Some Ideas from a Survivalist

[Special Zombie]

Hi all, second post, woo hoo!

 

First off, love this game.  Long have I awaited a true survival horror game that is sober and takes its content seriously.  I can't stand survival horror games that are deliberately silly,ie, where you can literally mow down zombies with a lawnmower.  I think it's really great that titles crafted from love, such as PZ and Organ Trail, are appealing to gamers.

 

Anyway, purchased through Steam, and I still suck, horribly, have just DL'd the survival guide, but IRL I'm an outdoorsman and prepper, and thought that some things I've done in real life might be applicable to the game.  Also hoping there might be some additional game elements. Please forgive me if some of these things have been gone over.

 

- The ability to craft a rain vest/rain hat from garbage bags.  Sounds goofy but works very well, and I used this to keep a hiker and her child warm and water proof when I met them on the trail and they were lost during a downpour.  Fighters use garbage bag vests to sweat out and make weight for fights.  Not only do they keep rain off, but core temperature is kept nice and toasty warm.  This woman's coat underneath the garbage bag had actually dried and was warm to the touch.  Seems a very good way to be able to move around in the rain and mitigate the 'deathly ill' moodle.

 

- Drink bottle silencers.  Requirements could be one of the various bottles to be found, plus the pistol and duct tape.  While not noise stifling by any means, they do reduce signature.  Good for tapping a few zeds but not alerting more nearby.

 

- Maybe this is in game already, but knives/cutting implements from shards of glass.  Two years ago I used a shard of bottle to field dress some trapped game.  A broken, sharp triangle of glass would have been a tool from heaven in the eyes of a paleolithic human.  Arrowheads knapped from glass bottles is a popular hobby/craft in survivalist circles as well.

 

Once again, just some ideas, and I'm just discovering all the possibilities for crafting in the game.  I'm really looking forward to being able to survive out to a month.

 

PS...I'm sure this has been brought up before, but maybe in a later build introducing cutting and tying off limbs to avoid z infection?  Imagine the extra challenge of trying to survive with one arm... Maybe beyond the scope of game programming, but still a fun idea.

[Fj45]

Been suggested before, raincoats are planned. Used that once on a school camp after several idiots didn't bring raincoats.

 

Just read the thread here: http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/3515-silencer-for-weapons/?hl=silencers

 

Could see that implemented, arrows using em would be stupid as there would be plenty of sharp metal around that would last longer and be easier to work with.

 

Amputation has been mentioned a bit too, even if you did survive it there would be a very very slim chance of stopping the infection.

[Rathlord]

Here's my thoughts on amputation:

 

And here it is in all it's glory. The only caveat being that I wasn't clear with one of the middle points: I meant that "most people die when amputated in the field" rather than just a general "most people die from amputations" which is technically untrue due to the wonders of modern medicine.

 

Quote

While it might be a somewhat fun option (obviously people's opinions on this are pure opinion, no facts) speaking from the perspective of someone familiar with medicine it just doesn't make sense. Here's my issues with amputation:

1) A clean amputation requires specific tools. A cut that's not clean will just cause you to bleed out, so this is important. Preferably the blade should be cleaned before using it (at which point your friend would be a zombie) or else:

2) Amputations have a tremendous ability to get infected. This killed the vast majority of amputees that survive the bleeding before modern medicine and would continue to be true after modern medicine as well. But then again,

3) Most amputees die. The bleeding is an obvious killer but the very shock of it can cause your heart to stop as well. This is especially true because

4) The vast majority of people don't know how to perform an amputation (where to cut, how to clean it, how to cut it, etc.). If they do know how to perform an amputation, they likely don't know how to correctly place a tourniquet. Or even know what a tourniquet is. This is important because

5) You can't just bandage an amputation. Pressure on the end of the wound just isn't enough. It needs a prepared tourniquet instantly or the person will bleed out. Most of the time by the time you had made a makeshift tourniquet, your friend has bled out from the wound or is munching on your brains. Unfortunately there's one other problem, which is that

6) Just because you cut the limb off doesn't mean you got all of the virus/bacteria. It could have entered the bloodstream or just be lingering around the wound. Which means that even if you got 1-5 right, your friend could still just become a zombie.

The reason I can't support amputation is that it breaks two of the three biggest rules when it comes to suggestions:

Would it be fun? This one is opinions at this point.
Would it be realistic? Nope.
Would every day people be able to do it? Also a no.

[Fj45]

Do agree, might be an awesome anti-suggestion though.

[RorekSR]

Because the devs programming lots of meaningless "fuck you" bits into the game solely to tease people who want to do them is an excellent use of development time and will probably not result in complaints from said people or those who would rather see bug fixes or useful and/or fun features. Like soaking ropes in gasoline then lighting them ablaze so you can pretend to be Simon Belmont.

[ApolloDiaspora]

Knapping glass bottles into primitive knives or arrowheads does sound like a good idea, particularly for the long-term oh-crap-a-horde-chased-me-from-my-fortress moments.

 

Take a recently shaped/sharpened piece of glass, metal, or even stone, wrap up the back end of it with duct-tape, a belt, or something else to protect your hand, and bam. You've got the equivalent of a kitchen knife with the durability of a butterknife. A tool that can be used to prepare food and slice your watermelon without trouble, and can save your life in a pinch.

 

Of course, if you wanted to make things like this craftable with a skill, all you'd need to do is increase the durability of the knife when it is used as a weapon. Damn near every survival book has sections on making primitive tools and weapons, so finding books shouldn't be much of a problem either. Remember, the Aztecs used volcanic glass to make knives and some rather brutal clubs all the time. Doing the same thing with modern glass (especially the tempered/hardened stuff you could scavenge from most cars) or shards of metal could be much more effective. Provided you knew what you were doing of course.

[Connall]

Because the devs programming lots of meaningless "fuck you" bits into the game solely to tease people who want to do them is an excellent use of development time and will probably not result in complaints from said people or those who would rather see bug fixes or useful and/or fun features. Like soaking ropes in gasoline then lighting them ablaze so you can pretend to be Simon Belmont.

 

If it didn't take a lot of time, then I don't see it as a problem. If they were actively focusing on anti-suggestions, then yes it would be a bit of a problem.

[Rathlord]

Aztec knows from volcanic glass were notoriously fragile and often decorative. Also, glass from cars is treated and laminated so it crumbles- you would t get any usable glass there. Otherwise agree.

[Marinus]

Garbage bags raincoats are a good idea. Personally I would make it so that whenever you wear one of those, you make more noise.

 

Amputation: what Rathlord said, with the addition that the excruciating pain and the ensuing screams of agony would probably alert every zombie in a half mile radius. 

[Fj45]

Amputation: what Rathlord said, with the addition that the excruciating pain and the ensuing screams of agony would probably alert every zombie in a half mile radius. 

 

That's what biting sticks are for.