Magic Mark

Pointless? You can't be serious. 
 
The ability to not see who's account is what on it's own makes this worthwhile. Even if you can see who is playing, you won't know which character they are.
 
On top of that, you'd have to be very naive to give enough of a damn to check your recent players to try and decipher who is who.
 
It's almost an oversight to not have this as an option because it matters especially in RP servers.
 
 
 
This also works in games like Town of Salem, you can see who is playing in your server but you don't know which character they are. It seems almost silly that it would be pointless because knowing that there is a chance that a certain person might be another certain person is somehow the same as knowing who everyone is.

I honestly think it was an oversight not to include this in the first place.

Pointless? You can't be serious. 
 
The ability to not see who's account is what on it's own makes this worthwhile. Even if you can see who is playing, you won't know which character they are.
 
On top of that, you'd have to be very naive to give enough of a damn to check your recent players to try and decipher who is who.
 
It's almost an oversight to not have this as an option because it matters especially in RP servers.
 
 
 
This also works in games like Town of Salem, you can see who is playing in your server but you don't know which character they are. It seems almost silly that it would be pointless because knowing that there is a chance that a certain person might be another certain person is somehow the same as knowing who everyone is.

Sky bases are cheap and overpowered, at least removing the stairs of a 2nd floor building makes sense and would be considered an actual survival technique.
 
I usually play on settings where an isolated country home without a perimeter wall is actually possible, that's just me though.

Sky bases are cheap and overpowered, at least removing the stairs of a 2nd floor building makes sense and would be considered an actual survival technique.
 
I usually play on settings where an isolated country home without a perimeter wall is actually possible, that's just me though.

I honestly think it was an oversight not to include this in the first place.

Pointless? You can't be serious. 
 
The ability to not see who's account is what on it's own makes this worthwhile. Even if you can see who is playing, you won't know which character they are.
 
On top of that, you'd have to be very naive to give enough of a damn to check your recent players to try and decipher who is who.
 
It's almost an oversight to not have this as an option because it matters especially in RP servers.
 
 
 
This also works in games like Town of Salem, you can see who is playing in your server but you don't know which character they are. It seems almost silly that it would be pointless because knowing that there is a chance that a certain person might be another certain person is somehow the same as knowing who everyone is.

That point as well is also a good one, it is annoying as heck when people personally attack you after you kill them in MP games with steam integration.
 
The RP aspect alone in not knowing exactly who everyone you come across is, by far makes this worth it. It makes the 'games' people set up in RP/event servers a lot more interesting especially if you are doing something that could use it.
 
Either way this option is useful for servers in general when you don't want everyone's identity to be revealed directly.

That point as well is also a good one, it is annoying as heck when people personally attack you after you kill them in MP games with steam integration.
 
The RP aspect alone in not knowing exactly who everyone you come across is, by far makes this worth it. It makes the 'games' people set up in RP/event servers a lot more interesting especially if you are doing something that could use it.
 
Either way this option is useful for servers in general when you don't want everyone's identity to be revealed directly.

not at all. 
 
not to mention the harassment you can get on public servers from this feature.   You get killed by a player and you can see their steam name, prepare for incoming messages, friend requests or whatever.

Given the wild-life in North America and the fact that Bears don't suddenly repopulate the earth because some areas that had humans in them no longer have humans, predators aren't exactly a threat even in an overgrown world 2 years old.

So this post mostly concerns the RP playerbase that is in project zomboid. Which from my experience is actually quite large.  Our server has TONS of people supporting it but anyways my rant starts below.
 
With the new steam updates and PZ the options for remaining anonymous and immersive in RP servers is tainted with the ability to see who plays what character.  Of course it can be fixed with removing the steam integration, but then you sacrifice the power of VAC bans and things of that nature which steam brings to the table.  Not a fair trade off really.  Loose immersion or loose protection and tons of features.
 
So a solution would simply be if its possible to add an option to server side that turns on or off clients from seeing the steam names of the players on the server.
 
 

Just to address the Shoot on sight issue, saying don't play zombie apocalypse games because they all involve KOS is a moot point. I don't remember seeing any apocalypse games that actively encouraged shooting people without fair warning. KOS is just when people cant be bothered to put the effort in to get the items themselves, and most probably couldn't beat them fairly. But that's just my opinion, people pay for the game they can play how they want, be that grouping up and working together or randomly shooting people for the kicks.

That's fair, and I'll admit, I don't have a problem with all skills being up for grabs, despite my earlier post. Though, I do like that the skills not inherently part of your character's background already come with a much steeper learning curve, it provides a bit of immersion for myself that I need to put some actual effort and planning into learning a new skill. Compared to the earlier builds where everyone could learn everything at the same pace, and everyone was naturally a 'Jack of all Trades' seemed kinda... Lackluster. It was the reason why Construction Worker and Ranger became so overpowered as they provided the only real advantages.
 
At the end of the day, so long as deciding one's background continues to provide a real impact to my play style, I'll be happy... But I completely understand why locking off certain parts of the game may be a little extreme - though, I still believe it'd be pretty cool in a multiplayer setting, but that's just me.

You hit the nail on the head, although I have a different opinion about 'locked skills'.
 
Personally one thing I love about the current state is that it is possible to 'learn' everything - even though it is pain-painstakingly annoying and time-consuming (as it should be) to try and learn a skill your character has a 0.25% modifier in.
 
Reason being, I don't want to create multiple save files to fully explore the game as I'd basically have each file's base being 'incomplete' in a way. This is nullified in multiplayer as multiple players is a thing.
 
Now, I don't have a problem with having to 'crawl before I walk' when picking up a new skill in game, basically meaning that if I have to read a multitude of textbooks and have several levels of practice before I am able to hook up a solar panel I would not have a problem with it as long as it was possible.

These aren't "make the game easier" topics, these are "give the players who have developed their routines" something additional to work on.
 
Heck, this doesn't even have to be 'late-game' to explore either - this will probably become apparent when moving furniture comes out. I know I will dedicate more hours to designing a two-floor bar and grill than fighting zombies once fighting zombies becomes a less annoying/deadly thing to worry about.
 
You can already paint walls, which is just as much as if not less of a post-survival concentration as preventing visible wall cracks.

TL;DR This thread highlights the need for end-game novelty things to work on, and generally stuff for late-game players to work on once survival is generally 'taken care of'. Either way there will be players who 'get to that point' no matter how the difficulty is tweaked, so please consider that when reading over this thread. This thread is not about difficulty and is not to be associated with such.
 
This is not an 'idea compilation', this is a general point of view on late-game topics that I feel the devs should consider outside of the regular old 'survival' aspect of the game.
 
Introduction
 
Now, I'm going to level with all of you. This game, for the average person that picks it up and plays it for the first time, surviving a year is not exactly feasible.
 
However, for the people that put hours in and out for this game - the line there shifts as you get used to what you are playing.
 
You get your routine down, you get your base together, your group together. You build walls. You get patrols. You find what food and water source you plan to rely on. You get your character multi-talented and versed in various survival methods. You can live independently. You are in the process of rebuilding a community. All of a sudden, you realize you are 2 years in and you realize that you aren't entirely sure what you can work for.
 
However, that's where I think this game can improve on. Outside of general defense, PVP, survival, preservation - the game lacks in stuff to strive for once you can take care of yourself in a routinely manner.
 
To be clear, this is not a discussion about difficulty. You guys are on the right track in that department. This is a discussion about things you can afford to work on once you get well-off. Stuff for late-game players to strive for.
 
I'm talking about players finally having the time to worry about cleaning up the place. I'm not talking about mopping up blood after a fight. I'm talking about dealing with those cracks in the walls. I'm talking about maybe making a flower garden. I'm talking about a way to get your lights back on without a stockpile of gasoline.
 
Topics to Consider.
 
Decaying World.
 
Already you can cut your grass. That's great. But you need to be able to prevent your safe, untouched home from looking like it came out of the Last of Us.
 
Currently, ingame, it does not take as anywhere close to as long as it realistically should for vegetation to take over. One year in real life may be enough time for your front yard to look like your average field, but it's nowhere near enough time for your walls to crack, and your hardwood floors to break apart.
 
My proposal:
At the very least, have a method of prevention to stop sturdy walls and floors from cracking.
 
Decaying floors and walls realistically need to take years - decades - to get to the level they reach in 6 months ingame. Anyone who has lived in the same house for more than a decade can confirm that they likely never had to replace their brick walls because cracks never randomly started appearing. Hardwood floors especially are durable.
 
Proper flooring and tile shouldn't crack up in that short a period that it currently does. Maybe link the model change to actual damage and wear more than it is a time-related thing?
 
Balance:
Sure, you could say that if you didn't make it something that happens soon, most players would not see the change at all. However the growth of removable vegetation should cover that front.
 
Worn-out, attacked homes should show the decay, not maintained ones that don't even have zed in them.
 
As this idea is not entirely linked to survival, it is important to note that people will work towards something they can stand back and feel proud of.
 
Multiple Ways to Keep the Lights On.
 
Gas-powered generators, in their current state, are very finite in function. 10 or so gas cans filled to the brim, storage difficulty aside, aren't enough to keep the generator going on a long-term scale. And when the power dies, so does the pumps.
 
My proposal:
Siphoning gas out of tanks. Renewable energy.
 
There has been discussion of Solar Panels as a realistic possibility. If you have the experience and can figure out where the solar panels would be in the 90s, having a small fleet of these could potentially be your answer to keeping the lights on months after you get set up and the zed population gets down. 
 
Another option is to go with siphoning, as suggested in a previous thread. It would be a good way to get gas later on, as it would be abundant in the station tanks with the amount of daily drivers tanking downward in the case of an apocalypse.
 
Balance:
Consider this, there can and will be players who get into the 'years' category of survival and get to a point where zed might not even be considered a threat. And there will be players who drain all of the gas out of everything. Some players play with zed respawn turned off as well, they should be considered in this as well.
 
From the get-go when the power turns off, this shouldn't be an easy thing to just prop up. But it would give late-game players something to work for. Tank siphoning should require time and effort to do, and much more so for renewable energy. A single solar panel couldn't power a fridge if you tied it to a loom and whipped it, but a fleet of them might. So there is the time and effort needed there to make a setup work.
 
Keep in mind that electricity for the most part is considered a luxury in the survival world, not necessary but it is something that people look at as a reminder of society.
 
Planting.
 
Outside of crops, we should look at the ability to plant trees and flowers. Now these things take time to grow, so this would be a 'novelty' thing rather than a way to make surviving easier by any means.
 
Proposal:
Plant pretty flowers to make the place look nice. Plant trees, for either visuals for your backyard, or to help keep the forest thick.
 
Balance:
This should not be something that is to be taken as 'grow your own wood supply' by any means. The length of time required for trees to grow should be a long while, far too long for it to be a calculated 'easy way' for wood. Most of the intention here is for visuals, making an elaborate garden could give late-game players another thing to look forward to doing.
 
---
 
...More topics will come to this thread as this gets discussed...
 
So, what do you guys think?
 
Something for late-game survivors to work for.
 
Hopefully I represented my point in a proper manner, I am a tad tired at the time of writing this.

For all intents and purposes, the answer to this is always NPCs.
 
I think this is when the NPCs kicks in, where players will actually want to cooperate with this AI to get a lot of stuff going.
 
When thinking of how PZ will be one time in the future:
 
I imagine myself as a officer worker starting out in some office in WP, i imagine i will met some NPC that is a total fuck up but i will try to keep him alive as long as possible, somehow i will end up living in the middle of the woods with other NPCs that has carpentry and electrician to keep a fridge i stole running, maybe i will be able to learn from the carpenter NPC some carpentry, making him set up some walls (this is some sort of feature i hope to be able to do), get a farm going and drama ensures inside the compound and then raiders come knocking on our doors and we all die.
 
Really that is what i hope future PZ can accomplish in a near future, we should be able to do all that fancy stuff, but to do that stuff we must first survive and then worry about decorations, not the other way around, so only players who are skilled enough to survive months instead of weeks can do all of this as a reward. 

As a huge backer of late-game progression, I whole heartily agree with every point you've made thus far. I am a strong believer that this game can only become as strong as the interest it provides towards the more dedicated fan base it has, and as one of said fans, I do also have to admit that the game lacks any real end-game.
 
Can I blame the game devs? No. Hell no. The game is still in its infancy, technically speaking, and I do have to cut them some slack due to such. But I don't think ignoring these suggestions is a very healthy way of tackling the growth of the game.
 
As it stands, the late-game ends when you've created a farm, and from then on the game becomes a farming simulator where maintaining said source of food is your one and only priority. Water is either readily available through the use of wells or rivers, or is out of your control if you depend on rain water. Safety becomes trivial once walls have been erected, and zombies will hardly ever spawn where the player spends most of his or her time. In short, once that point is reached, the game's appeal hangs solely on the hopes that the player remains immersed - which, not everyone can.
 
Again, I can't blame the devs, and the game is already one of my favorites, so do take my opinion with a grain of salt.
 
Speaking of maintaining a farm, though. I do love the idea of there being more to do than simply watch over one's crops. Maintaining your safe house, your generators, your vehicle - if we get any, and so on. Having the game beckon you to go out into the dust-caked remains of an empty city for parts, or specialized tools, or just to explore the potential hazards of a derelict town.
 
On the topic of safe houses, I do also like the idea of being able to build more things - given the right skills and background... I'm not against making certain parts of the game accessible only to characters with the right professions, that only makes having a cast of varied characters more valuable and makes replaying the game worth the effort. I'd love to see generators that only a mechanic can build and correctly maintain, and so on.
 
 
I can go on forever, but I shouldn't seeing as I may be at the risk of sounding like I'm complaining - which I'm really not.

I quoted the original post but realized it was a bit long, so I just paraphrased in one line. But really though, I love all of these suggestions. One of the things that always got to me was the fact that brick buildings began to decay less than one year into the apocalypse.
 
My grandparents have lived in the same brick house since the early 80's and sure, there may have been a brick here and there over the past few decades they've had to replace. In one instance, the septic tank had to be replaced and there was some foundation damage because of that as well. But these were events that took place over a long period of time, and my grandfather repaired them because he is a mason. However I can understand that for game-play reasons, the buildings should take on a damaged appearance sooner than they would IRL simply so that the awesome art in this game will actually be seen.
 
As a survivor who spends more time than I'd like to admit deciding what color to paint his walls once I erect a safehouse, I would love the ability to take residence in a brick house instead and have the ability to maintain the appearance of said structure. This would mean more time for killin' zeds and going for loot runs instead of choosing which beige to paint the dining room. 

i believe it was late 70's earlier 80's so i think it existed then. good idea.

I was talking about biofuel like producing alcohol from Corn, not biodiesel (cool idea, but at the time the game is set very few have developed a working formula).
 
Alcohol based generators exist since the 70's if I am not wrong and if methods of creating alcohol are added to the game it could be an option for late game players.

TL;DR This thread highlights the need for end-game novelty things to work on, and generally stuff for late-game players to work on once survival is generally 'taken care of'. Either way there will be players who 'get to that point' no matter how the difficulty is tweaked, so please consider that when reading over this thread. This thread is not about difficulty and is not to be associated with such.
 
This is not an 'idea compilation', this is a general point of view on late-game topics that I feel the devs should consider outside of the regular old 'survival' aspect of the game.
 
Introduction
 
Now, I'm going to level with all of you. This game, for the average person that picks it up and plays it for the first time, surviving a year is not exactly feasible.
 
However, for the people that put hours in and out for this game - the line there shifts as you get used to what you are playing.
 
You get your routine down, you get your base together, your group together. You build walls. You get patrols. You find what food and water source you plan to rely on. You get your character multi-talented and versed in various survival methods. You can live independently. You are in the process of rebuilding a community. All of a sudden, you realize you are 2 years in and you realize that you aren't entirely sure what you can work for.
 
However, that's where I think this game can improve on. Outside of general defense, PVP, survival, preservation - the game lacks in stuff to strive for once you can take care of yourself in a routinely manner.
 
To be clear, this is not a discussion about difficulty. You guys are on the right track in that department. This is a discussion about things you can afford to work on once you get well-off. Stuff for late-game players to strive for.
 
I'm talking about players finally having the time to worry about cleaning up the place. I'm not talking about mopping up blood after a fight. I'm talking about dealing with those cracks in the walls. I'm talking about maybe making a flower garden. I'm talking about a way to get your lights back on without a stockpile of gasoline.
 
Topics to Consider.
 
Decaying World.
 
Already you can cut your grass. That's great. But you need to be able to prevent your safe, untouched home from looking like it came out of the Last of Us.
 
Currently, ingame, it does not take as anywhere close to as long as it realistically should for vegetation to take over. One year in real life may be enough time for your front yard to look like your average field, but it's nowhere near enough time for your walls to crack, and your hardwood floors to break apart.
 
My proposal:
At the very least, have a method of prevention to stop sturdy walls and floors from cracking.
 
Decaying floors and walls realistically need to take years - decades - to get to the level they reach in 6 months ingame. Anyone who has lived in the same house for more than a decade can confirm that they likely never had to replace their brick walls because cracks never randomly started appearing. Hardwood floors especially are durable.
 
Proper flooring and tile shouldn't crack up in that short a period that it currently does. Maybe link the model change to actual damage and wear more than it is a time-related thing?
 
Balance:
Sure, you could say that if you didn't make it something that happens soon, most players would not see the change at all. However the growth of removable vegetation should cover that front.
 
Worn-out, attacked homes should show the decay, not maintained ones that don't even have zed in them.
 
As this idea is not entirely linked to survival, it is important to note that people will work towards something they can stand back and feel proud of.
 
Multiple Ways to Keep the Lights On.
 
Gas-powered generators, in their current state, are very finite in function. 10 or so gas cans filled to the brim, storage difficulty aside, aren't enough to keep the generator going on a long-term scale. And when the power dies, so does the pumps.
 
My proposal:
Siphoning gas out of tanks. Renewable energy.
 
There has been discussion of Solar Panels as a realistic possibility. If you have the experience and can figure out where the solar panels would be in the 90s, having a small fleet of these could potentially be your answer to keeping the lights on months after you get set up and the zed population gets down. 
 
Another option is to go with siphoning, as suggested in a previous thread. It would be a good way to get gas later on, as it would be abundant in the station tanks with the amount of daily drivers tanking downward in the case of an apocalypse.
 
Balance:
Consider this, there can and will be players who get into the 'years' category of survival and get to a point where zed might not even be considered a threat. And there will be players who drain all of the gas out of everything. Some players play with zed respawn turned off as well, they should be considered in this as well.
 
From the get-go when the power turns off, this shouldn't be an easy thing to just prop up. But it would give late-game players something to work for. Tank siphoning should require time and effort to do, and much more so for renewable energy. A single solar panel couldn't power a fridge if you tied it to a loom and whipped it, but a fleet of them might. So there is the time and effort needed there to make a setup work.
 
Keep in mind that electricity for the most part is considered a luxury in the survival world, not necessary but it is something that people look at as a reminder of society.
 
Planting.
 
Outside of crops, we should look at the ability to plant trees and flowers. Now these things take time to grow, so this would be a 'novelty' thing rather than a way to make surviving easier by any means.
 
Proposal:
Plant pretty flowers to make the place look nice. Plant trees, for either visuals for your backyard, or to help keep the forest thick.
 
Balance:
This should not be something that is to be taken as 'grow your own wood supply' by any means. The length of time required for trees to grow should be a long while, far too long for it to be a calculated 'easy way' for wood. Most of the intention here is for visuals, making an elaborate garden could give late-game players another thing to look forward to doing.
 
---
 
...More topics will come to this thread as this gets discussed...
 
So, what do you guys think?
 
Something for late-game survivors to work for.
 
Hopefully I represented my point in a proper manner, I am a tad tired at the time of writing this.

TL;DR This thread highlights the need for end-game novelty things to work on, and generally stuff for late-game players to work on once survival is generally 'taken care of'. Either way there will be players who 'get to that point' no matter how the difficulty is tweaked, so please consider that when reading over this thread. This thread is not about difficulty and is not to be associated with such.
 
This is not an 'idea compilation', this is a general point of view on late-game topics that I feel the devs should consider outside of the regular old 'survival' aspect of the game.
 
Introduction
 
Now, I'm going to level with all of you. This game, for the average person that picks it up and plays it for the first time, surviving a year is not exactly feasible.
 
However, for the people that put hours in and out for this game - the line there shifts as you get used to what you are playing.
 
You get your routine down, you get your base together, your group together. You build walls. You get patrols. You find what food and water source you plan to rely on. You get your character multi-talented and versed in various survival methods. You can live independently. You are in the process of rebuilding a community. All of a sudden, you realize you are 2 years in and you realize that you aren't entirely sure what you can work for.
 
However, that's where I think this game can improve on. Outside of general defense, PVP, survival, preservation - the game lacks in stuff to strive for once you can take care of yourself in a routinely manner.
 
To be clear, this is not a discussion about difficulty. You guys are on the right track in that department. This is a discussion about things you can afford to work on once you get well-off. Stuff for late-game players to strive for.
 
I'm talking about players finally having the time to worry about cleaning up the place. I'm not talking about mopping up blood after a fight. I'm talking about dealing with those cracks in the walls. I'm talking about maybe making a flower garden. I'm talking about a way to get your lights back on without a stockpile of gasoline.
 
Topics to Consider.
 
Decaying World.
 
Already you can cut your grass. That's great. But you need to be able to prevent your safe, untouched home from looking like it came out of the Last of Us.
 
Currently, ingame, it does not take as anywhere close to as long as it realistically should for vegetation to take over. One year in real life may be enough time for your front yard to look like your average field, but it's nowhere near enough time for your walls to crack, and your hardwood floors to break apart.
 
My proposal:
At the very least, have a method of prevention to stop sturdy walls and floors from cracking.
 
Decaying floors and walls realistically need to take years - decades - to get to the level they reach in 6 months ingame. Anyone who has lived in the same house for more than a decade can confirm that they likely never had to replace their brick walls because cracks never randomly started appearing. Hardwood floors especially are durable.
 
Proper flooring and tile shouldn't crack up in that short a period that it currently does. Maybe link the model change to actual damage and wear more than it is a time-related thing?
 
Balance:
Sure, you could say that if you didn't make it something that happens soon, most players would not see the change at all. However the growth of removable vegetation should cover that front.
 
Worn-out, attacked homes should show the decay, not maintained ones that don't even have zed in them.
 
As this idea is not entirely linked to survival, it is important to note that people will work towards something they can stand back and feel proud of.
 
Multiple Ways to Keep the Lights On.
 
Gas-powered generators, in their current state, are very finite in function. 10 or so gas cans filled to the brim, storage difficulty aside, aren't enough to keep the generator going on a long-term scale. And when the power dies, so does the pumps.
 
My proposal:
Siphoning gas out of tanks. Renewable energy.
 
There has been discussion of Solar Panels as a realistic possibility. If you have the experience and can figure out where the solar panels would be in the 90s, having a small fleet of these could potentially be your answer to keeping the lights on months after you get set up and the zed population gets down. 
 
Another option is to go with siphoning, as suggested in a previous thread. It would be a good way to get gas later on, as it would be abundant in the station tanks with the amount of daily drivers tanking downward in the case of an apocalypse.
 
Balance:
Consider this, there can and will be players who get into the 'years' category of survival and get to a point where zed might not even be considered a threat. And there will be players who drain all of the gas out of everything. Some players play with zed respawn turned off as well, they should be considered in this as well.
 
From the get-go when the power turns off, this shouldn't be an easy thing to just prop up. But it would give late-game players something to work for. Tank siphoning should require time and effort to do, and much more so for renewable energy. A single solar panel couldn't power a fridge if you tied it to a loom and whipped it, but a fleet of them might. So there is the time and effort needed there to make a setup work.
 
Keep in mind that electricity for the most part is considered a luxury in the survival world, not necessary but it is something that people look at as a reminder of society.
 
Planting.
 
Outside of crops, we should look at the ability to plant trees and flowers. Now these things take time to grow, so this would be a 'novelty' thing rather than a way to make surviving easier by any means.
 
Proposal:
Plant pretty flowers to make the place look nice. Plant trees, for either visuals for your backyard, or to help keep the forest thick.
 
Balance:
This should not be something that is to be taken as 'grow your own wood supply' by any means. The length of time required for trees to grow should be a long while, far too long for it to be a calculated 'easy way' for wood. Most of the intention here is for visuals, making an elaborate garden could give late-game players another thing to look forward to doing.
 
---
 
...More topics will come to this thread as this gets discussed...
 
So, what do you guys think?
 
Something for late-game survivors to work for.
 
Hopefully I represented my point in a proper manner, I am a tad tired at the time of writing this.

TL;DR This thread highlights the need for end-game novelty things to work on, and generally stuff for late-game players to work on once survival is generally 'taken care of'. Either way there will be players who 'get to that point' no matter how the difficulty is tweaked, so please consider that when reading over this thread. This thread is not about difficulty and is not to be associated with such.
 
This is not an 'idea compilation', this is a general point of view on late-game topics that I feel the devs should consider outside of the regular old 'survival' aspect of the game.
 
Introduction
 
Now, I'm going to level with all of you. This game, for the average person that picks it up and plays it for the first time, surviving a year is not exactly feasible.
 
However, for the people that put hours in and out for this game - the line there shifts as you get used to what you are playing.
 
You get your routine down, you get your base together, your group together. You build walls. You get patrols. You find what food and water source you plan to rely on. You get your character multi-talented and versed in various survival methods. You can live independently. You are in the process of rebuilding a community. All of a sudden, you realize you are 2 years in and you realize that you aren't entirely sure what you can work for.
 
However, that's where I think this game can improve on. Outside of general defense, PVP, survival, preservation - the game lacks in stuff to strive for once you can take care of yourself in a routinely manner.
 
To be clear, this is not a discussion about difficulty. You guys are on the right track in that department. This is a discussion about things you can afford to work on once you get well-off. Stuff for late-game players to strive for.
 
I'm talking about players finally having the time to worry about cleaning up the place. I'm not talking about mopping up blood after a fight. I'm talking about dealing with those cracks in the walls. I'm talking about maybe making a flower garden. I'm talking about a way to get your lights back on without a stockpile of gasoline.
 
Topics to Consider.
 
Decaying World.
 
Already you can cut your grass. That's great. But you need to be able to prevent your safe, untouched home from looking like it came out of the Last of Us.
 
Currently, ingame, it does not take as anywhere close to as long as it realistically should for vegetation to take over. One year in real life may be enough time for your front yard to look like your average field, but it's nowhere near enough time for your walls to crack, and your hardwood floors to break apart.
 
My proposal:
At the very least, have a method of prevention to stop sturdy walls and floors from cracking.
 
Decaying floors and walls realistically need to take years - decades - to get to the level they reach in 6 months ingame. Anyone who has lived in the same house for more than a decade can confirm that they likely never had to replace their brick walls because cracks never randomly started appearing. Hardwood floors especially are durable.
 
Proper flooring and tile shouldn't crack up in that short a period that it currently does. Maybe link the model change to actual damage and wear more than it is a time-related thing?
 
Balance:
Sure, you could say that if you didn't make it something that happens soon, most players would not see the change at all. However the growth of removable vegetation should cover that front.
 
Worn-out, attacked homes should show the decay, not maintained ones that don't even have zed in them.
 
As this idea is not entirely linked to survival, it is important to note that people will work towards something they can stand back and feel proud of.
 
Multiple Ways to Keep the Lights On.
 
Gas-powered generators, in their current state, are very finite in function. 10 or so gas cans filled to the brim, storage difficulty aside, aren't enough to keep the generator going on a long-term scale. And when the power dies, so does the pumps.
 
My proposal:
Siphoning gas out of tanks. Renewable energy.
 
There has been discussion of Solar Panels as a realistic possibility. If you have the experience and can figure out where the solar panels would be in the 90s, having a small fleet of these could potentially be your answer to keeping the lights on months after you get set up and the zed population gets down. 
 
Another option is to go with siphoning, as suggested in a previous thread. It would be a good way to get gas later on, as it would be abundant in the station tanks with the amount of daily drivers tanking downward in the case of an apocalypse.
 
Balance:
Consider this, there can and will be players who get into the 'years' category of survival and get to a point where zed might not even be considered a threat. And there will be players who drain all of the gas out of everything. Some players play with zed respawn turned off as well, they should be considered in this as well.
 
From the get-go when the power turns off, this shouldn't be an easy thing to just prop up. But it would give late-game players something to work for. Tank siphoning should require time and effort to do, and much more so for renewable energy. A single solar panel couldn't power a fridge if you tied it to a loom and whipped it, but a fleet of them might. So there is the time and effort needed there to make a setup work.
 
Keep in mind that electricity for the most part is considered a luxury in the survival world, not necessary but it is something that people look at as a reminder of society.
 
Planting.
 
Outside of crops, we should look at the ability to plant trees and flowers. Now these things take time to grow, so this would be a 'novelty' thing rather than a way to make surviving easier by any means.
 
Proposal:
Plant pretty flowers to make the place look nice. Plant trees, for either visuals for your backyard, or to help keep the forest thick.
 
Balance:
This should not be something that is to be taken as 'grow your own wood supply' by any means. The length of time required for trees to grow should be a long while, far too long for it to be a calculated 'easy way' for wood. Most of the intention here is for visuals, making an elaborate garden could give late-game players another thing to look forward to doing.
 
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...More topics will come to this thread as this gets discussed...
 
So, what do you guys think?
 
Something for late-game survivors to work for.
 
Hopefully I represented my point in a proper manner, I am a tad tired at the time of writing this.