Two Things I Hope *NEVER* to See in PZ

[Bullet_Magnate]

Here are two things that annoy the daylights out of me when I see them in games, movies, etc., that are otherwise realistic.  They aren't in PZ (that I know of), and I fervently hope with every fiber of my being that they never are. 

 

     1.  Chainsaws as Effective Weapons.    Chainsaws are very good at slowly and steadily cutting through substances that are relatively dry, firm, and fixed in place.  The only way you're going to be able to achieve decent cutting capability with one against a zombie is if the zombie is courteous enough to hold very still (and, likely, brace the limb you're trying to lop off against something to steady it).  Even then, your chainsaw is likely going to get gummed up quickly with gooey flesh.  Yes, chainsaws are used for medical applications, but even then my understanding is that they're generally used only for cutting through exposed bone (i.e., relatively dry and non-gooey tissue) -- and obviously only in controlled environments where the subject is very still and well-braced.  Swinging a chainsaw like a sword (even assuming you hit) will likely only cause superficial scratches as the moving chain pulls the saw along the surface of the target (like the treads on a snowmobile).  Bottom line, chainsaws are heavy and would generally be ineffective as weapons; in reality you'd be far better off with that half-durability frying pan.  

 

     2.  Akimbo Pistols as an Effective Shooting Technique.  Any knowledgeable shooter understands you need to hold a pistol with *both* hands if you want to achieve acceptable accuracy.  The only reason to ever fire one-handed is due to injury or tactical need (e.g., a two-handed stance would require you to lean out from cover too much).  Firing two pistols at once only assures you will have no ability to sight well with either, and your recoil recovery will basically be zero.  Unless you are astonishingly lucky, the best you'll likely achieve is a small percentage of poorly-aimed hits on a close target -- resulting in wasted ammo and mostly grazing / non-stopping hits against someone / something that's probably closing in fast.  And there's no advantage to high-volume, low-accuracy fire against zeds, as they can't be scared off by lots of "bang-bang" or stopped with a large number of superficial hits.  In an environment where only solid head hits count, "dual-wielding" is even more nonsensical.  (Even against NPCs, the only possible advantage might be the psychological effect of all the additional noise.)

 

CAVEAT:  I don't so much mind these things when the game / movie / what have you is clearly intended to be somewhat silly and/or over-the-top.  Chainsawing baddies in half is good fun if you're Doomguy, an Ultramarine, or Ash from the housewares department; and akimbo pistols are just part of the vibe when your protagonists are flying around in "bullet time" blazing away at each other from six inches away while the camera rotates around them in hyper-voyeuristic slow-mo. 

 

BUT, this stuff has NO place in a context where realism is a goal, and I sincerely hope to never see either in PZ. 

 

The only way I'd want to see them in any form is if they're lampshading the usual tropes -- that is, (1) using a chainsaw as a weapon causes massive fatigue and little or no damage, and (2) using akimbo pistols burns ammo fast and basically hits nothing.  That would actually be kinda funny.  

 

[Mr.Memozz]

What about dual wielding chainsaws???

[BoogieMan]

I think it's fairly safe to assume neither of those features will ever be added by the developers.

[Zwierzax]

That's why it should be added, especially with issues mentioned in first post.
I can imagine stories like - I found the chainsaw, and it jammed/lodged on the first zombie i try to cut, chain broke, and badly cut my arm, loud noise wakes up every zombie in the hood and call them for breakfast of injured player.

Same for double wield - why the hell not, but accept consequences - for bad aim, hard for reload maybe drop weapon chance in the proces 

[getstoopid]

While I agree with the fact that it would be incredible stupid to use a chainsaw as a weapon and gun-akimbo is actually just a silly hollywood-move, but I think you should be able to do... well try this - it may well be part of your story

If some kentucky-joe thinks he'd arm himself with a chainsaw and dies trying than it's his end of the story or maybe he gets lucky enough to learn from his mistake *g

But I agree it should NEVER be an effective way to defend oneself.

[Tonfus]

What about akimbo melee weapons, like hunting knives (à la Daryl Dixon) or hatchets? Be kinda nice if you could unlock a couple of special attack techniques available only with a required skill level and the double loadout?

[Navarome]

I wouldnt mind chainsaws if they are used to cut trees

[Ridick]

On 8/1/2022 at 12:00 PM, Bullet_Magnate said:

Chainsaws are very good at slowly and steadily cutting through substances that are relatively dry, firm, and fixed in place.  The only way you're going to be able to achieve decent cutting capability with one against a zombie is if the zombie is courteous enough to hold very still (and, likely, brace the limb you're trying to lop off against something to steady it).  Even then, your chainsaw is likely going to get gummed up quickly with gooey flesh.  Yes, chainsaws are used for medical applications, but even then my understanding is that they're generally used only for cutting through exposed bone (i.e., relatively dry and non-gooey tissue) -- and obviously only in controlled environments where the subject is very still and well-braced.  Swinging a chainsaw like a sword (even assuming you hit) will likely only cause superficial scratches as the moving chain pulls the saw along the surface of the target (like the treads on a snowmobile).  Bottom line, chainsaws are heavy and would generally be ineffective as weapons; in reality you'd be far better off with that half-durability frying pan.

 

I once saw a video online of some drug cartel guys executing a rival gangster with a chainsaw and it did cut through him super fast. Granted, there was a second guy holding his head in place, but it still fully decapitated the victim in less than 3 seconds. I don't think the real life counterpart of any other weapon in currently in the game would be able to achieve the same except for the Katana (but even then, only when it is still sharpened and in the hands of a strong and skilled swordsman).

[getstoopid]

On 8/10/2022 at 7:03 PM, Ridick said:

once saw a video online of some drug cartel guys executing a rival gangster with a chainsaw

And I really hope this was a scene from some movie because otherwise I would be very disturbed by this... and you should be too 

[FrijjMagnet]

2 hours ago, getstoopid said:

And I really hope this was a scene from some movie because otherwise I would be very disturbed by this... and you should be too 

I would've be surprised. The interweb is a dark dark place. This kinda sh!t floats around 4chan on occassion, seen things I never wanted to see

[Zwierzax]

ok, done some research, you can get special kind of chainsaw especially for cuting flesh - used for cutting carcass of an ox, and pigs in half, but differs from normal one - most importantly have different chain

And both normal and this special one will have problem with zombies - animals don't have clothes, chain and mechanisms would get stuck on sturdier fabrics in large amounts, and stop almost immediately when in contact with ballistic protection, so everything that is made from kevlar or similar like fireproof jacket, should stop the chainsaw from working

So zed in T-shirt - no problem, Zed in motorcycle jacket or fireman clothes not so much

[Tchernobill]

[Bullet_Magnate]

On 8/9/2022 at 6:20 AM, Tonfus said:

What about akimbo melee weapons, like hunting knives (à la Daryl Dixon) or hatchets? Be kinda nice if you could unlock a couple of special attack techniques available only with a required skill level and the double loadout?

 

Akimbo melee weapons would be far more tolerable to me personally, since they are an actual thing.  

 

In the same vein, I think it would be a very realistic touch if characters could use improvised shields (such as garbage can lids) in their off hands.    

[getstoopid]

+1 on the improvised shields

[CannedRat]

Chainsaws, even small ones are incredibly destructive on flesh which is why they are used in meat processing.  Fabric, similarly does not slow it down at all. The odds of hitting anything significant on a normal person that would bother a saw is pretty low. 

 

Make no mistakes, they are way more effecitve than even a katana at high speed, large scale damage. (Not a hollywood katana... those things can cut the space shuttle out of orbit) .  Go watch some of the sword testing on "Forged in Fire" if you want to see how hard it is to do damage to a dead thing with a sword and how quickly the sword gets beat up by the process.  Decapitation is about the only viable way to one-shot a zombie with a blade.

 

Power tools however, have very serious drawbacks, noise, fuel, stalling, manouverability, weight, reach. Also consider how hard it is to start if they are cold or temperamental.  They also tend to pull the thing being cut towards you... and if you hit the ground it goes blunt very quickly. 

 

So it would be a very tricky weapon to try to use against zombies that are activly trying to eat your face but it would make a big loud mess. 

 

The ideal weapon would be a battery powered pole saw... kinda like a small chainsaw on the end of a lance. Small, quiet and very cutty... but not availible in the time period of the game as far as I know.

 

[Jack Bower]

The game also features a spoon as a weapon, which I will argue is less effective than a chain saw.