lysergic

I think two things could help.
 
First, and this is the big one: NPC's.  Having to manage a group and keep it together and keep everyone alive, dealing with people dying in their sleep and turning, trying to go from a scrappy group of survivors trying to scavenge to a town (instead of just building a base for yourself and calling it a day).  Especially if there are things like wildlife (hunting and hostile wildlife like packs of wolves) and raiders.
 
Second, more infrastructure-style buildings.  The power and water failure should be more than just an on/off switch for the whole world.  There should be power plants and distribution stations near the towns, water pumping and purifying centers, etc.  Stuff that would be too much for a single person to fix up by themselves, but for a big group of survivors (player + NPC's or MP groups) with fully leveled skills could be good endgame goals: fixing up, maintaining, and controlling things like power, water, rail systems, etc.
 
If they go that route, they can also expand out the construction / metalworking skill with foundries and machine shops / fabrication shops that you can clear out and control (to make stuff like replacement parts when stuff breaks - either to use themselves or sell to groups that control the infrastructure).

I think two things could help.
 
First, and this is the big one: NPC's.  Having to manage a group and keep it together and keep everyone alive, dealing with people dying in their sleep and turning, trying to go from a scrappy group of survivors trying to scavenge to a town (instead of just building a base for yourself and calling it a day).  Especially if there are things like wildlife (hunting and hostile wildlife like packs of wolves) and raiders.
 
Second, more infrastructure-style buildings.  The power and water failure should be more than just an on/off switch for the whole world.  There should be power plants and distribution stations near the towns, water pumping and purifying centers, etc.  Stuff that would be too much for a single person to fix up by themselves, but for a big group of survivors (player + NPC's or MP groups) with fully leveled skills could be good endgame goals: fixing up, maintaining, and controlling things like power, water, rail systems, etc.
 
If they go that route, they can also expand out the construction / metalworking skill with foundries and machine shops / fabrication shops that you can clear out and control (to make stuff like replacement parts when stuff breaks - either to use themselves or sell to groups that control the infrastructure).

I think two things could help.
 
First, and this is the big one: NPC's.  Having to manage a group and keep it together and keep everyone alive, dealing with people dying in their sleep and turning, trying to go from a scrappy group of survivors trying to scavenge to a town (instead of just building a base for yourself and calling it a day).  Especially if there are things like wildlife (hunting and hostile wildlife like packs of wolves) and raiders.
 
Second, more infrastructure-style buildings.  The power and water failure should be more than just an on/off switch for the whole world.  There should be power plants and distribution stations near the towns, water pumping and purifying centers, etc.  Stuff that would be too much for a single person to fix up by themselves, but for a big group of survivors (player + NPC's or MP groups) with fully leveled skills could be good endgame goals: fixing up, maintaining, and controlling things like power, water, rail systems, etc.
 
If they go that route, they can also expand out the construction / metalworking skill with foundries and machine shops / fabrication shops that you can clear out and control (to make stuff like replacement parts when stuff breaks - either to use themselves or sell to groups that control the infrastructure).

I think two things could help.
 
First, and this is the big one: NPC's.  Having to manage a group and keep it together and keep everyone alive, dealing with people dying in their sleep and turning, trying to go from a scrappy group of survivors trying to scavenge to a town (instead of just building a base for yourself and calling it a day).  Especially if there are things like wildlife (hunting and hostile wildlife like packs of wolves) and raiders.
 
Second, more infrastructure-style buildings.  The power and water failure should be more than just an on/off switch for the whole world.  There should be power plants and distribution stations near the towns, water pumping and purifying centers, etc.  Stuff that would be too much for a single person to fix up by themselves, but for a big group of survivors (player + NPC's or MP groups) with fully leveled skills could be good endgame goals: fixing up, maintaining, and controlling things like power, water, rail systems, etc.
 
If they go that route, they can also expand out the construction / metalworking skill with foundries and machine shops / fabrication shops that you can clear out and control (to make stuff like replacement parts when stuff breaks - either to use themselves or sell to groups that control the infrastructure).

I think two things could help.
 
First, and this is the big one: NPC's.  Having to manage a group and keep it together and keep everyone alive, dealing with people dying in their sleep and turning, trying to go from a scrappy group of survivors trying to scavenge to a town (instead of just building a base for yourself and calling it a day).  Especially if there are things like wildlife (hunting and hostile wildlife like packs of wolves) and raiders.
 
Second, more infrastructure-style buildings.  The power and water failure should be more than just an on/off switch for the whole world.  There should be power plants and distribution stations near the towns, water pumping and purifying centers, etc.  Stuff that would be too much for a single person to fix up by themselves, but for a big group of survivors (player + NPC's or MP groups) with fully leveled skills could be good endgame goals: fixing up, maintaining, and controlling things like power, water, rail systems, etc.
 
If they go that route, they can also expand out the construction / metalworking skill with foundries and machine shops / fabrication shops that you can clear out and control (to make stuff like replacement parts when stuff breaks - either to use themselves or sell to groups that control the infrastructure).

Small QOL suggestion (I'm sure this is coming in a future patch, but worth pointing out just in case):
 
It would be super nice if the presets for a Custom game matched the three new game modes (Surviver, Brawler, Builder).  They still use the preset values for the old Survival difficulty levels.  Wanted to start with Brawler but tweak a few things, and found I wasn't able to yet.
 
Also seconding the suggestion to be able to save our starting clothing / character options as a preset so we can quickly remake our characters (now that we die so often!  xP).

Small QOL suggestion (I'm sure this is coming in a future patch, but worth pointing out just in case):
 
It would be super nice if the presets for a Custom game matched the three new game modes (Surviver, Brawler, Builder).  They still use the preset values for the old Survival difficulty levels.  Wanted to start with Brawler but tweak a few things, and found I wasn't able to yet.
 
Also seconding the suggestion to be able to save our starting clothing / character options as a preset so we can quickly remake our characters (now that we die so often!  xP).

Small QOL suggestion (I'm sure this is coming in a future patch, but worth pointing out just in case):
 
It would be super nice if the presets for a Custom game matched the three new game modes (Surviver, Brawler, Builder).  They still use the preset values for the old Survival difficulty levels.  Wanted to start with Brawler but tweak a few things, and found I wasn't able to yet.
 
Also seconding the suggestion to be able to save our starting clothing / character options as a preset so we can quickly remake our characters (now that we die so often!  xP).

id love to see a cursor like either of these

This is a neat idea, though I'm not sure about this bit:
 
 
I love the idea of combat being a coordinated effort, but from a gameplay perspective, I can't see it being very fun to be in a windowless weapons room pressing a button whenever your teammate radios down to you.  Wouldn't really be satisfying, imo.
 
Having players be members of the bridge crew would be more fun, though I'm sure everyone would gravitate towards weapons officer or security or pilot as opposed to, say, communications officer or catering or whatnot.  xD

Agreed that there are tons of cars in the US, and fuel is common enough that I doubt you'd ever get into a situation where it'd be terribly scarce (i.e. you could always siphon from abandoned cars, siphon from gas stations - though they'd be the first to run out - or simply loot it, since I know quite a few people who keep a bit of spare gas at their house).
 
I think people worrying about balance with cars are being a bit silly.  I mean, think about it.  Has anyone in here ever BEEN in a situation where there was a mass evacuation and panic?  I lived in New Orleans during Katrina and got to evacuate with everyone else.  The interstate was essentially a giant parking lot and it took hours to get out.  Every street from the moment we left our house to when we arrived in Houston was intensely congested.
 
You would definitely have to deal with that in a zombie apocalypse, but with the addition that walking corpses would be coming up and turning the congested freeways into an all-you-can-eat buffet.  In other words, the idea that after a huge catastrophe with the accompanying evacuation ANYONE would be able to hop into a car and rampage about town GTA-style, running over zombies and enjoying the free, open road is just ludicrous.
 
A)  You wouldn't be able to go a block without having something in your way (crashed cars, abandoned cars, etc.).  That means no 100-mph-zombie-horde-ramming.  Just wouldn't happen.  You'd have to go through the entire town with a crew and push empty vehicles out of the way to clear the roads first.
 
And
 
B)  As has already been pointed out, cars aren't very tough.  They dent easily, they don't really fare well in collisions...  Hell, a buddy of mine TOTALED his car by hitting a deer late at night.  Now imagine a crowd of 20 zombies.
 
And if you're worried that you can simply swerve out of the way, cars don't handle very well off-road unless they're designed for it.  Moreover, once that zombie crowd gets AROUND your car, game over.  Seriously.  It doesn't take much to stop a car.  Don't believe me?
 
http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-mercedes-cl65-amg-car-review_694484.htm
 
Skip to around the 7:00 minute mark to see 8 dudes win in tug of war against a Mercedes CL65.  Now imagine you're in something you might actually find on the street (like a Honda Civic).
 
The best part of having cars in the game would be a mobile container / secure bed.  Other than that, I'm not terribly worried that cars will turn the game into some free-for-all GTA rampage.
 
One final note, just because there are cars everywhere doesn't mean that you'll be able to hop in one and take off.
 
Again, just think:  You're on the interstate, during the evacuation.  You're in your car.  You hear screams up ahead.  You turn the car off, grab your keys, and hop out to see what's going on.  You see a horde coming to you, and take off running.
 
Some dude later finds your car.  Except... you ran off with the keys months ago, and are probably a zombie wandering into the next state by now.  Unless the dude is a professional car thief who can hotwire a car without ruining it (since modern cars have anti-theft systems SPECIFICALLY designed to make it difficult to hotwire a car - it's not like a movie where you just stick a screwdriver in the ignition, give it a turn, and go), then you'd better start checking corpses for car keys.
 
You don't need to have every car you encounter randomly have a bad spark plug.  That would be silly, unrealistic, and unnecessary.  All you need is a key item linked to the car.  Some cars will still have keys in the ignition (or maybe in a drawer in the house they're parked outside of), but most cars that you find randomly out and about will be locked up tight with the keys far away.
 
And I imagine that you'll spend enough time having to fix up your car (once you find the keys to it) that having every car by default have something wrong with it is unnecessarily annoying.  Trust me, they'll break down plenty after you drive them around a bit.  It's not like there'll be road crews filling in pot holes - get ready for broken tire rods galore.

Just because I have to deal with rush hour traffic, paying for gas, and the potential for wrecks in REAL life doesn't mean that cars don't make my life easier.

Agreed that there are tons of cars in the US, and fuel is common enough that I doubt you'd ever get into a situation where it'd be terribly scarce (i.e. you could always siphon from abandoned cars, siphon from gas stations - though they'd be the first to run out - or simply loot it, since I know quite a few people who keep a bit of spare gas at their house).
 
I think people worrying about balance with cars are being a bit silly.  I mean, think about it.  Has anyone in here ever BEEN in a situation where there was a mass evacuation and panic?  I lived in New Orleans during Katrina and got to evacuate with everyone else.  The interstate was essentially a giant parking lot and it took hours to get out.  Every street from the moment we left our house to when we arrived in Houston was intensely congested.
 
You would definitely have to deal with that in a zombie apocalypse, but with the addition that walking corpses would be coming up and turning the congested freeways into an all-you-can-eat buffet.  In other words, the idea that after a huge catastrophe with the accompanying evacuation ANYONE would be able to hop into a car and rampage about town GTA-style, running over zombies and enjoying the free, open road is just ludicrous.
 
A)  You wouldn't be able to go a block without having something in your way (crashed cars, abandoned cars, etc.).  That means no 100-mph-zombie-horde-ramming.  Just wouldn't happen.  You'd have to go through the entire town with a crew and push empty vehicles out of the way to clear the roads first.
 
And
 
B)  As has already been pointed out, cars aren't very tough.  They dent easily, they don't really fare well in collisions...  Hell, a buddy of mine TOTALED his car by hitting a deer late at night.  Now imagine a crowd of 20 zombies.
 
And if you're worried that you can simply swerve out of the way, cars don't handle very well off-road unless they're designed for it.  Moreover, once that zombie crowd gets AROUND your car, game over.  Seriously.  It doesn't take much to stop a car.  Don't believe me?
 
http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-mercedes-cl65-amg-car-review_694484.htm
 
Skip to around the 7:00 minute mark to see 8 dudes win in tug of war against a Mercedes CL65.  Now imagine you're in something you might actually find on the street (like a Honda Civic).
 
The best part of having cars in the game would be a mobile container / secure bed.  Other than that, I'm not terribly worried that cars will turn the game into some free-for-all GTA rampage.
 
One final note, just because there are cars everywhere doesn't mean that you'll be able to hop in one and take off.
 
Again, just think:  You're on the interstate, during the evacuation.  You're in your car.  You hear screams up ahead.  You turn the car off, grab your keys, and hop out to see what's going on.  You see a horde coming to you, and take off running.
 
Some dude later finds your car.  Except... you ran off with the keys months ago, and are probably a zombie wandering into the next state by now.  Unless the dude is a professional car thief who can hotwire a car without ruining it (since modern cars have anti-theft systems SPECIFICALLY designed to make it difficult to hotwire a car - it's not like a movie where you just stick a screwdriver in the ignition, give it a turn, and go), then you'd better start checking corpses for car keys.
 
You don't need to have every car you encounter randomly have a bad spark plug.  That would be silly, unrealistic, and unnecessary.  All you need is a key item linked to the car.  Some cars will still have keys in the ignition (or maybe in a drawer in the house they're parked outside of), but most cars that you find randomly out and about will be locked up tight with the keys far away.
 
And I imagine that you'll spend enough time having to fix up your car (once you find the keys to it) that having every car by default have something wrong with it is unnecessarily annoying.  Trust me, they'll break down plenty after you drive them around a bit.  It's not like there'll be road crews filling in pot holes - get ready for broken tire rods galore.

Agreed that there are tons of cars in the US, and fuel is common enough that I doubt you'd ever get into a situation where it'd be terribly scarce (i.e. you could always siphon from abandoned cars, siphon from gas stations - though they'd be the first to run out - or simply loot it, since I know quite a few people who keep a bit of spare gas at their house).
 
I think people worrying about balance with cars are being a bit silly.  I mean, think about it.  Has anyone in here ever BEEN in a situation where there was a mass evacuation and panic?  I lived in New Orleans during Katrina and got to evacuate with everyone else.  The interstate was essentially a giant parking lot and it took hours to get out.  Every street from the moment we left our house to when we arrived in Houston was intensely congested.
 
You would definitely have to deal with that in a zombie apocalypse, but with the addition that walking corpses would be coming up and turning the congested freeways into an all-you-can-eat buffet.  In other words, the idea that after a huge catastrophe with the accompanying evacuation ANYONE would be able to hop into a car and rampage about town GTA-style, running over zombies and enjoying the free, open road is just ludicrous.
 
A)  You wouldn't be able to go a block without having something in your way (crashed cars, abandoned cars, etc.).  That means no 100-mph-zombie-horde-ramming.  Just wouldn't happen.  You'd have to go through the entire town with a crew and push empty vehicles out of the way to clear the roads first.
 
And
 
B)  As has already been pointed out, cars aren't very tough.  They dent easily, they don't really fare well in collisions...  Hell, a buddy of mine TOTALED his car by hitting a deer late at night.  Now imagine a crowd of 20 zombies.
 
And if you're worried that you can simply swerve out of the way, cars don't handle very well off-road unless they're designed for it.  Moreover, once that zombie crowd gets AROUND your car, game over.  Seriously.  It doesn't take much to stop a car.  Don't believe me?
 
http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-mercedes-cl65-amg-car-review_694484.htm
 
Skip to around the 7:00 minute mark to see 8 dudes win in tug of war against a Mercedes CL65.  Now imagine you're in something you might actually find on the street (like a Honda Civic).
 
The best part of having cars in the game would be a mobile container / secure bed.  Other than that, I'm not terribly worried that cars will turn the game into some free-for-all GTA rampage.
 
One final note, just because there are cars everywhere doesn't mean that you'll be able to hop in one and take off.
 
Again, just think:  You're on the interstate, during the evacuation.  You're in your car.  You hear screams up ahead.  You turn the car off, grab your keys, and hop out to see what's going on.  You see a horde coming to you, and take off running.
 
Some dude later finds your car.  Except... you ran off with the keys months ago, and are probably a zombie wandering into the next state by now.  Unless the dude is a professional car thief who can hotwire a car without ruining it (since modern cars have anti-theft systems SPECIFICALLY designed to make it difficult to hotwire a car - it's not like a movie where you just stick a screwdriver in the ignition, give it a turn, and go), then you'd better start checking corpses for car keys.
 
You don't need to have every car you encounter randomly have a bad spark plug.  That would be silly, unrealistic, and unnecessary.  All you need is a key item linked to the car.  Some cars will still have keys in the ignition (or maybe in a drawer in the house they're parked outside of), but most cars that you find randomly out and about will be locked up tight with the keys far away.
 
And I imagine that you'll spend enough time having to fix up your car (once you find the keys to it) that having every car by default have something wrong with it is unnecessarily annoying.  Trust me, they'll break down plenty after you drive them around a bit.  It's not like there'll be road crews filling in pot holes - get ready for broken tire rods galore.

Agreed that there are tons of cars in the US, and fuel is common enough that I doubt you'd ever get into a situation where it'd be terribly scarce (i.e. you could always siphon from abandoned cars, siphon from gas stations - though they'd be the first to run out - or simply loot it, since I know quite a few people who keep a bit of spare gas at their house).
 
I think people worrying about balance with cars are being a bit silly.  I mean, think about it.  Has anyone in here ever BEEN in a situation where there was a mass evacuation and panic?  I lived in New Orleans during Katrina and got to evacuate with everyone else.  The interstate was essentially a giant parking lot and it took hours to get out.  Every street from the moment we left our house to when we arrived in Houston was intensely congested.
 
You would definitely have to deal with that in a zombie apocalypse, but with the addition that walking corpses would be coming up and turning the congested freeways into an all-you-can-eat buffet.  In other words, the idea that after a huge catastrophe with the accompanying evacuation ANYONE would be able to hop into a car and rampage about town GTA-style, running over zombies and enjoying the free, open road is just ludicrous.
 
A)  You wouldn't be able to go a block without having something in your way (crashed cars, abandoned cars, etc.).  That means no 100-mph-zombie-horde-ramming.  Just wouldn't happen.  You'd have to go through the entire town with a crew and push empty vehicles out of the way to clear the roads first.
 
And
 
B)  As has already been pointed out, cars aren't very tough.  They dent easily, they don't really fare well in collisions...  Hell, a buddy of mine TOTALED his car by hitting a deer late at night.  Now imagine a crowd of 20 zombies.
 
And if you're worried that you can simply swerve out of the way, cars don't handle very well off-road unless they're designed for it.  Moreover, once that zombie crowd gets AROUND your car, game over.  Seriously.  It doesn't take much to stop a car.  Don't believe me?
 
http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-mercedes-cl65-amg-car-review_694484.htm
 
Skip to around the 7:00 minute mark to see 8 dudes win in tug of war against a Mercedes CL65.  Now imagine you're in something you might actually find on the street (like a Honda Civic).
 
The best part of having cars in the game would be a mobile container / secure bed.  Other than that, I'm not terribly worried that cars will turn the game into some free-for-all GTA rampage.
 
One final note, just because there are cars everywhere doesn't mean that you'll be able to hop in one and take off.
 
Again, just think:  You're on the interstate, during the evacuation.  You're in your car.  You hear screams up ahead.  You turn the car off, grab your keys, and hop out to see what's going on.  You see a horde coming to you, and take off running.
 
Some dude later finds your car.  Except... you ran off with the keys months ago, and are probably a zombie wandering into the next state by now.  Unless the dude is a professional car thief who can hotwire a car without ruining it (since modern cars have anti-theft systems SPECIFICALLY designed to make it difficult to hotwire a car - it's not like a movie where you just stick a screwdriver in the ignition, give it a turn, and go), then you'd better start checking corpses for car keys.
 
You don't need to have every car you encounter randomly have a bad spark plug.  That would be silly, unrealistic, and unnecessary.  All you need is a key item linked to the car.  Some cars will still have keys in the ignition (or maybe in a drawer in the house they're parked outside of), but most cars that you find randomly out and about will be locked up tight with the keys far away.
 
And I imagine that you'll spend enough time having to fix up your car (once you find the keys to it) that having every car by default have something wrong with it is unnecessarily annoying.  Trust me, they'll break down plenty after you drive them around a bit.  It's not like there'll be road crews filling in pot holes - get ready for broken tire rods galore.

Agreed that there are tons of cars in the US, and fuel is common enough that I doubt you'd ever get into a situation where it'd be terribly scarce (i.e. you could always siphon from abandoned cars, siphon from gas stations - though they'd be the first to run out - or simply loot it, since I know quite a few people who keep a bit of spare gas at their house).
 
I think people worrying about balance with cars are being a bit silly.  I mean, think about it.  Has anyone in here ever BEEN in a situation where there was a mass evacuation and panic?  I lived in New Orleans during Katrina and got to evacuate with everyone else.  The interstate was essentially a giant parking lot and it took hours to get out.  Every street from the moment we left our house to when we arrived in Houston was intensely congested.
 
You would definitely have to deal with that in a zombie apocalypse, but with the addition that walking corpses would be coming up and turning the congested freeways into an all-you-can-eat buffet.  In other words, the idea that after a huge catastrophe with the accompanying evacuation ANYONE would be able to hop into a car and rampage about town GTA-style, running over zombies and enjoying the free, open road is just ludicrous.
 
A)  You wouldn't be able to go a block without having something in your way (crashed cars, abandoned cars, etc.).  That means no 100-mph-zombie-horde-ramming.  Just wouldn't happen.  You'd have to go through the entire town with a crew and push empty vehicles out of the way to clear the roads first.
 
And
 
B)  As has already been pointed out, cars aren't very tough.  They dent easily, they don't really fare well in collisions...  Hell, a buddy of mine TOTALED his car by hitting a deer late at night.  Now imagine a crowd of 20 zombies.
 
And if you're worried that you can simply swerve out of the way, cars don't handle very well off-road unless they're designed for it.  Moreover, once that zombie crowd gets AROUND your car, game over.  Seriously.  It doesn't take much to stop a car.  Don't believe me?
 
http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-mercedes-cl65-amg-car-review_694484.htm
 
Skip to around the 7:00 minute mark to see 8 dudes win in tug of war against a Mercedes CL65.  Now imagine you're in something you might actually find on the street (like a Honda Civic).
 
The best part of having cars in the game would be a mobile container / secure bed.  Other than that, I'm not terribly worried that cars will turn the game into some free-for-all GTA rampage.
 
One final note, just because there are cars everywhere doesn't mean that you'll be able to hop in one and take off.
 
Again, just think:  You're on the interstate, during the evacuation.  You're in your car.  You hear screams up ahead.  You turn the car off, grab your keys, and hop out to see what's going on.  You see a horde coming to you, and take off running.
 
Some dude later finds your car.  Except... you ran off with the keys months ago, and are probably a zombie wandering into the next state by now.  Unless the dude is a professional car thief who can hotwire a car without ruining it (since modern cars have anti-theft systems SPECIFICALLY designed to make it difficult to hotwire a car - it's not like a movie where you just stick a screwdriver in the ignition, give it a turn, and go), then you'd better start checking corpses for car keys.
 
You don't need to have every car you encounter randomly have a bad spark plug.  That would be silly, unrealistic, and unnecessary.  All you need is a key item linked to the car.  Some cars will still have keys in the ignition (or maybe in a drawer in the house they're parked outside of), but most cars that you find randomly out and about will be locked up tight with the keys far away.
 
And I imagine that you'll spend enough time having to fix up your car (once you find the keys to it) that having every car by default have something wrong with it is unnecessarily annoying.  Trust me, they'll break down plenty after you drive them around a bit.  It's not like there'll be road crews filling in pot holes - get ready for broken tire rods galore.