Why even play this game?

[InnerEthos]

Why do you even play this game?

 

You log-in, create a character, and before you even spawn in the world, you are told that you are already dead. Single-player mode or multi-player, your world will be populated with brainless fiends who do nothing except wander the Earth on an endless quest to bring forth entropy unto all human life.

 

The game mechanics are specifically designed with sadistic rules which ensure that the world itself is out to kill you as much as the zombies who populate it. Random number generators decide whether or not your journey will be full of peril or profit. 
 

Why is this fun?

 

For me, the sandbox quality adds immense value. If I lose, it is due to my own rules. If I get bored, multi-player offers endless opportunities for roleplay and organized events, ripe for content creation, since the game can almost be as entertaining to watch as it is to play. 
 

Not only do I enjoy the sandbox aspect, I enjoy the analogy of the game compared to the real world. This game reminds me I should go fishing more often and that surviving off of canned food is not going to make me as happy as a home-cooked meal. 
 

Why do you even bother booting this game up? You're just going to die. 

[getstoopid]

Yes I am going to die... and maybe, just maybe it will be one day later than the last time *g

It's the challenge, the atmosphere and the tbh somewhat screwed up realism that I love about this game.

[Laker]

So, are you saying you like the game itself, the vanilla version, isn't worth playing because it is too difficult or random? 

Randomness is a big part of life, so that part of the game should stay.  PZ vanilla is a very tough game.  

 

I like the sandbox mod as well and it's what I play.  Tailor it to what I enjoy most.  And mods let me tailor the game even more to my interests.  Especially respawn mods that keep my skill levels.

 

Any good suggestions for MP servers?  

 

[InnerEthos]

33 minutes ago, getstoopid said:

Yes I am going to die... and maybe, just maybe it will be one day later than the last time *g

It's the challenge, the atmosphere and the tbh somewhat screwed up realism that I love about this game.

I especially like that the challenges feel genuine, worth-it, useful, and otherwise "logical." Very seldom have I felt screwed-over by this game. We all know what we're getting into here. No expectations, no trickery hidden behind the scenes. What you see is exactly what you get.

 

37 minutes ago, Laker said:

So, are you saying you like the game itself, the vanilla version, isn't worth playing because it is too difficult or random? 

Randomness is a big part of life, so that part of the game should stay.  PZ vanilla is a very tough game.  

 

I like the sandbox mod as well and it's what I play.  Tailor it to what I enjoy most.  And mods let me tailor the game even more to my interests.  Especially respawn mods that keep my skill levels.

 

Any good suggestions for MP servers?  

 

Yeah the OP is a bit ubiquitous. It's almost like all of the things I said, by themselves, are really awful, yet somehow Zomboid is an overall great game.

 

I wanted to understand why an objectively horrible game yields such fantastic and pleasing results, even after multiple replays. I just use Vanilla, since mods only add extra toys which serve mostly to compliment the core mechanics. 
 

Brutal survival, but rigged exactly to my specifications. Usually I tend to lose interest in games once the superficial elements are all explored, but Zomboid has captured something greater than just my attention. 
 

This game really grabs my imagination. Perhaps all the parallels to the real world add much to this effect? I see such a basic game, but more than that, I see the tools to create an alternate universe, or at least like a virtual film studio. 
 

I currently host a small server with just a couple friends. I plan on expanding, but not much, for now. I have not tried playing this game with strangers, but have to imagine it is as bad as or worse than Rust or EvE Online. I am planning to create some roleplaying videos for YouTube, so maybe stay tuned for casting calls.

 

Are you aching to play with friends? Maybe I will forget my IRL friends and turn my server into something for the internet (or make a second series), but for now I like to have the ability to slap someone who destroys my precious video game pixels. 

[Laker]

""I wanted to understand why an objectively horrible game yields such fantastic and pleasing results, even after multiple replays.""

I think a part of it is a self-preservation instinct in seeing what a post-apocalyptic world would be like and how do I survive in it.   

 

I agree that there is something about this game that grabs one's imagination.  I've more hours on this game than all other games put together.  

 

I use mods because currently I'm more interested in building now and not survival.  I know I am going to die in the game but I want to build bases more than survive at this point.  So I use Respawn as it lets me achieve that goal and other mods that are of interest in building.  

 

I have a small dedicate server.  Which is why I am on this board right now - waiting for the server to reload as I was getting the dreaded notice about items not the same as items on the server.  I was playing with a friend who has a lot going on in real-life and isn't available.  So I will probably post a notice in a week or two on this website seeing if anyone is interested in joining the server.  

[Ridick]

I really like the realism and simulation aspect of it all, there is something about such a free-form open world that offers so much freedom to explore and experiment to the player that is highly appealing. I'm also a big fan of post-apocalyptic settings and the survival and exploration aspects of the gameplay feel engaging and enjoyable to me. To be honest I'm not entirely happy about how you can lose gigantic amounts of progress due to even minor mistakes, but I'm more than willing to acquiesce to the permadeath in order to enjoy all of the interesting things that this game has to offer.

[InnerEthos]

13 hours ago, Laker said:

""I wanted to understand why an objectively horrible game yields such fantastic and pleasing results, even after multiple replays.""

I think a part of it is a self-preservation instinct in seeing what a post-apocalyptic world would be like and how do I survive in it.   

 

I agree that there is something about this game that grabs one's imagination.  I've more hours on this game than all other games put together.  

 

I use mods because currently I'm more interested in building now and not survival.  I know I am going to die in the game but I want to build bases more than survive at this point.  So I use Respawn as it lets me achieve that goal and other mods that are of interest in building.  

 

I have a small dedicate server.  Which is why I am on this board right now - waiting for the server to reload as I was getting the dreaded notice about items not the same as items on the server.  I was playing with a friend who has a lot going on in real-life and isn't available.  So I will probably post a notice in a week or two on this website seeing if anyone is interested in joining the server.  

Best of luck to you on your journeys. Collaborative efforts are among the most difficult to establish, yet most rewarding. 

 

I would like to join you, but what is your goal? Building is fun, but that is not my goal in this game. 
 

I am setting out to use Zomboid as a studio for role-play worlds for the purpose of creating entertainment. If this idea interests you, either PM me or stay tuned on these forums. I will promote when I have more than puny ideas. 
 

12 hours ago, Ridick said:

I really like the realism and simulation aspect of it all, there is something about such a free-form open world that offers so much freedom to explore and experiment to the player that is highly appealing. I'm also a big fan of post-apocalyptic settings and the survival and exploration aspects of the gameplay feel engaging and enjoyable to me. To be honest I'm not entirely happy about how you can lose gigantic amounts of progress due to even minor mistakes, but I'm more than willing to acquiesce to the permadeath in order to enjoy all of the interesting things that this game has to offer.

Yes, sometimes I forget I am playing a Rogue-like game. The sense of loss is high. Without that, the numerals I enjoy accumulating and all the pretty graphics would be worthless.

 

Despite the fact I can make the game as easy or hard as I want it, I still find myself baffled by how easily I can immerse myself into this game. Be careful you don't confuse Zomboid days and time with real-life days and time!

 

What is it that is so attractive and so gripping? Is it the nostalgic graphics and ultra-violence? Somewhat, but when I play with friends, it's not like the only thing I want to do is shoot them and burn their castle. I want to play the post-apocalyptic politicking simulator.