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Having Kids


Erkinwine

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Ok, I know, I know, I know. The TIS Devs have already made it clear that there are going to be no child zombies in Project Zomboid. And the case is closed. If that's the way it is - that's the way it will be, but I must at least post my suggestion.

 

When NPCs are finally released (whenever that may be) it will be entirely unrealistic to assume that survivors are not going to attempt to save the species by creating a next generation. If the issue for no children is because the Devs don't want to deal with their deaths, that is one thing against which I have no counter argument. However, if, as I have read, there is a lack of desire to have zombie children, the answer is easy:

 

The disease that causes zombification only affects those who have already been through puberty. While this might suggest thirteen or fourteen year-old zombies (technically children), they will appear no different than other young adults of 18 or 19, once their bodies have cooled and the signs of a gruesome death are showing.

 

There, I'm sure it will be shot down, but I've made my argument and my conscious is clear once more.

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2 hours ago, Erkinwine said:

Ok, I know, I know, I know. The TIS Devs have already made it clear that there are going to be no child zombies in Project Zomboid. And the case is closed. If that's the way it is - that's the way it will be, but I must at least post my suggestion.

 

When NPCs are finally released (whenever that may be) it will be entirely unrealistic to assume that survivors are not going to attempt to save the species by creating a next generation. If the issue for no children is because the Devs don't want to deal with their deaths, that is one thing against which I have no counter argument. However, if, as I have read, there is a lack of desire to have zombie children, the answer is easy:

 

The disease that causes zombification only affects those who have already been through puberty. While this might suggest thirteen or fourteen year-old zombies (technically children), they will appear no different than other young adults of 18 or 19, once their bodies have cooled and the signs of a gruesome death are showing.

 

There, I'm sure it will be shot down, but I've made my argument and my conscious is clear once more.

Yeah, I know it's a good idea, but devs don't wanna do and people will fanboy and fight and shit. But, yeah, good mod idea.

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Unfortunately the kids idea is a no go from a ratings perspective, but as far as immersion goes it's the small things that help.  On Fallout 4 I remember installing a child raider mod and thinking nothing of it until I encountered one. 

 

From a story perspective it was an internal battle as you're searching for your lost child whilst equally blowing away kids of equal age to get to him in the first place. If it's a mod then I'll consider it I suppose.

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Good idea but I can only start to imagine what kind of unacceptable trolling this kind of feature would bring to the game... Also, the time scope of one life in PZ is probably too short to really contemplate the next generation, after a 2 minutes research, I could not find a player surviving for more than a few months or a year. Apparently, you more or less "beat the game" after a few months, which seems fair. Maybe it will change in the final game though.

 

I think it's a great idea because of the emotional value it would bring to the game, having to take care of a vulnerable AI (a bit like in ICO) would make surviving more relevant and varied. Especially is the AI is limited in some ways compared to the player, for instance you would have to carry a kid over a fence, or through a window, the kid would get tired faster when walking, you could carry him but you'd get tired faster. The kid could get sick, get scared or go crazy more easily, maybe he could be careless too and leave a window open, a door unlocked or start a fire!

 

At this point it's more a "Home Alone" simulation than anything, but you get the idea.

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Ayrton,

 

You got the idea. With NPCs, there will be a community, so some aspects will be easier, allowing players to live longer. Other aspects more difficult. It will be necessary to keep the entire community fed, for example. But communities allow for specialization and thus more chances for longer survival. Even in communities, survivors will slowly be eliminated, forcing those who remain to take on greater roles. Having to take care of an infant or toddler would certainly add an aspect of difficulty to the game and, I think, a fun tag. Survivors may not live long enough to create their own offspring, but what if the player came across a young mother with a 4 or 5-year-old. They both need to be taken care of, because the mother cannot be expected to go out hunting for food and supplies on her own or with the child.

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I agree there should be children. Fuck the ratings :D

 

but it will probably be modded, with the tools from the animation update, some modders will probably add a children mod :P

 

after all, No more room in hell had zombie children, pretty hilarious^^

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have 2 children (3yrs and 3mos). Having my 2 children with me in a zombie apocalypse would be just about the worst thing ever! At their age they are almost totally useless and will likely just get themselves and myself into trouble.

 

With that being said; it would certainly add a new dynamic and challenge to the game.

 

The Last of Us pulled off having to protect a child during an apocalyptic scenario.

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  • 2 years later...
On 1/9/2019 at 11:42 AM, Burger_Time said:

Be able to born child is a bit horrific thing to see, but be able to find woman with children would definitely be a great thing.

it could be a negative trait that you start with a child and one that gives you more points is starting with an infant?

Edited by Official Le Fishe
missed a word
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15 minutes ago, Official Le Fishe said:

it could be a negative trait that you start with a child and one that gives you more points is starting with an infant?


Too easy to take advantage of IMO. You get the points permanently, but the difficulty of having the child is not permanent. They’re not our real children and for some players, it would be easy to be rid of the “challenge”. 
 

If not caring for the child or allowing something bad to happen to it would cause severe depression for a very long time, then maybe it could work. There would need to be a benefit to keeping the child alive and well other than the character creation points. 

 

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On 11/15/2021 at 5:08 PM, CaptKaspar said:


Too easy to take advantage of IMO. You get the points permanently, but the difficulty of having the child is not permanent. They’re not our real children and for some players, it would be easy to be rid of the “challenge”. 
 

If not caring for the child or allowing something bad to happen to it would cause severe depression for a very long time, then maybe it could work. There would need to be a benefit to keeping the child alive and well other than the character creation points. 

 

you can use the child as an insurance policy to get away from the hoard? like i get out of jail free card lol? i think maybe you could make the child carry some stuff or maybe it provides some stat bonuses like increased happiness or less stress?

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5 hours ago, Official Le Fishe said:

you can use the child as an insurance policy to get away from the hoard? like i get out of jail free card lol? i think maybe you could make the child carry some stuff or maybe it provides some stat bonuses like increased happiness or less stress?


less stress? I like what you’re intending, but sorry no, kids would be incredibly stressful. Kids and caring for them can be, often is, stressful on its own. I have two. Add the additional anxiety and dangers of a zombie apocalypse? No way kids would decrease your stress in that situation. 

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14 hours ago, CaptKaspar said:


less stress? I like what you’re intending, but sorry no, kids would be incredibly stressful. Kids and caring for them can be, often is, stressful on its own. I have two. Add the additional anxiety and dangers of a zombie apocalypse? No way kids would decrease your stress in that situation. 

fair enough, i have no kids so i wouldnt know, honestly i was just thinking of positive buffs lol, maybe if you kid is surrounded by the undead and you have brave or adrenaline junkie you get an added burst of strength or adrenaline?

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  • 2 months later...

I created an account just to approve you all.
As soon as I had a base setup, I realized I really I needed something to keep me going. Something I would care for in this world. Something to keep surviving for.
A child would be great ! It can be a teenager if need be, as long as it's vulnerable enough.

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I agree children would be a good thing to go for, especially once NPCs are out. However I believe this is mod territory if the devs don't want to do this.

 

We do need a "Woohoo" mod first though.

 

Getting hampered by a pregnancy trait that gets worse for 9 months is also a challenge in itself.

Edited by Gurluas
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If they add in a settlement mode, they could keep kids in the settlement, go Fallout's way and make them immortal

And do like a "This survivor and this survivor had a kid together" then you'd see a kid walking around your settlement safe from harm

Then in like a few weeks or something completely unrealistic in timing they'd pop and turn into an adult

Easy peasy but not the best fix for it so probably not usable in the slightest

 

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I cant think of anything worse to have in zombie apocalypse other than a child, especially a baby. Useless and extremely stressful in the best of times. A good chance they’d be the death of you in a zombie apocalypse. Trying to get a baby to stop crying or a toddler to stop having an epic meltdown while theres zombies around. As a father, its a hard no from me. 
 

However, I’m all about options. If someone wants that experience then why not? Just please, please, please do not force us to have to care for kids unless we choose to have kids. I quit Dead Rising 2 immediately upon realizing I had to care for a kid. Never turned it on again. 

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  • 1 year later...

Wow, I'm back and I didn't realize I had been away for so long. I didn't stop playing PZ, Just kinda got out o the forum for a while.

 

I see this thread got a little bit of attention while I was away. I also gave it some additional thought as I experimented with various updates over the last couple o years. There have been some great suggestions above and it does seem that I stirred a little discussion. I thank you all for your input.

 

I still think PZ needs to provide an option for children, and while I admit that it will probably need to be moded, I would prefer it to be part of a Kids DLC for after the eventual full release. And yes, Gurluas, there would have to be "woohoo", though a fade to black would work fine for the animation, it should create some noise, too.

 

Raising a child in a zombie apocalypse would be extremely stressful for all the reasons mentioned above (and likely many as yet unconsidered), but they would also be a source of happiness. Just waking up and seeing that smiling child would surely get a nice moodle. You would create happy moodles for the little one, too, when you returned from a day of looting. There would be so much to do in teaching Cooking, First Aid, Electronics and Carpentry to junior, not to mention taking your daughter out on her first looting mission. What pride and joy you would have in seeing her crush the head of her first zed.

 

Since the subject of children in PZ has long been a non-starter, can I start the debate on whether there could be a children DLC? BTW, I also think it might be a good tribute to the hard-working moders that have provided many spectacular mods to perhaps combine some of them (with permission, of course) in a DLC after the release. Whenever that may be.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Strongly believe that once npcs come out (mostly like in 5 years lmao) someone will make a mod out of it,
I dont think implementing it in the game itself is very needed, its a bit "useless" or very time consuming.
If we consider realistic time you would need to survive years maintaining your son/daughter until they actually can somewhat defend you and themselves, i can already expect someone saying that the time for a child to grow could be configurable but i still think its a bit of a time consuming addition that in the end might not be very achieved or even used by most players.

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Kids are a lot more work than people realize

All the work you do with adults you have to redo it with kids

 

You can't just make a normal human smaller - it will look very weird 

Which means redoing all the animations, textures, models, sounds 

Redoing the attack animations of animals and creatures on kids 

 

Basically it adds very little value, but a lot of work. 

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