but won't kill you. Small chance of making you sick. Probably need to resort to it from time to time.
Foul - Poison. Will kill you. Don't drink.
 
Degrading water quality over time will make the game harder as time goes on.

And buckets (and other containers) being used to ineffectively collect rain is something Romain has wanted to do since his initial farming mod. There's no reason to not do so . .  because this would be a terrible way to gain any meaningful supply of water in reality. This is why most rain collection schemes leverage large surface areas draining to a single point: just putting out a sheet of plastic and getting a few mm of rain per inch doesn't amount to much.
The real balance breaker would just be hauling water from the river right now: so long as you're in west point, you'd never want for water, unless you were forced to treat it some way (perhaps that could even be tied into something like foraging, or some more appropriate future skill) so that it can't simply be cheesed.
That said, I don't farm, and i don't do carpentry, online or offline. I loot and pillage and seem to do just fine in PZ that way.
 
 

As far as I understand it, the only reason this hasn't happened yet is there's some problems with zombie spawning (the derogatory term for zombies migrating across a virtual map, to some).
And, to circumvent the inevitable "It should be other things than zombies!" discussion . . . I know, but it's the most obvious initial solution in a zombie game.
This is a discussion for another thread, though. And, for that matter, a discussion that happened several times in the Make the Late Game Kill You threads.

I think this is one of the coolest ideas ever! Is this for singleplayer only or is splitscreen allowed? Co-op could add some more dimension to the multiverse lol.
Kate and Baldspot, Rick/Shane, Rick/Lori, then lonely Rick talking to ghosts kind of stories...

"This Is How They Died."

Thanks, after i get home today (At school right now) Will play the last save. But my project zomboid been acting up, will report back

Late Game
 
I've said this before, but increasing the difficulty across the board can disproportionately make the Early Game harder but have no affect on the Late Game.* I think the Water and Power cut off provides the best model for Operation Killing You. As the game progresses, new difficulties should be introduced.
 
Winter - No crops grow. Foraging food severally reduced. Risk of exposure/hypothermia when outside. Violent Weather - Storms could damage player made structures requiring repairs. Storms could destroy crops. Disease - The pollution from zombie corpses littering the area could increase the chances of getting sick. Sick characters could pass along illnesses. Feral Dogs - Wild dog packs should spawn from the edges of the maps. Other Animals - As nature started reclaiming man's cities, wild animal populations would explode. Bears, boars, cougars would present dangers to survivors. Mental Health - Extended periods of mental health moodles (Anxiety, Boredom, Depression, Starving, Dehydration) should build up over time. Characters should start acquiring permanent stress related mental health disorders. Water - Re-work water so there are different types: Fresh, Stagnant, and Foul. Water should go bad over time. NPC Enemies - Less friendly NPCs should spawn as time goes on. Groups of NPC enemies should spawn at the edges of the map. NPC Allies - Conflicts within player survivor groups should arise over time. Safety should breed complacency and social drama. Love triangles. Personality conflicts. Fights over leadership. Accidents - Using any skill should have a small chance of critical failure if the character is doing the skill in dangerous situations (panicked, depressed, angry, starving, dehydrated, intoxicated, drenched, freezing, too hot, sick). Anything from small cuts to sprained ankles to head injuries. Fires - Natural spontaneous combustion happens when exothermic internal reactions cause thermal runaway leading to ignition. Bacterial fermentation (rot) would be happening in all abandoned human structures especially those open to the elements from broken doors and windows. And as lightening rods fell apart, lightening would cause more structure fires. Pests - Infestations would destroy crops and food stores. Introduce these new dangers as time goes on and the Late Game will get progressively more difficult.
 
* Your character is weaker in the Early Game than the Late Game. In the Late Game, you have more survival items and skills to cope with the challenges of the game. You also probably have less zombies. Making everything more difficult in the Early Game may result in characters not getting to the Late Game but it still leaves a "Survival Filter" that a character can pass through to reach a safer Late Game existence. Consequently, the game environment needs to become more difficult as time goes on. Survival should be a race between the character and the environment.

I agree with you in part Ohbal. I think you are saying some core abilities need to be generally available and not strictly limited to a single specialized skill path.
 
For example, getting water is such a critical survival aspect, Carpentry Level 2 Rain Barrels shouldn't be the only way to get water for your character. Someone should be able to have a chance at surviving without being a Carpenter or knowing a MP or NPC Carpenter.
 
I think the solution isn't a split between general and special skills, but the ability to create "makeshift" items at the lowest skill level. These "jury rigged" solutions might buy a character time, but long term survival should require an exploitation of specialized skill sets. If you want to make it to the late game, you either befriend a Carpenter or take his stuff. Grinding should be so resource intensive or dangerous that it just isn't worth it starting at the lowest level.
 
Having said that, I think skill sets should have overlap. Each necessity - food, water, health, shelter - should have more than one skill that can address that need. Some obviously better than others.

I thought of a few things about water.
 
Water Changes:
Add potable water to the game. Similar to food, water can be "Fresh", "Stagnant", and "Foul". Wells and houses provide "Fresh" water (until the faucets run out). Found water bottles provide "Fresh" water. Barrels, buckets, other makeshift collection devices could collect rain water. But they wouldn't collect much! Rain water would start "Fresh" but become "Stagnant" after a day or two. "Stagnant" water will not kill you but has a small chance of making you sick. "Stagnant" water can be made "Fresh" by:Adding Bleach Adding Iodine Adding Water Purification Tablets Boiling Putting water in Makeshift Filtration System (limited uses before breaking) or Advanced Filtration System (no breakage) "Stagnant" water slowly turns to "Foul" water over an extended time. "Foul" water is diseased and unsafe for drinking. Drinking "Foul" water will make you extremely sick. Drinking too much will kill you. "Foul" and "Stagnant" water can be used to water crops. "Foul" water can be made "Fresh" by:Putting water in Advanced Filtration System (does not break down) Plumbing Skill Level 2 allows the construction of Makeshift Filtration System Plumbing Skill Level 3 allows the construction of Advanced Filtration System I'd allow the collection of water from rivers, streams, and ponds but the water should be "Stagnant".
 
Killing You In The Late Game
After about eight months into the game, all well water and faucet water collected would be "Stagnant". After about eight months into the game, all water collected from rivers, streams, and ponds would be "Foul". (You've got zombies floating around in there). Plumbing Skill Crafting
Makeshift Water Filtration System Advanced Water Filtration System Crop Irrigation System Large Rain Barrels Rain Collection System (needed to maximize rain collection in Large Rain Barrels) Couplers (Needed to link Rain Barrels to other Rain Barrels, a Rain Collection System and an Advanced Filtration System) Dig Well (Level 5 Plumbing) Well Pump (Level 5 Plumbing) Latrine (reduces the effects of Miasma) Plumbing would definitely be a valued skill. Hobbyists could grind up the skill by purifying water until they can make a Makeshift Filtration System. But for a sustainable settlement, a group of survivors would want a professional plumber on the team to build the Advanced Filtration System.
 
PvP:
Wells could be poisoned (ancient military tactic) that turns all the water collected from them to "Foul". A sustainable settlement that can make "Fresh" water would be a powerful group in the late game. It would also be a big target for raiders and attackers.  
 
Sources: 
http://www.ehow.com/how_7516745_purify-non-potable-water.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Rainwater-Collection-System

Late Game
 
I've said this before, but increasing the difficulty across the board can disproportionately make the Early Game harder but have no affect on the Late Game.* I think the Water and Power cut off provides the best model for Operation Killing You. As the game progresses, new difficulties should be introduced.
 
Winter - No crops grow. Foraging food severally reduced. Risk of exposure/hypothermia when outside. Violent Weather - Storms could damage player made structures requiring repairs. Storms could destroy crops. Disease - The pollution from zombie corpses littering the area could increase the chances of getting sick. Sick characters could pass along illnesses. Feral Dogs - Wild dog packs should spawn from the edges of the maps. Other Animals - As nature started reclaiming man's cities, wild animal populations would explode. Bears, boars, cougars would present dangers to survivors. Mental Health - Extended periods of mental health moodles (Anxiety, Boredom, Depression, Starving, Dehydration) should build up over time. Characters should start acquiring permanent stress related mental health disorders. Water - Re-work water so there are different types: Fresh, Stagnant, and Foul. Water should go bad over time. NPC Enemies - Less friendly NPCs should spawn as time goes on. Groups of NPC enemies should spawn at the edges of the map. NPC Allies - Conflicts within player survivor groups should arise over time. Safety should breed complacency and social drama. Love triangles. Personality conflicts. Fights over leadership. Accidents - Using any skill should have a small chance of critical failure if the character is doing the skill in dangerous situations (panicked, depressed, angry, starving, dehydrated, intoxicated, drenched, freezing, too hot, sick). Anything from small cuts to sprained ankles to head injuries. Fires - Natural spontaneous combustion happens when exothermic internal reactions cause thermal runaway leading to ignition. Bacterial fermentation (rot) would be happening in all abandoned human structures especially those open to the elements from broken doors and windows. And as lightening rods fell apart, lightening would cause more structure fires. Pests - Infestations would destroy crops and food stores. Introduce these new dangers as time goes on and the Late Game will get progressively more difficult.
 
* Your character is weaker in the Early Game than the Late Game. In the Late Game, you have more survival items and skills to cope with the challenges of the game. You also probably have less zombies. Making everything more difficult in the Early Game may result in characters not getting to the Late Game but it still leaves a "Survival Filter" that a character can pass through to reach a safer Late Game existence. Consequently, the game environment needs to become more difficult as time goes on. Survival should be a race between the character and the environment.

Well onr thing that made me upset all that time were empty streets. Knox looked like everyone just gone away with theyr cars and those that had no cars re survivors.
 
So we decided to fix that problem on our server and made some new tilsets for car wreckage, abandoned cars and some other stuff.
 
I know we will get cars some day BUT we will get working cars and i wnat to see some more trash and post-apocalyptic scene.
 
So here is a bit whats done already:

Late Game
 
I've said this before, but increasing the difficulty across the board can disproportionately make the Early Game harder but have no affect on the Late Game.* I think the Water and Power cut off provides the best model for Operation Killing You. As the game progresses, new difficulties should be introduced.
 
Winter - No crops grow. Foraging food severally reduced. Risk of exposure/hypothermia when outside. Violent Weather - Storms could damage player made structures requiring repairs. Storms could destroy crops. Disease - The pollution from zombie corpses littering the area could increase the chances of getting sick. Sick characters could pass along illnesses. Feral Dogs - Wild dog packs should spawn from the edges of the maps. Other Animals - As nature started reclaiming man's cities, wild animal populations would explode. Bears, boars, cougars would present dangers to survivors. Mental Health - Extended periods of mental health moodles (Anxiety, Boredom, Depression, Starving, Dehydration) should build up over time. Characters should start acquiring permanent stress related mental health disorders. Water - Re-work water so there are different types: Fresh, Stagnant, and Foul. Water should go bad over time. NPC Enemies - Less friendly NPCs should spawn as time goes on. Groups of NPC enemies should spawn at the edges of the map. NPC Allies - Conflicts within player survivor groups should arise over time. Safety should breed complacency and social drama. Love triangles. Personality conflicts. Fights over leadership. Accidents - Using any skill should have a small chance of critical failure if the character is doing the skill in dangerous situations (panicked, depressed, angry, starving, dehydrated, intoxicated, drenched, freezing, too hot, sick). Anything from small cuts to sprained ankles to head injuries. Fires - Natural spontaneous combustion happens when exothermic internal reactions cause thermal runaway leading to ignition. Bacterial fermentation (rot) would be happening in all abandoned human structures especially those open to the elements from broken doors and windows. And as lightening rods fell apart, lightening would cause more structure fires. Pests - Infestations would destroy crops and food stores. Introduce these new dangers as time goes on and the Late Game will get progressively more difficult.
 
* Your character is weaker in the Early Game than the Late Game. In the Late Game, you have more survival items and skills to cope with the challenges of the game. You also probably have less zombies. Making everything more difficult in the Early Game may result in characters not getting to the Late Game but it still leaves a "Survival Filter" that a character can pass through to reach a safer Late Game existence. Consequently, the game environment needs to become more difficult as time goes on. Survival should be a race between the character and the environment.

Late Game
 
I've said this before, but increasing the difficulty across the board can disproportionately make the Early Game harder but have no affect on the Late Game.* I think the Water and Power cut off provides the best model for Operation Killing You. As the game progresses, new difficulties should be introduced.
 
Winter - No crops grow. Foraging food severally reduced. Risk of exposure/hypothermia when outside. Violent Weather - Storms could damage player made structures requiring repairs. Storms could destroy crops. Disease - The pollution from zombie corpses littering the area could increase the chances of getting sick. Sick characters could pass along illnesses. Feral Dogs - Wild dog packs should spawn from the edges of the maps. Other Animals - As nature started reclaiming man's cities, wild animal populations would explode. Bears, boars, cougars would present dangers to survivors. Mental Health - Extended periods of mental health moodles (Anxiety, Boredom, Depression, Starving, Dehydration) should build up over time. Characters should start acquiring permanent stress related mental health disorders. Water - Re-work water so there are different types: Fresh, Stagnant, and Foul. Water should go bad over time. NPC Enemies - Less friendly NPCs should spawn as time goes on. Groups of NPC enemies should spawn at the edges of the map. NPC Allies - Conflicts within player survivor groups should arise over time. Safety should breed complacency and social drama. Love triangles. Personality conflicts. Fights over leadership. Accidents - Using any skill should have a small chance of critical failure if the character is doing the skill in dangerous situations (panicked, depressed, angry, starving, dehydrated, intoxicated, drenched, freezing, too hot, sick). Anything from small cuts to sprained ankles to head injuries. Fires - Natural spontaneous combustion happens when exothermic internal reactions cause thermal runaway leading to ignition. Bacterial fermentation (rot) would be happening in all abandoned human structures especially those open to the elements from broken doors and windows. And as lightening rods fell apart, lightening would cause more structure fires. Pests - Infestations would destroy crops and food stores. Introduce these new dangers as time goes on and the Late Game will get progressively more difficult.
 
* Your character is weaker in the Early Game than the Late Game. In the Late Game, you have more survival items and skills to cope with the challenges of the game. You also probably have less zombies. Making everything more difficult in the Early Game may result in characters not getting to the Late Game but it still leaves a "Survival Filter" that a character can pass through to reach a safer Late Game existence. Consequently, the game environment needs to become more difficult as time goes on. Survival should be a race between the character and the environment.

Late Game
 
I've said this before, but increasing the difficulty across the board can disproportionately make the Early Game harder but have no affect on the Late Game.* I think the Water and Power cut off provides the best model for Operation Killing You. As the game progresses, new difficulties should be introduced.
 
Winter - No crops grow. Foraging food severally reduced. Risk of exposure/hypothermia when outside. Violent Weather - Storms could damage player made structures requiring repairs. Storms could destroy crops. Disease - The pollution from zombie corpses littering the area could increase the chances of getting sick. Sick characters could pass along illnesses. Feral Dogs - Wild dog packs should spawn from the edges of the maps. Other Animals - As nature started reclaiming man's cities, wild animal populations would explode. Bears, boars, cougars would present dangers to survivors. Mental Health - Extended periods of mental health moodles (Anxiety, Boredom, Depression, Starving, Dehydration) should build up over time. Characters should start acquiring permanent stress related mental health disorders. Water - Re-work water so there are different types: Fresh, Stagnant, and Foul. Water should go bad over time. NPC Enemies - Less friendly NPCs should spawn as time goes on. Groups of NPC enemies should spawn at the edges of the map. NPC Allies - Conflicts within player survivor groups should arise over time. Safety should breed complacency and social drama. Love triangles. Personality conflicts. Fights over leadership. Accidents - Using any skill should have a small chance of critical failure if the character is doing the skill in dangerous situations (panicked, depressed, angry, starving, dehydrated, intoxicated, drenched, freezing, too hot, sick). Anything from small cuts to sprained ankles to head injuries. Fires - Natural spontaneous combustion happens when exothermic internal reactions cause thermal runaway leading to ignition. Bacterial fermentation (rot) would be happening in all abandoned human structures especially those open to the elements from broken doors and windows. And as lightening rods fell apart, lightening would cause more structure fires. Pests - Infestations would destroy crops and food stores. Introduce these new dangers as time goes on and the Late Game will get progressively more difficult.
 
* Your character is weaker in the Early Game than the Late Game. In the Late Game, you have more survival items and skills to cope with the challenges of the game. You also probably have less zombies. Making everything more difficult in the Early Game may result in characters not getting to the Late Game but it still leaves a "Survival Filter" that a character can pass through to reach a safer Late Game existence. Consequently, the game environment needs to become more difficult as time goes on. Survival should be a race between the character and the environment.

I agree with you in part Ohbal. I think you are saying some core abilities need to be generally available and not strictly limited to a single specialized skill path.
 
For example, getting water is such a critical survival aspect, Carpentry Level 2 Rain Barrels shouldn't be the only way to get water for your character. Someone should be able to have a chance at surviving without being a Carpenter or knowing a MP or NPC Carpenter.
 
I think the solution isn't a split between general and special skills, but the ability to create "makeshift" items at the lowest skill level. These "jury rigged" solutions might buy a character time, but long term survival should require an exploitation of specialized skill sets. If you want to make it to the late game, you either befriend a Carpenter or take his stuff. Grinding should be so resource intensive or dangerous that it just isn't worth it starting at the lowest level.
 
Having said that, I think skill sets should have overlap. Each necessity - food, water, health, shelter - should have more than one skill that can address that need. Some obviously better than others.

Late Game
 
I've said this before, but increasing the difficulty across the board can disproportionately make the Early Game harder but have no affect on the Late Game.* I think the Water and Power cut off provides the best model for Operation Killing You. As the game progresses, new difficulties should be introduced.
 
Winter - No crops grow. Foraging food severally reduced. Risk of exposure/hypothermia when outside. Violent Weather - Storms could damage player made structures requiring repairs. Storms could destroy crops. Disease - The pollution from zombie corpses littering the area could increase the chances of getting sick. Sick characters could pass along illnesses. Feral Dogs - Wild dog packs should spawn from the edges of the maps. Other Animals - As nature started reclaiming man's cities, wild animal populations would explode. Bears, boars, cougars would present dangers to survivors. Mental Health - Extended periods of mental health moodles (Anxiety, Boredom, Depression, Starving, Dehydration) should build up over time. Characters should start acquiring permanent stress related mental health disorders. Water - Re-work water so there are different types: Fresh, Stagnant, and Foul. Water should go bad over time. NPC Enemies - Less friendly NPCs should spawn as time goes on. Groups of NPC enemies should spawn at the edges of the map. NPC Allies - Conflicts within player survivor groups should arise over time. Safety should breed complacency and social drama. Love triangles. Personality conflicts. Fights over leadership. Accidents - Using any skill should have a small chance of critical failure if the character is doing the skill in dangerous situations (panicked, depressed, angry, starving, dehydrated, intoxicated, drenched, freezing, too hot, sick). Anything from small cuts to sprained ankles to head injuries. Fires - Natural spontaneous combustion happens when exothermic internal reactions cause thermal runaway leading to ignition. Bacterial fermentation (rot) would be happening in all abandoned human structures especially those open to the elements from broken doors and windows. And as lightening rods fell apart, lightening would cause more structure fires. Pests - Infestations would destroy crops and food stores. Introduce these new dangers as time goes on and the Late Game will get progressively more difficult.
 
* Your character is weaker in the Early Game than the Late Game. In the Late Game, you have more survival items and skills to cope with the challenges of the game. You also probably have less zombies. Making everything more difficult in the Early Game may result in characters not getting to the Late Game but it still leaves a "Survival Filter" that a character can pass through to reach a safer Late Game existence. Consequently, the game environment needs to become more difficult as time goes on. Survival should be a race between the character and the environment.

I agree with Rass, but I think a tradebox might end up aiding NPC interactions. I think it would be easier on the AI. It would also be a "cleaner" and more user friendly interface if you could move things in and out while negotiating.
 
Idea: Make a table be required to use the "Tradebox" interface. Players would right-click on a table to open the tradebox. Players would drag and drop items being traded on the other's side of the table. If both players agree to finalize a trade, the stuff auto moves from their table to their inventory.
 
If either player cancels a "Tradebox" during a trade, any items in the "Tradebox" would drop to the table. This would allow theft. Canceling could also broadcast an overhead comment/emote like "Rass Canceled the Trade" so witnesses would be able to know who was the dirty dealer.
 
It would also make tables a useful and convenient item to craft. Without a table, players would need to use the "drop on ground" method.

Your 'Must have' description is Hyperbole.
 
IF indeed you were embarking on a difficult, single player game mode, then yes, you would indeed be wise to take carpentry, but its most certainly not mandatory and I for one would relish the challenge.

Besides, if you waste all your time grinding skills and things are balanced right... the game will kill you. Maybe we're not there yet, but the goal is that if you're just screwing around doing things your bad at (rather than actively trying to survive) the game is just going to  kick your ass.

Grinding isn't such a bad thing . . . it's necessary to do tasks to survive, but right now, instead of it being something that happens naturally over the lifetime of your character, it's very easily gameable. Making the XP rewards adding class-based penalties removes the viability of grinding past a certain point.

I agree with Rass, but I think a tradebox might end up aiding NPC interactions. I think it would be easier on the AI. It would also be a "cleaner" and more user friendly interface if you could move things in and out while negotiating.
 
Idea: Make a table be required to use the "Tradebox" interface. Players would right-click on a table to open the tradebox. Players would drag and drop items being traded on the other's side of the table. If both players agree to finalize a trade, the stuff auto moves from their table to their inventory.
 
If either player cancels a "Tradebox" during a trade, any items in the "Tradebox" would drop to the table. This would allow theft. Canceling could also broadcast an overhead comment/emote like "Rass Canceled the Trade" so witnesses would be able to know who was the dirty dealer.
 
It would also make tables a useful and convenient item to craft. Without a table, players would need to use the "drop on ground" method.

In my humble opinion there are flaws in the concept behind the new system. Let's see if I can explain my point. 
 
You still give players the chance to get the same skills, but with a XP penalty. That decission, will ultimately lead to grinding (you may consider grinders are choosing a poor game style but its not going anywhere... is on the DNA of a lot of people including myself) and grinding leads to boredom... which is what you want to avoid at all costs while playing a game.Leveling up in this game (except for the combat skills) is not really an active thing, is just clicking and clicking. So in the end, you are just making the road longer and more boring, not harder or challenging. Just.... longer. 
 
I think it would be a better idea to divide the skills between "general" and "special". The generals would be for everybody. The specials would be limited to the characters who pick certain professions or hobbies or whatever. 
 
Honestly, I'm mostly concerned about single player (this system may work better in MP) and  I'm not counting on NPCs yet as I have no seen them, and
a) I don't know how they will work
b) I (can only) assume that they will be an option for the player, not a must have. 
 
A system (your character abilities) depending on a system (the NPCs) depending on a system (the randomness of each game) is most likely to end up unbalanced. 
 
Just my two cents!

Late Game
 
I've said this before, but increasing the difficulty across the board can disproportionately make the Early Game harder but have no affect on the Late Game.* I think the Water and Power cut off provides the best model for Operation Killing You. As the game progresses, new difficulties should be introduced.
 
Winter - No crops grow. Foraging food severally reduced. Risk of exposure/hypothermia when outside. Violent Weather - Storms could damage player made structures requiring repairs. Storms could destroy crops. Disease - The pollution from zombie corpses littering the area could increase the chances of getting sick. Sick characters could pass along illnesses. Feral Dogs - Wild dog packs should spawn from the edges of the maps. Other Animals - As nature started reclaiming man's cities, wild animal populations would explode. Bears, boars, cougars would present dangers to survivors. Mental Health - Extended periods of mental health moodles (Anxiety, Boredom, Depression, Starving, Dehydration) should build up over time. Characters should start acquiring permanent stress related mental health disorders. Water - Re-work water so there are different types: Fresh, Stagnant, and Foul. Water should go bad over time. NPC Enemies - Less friendly NPCs should spawn as time goes on. Groups of NPC enemies should spawn at the edges of the map. NPC Allies - Conflicts within player survivor groups should arise over time. Safety should breed complacency and social drama. Love triangles. Personality conflicts. Fights over leadership. Accidents - Using any skill should have a small chance of critical failure if the character is doing the skill in dangerous situations (panicked, depressed, angry, starving, dehydrated, intoxicated, drenched, freezing, too hot, sick). Anything from small cuts to sprained ankles to head injuries. Fires - Natural spontaneous combustion happens when exothermic internal reactions cause thermal runaway leading to ignition. Bacterial fermentation (rot) would be happening in all abandoned human structures especially those open to the elements from broken doors and windows. And as lightening rods fell apart, lightening would cause more structure fires. Pests - Infestations would destroy crops and food stores. Introduce these new dangers as time goes on and the Late Game will get progressively more difficult.
 
* Your character is weaker in the Early Game than the Late Game. In the Late Game, you have more survival items and skills to cope with the challenges of the game. You also probably have less zombies. Making everything more difficult in the Early Game may result in characters not getting to the Late Game but it still leaves a "Survival Filter" that a character can pass through to reach a safer Late Game existence. Consequently, the game environment needs to become more difficult as time goes on. Survival should be a race between the character and the environment.

Late Game
 
I've said this before, but increasing the difficulty across the board can disproportionately make the Early Game harder but have no affect on the Late Game.* I think the Water and Power cut off provides the best model for Operation Killing You. As the game progresses, new difficulties should be introduced.
 
Winter - No crops grow. Foraging food severally reduced. Risk of exposure/hypothermia when outside. Violent Weather - Storms could damage player made structures requiring repairs. Storms could destroy crops. Disease - The pollution from zombie corpses littering the area could increase the chances of getting sick. Sick characters could pass along illnesses. Feral Dogs - Wild dog packs should spawn from the edges of the maps. Other Animals - As nature started reclaiming man's cities, wild animal populations would explode. Bears, boars, cougars would present dangers to survivors. Mental Health - Extended periods of mental health moodles (Anxiety, Boredom, Depression, Starving, Dehydration) should build up over time. Characters should start acquiring permanent stress related mental health disorders. Water - Re-work water so there are different types: Fresh, Stagnant, and Foul. Water should go bad over time. NPC Enemies - Less friendly NPCs should spawn as time goes on. Groups of NPC enemies should spawn at the edges of the map. NPC Allies - Conflicts within player survivor groups should arise over time. Safety should breed complacency and social drama. Love triangles. Personality conflicts. Fights over leadership. Accidents - Using any skill should have a small chance of critical failure if the character is doing the skill in dangerous situations (panicked, depressed, angry, starving, dehydrated, intoxicated, drenched, freezing, too hot, sick). Anything from small cuts to sprained ankles to head injuries. Fires - Natural spontaneous combustion happens when exothermic internal reactions cause thermal runaway leading to ignition. Bacterial fermentation (rot) would be happening in all abandoned human structures especially those open to the elements from broken doors and windows. And as lightening rods fell apart, lightening would cause more structure fires. Pests - Infestations would destroy crops and food stores. Introduce these new dangers as time goes on and the Late Game will get progressively more difficult.
 
* Your character is weaker in the Early Game than the Late Game. In the Late Game, you have more survival items and skills to cope with the challenges of the game. You also probably have less zombies. Making everything more difficult in the Early Game may result in characters not getting to the Late Game but it still leaves a "Survival Filter" that a character can pass through to reach a safer Late Game existence. Consequently, the game environment needs to become more difficult as time goes on. Survival should be a race between the character and the environment.

What do you mean? US dollars aren't going to be exactly valuable in a zombie apocalypse. And if you're afraid that other players will run away with your stuff once you drop it on the ground to exchange it, that is exactly the reason why you should always be armed when interacting with other players in multiplayer, and it's far more realistic than a tradebox.