A couple of related questions to do with character progression...
- I gather that the basic progression system is still:
Do <variety of stuff> -> gain xp -> increase in level -> get given points -> spend points on perks
Are there still some active skills that are increased more directly (like Athletics or weapon skills)?
Do <specific activity> -> increase skill
- What about the ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, etc.)? Do they increase through action? Do you spend points on them? Or something else?
It is mixed. There are the attributes and they are advanced by spending points. Each gain in attribute carries a direct benefit. So spend a point in strength and you unlock some inventory space in your backpack. Spend a point in agility and your stamina increases above 100 (up to 200). Spend a point in Fortitude and your HP max increases above 100 (up to 200). etc. Every point you spend carries a direct benefit for you in the game and is a bit agonizing to decide between.
Each attribute then has 2-3 overarching skills related to them that are not advanced by purchasing but are instead advanced by doing. So these would include things like scavenging, mining, etc. and when you reach certain benchmarks in their progression you will get a benefit and certain perks will become unlocked and available for purchase.
Within each skill there are a few perks related to that skill. Some of them are not available to purchase until you reach a certain level within the skill. Like the attributes, the perks are purchased using skill points and each perk has a number of tiers for better benefits.
The whole system is way more polished and organized than before and completely moddable. So it should be possible for modders to add more attributes if they wanted to go for the classic D&D ones (for example) and create skills and perks within those categories. I know I didn't give examples of all the attributes or specifics on perks and skills but that is all I will say about them as you should discover them for yourself.
- With the new Food/Water/Health/Stamina system there is no more "Wellness". What happens when you die?
Death penalty is something I'm not completely sure about neither has a dev commented on it so I think that should be unknown for now. I will say that they can do whatever they want with it. They can make it as punitive as they want and they have lots of options to punish us with.
i dont want them to be all over the place. coz as far as i know, there must be a boss in each of them.. so if its every where iam going to have ton of good loot . if bosses dont drop good loot . this will be disappointing
I believe that bosses are only present when you are doing a quest. A quest will hijack a POI and populate it with the zombies and, if applicable, a boss that is needed for the quest. So you shouldn't be running into bosses at every single level designed POI you come across.
in a 16.4 you can sneak around with a bow or crossbow in hand. the center of the eyeball and the arrow point will be lined up. after a while, you will notice that the arrow and the eyeball will start to drift apart, so if you aim by the arrow instead of the eye, the arrow or bolt will fly wide. hence aim drift. it was brought up last year as a bug that was never really addressed.
sneak around about 5-10 minutes of active shooting. swapping weapons would usually fix this, but not good when say facing a horde to unnecessarily swap
First of all there is no more eyeball to drift away from the crosshairs and secondly the crosshairs themselves have been overhauled to be dynamic and integral to aiming. There is a HUGE difference between shooting from the hip and switching into iron sights mode. For one the crosshairs is always present now. It doesn't disappear as it once did when going into ironsights (which is ironic to my mind...). The crosshairs will shrink and enlarge now based on the weapon type and whether you are taking the time to aim. Whatever the size of the crosshairs it represents the spread of your firing cone and your shots will RANDOMLY land somewhere in that cone. So if you are shooting from the hip as you run the crosshairs will be huge and only one shot in many will hit the zombie in the head. But if you stop and go into ironsights the crosshairs shrink down really tight so that its area is completely within the circumference of the zombie's head and then every shot should hit the mark.
I never noticed any drift while playing but that sounds like a longterm issue anyway that might not emerge until there are thousands of players putting dozens of hourse into the build. We'll see once experimental hits.
role plaaaayy night!!! 
