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Ladders, Machetes, Fire Extinguishers and more!


Blake81

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Here are three new items with their respective mechanics that would flawlessly fit this game:

 

 

1. Ladders

 

Ever seen one of these? These foldable metal ladders (which are rather commonplace in garages, construction sites and tool shops) would make quite a great addition to the game.

 

First, they could be used to access the second-floor window of a house you were trying to get into. The downside would be that the zeds could knock it down as you are climbing and send you to your death (or a lot of fractures if you happen to survive). Also, they could be useful for building roofs to our bases, instead of having to waste wood and nails on building a freaking stair.

 

They should be pretty rare (sorta like Sledges, which are hard to find), but completely indestructible. Another downside would be that you wouldn't be able to put it on your pack; you'd have to carry it in both hands (just like with a corpse) and its great weight (I think 10lbs would be a good weight) would slow you down.

 

 

2. Machetes

 

No zombie game or movie is complete without one of these, and the same goes for pretty much every garden shed.

 

Currently, the most practical weapons in PZ are always Blunt weapons (with the sole exception of the Axe, which is pretty uncommon); all Bladed weapons either do too little damage, break too fast or have a range so short you end up getting bitten.

 

The addition of a machete to that list would help to balance against the more advantageous Blunt weapons like the Crowbar and the Baseball Bat (Nailed or not). Because the Axe is on the same level of rarity of the Sledge (which would be its Blunt counterpart) and given its wood-chopping capabilities, most ppl prefer (or at least so I've seen) to use it exclusively for lumberjack'n.

 

Machetes should be the Bladed counterpart of the Crowbars; uncommon but not that rare, weighty but durable, and with a real good damage. They would also be found on the same places as Crowbars (crates, tool sheds, hardware stores, etc)  which wouldn't make it to hard for them to be implemented.

 

 

3. Fire Extinguishers

 

Technically, these are ALREADY in game, but they serve as much purpose as combs and toothbrushes (according to the Wiki, at least).

 

But, let's be honest, we've all gotten our safehouse consumed by flames at least once. So, at the moment we see the flames emerging, why shouldn't we be able to grab one of these and put them out before they do more damage?

 

It would require the same mechanics of a shotgun; just wear them in both hands aim at the flames and unleash a cone of CO2 upon them. However, they would run out after a few uses, just like a paint can. Not to mention they would be quite noisy and probably attract some zeds.

 

Given they wouldn't have any combat use, they'd probably be pretty common. They could be found at houses' kitchens, offices, shops, schools, storehouses; in fact, they'd be found in lots and lots of places. Thing is, many of them would probably have little charge left or be plain empty. And, you wouldn't be able to refill them in any way; it takes a lot of specific tools and materials to get such task done, and it wouldn't be possible in a post-apoc setting.

 

 

3. Nightsticks

 

Commonplace in many zombie games, and some places in real life too. So I was pretty surprised that I didn't found any of these in the police station.

 

They would be a decent Blunt Weapon; less range than the Bat, but with a faster swing and much more durable. (Police Officer and Security Guard Jobs could come with a swing speed bonus to it, kinda like Axe Man does for Firemen and Lumberjacks).

 

As for places to find it, Police Stations or any place that may require a guard (Like Banks, some Offices, Stores and Supermarkets, etc ), and sometimes maybe in the corpse of a zombie. (Zombie Cops should be a thing too)

 

 

4. Mops/Brooms

 

Who doesn't have one of these at home or has seen the one the janitor of your office uses? They're not exactly a deadly weapon, tho (Unless you're Rei Miyamoto from Highschool of the Dead...).

 

They'd be the shovel's weaker but more commonplace cousin; long range and lightweight but prone to breaking and rather weak.

 

However, they'd be utterly common, and clearly a much better weapon choice than a pencil or your bare hands.

 

 

5. Wrench/Spanner

 

Now were's a commonplace favorite I can't believe I forgot about! And although they're not common in people's houses or garden sheds (unless you're the handyman type or the ''Screw mechanics, I'll fix my own car!'' type), they'd be omnipresent on Auto Repairs, Hardware Stores and maybe even the trunks of cars and trucks (when they get added, that is).

 

Combat-wise, they'd be the crowbar's bigger cousin; heavier but deadlier too, yet not as strong as the Sledge.

 

Plus, now that the new Engineer Job that comes on at Build 32, they'd make a fitting weapon for them, or maybe even have some purpose disassembling stuff (it takes more than a Screwdriver to dismantle freezer) . Not to mention that if you're female, you could call yourself a Wrench Wench, one with a mighty Wrench Whack  :P

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I like all of these, and they seem reasonably balanced. Perhaps extinguishers could be used as an improvised blunt object (equipped in both hands, exhausts you like swinging a sledge but only does the damage of a crowbar?) in a pinch? They'd be far from a choice weapon, but if trapped in a room, it could be something you lose.

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Given they wouldn't have any combat use, they'd probably be pretty common. They could be found at houses' kitchens, offices, shops, schools, storehouses; in fact, they'd be found in lots and lots of places. Thing is, many of them would probably have little charge left or be plain empty. And, you wouldn't be able to refill them in any way; it takes a lot of specific tools and materials to get such task done, and it wouldn't be possible in a post-apoc setting.

Most of this sounds nice, except this last bit about fire extinguishers. As a former security officer I know for certain its part of many peoples jobs to check the fire extinguisher and make sure this never happens. In fact you can get fined if someone does a surprise inspection, or just so happens to notice, that a fire extinguisher is low/empty since its a serious saftey violation. Im sure even Kentucky has these sort of public saftey laws~ so I see no reason why most of them would be empty. Sure, maybe some, but if you find your fire extinguisher in a store it should be 99%  of the time perfectly functional. :P

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All nice :) like the ladder a lot cause gives you ability to make a camp in the woods :) only thing needed to that would be like a branch/leaf roof to your log wall compound :)

and the fire extinguisher is a thing which is usally full loaded, maybe not the one which could be found in private homes but for sure in public places and buildings at least for the 1-2 years after the outbrake, then they could loose preassure. and as killing fire with this it should also work for water containers especally the bucket, your can pour it allrdy but has no use on fire yet, and as far my game exp goes is fire a way bigger danger to the player then zeds

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Given they wouldn't have any combat use, they'd probably be pretty common. They could be found at houses' kitchens, offices, shops, schools, storehouses; in fact, they'd be found in lots and lots of places. Thing is, many of them would probably have little charge left or be plain empty. And, you wouldn't be able to refill them in any way; it takes a lot of specific tools and materials to get such task done, and it wouldn't be possible in a post-apoc setting.

Most of this sounds nice, except this last bit about fire extinguishers. As a former security officer I know for certain its part of many peoples jobs to check the fire extinguisher and make sure this never happens. In fact you can get fined if someone does a surprise inspection, or just so happens to notice, that a fire extinguisher is low/empty since its a serious saftey violation. Im sure even Kentucky has these sort of public saftey laws~ so I see no reason why most of them would be empty. Sure, maybe some, but if you find your fire extinguisher in a store it should be 99%  of the time perfectly functional. :P

 

Ah, I had no idea it was like that. Guess I'm too used to the lack or laxness of that kind of regulations as I live on a 3rd world country. :P

 

Still, I was mostly thinking of that as a way to balance out the fact they would be so common. Maybe instead of being low or empty, they could be half full; not empty enough to be useless but not top notch refilled either.

 

I like all of these, and they seem reasonably balanced. Perhaps extinguishers could be used as an improvised blunt object (equipped in both hands, exhausts you like swinging a sledge but only does the damage of a crowbar?) in a pinch? They'd be far from a choice weapon, but if trapped in a room, it could be something you lose.

Could be. But they'd probably be tiresome as hell; they'd do crowbar-worthy damage, but get you tired like a freaking sledge. Not to mention they'd be damn slow to swing as well. Even more than the sledge I reckon...

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As far as using them as a weapon, not so much tiresome, but a little slower. The bigger problem is the lack of much reach since theres no handle really to swing them so you would have to use it like you would say a bucket. Id think a sledge would tire you way more than a fire extinguisher though, especially a small fire extinguisher. They do come in different sizes after all, and most are big enough that any average person could use with little trouble.

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I like the ideas of the Machete and the fire extinguisher but i don't know how i feel about the ladder. I feel it is a cool touch but would be more trouble than worth. Plus i feel you could make your own and it would be easier than trying to find one and dragging it to a safe house. Its still a cool idea but i feel its all risk no reward.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I like the ideas of the Machete and the fire extinguisher but i don't know how i feel about the ladder. I feel it is a cool touch but would be more trouble than worth. Plus i feel you could make your own and it would be easier than trying to find one and dragging it to a safe house. Its still a cool idea but i feel its all risk no reward.

Hmm, that's not a bad idea either. Although these ''homemade'' ladders should be less durable than the found metallic ones (meaning, risk of it breaking while you're climbing it.). But, as a plus, they should be much lighter, although you'd still have to carry them like a corpse.

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I like the ideas of the Machete and the fire extinguisher but i don't know how i feel about the ladder. I feel it is a cool touch but would be more trouble than worth. Plus i feel you could make your own and it would be easier than trying to find one and dragging it to a safe house. Its still a cool idea but i feel its all risk no reward.

Hmm, that's not a bad idea either. Although these ''homemade'' ladders should be less durable than the found metallic ones (meaning, risk of it breaking while you're climbing it.). But, as a plus, they should be much lighter, although you'd still have to carry them like a corpse.

 

Unless they are like the ones on tree houses which are planks and nails but that is very dangerous. I guess if you really want to be cheep it could work.

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  • 2 weeks later...

And more?

IMG_7311_400x400.jpg

Anyway as per usual of my role. I shall give links to suggestions already suggested that you suggested by suggesters.

But that's not all! I will even INCLUDE those mentioned links! For you to get ideas and inspiration from.

1. Ladders

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/10532-ladders/?hl=%2Bladder

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/10624-ladders/?hl=%2Bladder#entry137114
http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/11276-climbing-walls/?hl=+ladder

2. Machete

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/10612-the-effectiveness-of-swords-against-zombies/?hl=%2Bmachete
http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/5752-weapons-ideas/?hl=%2Bmachete
http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/4837-more-immersive-melee-combat/?hl=%2Bmachete#entry65136

3. Fire extinguisher

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/14081-fire-extinguishing/?hl=%2Bfire#entry176097
http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/9822-putting-out-fires-and-shooting-updown-at-different-levels/?hl=fire#entry130152

3. Nightsticks (YOU HAVE TWO 3's!)

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/10149-object-weapon/?hl=%2Bbaton
http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/9397-start-game-with-job-appropriate-items/page-2?hl=%2Bbaton#entry124709

4. Mops/Brooms

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/7157-attacking-zombies-from-2nd-floor/?hl=%2Bbroom#entry93509
http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/10582-a-new-weapon-suggestion/?hl=%2Bbroom#entry135441

But wait theirs more! I will even throw in my opinion!

1. I hate sheet rope so I am all for having ladders. Kick it down though and you end up trapped sadly.
2. I honestly ain't a fan of the machete love, I mean it would make sense, I just don't know how many people in rural areas have one.
3. Of course need a way to put fires out, this is essential.
3. Again, not a big melee person but this would be a good alternative to baseball bats. And would be common.
4. Not quite sure why these specifically, but more random clutter ideas that -can- be used would help the atmosphere a lot.

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How many people in rural areas have machetes?  I'd say FAR more than people in urban areas.  I live in suburbia and I have 2, but I also have a half acre of yard with trees and scrubs to hack back every fall.  In "the country", you'd need a machete for everything from everyday yard work, hunting, or just hiking.  Anyone with trees, shrubs or anything more than a quarter acre lot would have a use for one, and if you couldn't find one in someone's tool shed or on one of the farms, it means they just have something bigger, or more powerful instead. 

 

There wouldn't be any machetes lying around in the trailer parks, unless they're true American country-folk (and then I'd expect a large truck to be parked out front to loot also :evil: ).  Any of the houses on larger lots, especially ones with trees though, would have a large blade-like tool for "vegetation management".

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How many people in rural areas have machetes?  I'd say FAR more than people in urban areas.  I live in suburbia and I have 2, but I also have a half acre of yard with trees and scrubs to hack back every fall.  In "the country", you'd need a machete for everything from everyday yard work, hunting, or just hiking.  Anyone with trees, shrubs or anything more than a quarter acre lot would have a use for one, and if you couldn't find one in someone's tool shed or on one of the farms, it means they just have something bigger, or more powerful instead. 

 

There wouldn't be any machetes lying around in the trailer parks, unless they're true American country-folk (and then I'd expect a large truck to be parked out front to loot also :evil: ).  Any of the houses on larger lots, especially ones with trees though, would have a large blade-like tool for "vegetation management".

Yeah we use stuff called weed whackers and hedge clippers.

You are probably only going to find a machete at the farms, but even then I imagine farmers have more efficient tools for dealing with it, or just don't have to considering they are in the middle of a flat clear field.

Not saying no to it, just think it would be incredibly rare and unlikely.

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They sell machetes at Walmart so they cant be the rarest thing. It Walmart for to love of Pete its not even a item that's in a case or anything.

Well at the moment their is no Walmart in the game. And um, I would say Americans don't buy things they have no reason to have but eh..

 

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Hmm, maybe it's just because I'm not familiar how things are in the States (as I live in South America), but here pretty much everyone who has more than a hundred-some square meters of garden and doesn't pay a gardener (which is rather common) has a machete, a lawnmower and many other garden keeping implements.

 

Not to mention all the roving gardeners who show at your doorstep now and then and ask you if you need to mow your lawn, whom always have one. And how commonplace they are in pretty much every hardware store from big franchises to tiny family-run ones.

 

Nonetheless, game wise, there are plenty of farms and faraway shacks in the map, not to mention a couple hardware stores and god knows how many tool sheds. So, maybe there should be a chance to find a machete there. I mean, who has a crowbar on his garden shed? Unless you're the type who prepares for apocalypse before hand or a Doctor in Theoretic Physics graduated from the MIT :P .

 

Oh, and added a new suggestion to the OP.

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Ok, good, we're getting somewhere.  No machetes, but now we should be able to loot hedge trimmers and weed-whackers in sheds.  I would say that we should include chainsaws now too, since I've never been able to take down a 1-2" tree sapling with a weed-whacker.  Plus, other than the eventual addition of molotovs and cars, we'd need something else to use gasoline for, right? 

 

Machetes are a silly idea, but power lawn tools?  I like the direction this is going.

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Americans don't buy things they have no reason to have?

 

You must not live in America.  I can't find .22 caliber bullets at any gun stores because people are stockpiling to stop "the Government from  taking us over", Black Friday is just an excuse for millions of people to buy what they don't need, and the reason why we have Sam's Clubs and Costco's is precisely for buying more than we need/would use.  So either you're just playing devil's advocate, or you've never gone to a Walmart at 2 am and looked at the useless stuff people buy at that hour (long story why I was there and know).

 

I don't know why people stockpile guns and ammo anyways.  When the time comes that we might need them, they'll be plenty lying around on the ground.  I'll only need one to start with, hell, you can't shoot more than one at a time anyways.

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They sell machetes at Walmart so they cant be the rarest thing. It Walmart for to love of Pete its not even a item that's in a case or anything.

Well at the moment their is no Walmart in the game. And um, I would say Americans don't buy things they have no reason to have but eh..

 

 

Some people buy it. And even if its not in the game if  a big store has it a smaller store might just have one too.

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Americans don't buy things they have no reason to have?

 

You must not live in America.  I can't find .22 caliber bullets at any gun stores because people are stockpiling to stop "the Government from  taking us over", Black Friday is just an excuse for millions of people to buy what they don't need, and the reason why we have Sam's Clubs and Costco's is precisely for buying more than we need/would use.  So either you're just playing devil's advocate, or you've never gone to a Walmart at 2 am and looked at the useless stuff people buy at that hour (long story why I was there and know).

 

I don't know why people stockpile guns and ammo anyways.  When the time comes that we might need them, they'll be plenty lying around on the ground.  I'll only need one to start with, hell, you can't shoot more than one at a time anyways.

"I would say Americans don't buy things they have no reason to have but eh.."

Yeah I clearly said that. Look how convinced I am of what I said, and how the but eh.. part signifies how true that statement is.

Not sure why you think we will just have ammo and weapons lieing around during a panic like this, this is literally one of the first things people are going to take. You would be lucky to find anything a few hours after it starts.

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We don't know how the apocalypse starts, so we don't really know anything. The speed at which the zombie thing spread would have a large affect on loot. If everyone turned into zombies suddenly there would be loads of loot in houses. If the zombies slowly spread there would be lots of loot in cars etc. It will be interesting when they add TV and radio as this may answer some of these questions about the spread speed?

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Having had to sit in on several boring meetings about fire extinguishers, there's like 3 different kinds of fire extinguishers, electrical fires, grease fires and normal-- the most common one shoots out talcum powder can only be used once, after that it loses pressure and you need to replace it.

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