[n] Personal Hygiene (going to the bathroom, etc.) -- but why is this a definite no?

[Macky]

I'm confused as to why personal hygiene is off the table of future features.  One of the greatest things about this game is having to deal with the struggles of day-to-day life in a zombie apocolypse.  In a sense, in my opinion, one of the best things about this game is that it is almost like "the sims during the zombie apocolypse".  You have to keep yourself entertained, fed, hydrated, and well rested.  But there is more to the day-to-day life of a person than simply reading newspapers, eating chicken, drinking bottled water and sleeping.  What about hygiene?  Surely our survivors need to use the head every once in a blue moon, or take a shower and wash the filth from their bodies?  Surely the zombies would be attracted to the smell of human waste, or the stench of an unwashed survivor?

This feature would throw yet another wrench into the cogworks of your every day plans, which is critical in this game imo.  What if you're out and about in the city and you get the urge to use the restroom in the middle of the city?  Suddenly you are looking for a bathroom, or looking for a tree to quietly squat underneath.  If you don't bring any toilet paper with you (or some sort of aid to clean yourself up afterwards), you have a bit of an odor following you around which zombies can smell and are attracted to.  If you don't use the restroom at all...you end up soiling yourself, which just causes more stench, which again attracts the zombies and makes life rough, it could also impact your happiness (and maybe kill your appetite for the moment!).  Eating rotten food or certain kinds of food would perhaps cause you to have to use the restroom more...things of that nature.

I can't help but feel this was left off the list because it was seen as "gross" and I think that is underselling a potentially interesting feature in the game for a fairly juvenile point of view on the subject.  NPC interactions in the future would not be as favorable if you're stinking to high heaven, or they would at least mention it on the side: "have you ever thought of bathing, mate?"  What if some of the leaves you cleaned your bum with out in the wild turned out to be poison ivy?  It would drive the player to seek out pharmacutical stores in hope of finding rash cream to cure their itchy ailment which is making them perpetually unhappy.

My main point is I think that the best part of these sorts of games are player needs which drive action in the game.  I find this game is at its most boring when you are "accomplished" -- you have everything you need and there is very little reason to leave the house.  Adding reasons to leave the house is crucial.  Food, hydration, entertainment -- these are things you can hoard.  But you cannot hoard the ability to use the restroom.  After the water utility is shut off, you would have to build a water pump for a makeshift shower or bath.  You would have to dig a pit for your restroom functions.

 

Just a few thoughts.  I really think that keeping hygiene as a definite no is pushing a potentially very interesting mechanic off the table for honestly no good reason whatsoever.  I can see why there would be no nukes, no karma meter, no sex, no nudity, no minimaps or overpowered weapons, no rape, respawning or quicksaving, no specific named weapons or unlimited ammo.  But personal hygiene feels very out of place on that list.

[Necromatic_Corgi]

I could see maybe washing yourself with a wet washcloth, But using the toilet? I don't think so. People wouldn't want to keep playing if they had to shit every day, That would just take the fun out of surviving, But I don't know, It's up to the devs

[Kajin]

The only sort of Hygiene I'd want to see in the game is clothes washing to prevent spread of disease from filth and blood that would otherwise accumulate on the clothing in question. MAYBE also the occasional shower for a "Squeaky Clean" happiness buffing moodle.
 

Anything else beyond that is just too much, though.

[Xeonyx]

I can tell that using the washroom would be a pain in the butt (pardon the pun) due to the speed in which the days go, you'd be using the can at least every half hour real time (if time is on the standard 1 real hour day speed), but I do agree that hygiene is an incredibly important factor in survival.  Obviously slaying zombies would cover you in blood, drastically increasing the infection and sickness rates in anyone, but there's also working hard, and/or a hot day that would make anyone sweat and stink, which in turn is unhealthy.  I kind of wanted to start this same tread but never got around to it.

[syfy]

guess you missed the key at the top of the suggestions thread.

 

"

Key

[n] - This is a confirmed 'No' from the development team. Please don't waste your time or ours reposting unless there's something relevant and new about it"

 

nothing in the OP is new or any more relevant than the previous posts that were made in that thread, on the same topic.

 

and it seems you have missed a recent post by Kirrus explaining in a general way what they look to add, and what they don't add :

 

"It's mainly about what's fun, and what isn't. If the game devs can't think of a way to make it fun, they won't include it, full stop. Also see, toilets."

[SpaceJunk]

I think it's very simple, you loot rolls of toilet paper and they get consumed like water bottles. We don't get to see the character drinking water from a bottle either. Without toilet paper unhappiness would rise very fast, and you'd have the option to either use water to clean yourself, or zombies would be able to track you more easily.

[bvhv]

 

[n]    Personal Hygiene (going to the bathroom, etc.)

 

 

[SuperJack]

Urh?... Zombies Like poop?

Does that mean I can produce zombie distraction grenades from my ass?

 

 

There are zombies everywhere, people won't care about hygiene as much.

 

Perhaps It can be used to wash dirty clothes (if they get bloodstained),

Or even hygiene can be used when NPC's are brought in. So NPC interactions are influenced if you smell crap, or beautiful. 

 

But, having to take a pee break? No. Not fun. 

[GerbilSchooler]

All I'd like to see as far as hygiene goes is positives for it (no direct negatives) Like, +5 happiness for brushing your teeth (Can't do it anymore when you run out of toothpaste) Or some boredom relieved and happiness gained from a hot shower.

[Fryhizzle]

Although I don't care for having to RP everything a real person would have to do in a day, you might have a point with the filthy clothes.  It would be cool to add a gore soaked icon (Moodle?I forget what they are called) similar to the soaked one you get while in the rain.  It could indicate the level of filth your clothes are covered in, and maybe you have a higher chance of sickness, but a lower chance of panic (because you look like a zombie killing bad-ass) or something to that nature.  Seems simple, immersive, and wouldn't affect game play in a major way.

 

It could affect the player (small chance of infection) or just be there for show, and could take a long time to ever get anywhere, since no one would want to have to clean off every 10 minutes.

[Kidlonewolf]

All I'd like to see as far as hygiene goes is positives for it (no direct negatives) Like, +5 happiness for brushing your teeth (Can't do it anymore when you run out of toothpaste) Or some boredom relieved and happiness gained from a hot shower.

 

I'm confused as to why personal hygiene is off the table of future features.  One of the greatest things about this game is having to deal with the struggles of day-to-day life in a zombie apocolypse.  In a sense, in my opinion, one of the best things about this game is that it is almost like "the sims during the zombie apocolypse".  You have to keep yourself entertained, fed, hydrated, and well rested.  But there is more to the day-to-day life of a person than simply reading newspapers, eating chicken, drinking bottled water and sleeping.  What about hygiene?  Surely our survivors need to use the head every once in a blue moon, or take a shower and wash the filth from their bodies?  Surely the zombies would be attracted to the smell of human waste, or the stench of an unwashed survivor?

This feature would throw yet another wrench into the cogworks of your every day plans, which is critical in this game imo.  What if you're out and about in the city and you get the urge to use the restroom in the middle of the city?  Suddenly you are looking for a bathroom, or looking for a tree to quietly squat underneath.  If you don't bring any toilet paper with you (or some sort of aid to clean yourself up afterwards), you have a bit of an odor following you around which zombies can smell and are attracted to.  If you don't use the restroom at all...you end up soiling yourself, which just causes more stench, which again attracts the zombies and makes life rough, it could also impact your happiness (and maybe kill your appetite for the moment!).  Eating rotten food or certain kinds of food would perhaps cause you to have to use the restroom more...things of that nature.

I can't help but feel this was left off the list because it was seen as "gross" and I think that is underselling a potentially interesting feature in the game for a fairly juvenile point of view on the subject.  NPC interactions in the future would not be as favorable if you're stinking to high heaven, or they would at least mention it on the side: "have you ever thought of bathing, mate?"  What if some of the leaves you cleaned your bum with out in the wild turned out to be poison ivy?  It would drive the player to seek out pharmacutical stores in hope of finding rash cream to cure their itchy ailment which is making them perpetually unhappy.

My main point is I think that the best part of these sorts of games are player needs which drive action in the game.  I find this game is at its most boring when you are "accomplished" -- you have everything you need and there is very little reason to leave the house.  Adding reasons to leave the house is crucial.  Food, hydration, entertainment -- these are things you can hoard.  But you cannot hoard the ability to use the restroom.  After the water utility is shut off, you would have to build a water pump for a makeshift shower or bath.  You would have to dig a pit for your restroom functions.

 

Just a few thoughts.  I really think that keeping hygiene as a definite no is pushing a potentially very interesting mechanic off the table for honestly no good reason whatsoever.  I can see why there would be no nukes, no karma meter, no sex, no nudity, no minimaps or overpowered weapons, no rape, respawning or quicksaving, no specific named weapons or unlimited ammo.  But personal hygiene feels very out of place on that list.

 

I think it's very simple, you loot rolls of toilet paper and they get consumed like water bottles. We don't get to see the character drinking water from a bottle either. Without toilet paper unhappiness would rise very fast, and you'd have the option to either use water to clean yourself, or zombies would be able to track you more easily.

Things like hygiene will most likely be added by use of mods. All the miscellaneous items are eye openers for the public which will then influence the modders/coders to put them to use. Just give it some time and you will be able to comb you hair while brushing your teeth.

[Freeasabird420]

You know, someone CAN mod this feature in the game.

[Deadend]

Clothes definitely need some cleanliness level to them. I find it a little disappointing in immersion how I can use a zombie's clothes to make bandages or wear it after I've exploded its head and blood has gone everywhere. But then again, there is still no water sickness or boiling. Definitely good projects to work on for a Modder.

[SlightlyMadman]

I could see this making a good mod. The way I'd approach it is to just have a hygeine meter that goes up with exertion and down whenever you are nearby functioning facilities (bathroom, outhouse, etc.). Basically this would mean that if you set things up right, you never have to worry about it. It would only be an issue on supply runs and the like where you could potentially get pretty rank if you spend a few days out scavenging.

[killwill]

Has any one ever played The Sims? Hygiene wasn't the most fun part of the game but it deff wasent the worst either. I personaly didn't hate it. Changing clothes or just washing the dirt/blood from you face for possative moodlets would probebly be what PZ could take from that area. I'd personaly like to see that in the game.

[Kirrus]

Guys.. this is still a confirmed 'No'. It works in other games, but for now the devs don't have any plans to put this in. It *may* go on the list for version 30, but it's definitely not going to be in "1.0"

Closing for now, as the discussion is going round in circles now