Have you tossed around the idea of some real survival tools recently? It'd be nice to see a machete, hatchet, and a combat knife/pocket knife since those are really the true basis of wilderness survival and still found commonly in or around the home. Curious to know if we'll see anything like that soon.
I think it would be good to add a few smoke houses at camps in the forest along the river where you could go fishing and smoke the fish to preserve them. you should be able to make a home made smoke house that functions less efficient.
2. Easier saving.
It get very annoying having to ex- out to save which I do often in fear of losing data is the game crashes. Maybe saving in the in came option menu (the one where you press ESC.)
3. signs of past military intervention.
Abandoned tanks (unusable) Crashed and abandoned Military vehicles. (your choice if usable). Zombies with Military uniforms. Raiders with Military uniforms. Also helicopters crashes into buildings and streets. Military evacuation orders and directions that can be found in many places like desks, drawers, in cars.
4. Car crashes and highway pile-ups in countryside stretching for miles.
I think somewhere you said in a later update you would ad cars. Highway pile-ups would bring zombies, survivors and action into many of the dull roads that head out of town. It would make sense as people would flee in the early days. Also in the towns, cars crashed into poles, walls and other cars. Also cars pinning Zombies to walls!
5. saving npcs and making survivor bases.
You could find a woman trapped in her car surrounded by zombies in the middle of a lonely country road, save an old man from a burning house, Rescue a collage student from a car crash. Then you could have the option to let them join you in your safe house. And maybe as you recruit people you may end up with a fully fledged base with survivors in the double didgits all with their own jobs.
6. Mountains, hills, hunting camps, campgrounds, improved countryside/nature/forest system. LAKES, RIVERS, BOATS,isolated mountain cabins and lake cabins.
Just plain simple. Add more to all that spare counrtyside.
7. more special buildings.
Museums, Bunkers, Prison , Golf club,
8. Signs of past human activity.
Maybe a safehouse overrun, Or an abandoned safehouse, barricaded and stockpiles. Post zombie apocalypse graffiti on buildings (By gangs) Walls full of missing person posters
9.Sanity.
You can go insane.
10.Secret Compartments
Hidden places to stare items. (In a hollow wall, under a floorboard.)
11. Slower axe depletion
The current rate is unrealistic, nuff said
12.Burgular alarm go when the power goes. Less of them aswell.