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Found 12 results

  1. In the current state of the game isolation is a viable method of the game and much more preferable in terms of survival, why would i go into the zombie infested town if i can just make self-sustainable base in the middle of nowhere. My suggestion is to add more depth into carpentry, why we currently can saw logs into planks immediately? With time, maybe in few months especially in summertime planks in our buildings and furniture will dry out and change their size increasing inner stress in the material making buildings unstable therefore it's not recommended to saw and use fresh logs for sawing and building of any kind. Players must do scavenging runs to the town to pry off planks in the already existing buildings to build their own base if they are willing to do so. They can still saw logs but first they have to cut down a tree and left logs to dry for a few months or a year. otherwise sawing logs will produce only scrap wood usable only for firepits. This is just one of the suggestions to prevent self-isolation almost from the start of the game. For the new upcoming 42 update it can be also implemented that on some sawing mills you will find kiln driers~ By placing fresh logs in it and some fossil fuel you will gain dried log that can be used to saw into planks later on
  2. I thought about this for a couple of days and I believe it could add a layer of challenge, fear, and for some hardcore sadists a bit of fun too. There is already the trait deaf for the character, but what about if zombies didn't make any noise? Apart from footsteps and movement in general of course. Let's say that the infection causes anaerobic respiration of the infected cells so that during metabolic synthesis of meat or flesh, energy is produced so movement is possible without oxygen supply, therefore making flow of air useless and thus no growls or noises coming out of the mouth, or simply just necrotic tissue causing holes in the lungs of zombies, same for necrosis of the diaphragm, rendering impossible the exiting of air trough the larynx. If any of this made sense to you, or you wanna give your medical opinion because I'm a bigot feel free to say it in the comments! I would love to expand on this idea, and it would be nice to have along side modifiers such as those already in the game like, sprinter zombies, tough zombies etc.
  3. Hi all, I'm renting a dedicated server from Nitrado. No issues so far - however I'm hoping there's a way to play the server in Builder mode (can hit zombies 2-3 at a time, weaker zombies, etc). I see Sandbox settings in the admin tab when I'm connected but I'm not sure exactly what I need to do. Is it possible?
  4. Hi again, folks! So, I've logged close to 70 hours now since making the jump from the old build to the IWBUMS build and I thought I'd share my thoughts here instead of posting them to Reddit or to the Discord server. I've logged a bunch of hours (300+) in the old build because I'm in a fairly large gaming community that in particular plays lots of zombie-related titles. PZ is one of my favorites of the past 10 years or so, and I've managed to recruit lots of guys to play MP games with me (hence the 300+ hours in the old build, MP support is still there!) and wanted to give a few views based on the feedback I've gotten from the guys who play with me since this October we've decided to all try out the new IWBUMS version. 3 Suggestions that I've got so far: 1. Beginning difficulty is a bit high, late game difficulty is a bit too easy. The first few days, especially the first few minutes of starting are by far the most challenging. Finding a basic melee weapon, finding a vehicle, barricading up a house - it's all very rough starting off. I'm not suggesting that we have our starting-game simply served to us on a silver platter or anything, but the absolute volume of zombies in the very beginning is more than overwhelming to new guys (whether you're new from the old build, or new to the game in general) It so far (and again I'm strictly speaking about the IWBUMS version in saying this) seems to be going beyond just a challenging start for most, and ultimately is a frustrating start. I'll be the first to say that I'm having to convince a lot of the new guys that I've talked into buying it the past month to keep trying and not simply give up within their first 20-30 hours. What I think would help mitigate this some would be giving individuals the ability to choose which day the outbreak itself begins in 'Survival Mode'. (This may be something that devs have planned already for in the future, I'm not entirely sure though so I figured I'd mention either a comment in support of it, or a suggestion in support of it!) Allowing us to start on day 1 when the chaos is just beginning, and the initial, earliest numbers of zombies are still fairly thin to give players a chance to collect resources for the first 24 hours would greatly ease new players into the game itself. (Day 1, easy level, Day 2 Medium level, Day 3 Hard and so forth!) 2. Building off of the 1st suggestion, late game difficulty itself can become a bit of a breeze, and most problems we had before are no longer really that much of an issue for the most part. We can always set personal challenges for ourselves to help in confronting this problem (go and take over the mall, try to clear out an entire town etc.) is one way of off-setting some of the late game 'breeze' as I call it, once we've gotten some stats increased and sorta gotten established, but what I really think would be more fun to deal with is 'herds'. Somewhat similar to the helicopter attack events, I think it'd be SO fun to see a big wave of zombies hit a well established base of some kind that has seen a very mild 'trickling in' of zombies as the player(s) have established barricades. My all time favorite zombie flicks have always been Night of the Living Dead (and of course Dawn of the Dead - Day of the Dead, etc.! R.I.P. Romero!) and I'd love to see things gradually escalate at a house situation very similar to how things escalated in Night of the Living Dead. Finding available materials to barricade windows and doors with in the first initial days, having to fight off *slowly* increasing numbers as they gradually build up until you're well behind your walls is a great way to play survival mode imo! And finally, as more of a final crescendo, the player(s) then have to hold off the "herds" mentioned before, where they're hitting the base in massive waves and the odds become increasingly difficult to overcome (to the point that leaving the house for more resources even becomes a risky, almost impossible endeavor) 3. Thirdly, and finally - to add on to the notion that early game is a bit too difficult, I think it'd be great if based on the profession you choose, your character will have a tendency to spawn in with the tools that reflect the profession you've chosen (and if you choose unemployed, it sticks with the more random house as it does in the current fashion where there's no telling what you'll find in the house you spawned in with). So if you're a mechanic, find a toolbox with a wrench, tire pump or screwdriver or jack, etc. Or if you're a chef, there's an abundance of food, if you're a medical worker there's plenty of medical supplies available and so forth. Starting off with a hammer and saw as a construction worker or carpenter would make a massive world of difference in the early phases of the game, giving the player a tool to barricade houses with and a blunt weapon to fight with, as well. Also - I would think most folks would have a vehicle as well. Maybe not all, and maybe many of them ended up parking their car when they got home without much gas in it, but it does seem odd that even when there's a car parked out in front of the house that I spawn in at, there's often no key for it lol. In conclusion, I'm overall *highly* pleased with what the team has been putting together in this game, I've logged a lot of hours into it already, and have highly encouraged all of the guys in the gaming community I'm a part of to continue supporting it by buying copies of it as well. These are my own thoughts, but I'll say this much: For the price that I paid for this title, even though I've got suggestions, I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of it already. The 370ish hours that I've logged for just $15 so far, has basically been one of the best bang for buck that I've ever gotten out of an early access title, so once again (not to sound like I'm ass-kissing here) hats off to the Indie Stone guys! Thanks for reading! Edit: P.S. - New fog effects? FKN BOSS!
  5. Looking at the newest blog post, I'm a little confused. Why is 1-1 combat being made easier? Zombies are already so much easier than they were a few years ago. Their animation's been slowed down and their hit registry feels off to the point I can stand in one place, let one keep doing its thing at me, and not get "hit" for a good 2 or 3 seconds. Especially on higher strength or speed settings zombies should be dangerous. If anything, they should be buffed. More pulling, clawing, punching, and tackling with the new animations, better hit responses to where if they do their animation, you get hit. You shouldn't be able to treat even small groups of zombies like a joke, but you can right now and apparently the group buffs are being dialed back. I don't think this is the way it needs to go, or maybe there should be a zed difficulty setting added that changes exactly how powerful they are more than the vague options we have now. My suggestion would be to either revert whatever nerfs or changes are coming to make individual fights easier, keep whatever group buffs there are after tuning them, and implement more concise, effective options for zombie difficulty. Superhuman strength should let them pull you down and hit you hard when they hit. Higher sense should give them better reactions. That sorta thing. I remember back in the DayZ days people complained zombies were too hard and they nerfed them big time, and in the recent game Hunt: Showdown similar complaints led its zombie-ish monsters to get nerfed into pointless distractions. I don't want that to happen with PZ. Zombies should be a threat you have to be careful with and learn to manage, not something you can easily strafe around and stunlock solo or even in groups, which you can do now. One shouldn't be instant death, not at all, but it shouldn't get any easier than it is right now.
  6. Firstly, I realise there has been work done on zombies grouping together and moving about. It is really good, but there is still a problem, and this is it... The first part of the game is intense and challenging and fun. It is also great fun collecting supplies, hardware, etc. and building yourself an well defended base and trying to settle down into a livable, self sufficient lifestyle. That is fun for a while just surviving. But then what? Times goes by and the game becomes boring and monotonous. Plant crops, go fishing, set traps, eat, sleep, repeat. There really is no challenge anymore. You have built a carefully planned, well defended fort but for what? The defenses you spent all that time and energy planning and building are never actually tested. The odd zombie or three turns up once in a blue moon banging his head on the wall and that is easily taken care of. So, my suggestion is that later in the game, zombie hoardes start migrating out of the urban areas. Slowly in small groups at first, and as time goes on, more and more frequently and in larger groups. It can easily be explained. They have simply run out of food (as in people or rodents or whatever) in the urban areas. Everyone is dead. So they instinctively and mindlessly start migrating outwards looking for food. Especially once the power goes out. There are no lights or sounds left in the cities to keep them attracted to those places. But on a pitch black night, even a campfire casting a feint glow on the horizon a long way away may bring unwanted attention. So it works as far as the "story" goes, but I think it would also dramatically improve the gameplay and fun factor later in the game as the fort you built will actually get tested. I am not suggesting that you are under constant attack ever. The farming and trapping and surviving in the wild part of the game is great already and I am not saying turn it into a constant hack fest. I just mean that every once in a while a large hoard of zombies might stumble across your fort meaning you have to take time out a deal with the situation. For example, maybe they start migrating out in small groups once the power goes off. So maybe once a week you get a group of five to ten zombies stumbling across your camp. And as more and more time goes on, the groups get larger and more frequent. I am also not suggesting your fort gets over run (maybe really late in the game, as a year or more later, forcing you to flee and complete restart). I am just suggesting that it actually gets tested. You get to appreciate all the hard work you did when it successfully keeps out a large hoard of zombies.
  7. A rather simple mod that Nerfs all melee weapons, disabling the ability to hit more than 1 zombie at a time. It also disables the ability to push away 3 zombies at a time. Created for the sole purpose of making the game harder and making running away a default reaction to seeing a horde bigger than 3 zombies. With this mod, having an Axe won't make you a zombie killing machine and you shouldn't even dare to try taking on more than 3 zombies as they WILL get you and kill you. Download: http://pz-mods.net/gameplay/WeaponNerf/ Required Version: Project Zomboid Early Access Build 31.13 EDIT: All of my smaller mods can be found in this thread, leave feedback there.
  8. Disclaimer: This is a critique by a singleplayer mode player who considers himself advanced, I love PZ, I love this community and I have great respect for the developers, this is not hate. Seriously. The player is so OP I was thinking about posting this on the Bug Tracker. [Edit: I did, some of it] There is a lot of talk about how the game should kill us before we reach the "end-game" (Or there was in mondoids) but the game doesn't even try. Seriously. I know it's EA but to be honest when it comes to updates, we keep getting more and more stuff that will help us survive, not kill us. Farming, Carpentry, Foraging, Trapping etc. All of those things were added, Combat Overhaul, which, if my recent experience with ancient builds is right, made combat a ton more easy for the player. "This is how you died" Of boredom? After killing hundreds of zombies with no effort and setting up my fortress, with a huge cabbage farm? With electricity generators coming? A ton of, likely, OP weapons like Molotovs and Pipe Bombs? Now that we have all those awesome stuff that makes us live longer why not Nerf the player and buff the zombies? I'm not asking for "Survival" mode being filled with runners. But we must admit to ourselves that zombies are ridiculously pathetic for a Zombie Survival Game. A lot of issues with difficulty could be fixed with relative ease. My ideas: 1: No single weapon should be allowed to hit more than 1 zombie at a time unless it's an Axe and it really does go clean through one zed, killing it and hitting the next one. Baseball Bats are lightsabers atm. 2: How can I push more than one zombie? Midichlorians? "This isn't the brains you are looking for" 3: Fast shamblers need to be able to catch up to a walking player. Runners can't be outranned but both Shamblers and Fast Shamblers can be outwalked. 4: Exhausted moodle should come much faster when running, we can all run ridiculous distances before it pops up. Cardio is really not that easy to get, most people can't run for hours. 5: Make nights darker, seriously limiting the player's FOV, I always feel like I have Splinter Cell goggles on. Older builds had everything the character does not see fade to complete black, bring it back, nights were scary! 6: Decrease the HP of Doors and Windows, I swear some doors are indestructible to zombies and they should break windows much, much faster, barricading makes us invincible. That and zombies tend to give up before they do any real damage because a gunshot sound played. Not so easy to implement ideas. 1: Zombie migration\respawn buff, they don't do either which makes me think that the metagame system is broken. I tested the respawn lately, I feel it's broken. Also, I walked into a house that had 5+ zeds in it, I ran because panic, when I came back they all dissappeared, no broken windows and doors, broke my immersion. PZ is an awesome game, it has megatons of potential, I am not a guy that believes magical NPCs will fix this stuff, they will add a ton depth to the game, sure. But those problems will persist and I will forever argue they need to be taken care of first. Not last, after 100th update that allows us all to live longer thanks to more awesome crafting, farming and foraging. Traits Overhaul did help but it did not even come close to helping enough. Lately we don't need to break our weapons thanks to being able to stomp zombies when they fall with our boot. A baseball bat lasts me 5x longer than it used to. Focus on killing me before you give me generators and bombs, make it rewarding to survive long enough to get those tools that will make it easy for me. Zombies really don't need to know where I am to do this, they just need to be a threat. PS: I promise this is my last "Zombies are Easy" rant.
  9. Hello, now I was sure this would be suggested at some point or another, but I haven't really seen it around in suggestions anywhere, if it was I'm sorry I did look through the list somewhat. Anyway, I was thinking, anyone who survived for decent amount of time currently probably would feel the same. So right now once you get set up, build or secure your safe house, stack up food, get a farm going, the game really loses a lot of its former tension and gives you very little reason to go out there again, instead people just hunker down and enter sleep/wake/sleep/wake/harvest/sleep/wake cycle. And there is really no in-game event that really prevents the player from doing that, the threat is suddenly gone. So here is the actual idea, world in the game actually every now and again spawning a horde out of the view of the player or just on the edge of it, that would wander in the general direction of the players safe house and as time went on the hordes would get bigger over time and more resource consuming to deal with, I think it would give people who have survived for extensive periods something to do, something to worry about, something to have to constantly deal with instead of simply hiding in their cubbyhole and never coming out of it, also it would be a reason to get back out there and look for resources to fight back the horde. After all, the game always begins with "There is no hope of survival, this is how you died". Or a little bit less invasive version would be having several hordes on the whole map constantly wandering from place to place randomly, having big numbers(most likely several hundred at a time) it would be something you cant just deal with by picking of one zed at a time, but rather it would be a threat that would exist with a chance of one day arriving at your door, where you would have to sit behind barricaded windows and pray they don't know you are in there. Now feel free to tell me if you like or dislike the idea, I just thought as someone who have survived for months on end and didn't have anything to do, it would be something to spice it up a little bit. And to add last, I did try to play with High/Insane amounts of zombies, to me it really makes the game more of a chore where you have to get out bash a few, rest, bash a few, rest etc. etc. I like the base normal amounts of zombies/survival mode, that you can dodge and avoid instead of having to go rambo every five steps just to get to another house.
  10. So I got to thinking, the developers don't really want you taking on hordes of zombies, and at the moment, I still do take on small groups even when fully exhausted + panicked. I think this suggestion has the potential to make people like me think twice (or carry a lot more spare melee weapons). What if when your exhausted + panicked, you have a chance to drop your current melee weapon on the ground, to simulate the zombies potentially grasping onto it (not that the zombies are smart enough to do that, simply that their trying to grab a hold of you and are grabbing at anything associated with you). This chance could be lowered with points in the guard skill (to simulate better control of your weapon). If they do grab your weapon, it simply drops to the ground, and if your in the middle of fighting a small horde, it defiantly isn't retrievable. This would ONLY happen if your swinging your melee weapon at zombies when your exhausted + panicked, and the chance can be scaled up with the exhaustion + panicked level.
  11. Disclaimer for the devs -- Indie Stone devs, your game is excellent. Please feel free to take these ideas on board as if they were your own for inspiration sake, These ideas are donated as fan service and compensation isn't necessary or expected. If you think this works for your game, take and keep any and/or all ideas to implement into the game. Thanks in advance for reading! Please leave your thoughts/feedback in comments section!!! Table of Contents------ 1A. Introduction 1B. Your involvement in this thread 2. NPC Content - [+Add your own, and you'll be credited in this post] 2A. Faction list - Different Factions/types of NPC survivors 2B. NPC Trust - An Important Mechanic 2C. Faction Ranks - Roles/Jobs [And what they do] 2D. Faction Inventions - New items you can make! 3. NPC Event(s)/Behaviours - Kidnappings, Raids, Zombie Herding, Faction interaction. 3A. Events NOT Involving YOU 3B. Events Involving YOU - 1A. Introduction: This is a community post brainstorm which means you can contribute ideas toward it (and you will be credited in this original post). This post is open to subject to change course and modification. In this post, it explains varying ideas that could help create interesting gameplay and basic objectives with NPC survivors which don't divert you from how you play, and may possibly offer new ways to play the game as well. You could (if you wanted to) interact with NPCs through trade or neutrality (3), or systematically wipe them out one by one, the choice would be up to you. If developers find this thread feasible, I'd like to hope that our ideas could be implemented so that interaction could lead to rewards (2D) in some way which could help benefit confirmed future content updates. 1B. Your involvement in this thread: First things first - Please don't expect or feel entitled to compensation in any form if the developers take inspiration from this thread and use these ideas even if they're identical upon implementation, I'd like to make that very clear. How you view this threads idea comes down to personal interpretation, so that means if your interpretation of this sort of idea and/or opinion on it is different to anyone elses e.g it being good enough to implement in the game or not is appreciated and respected if you choose to have your say (Even if you hate the idea so much it makes you miserable) it's still fair enough to have your say, however it'd be nice to see some constructive criticism toward this sort of thing instead of abuse! Please feel free to join in the discussion and add your own thoughts and ideas! Thank you very much. - 2. NPC Content - [+Add your own, and you'll be credited in this post] 2A. Faction list - Different Factions/types of NPC survivors Note: Faction/types of NPC survivors may/may not exist at all during a game or certain map, and may spawn at different times during a game depending on player movements. Certain factions may or may not work together. Factions should be enabled/disabled by player choice in custom options prior to a game. For the most part, each faction won't trust you at all unless you prove to them you can be trusted, and some may carry default moods/agendas set by their Faction Leader toward anyone that isn't part of their faction - Could result in kidnappings, killing on sight, or warning shots/calls. Type 1 - Civilian: Exist in urban areas. These are the last remaining shred of civilisation, and are mostly helpless and not used to being thrown out of their standard way of life. Civilians are usually armed with light firearms and various melee weapons, depending on rank. How well armed they are depends on rank, as their rank dictates what they usually do. May work alongside Military. Type 2 - Survivalists/Hillbillies: Can exist in both outer-urban and wilderness. How well armed they are depends on rank, raider rank is heaviest armed, utilizing long ranged weapons and heavy melee weapons. Usually works on own, without need of Civilians or Military. Type 3 - Military: Can exist anywhere, but mostly in large contained facilities such as prisons, and fenced guarded areas. Some may patrol in organized groups in the map on their own accord. Moderately to heavily armed depending on rank. May work alongside Civilians. Type 4 - ?? Type 5 - ?? - 2B. NPC Trust - An Important Mechanic Depending on what you do, you can impact factions depending on what action you make toward them. Trust is gained over time, and word can spread around to different ranks within factions about you. If you help defend individuals against zombie hordes, make trades with them, don't kill them on sight - Then you can gain trust with them. On the other hand, if you do all you can to let them die, raid them, steal their stuff, the opposite occurs and can carry consequences toward how they interact with you. That will result in increased hostility and nasty tactics toward you and your base (3). ---Factions may even choose to not trust you at all regardless of what you do, this comes into equation based on the Faction Leaders agenda--- - 2C. Faction Ranks - Roles/Jobs [And what they do] Civilian and Survivalists/Hillbillies NPC survivors can share some same 'ranks' and behaviours depending on trust toward you, or their purposeful demeanour. Traits listed are as a guide to explain their purposes. Traits listed in each rank are varying possibilities and may/may not all occur. The following ranks shared between Civilians, Survivalists/Hillbillies/Military which should usually stay within their base are: Faction Leader - Have a purposeful goal/agenda set for their faction. This can vary depending on how you interact with each faction. Some leaders may choose to enforce friendly or hostile actions toward you and other active faction(s) at the start of the session, and they can also enforce what types of ranks spawn depending on where they are located. Their demeanour in their agenda also applies to what faction they are in. Killing a leader can topple the entire faction which can be a useful game mechanic/purpose. <Don't expect that to be easy though!> | Traits- Lucky, Strong, Brave, Hearty Eater, Resilient, Athletic Workers - Produce food, build, create/combine items, repair items (vehicles in future), treat heavy/major injuries etc. | Traits- Handy, Feeble, Cowardly, Light Eater, Clumsy, Agoraphobic The following ranks shared between Civilians and Survivalists/Hillbillies are: Scouts - Usually spots and locates and reports back to their factions. You can kill them if you don't want to be seen&known at all providing you witness them near you/your base-. Scouts can offer remote bag trades (bag containing notes of Trade for Trade items), orienteering, locating, can mark environment with messages/diagrams, treats their own basic/light injuries. | Traits- Athletic, Eagle Eyed, Graceful, Feeble, Night Owl, Outdoorsman, Patient Raiders - Dispatched usually if scouts/workers don't sustain to loot surrounding areas to replenish faction supplies, can kidnap you, can also raid houses you don't own, can mark environment with messages/diagrams, treats their own minor/light injuries. | Traits- Stout, Axe Man, Short Tempered, Brave, Hearty Appetite, Thick Skinned Loners - For the most part they're just like you. They can be anti-social. May not be part of a faction, may be aggressive, may be highly threatening if surviving mid-late game. If part of a faction, they're usually a Sniper/Self sustaining Hunter type, and some may resort to Cannibalism. They like to hoard so if you locate their base/stashes you're in for a good time. | Traits- Eagle Eyed, Athletic, Cowardly, Marksman, Outdoorsman, Patient, Light Eater, Resilient Ranks which only occur in the military are: Soldier - Protects their base at all costs, only grant access to players that have gained trust, conduct rescue missions for their faction and in some rare cases based on trust -you-. Can treat light/minor injuries. | Traits- Athletic, Marksman, Light Drinker, Stout, Brave, Keen Hearing, Night Owl, Eagle Eyed. Field Medic - When Soldiers leave their base on a rescue mission, a Field Medic can accompany them to treat major wounds. | Traits- Athletic, Graceful, Hard of Hearing, Handy, Short Tempered, Stout, Light Drinker Elite Soldier - Protects Military Leader, heavily armed, calls in Helicopter reinforcements if possible (This includes emergency supplies, or Soldiers). | Traits- Strong, Thick Skinned, Athletic, Marksman, Night Owl, Eagle Eyed, Keen Hearing. - 2D. Faction Inventions - Each faction has a small number of inventions that they use to their advantage in some way, which you could learn to craft if you gain enough trust. Here are some examples (along with items needed if not pre-made), if you can think extras or better then please add: Civilians: -Two Way Radio: Battery + Baby Monitor/Walkie Talkie -RC Racecar Noise Distractor: RC Racecar + Battery + Walkie Talkie + Use of 'Taunt' Button -Breakable Lockpick: Paperclips, Nail/Tent Peg, Tape [Makes 3] Survivalist/Hillbillies: -Bear Trap -Crossbow: Planks, PVC pipe, String/Wire, Nails -Basic Compass: Needle, Paper Clip, Fridge Magnet, Bowl of Water, Razor Blade Military: -Scope -Makeshift Protective Armour -Claymore 3. NPC Event(s)/Behaviours -writing in progress- Depending on what NPC factions are present, how they interact with one another and also your trust gained/lost with NPC factions, certain events/behaviours may trigger. 3A. Events NOT Involving YOU Factions would be able to have interactions between each other: -These include territorial disputes, trade altercations, and caravans. -Contributed by forum user 'Ryfar' -If a Faction member comes back to their base wounded by a Zombie which could make them turn, they may be ordered to be killed by their Faction so they don't turn on them. 3B. Events Involving YOU Any of the following may occur if YOU have no trust, or are hostile to a faction and i) Your base discovered by that faction: -You may have Scouts shepherd zombies/hordes to your base (Small chance it could backfire on Scout). -Raiders may ransack your base of valuables, and your base wrecked/disassembled. -You may have a chance of being kidnapped as a hostage when you sleep in an unfortified/unsecure base. This will mean your base looted and disassembled. Items removed from you and possibly distributed between faction members, or stored somewhere. -Military may surround your building, and order to imprison you if you commit crimes (Theft/Murder) against them. Or they may choose to just try and kill you. ii) You are located in a temporary location: -You may have a small chance of being kidnapped as a hostage when you sleep in an unsecure/unfortified location. Items removed from you and possibly distributed between faction members, or stored somewhere. Any of the following may occur depending on the level of good trust YOU have with a faction and the Faction Leaders agenda: -You may be offered the opportunity to capture or kill an opposing Faction Leader if they're causing issues for the faction you're supporting. -You are allowed sanctuary within a factions territory but you must perform duties/jobs to assist the faction in order to keep that benefit. -You are offered a job of your choosing within the faction, much like a worker. You get food in your belly and a roof over your head so long as you meet daily/weekly quotas for the job. I'm planning on updating this when I've got more time to over the next few days. Thanks for reading! Please leave your thoughts/feedback in comments section!!!
  12. Great game, has a lot of potential, and I can see it going far, but my suggestions aren't a simple "add a new recipe/trait/profession" as I don't see those things as improving the lifespan of the game (those "recipes" are things which I believe are best for the mod community). I've spent the better part of 6 hours typing out this shit, so... uh.... So far in my survival game, I've killed the majority of the zombies on the map using a shotgun and MMORPG kiting tactics. I'm able to wipe out 300+ zombies in a matter of minutes by kiting them into a large open area and mowing them down with a shotgun and surplus shells, but once the zombies are gone, it basically becomes another (albeit graphically worse version of) The Sims, which really sucks. I want to feel like I'm in danger - all the time. I want to feel like any day could be my last. I don't want to spend the rest of the game playing 'Old McDonald had a Farm'. I want the game to have replay value. I want the game to feel like it didn't scam me out of $$$ for 10 hours of gameplay (sorry, but in regards to replay value, this is largely true.) What I'm suggesting might already be considered by the devs, or it might not, but I feel my suggestions will help improve the long term gaming value of Project Zomboid (especially multiplayer), and help retain a lot of players. I have no doubt the recent PZ steam sale was quite successful, but I doubt a significant number of people that purchased the game would be playing beyond the 15 hour mark. This game has potential to not simply be a good game, but an amazing game, especially multiplayer-wise, but currently, in my (unprofessional) opinion, it lacks the balanced long-term value to make it a raging success, either in single player, or multiplayer. Zombie respawning, difficulty, and 'special' zombies As I've already stated, once you've killed all the zombies in an area, the game is too easy (and seriously boring). I believe the zombies should respawn in random locations around the map every 5 to 10 days, with between 30-200 zombies spawning at a time. This would help alleviate the sudden emptiness that is experienced once all the zombies are wiped out. Additionally, the zombies could be made to be more difficult as time passes (this has already been mentioned in other threads, but I'm a big supporter and feel it should be mentioned again). The longer you stay alive, the harder the zombies become. The difficulty could increase every 4 to 8 weeks, or whatever is considered suitable. The difficulty of each newly spawned zombie could be based on a % multiplier, eg. 5 weeks = +5% chance of increased difficulty, 10 weeks = 10% chance of increased difficulty, 15 weeks = 15% chance of increased difficulty, 20 weeks = 20% chance of increased difficulty, 25 weeks = 25% chance of increased difficulty, etc. This would prevent players from becoming complacent and would require a change in tactics (no more shotgun kiting), and introduce a new element of survival. If you spent those early couple of weeks preparing well, then you should be ready for the zombie onslaught! Another possibility is to include 'Hunter' zombies. Special zombies that exclusively hunt the player. These might only randomly spawn 10-50 at a time, but it would add a new aspect to the game. Knowing that every minute of the game, you are being hunted by smarter than usual zombies. These could follow the same spawn patterns as the regular zombies, where they spawn every 5 to 10 days, between 10-50 at a time. They might all spawn at the opposite side of the map, and then, one day, 4-5 weeks later, you've got up to 250 zombies smashing up your fort, trying to devour your brains. I don't know what idea or vision the developers have with regards to the zombies, but I believe this would be a big hit amongst all players. It would really emphasize survival, developing escape routes and strategic building, as well as utilising multiple safe houses. In multiplayer it could be taken a step further, by having X amount of hunter zombies spawn for every player that has played a certain amount of time on the server. The new players would need to play for a certain amount of time before a new number of hunter zombies will spawn. Hypothetically, with 100 players on a server, that means 100-500 hunter zombies will spawn every 5-10 days. They might all go for one player, or for a mix of players. It would truly require people to work together, create a worthy (sustainable) stronghold, and survive the waves of zombies. This could also lead to a Multiplayer starting area, where it's a stronghold protected by NPC's, and the players occasionally have to help protect the stronghold. After a while, the players are told to leave, and have to fend for themselves (or join a group/clan/guild/whatever), but are able to return (if they're not visibly sick or infected) to trade goods. But I don't know. That's a different topic again. RPG Style Stat Points Some people are either going to love this idea, or hate it, but personally, I'd love to see RPG style stat points introduced to the game. It would add a personalised element, unique to each player, and would give the player extra incentive for keeping their character alive (I've "killed" 7 players so far just from collecting resources from around the map to build a nice stronghold with a main character). It would improve replay value, as there would be different ways to build a character, and, in multiplayer, it would give more meaning to the term 'veteran survivor', with a greater emphasis on a balanced group/guild/clan/whatever (especially with the suggested profession changes.) Some stat points, which I think might be suitable are: Strength (STR) - Affects carrying capacity and melee damage.Stamina (STA) - Affects ability to run faster when exhausted (will require change to current exhausted mechanics), and reduces sleep duration (heal/recover/recuperate faster in sleep).Dexterity (DEX) - Affects ranged weapon skills and sneaking/climbing.Agility (AGI) - The ability to avoid damage from combat/falling (eg. dodge/roll/parry etc) (works with PC and NPC alike, eg. PvE and PvP).Intelligence (INT)- Affects Carpentry and other trade related skills.Wisdom (WIS) - Affects food related skills (farming/cooking/fishing etc).Luck (LCK)- Affects everything.Note: STR's benefits and DEX's benefits would be fairly balanced in this way. Increased capacity is great, but combat wise, you have to get up close and personal, likewise with DEX, sneaking doesn't exactly work with using loud firearms. The major benefit they provide is negated by the combat requirement. My idea of how each skill would affect each attribute would be like this: Blunt/Blade - StrengthAiming/Reloading - DexterityCarpentry/Other Trades - IntelligenceFarming/Cooking/Food - WisdomSneaking/Light footed/Nimble - DexteritySprinting - StaminaI could see two possible ways for this to work: The stats will automatically increase at each level up depending on what skills are used. At each level up you can gain a maximum of 2 points based on what skills got you the level up, PLUS a possible +1 to LCK (random chance). So if, for example, you gained a level by using mostly melee skills and carpentry, you would gain 1 point to STR and 1 point to INT. Additionally, there's a small (1%-5%) chance of gaining a point to LCK. If, however, you got a level up by simply using melee skills, then you would get 2 points to str. The other possibility, is using skill points for stats rather than for skills. At the moment, my survival character has 19 skill points banked and waiting to be used. Until a skill has received enough exp, the skill points can't be used, so they're useless. If we had the ability to put them into stat points (within reason of course), it would make the game a little more strategic in how you plan and play your character. Do you put all your skill points into skills, or do you put them into stats? Or do you choose an equal mix?Regardless of which system is used, limitations would have to be introduced to prevent it from becoming game breaking. For example limiting a maximum increase of 10 points to each stat. Additionally, for the sake of balance, an increase in one stat point could result in the decrease in another. For example, if you were to primarily use melee weapons (STR), then your STR stats would increase at level up, but at the same time, your DEX skill would decrease, and vice-versa, using DEX skills would decrease STR (after all, a strong oaf is not going to be a nimble ninja!) This is all assuming there's a limit, of course (the last thing anyone would want is a STR stat of 1 - you wouldn't even be able to wear clothes!) For personalisation, and unique character building, all of this would add another dimension to the game - nobody can be perfect in everything - which realistically reflects real life standards. If you try to be perfect in everything, then you're going to be mediocre, at best. EDIT: Each stat would provide a bonus to the player in the form of practical or skill based benefit. I thought long and hard about this earlier, but I'm too tired to type it all out now. So maybe tomorrow instead. Professions At the moment, I believe the only profession worth using is the Construction Worker. The ability to withstand cuts and scratches is better than everything else offered by the other professions, and the Thick Skinned perk in combination with resilient trait will make a player virtually immune to disease, injury and zombification. The other professions don't have anything even remotely comparable to this. Also, each profession should have a negative trait to coincide with their positive traits - even a professional will have their own drawbacks and internal demons! At the moment, I believe the biggest problems with the professions is their ability to become a master in any skill, and I don't believe that is right. I've created a list of the professions, along with abilities/traits/skills, which I believe most closely reflect real word professionals, as well as trying to balance them with negative traits. Even if the class has Positive Traits or Negative Traits, they don't get a bonus nor penalty to trait selections, and as a result, will not have points to spend nor balance. Professional Skills = Blue http://pzwiki.net/wiki/Occupation Positive Traits = Green (Underlined) (Currently implemented) http://pzwiki.net/wiki/Traits Negative (General) = Orange (Requires implementing) Negative Traits = Red (Underlined) (Currently Implemented) http://pzwiki.net/wiki/Traits Conditional = Turqoise (Underlined) (Requires implementing) Unemployed Has a bonus 8 points to spend on traitsReceives a -50% penalty to experience gain. Can become a master in all skills.A bum in the ultimate sense of the word. Has no formal talent or skill, and yet, skillwise, the unemployed is without equal. While they are slow to grasp new skills and abilities, the unemployed can easily become the most skilled of all professions. Although, it will take a lot longer to get there. Fire Officer Axe Man Hot Temperature Resistance. (Isn't affected by hot temperatures due to training and experience. Can effectively wear winter clothing in summer and only experience mild discomfort,)Naturally Brave (They run into fire, what more can i say?)Has Keen Hearing (Naturally more aware of their surroundings, important in a fire as visiblitiy is low, so they must rely on hearing.)Becomes t ired 25% faster and therefore requires sleep more often (Reflection of their on-call style work, and their need to get sleep whenever they can)Is Short Sighted.Cannot select Eagle Eyed or Coward or Hard of Hearing traits.Is only 1 of 2 profession that can become master in Bladed Weapons.(5/5)Can only achieve max. intermediate level in Blunt, Aiming, Reloading, Construction and Farming.(2/5)While the Fire Officer is great with an axe, they have tremendous amounts of courage, and are aware of their surroundings. They simply don't have the time to commit to building and farming projects. Likewise, they are required by their profession to be skilled with the axe, that they never bother training with firearms, and their training has made them highly resistant to hot temperatures. The demands of work are physically very taxing, and as a result, the Fire Officer requires more sleep than the average individual. Police Officer MarksmanEagle Eyed. (After all, a police officer is trained to be observant).Resilient (They deal with all kinds of scum and junkies on a daily basis).Highly prone to depressionHas a Hearty Appetite.Is a Hypohondriac. (With all the exposure they have to scum, it's no wonder they're so paranoid.)Cannot select Light Eater or Short Sighted or Prone to Illness traits.Can only achieve max. intermediate level in Blunt, Blade, Cooking, and Sneaking.(2/5)Is only 1 of 2 professions that can become Master in Aiming and Reloading.(5/5)The Police Officer is a fantastic marksman. Trained to observe and apprehend targets, they are perfectly suited to dealing with human disputes, albeit they are highly prone to depression due to the events they experience on the job. This depression translates into an unhealthy eating disorder, whereby the Police Officer enjoys everything in excess, from Donuts to Sunflower Seeds. Food is an escape for the average Police Officer. Due to their training, and demanding work hours, the Police Officer is not skilled in the art of silent approach, nor the culinary arts, nor in melee weapony skills. They are, however, only one of two professions capable of achieveing Mastery in Aiming and Reloading. Due to training and experience, the Police Officer is perfectly suited to a front line combat role. Park Ranger Outdoorsman (Can wear summer clothing in winter and only experience mild discomfort. Not affected by rain.)Expert Foresters (all saplings planted and maintaned by Foresters grow 50% faster. Can forage for food and water in trees/forests. This skill also improves Hunting/Trapping skills within the local area for everybody.)Naturally Strong (to reflect the fact they have to carry lots of supplies while hiking through the woods)Naturally Claustrophobic.Cannot select Agoraphobic or Brave or Weak or Feeble traits. Can only achieve max. intermediate level in ALL combat skills, farming, and Construction. (2/5) (A Park Ranger knows how to live off the land, not how to fight, farm and build.)The Park Ranger is the custodian of the wild. Trained to handle the harsh environments and live of the lands, they are the ultimate survivalist. They understand the lay of the land, as well as the fundamental requirements for flora and fauna to coexist in harmony. While they are trained to survive in the wild, they lack the skills to succeed in combat. Additionally, what can be achieved in the wild is vastly different to modern day suburban living. As a result, the Park Ranger severely lacks the skills and abilities in combat, farming, and construction, as their knowledge only reaches as far as the edge of the forest. While the Park Ranger is perfectly suited for survival, he struggles with living inside buildings and small rooms. Construction Worker Thick SkinnedBuilding time/repairs reduced by 40%Start off as advanced carpenter (3/5 Carpentry).Construction Worker is addicted to alcohol and TobaccoIs a Light Drinker. (I've never known a person working in a trade that wasn't some sort of substance abuser and didn't come to work drunk or with a hang over).Is Short TemperedConstruction Worker is more Prone to Illness, due to beng a drunkard.Cannot select Hardened Drinker or Resilient or Patient traitsIs only 1 of 2 professions that can become master in Blunt Weapons.Can only achieve max. beginner level in Blade, Aiming, Reloading, and Lightfooted. (1/5)A violent drunkard and a fool! Despite this, the Construction Worker is second to none when it comes to hammer in hand, with all construction work being done in only a fraction of the time it would take an ordinary citizen to complete. Due to the rigorous demands of the building industry, the Construction Worker has developed a physically Thick Skin. While the Construction Worker is a drunken idiot, he's not without his merits. In his intrawork conflicts, he has developed mastery with blunt weapons that other professions can only dream of. Being a drunkard, he's a heavy footed Security Guard Night OwlNaturally Lucky.Is a Light EaterIs Overweight. (Seriously, have you ever seen an in-shape security guard? I haven't. Ever!)Is stupidly Clumsy.Cannot select Athletic or Graceful or Unlucky or Hearty Appetite traitsCan only achieve Expert in ALL weapon skills. (4/5)Can only achieve max. advanced level in Carpentry, Cooking, Farming, and Fishing. (3/5)A lazy overweight security guard whom spends most of his time sleeping on the job. Who needs to go on patrol, when it's so quiet around here? I think I'll just sleep a little longer... The Security Guard is the lucky individual that gets to sleep on the job. When they get called out, there's nothing there.No delinquents. No break-ins. No problems. The Security Guard gets to go back to their comfy chair and rest. They spend so much time sleeping on the job, that they require less sleep on their time off. In fact, for them, the job is almost a chance to catch up on last sleep. And they're lucky, too, considering how clumsy they are. Perhaps the only reason they've never come across a crime is because the criminal heard the Security Guard's clumsy feet long before the Security Guard appeaerd. For the security, this peace and quiet works well! It allows him to catch up on reading Books, Magazines and DIY manuals, giving him a rounded (no pun intended) education. All the profession have been balanced in a way that makes them both strong and weak in certain areas. Additionally, they have greater multiplayer value, as working in a balanced group allows for the best chance of survival. For example In a group of 4 people that play multiplayer together, a groupe consisting of Park Ranger, Construction Worker, Security Guard and either Police, Fire, or Unemployed for the last spot, would provide an extremely well balanced group. Park Ranger can provide the timber and environment for improved trapping, the (drunk) Construction Worker can handle all the building/repairs, Security Guard can provide crowd control (killing zombies) and snagging rarer loots from their corpses, and the remaining player can fill the gap any of the remaining 3 characters create. Park Ranger (continued) The park ranger is an expert forester, which means the park ranger has the added ability to maintain saplings planted by them (park ranger cannot maintain saplings planted by other professions). This maintenance work would be very simple stuff that isn't actually detailed in the game, but simply revolves around current occupational requirements such as: removing debris, cutting down rotten/diseased plants, removing pests, etc. Basically, a Park Ranger allows a plantation of trees to grow faster and more succesfully than what would happen for the other professions. In addition, this maintenance work provides a better environment for wildlife, and improves the hunting/trapping success rate within the area. They also have the ability to forage for food/water amongst trees. The forage ability would have a random success rate, and a time based refresh rate, eg. a park ranger can't fail multiple times in one spot until finally getting lucky, they have to keep trying new spots. When they succeed, they don't actually get food food in their inventory, but rather, their hunger/thirst level decreases. The Forage success % would need to be deteremined by the devs in order to be balanced. Ability to replant saplings after chopping down trees (Forestry) It gets to a point in this game where you have to run to the other side of the map for more logs. This is, for lack of a better word, a pain in the arse. What would be great is the ability to replant trees we've chopped down in a way that is similair to Minecraft. After chopping down a tree, there's a chance a sapling will drop, which we can replant. Conservation is something that has been around for a long time, with many ancient civilizations realising the importance of sustainability. This would allow for more sustainable gameplay with respect to building/cooking/maintenance/repair. (There would also be an ability for which the Park Ranger receives a massive bonus towards this feature - explained above). Skills affect quality of work I believe the skill system needs a bit of a change. If you become a master in carpentry, the quality of what you produce should be dramatically better than when an amateur can produce. For example, a master carpenter should be able to build the same thing as an amateur, but use fewer materials in the process. Or, for instance, the skill progression coul change the requirements for certain things. eg. Beginner = -10% materials, Intermediate = -10% build time, Advanced = -20% materials, Expert = -20% build time, Master = -30% materials. So becoming a master would mean you end up with -20% build time and -30% materials to make an item. Or something along those lines. At the moment, the current skill system doesn't have any significant effect on the products other than how they look. I want to see an improvement in the overall quality of the item, and not just the visual quality. This goes for all the skills. Mastercrafted crates could have a 50% weight reduction bonus. Campfire its could have a +50% burn time. Rain catcher barrels could have increased capacity. I'm only talking about carpentry related items, but it really applies to everything. Book/Magazines/Newspaper turn into Trash when read One way to combat depression/boredom in this game is to read a book/magazine/newspaper, but when you've finished reading, the material disappears. Why? Why would it suddenly disappear? Just because you've read it doesn't mean it should disappear, right? I feel these reading materials should turn into trash, which can then be used as an ignition source to start camp fires/ovens. I've been camping many, many times in my life, and we commonly used old magzines and newspapers as firestarters (long after any of us had read them). Sledgehammers should destroy ALL wooden walls This was one of the most exciting features I had read about this game! Think about it: you're being chased by zombies, you've been chased into a room with no doors or windows. There's no way out. You have to fight your way out. At least that is until you find a sledgehammer in the room, and you use it to bust down the wall and make your grand escape! Sadly, this isn't the case. I was immensely disappointed by this. This game made me excited at the prospect of being able to knock out a wall or two of a house, to escape, or possibly even add an extension to it. But I can't even destroy fences or crates, which sucks in a really big way. In reality, if we can't use a sledgehammer to do what is claimed, then the information regarding demolition should be changed to "You can only destroy doors, windows, and what you have built yourself (except floors for some strange reason)". Cut through chain link fences and barbwire fences This is similair to the sledge hammers in that I think we should be able to cut through chain link fences and barbwire fences using a pair of sidecutters/pliers. Additionally, the barbwire fence could be cut and collected and reused in our own constructions. Ovens (wood/coal/charcoal/oil/gas/electric) and chimneys A camp fire is good and all, but it would be great to be able to build our own oven based on available materials and supplies. We could use mud and grass, bricks and mortar, or even salvaged iron and steel to make a simple wood fired oven, which could be used for an increased variety of recipes (pizza) as well as heating a house. Additionally, a chimney would need to be built to accomodate the oven. Anyone who builds a fire indoors without proper ventilation is a fool asking for death! So a chimney makes sense. It would also provide better, longer lasting heat for the house, including top floors. All at the expense of a light source, of course. Alcohol Still The still could be used to create alcohol from farmed fruit/vegetables. Different types of fruit/veg could be used to make different types of alcohol, and the different types could be used for different things. For example some types of alcohol could be used for First Aid (disinfection), some could be used for boredom, others could be used in Ovens and Lamps (next suggestion), some could be used in cooking, and others could be used for combat/malicious reasons. Oil Lamps Put simply, these are lamps that burn oil. The oil can be found throughout the map, or created via an Alcohol Still using the proper ingredients. The lamps could be suspended on a pole (for static area lighting), or they could carried in hand. This would be a sustainable alternative to the current Flashlight/battery and Campfire setup. A simple Oil Lamp could be made from Soda Can, Oil, and some tissue/rag/sheet/bandage/whatever. Video to see some samples: Starting fires We should be able to set things on fire with matches/lighter and a suitable fuel source. If I'm being chased by a horde of zombies and the only thing I have is a bottle of spirits and lighter, I should be able to lead them into a forest or a house, and then set it on fire. I want to burn a house down wihout having to shove a dead rat in the oven! My inner pyromaniac burns with disappointment! Fire should destroy grass/trees Self explanatory. Being tired should make you pass out or even die! Self explanatory. My character hasn't slept in over 4 weeks. It's game breaking. Needs to be fixed. Beds We should be able to build beds. This would coincide with a proper sleeping system (similair to Robomat's sleeping overhaul). Comfort level of where you sleep affects your the healing/recovery/recuperation process. Cutting grass Been mentioned already by others, but cutting grass is essential in my opinion. We could use it as kindling, compost, bedding, animal feed, food (yum!), or whatever. And being grass, it could grow back quite quickly Irrigation and/or drip system Based on the Drip Irrigation mod by Kyun (http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/4763-drip-irrigation-farming-rain-collector-barrel/), in my opinion, this is another essential feature. We should be able to automate the farming process ( to a certain degree) based on a combination of farming, carpentry, intelligence and wisdom. Carry weight and Bags I don't know what the carry weight is based on, kilograms or pounds, but if it's pounds, then these characters are stupidly weak and deserve to be eaten by zombies. Even if it's kilograms, it's still ridiculous. As an ex-electrician, I used to wear a toolbelt with 10kg of tools hanging from it, as well as carrying a portable toolbox full of tools weighing over 20kg, as well additional materials (up to a further 20kgs). At the time I was not a big guy, nor was I ridiculously strong (I only weighed 67kg at the time), but for an average person, they should be able to comfortably carry half their body weight in their bags/belts/pockets. The bag system really needs to reflect this. The Australian and British SAS regularly carry a 60kg+ pack in addition to 8-12kg webbing, 4-8 litres of water, and a rifle. Some operations require them to carry over 80kg in weight! While these guys are trained to do this sort of thing, it's not unreasonable to suggest an everyday person, with a properly fitted pack, cannot comfortably carry half their weight. This is something I feel needs to be looked at in the game. I have many, many other ideas, but's now midnight, and I'm tired...
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