Seasons affecting both players and zombies in a different way

[LeoIvanov]

After seeing recent Eckyman's playthrough I thought that seasonal and prolonged survival are now a possibility, considering if you are smart enough not to get bitten and have a daily food(and water) supply.

 

Summer :

 

Character :

 

Hot weather, penalty when doing carpentry and any other stuff that requires physical work (fighting, building walls, destroying objects, running etc), get thirsty faster while doing physical work, prolonged sun exposure may cause heat strokes. Food rotting faster when outside of fridge/inside of not-working one.

 

Zombies :

 

Chance of smelling the player is increased, moving across any terrain is normal (no penalty). Surrounded by a lot of flies, decreasing both vision and hearing.

 

Fall :

 

Character :

 

Weather is colder, During certain days you might feel like wearing sweater (nippy). No more penalty for doing carpentry and physical work in the open. Thirst and hunger levels raise and dicrease normally. Higher chance to catch an infection during the rain. Due to amount of rain at Fall, speed is slightly reduced on terrains like : dirt, sand, tall grass. Food rots at normal rate.

 

Zombies :

Movement speed is -slightly- reduced on terrains like dirt, sand and tall grass. Chance of smelling the player is normal. Almost no flies disturb them.

 

Winter :

 

Character :

 

The most brutal for the character. Prolonged exposure outside or indoors without the heat source tremendously increases the chance to catch the fever. Going outside WHILE having a fever is almost certainly a death sentence. Movement speed is reduced (almost x2-3 times). Food rots at slower rates. Thirst goes down slower than usual. Unable to farm at winter (crops will just die)

 

Zombies :

 

Movement speed is reduced a LOT. Decreased chance to smell a player. (3 times). No flies disturb them. Hearing decreased (due to prolonged exposure outside).

 

Spring :

 

Character :

 

Speed goes to normal state again. Easier to do carpentry and physical work (bonus). Hunger and Thirst go up/down at normal rates.

 

Zombies :

 

Movement speed is normal. Chance to smell player is decreased. No flies disturb them.

 

 

EDIT :

 

Another awesome idea by fellow forum-goer about how seasons would affect food supply. Highly suggest check out there aswell. http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/2366-seasonal-offerings-food-preservation/

[Walther]

i generally approve of features like this. But there also needs to be stuff like winter clothing, raincoats, gloves, gumboots, the possibility to build a stove (inside heat source), etc. if seasons are implemented

 

The flies are a very nice touch!

[Sneaky Pete]

Also like the idea with different seasons affecting the player and the zombies.
And especially for farming! At the moment you can still farm during winter time (it's january for my player now). First winter has to be really tough to survive in my opinion. But on the other hand crops like potatoes for example have to last at least a few months until they get rotten, if you keep them somewhere inside during winter time. Preparations for winter...

In the current version your character starts freezing in october if he is not wearing a sweater and it gets colder in the upcoming months. Though like the idea of additional winter clothes as the weather would get more extreme.
I want more struggle for survival. I might be alone with this opinion, but starving in this game is not a real issue yet...

[Rathlord]

Heat and cold are already in; being hot even makes you thirsty faster.

Ambient temperature and rainfall has no impact on movement speed when there's no snow. KY gets very little snow, so…

[LeoIvanov]

Heat and cold are already in; being hot even makes you thirsty faster.

Ambient temperature and rainfall has no impact on movement speed when there's no snow. KY gets very little snow, so…

 

As little snow as there are I think it'll still affect your movement speed, and honestly - I don't think Zomboid should go this far with realism, when one of the major (future) features of the game might get not added.

 

I mean, it's not like in the future there will be many folks who will go complaining on the forums like "Hey, Indiestone, I've checked on the internet and it says Kentucky doesn't get much snow in winter why would you do this you stupid it is not realistic what the fuck give me refund :oo"

 

Moving around both in snow and seeing zombies struggling more than usual to walk around will be a fair balance between realism and fun, that's what I'm thinking.

 

Even if we DO want to get as far with the realism as possible, then here's what I found :

 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071127122539AAl4YGq

 

I've lived in Kentucky all 35 years of my life. Yes, it does snow, but it isn't the beautiful snow you see elsewhere. Usually the snow is around 1/2" at times and it's a yucky, wet snow (if that makes sense). Just enough to make the kids mad that they don't get out of going to school! 

A warning though, sometimes we do get ice and Kentucky is never prepared for that! There have been times that they have had to shut down the interstate because of it. 

If you do hear that snow or ice is coming soon, you better move fast to the grocery store. Everyone and their mother will go and buy the last loaf of bread and then you'll be stuck buying milk from the Minit Mart for $4.99 a gallon!

 

Wet snow and ice still works for slowing zombies down enough for them not to walk the same speed they do at summer.

[Rathlord]

I was referring to the living, not the dead. Even then, it seems pretty unlikely that slow them down any noticeable amount.

 

All I'm saying is, it wouldn't be worth programming if you kept it even remotely realistic as far as the amount.

 

You also didn't say "when snowing" you just said all winter, and that's just a bit silly.

[LeoIvanov]

I was referring to the living, not the dead. Even then, it seems pretty unlikely that slow them down any noticeable amount.

 

All I'm saying is, it wouldn't be worth programming if you kept it even remotely realistic as far as the amount.

 

You also didn't say "when snowing" you just said all winter, and that's just a bit silly.

 

Easy to judge when you live in the place where "winter" doesn't always mean "snowing".

 

Here in Russia it starts snowing at the end of November, and snows pretty much until beginning of march. Temperature stays below 0, so even if it's several weeks/a month without snow falling, it's still not enough for the snow already on the ground to melt out all the way to the grass.

[EnigmaGrey]

 

I was referring to the living, not the dead. Even then, it seems pretty unlikely that slow them down any noticeable amount.

 

All I'm saying is, it wouldn't be worth programming if you kept it even remotely realistic as far as the amount.

 

You also didn't say "when snowing" you just said all winter, and that's just a bit silly.

 

Easy to judge when you live in the place where "winter" doesn't always mean "snowing".

 

Here in Russia it starts snowing at the end of November, and snows pretty much until beginning of march. Temperature stays below 0, so even if it's several weeks/a month without snow falling, it's still not enough for the snow already on the ground to melt out all the way to the grass.

 

Unfortunately, where the game is set, "winter" doesn't always mean "snowing."

Snow just isn't much of a threat below 1 ft in depth.

[Rathlord]

And as in the reference that you posted, Muldraugh very rarely gets any real snow. I lived just one state over from KY for 16 years. In that time, we got snowfall above an inch probably three to five times. The fact of the matter is, it's just not that way here (and here is where the game is set, not Russia).

[LeoIvanov]

That's settled then. No slowing down of movement during winter at all.

 

When I was writing the paragraph for the "winter" state I've had the Russian winter in mind and imagined what it'd feel like without electricity and heating. And that in mind, I don't even live in the coldest part of Russia. We get some "hot" summers here aswell (+35C), but it's nowhere near american weather, who go higher than +38C on regular basis.

 

I also realized after posting that -18C is considered very cold in america, while in Russia it's the usual (sort of medium) weather that we get at winter. In general, for me it seems like I could live through winter easier than through summer in america.

[Rathlord]

All told the U.S. Is a fairly comfortable place to live, especially the southern half. I could likely comfortably live off of the land here with no problems, barring medical emergencies.

Zombies would be slowed in winter most likely, even here some days. A the temperature got down to about 0 degrees F or negatives C they would literally start to freezer burn.

[Mrxbath]

As unrealistic as it may be for KY, I love the idea of a snowy zombocalypse. No game has given me that, I love the sound of a harsh winter and slow zombies. Maybe someone could do an in depth snow mod?

Plus I'm pretty sure TIS developers don't plan on quitting making maps anytime soon... It's very possible that the game may not be set in only Kentucky

[Rathlord]

I'm fairly confident their basic idea was for them to only map Muldraugh and the surrounding area. For example, West Point is just up the road from Muldraugh, just like it is in real life. As far as I know they have no plans to do any additional parts of the world, although once the mapping tools are released it can always be done by others.

[Shivster]

I will make a map in Nebraska when i get the tools. In the tri city area Hastings, Grand Island, Kearney area.

 

We get feet of snow and well bellow 20f all winter long.

[TinnedEpic]

I enjoy this idea , I feel farming and seasons is already something that's planned

[AirborneM4]

And zombie snowprints, we'll need that sometime.

[Kajin]

I'm fairly confident their basic idea was for them to only map Muldraugh and the surrounding area. For example, West Point is just up the road from Muldraugh, just like it is in real life. As far as I know they have no plans to do any additional parts of the world, although once the mapping tools are released it can always be done by others.

I thought there were plans to incorporate at least one moderately large city onto the map?

[Rathlord]

Louisville. It's also fairly nearby in Kentucky.

[Kajin]

Only ever been there once. I think it was to see some kind of science museum? Can't remember...

[ZimTown]

Thumbs up for this idea

[EnigmaGrey]

And zombie snowprints, we'll need that sometime.

And when the crawlers remain stationary for a while, little zombie-snow angels.

[uberevan]

How about unchecked Water collection barrels evaporate water during the summer? Only thing is, since water is that much more important I guess you would check them constantly...but if you were away or something. Also,during Winter, doors are harder to open because of ice so they could have a delay for both people and zombs bashing down doors

[Fj45]

How about unchecked Water collection barrels evaporate water during the summer? Only thing is, since water is that much more important I guess you would check them constantly...but if you were away or something. Also,during Winter, doors are harder to open because of ice so they could have a delay for both people and zombs bashing down doors

 

Shouldn't they evaporate anyway, even if you check them?

[Armredhoof]

Ok until Food preservation is it put into the game no farming during the winter means the game ends at the 2nd winter, I don't think there is enough non perishable food available to outlast a 2nd winter, as for the water barrels and evaporation there could be a craftable lid for them to prevent water loss at the cost of capacity,

[Rathlord]

Ok until Food preservation is it put into the game no farming during the winter means the game ends at the 2nd winter, I don't think there is enough non perishable food available to outlast a 2nd winter, as for the water barrels and evaporation there could be a craftable lid for them to prevent water loss at the cost of capacity,

If you put a lid on a rain barrel…