I got this idea while watching a Let's Play of PZ. Have any of you played Dead Island? Maybe even Dead Rising (1-3)? Did you notice how the characters are, at first, terrified and fight for survival, but soon it becomes second nature to them? How, in Dead Island, they're disgusted at they slice the undead apart but soon just go about it like it's their job? Well, that's what I feel should be added to PZ. Think about it, you've killed 6000 zombies, you've survived for well over a year and you've (when they're added) seen your friends torn apart and had to put them and other human beings down permantly... Yet you still get panicked when you see a zombie 100 yards off. It doesn't make sense, does it? Simply put, we should have a length of time where Panic decays at a faster rate, then another when it decays faster still, till eventually you're steeled enough to punch zombies in the face without a care in the world. Another idea would be to have NPCs, when implimented, to change as well. Have people snap when things end badly. Would Steve really be fine watching his wife be eaten alive? Can Lisa really handle the moans of the undead anymore? Are you certain giving Alex, the mentally unstable prison escapee, a shotgun? Humans can be strong or fickle and a zombie world will, at some point, push someone to show their true colours. Maybe the sweet church going Anna will try to kill you when food runs low, maybe the ex-con artist Alan will sacrifice himself when the safe house is breached and hold the line while you and the others run from his screams of pain. Imagine the impact these events could have on the player, watching the person you trust most backstab you for their own survival or the person you distrust saving your life against terrible odds. Finally, what about the world itself? It's true, odds are you will die and come back as a zombie or be picked clean by them... But surely not everything can remain the same forever? Imagine if zombies accidentally sparked fires as they lumber around like fools, imagine returning to the safe house only to see a car smash through it, the driver zombified, killing everyone you knew and leaving you alone as the alarm of the car and the flicking fires lure the horde towards you. While likely a very distant thing for the future, the concept of these dramas, of these world changing impacts, could add untold amounts of realism and humanity to the game. Perhaps even out actions, like walking away from a friend in need, could make the character colder to the world, giving combat advantages but also social disadvantages. PZ can be made so that every single aspect of our actions, of other peoples actions as well should multiplayer become an option, cause drops in the ocean to become tidal waves in the future. But right now, making out character calmer after the 1000th day of survival is what matters. If we start with one small step towards realism, the rest could very well follow.
