Ultra Hard Mode Infection

[Kajin]

Add an option in sandbox mode that turns the zombie infection from "Death Sentence" to "Ultra Hard Mode", or maybe add it as an addition to the resilience perk.

 

Willing to admit it. I don't like the fact that a bite or a scratch has a random chance of killing you even if you survive the attack with most of your health. But I do like the idea of the zombie virus being a persistent infection that makes survival a great deal more difficult. With this sand box option, an infection from a bite could have all sorts of traumatizing effects that greatly increase the potential of death. rather than just flat out killing you.

 

Possible Features: Every night you have a random chance of being completely bedridden and have to lie down to rest for a day or two, even though you know your supplies are so low you can't afford to be resting it off. Potentially worse in that this could happen while you're out scavenging and would be forced to spend the night inside of a broken down hovel with minimal defenses. It could also make you hungrier and thirstier, making you burn through supplies much more quickly than you otherwise would as your body tries desperately to fight off the infection.

 

I understand the bleakness that the game is going for in using the Romero style zombies, but I think that it doesn't translate too well into a video game setting. Thus far, every time I get infected, I just drop all of my stuff into my safe house, barricade the front door, and drop a hammer on the ground so I can get back inside before I go off and run into the nearest horde so I can restart as quick as possible with a new character. But with the "Ultra Hard Mode" infection, I'd be more likely to continue playing my current survivor because there exists the possible chance that I could continue surviving, even though my odds are so drastically reduced I might not last a whole week.

 

Note: The idea of this isn't immunity, or because I think that inevitable death is a cop out. This is something that WILL kill you. Just that it doesn't do that itself so much as it speeds things along a great deal. I think it'd make for great "bleak survivalist" atmosphere is all.

[ToastedFishSandwich]

It's been discussed in the past, perhaps it could be a mod? I would definitely support this being created as a mod.

[Rathlord]

Add an option in sandbox mode that turns the zombie infection from "Death Sentence" to "Ultra Hard Mode", or maybe add it as an addition to the resilience perk.

 

Willing to admit it. I don't like the fact that a bite or a scratch has a random chance of killing you even if you survive the attack with most of your health. But I do like the idea of the zombie virus being a persistent infection that makes survival a great deal more difficult. With this sand box option, an infection from a bite could have all sorts of traumatizing effects that greatly increase the potential of death. rather than just flat out killing you.

 

Possible Features: Every night you have a random chance of being completely bedridden and have to lie down to rest for a day or two, even though you know your supplies are so low you can't afford to be resting it off. Potentially worse in that this could happen while you're out scavenging and would be forced to spend the night inside of a broken down hovel with minimal defenses. It could also make you hungrier and thirstier, making you burn through supplies much more quickly than you otherwise would as your body tries desperately to fight off the infection.

 

I understand the bleakness that the game is going for in using the Romero style zombies, but I think that it doesn't translate too well into a video game setting. Thus far, every time I get infected, I just drop all of my stuff into my safe house, barricade the front door, and drop a hammer on the ground so I can get back inside before I go off and run into the nearest horde so I can restart as quick as possible with a new character. But with the "Ultra Hard Mode" infection, I'd be more likely to continue playing my current survivor because there exists the possible chance that I could continue surviving, even though my odds are so drastically reduced I might not last a whole week.

 

Note: The idea of this isn't immunity, or because I think that inevitable death is a cop out. This is something that WILL kill you. Just that it doesn't do that itself so much as it speeds things along a great deal. I think it'd make for great "bleak survivalist" atmosphere is all.

 

 

The devs have said a pretty big 'no' to this before. Inevitable death isn't really a cop out, it's how they want their game to be. I can see this making a good mod, and I would actually like to see some of this added to the current infection.

 

What you're doing wrong (and why it feels wrong to you) is that you're trying to powergame it. You're cheesing it. No person just drops their stuff and runs out naked into the night so that the next guy who mystically knows where your stuff is can come along and use it. You're playing it like a game instead of playing it like an experience.

 

Being scratched has a chance to not kill you, so there's that. Plus, you can already fight off the infection for a very long time if you're careful which essentially does the exact same thing you're suggesting (since you say that death is still inevitable). You can survive for weeks if not months infected if you're careful and smart.

[Kajin]

I just like the experience of survival, is all. This would give a perceived "chance", even where there is none to be had, But mostly I'm just a masochist and I think that doing it like this would be way more brutal.

 

But like I said, I thought it would make a good sandbox addition for people who like to torture themselves, since the sandbox already allows you to modify the zombies so that they're not proper anyway. I understand that the devs are going for a "Classic Romero" vibe so an idea like this would stay the hell out of the main game.

[Rathlord]

I just like the experience of survival, is all. This would give a perceived "chance", even where there is none to be had, But mostly I'm just a masochist and I think that doing it like this would be way more brutal.

 

But like I said, I thought it would make a good sandbox addition for people who like to torture themselves, since the sandbox already allows you to modify the zombies so that they're not proper anyway. I understand that the devs are going for a "Classic Romero" vibe so an idea like this would stay the hell out of the main game.

 

I think I could possibly get behind this, it does sound fun and that is the entire point of sandbox. I think that even though it goes against what the devs (and I, personally) think the best solution would be to just have a tiny percent chance of fighting off the infection after months of trauma and with medication. Before I was massively against it, but having seen so many posts like yours where people just suicide every time they're injured by a zombie it makes me think from a pure gameplay standpoint that this might be better. If there's even the tiniest fighting chance, maybe people will stop cheesing it.

[Kajin]

If I must be honest, I like to think that the "Hard Mode" infection would still be what kills you, anyway. Instead of just taking you itself, though, it instead has the environment do it for you by greatly increasing the odds of death in any given situation. Wounds bleed more and require more bandages to stop. Dehydration increases far more quickly. Random chance to collapse from over exertion or lack of rest and letting the pursuing zombies catch up to you.

 

This is something that WILL kill you. It just goes about it a different way, is all. It's why I named the thread "Ultra Hard Mode" instead of "Crybaby Kajin doesn't like to die huddled in a corner and weeping as he breathes his last"

[Kajin]

Also, I apologize if I sound or act crass. I'm operating on... about 35 hours of no sleep. I might be a tad cranky or hard to understand.

[Rathlord]

Actually I like this now that you've brought the idea more into play. I've been one of the staunchest defenders of "infection kills period" since day one, but this actually makes a lot of sense gameplay wise.

[Xydonus]

I agree, would like to see this implemented in sandbox. After all, that's what sandbox is. The dev team took the bold step of introducing the option to have running zombies, which got a fair bit of flak on youtube and here as well, despite the fact that it was clearly labeled SANDBOX.

 

Sandbox opens the door for such things like this, it allows to take a separate approach from the main survival element. I personally prefer the infection kills outright method, with just a tiny tiny wee little scrumple of a chance of non-infection..

 

But I will always defend sandbox for what it should be, a customisable experience for the player, to their hearts content.

[Rathlord]

I agree, would like to see this implemented in sandbox. After all, that's what sandbox is. The dev team took the bold step of introducing the option to have running zombies, which got a fair bit of flak on youtube and here as well, despite the fact that it was clearly labeled SANDBOX.

 

Sandbox opens the door for such things like this, it allows to take a separate approach from the main survival element. I personally prefer the infection kills outright method, with just a tiny tiny wee little scrumple of a chance of non-infection..

 

But I will always defend sandbox for what it should be, a customisable experience for the player, to their hearts content.

 

The problem that our friend here has helped make clear to me is that (unless you pick hypochondriac) if you've been scratched you know whether you've been infected or not. So yes, it's nice to have that tiny chance, but it doesn't add anything to the "once you've become infected" stage of the game.

 

And what really gets me down (and always have) is the sheer amount of people who just pack their things up, walk out in the street, and commit suicide when they get infected. And for me, personally, I think that's a horrible way to end a game and I don't think anyone really benefits from that. For you, when you do it, it just feels silly and stupid, because no real person would say "Hey I'm infected, I'm going to dance naked in the street while the zombies eat me." While suicide could be an option, it certainly wouldn't be like that and personally I think most people would follow the "I'm fine, I'm not going to get infected" train of thought anyways. But that entire facet of zombie lore is lost with our current system.

 

So, in the oddest way possible, I think that yes there should be a tiny chance of at the least infection not killing you right out, just having many severe effects. I think perhaps it should even be remotely possible in a fraction of a fraction of cases to be nursed back to health with the right care. Just enough of the hypothetical 'carrot' so people don't instantly give up on any sick character.

[Kajin]

And even then, the infection could still be there. Biding its time.. Waiting...

 

Or maybe it's a slow burner? Maybe that particular zed was newly turned and didn't have enough of the infection in its mouth or fingernails to illicit an immediate reaction. So you get scratched, you heal, everything is hunky dory. Then, BAM! Zombification hits you like a sack of bricks.

[Rathlord]

I like this, too. I think the real key is unpredictability. If players are just as unsure as their characters about what is going to happen to them, it encourages them to think more like their characters.

[EnigmaGrey]

You do not recall the random infection bug and how much people loved it? Not to mention the save-related infection bug . .  Oh, that was fun. (Seriously, it was.)

[Rathlord]

You do not recall the random infection bug and how much people loved it? Not to mention the save-related infection bug . .  Oh, that was fun. (Seriously, it was.)

 

I think the random infection bug was the bug that brought me back to the PZ forums after my leave of absence, actually. I won't go so far as to say it was fun but it was certainly... interesting.

[EnigmaGrey]

Loved it? I must've missed that, because I was so BLINDED WITH RAGE.

One man's rage is another man's mocking chuckle.

[k12314]

I think what he's going for is the infection causing various side-effects, and if you do certain things you can fend it off a bit, but it kills you eventually. I'd like that. Getting shakes and sweaty and suffering from bad hunger and thirst while I'm stuck in my house, running out of supplies, and time.