Novamourne said:
Well said. I agree on almost all points.
QUESTS
Sounded fun in theory, but quests have ruined the game for me. Fully exploring a town is way more fun for me, but knowing I'm getting left behind while everyone else no-lifes the quests bothers me. It's the meta for multiplayer now.
GAME STAGE
I didn't care for game stage when they added it, but tying loot to game stage was the worst idea. I'm a big fan of RNG, and not knowing whether you're going to get lucky and find a pink compound bow on day one was half the thrill. My last playthrough I knew I was only going to find stone crap even if I break into a safe, so why bother? Kill zombies until the game stage gets higher and then go looting. That's sad.
SKILLS
My husband and I really enjoyed LBD, though I think it was applied to too many things. I'd prefer LBD for attributes only, and uncoupling specific weapons from specific attributes. I hear a rework is on the cards though, so I guess we'll see.
SCREAMERS AND HEAT MAP
I don't mind screamers and heat maps, but I think high skill in sneaking should hide you from zombies, even on bloodmoon.
GUN PARTS
I enjoyed gun parts but don't feel strongly about it one way or the other
"SMART" & "GIMMICK" ZOMBIES
I like the gimmick zombies, but don't like the AI.
For me the issue is the way zombies know the hit points of every block in the game and path to you via the easiest route. I'd be ok with one specific gimmick zombie (e.g. the one with the hardhat) to be able to have structural knowledge, but I expect the rest to rush at me via line of sight only. I also expect only the spider zombie (and maybe the cheerleader and skateboarder) to be able to jump far. Currently they are all super jumpers which doesn't make sense.
My fear is that the devs have realized that with the current fancy graphics they can never have a lot of zombies, so they are making them smart instead. I'd rather have worse graphics and more zombies.
NPCS
I think NPCs could be a good addition, but need to be implemented well.
OTHER
1. The game could benefit from end game content - maybe boss zombies in difficult areas guarding the best loot. Think of Conan Exiles/Ark Survival Evolved/Valheim. These are fun to prep for, especially in multiplayer.
2. All zombies should ALWAYS be searchable. If I have to expend a lot of ammo and risk my life for bloodmoon, it should be worth it for the loot.
3. There needs to be toggles for things that people are highly polarized about (example digging zombies). I don't care one way or the other, but for some people it's a deal-breaker. Just give an option to turn them off. Problem solved.
4. I'd like a mode where you have to penetrate the brain to get a kill. You should still be able to do damage to anywhere in the body, but you should need a headshot/cut off head/bludgeon in head to actually kill it. In State of Decay 2 it was absolutely hilarious to create zombie slugs by chopping off all their limbs.