I've played since A12 and the changes ->A16 and ->A17 have really turned the game on its head a couple of times.
I really liked gun parts because I could watch the results of my scavenging come together. On the flip side, I like the new items mods more. I disliked the wellness system in that it punished players for dying even at the start of a new world, but I liked that it rewarded the player for eating good food.
I don't like that my eyes keep drifting towards the XP gauge; the person who said have half LBD and half applied points had a very good idea. The A16 approach was flawed, but I think it was more on the right track than global XP. It isn't the nature of the LBD which is flawed, rather its application. If I have to Cactus Level then the logic is at fault and the thing which levels up armour needs to be changed. Some things in life can be learnt through practice, others REQUIRE a manual or some sort of training. Medicine should always be done this way, and the ability to build vehicles should also. Essentially the abilities which are important but hardly get used should be learnt or upgraded using books. I personally miss the joy of finding a new bookstore to look in, and it is those moments of joy in the grey apocalypse which keep us there.
The irritation caused by Zs knowledge of how to path around dangers and efficiently dismantle buildings can't be overstated. I mean they ARE dead aren't they? They shouldn't path around anything strictly speaking unless it has a curved or sloping side. It's different if they have seen the player obviously. The alternative is to use the Scout Screamer as a template for zombies that give other zombies information, such as where doors are, how to avoid traps, how to find the weakest points in a building. You could make a whole host of special zombies for this. Moe with a red vest spots doors, Hazmat with blue suit that spots traps, Construction Worker with brown clothes and white helmet knows weakest block to attack, etc. They can give the data to other zombies in a radius while they are alive. This would be great on many levels because it would no longer be simply a case of 'spot the screamer' to make safe.
Higher tier missions DO have an impossible array of enemies and the 'mission fail' zone needs to be made bigger or REMOVED - backpedaling slightly slower as I reload my shotgun being followed by a train of glowing Zs is only fun when I have a chance of destroying them in my own arena (out in the street... obviously?!) and then BAM mission failed because I went a bit too far. Is it heck I'm still right next to the house!
Missions need to be added for all/more building types. If I have to clear one more Victorian_House_Old I might use that broken glass for its alternate purpose.
Fetch and Hidden Cache - what's supposed to be the difference? in both I must find a hidden satchel. I propose getting rid of one so there are three base missions: Fetch, Clear and Treasure. For tier two or higher Treasure missions, the player should be periodically assaulted until it is done. This would mean sending hordes after the player regardless of where they are.
Which leads me to a short list of other things I've been noting as I play:
*Bullet parts cost more than bullets.
*Laser Sight dot only visible from very close range. Since this IS a game the dot should have a minimum size visible up to the weapon's maximum range; IMO.
*Steel bullets are meant to be a cheaper alternative but still require the T&D set, making them available at the same time as proper ones.
IMO Steel bullets should be available with Crucible not T&D. They already cause more wear so it is lore friendly. Decrease damage more if necessary, and/or have them require more gunpowder.
*Steak and Potato Meal sale price is wrong (typo?)
*Zombies still don't react to each other's awareness, meaning I can kill a zombie with a bow, have it yell out, fall on another zombie and that one will still not react.
*This one goes way back and regards any POI - what is the point in all the barricaded steel doors and landmines when I can chop the wood wall next to it in six swings and walk past? Either doors are too hard or walls are too soft because in real life, chopping through a wall is never the quickest way. It's a tricky one but I would opt for making all seed-spawned POI wood blocks tougher by a factor of three (but not doors).
*Why does my zombie-mincing motorcycle get damaged by small stones? Vehicles should not even collide with them. If you want roads to be the best method of travel, simply reduce vehicle speed over grass and rock and more over snow or sand (but not for the mountain bike, that sucker is already hard work).
*Give the mountain bike a couple of gears for uphill. Please.
*Bug in mining helmet if helmet is modified when lamp is active
*Helmet flashlight mod should not be available for mining helmet
*Can't sneak up ladders. There are normal/creep modes for the ladder but they appear reversed and both make noise.
*Handheld flashlights being almost useless now should not require a repair kit to fix. If you have a repair kit to waste on a flashlight, you probably already have helmet mods too. In this vein, handheld flashlights should have a significantly bigger and brighter cone than any other light source (excepting the Spotlight) to give them some purpose.
*Weapon Flashlight mod should use Flashlight instead of Headlight
*Why doesn't the Blade Trap use an Engine? This is illogical.
*Get rid of the magazines that temporarily increase a stat. I never use them except to make space; otherwise I ultimately sell them. It's the same for any item like this in a game - you store them up for the future and then never use them.
*We do need XP whenever a zombie dies at our hands - re traps simply because if a zombie dies in a trap, the trap placement was good.
*We need more traps, pistons, crushers, flame traps, false floors operated by switches that can be reset, wire traps that cut zombies in half and more zombie-baiting methods that can draw them where you want them; rotting flesh a la thrown stones in FarCry.
MEng Game Design & Production Class of 16
Playing vanilla SP
..and I'm still loving the game even after all this time.
Peace.
