Massive List of Clothing Suggestions

[uberevan]

This is a long one, you have been warned.

 

I know this topic has been broached in several ways, so I would like to have a conglomeration of all the different suggestions as well as my own.  It's also important to note that including ALL of these could overcomplicate the game, so it may be wise to select only a few.

 

The clothing system's depth currently goes to basic temperature.  There are a lot of options that could add lots of immersion to PZ which include:
-Clothing Condition

-Wind Chill

-Sun Protection

-Protective Value

-Finding Various Types on Zombies

-Pockets

-Wet/Dry Condition

 

Clothing Condition:

This has been tossed around several times.  When clothes are used for a long time, they are worn down and get holes in them, or tear.  This can provide a usage for the sewing needle and spool of thread.  It should work similarly to weapon repair, except under a different trait.  When your clothing is damaged, you can repair it a certain amount, but each time you can repair it less.  Depending on how worn/damaged the clothing is (IE if it has too many holes), it will not provide as good of heat retention, though it won't change much, unless all of your clothes are in bad shape.  Certain types of clothes might not repair as well either, for example Cotton vs. Kevlar, though some may lose durability slower, like Velvet vs. Canvas.

 

Wind Chill:

Simply put, wind could not only blow your scent to other zombies, but also be lethal depending on the time of year.  Several people have frozen to death in 50-60 degree weather because the wind chill was so cold.  Blocking out wind with certain jackets can be one of the most vital things to winter survival you can even be concerned with.  So, some clothes like a sweater may provide good heat retention under calm conditions, wind can pull away heat if there is no way to block it out.  So, some jackets should provide better wind chill protection as an additional stat to temperature.  If certain parts of your body are not properly protected it could lead to frostbite.

Sun Protection:

Another hazard from the environment, sunlight's UV rays can be harmful if exposed too long.  While it may be more of a concern in summer, it's still a year round danger.  This shouldn't be much of problem unless you are outside for more than 4 hours a day with skin directly exposed to the sun.  The danger levels will rise on warm days, and the sweat on your skin can also make it worse.  Covering patches of skin will help keep this danger at bay.

 

Protective Factor:

Before any of you say "OMG SWORDS AND CHAINMAIL YUSS/NO BLACKSMITHING YOU SUCK THAT'S DUMB" I would like to put all that aside.  I am discussing only modern wear like leather jackets or riot gear.  

Every bit of clothing helps protect you at least a little bit from both zombie and human, but the more you wear the hotter you would be.  This adds to the risk of wearing protective clothes when you are in a dire situation.  Basically, every bit of clothing would have a defense factor where it decreases the chance that a zombie's attack would penetrate skin, or how fatal a human assault could be.  A few suggestions:

Winter Jacket: Thick, but not very strong, very weak protective factor.

Leather Jacket: Pretty hot, somewhat strong, moderate protective factor

Kevlar Jacket:  Thick, hot, very tough, good protective factor and chance to stop bullets

Sparring Pads/Sports Pads (Legs): Good defense, but does not cover entire body part.  Leg piece of full set.

The list could keep going but you get the idea.

 

Types Found on Zombies:

It makes sense that not every zombie would have the same kind of clothes.  We already have different loot types depending on where they are found, so this could be added on.  While most zombies would have basic civilian wear like cotton/nylon shirts, jeans, shorts, etc. some could have leather jackets, and depending on the time you start the game in, seasonal clothing like winter jackets.  Police zombies could be wearing a uniform, or very rarely Kevlar padding.  Fireman zombies could be wearing a fireproof coat, or some zombies could be wearing raincoats.  Varying the types of clothes/professions will add immersion to the game.

 

Pockets:

Pretty self-explanatory, some clothes have pockets you can store items in.  When NPCs are added this may even allow you to hide items like guns or knives.  Everyone starts out with a basic inventory which I'm assuming to be your pockets.  But, clothes like trench coats will obviously have more room in the pockets, so some clothes may give a higher bonus amount to your main inventory.  If you are wearing clothes like a trench coat or jeans, you could conceivably strap items to yourself and hide them.

 

Damp/Dry Condition:

The player already has a damp/dry condition so why not their clothes?  There could be a clothesline used to dry your clothes, or you could place them near a fire.  Wearing wet clothes while it's cold would make you far colder, and could also cause bad moods, while being in fresh, warm, dry clothing could improve your mood.  Some clothes could deflect/absorb more rain than other kinds of clothes.  Fur clothing would probably catch more rain, while a rain coat would keep you somewhat dry.  Rainboots as  well.  However, if you have time to stand still and wring your clothes out, they could go from soaked to damp, which would be better than nothing.  If you're being chased you might just have to drip everywhere.  This could also collect water.  Wear clothes or leave them in the rain, then wring them out into a bucket or pot.

 

Wow, that took forever to write.  Thanks for reading this long comment, and please tell me what you think of some of the suggestions.  Adding too many of these could make the game too complex, but a few could add immersion and improve the experience.

 

-Uberevan

[Jatta Pake]

I like these ideas. My personal preference for some of these:

1. Condition - New, Worn, Tattered

2. Protective Bonus - Water, Sun, Cold, Blunt, Blade, Bullet (any single item gets a buff in one of the above, bite = blade, scratch = blunt for zombies)

3. Limitation - Slow, Loud, Reduce Vision, Reduce Sight, Cold, Hot, Heavy, Clumsy, Smelly

[Rass]

I agree with most of these. I really like the idea of having pockets as a way to increase our carrying limit, I don't think I've seen that mentioned before. If different kinds of clothing are introduced for different weather conditions/situations, clothing condition is very important to make sure that we can't just get the best for every situation and be set for (a very shot) life.

Now, the most controversial will probably be protective clothing like leather jackets, kevlar vests or riot gear. I think that it's a good idea, but difficult to balance. In my opinion the best way to make this work would be to make the most basic clothing-the stuff that you start with or the most common clothes-weaker against zombie attacks than the current character. Rarer clothing would bump up the zed protection to current levels and extremely rare protective stuff would give you better protection, but in some cases decreased mobility.

[uberevan]

I didn't think about the scent on your clothes, that could influence how easily they could detect you. Good suggestion!

The only problem I have with protective gear is the advantage over other players it gives, so it needs to give you some advantage but not one so large as to overpower it. I suggest that it simply decrease odds of taking as bad of hits.

For example

No protection: 95% Chance for full damage blows

Leather jacket: 89% Chance for taking full damage

Kevlar: 80% chance for taking full damage And a chance for bullet not to deal damage (varies by range)

Additionally, bladed weapons wouldn't be affected by protective factors as much as blunt weapons would, so stabbing someone will be more effective than hitting them with a bat in the protected areas.

[JM_Forest_64]

I remember suggesting the wet/dry clothing thing a little while back.  I thought this was the system when I first started playing.  Then I discovered that it wasn't, and I realized that not getting cold when it's cold and you're clothes are wet is pretty silly.

[uberevan]

I remember suggesting the wet/dry clothing thing a little while back.  I thought this was the system when I first started playing.  Then I discovered that it wasn't, and I realized that not getting cold when it's cold and you're clothes are wet is pretty silly.

 

I agree completely.  And I didn't mean to take credit for your suggestion, I just wanted to compile everything.  Being wet is one of the quickest ways to bring down your body heat, especially when combined with wind chill.  I remember going on a survival outing once, where it was drizzling slightly and the wind was blowing up out of the North.  The actual air temperature was around 56 degrees but almost everyone showed early stages of hypothermia, unless they managed to stay dry.  Changing clothes is a quick way to get rid of the wet issue, and hanging your clothes to dry, or putting the water in a container would be useful as well.