Binoculars

[JoeM]

I think that being able to find and use binoculars in PZ would add more depth to gameplay.

 

Players of the old side-scrolling shooter Soldat will probably remember the way the game handled sniper rifle scope zoom in two dimensions. The player could move his cursor to the edge of the screen, dragging his view away from his character so he could fire at targets that were out of sight for unscoped weapons. However this left your character vulnerable, as you could not see if he was being attacked at close range.

 

My suggestion for PZ is to include binoculars as an item that would occupy the Primary slot while in use (akin to the spray paint can in the Spray Paint mod). You would be able to see objects beyond the limits of the typical game screen, provided that you had a clear line of sight. Of course all the usual obstructions would still apply - buildings, trees, rain, fatigue etc - but in clear weather and across open ground you would be able to "glass" an area and hopefully make a more informed decision as to what to do next.

 

This could open up gameplay to "keyholes": viewing things far away through gaps in trees and buildings. It would also leave you vulnerable to zombies sneaking up on you while you were "zoomed in". Just like real binoculars, your field of vision would be quite narrow (my set gives me about a 6.5 degree angle) so you would need to scan from side to side to get a full view of what's down range. Everything outside of your FOV could be greyed or blacked out.

 

Devs, I wouldn't have the first idea how much work is involved in this suggestion. But it seems like a reasonable thing for an apocalypse survivor to do, binoculars must be common enough in Kentucky and I don't think it would be overpowered in MP due to the narrow field of view and increased vulnerability.

[Nero]

hey there JoeM,

 

binoculars has already been covered, but its always good to reiterate topics again

 

http://theindiestone.com/forums/index.php/topic/7051-binoculars/?hl=binoculars

[JoeM]

Ah, thanks for letting me know. I'm very new to this forum and I guess I used the search function wrong. I was surprised when I didn't find anything about it... oops. Mod can delete this thread if they like