PR Buildings: Multiple Types

From The Urban Dead Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
Suggestion Navigation
Suggestion Portal
Current SuggestionsSuggestions up for VotingClothes Suggestions
Cycling SuggestionsPeer ReviewedUndecidedPeer RejectedHumorous
Suggestion AdviceTopics to Avoid and WhyHelp, Developing and Editing



This page is for the storage of Suggestions that have passed Peer Review and have been considered Good and Worthy Suggestions. To qualify for this page, the Suggestion must fit the following criteria:

  1. The suggestion must have 2/3 majority Keep to Kill votes (1 Spam = 1 Kill).
  2. The suggestion must have been able to be voted on for 2 weeks.

This is not the place to put new Suggestions.
The Suggestions Page is the queue for new Suggestions to be voted on and suggested.

Any Suggestions that have not been voted on will be removed from this page.

DO NOT PUT NEW SUGGESTIONS HERE

Notes for Editors

Those who are placing Suggestions on this page should do so under the following procedure:

  1. Take the entire template and paste it into this section.
  2. Remove the entire suggest_votes field.
  3. Add the field suggest_notes=Todo..
  4. Add the field suggest_moved=~~~~~.
  5. replace "suggestion" with "psuggestions".

The new template will look like:

===Suggestion Name===
 {{psuggestion|
suggest_time=Old Timestamp|
suggest_type=Original type|
suggest_scope=Original scope|
suggest_description=Original description|
suggest_notes=#/# Keep/Total. [Optional additional - see below]|
suggest_moved=~~~~~
}}
  • suggest_notes is to be used by responsible moderators only. Go through the votes and discussion for the particular suggestion and summarize any intelligent comments that could be used to potentially enhance the suggestion. No new comments are to be added, but original comments may be edited/paraphrased for content. New comments regarding a reviewed suggestion should go on this page's discussion page.

Buildings: Multiple Types

General

Alarm Systems

Timestamp: 06:22, 23 Nov 2005 (GMT)
Type: New feature?
Scope: Survivors and zombies indirectly.
Description: In the real world, almost any given building in a city would have an alarm system already installed. When a generator is running in a building and the doors are wide open, the alarm would go off. A short edit would be made to the room description reading: "The doors are wide open, and the alarm is blaring." If the doors are suddenly PULLED OPENED while the alarm is on, it will also put a 'since your last turn' message in ONCE stating: "The alarm system begins blaring." in bold text. - The purpose of this addition would be to alert Survivors to a breach in security in a more noticable way.

For the player, this requires nothing but a running generator.

Notes: 17/22 Keep/Total.
  • Alert nearby police stations (provided they have power).
  • Hear the alarm for any door in a large building (malls) from other parts of the building.
  • Limit to banks, museums, malls, forts, and mansions. Possibly additional random buildings (Necrotech?).
  • Add an on/off switch.
  • Add an e-mail notification when alarm goes off.
  • Create an installable alarm system item.
  • Allow people in nearby blocks to hear the alarm.
Left Queue: 15:46, 8 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Auditorium Effect

Timestamp: MrAushvitz Canadianflag-sm.jpg 04:07, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
Type: Building Feature ~ Addition
Scope: Some buildings speaking is heard by up to 75 people!
Description: Auditorium Rules

Hardly relevant or even needed, but it makes some buildings interesting defense-wise and RP-wise.

In the following buildings spoken messages are received by up to 75 listeners: Church, Cathedral, Arena, Cinema, Museum, Library

  • Yes, instead of heard by 50 people, these buildings it's up to 75 people can heard what is said (by a human OR a zombie!) "And over here we have a rare dinosaur skeleton.."

Why?

Ahhh... well you say "I'm infected" chances are everyone in the overpacked safehouse hears you. Or if you just got zombified you say "Mrh?" and manybe someone revived you before you get blown to bits.. and of course churches and cathedrals now you can really, really preach!

The rationale for this added building feature is, well, better acoustics! (For libraries, well actually they have good acoustics too.. but they don't want better acoustics but it just works out that way "Shhhh...")

These are generally not good resource buildings, so what the hell?

Notes: 12/17 Keep/Total. (71%) Concerns were twofold: server stress, and some voters thought it should require a skill.
Left Queue: 11:05, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Bloodstains

Timestamp: Grigori 03:33, 10 October 2006 (BST)
Type: Room Flavor
Scope: Everyone
Description: I propose a new flavor addition to rooms. If a person or zombie has been killed in a building recently, it leaves a marker in the form of a bloodstain. Both zombies and humans would be able to see it. The age of the stain is also shown, as well as the number of people killed.

Cleaning up a ransack would get rid of the blood. The stain itself doesn't affect players, all it does is add flavor and possibly give players an idea of the recent history of a building.

Whenever a new person dies, it is added to the "body count", and the age of the blood goes down 1 tier. Zombie blood does not affect the age of the stain, only the amount, and if a zombie was the first thing to die and create a stain, it automatically appears 2-5 hours old (due to the zombie being dead). The outside of the building would reflect the inside, although not the amount, just the age, and only if more than 5 people died..

1-2 died, 0-2 hours ago There is a small pool of blood here. It is bright red and fresh.

3-5 died, 0-2 hours ago There are a couple small pools of blood here. The blood is bright red and fresh.

6-10 died, 0-2 hours ago There is a large pool of blood here, as well as some smaller ones. The blood is bright red and fresh.

11-20 died, 0-2 hours ago There are a couple of large pools of blood here, as well as a number of smaller ones. The blood is bright red and fresh.

21-40 died, 0-2 hours ago There are a multitude of large pools of blood here, as well as many smaller ones. The blood is bright red and fresh.

41+ died, 0-2 hours ago There is a massive amount of blood here. It is bright red and fresh.

1-2 died, 2-5 hours ago There is a small pool of blood here. It is red and congealed.

1-2 died, 5-10 hours ago There is a small pool of blood here. It is a dull red and sticky.

1-2 died, 10-24 hours ago There is a small bloodstain here. It is dull red and not yet completely dry.

1-2 died, 24-48 hours ago There is a small bloodstain here. It is dry and flaky.

1-2 died, 48-72 hours ago There is a small bloodstain here. It is barely noticable.

Example of the outside appearance:

0-2 hours ago There is some blood dripping under the door. It is bright red and fresh.

After 72 hours the bloodstain goes away. Feedback would be nice.

Notes: 18/20 Keep/Total. (90%) Well accepted as is.
Left Queue: 12:18, 26 October 2006 (BST)

Church/Cathedral Changes

Timestamp: Lord of the Pies 19:08, 10 November 2006 (UTC)
Type: A Report on the Dreadful Moral and Religious State of the Lower and Middle Classes in the fine city of Malton! [Item Addition/Change, Building Changes]
Scope: Righteous and Upstanding Gentlemen! [Survivors (but also Zombies)]
Description: Why, Malton is truly a fine city...a jewel, a diamond amongst dirty coals (like a fine gentlemen such as myself surrounded by dirty lower-class labourers! Ahawhawhawhaw!). Its sunlit, blood-spattered boulevards, its glorious, corpse-covered monuments; such beauty is all too often distressingly ignored, hmhm! One has performed a most rigorous and necessary investigation into the reasons for such disrespect regarding the exaltation of the most excellent examples of Malton's pride, hmhm! For, my noble companions, there is a most disturbing and unrighteous reason for this distinct and foul lack of religious thought...I say, one was out driving one of those new-fangled motorised carriages (this is, of course, utter myth; gentlemen have no hands, you see, ahawhawhawhaw!), or that is to say, my manservant Johnson was driving oneself through the spotless streets around my humble abode - three floors, seventy one rooms, nothing too grand, you see - and one was shocked the incredible state of disrepair that the local religious establishment for the worship of our fine Lord by worthy and noble gentlemen such as myself! Shocked, and one does not hesitate to use such strong language, shocked and disgusted! [Churches need several improvements]

1) For who does one bow to save for the good Lord himself, who has bestowed such riches with such righteousness upon fine, hard working fellows such as oneself? Why, no-one, of course! Such an idea is preposterous, that a gentlemen should kneel before a commoner! Therefore, Churches should be treated with the same veneration, hmhm? Yet why are some of our finest buildings not afforded the same level of importance as lesser buildings of simple commercial delight, such as shopping arcades and sports venues? Truly shocking, one finds this to be! [St. Telesphorus' Church (73,05 / 74,05) in Earletown should be made into a large building; St. Irenaeus' Church (60,13 / 61,13) in Raines Hills should be made into a large building; no, this is not about graffiti, because we all know that the end is fucking nigh and therefore it doesn't matter whether churches are tagged, really]

2) Such sights one can see from the noble steeple of tower of a church, reaching to heaven itself...truly a noble aspiration. Yet, despite these holy buildings striving ever upwards, one cannot see a single thing when one uses a telescope or a monocular to observe the fine city of Malton from such a height! This is, one believes (and quite rightly it would appear, considering that the Lord himself feels it fit that one be gifted with riches! Ahawhawhawhaw!), ridiculous! [Churches and Cathedrals should be tall buildings; a possible variation would be to include Churches with and without towers or steeples, with those with a tower or steeple being tall buildings and those without being ordinary]

3) A Bible is a fine book indeed! Golden finery; the purest inks; the smoothest paper; truly a sight to behold (and truly a useful tool to discipline unruly children with, ahawhawhawhaw!)! Yet, curiously, one cannot procure such a fine book no matter how hard one strives to search amongst the holiest buildings of Malton! Such a revelation (ahawhawhawhaw!) is the focal point of my report and is perhaps the most disturbing find of the century! [Bibles should be able to be found in Churchs at a search rate of 6-8%; Bibles should be able to be found in Cathedrals at a search rate of 9-12%; Bibles give no XP when read; Bibles, similarly to Poetry Books, give a short passage, in this case a Bible verse from Revelations of a suitably apocalyptic nature (approximately 15-20 Bible verses would be used); Bibles are removed from the inventory when read]


Ahawhawhawhaw! [...]

Notes: 14/15 Keep/Total (93%).
  • Was called "Hello There, My Good Man!"
Left Queue: 11:48, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Clubs/Pubs: Selectable Music

Timestamp: Lord of the Pies 16:34, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
Type: Flavour
Scope: People, Clubs, People in Clubs
Description: Survivors should be able to change the music in Clubs. A minor flavour addition, it would work like the 'Cinema Management' suggestion (in Peer Reviewed); a Survivor would be able to spend 1AP changing the music by selecting an option from a drop-down menu of five or six types of music you would expect to hear in clubs (i.e. no folk music). The description would change from the current one of Coloured spotlights highlight an empty stage, and distorted music echoes over the speakers to Coloured spotlights highlight an empty stage, and distorted [music type] music echoes over the speakers. Of course, this would only work in powered Clubs and if the Generator is destroyed then the message reverts to the original one until someone changes the music again.

Yonder pubbes would also be able to play music if powered in much the same way: the current description is You are standing in an abandoned pub but if it's powered and a survivor has chosen a music type (of appropriate types, e.g. folk, jazz, classic rock, 60s, 70s, 80s) the description would change to You are standing in an abandoned pub, [music type] music echoing from a dented jukebox. If the Generator is destroyed or unpowered the description reverts back to the ordinary one until the music is changed again.

Notes: 17/20 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is, although additional music types were suggested: heavy metal, darkwave, EBM, techno, that sort of thing.
  • Was called "Change Music in Clubs and Arms"
Left Queue: 12:21, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Cycling Signs

Timestamp: Jon Pyre 02:52, 28 December 2006 (UTC)
Type: Improvement/Skill
Scope: Survivors
Description: Many places have electronic signs that steadily change their message. Sometimes it's an LED billboard, a projector and screen, or just a flat screen television used for advertising. I suggest adding these to the game where appropriate; good candidates are inside stadiums, malls, railway stations, hotels, hospitals, cinemas, and perhaps some parts of the zoo. When the building is powered those with a new currently untitled civilian skill (that allows them to operate the computer controlling the sign) may add messages to the sign's cycle. The sign would remember many messages (as many as possible without taking up excessive memory, hopefully in the 10-20 range but the higher the better) and would only forget the oldest one as a new one was added.

If the building is powered one (and only one) stored message would be displayed at random. For instance one at a stadium might look like this: "A giant LED sign above the field displays 'Revive Point At Nancy Street'". The message would randomly switch each second so if someone spent multiple AP in the building they'd likely see a new message after each click. If the power was cut the sign would go blank but the saved messages would not be deleted. To prevent spam and stop people from hogging up the signs if someone tries to add more than one message to a sign they'll end up replacing the one they themselves put in.

This gives these signs a different purpose than spray cans. The spray can has the advantage of being highly visible. Everyone in the room is guaranteed to see it. However if someone else wants to advertise they have to delete your message. These signs let several people share the same space, your message will only be visible once in a while but it'll take longer to get deleted. Sprayed messages also do not require power to be visible. This would prove useful in crowded places where a painted message is likely to get deleted within a few nanoseconds and generators are frequently replaced. It'd also be fun and flavorful, what's a stadium without its big screen or a mall missing advertisements?

Notes: 15/18 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is. One voter disliked the idea of someone automatically overwriting their own message. "If a player wants to spend all 50 AP making that LED board their personal diary, more power to 'em."
Left Queue: 00:48, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Fences: New Rules

Timestamp: Funt Solo Scotland flag.JPG 10:15, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
Type: New Skills
Scope: Survivors, Zombies, Junkyards, some Zoo buildings
Description: Survivors have started repairing fencing in an attempt to hold off the zombie horde - but the zombies are adapting their tactics to compensate.


  • New Civilian Skill: Advanced Construction
  • Prerequisites: Construction
  • Effect: Can repair the hole in the fence of a fenced location (ie Junkyards, the Lion Enclosure, the Bear Pit, the Elephant House & the Giraffe House) at a cost of 2AP. Those with Free Running can still enter the building from an adjacent block, but that is the only way to enter the building. The fence can be holed again with a pair of wirecutters for 1AP. To emphasise, there is no street access or barricade attack allowed, regardless of barricade level, until cut with wirecutters, or otherwise holed - see below.
    • (For those new to the game, these locations were originally fenced at the beginning of the game, but within a few months all the fences were holed with wirecutters.)
  • NOTE: whilst this skill is very limited in scope, it's been named with the view that it may do other things in the future.


  • New Zombie Skill: Rend Metal
  • Prerequisites: Rend Flesh
  • Effect: This zombie's hands are calloused and practically immune to pain. It can use it's inhuman strength to rend metal, and therefore break through the repaired hole in the fencing. If this zombie is in a block that contains a fenced building, with a repaired fence, then it may elect to attack the fencing. This has the same chance to succeed as a barricade attack and, if successful, will hole the fence.
  • NOTE: whilst this skill is very limited in scope, it's been named with the view that it may do other things in the future.


  • Gameplay:
    • a use for wirecutters.
    • a haven against low level ferals.
    • having a building that is immune from entry is powerful, which is why it costs 2AP to do it and only 1AP (with wirecutters) or a potential 1AP (with Rend Metal) to take it down again.


  • Concerns During Discussion
    • Why is no item required to repair the fence?
      • Trying to keep things simple (gameplay) and it's a junkyard (roleplay).
    • Why 2AP to build but only 1AP for a griefer with wirecutters to tear down?
      • The same situation exists (sort of) with generators.
      • The power to lock out low-level ferals is a strong one that needs balanced - thus the 2AP cost.
    • Why 2AP to build but only (potentially) 1AP for a zombie to tear down?
      • It's more likely to take 3-4AP for a zombie to tear down. 2AP suddenly seems quite cheap.
Notes: 21/28 Keep/Total (75%). The key worry seemed to be that junkyards are a good location for new zombies to gain XP, as there are no doors to stop them.
  • Was "New Fence Rules".
Left Queue: 11:05, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Fencing To Block Zombie Movement

Timestamp: 07:26, 25 Jan 2006 (GMT)
Type: Improvement
Scope: Survivors
Description: This idea is to implement fences as a way of A) Increasing defense at appropriate locations, like forts. AND B) Aiding new players without Free Running.

Fences: What they are

  • Fences are tall barriers of metal wire. Some blocks are enclosed in them, such as junkyards. Some complexes have them on their borders, such as the forts. This leads to two kinds of fences, block fences and perimeter fences.
  • Fences would be similar to barricades except instead of keeping a zombie player from entering into the interior of a building it would prevent the player from moving to an outside square from an adjacent square.
  • Fences would be attacked and repaired like barricades. They would have the same strength as barricades and cost the same amount of AP to repair. Fences however do not prevent survivors from crossing them at any level of strength as they can always be climbed.
  • You would be able to see who is on the other side of a fence as they would be outside.

Perimeter Fences

  • The open squares of the fort would have a perimeter fence between them and the outside city squares. There would not be a fence between the open squares and other open squares or the open squares and the armory.
  • If a zombie player is outside next to the fort complex and the open fort square directly adjacent to them has an intact fence then none of the open fort squares on the screen would be clickable links. Each fort square would have its own seperate fence and would be attacked an repaired seperately. Corner squares could be attacked from either side or diagonally.
  • Fences would not prevent zombies from moving between open fort squares or to and from the open fort squares and the armory or stop them from leaving. It would act as a one way barrier.
  • A survivor would be able to dump bodies outside the fence if they were laying in an open fort square. This would move them to the square directly outside. This is not a "pied piper" ability because you cannot move zombies great distances with this, only to the square directly outside the fence. You would not be able to dump bodies laying outside the armory to the outside of the fence.
  • The armory would not be changed in any way. It could still be attacked and barricaded as normal.
  • The only example of where Perimeter Fencing would be appropriate that I can think of at the moment is the exterior of the fort complex but this could be implemented elsewhere as well.

Block Fences

  • Junkyards (and a few other appropriate places like some zoo enclosures) are outdoor areas protected by a fence. Junkyards and these other places would not have barricades, doors or interiors, they would have fencing instead.
  • A block fence is a singular fence. When intact it would prevent zombie players from moving onto the junkyard square by not making it a clickable link. It could be attacked from any adjacent or diagonal square and repaired from inside. Each side does not have a seperate fence like the seperate open fort squares, there is one fence and if it is broken then it can be entered from all directions. It would not prevent zombie players from leaving.
  • Players in junkyards would be visible from outside. They would also be able to see outside. They would not be able to hear feeding groans however and woud be able to free run to other buildings.
  • You would be able to dump bodies outside of the fence from inside the junkyard. This would move them to a random adjacent square. This is not a "pied piper" ability because you cannot move zombie players a great distance, only to an adjacent square outside the fence. If there were two junkyards next to another bodies dumped out of one would not end up in the other, they would simply be put in a different adjacent square.
  • I only mention junkyards and zoo enclosures here but more places I have not thought of could have block fencing instead of barricades.

Destroying and Repairing Fences

  • Any player next to a fence, either inside or outside, can attack the fence. It would have different levels of strength: intact, slightly damaged, strongly damaged, broken, etc. They would not be harder to destroy than barricades are.
  • Repairing barricades would not require the Construction skill. Instead you would need wirecutters to cut replacement fencing and need to be inside the fence. Any survivor with wirecutters can repair a fence. It would be assumed that all other materials you need are on hand, the same way it is assumed that there is furniture handy to barricade and it makes sense you could find materials to repair a fence in a junkyard or fort. Repairing fencing would cost the same as barricading and get progressively more difficult the more intact the fence is.

The Purpose of Fencing

  • Perimeter Fencing would make it possible to defend the entire Fort Compound. Once breached however zombies would be able to camp in front of the armory and no longer be affected by them. This would replicate the way forts operate in zombie movies: It's possible to defend the entire compound from incursion but once zombies enter en masse all you can do is flee or hole up in a building and wait for the end. It would give forts an additional defense, prevent more zombies from arriving if the armory was sieged, but it would not make it impossibly hard for zombies because once they broke through the fences they would not need to worry about them unless they left. Zombies would not need to break through two barricades to enter the armory every time they're killed and dumped from the armory.
  • Block Fencing is meant to aid new players that are without Construction or Free Running, and to prevent players from being stranded outside provided they conserve enough AP to reach a junkyard if worst comes to worst. It is said that Free Running is a prerequisite of survival in many areas and sometimes players through no fault of their own can perish because entire suburbs are barricaded above very strong and there are no barricaded buildings they can enter. Junkyards would serve as guaranteed shelters for new players. They could "barricade" it themselves with wirecutters and they would be able to enter no matter how strongly it was blocked. This shelter does not come without a price however. The presence of survivors would be visible to zombies, making staying behind fences dangerous because it would be the first target of any zombie. It would still be better than standing outside completely undefended.
  • Fencing would add variety to gameplay, allow special places to have additional defenses, and help new players not be doomed because they do not have certain skills yet. In addition to helping new survivor players and players venturing into barricaded suburbs it would also help zombie players by providing them a "building" in which they can check for meat first, reducing the frustration of not even knowing if there's anyone behind the barricades you're attacking. And it would also help zombie players in that exploration is quite dangerous since you have a good chance of not being able to find a new safehouse to enter. This keeps survivors staying in the same location for months straight. If they knew junkyards served as emergency shelters and entrances survivors would be more willing to spread out, explore, and occupy safehouses in smaller numbers and in surburbs they currently do not go. Making the forts more interesting would bring many survivors to defend them, leading to huge battles between zombies and humans. This is as good for the zombie stomach as it is good for human survival.
Notes: 17/21 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is. Some people killed because the belived it was over powered and complicated to implement. However people liked it as it adds depth into the game.
  • Was "Fencing to Increase Fort Defense and to Aid New Players".
Left Queue: 08:06, 26 May 2006 (BST)

Knives in more places

Timestamp: Mark 17:39, 27 January 2007 (UTC)
Type: Improvement.
Scope: New survivors.
Description: Newbies currently have a hard time getting to the knife, which is now the newbie weapon. I propose that the knife be added to the following places at a 4% chance:

Arms. (Tough places.)

Clubs. (More tough places.)

Museums. (Antique weapons.)

The following will have a 3% chance:

Schools. (Confiscated or in cafeteria.)

Hotels. (Someone left behind pocket knives in drawers, or in the breakfast kitchen.)


Remember two things: First, a knife can be any type of blade. It can be a pocket knife, a kitchen knife, a combat knife, a hunter's knife, or anything like that. Second, these places which knives could be found in have nothing else of value, and are never searched, except possibly Arms. This also prevents newbies from using large amounts of searching to find nothing. Once they find a knife, they may stop wasting their AP.

Simple and straight-forward.

Notes: 16/17 Keep/Total (94%)
  • Was "Knives in more places (Revised)".
Left Queue: 19:48, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

Look Out Window If Cades Low

Timestamp: 16:38, 26 Nov 2005 (GMT)
Type: Game Mechanics
Scope: Humans
Description: There's always a HUGE controversy over whether to barricade heavily or past that. This balances it. When a building is less than heavily barricaded, you will be able to "see outside" and you would be able to see if anyone is outside your specific building. The names would be grayed out or transparent or something to differentiate from the people inside. Maybe it could be text in the building's description (i.e. a person, two people, a zombie, two zombies are outside). if it is barricaded too heavily to get into, then this ability would not happen. so if you want to see enemies outside, then you barricade lighter and vice versa.
Notes: 21/22 Keep/Total
  • Change it to basic info in the building description, i.e. there is a {single/few/horde of} zombie(s) outside a {single/few/group of} survivor(s) outside. It does not need exact numbers, just a rough small/medium/large group estimate.
  • Was "Windows".
Left Queue: 23:47, 11 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Look Out Window Of Tall Building

Timestamp: 00:57, 14 May 2006 (BST)
Type: improvement
Scope: Survivors in Tall buildings
Description: This suggestion is limited to large buildings that have windows you can jump out of. Because you are able to jump out the window, It is clearly not barricaded nor does it have to be. This suggestion allows someone to look out the window for 1 AP and see things outside.

When you do look out the window, you will not know exactly how many zombies are out there. The message you get however will give you an idea.
0-1 Zombie: "You look out the window and see nothing but deserted streets"
2-8 Zombies: "You look out the window and see a few zombies"
9-32 Zombies: "You look out the window and see lots of zombies"
33+ Zombies: "You look out the window and see a horde of zombies"

The reason for the lone zombie not being noticed could be any one of a hundred reasons ranging from "It was dark out and you didn't see it" to "It was behind the abandoned car and out of your field of view"

In the event that survivors are outside additional text will show up in the message because you would see them as well

0-1 Survivor: <No Additional Message>
2-8 Survivors: "You also see a few Survivors"
9+ Survivors: "You also see lots of Survivors"

I can't imagine there being lots of Survivors outside. Regardless, it can still happen and would suggest that there is something going on out there.

Also the standing Zombies will be able to see you as you look at them, they will get a message along the lines of.
"You notice someone looking down at you from an upstairs window"
Scent Trail would tell the Zombie if the survivor has left ot not as well as where they went. This will prevent a survivors from baiting a horde into attacking a safehouse that doesn't really have anyone in it. However, Scent trail would be limited to 5 Squares away from the zombie before the scent is lost rather then 10. This is to reflect that the Zombie was far away and didn't get the scent as well as it would of if the survivor was on ground level.

Because if you were to try to look at things in the building next to you, it would require you lean dangerously far out the window. Therefore when you look out a window, you can only see what is directly outside the building you are in


Also, this is not an unbalanced X-Ray vision style suggestion. It looks like it at a quick glance but look closer before voting please, It is limited to tall buildings that already have an open window. In addition it gives the zombies outside the knowledge that there is in fact someone in there. If they notice many people looking out the window that tells them there are plenty of people in there and not just 1 who might of already left. I beleive I have adressed the problems typical of the category.

For everyone who would say that I could just go outside to look, note the pros and cons of both methods. Going outside will require more AP. However you can see much more and the zombies never know unless they are active. Looking out the window requires just 1 AP as well as a tall building with a window you can jump out of. However you don't get a clear idea of what you're up against and you have no idea how many dead bodies are waiting to become Zombies. You also don't get to find out how many zombies are around the buildings next to you.

I feel this would help both Zombies as well as Survivors out at the same time because the Zombie gets just as much information as the survivor does when they look out the window.

Notes: 20/26 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is. Some people disliked the idea of "X-ray vision" however it was pointed out that the Zombies would be alerted to when a survivor looks at them and thus is not the one sided style of X-ray vision that most people are against.
  • Was "Looking out a Window V2".
Left Queue: 06:08, 29 June 2006 (BST)

Pathogenic Liquid

Timestamp: ShadowScope 21:29, 13 February 2007 (UTC)
Type: Zombie Tactical Resource Point
Scope: Zombies
Description: This is a revision of "Air-Borne Pathogen"...

NecroTech has been studying aspects of the Zombie outbreak. In fact, there are some containers out there that has just been discovered that contains some of the Zombie virus itself, in a liquid form. This liquids contain very important experimenations on the zombie outbreak, helping NecroTech to learn how to cure it. At least, that what NecroTech claims. But there lies a problem...if zombies are exposed to this virus, they can become more powerful...and more deadly.

In every suburb, there is an Pathogenic Liquid Container. It is located in a building with a door. It will not be located in NecroTech buildings or in malls (to get away from a mall-centric and NT-centric gameplay). I prefer it to be placed in buildings that are not TRPs, to provide use for those buildings...but they don't have to be.

You see a small container that is attached to the walls of the building. It is not activated. It has the NecroTech logo on it.

When zombies ransack the building, the descirption of the building changes to: You see a small but damaged container that is attached to the walls of the building. It is releasing a purple liquid onto the floor, making a mess, and you do feel some sickness from breathing some of its vapours. It has the NecroTech logo on it.

If you repair the building, the container is repaired.

While the building is ransacked, zombies can spend 1 AP to "Drink the Purple Liquid". This is a 100% success rate, but this is due to the fact that zombies are mobile, and have to go and come back to drink the Purple Liquid over and over again. This also takes into account that zombies have to spend lots of AP to take over and secure the building with the Pathogeonic Liquid Container...

If one drink the "Purple Liquid", he get this message:

You drink the purple liquid, to sastify your thirst. You feel that your reflexes has been amplified, and that you can now seem to bite more effectively.

The zombie receives a new Item: "Purple Liquid Mutagen", with a quanity of 20 "ammo". This will take up 2 spaces for a Zombie character, but since Zombies don't care much about items (most carrying only a Flak Jacket), this would be fine. This is to represent the effectiveness of the mutagen and how long it last. Basically, you now have access to Advanced Bite, which works the same as a normal Bite...however, it has a 10% higher accuracy. When you do one Advanced Bite, you use up one "ammo" of the Purple Liquid Mutagen. Once you run out of ammo, you can no longer do Advanced Bite.

If one already have drunk the "Purple Liquid" and currently have the "Purple Liquid Mutagen" item, he get this message, and loses no AP:

You feel full after drinking the Purple Liquid. Maybe you should return once the Liquid's effects wear off to drink this liquid once more.

If one already have 51 items, they get this message and lose 1 AP:

You try to drink the purple liquid, but you fail miserably, because you are carrying far too many stuff to effectively crouch and lap up the liqiud. It would be best if you drop some of those items so that you can become more free and able to you can drink the purple liquid.

If you get revived, then it can be assumed that the "Purple Liquid Mutagen" virus goes into remission, along with the zombie virus. You still have the item, and can decide to drop it, just like you can drop any item. However, you cannot use the Purple Liquid Mutagen item until you are a Zombie. (This is similar to a zombie not being able to use Guns even so they can carry them). Once you get killed, you can then use the Purple Liqiud Mutagen item as normal.

The reason I choosen items is because it seems to be the most simplest way Kevan can implement this. Since he can implement guns, he can surely implement this as well.

This new addition make it easier for zombies to destroy the suburb, making the zombies want to play the game. It's fun basically. It give zombies some way to encourge them to hold buildings.

Notes: 15/19 Keep/Total.
Left Queue: 15:53, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Pop Of Corners Of Large Buildings

Timestamp: 00:11, 17 July 2006 (BST)
Type: Interface update
Scope: All players
Description: Consider the following:
  • When you are inside a small building you can always count the exact number of survivors and zombies present.
  • When you are inside a large building, you can always tell exactly how many zombies there are in each corner.
  • When you are inside a large building, you have absolutely no clue how many survivors are in any corner except your own.

This makes no in-game sense, is unrealistic and harms survivors.

From now on, when you are inside a large building, below the visual tag that says "28 zombies" in a corner of the mall, there would also appear a tag showing the exact number of survivors. For example: "82 survivors," etc.

Notes: 21/22 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Show Populations Of Other Corners Of Large Buildings".
Left Queue: 10:42, 6 August 2006 (BST)

Random Building Fire

Timestamp: Rolo Tomasi 01:13, 20 February 2007 (UTC)
Type: Improvement
Scope: Buildings
Description: Malton has an abundence of Firemen, and fire stations, but no fire trucks or running water. Trash is most likely piled up, papers from abandoned and ransacked buildings blow through the streets. Survivors are often syphoning gasoline to run their generators, and those same gennys are running 24/7 until they get destroyed. Also,as no taxes are being collected from the dead the infrastructure is probably the worse for wear. I propose that each week in each suburb a building at random 'catches fire'. This is done in every suburb each week. A building is 'on fire' for 24 hours, and 'burned out' buildings stay that way until repaired.

After a building catches fire is is temporarily unenterable, un-barricadable, and unsearchable. To 'repair' a 'burned out' building is like repairing and Ransacked building, but a bit harder. Instead of 1 AP to fix, a building that has burnt requires 10 AP. Any number of survivors can use AP to repair a burned building. 10 peeps can use 1 AP each, 2 people can use 5 each, or 10 folks 1 AP each. All people repairing a building must have the Construction skill. Wastelands can not burn, but parks can (wildfire). Multiple block buildings(malls, churches, forts) can only have 1 square affected. The other locations function normally. Buildings that are 'on fire' or 'burned out' may not be entered or exited with Free Running. Only 1 building per suburb each week can burn.

A building's chance to to burn each week starts with a base percentage of 1% The chance of catching 'on fire' goes up by the following factors:* Unpopulated(No active survivors) + 0%; *Occupied +1% (for every 10 survivors or zombies inside); *Ransacked +4% (Zombies might have damaged wiring, maybe knocked a oillamp over, etc.); *Active Generator +2% (Re-fueling accident, overheating, improper installation...).

Anyone (human or zombie) may stay in an 'on fire' building if the desire, but each action costs 1 additional AP than usual due to smoke, heat, blocked passageways ,etc. (Most actions 2 AP, combat 2AP, reviving 11AP, standing from Headshot 16 AP w/o Ankle Grab)and any action other than leaving a burning building will do 2 HP damage (FAK CAN heal this damage).

When a building catches fire, the first time a character logs on or refreshes a page they see a message like "You see smoke drifting though the air X blocks north/south and X blocks east/west"... or "The building you are trying to enter is on fire, it is too hot to enter or pass through, you must go another way." Any barricades or equipment (generators, Christmas trees, lights, or radios) would be destroyed during the fire, but could be replaced after the building is repaired.

Notes: 21/30 Keep/Total.
  • Was "Fire!! 20. February"
Left Queue: 13:58, 26 March 2007 (BST)

Barricades / Doors

Atmospheric Barricade Rattling

Timestamp: 19:13, 5 Feb 2006 (GMT)
Type: Atmospheric Effect/Warning
Scope: Survivors inside buildings
Description: To add a frisson of fear to the survivors inside buildings, let's let the rattling of barricades be heard - but not necessarily for any reason. Maybe they were stacked badly and wind blew things off-balance. Maybe zombies are attacking. The survivors can't know, and will get that extra bit nervous.

To avoid spam, the message should only be shown once, even if it happened several times whilst the user was away. "A crashing noise comes from the barricades." or "The barricades shake - was it the wind, or is there something out there?" or suchlike.

To be clear, it should happen if zombies attack - but also randomly at other times. That's the key: It may be important or it might not - and they have no way of knowing without going outside and putting themselves at risk.

Notes: 11/14 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is. It was suggested that it should only occur on average once every five days.
Left Queue: 06:29, 1 June 2006 (BST)

Cade Attacks Reported

Timestamp: 20:27, 10 Jan 2006 (GMT)
Type: Innate survivor ability
Scope: Survivors inside barricaded buildings
Description: As an innate ability, survivors are able to see other survivors inside their safehouses attacking the barricades. This would be displayed on screen as "_____ tears the barricade down to _____". This would not show each successful attack on the barricades from the insides, only when the barricade is brought down a full level (i.e. from VSB to QSB, etc.), and by whom. This would not show attacks on the barricade from outside of the safehouse, only those made from inside.

Does not show for attacks made to barricades at levels EH or higher. Only dropping from VSB to QSB, QSB to Lightly, Lightly to Loosely, Loosely to Open - so as not to make targets of players adjusting barricade levels on entry points.

Notes: 25/30 Keep/Total
  • Voters indicated that notification of dropping of levels only, plus only showing VSB or lower attacks to prevent retaliation of adjusting entry points was what distinguished this from other barricade notification suggestions that had failed in the past. Some voters pointed out players intent on doing this would simply move out of the building and attack it from the outside, perhaps requiring notification from human attacks on barricades from the outside as well.
  • Was "Barricade Watch".
Left Queue: 22:02, 6 March 2006 (GMT)

Cading Puts You Top Of Queue

Timestamp: 18:00 30 Nov 2005 GMT
Type: improvement
Scope: barricades
Description: Barricading moves you to the top of the room list. Why? So zombies can eat you first when attacking. Think about it you?re the closest. Could work with dismantling them too. As a further indication of a saboteur; but really Im just pandering to the survivor vote with that bit. REQUEST CLARIFICATION on room listing system (author assumes entering is the only placement method) Please visit Talk:Suggestions/30th-Nov-2005
Notes: 21/24 Keep/Total.
  • Taking any action moves you to the bottom of the list. Just reverse that, and this suggestion has been implemented.
Left Queue: 16:40, 15 Dec 2005 (GMT)
  • Was "Barricade Queue".

Less Effective Barricades

Timestamp: 07:29, 15 March 2006 (GMT)
Type: Balance Changes
Scope: Zombies and Humans
Description: As identified above, the problems with barricading are :

(1) Barricading with Zombies inside (no humans) : If a zombie is the most inactive character in the building (Similar to Survivors being at the top of the list), all Human actions except Attacking, Movement, Dropping and Speech will take 2 more AP. This will solve the Freerun Barricade sniping problem and give a way for zombies to "hold" buildings. Of course, if humans want to reclaim the building, it'd be a matter of evicting the resident zombie and then barricading up.

(2) Zombies inside buildings : If a zombie happens to be inside a building, his chance to crumble barricades is 1.5 times normal. This is in essence, a way for zombies to dent the ridiculous "Barricade, Heal then Shoot" used at sieges, and to reward the zombies who did make it through to help them let others join. (it also makes sense from the RP point of view ... Human puts a cabinet in front of a door, Zombie smashes the cabinet)

(3) Barricading and leaving the building empty (or with zombies inside) : If a building does not have any humans in it (dummy barricades), the chance to collapse the barricades for everybody doubles (This will allow newbies trapped outside an EHB empty building to make it to safety). This stacks with the Zombies inside buildings bonus.

Notes: 25/30 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Changes to Barricades".
Left Queue: 13:02, 18 June 2006 (BST)

Max Cades Varies by Building Type

Timestamp: 20:04, 28 July 2006 (BST)
Type: Fundamental spam barricade change
Scope: Everyone attacking/using barricades
Description:

Whereas this game has become focused on hoarding inside shopping malls, and
Whereas these malls have become self-sufficient fortresses, and
Whereas the game has turned into siege after siege, and
Whereas a children's day school is as defensible as a military installation, and
Whereas the strategic value of a building is determined only by the resources available therein,

I would like to propose a change to the mechanics of barricades. For the above stated reasons, I feel barricades should be changed, to alter the dynamic of the game. After maxing characters from both sides, I am tired of siege after siege of guerilla raids sallying forth from malls and hoards knocking down barricades to have them repaired within minutes. The intent of this suggestion is to add another value to be considered when selecting safehouses, to decrease the homogeneity of all buildings, and to increase the defense value of more tactical locations.
I propose that the upper levels of barricades, specifically, anything above 'Very Strongly Barricaded', or a level at which a survivor can not enter the building from outside, be reserved for certain structure types only. Effectively, barricades will be limited to certain levels based on the structure type, as set out in this list of maximum barricade level per building type:

  • Very Strongly Barricaded: Railways, Churches, Libraries, and Schools
  • Heavily Barricaded: Junkyards, Non-NT Buildings, Cathedrals, Malls, Hospitals, Towers, Cinemas, Hotels, and Stadiums
  • Very Heavily Barricaded: Museums, Zoos, NT Buildings, Auto Repair Shops, Factories, Warehouses, Fire Stations, Arms, Clubs
  • Extremely Heavily Barricaded: Armouries, Banks, Police Stations, Mansions, Power Stations
  • This leaves the ratio of VS/HB/VHB/EHB buildings at approximately 15/35/35/10 throughout Malton.

In compiling this list, the primary factors considered were flavour and realism of a building's defensibility, and the ratios of the levels of defensible buildings. In the interests of gameplay, ratios were the deciding factor. To this extent, I wrote a script to compile the information on building distributions across Malton, the detailed breakdown of which is on my user page. Since there is nothing in the text distinguishing NTs from normal buildings, this uses the estimate of approximately 250 NT buildings.
There was a bug wherein any empty square containing the string "Mall" was counted as a mall (e.g. Mallack Walk), but this has been corrected in this suggestion's printout, and I am aware of no other building type which should create this error (e.g. Cinema Lane, the Hospital Monument). This error should be insignificant even if it does exist.
I tried to keep the levels as flavourful and realistic as possible, though there were concessions in the name of building distribution, as my favorite list based on flavour gives us a game-breaking 40/30/20/10 ratio initially.

Final Thoughts:

"No Stopgap Balance Measures": This is not intended to redress balance in the game. My intention here is entirely to create new and interesting dynamics within the game.
"Leave Barricades Alone … Avoid suggestions that excessively weaken barricades or allow zombies to bypass them entirely.": While this does affect barricades, it does not remove them or nerf them, just changes them to add variance and value to buildings.
"Make it More Fun, Not Less Fun": I like the panic that comes with a survivor, and I think that a game where you die from time to time, running back and forth from your safehouse to a tactical resource point is much more fun than hanging out in a castle and shooting from the parapets every two days.
"Forts will never be used at EHB": I think that this gives us interesting new opportunities for forts, since they would have a higher defense value that people will want to use. There is nothing stopping an organized group from holding a fort, and manually lowering the barricades for short windows, letting raiders in and out.
"NT buildings would be identifiable by their higher barricade levels": Yes. Yes they would be. That makes it your choice to keep them lower, or pay the price for extra protection. This game is about the players and the choices they make. Besides, of course, the in depth maps and zombies with NT employment skills.
"Spam - nerfs my safehouse": Please, evaluate a suggestion based on its place in the game for all players, not yourself alone. Safehouses can be moved.

Finally finally, thanks to everyone on the talk page, in particular pesatyel and raystanwick, for coming up with lists and the idea of building type distribution. Sorry for taking so long

Notes: 29/37 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Barricade Variance and Tactical Value".
Left Queue: 12:52, 21 August 2006 (BST)

No Cading Till Door Closed

Timestamp: 15:56, 18 Dec 2005 (GMT)
Type: Skill tweak
Scope: Humans
Description: As the game stands humans during any siege can simply spam the barricade button and any breach caused by zombies will be plugged before even half a dozen get inside. This is because of the fact that humans can barricade with the doors open (Which closes the doors, effectively a free action for the humans). I propose that people should have to close the doors before they can barricade a building to give zombies a chance at getting in when a person is online.
Notes: 38/39 Keep/Total. Well accepted, another variation that came up was to have a check wether or not the doors were opened or closed when the barricades were erected. When they are taken down the door would return to it's pre-barricaded state. Also a message "You can not erect barricades, as the door is open." was suggested to let the user know.
  • Was "Close the doors".
Left Queue: 10:53, 6 May 2006 (BST)


No Cading Till Zombies Removed

Timestamp: Gage 02:26, 31 January 2007 (UTC)
Type: balance change
Scope: Everyone
Description: Survivors can no longer barricade a building while zombies are present.

The purpose of this is to create more fun for zombies, and more danger (and therefore more fun) for survivors. Because really, how fun is it for your survivor character when he has been alive for the last 2 months holed up in Caiger? Not very IMO.

It also isn't very realistic that a survivor would have the presence of mind during a zombie attack to barricade a building instead of shooting the thing that is trying eat him and his buddies.

This suggestion is going to be wildly unpopular. I know it. It will have fervent support from my zanbah brothers though. You might dig through the archives and pull up a "dupe" from somewhere. It has been pointed out on the talk page that times change and so I think you should give it a chance.

Notes: 52/77 Keep/Total. (68%) Controversial, but just edged through.
  • Was "Barricades (Nerf)".
Left Queue: 15:25, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

Zerg-Flag Disallows Cading

Timestamp: 00:25, 19 June 2006 (BST)
Type: Balance Change
Scope: Survivors/Barricades
Description: For too long the Survivors of UD have had a distinct advantage when zerging. Barricades. If a zombie has a 'Zerg Flag' on them it's near impossible to take down barricades, yet Survivors can just as easily put them up.

My suggestion is simple. If a Survivor is zerging, they have a 0% chance to build barricades.

I've seen this with both my Survivor and my Zombie, and it's annoying both ways. This is just something to help curb cheating and make the game a little bit more fair for the Zombies.

Notes: 31/31 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "The End Of Barricade Zergs".
Left Queue: 08:53, 3 July 2006 (BST)

Zombie Leaving Auto-Opens Door

Timestamp: 04:01, 4 Feb 2006 (GMT)
Type: Minor addition that should already be in the game
Scope: Zombies who open doors
Description: I just realized that zombies don't leave doors open when they exit buildings. It only makes sense that they should leave them open when they both enter and leave, y'know?

This is a simple suggestion: zombies exiting a barricade-free building with the "Leave Building" button will leave the doors open, just as they would ("fumble the door open, and leaving it ajar...") if they entered.

Notes: 25/25 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is, some people suggested for there to also be a button saying "Open Doors" when the Zombie is insided and the doors are closed. Other things to consider is to allow Zombies to open doors if there are no barricades up. Some people also wanted for surviviors to also be able to close the doors from the outside.
  • Was "Fumble Those Doors Open, Already".
Left Queue: 05:58, 1 June 2006 (BST)

Zombie Can Break Down Door

Timestamp: 16:40, 14 Dec 2005 (GMT)
Type: Altered Mechanic
Scope: Low level zombies
Description: Allows any zombie to smash open any door at cost of a pre-defined amount of ap (5?). It is listed as "wide open" as though it had been left that way by a zombie with Memories Of Life, and can be closed by any survivor in the exact same way.

As it is, getting xp as a low level zombie is a major pain in the ass. Your best chance currently is to find your self some other, higher level zombies to hang out with, preferably a nice big hoard. They can draw fire, and more importantly, open your doors for you.

But what if you happen to spawn in an area with few other zombies? Then you have to wander the streets at a cost of two ap per move, hoping to come across some poor newb who doesn?t get how the game work yet. Or you can resort to zk?ing whatever other poor roters you may come across, which ends up making you vary unpopular among your fellow stinking corpses. Either way, whatever little xp you gain during the day could easily be lost by getting headshot while you sleep (or whatever zombies do).

My solution to this is quite simply that zombies should be able to spend some ap "smashing open" doors. In this way, low level zombies would have at least some degree of independence, in that they would be able to access buildings on their own to get at the tasty human filling inside, or even hide in vacant ones while they sleep. This would have the secondary effect of reducing the indispensability of Memories Of Life, but it would still be useful in that it would save a good amount of valuable ap.

Options:

  • Variable AP Cost: Doors of different buildings could require different amounts of ap to break. down (ex: Banks: 6, Pubs: 4, PDs: 5)
Notes: 17/19 Keeps
  • Was "Break it down!".
Left Queue: 00:46, 8 Jan 2006 (GMT)