PC Bullet sponges

[Maynard69]

Wasn't a comparison, it was an example of player expectations.
Why is loot distributed around the POIs realistically? Navezgane doesn't exist in real life, those buildings aren't copies of real life buildings, would the gameplay not be superior if you couldn't just go to the places you know have the loot you need? It would undoubtedly be more difficult if you had to search everything not knowing what you'll find. But, would players enjoy it more? Doubtful.

It was a comparison, expectations of real things vs expectations of made up non-existent things. (gas pump vs zombies)

Cities exist, yes, in real life, towns too. I have seen them.

Loot distributed realistically? Like hunting knifes in the toilet? Like a 4x4 chassis in a cardboard box?

Regardless though, you beat around the bush. This example doesnt even compare what we are talking about. You have decided what a zombie is even though that is an impossible task, unless you are the creator of said fictional zombie. Its why I said you should make a game to your tastes or you could just mod this one.

 

[Orclover]

I believe I heard one of the devs (mighta been mole) mention that the concept of the zeds in 7d2d is not so much Romero zombies but more like undead irridiated mutants. Hence the high ones glow. Even so the end game high end glowie ones take an insane amount of ammo to put down.

 

[Ramethzer0]

You should make a game then. Because zombies are actually fake and can be whatever the artist or writer decides. In a game they can even be adjusted to the limitations of what is possible to make with what you have. Which is why we have what we have atm.

I create content for occult-fantasy-horror genre themed RPG's (both live action and tabletop) in my spare time. I can tell you under the hat of a content creator that being too amorphous in your choices of antagonists leaves your audience frustrated and confused. If you do not anchor your concept in a system that makes sense towards your audience you will not have an audience long. This is why I couched my explanation in terms in 'Genre'. You can tweak or evolve a Genre, and this is best explained as the evolution of vampire mythos to Bram Stoker to The Lost Boys and then to 50 Shades of Sparkle. All of those mythos are legit from a content creators point of view.

The Fun Pimps have a strong concept of what their game is, but I'm not getting the same experiences you all have, despite playing the same game. I play at my own settings because this is the genre im comfortable with. I can tweak the game settings to reflect that.

If the experience I am looking for is a simulation where I am constantly bent over by quasi intelligent super powered lunatics that can destroy anything with a touch, I'll go play GTA Online with all the cheaters in public servers. I'd roll the dice on that.

 

[SenpaiThatIngnoresYou]

I am enjoying the combat now in this build. I had a great experience in the shamway factory. I have a mix fortitude strength build, and am level 43, walk to the cafeteria, and decide that instead of being ambushed i would just wake everyone up and fight them in the hall....

standard difficulty.

I hit the wall to wake them up, and a bunch of spiders, ferals, fat boys, and soldiers come out of the woodwork and a vicious fight ensues. The fight was very loud and resulted in feral construction workers waking up and breaking down the locked garage door to the other section of the factory. I get chased outside where i barely survive and manage to shotgun the rest of them. All in all it was about maybe 16 angry zombies attacking me. It happened earlier today and i have to say it is one of my fondest video game memories.

On the default difficulty the normal zombies are not too much of a threat unless you get trapped by 3 or more and are not properly equipped. They become dangerous in larger groups or if a tougher zombie is with them. The mix of animals in the wild being more dangerous than the few wondering zombies is working well.

I am enjoying the combat, the crafting, and i am really digging the looting. As far as i can tell, most other players are too. This alpha has managed to pull me away from both kenshi and mount and blade, and that is a ♥♥♥♥ing Halloween miracle.

 

[ComradeSch]

I never have that problem, usually a power attack with a sledgehammer kills most zombies in one blow, or a close-range single shotgun blast. The hunting rifle if aimed carefully can kill most things in one go. Hell, the iron sledgehammer will often send zombies flying back about ten meters in the most comical way imaginable, it's almost like a Thunderhammer from Warhammer 40K in terms of how the zombies fly everywhere.

 

[Dinovash]

The real solution in my opinion is going to be to steer away from the bullet sponge school of thought and increase the danger of zombies by utilizing more creative mechanics. I know this can take heavy development time, but that is what an alpha is for, and let's face it, this game isn't getting any younger. Truthfully, it's spent more time in early access than many games today remain relevant after release.
But, I digress. My no-nonsense solution would be to make the zombies truly unique. We have a few that stand out, such as spider zombies, and with their new long jump, it increases the danger of fighting them without needing a significant increase in HP. Now picture a looting run. You enter a POI and start scanning the room, paying close attention to corners and areas they could be hiding. You spot your first target. If it's Marlene, Joe, Darlene, Arlene, a nurse, Boe, Yo, skateboarder, businessman, or any of the other normal zombies, do you really care? No, you're going to dispatch them with your normal method. The only thing you care about is if they are feral or irradiated,or both. This is an absolute waste of potential. Each zombie could potentially have a unique strength and weakness. Cops can spit, the fat zombies have high block damage, spider zombies can scale walls and now long jump, football players can run in daytime, soldiers have high HP (presumably due to the armor), Burned zombies can ignite you, etc etc etc. Each zombie should have something that makes them unique in the way you should handle them and not just their loot tables and minor differences in HP. Nurse zombies for example can have a higher chance to cause an infection. Stands to reason since nurses are typically more exposed to diseases than most and in their undead iteration might carry more as a result. This would warrant a lot of careful thought and consideration, but it would change the game for the better since you would have to actually learn each type, what it's unique trait is, and how to deal with it. Some traits would be fairly benign unless in the right situations. some would be dangerous as hell and need to be mitigated/avoided at all costs. Something for TFP to think about that would add immense value to the game without a massive amount of development time due to the foundation already being in place. At this point, it would just be a matter of tweaking and adding some creative mechanics.

I would love to see something like this! Would make the zombies, and therefor the game, so much more fun and challenging!

 

[RestInPieces]

You should make a game then. Because zombies are actually fake and can be whatever the artist or writer decides. In a game they can even be adjusted to the limitations of what is possible to make with what you have. Which is why we have what we have atm.

Many more avenues exist to achieve difficulty and scaling it, other than bullet-sponging. Which is the reason they added flying enemies, canines, specials and recently, demolishers that appear on later stages and ofcourse, the rage mechanic. TFP should just continue doing that and slowly move away from bullet-sponging and irradiated zombies that just need more bullets to kill.

In other words creating enemies that threaten the player in unique ways. However adding flying or ranged enemies or more ninja animals is a not-very-creative way to go about it. The rage mechanic is interesting, albeit basic. Hopefully, they will improve the game on that regard.