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Right now, it's basically essential that we bash a million zombie heads in to survive, but it would be really cool if we could have other play styles. It would be awesome if we could actually sneak past zombies unnoticed and hide from them using our sneaking skill. - Making it so our sneaking skill affects our ability to camouflage ourselves from zombies would be great. If zombies can spot us from 5 miles away no matter what is not really that much fun for a sneaky play style. It would make the player much more encouraged to use and level the skill, instead of it just being there, looking pretty haha. - Sneaking into bushes should make us much less visible to the zombies. - Night time should greatly reduce zombie line of vision, just like it does ours. - Various weather conditions should have an effect on zombie vision. - Ability to go prone would also be really cool and immersive feature. It would be pretty realistic if it made us much harder to spot for the brainless zombies. Simply holding the sneak button would make us go prone instead of pressing it. - If we could go prone, we should be able to crawl under stuff to hide. Like beds or cars. What do you guys think? And by the way, I love the combat in this game. I just think making stealth better would be really cool!

Just like in the real life, sneaking barefooted should make you a bit more silent then while sneaking with shoes etc. on, right now sneaking on hard floor barefooted can get you a minor scratch on the feet and if you accidentally walk over glass shards it can cause a deep wound and slow you down a lot, both of them are already cool and dangerous hazards, but there should be a realistic benefit of walking barefoot like being a bit more silent. This is a simple suggestion based on real life. Pros of walking barefooted: become more silent Cons of walking barefooted: risk of minor or serious demage to feet - speed reduction from medium to large

I can't seem to find what toggles the movement states between walking, running, and sneaking/armed stance. Anybody know what they are? Or should I just modify the players walkspeed and multiply it by the appropriate skill level in getGlobalMovementMod, getSprintMod and force the animations to play?

I didn't see this in the common suggestions, though I would surprised if it has never been suggested... but here goes. Zombies are attracted by noise, we all know this. We can lure zombies to us by making noise, why not lure them away with the same concept. The easiest concept would be throwing a rock away into the bushes to draw the zombies over there. (You see that in all kinds of movies) The more ingenious ones would be noise making toys or bomb traps (though we could skip that one if it is too OP (which it probably is)) This could also lead to some crafting to tin cans with pebbles or some sort of alarm clock throwable, etc. Make sense? EDIT: Or if we go ALL kinds of crazy with this we could have remote activated noise makers to draw zombies to a target were we could pick them off from a high vantage point with a hunting rifle.

The Problem In Project Zomboid, the primary method of getting past zombies is engaging in combat, either with melee hits or with weapons such as firearms. The other option is to slowly sneak past them and avoid the zombies' line of sight. This is a good start for stealth mechanics, but it is definitely lacking. How Can the Game Improve in Respect to this Problem? Add throwable objects that produce a noise which pull nearby zombies towards it. Note: Would only work for zombies that have not yet locked onto the player. Two Types: Short Distraction - Rocks, glass bottles, etc. When thrown they produce a loud noise on impact. The zombies would them travel towards the point of impact, linger there for a short amount of time, and quickly begin to separate and diffuse. This allows just enough time for the player to sneak past. Prolonged Distraction - Airhorns. Combining air horns and scotch tape would create a makeshift device that can be thrown and used to pull zombies into another areas. The noise would continue to pull zombies for a prolonged amount of time. It would have the same effect as a triggered house alarm. This would allow players much more time to sneak around, but it would also attract distant zombies. Does it Make Sense for the Game? Stealth mechanics are important for a survivor. A survivor should never fire his or her weapon or engage a zombie unless it is absolutely necessary. This would allow players, especially those playing in sand box with ultra rare loot, to conserve ammunition and weapon durability. Being able to pull zombies away from your path or towards another area would be especially helpful in locations such as the mall. Is it worth the time and effort to develop? Adding this feature would allow players whole new strategies to taking on zombies and zombie hordes. It would not require any extreme overhauls, and most of the mechanics needed (throwing objects, zombie-attracting sound alarms) are already in game.

Sap guys ! I already made one of these on the old forums, I sadly didn't keep any trace of it. We might have lost some good suggestions/discussions in the process. Why a massive thread instead of multiple "unique suggestion" threads ? Simply because I don't want to spam threads and make some other interesting ones go down the list ; better have 1 thread I'll update than 15 new threads in which I'll get lost. I'll try to keep it as clear as possible and use a color code to point the importance of each suggestion (from "Distant future" to "needed ASAP" and "Confirmed"), keep in mind is all subjective. Those are not necessarily "new" ideas, some might be re-interpretations of other ideas or already planned features, pointing to things that are really needed (subjectively), some rebalancing ideas of already implemented features etc... There still are a few new suggestions tho. [fighting zombies] Spoiler The actual system is too easy/simple and could use a few simple mechanics to make it harder. It's actually still too easy to wreck a large amount of zombies with a melee weapon, It should be VERY DANGEROUS to fight more than a couple at the same time. A few ideas to rebalance it a bit and make it more consistent : Combat re-think http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/10978-combat-re-think-for-the-announced-big-rebalance-oflgbkybygt/ More consistent "zombie grab" and "meatier zombies" http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/10570-zombies-need-to-be-meatier/ Crawler's grab should have a high chance to make the player fall on the ground.If the player gets his leg grabbed by a crawler and try to move away from it without breaking it / killing the Z, there's a HIGH chance he will fall on the floor for a short amount of time, making him extremely vulnerable to any other close zombie(s) Same goes for sprinting next to a crawler, if he grabs you while you sprint -> you fall. Certain weapons having a chance to get stuck into zombies' skull"Bladed" and piercing weapons (axes, crowbars, knives, hammers?, nailed bats etc...) should have a chance to get stuck into skulls, maybe resulting in another fierce mashing of a key to get it unstuck before the next Z gets into the player's danger zone. If it's too dangerous and you can't get it unstuck in time, you'd have to leave it there and run away (and comeback later if you want to get it back) Weapon skills should have more "incidence"In its actual state, I'm pretty much never spending any point in any "combat skill tree", the lvl 0 is just way too efficient. If we grab an axe we're just the king of the Z world, 1 hit kill half of the time. The only weapon that makes me feel like a weak level 0 is the golfclub right now. DONE Being at arms lenght from a zombie is something you really don't want, being at arms lenght from 2 zombies is something that might get you killed. I think those suggestions might force the players to think twice before deciding to fight a group of Z, it will as well require a proper use of distance and timing (plus aiming, as always). Plus, with the new 3D characters, I think we might have some cool animations with those ;o [fighting non-zombies] Spoiler Well, with the multiplayer on the roll, this is pretty obvious an overhaul is planned, but here are a few ideas. (The 2 first ideas are kind of the same thing but with different mechanics)Lethal & Non-Lethal mods (I'll use that idea a lot in the future)This was my first suggestion on the old forums. In a RPG with moral choices like PZ, we should be able to decide if we want to knock someone out (and make him a hostage or something), just hurt him, or go for the kill. There could be chances that you fail tho... You wanted to keep him alive but that blow behind his head got him killed, or in the opposite, you wanted to kill him but failed to do so and he's now on the run with revenge on his mind. It should work as well for firearms, aiming vital parts or limbs. Player vs Player melee "Real time Turn by turn style." I know Lemmy loves TbTI was asking myself how to "simulate" a somewhat realistic fight between players without making it look like a swing fest until one of the 2 players dies (would work with NPC as well). It's still blurry in my head and hard to explain, but something along those lines. If you attack someone that is not ready to fight (ie. not holding RMB), you hit him, simple. If you attack someone holding RMB, the fight happens in a "turn by turn"-ish system, the must would be to have an "old Fallout VATS aiming style" as well. Basically the attacker gets the first turn, decides where he wants to aim (with a percentage of chances to hit : neck is harder to hit than chest, but the reward is higher etc...), and attacks while the defender decides if he wants to counter and fight or dodge and run away. Dices roll, calculations happen, taking into account players' weapons, skill with that weapon, moodles, strenght, traits etc... If no one died of a critial blow, the defender becomes the attacker and we start over until the fight reaches its end. Keep in mind this is an Isometric game, and any "action-game like" mechanism is unlikely to work in a satisfying manner imho. I think keeping a truely RPG fighting style is the way to go when it comes to PvP (or PvNPC) Turn by Turn "lockdown" should only happen for the players involved in the fight, all the other players can still do their stuff in real time. Would be cool to have an old school isometric rpg "fight animation", you know when the players are taking a fighting stance and swing into the air at each other, maybe moving around and making some noise ;o On second thoughts, nope. Shoot-outsThere already are plenty good threads with nice ideas about it, so I won't extend. Maybe I will later, if anything good and "new" comes to my mind. Traps for humans (suggestions for the future of traps)We all know traps are a planned feature, but we don't know how yet ! Lethal & Non-Lethal Traps for humans, different kind of traps (net trap, axe trap, shotgun trap, "hole in the ground" trap, "brick on your head" trap etc...)Ability to make efficient traps should be related to a particular skill (which one?)Traps should be active for people who don't know their locations (if this or that precise door/floor/window is trapped...)You should be able to warn your friendlies about the locations of your traps. Like you'd right click on someone > contextual menu > Tell location of traps, then he'll be able to walk pass them. [sneaking & Noise] Spoiler Louder noisesActual noises created by actions (opening doors/windows, breaking windows/doors, gunshots, building etc...) have a small radius. I think it should deserve a little radius enlargement ! Sneaking overhaul (ideas) :Separating sneaking (ctrl) from attacking ! numerous time I found myself sneaking past a group of zombies, and ended up hitting the door with my weapon because I was holding ctrl. [Confirmed]using furnitures & "map items" to hide yourself (under beds, in wardrobes, behind sofas, behind fences, behind cars when they're here etc...)maybe 2 or 3 different body positions ? Standing / crouching / crawling.Actions like opening doors & windows should make more noise in general, but we should have an alternate way that takes slightly longer time but make less noise (action + ctrl). Maybe even the opposite a Loud & Quick way when holding the sprint key."Map noises" (kind of related to sneaking) The idea comes from another thread, but that's what makes more sense to me :Bumping into furnitures should make noise (chairs grinding on the floor, things falling from tables/container if you run bump into them etc...) That will force the players to be careful when looting indoor if they don't want to alert nearby zombies (or other players !).Random "map related" noises, just like alarms but on less dramatic scales ! "Like no one would suspect that shelf isn't properly fixed to the wall and going through the books would break it, or that grabbing a knife on that messy table would make that bottle fall on the floor, or that a mess of tins and glass bottles was waiting for you behind that door, or even that the door hinges were old and would squeak like a scream in the night, or this window wasn't properly manufactured and would shut itself in a loud clapping noise, or the good old creaking stairs etc..."Same principle but outdoor : some more garbages scattered accross the street, broken glass, empty cans of food making noise if you step on them and send them rolling. [skills, Jobs, Traits] Spoiler Skills overhaul Suggestion that popped out of another thread : "It would be nice to see carpentry leveling not as a succession of craft-recipes unlocking over time but as an evolution of the quality of your work. Like, anyone could give a shot at building a rain barrel but a non-experienced guy would make it less hermetic (leaking), with a smaller capacity, maybe pretty weak and prone to break during storms or having its water contaminated by bacterias. Low level stairs could be ladder-ish stairs, slower to climb and weaker, prone to break under the weight of an heavy-loaded person etc... The more you level up, the better the quality of your work : thicker, more resistant, more efficient, more useful for harsh conditions. That could work for any crafting & surviving skills. A low level trapper would craft shitty traps with high risk of animals getting away, not weather resistant. the harder the trap is to build, the more chance you have to make a trap that barely works or doesn't work at all. A low level fisherman would craft weak fishing poles, bad hooks, and fish would get away way more often, except very small ones. When the electricity crafting comes in, you'd have high chances of making a circuit that cuts a lot, need more fuel, high risk of fire, power outage when rainy, or simply doesn't work if you try to craft something too complicated. etc..." Also good thread about carpentry : http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/10879-a-small-building-overhaul/ Specific knowledge & aptitudes should be open only to certain jobs. I think that would enforce the need to live in a community, so players can't do everything on their own, they could still survive alone, but comfort should come from groups. I had the idea thinking about medicine, only a doctor or someone with a prior medical formation should have access to the medical skill tree (when it's implemented), and it goes for a few jobs: -Doctors > access to medical skill tree -Construction worker > access to electric crafting (when it's implemented) + construction bonus -Park ranger > tracking skill tree / outdoors man + hunting bonus ? -Policeman > aiming bonus + ? -Farmer > Farming bonus + ? A few ideas for future jobs & traits, related to previous suggestion : -Outlaw > can start any car & force doors/windows with less noise -Comedian > social skills / makes people less depressed & bored -Cook > Cooking bonus -Other / player made job > bonus of +4 for choosing traits. -Sunday fisher +3 > fishing bonus -Guns nut +4 > aiming bonus -Amateur hunter +4 > tracking ability -Car nerd +4 > can start cars -Pedestrian for life -1/-2 > don't know how to drive -Musician +3 > can play instrument for moral & group moral -Boring -2 > bores people -Lone wolf -2 > gets bored by other people etc... That would allow "multi-class" char but would still limit the fact that people can do, right now, everything on their own. [General suggestions] Spoiler deeper health & injuries sytemdeeper nutrition systemI think it's already been discussed quite a lot on the old forums. Eating properly should be essential to keep your character in good shape, and should be a "long term work" with long term repercussions. You don't die of starvation in a few days. But lacking certain nutriments will, on the long term, make your character weaker, getting tired more easily, depressed, slower to heal and more prone to diseases and wound infections etc... Being well fed and having some bonus on your character's strenght and mind should be the same. If you eat at your fill when you're hungry, and a good variety of aliments (not only chips and beans) your character should deserve a "long term" boost. The idea is, it's hard to keep a decent health in an apocalyptic environment and red moodles should be the "standard" if you're not perfectly settled or part of a well organized community of survivors. Red moodles being a standard would make the player feel the harshness and despair of a zombie-filled world. sledgehammer should weigh moreThe sledge encumbrance is way too low right now, I mean we can put a sledge in a plastic bag or a tote bag, that's a bit odd ! Plus it's a very "dangerous" item, a lot of players in MP always carry one in case they want to break-in someone's base. Moving with a big sledgehammer should be something thought through and planned, not just always carrying one around in case you need it ! It should probably weigh twice more as it actually does [12 instead of 6] NOPE 2 plastic bags = 1 garbage bags.That's pretty self explanatory ! for now we can only use garbage bags to craft rain barrels, which makes those a kind of silly valuable item. I think we should have more means to make the barrels water-retaining and plastic bags seem like a good solution, but they're smaller. Maybe raincoats = 2 garbage bags someday ? ;o Farming areas / Smart FarmingFarming can sometimes be a bit of a pain when it comes to watering and checking your plants one by one, I know that's subjective but that micro-management feels pretty annoying to me. It would be cool to have some kind of system that allows your character to execute a chain of action : filling watering can > watering plants untill empty > filling watering can > etc... Checking plants health > no disease > next plant Checking plants health > disease > spray remedy > next plant. Wearing belts (introducing holsters for knife & pistol)I was thinking belt, in their current state, are pretty useless. I know they'll be usefull to stop important bleeding (Kate & Baldspot memories), but people are not very likely to always have a belt in their inventory, except if they're wearing them ! Severe bleeding > taking belt off > tourniquet etc... Wearing a belt could also be used to hold holsters for knives & pistols. Holsters would be a quick-access container/bag (maybe a bind to draw from holster?), which would make some space in your inventory. Maybe holsters should be craftable ? [Multiplayer & Admin Suggestions] Spoiler In-game chat overhaulThe player should be able to choose if he wants to whisper, talk or shout, which would influence the range other players could read what he wrote, and the range zombies would hear it as well. Actually writting on journals / paper sheets / notesThat would be pretty awesome. You could keep a journal which other players could fine on your body or in your bag when they find your corpse. Writting it / Reading it would fight boredom. That would create some pretty deep RP and immersion as well. DONE Adding a delay when disconnecting from a server....To prevent wild disconnections and abuses. I see it coming from here, people disconnecting to save their character when they're in trouble, I already saw an ennemy breaking into our safehouse and disconnecting in the toilet to embush us later, time to get to him, he wasn't here anymore. A delay of 30s to 1min should do the trick, people would have to disconnect in safe places, which makes sense imo. Disconnecting outside in the middle of the road should be dangerous. [admin] Teleporting next to a player or on a point of the map[admin] triggering a precise house alarm[admin] Wiping/removing massive piles of corpses. [FPS drop issue][admin] Option to choose in what proportions the loot will spawn [more food, less weapons, more tools, more kitchen misc, less bags etc...]Explaination : That's all for now, I'll add more when I have something consistent, everyone's welcome to discuss and share their point of views. Keep it clean and polite as always.