PR Equipment Change: Difference between revisions

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To do this you have to be in a powered hospital and of course have the First Aid skill; in that case a new button  
To do this you have to be in a powered hospital and of course have the First Aid skill; in that case a new button  
will appear: "Create FAK". Pushing this button will cost 8 AP and would add a new FAK to your inventory. You would then see the message: "You search the wards and gathered enough medical supplies for a first aid kit" or "You search the hospital and are able to make a first aid kit out of the materials you find.".  This idea is similar to the current manufacture of syringes in [[NT]] buildings. |
will appear: "Create FAK". Pushing this button will cost 3 AP and would add a new FAK to your inventory. You would then see the message: "You search the wards and gathered enough medical supplies for a first aid kit" or "You search the hospital and are able to make a first aid kit out of the materials you find.".  This idea is similar to the current manufacture of syringes in [[NT]] buildings. |
suggest_notes= 18/27 Keep/Total.|
suggest_notes= 18/27 Keep/Total.|
suggest_moved= 14:24, 24 March 2007 (UTC)
suggest_moved= 14:24, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Revision as of 12:21, 18 January 2009

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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.

Equipment Change

Beer/Wine

Beer/Wine Used Like FAK

Timestamp: 02:15, 11 Feb 2006 (GMT)
Type: flavor, mostly
Scope: survivors
Description: When in a pub, club, or stadium, survivors can use the beer and wine they possess on other players in the same manner that a first aid kit is used, i.e. with a dropdown menu. This still costs 1 AP to do; it only heals 1 HP, no more, as one would expect.

The maximum number of times this can be done in one day is equal to the level of the drinking player divided by two.

rationale: Look, the only real game use of this would be to not blow FAKs on healing minor wounds in an interesting and RPish manner. It's not AP effective; this is obvious. Nor is reading poetry nor newspapers--and yet they are there. This is not supposed to be useful. It's just supposed to be something else to do in the game. The danger of zerging seems almost nonexistent.


Doubters, ponder the following (slightly altered) dialogue from Shaun of the Dead:

Ed: Why have we got to go to Liz's?
Shaun: Because we do.
Ed: But she dumped you!
Shaun: I have to know if she's all right!
Ed: Why?
Shaun: Because I love her!
Ed: All right... gayyy... I'm not staying there, though.
Shaun: Why not?
Ed: If we hole up, I wanna be somewhere familiar, I wanna know where the exits are, and I wanna
be allowed to smoke.
Shaun: Okay.
cuts to dream sequence again
Shaun: We take Pete's car, go around mum's, go in, deal with Phillip - "Sorry Phillip!" - grab
mum, go to Liz's, pick her up, bring her back here, have a cup of tea and wait for this whole
thing to blow over.
Ed: Perfect!
Shaun: No, no, no, no, no, wait, we can't bring her back here.
Ed: Why not?
Shaun: Well, it's not really safe, is it?
Ed: Yeah, look at the state of it.
Shaun: Where's safe? where's familiar?
Ed: Where can I smoke?
Shaun and Ed pause then slowly make a realization
cuts to dream sequence a third time
Shaun: Take car. Go to mum's. Kill Phil - "Sorry." -
grab Liz, go to the Ablett Arms, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to
blow over. How's that for a slice of fried gold?
Ed: Yeah, boyyyeee!
Shaun and Ed clang weapons together

Notes: 22/25 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Buy My Pal a Drink v2.0".
Left Queue: 12:11, 1 June 2006 (BST)

Drinking Creates Message

Timestamp: 01:05, 3 Feb 2006 (GMT)
Type: Improvement
Scope: Survivors
Description: Currently Wine and Beer are pretty uselss items, I suggest to add a message that notifies pepole when someone is making a toast/opens a beer. This can be useful on special occasions like a holiday or after a succesful defense of a mall. The messages can be something like:
  • "XXXX has made a toast" (in case of one man drinking wine since last you were logged)
  • "X people have made a toast" (in case more then one man drank wine since you last logged in)
  • "XXXX has opened a beer" (in case of one man drinking beer since last you were logged)
  • "X people have made a feast" (in case of more then one man drinking beer since last you were logged)

Messages can be diffrent ofcourse (and there can be more variety), it's not the point, this suggestion is just about giving beer/wine a little RP value (and through that maybe making them used a bit more). Who knows, maybe liquor stores will become useful :)

Notes: 24/31 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is as it adds role playing flavor. However people disliked it as it 'created spam' even though it would only add one extra line in the message history.
  • Was "Beer & Wine for RP Purposes".
Left Queue: 13:33, 30 May 2006 (BST)

Getting drunk

Timestamp: 00:05, 24 June 2006 (BST)
Type: Fun stuff
Scope: Harmanz
Description: When you drink 5 beers or wine in a row, you become drunk. When drunk, a few things happen: You lose 10% to hit with all weapons due to lack of coordination, but you do one more damage with all melee weapons due to lack of restraint. You also lose the ability to tell the difference between humans and zombies. You lose 5 HP right away, and all moves cost 2 AP. Being drunk lasts for 20 AP used or 10 moves. When you talk, you can only use the death rattle form of speech. When you attack someone they get the message, "in a drunken rage, So-and-so attacks you for 4 damage", and you get the message, "staggering around, you attack a dark figure for 4 damage". XP for attacking someone is not shown until you are sober, so you don't know who you are attacking by seeing how much XP you earned. I think this would be a fun thing to have in the game; it gives a small buff but is better just for having some fun. So drink away! You also cannot tell people apart - you only see "A dark figure".

Note for clarification: yes, dying while drunk does get rid of the drunk flag. Thanks for the keeps, guys. I think +2 damage would be good, but because it's already been voted, I can't change that... so I'll leave it up to Kevan. Also, this was inspired by antiseptics, because beer and wine need more fun. Due to complaints, I will resubmit tomarrow with drunk zombies, but zombies will only be able to be drunk when they die as a drunk human. They get all the same buffs and all the weaknesses. Plus, if you dont have lurching gait, it takes 3 AP to move, not just 2. They will also not be able to understand feeding groans or use any of the scent tree due to intoxication.

Notes: 20/27 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is, some people wanted Zombies to also be able to become drunk. Some people also wanted a highter damage increase.
Left Queue: 07:29, 8 July 2006 (BST)

Pass me a beer

Timestamp: Duke Garland 12:52, 3 April 2007 (BST)
Type: item, feature
Scope: everybody, role playing
Description: survivors can pass bottle of beer or bottle of wine to one another.

there's already a lot of such situations that happen in text chat. would be nice to be actually able to do it.

technical:

  • beer/wine gets the same drop-down list as first aid kits. may be funny to be able to pour some beer to barricades, by the way. this action takes 1 AP and beer disappears from inventory immedeately.
  • recieving person has a message about it and 2 buttons - consume beer (1AP, it gets drinken) or decline (0AP, bottle disappears and doesn't return to anywhere).
  • If recieving side performs any other action - it's the same as decline.

dupe suggestion? - it may sound similar to this but that suggestion is well over 12 months old now so a reminder to Kevan that we all really like it would do no harm, and what's more important:

  • recieving side can decide wether to accept or not. and cheerer is not able to make other people drunk whithout their will

this is a revision of v1.0 suggestion from 11:50, 2 April 2007 (BST)

Notes: 23/24 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Pass me a beer v1.1".
Left Queue: 21:50, 29 May 2007 (BST)

Binoculars

Distant Billboards

Timestamp: IrradiatedCorpse Atom sig.png 01:33, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
Type: Improvement.
Scope: All players & Survivors with Binoculars.
Description: The new billboards are only readable if standing in the billboard's square. As billboards are large objects and costly to spray (10 AP), I propose allowing them to be read at a distance. If there is a billboard on an adjacent square, all survivors and zombies would get a message of the kind:

A large billboard at <street name here> advertises <flavorful filler here>. Somebody has spraypainted <message here>.

Furthermore, distant billboard messages would appear in the same fashion when viewed through binoculars.

Notes: 20/25 Keep/Total, well accepted as is.
Left Queue: 14:14, 24 November 2006 (UTC)


Book

Book Flavour Text

Timestamp: 05:53, 12 Dec 2005 (GMT)
Type: Improvement
Scope: Literate Suvivors
Description: What exactly are suvivors learning when they get xp from books? I suggest that whenever you gain experience by reading you also get a small piece of true information to hint at what you learned. It can be a fact about things like shotgun mechanics, disease transmission, cellular decomposition, surgical procedures, battle tactics, etc.
Notes: 19/20 Keep/Total. Well accepted, the information would presumably come from a database, posiablility for the UD community to provide information to show up in books. Each class could have specific information related to them, eg Consumers read fasion magazines, Military reads about guns ect.
  • Was "Fun Facts for Reading".
Left Queue: 05:45, 30 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Book Types (Flavour)

Timestamp: 11:56, 22 June 2006 (BST)
Type: Item improvement
Scope: Books
Description: At the moment there are 2 types of books - 'poetry books' and 'books'. Reading a 'book' gives you a 10% chance of gaining 1 XP. Poetry books do not ever give you XP, but they are nice for flavour.

I propose that there be a number of different sort of 'books' that do give you XP:-

A survival guide - Each time you read it it gives you a useful tip.
A science book - Each time you read it you see a physics equation, chemical formula or something.
A dictionary - Gives the definition of a random word.
A history book - Gives either snippets of Malton history, or general history.
A novel - Gives a snippet from a novel, like a little bit of dramatic-sounding speech.

The survival guide would contain useful game hints etc. Each new human player would start with one of these. This would give them a way to maybe learn a few tips in a nice in-game way. There would be an equal chance of finding all these books.

So this suggestion has 2 purposes really: to help new players slightly and to make the game more interesting for flavour and role playing purposes. It does not affect the gameplay at all.

Notes: 23/27 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Book Improvement".
Left Queue: 09:26, 6 July 2006 (BST)

Lighting Increases Book XP Chance

Timestamp: 18:47, 27 April 2006 (BST)
Type: Building POWAH!
Scope: Bookish survivors
Description: As most of you know, reading a book gives only a 10% chance of learning something. That's a little silly, though, isn't it? Well, not when you factor in that, for a long time, the power was out in Malton. Reading in the dark strains the eyes, so we likely had too great of headaches, trying to read, to retain anything.

Ah, but now we have power! And with it, we have myriad suggestions for improving the human condition in powered buildings. Most of these suggestions are either game-breaking or make little sense. Or both. Still, everyone wants to give some sort of use to powering buildings other than Hospitals and NTs. I mean, besides telling all the zombies outside that there's a buffet waiting.

So here's the suggestion: While in a powered building, one gets an extra 10% chance to learn from a book. After all, you can read things much more easily now. Yes, I know: it's another way for survivors to get XP. On the other hand, it will attract more noobies to libraries. Entirely unnecessary? Certainly. Not game-breaking, though, and it adds at least some functionality to generators in other buildings, even if it's tiny (and will likely only see use in libraries).

Of course, if you don't like this, I could always make a suggestion for crunchy bacon.

--Wifey 18:47, 27 April 2006 (BST)

Notes: 20/24 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "The Other, Other Electricity Suggestion".
Left Queue: 10:25, 28 June 2006 (BST)

Lighting Increases Book XP Chance In Library

Timestamp: 08:11, 25 May 2006 (BST)
Type: Use for Libraries
Scope: Survivors
Description: When you are inside a powered library and you read a book the chance of gaining 1XP is doubled. According to the Book Odds investigation the current odds of gaining XP by Book is roughly 10%. This suggestion would increase it to 20% as you can see better and as its a library what better place to make it more likely to gain XP by reading. This could also be applied to schools as you learn there as well.

Note: Since Scientist gain 2XP from Books the chance to gain the 2XP is doubled as well.

Notes: 25/30 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Library Books".
Left Queue: 09:09, 29 June 2006 (BST)

Tips in books

Timestamp: Slice 'N' Dicin' Axe Hack 12:44, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
Type: A book of tips
Scope: Everyone
Description: Books are useless as of now. Their only purpose is to give survivors free XP at a rather weak percentage. If newspapers give tips, why shouldn't books? After all, they are for learning, aren't they?. These books I am suggesting should be called "Military Field Manual." They will be found in Libraries, non-resource buildings, Mall bookstores, and schools. These "Military Field Manuals" provide a different tip for newbies every time they click on it. They will still have the weak XP gain, but the tips will be shown 100% of the time. These books will show both survivors and zombie tips. Why also zombie tips? If they show zombie tips as well, newbies will have some understanding with what to do if they die. Everyone will be able to read this book, no matter what level they are.
Notes: 20/20 Keep/Total. 100%.
  • Was "The Help Book(Edit)".
Left Queue: 17:46, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

Crucifix

Crucifix Placement

Timestamp: 06:23, 14 Dec 2005 (GMT)
Type: Item Usage
Scope: Survivors
Description: Players with the Crucifix item would have the ability to hang it on a wall inside any given building. This particular suggestion doesn't have an actual benefit, but think of it as a flavorful item version of graffiti. Zombies (and survivors if they want) have the option of attacking a hung crucifix at which point they would tear it off the wall and effectively destroy the item as one would destroy a barricade. (but with one blow)

If anyone can think of a (realistic, useful, balanced) benefit to hanging the crucifix, please feel free to place it in your vote text and this may be amended. As of right now this is a flavor change in the vein of newspapers and other such items that do not give or take anything from your character.

Notes: 23/25 Keep/Total. Should be symbols of other faiths. Players should be able to hang a crucifix upsidedown.
  • Was "Crucifix Use #4021".
Left Queue: 18:14, 5 Jan 2006 (GMT)

DNA Extractor

Contacts colour displayed on scanning

Timestamp: Wikidead 06:27, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Type: Minor Change
Scope: DNA Extraction
Description: When you DNA Extract a zombie that happens to also be in your contact list, the name of the DNA Extracted zombie should appear in the color in which you have assigned that contact.
Notes: 21/21 Keep/Total. (100%) Well accepted as is.
  • Was "DNA Extracting a Contact".
Left Queue: 06:42, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

DNA Extraction Flavour

Timestamp: 17:55, 23 July 2006 (BST)
Type: Yummy Flavour
Scope: DNA Extraction
Description: You know when you revive a zombie you get the message: "Following standard procedures, you press the syringe into the back of the zombie's neck and pump the glittering serum into its brain and spinal cord.There is a thin pneumatic hiss, and the zombie staggers forward, limbs shuddering, before slumping to the floor as if dead. The zombie's skin shivers for a moment, and the contents of the syringe begin their slow, molecular work."

I think that when you extract DNA from a zombie, you should get a similar message, something like: "Following standard procedures, you press the reader of your DNA Extractor into the back of the zombie's neck and press the execute button."
If the scan is successful then the following piece of text follow the above passage: "A small green light blinks on and the following information appears on the display: Name etc."
If the scan failed: "A red light blinks on and a small beep is emitted, maybe you should try again?"

Notes: 19/19 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
Left Queue: 10:46, 10 August 2006 (BST)

Random Scan After End Of Stack

Timestamp: 06:37, 18 June 2006 (BST)
Type: Equipment Change/Game fix
Scope: People who use DNA extractors and Zombies
Description: I was extracting DNA from Zombies just the other day and I got to them second to find that they had all been scanned alredy. So I wanted to know if there were brain rotters in the pile, however the DNA extractor kept scanning the last Zombie in the stack. So what I purpose is that the DNA extractor to scan a random Zombie in the stack once all of the Zombies in the stack have been scanned.
  • For the people with concerns
    • THIS IS NOT A DUPE TO THE SUGGESTION ABOVE - See the part in BOLD, thats the difference, it changes how the whole thing works so it's not a dupe!
    • THIS DOES NOT NERF BRAIN ROT - How could it? You don't get an idea of the order of the stack so survivors can't defend themselves any more then they do now against the strategy of Zombies clogging revive points.
    • THIS DOES NOT NERF DNA EXTRACTORS - If you think it does read it again, currently you get stuck on the last Zombie when they are all scanned, this makes it so you scan other Zombies after they are all scanned. It doesn't change the normal opperating of a DNA extractor when there are still Zombies to scan. It helps give useful information as you get more variaty of specimins then the same one over and over again!
Notes: 12/16 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "DNA extractor fix".
Left Queue: 02:12, 2 July 2006 (BST)

Scan Known Bodies

Timestamp: 17:29, 12 May 2006 (BST)
Type: Extractor improvement
Scope: Survivors with NecroTech Employment
Description: Ever come across one of your friends on the ground and wondered if they were revivifying or just dead? Do you duck into a nearby safehouse and wait to check on them later just in case they need a syringe? There's no way to know.

I propose that it be made possible to scan known bodies with the DNA Extractor. If you have a person on your contact list and come across her body on the ground, you can select the player's name from the Extractor pulldown. Perform the scan and you get something like the following message:

Traces of revivification formula detected.

if the body is revivifying. Otherwise, the message will be

Body status is normal.

and you'll know that your friend needs to stand up so you can stick her with a syringe.

No XP is granted for this procedure. Note that anonymous bodies cannot be scanned.

Notes: 14/16 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
Left Queue: 02:07, 29 June 2006 (BST)

FAK

Extra XP for Extra Healing

Timestamp: 04:15, 8 Nov 2005 (GMT)
Type: Mechanics Change
Scope: Survivors
Description: (First Rewrite for clarity) If Survivors heal more than 5HP with a single First Aid Kit, the XP gained from healing should be higher than 5XP. My suggestion is that there be two possible XP rewards - 1-5HP healed gives 5XP, 6-10HP healed gives 10XP. This requires that the server keep track of the HP healed, but this can be reduced to only four additional instructions per heal. with this system (2 assignments, 1 operation, 1 comparison). This would allow Doctors and Medics to gain some benefit from their starting skills, and continues the tradition of "opportunistic" healing of giving First Aid Kit users more XP on average than the HP they heal.
Notes: Received exactly 15/22.5 votes - this is precisely 2/3 majority Keeps. General agreement that First Aid Skilled Users should get more XP for healing more HP. Dissenters felt 5XP was enough all around or that 10 XP considered a lot for healing 6 HP. Multiple suggested alternative to give XP per HP healed.
Left Queue: 17:54, 25 Nov 2005 (GMT)

FAKs Don't Work On Zombies

Timestamp: 10:23PM Nov 16 GMT-8
Type: change balance
Scope: Survivors using first aid kits
Description: The proposal is that first aid kits have no effect on zombies, no healing, no xp gain. I found that a decent way for me to get xp was to use first aid-kits on zombies I hacked with an axe (everybody in the hospital was full on hp) - it wasn't very fun and didn't make much sense (band-aids and neosporin for the living dead?) Zombies should heal by consuming flesh and rising again when down
Notes: 19/22 Keep/Total. Would prevent "zombie farming". Either this or this. Zombies should have a percentage chance of healing mechanic by feeding on dead bodies.
  • Was "First-aid kits don't work on zombies".
Left Queue: 14:30, 2 Dec 2005 (GMT)

FAK Find Rate

Timestamp: Labine50 MH|ME|'07 04:52, 6 February 2007 (UTC)
Type: Balance change
Scope: First Aid Kit find rate
Description: Ok, the game is broken on quite a few levels, but when you can find medical supplies faster in a mall than in a hospital, you know for sure the game is screwed up. What I'm proposing is simple, change the hospital find rate for FAKs to 20%, and take the mall rate to about 13% without bargain hunting.
Notes: 38/44 Keep/Total.
  • Was "Fak Change".
  • Some concerns that this would nerf malls.
Left Queue: 12:51, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

FAKs manufacture

Timestamp: -- Che -T GC X 06:46, 17 February 2007 (UTC)
Type: Balance change
Scope: First Aid Kits and hospitals
Description: Well, this would allow characters with the First Aid skill to create FAKs from the medical supplies that are in a hospital.

To do this you have to be in a powered hospital and of course have the First Aid skill; in that case a new button will appear: "Create FAK". Pushing this button will cost 3 AP and would add a new FAK to your inventory. You would then see the message: "You search the wards and gathered enough medical supplies for a first aid kit" or "You search the hospital and are able to make a first aid kit out of the materials you find.". This idea is similar to the current manufacture of syringes in NT buildings.

Notes: 18/27 Keep/Total.
Left Queue: 14:24, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Heal By Clicking On HP

Timestamp: 07:37, 21 Jan 2006 (GMT)
Type: interface change
Scope: survivors with diagnosis and FAK(s)
Description: If a user has diagnosis skill and at least one FAK then HP values on survivor list would become links that are equivalent to applying the FAK to corresponding survivor. As of now one needs to first find a wounded person in the survivor list and after that find their name in the FAK menu. This change would make healing easier by eliminating the second step--Cah51o 07:37, 21 Jan 2006 (GMT).
Notes: 11/16 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is. Some people who voted kill disliked the fact that there could be two ways of doing the same thing and that it complicates the user interface. However people liked it because it saves time and effort for them.
  • Was "Healing by clicking on survivor's HP".
Left Queue: 12:37, 25 May 2006 (BST)

Remove Cades From FAK Drop-Down

Timestamp: 01:19, 27 June 2006 (BST)
Type: User Interface
Scope: Survivors
Description: Why would anyone even think of using a first aid kit on barricades? Currently, players have the option to try using a first aid kit on barricades, with the result of losing 1 AP and, probably, feeling quite dumb. I suggest barricades to be removed from first aid kit's dropdown menu. It's just plain silly.
Notes: 20/27 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is, some people though that peoples mistakes should be punished.
  • Was "Remove barricades from first aid kit's dropdown menu".
Left Queue: 13:42, 11 July 2006 (BST)

XP Reduced for Healing Zombies

Timestamp: 21:52, 8 Nov 2005 (GMT)
Type: Mechanics Change
Scope: Survivors
Description: Other than having Survivor/Zombie teams, I know of no other benefit to healing zombies than to use them as XP farms. XP from healing zombies could be altered to provide 0.5 XP per HP healed in the same manner that a Survivor harming a Survivor (or Zombie harming a Zombie) gains less XP.
Notes: 11/12 Keep/Total. Adding HP healed = XP gained would enhance this. Single dissenter suggested XP gained is due to learning experience.
Left Queue: 18:04, 25 Nov 2005 (GMT)

Flak Jacket

Rename Flak Jacket

Timestamp: Cap'n Silly 02:07, 9 January 2007
Type: Wee bit ‘o flavour
Scope: Flak Jacket
Description: Rename flak jacket Kevlar Vest. Flak jackets are WW2 era body armour used to protect gunners on bombers from flak fire used by anti-aircraft guns, and haven't been used for fifty odd years, and would not be used by police.
Notes: 18/27 Keep/Total.
  • Was “Flak jacket? What?”
Left Queue: 20:57, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

Flare Gun

Better Searching

Timestamp: Jon Pyre 05:37, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Type: Improvement
Scope:
Description: Flares are worthless now, just a bit of spam that's quickly ignored. Especially since radios can reach people at a distance and convey meaning. Therefore I suggest an entirely new purpose to the flare: Making light.

Let flares be used indoors as well as outdoors. Firing a flare outdoors would continue to do the same; shoot it up for all to see. A flare used indoors would instead be struck and tossed on the ground. This would illuminate the building and provide a search bonus equal to generators. The light would be visible from outside, but instead of yellow perhaps red. Flares and their light would enter the room description though they couldn't be attacked. Flares wouldn't replace generators though, here's my idea for the differences. A flare would only burn for two minutes. While it could theoretically help anyone searching at the time usually it'd just benefit the person who struck the flare. Flares also only provide light, not power. So they wouldn't permit surgery or powered nerotech functions. So the pros and cons of generators vs. flares would be:

PROCON
GENERATORSLasts a long time, aids your allies, surgery/necronetRequires finding two items
FLARESRequires only one itemBurns quickly, doesn't aid your allies much, no surgery/necronet

So flares would finally, finally, finally have a purpose. You wouldn't prefer them for a populated resource building safehouse since that'd mean less FAKs and and syringes for your fellows survivors to use on you. But if your safehouse is a nondescript building and you want to make a raid for supplies having a flare or two on hand could prove useful. You could find an empty/lightly defended building, repair the ransack and dump the zed, then toss a flare on the ground to briefly gain a benefit while you search. This provides two different tools for different kinds of circumstances.

And of course once you have light you have light. The powered generator search bonus and the flare search bonus WOULD NOT STACK. It'd just be a waste of a flare then.

  • Note on Voting: Some voters have commented they think two minutes is too brief.
Notes: 19/28 Keep/Total. 68%. Those against felt that the search bonus should be less than that of generators.
  • Was "Better Searching Thanks To Flares".
Left Queue: 12:03, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Generator

Fuel Drums

Timestamp: Canuhearmenow Hunt! 21:14, 18 October 2006 (BST)
Type: New Item.
Scope: reduces cost to carry fuel cans.
Description: this would add a fuel drum addition to a Generator. The Fuel Drum is found at 3% Mall Hardware Stores, 2% Warehouse, and 3% Factories. The Fuel Drum is a 2 inventory space item. The Fuel Drum, simply, is a "add-on" to a Generator that must be at the building for this to be added. What the Fuel Drum does is holds about an extra Fuel Can of fuel for a Generator. This is automatically destroyed when the generator is destroyed. The Fuel Drum does not come fully loaded, its empty like a Generator is when you first get one. The Fuel Drum is first, you get this message "Blahblahblah, there is a Generator and Fuel Drum here, the Fuel Drum is empty." When you click a Fuel Can it refuels the Fuel Drum.
Notes: 15/17 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Fuel Drums (Revised)".
Left Queue: 22:17, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

Rename Generator

Timestamp: Reaper with no name TJ! 15:09, 20 November 2006 (UTC)
Type: flavor change
Scope: Portable Generators
Description: Have you ever tried to lift a portable generator? Well, if you have you would know that the task is nigh impossible. Yet somehow survivors are able to carry not just one but several portable generators at once. Now, I know that the carry ability of survivors is pretty ridiculous (20 shotguns, anyone?), but this takes the cake hands-down.

Fortunately, there is a way to fix this absurdity without actually changing any game mechanics or balance. Simply put, we re-name the "portable generator" item to "spare generator parts". Spare parts for a generator could potentially be a lot smaller (since it's not the whole thing) and actually capable of being carried.

Whenever someone in a building uses the "spare generator parts" item, the flavor text would read "you repair the generator". It would henceforth be assumed that every building in Malton that can be powered would have a generator in it, and that anytime someone destroys a generator, they would now only "break the generator" (rather than completely destroying it). When the generator is repaired, it would still have to fueled again (it would be assumed that the fuel had leaked out or something when the generator was damaged).

All of this makes more sense realistically, since it's not easy to damage something as big and tough as a generator to the point that it can't be repaired and practically impossible to carry an entire generator around with you. And at the same time it's nothing more than a flavor change.

Notes: 10/13 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Generator Flavor Change".
Left Queue: 23:08, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

GPS

GPS Ball Of String Function

Timestamp: 06:17, 19 July 2006 (BST)
Type: Improvement
Scope: GPS units
Description: I thought of a use for GPS units. What if by clicking on them you could save your current location in the GPS unit? Until you clicked it again to clear it the unit would provide the quickest path to your saved location from your current position. Their GPS unit might look like this: GPS Unit [Saved: (33, 45) Path: 8s 2se]. That way a player could feel free to wander around exploring without getting lost.
Notes: 13/17 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "GPS usefulness".
Left Queue: 09:33, 9 August 2006 (BST)

GPS Broadcast Location To Contacts

Timestamp: 05:21, 13 August 2006 (BST)
Type: New Item
Scope: Survivors
Description: The GPS Telematic Networker is a new item.

GPS is an internationally secure system, meaning that it doesn't publicly broadcast the positions of all its devices. However certain public agencies (EMS, fire departments, etc.) have been granted secure networks. Users who are granted access to the networks can broadcast their position securely - only other people in each network will be able to see it.

These Telematic Networker gadgets, which are hardware add-ons to the main GPS system, can be found at rates of 4% in Fire Departments (allocated from the former find rate for Wirecutters).

With this item, you have the option of plugging or unplugging the Telematic Networker and any GPS unit you might have. Plugging/unplugging is a 1 AP action.

While you are plugged in, you broadcast your position to any person who is on your contact list and has a GPS device.

You can view a list of people who are broadcasting to you, and their GPS locations, by clicking on your main GPS device (spending 1 AP) - a similar action to viewing the Necronet.

Notes: 10/14 Keep. Well-accepted.
  • Was "GPS Telematic Networker".
Left Queue: 02:51, 11 September 2006 (BST).

GPS Clock

Timestamp: 05:21, 13 August 2006 (BST)
Type: Item update
Scope: Survivors
Description: To accurately calculate the position of people who are using GPS devices, the GPS system calculates local time to the microsecond, with reference to Zulu or Universal time (aka Greenwhich Mean Time).

In the shattered city, battery-powered GPS devices should be the most accurate clock, indeed, the only accurate clock, as they are being fed data from the outside world via satellite. With sporadic electricity and many ransacked buildings, I'm sure that most of the conventional clocks around the city are stopped or smashed. So survivors would be relying on GPS to give them the correct time and to coordinate timed events (like raids).

Therefore, the GPS device is updated: it now displays the GMT timestamp of the time the page was accessed.

Naturally, this information will be available to zombies as well.

Notes: 18/19 Keep. Nearly unanimously accepted.
Left Queue: 02:52, 11 September 2006 (BST)

GPS Local Necronet Access

Timestamp: 04:48, 3 Feb 2006 (GMT)
Type: Skill
Scope: Survivor
Description: Here's an idea for a skill to make Necronet truly a network. Right now it's not worth the trip to an NT building just for it, Necronet is really just a thing to use if you're already there and if you make the trip and there's no generator you don't have enough AP in a day to both power it and have enough actions left to use the data NecroNet provides. Here's an idea: A skill called Field Clearance. Here's what it would do:

If you click on your GPS (costing 1AP) it brings up the Necronet map of the area surrounding your present location. It would only show squares that are currently in the range of a powered Necrotech's buildings own "Access NecroNet" map. If a square did not have any powered NT buildings in range it would show up as black on the map, and you wouldn't be able to see whether there were zombies in that square or not. This would keep powering Necrotech buildings important, it wouldn't allow you to bypass the need to maintain Necrotech buildings.

  • Q: Why GPS units? How are you supposed to see a map on a GPS Unit?
  • A: GPS units aren't just little boxes with your coordinates on it. They don't look like an alarm clock. Many have a map screen with your own location in the center and important locations marked on. Kind of like Necronet does. It's just a map, your location in the center, and some numbers marked on. You know those digital map screens in cars that allow you to see a map with your current location in the center with gas stations and your destination marked on with icons? That's a GPS unit. The only difference is that's glued on the dashboard of your car and this is in your hand.
Notes: 14/18 Keep/Total. Well accepted, however some people didn't belive that it would be realistic. But as pointed out GPS's alredy show maps on them which could be used from the realism aspect.
  • Was "Field Clearance".
Left Queue: 14:08, 30 May 2006 (BST)

GPS Mutual Contacts Location v1

Timestamp: 19:18, 18 May 2006 (BST)
Type: Item Improvement
Scope: Survivors with GPS Units
Description: Currently, the GPS Unit is largely useless due to the Urban Dead map and therefore takes up a slot in your inventory with a worthless item. However, to improve the item GPS Units could be given the ability to show you the co-ordinates of other people (I have no idea whether this is possible on those small GPS Units; but hey, this game has infinite shops and people sleep for 23 hours and 55 minutes a day). It would work in the following way:

1) Person 1 and Person 2 both pick up GPS Units.

2) Person 1 adds Person 2 to their contacts list. Person 2 does the same with person 1.

3) Person 1's GPS Unit now has a drop-down menu of people who are on his contacts list and who also have him on their own contacts list.

4) Person 1 can expend 1 AP to find out the co-ordinates of anyone on the drop-down menu. This would even work if Person 2 was a zombie. However, the player who is trying to find the co-ordinates must be a human in order to use the GPS Unit.

The way I figure it, this will help people group together if, for example, a group's safehouse has been broken into and everyone has scattered. It would be faster than trying to contact everyone with a Mobile Phone and then waiting for them to reply, by which time you may be asleep or offline. There's also little potential for griefing as both players need to a) have a GPS Unit and b) have each other on their contacts lists. Therefore, in order to escape a PKer who hunts you down again and again (should such a case occur) all you would need to do would be to delete them from your contacts list or drop your GPS Unit.

Notes: 18/23 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is as it makes GPS units more useful.
  • Was "GPS Improvement".
Left Queue: 07:09, 29 June 2006 (BST)

GPS Mutual Contacts Location v2

Timestamp: 04:02, 27 May 2006 (BST)
Type: GPS Friend Tracking
Scope: Survivors
Description: Many times in game we need to find friends and group members and have to resort to metagaming to do so. It has been suggested multiple times for the GPS to be able to find list the locations of contacts for convienence. The problem with this is many players make PKer's contacts so they can kill them on site, and thus they would be able to hunt them down and take easy retribution. This suggestion hopes to make finding people easier in-game without giving PKer's an easier way of griefing the same person by killing them non-stop.

Heres a hypothetical situation to explain how it would work: Player A and Player B are in a group together and are mutual contacts, and zombies infiltrate the groups base. Both Players A and B have a GPS and wish to track each other down. Player B clicks on his contact list and goes to Player A's entry, and next to it is a button saying "Track", and once clicked it would send a request to Player A to track each other. When Player A logs on the next day, he would get a message similar to the beep a mobile phone makes and when he clicks on his GPS it would take him to a page that has a message by Player B that says that he would like to track you, with two buttons, Accept and Deny. Also on this page wouls be a list of other people that he has accepted to track, and a button to cancel any of these. Player C, who Player A made a contact after Player C killed him, tries to track Player A but has his request denied because Player A knows hes a PKer and sees the ramifications.

The requirements for it to work would they would have to be mutual contacts, whoever was asked would have to accept, and it would work similar to mobile phone messages (Moblie Phone Mast must be on to send, the other person will still receive if its off where they are but when it comes back on) . In this way even if you have PKer's in your contact list, they (unless you forgot which is which) can't track you because you would deny their request, and if you mistakingly agreed you can stop the tracking. There would be a scroll box next to the GPS that shows the locations of everyone people who you have accepted/been accepted by to track.

Notes: 20/23 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "GPS Improvement Version 2".
Left Queue: 10:26, 29 June 2006 (BST)

GPS Necronet Uplink

Timestamp: Rheingold 08:26, 23 August 2006 (BST)
Type: Item Update, Skill Change
Scope: All players
Description: The Necronet Uplink.

The Necronet Uplink is a new function that Necronet Inc. has added to the GPS network for Malton.

A GPS device carried by a standing survivor transmits a signal once every 24 hours (at server reset) giving the suburb he is currently located in. That signal is picked up at Necronet HQ and entered into their database. Even if a survivor is carrying more than one GPS unit, only one signal is sent. The GPS is equipped with a dead man's switch, such that the signal automatically shuts off when a player dies (and does not turn on again until he is revived).

A survivor with Necronet Access who sits down at the computers at any Necrotech Office location may choose to View The Uplink Database.

He is then directed to a 3x3 map of Malton, with the number of GPS-carrying, standing survivors in each suburb listed.

Example graphic:

Uplink2.JPG

The map updates once a day (at server reset).

Notes: 28/30 Keep/Total, well accepted as is.
  • Was "Necronet Uplink (Survivor Population Map)".
Left Queue: 19:32, 10 October 2006 (BST)

GPS Seen By Zombies

Timestamp: 18:37, 18 July 2006 (BST)
Type: allows the GPS to show up when you're a zombie
Scope: Zombies, especially those looking for a revive... and those trying to coordinate attacks
Description: Pretty straightforward, if you have a GPS in your inventory, it'll show up all the time, regardless of life status.
Notes: 14/16 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is, some people thought it should require memories of life to be visiable.
  • Was "Slight GPS change".
Left Queue: 11:03, 6 August 2006 (BST)

Set Up GPS

Timestamp: Jon Pyre 15:52, 4 April 2007 (BST)
Type: Improvement
Scope: The GPS Unit
Description: With inventory space scare even those who carried a GPS unit in the past probably don't carry one anymore. It just isn't worth carrying that instead of another round of ammunition or a first aid kit considering that the map is a click away. However sometimes it would be nice to be able to tell what the coordinates of your safehouse are, or another building you visit, without having to go to the map all the time. So the GPS unit has a purpose but not one worth carrying it for.

What if you could set up GPS Units inside of buildings just like generators and transmitters? Clicking on a GPS Unit would place it right next to your generator, transmitter, and heck, Christmas Tree if ya got one. If one was already in place you couldn't place another one until the present GPS was destroyed. Since GPS Units work in your inventory on battery power they wouldn't be dependant on a generator running. It'd look like this:

A GPS Unit displays your position: [35, 41]

Now this is by no means essential but putting one in your building would be a nice improvement, moreso than a painting. Now when I find one at a Necrotech I'll hold onto it and place it in some adjacent building that doesn't have one yet in order to help other people find their way around when traveling, rather than just immediately discarding it.

Ok, so that's the first half of the suggestion. To make the GPS unit even MORE useful when set up in a building perhaps it could also show the time as well? It might not make sense to show time in someone's inventory just to save space but GPS units are receiving a constant feed from overhead satellites. They'd be able to show the time, accurate to atomic precision, and having GPS in buildings also show the time could help people strategize and plan with each other. However to continue maintaining the current ambiguity about Malton's location (even though it's almost certainly England), and so people in different timezones can roleplay any time they want without some game clock telling them they only come on at midnight, the GPS unit should show a couple timezones at once. So it'd look like this:

A GPS Unit displays your position and the time: [35, 41] 8:32 GMT 3:32 EST 6:32 AEST

Having the time for England, North America, and Australia is enough that Malton could still be in any English speaking country, and showing multiple world times is just the kind of overly information feature that realistically gets built into high-tech gadgets. In total this would make the GPS unit useful, not crucial, but something that'll certainly save people a bit of time and effort and improve any building in a significant way.

  • Note: Many voters suggested simply having one time zone, UTC.
Notes: 17/18 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
Left Queue: 22:12, 29 May 2007 (BST)

Lead Pipe

(none right now)

Mobile Phone

Mobile Phone Signal Status Alert

Timestamp: 05:43, 4 Dec 2005 (GMT)
Type: Display change
Scope: Survivors with mobile phones
Description: An in-game event would be reported when a cell tower in your suburb goes online or offline. I.E. -- "Your mobile phone beeps and loses service" or "Your mobile phone beeps and connects with a tower." If service status changes more than once since you last logged in, only one message would be displayed: "Your mobile phone beeps several times. You currently have [no] service."

It's realistic in-game (since you could glance at your phone at any time to see if it's working) and lets you keep track of the tower status in your suburb. Perhaps it could even be integrated with a display in the item menu telling you if service is available (this could be eliminated if it's a server issue).

Notes: 17/18 Keep/Total.
  • Could also be implemented as mobile phone 'bars' shown next to the item, like coords are shown for GPS.
  • Dissent: IT SHOULD COST at least 1 AP - Being in city wiht unchargable cell phone for 6+ weeks; realistically, the phone would be in standby mode and not using battery to check signal strength.
    • 1. Going into a building with power and recharging it periodicly in order to receive the free message when a tower becomes active.(tracking battery level may add extra server load)
    • 2. Having to search malls and stores for cellphone batteries, to be used similar to pistol clips, in order to receive this free message (adding server load again tracking battery level).
    • 3. Leaving it off all the time turning it on long enough to check for signal and pick up voicemail if there is signal. (this requires minimal server load but uses 1 AP each time you check the phone but bypasses the battery limitation)
  • Was "Mobile Phone Status".
Left Queue: 13:58, 19 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Send To All: Contacts

Timestamp: 21:20, 20 Dec 2005 (GMT)
Type: improvement
Scope: Mobile phone, survivors
Description: I was using the mobile and sending messages to people in my group and used 10AP this way. So I was thinking couldnt the mobile phone have a button for sending a text to everyone in the contact list in stead of having to use one AP per person, it would make things simple and would save a lot of AP. If this were possible we wouldnt have to repeat the process of sending then writing again and sending.

If this has been suggested before I am very sorry.

Notes: 9/13 Keep/Total. Well accpted as it makes the mobile more useful. Most people voting kill were arguing that the phone was designed to waste survivors AP.
  • Was "Send message to: all".
Left Queue: 05:14, 7 May 2006 (BST)

Send To All: Group

Timestamp: 23:51, 4 Feb 2006 (GMT)
Type: Improvement
Scope: Mobile Phones
Description: Currently mobile phones are useless due to low efficiency (2 AP to message one person) and people rather communicate outside of the game (forums) then using them. I suggest to add a new option in the mobile phone, "forward message", which will allow you to send a message to the mobile phones of all other members who have the same group name like you (under "group" n their profile). The AP cost can be the same or a bit higher, I don't care. This suggestion is just about adding the option to message your teammates.
  • NOTE: The message will be forwarded only to the players who share their contacts list with the sender (to avoid spamming).
Notes: 7/9 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Forward SMS to Group".
Left Queue: 06:09, 1 June 2006 (BST)

Signal On Mast Location, Not Suburb

Timestamp: 03:26, 9 Feb 2006 (GMT)
Type: Skill
Scope: Survivors, Civilian
Description: "The military have switched the local mobile phone network back on, after a blanket shutdown during the first months of quarantine." Why would the military shut phone service off for the public? Perhaps so they could use it for their own communications. Cell phone network has a limited number of links it can establish at one time, that's why you can sometimes try making a call and you'll get a message like "All ciruits are busy". This normally occurs during major events when a lot of people try to make calls, during a zombpocalypse if the military wanted cellular service for important personnel they'd almost certainly need to shut out the public. Then after a while they managed to restore limited cellular service, giving up local circuits to be used by the public while giving their own calls higher priority. Some people, whether important military officers, scientists, or prominent civilians have had their phone numbers given higher priority so that they can communicate with greater reliability.

The skill "Priority Signal" would be a civilian skill designed to increase the reliability of mobile phone service. Unlike most people's phone service which entirely depends on the suburb's phone mast yours will be transferred through to any phone mast within signal range. Here's the entirety of what the skill would do: If the phone mast in your current suburb is unpowered you retain cellular service as long as there is a powered phone mast within 10 spaces. So if you were in western Edgeville and the Edgeville phone mast was down you'd still have service if the mast in Roftwood was powered and no more than ten spaces away. Some areas would have potential coverage from as many as four different phone masts. As long as one of them was active you'd retain cellular service.

  • Q: Is this realistic from a technological standpoint?
  • A: Yes. This is actually closer to the way cell phone actually operate. They route calls within reception range, not by suburb.
  • Q: How does a character suddenly be granted these priviledges by the military? It's a zombie apocalypse, how could they get an increase in status?
  • A: This isn't any less realistic than Necrotech Employment. There is a precedent to provide promotions and rank through skills. And players would be able to roleplay whatever reason they want for their character being granted greater coverage. They could be a military officer, a police chief, a wealthy businessman, a militia leader, heck even a zombie sympathizer the military was misled about. Feel free to make your own personal backstory to make this skill fit with you.
  • Q: Why do cell phones need to be more reliable?
  • A: Cells phones are unreliable to the point of not being worth carrying. I don't carry one because service in most suburbs is down. Allowing people to rely on service from 2-4 different masts instead of just one still probably wouldn't given them more than a 50/50 chance of actually getting service. It'd make a game feature worth using.
Notes: 7/10 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is. However it may remove the "home turf" aspect of keeping the cell phone masts up.
  • Was "Priority Signal".
Left Queue: 11:36, 1 June 2006 (BST)

Newspaper

Make reading newspapers a 0 AP action

Timestamp: Asheets 18:53, 22 January 2007 (UTC)
Type: AP change
Scope: Survivors
Description: Currently, reading a newspaper has a 1AP charge. Due to the recent change where game information, hints, and propaganda can now be gleaned from reading the newspaper, I suggest that the AP cost of reading the newspaper be changed to 0AP (which is the same cost as merely dropping it).
Notes: 26/27 Keep/Total (92%)
Left Queue: 18:34, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Newspaper Headlines 1.0

Timestamp: 19:23, 19 Nov 2005 (GMT)
Type: Item (newspaper) Improvement
Scope: Survivors
Description: This is just a change to the infamous newspapers strewn all over Malton. Can we have more variety in newspaper titles? Here are some examples:

"Zombies Take Over [suburb name]", "Electricity Returns to Malton", "Survivors Reclaim [suburb name]", "Hundreds of Zombies Lurking in [suburb name]"

And if the Item Combination idea goes through: "GPS Phones: A How-To - Combine a cell phone and a GPS module for the GPS Phone.", "Molotov Cocktail Tutorial - Combine a bottle of wine with matches for the Molotov Cocktail."

I suggest this because I don't like the lack of flavor found in newspapers at the moment. They're old, bland, and don't give much of a benefit than taking space in your inventory. Of course, some work is required in this, as there should be some people around to make new titles for the papers. Still...it gives a reason for survivors to read them.

If you want some plot for this, you can say that some survivor groups began to type up papers and gave them to other groups to distribute all over the city, or something like that.

NOTE: This is NOT a new item. I'm merely suggesting ideas for improving the newspaper so they can have a little more value.

Notes: 9/10 Keep/Total. I'd love to see a few odd newspapers from outside the city start to filter in.
  • Was "Newsletters".
Left Queue: 19:44, 4 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Newspaper Headlines 2.0

Timestamp: 16:30, 15 Dec 2005 (GMT)
Type: Alteration:Item
Scope: Newspapers and the Wiki
Description: Since this is the "Official" Urban Dead wiki, there should be some connection between the wiki and the game. I propose a new page Newspaper Headlines that the game pulls from, at random, to choose newspaper headlines. Contributions will be voluntary and anonymous, and the game already has a profanity filter that can be used to avoid offending the youngin's. If the pull from the list fails for any reason (profanity, bad formatting, etc), the game reverts to the old subroutine for boring newspaper headlines. In this way, Kevan gets a source for more variety, Player and Zombie groups can add advertisements / tips / warnings / threats, and wikigoers get an entertaining way to contribute to the game. This idea has been idly mentioned previously, but I don't believe it has come up as a formal suggestion.
Notes: 17 Keeps / 5 Kills
  • Was "Wiki-Based Newspapers".
Left Queue: 10:44, 2 Jan 2006 (GMT)


Newspapers Provide Outbreak Backstory

Timestamp: 10:10, 8 Feb 2006 (GMT)
Type: Flavor
Scope: Survivor
Description: Personally when I first joined I read the newspaper I found because I thought they may give some back story as to how the zombie outbreak occured. Sadly, this was not the case and after the first 10 or so newpapers I quit reading.

I propose that there be a set of different newspapers, maybe 10, that give a couple lines of text explaining the outbreak. Each one would be different and offer an interesting fact and maybe finally reveal some of the history behind Necrotech.

Notes: 10/11 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Interesting Newpapers".
Left Queue: 10:48, 1 June 2006 (BST)

Reading A Newspaper Earns You One XP

Timestamp: S.WiersctdpNTmapx:oo 23:24, 18 April 2007 (BST)
Type: item improvement
Scope: newspapers
Description: As the title says; reading a newspaper would earn you one XP.

Newspapers are now supposed to include pamphlets with tips for survivors. If reading random old books can help you learn how to survive (by earning XPs for skills), it seems likely that reading information specifically intended to aid you in surviving a zombie apocalypse should do the same.

On a game balance level, this is purely newb-friendliness. Newbs are the ones who most often find newspapers (while searching hospitals for FAKs), and are the ones who need the help earning XPs, and (flavor wise and play wise) are the ones who would benefit from them. More expereinced characters have better ways to earn XP's, and don't search so often in places where newspapers are found (they generally prefer mall drug stores vs hospitals).

Notes: 13/15 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
Left Queue: --~~~~T''' 20:08, 23 August 2007 (BST)

Radio

1AP To Tune Radio

Timestamp: 09:36, 3 June 2006 (BST)
Type: Improvement
Scope: Everyone with a radio
Description: At the moment, radio tuning appears to require 2 AP: one when clicking on the radio to tune it, and another when clicking the "Tune" button to actually tune it. This suggestion would lower the AP cost to 1 AP when clicking the "Tune" button, making clicking on the radio itself free.

Note added for clarification: this isn't about transmitters, but radios themselves. –Bob Hammero TW!U! 18:42, 3 June 2006 (BST)

Notes: 10/11 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Radio Tuning".
Left Queue: 01:55, 30 June 2006 (BST)

Less Inventory Space for Radios

Timestamp: Gage 01:51, 11 August 2006 (BST)
Type: improvement to radios
Scope: people with a radio in their inventory
Description: For coding purposes, a radio takes up 5 spaces in the inventory. This is because a radio has to take up one space to tell that it is a radio, just like any other item, but also has to have 4 different variables for the frequency, hence the 5 spaces. This is slightly moronic as the frequency range is 26.00-29.00 MHz. Notice anything? The first number there isn't a variable at all, but a lowly constant; it is always two. Couldn't this somehow be made into an understood number on the radio, and not actually have to be stored in the inventory? If so this would reduce inventory consumption by one. Another option would be to make the frequency be on set "channels", so you could have the same number of channels as before but number them 000-300, this would also reduce inventory space by 1. I know this isn't anything major, but it might allow you to carry an extra pistol clip or shotgun shell.
Notes: 21/21 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is. It was suggested that it could even be reduced down to three spots by using two 8-bit characters which would give a posiable 65,000 different frequencies.
Left Queue: 12:56, 29 August 2006 (BST)

On/Off switch for Radio's

Timestamp: Canuhearmenow Hunt! 00:27, 27 October 2006 (BST)
Type: Item Tweak.
Scope: simple, helps decrease spam.
Description: When you click on a hand-held radio it would have the new option to turn off (Or on) This would work with Zombies with MoL. This is a simple improvement, if you start getting spam, that is.
Notes: 15/15 Keep/Total, well accepted as is.
Left Queue: 14:34, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

Recognize Contacts Over Radio

Timestamp: 00:31, 2 June 2006 (BST)
Type: Improvement
Scope: Radios
Description: Radios are a welcome addition to the game but unfortunately have resulted in a great deal of spam. It's not too big a problem, after all you can just refresh the screen to get rid of the messages but it can be hard to find the broadcasts actually worth reading in the morass. Here's my suggestion: when hearing a message broadcast by a contact of yours you are able to recognize their voice, so the radio message is amended to look like this:

(Jon Pyre) 27.35 MHz: "This is your hourly zombie and temperature report. 54° and 285 hungry undead."

That way players could scan down the list of radio messages and find ones sent by their own contacts easily.

Notes: 27/30 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Recognize Contacts Over the Radio".
Left Queue: 01:44, 30 June 2006 (BST)

Radio Transmitter

Radio Destruction Sends Half-Message

Timestamp: 20:54, 1 June 2006 (BST)
Type: small flavor change
Scope: radio transmitters
Description: Alright, due to a situation I encountered recently in which one of my zeds busted into a building just as someone broadcasted a radio message from it, I thought up this idea. It's not a big deal at all, just a little cool thing. If one types a message into the "broadcast" textbox and hits the button, and in the time since your last pageload the generator has been smashed and thus can't transmit anymore, how about instead of just not broadcasting (which is what it probably does now) a random percentage of your message is transmitted, starting from the beginning and cutting off in the middle somewhere, and a little flavor text gets put on people listening--ie "'blah blah blah--' *there is a smashing noise, and then silence." We know the game can check for you doing things that were possible on your last pageview but arent' now, and react differently--ever tried to say something to someone who moved out of the square before you could hit talk? If there's no one there you wouldn't ordinarily be able to say something, but because you sent the message to an empty square through this little bug the game says you said it to yourself, or something like that.
Notes: 20/20 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Radio Failure".
Left Queue: 01:35, 30 June 2006 (BST)


Zombies Use Radio (Fixed Channel)

Timestamp: 12:00, 21 July 2006 (BST)
Type: improvement
Scope: Zombies with Death Rattle.
Description: I propose that zombies with the Death Rattle skill be able to broadcast messages over the radio. Note that they won't be able to change the channel (they're still zombies, after all), but they WILL be able to "BARHAR" all they like on the channel the radio transmitter is currently set to. As per Death Rattle, the messages will be in zombie speech.

My logic on this:

  • Zombies can receive messages on their handheld radio receivers, so they already have some access to the radio network.
  • Zombies are already using their human alts to broadcast messages anyway.
  • Radios won't last long in a zombie-occupied building (even in the unlikely event one of a dozen zombies doesn't smash it, the generator will soon run out of fuel), which prevents massive radio spam, but they would still last long enough to give the first few zombies inside a chance to say something to the world after clearing out the survivors.
  • Zombies can always ZK any zeds who spam, just like survivors can now PK any survivors that spam.
  • "Zambah Gangbang Harmanz! Barhar!" messages would let survivors know that one of their safehouses has fallen. Many such messages would let survivors know their safehouses are falling a lot. A constant stream of such messages would let survivors know that maybe safehouses aren't such a good idea anymore.
Notes: 19/27 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is. Some people disliked it as they thought it would create more message spam, however it was pointed out that this would only occur in rare occurrences.
  • Was "Zombie Radio".
Left Queue: 09:48, 10 August 2006 (BST)

Revivication Syringe

15 AP Syringe Manufacture

Timestamp: Reaper with no name19:09, 16 September 2006 (BST)
Type: balance change
Scope: Syringe manufacture in powered NecroTech buildings
Description: There is currently no reason to manufacture syringes. With a 12% search rate for syringes in a powered NecroTech building, it takes on average over twice as many AP to make a syringe as it does to find one. Therefore, the cost to make syringes should be lowered to 15. This will at least somewhat remedy the problem.
Notes: 22/23, well accepted as is.
Left Queue: 08:31, 30 September 2006 (BST)

Find Mk.1 Syringes As Well

Timestamp: 03:09, 5 August 2006 (BST)
Type: Flavor, Ways to amuse Ron Burgundy
Scope: Survivors
Description: I've recently started using an old character with a Mk.1 Syringe on hand. It's one of the ones that revives someone instantly without turning them into a corpse first. I've yet to use it, but just seeing it there takes me back!

So here's the suggestion: why not make those old syringes findable objects? They're not much use, but neither are newspapers. What's more, in a post-apocalyptic city, you'd think one could find all sorts of debris from the apocalypse around. Being able to find old syringes, no longer the top of the line, lying in streets or in the backs of NectoTechs would build a more historical world in the game and a 1% find rate, or something comparably low, would prevent it from doing much beyond that.

I'm not sure if the 10AP thing counts for the old ones, but if they come back, it should.

Notes: 22/28 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
  • Was "Anyone remember the Mk.1 Syringes?"
Left Queue: 08:02, 24 August 2006 (BST)


Revival Syringe Mark 3.0

Timestamp: 21:38, 16 Dec 2005 (GMT)
Type: Item
Scope: Replaces Revival Syringe Mark 2.0
Description: Current revival syringes (both the rare remaining 1.0 and more common 2.0 versions) are very effective as weapons, and seem a bit lacking in flavor. The Mark 3.0 Revival syringe would work thus: you inject a zombie, and they are flagged as "de-necrotizing" (this would be the same flag that marks a corpse as ?revived? currently) and they would get a message to the effect of ?you feel the undead vigor leaching from your animated corpse?. De-necrotizing zombies loose one HP per AP they spend- similar to infected survivors, except there?s no need to exempt speech from this case. When they finally drop dead (from this damage, or other causes), THEN they will be able to stand up again as human.

Because a "revived" zombie can still be walking around, "De-necrotizing" zombies would be ignored for purposes of syringe injection, and not held in the datbase as part of the "revive que"; a tech who had the ability to use a syringe would never foolishly waste one on a de-necrotizing zombie! In fact, to further simulate the "recongnizable" symptoms of de-necrotization, survivors with lab expereince should automatically see de-necrotizing zombies as such; they would see "x zombies, y bodies, and z de-necrotizing zombies" in a given location. Among other things, this would aid them in recognizing revive points vs battle zones. They would also be given the option of attacking either sort ("attack zombie" and "attack de-nectotizing zombie"), in case they wanted to aid thier "patients" in loosing HPs. Maybe everybody should see de-necrotizing zombies this way; this would help people with "Headshot" if they decide be nice and not blast the brains out of soon-to-be survivors.

This makes the Mark 3.0 fairly useless as a weapon, at least in real-time combats, but it actually would make them BETTER (and more flavorful) as revival tools. For example, a soon-to-be-revived survivor would have some time to look for a good place to "crash", which is handy if they have an infection and are going to be standing up with half HPs. --Swiers 21:38, 16 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Notes: 37 Keeps - 1 Kill (97%), overwhelming support,
  • Some voters suggested that with the decline in potency that a higher frequency would not be unbalancing.
Left Queue: 09:29, 2 Jan 2006 (GMT)

Revivication Text Change

Timestamp: 20:42, 18 Dec 2005 (GMT)
Type: text accuracy
Scope: Survivors
Description: When a survivor is jabbed with a syringe, the game says that "so and so revivified you." you fall to the ground, indiscernable from other dead bodies until you decide to stand up again. So, after being jabbed, you are immediately alive, albeit on the ground and not moving. However, the game says "you are so and so and you are dead" after being revivified. But you're not dead, you're just lying prone now. So the word dead should be changed to "unconcious" or something when you're lying on the ground after being revivified. This is a minor point, but it would make the game more accurate. ~~Stare~~
Notes: 11/11 Keep/Total. It was well accepted as is.
  • Was "Revivication Text".
Left Queue: 11:12, 6 May 2006 (BST)

Syringe Reworking

Timestamp: 20:38, 14 March 2006 (GMT)
Type: Balance change
Scope: All players, primarily NTs and Zombies
Description: As of right now, a human with NecroNet Access can revive 2 zombies a day. A zombie with maxed out combat skills is lucky to get one kill working with a large horde. At these rates, it is impossible for zombies to advance their numbers or decrease survivor numbers for a meaningful amount of time without new zombie players joining the game, or survivors willingly switching sides (yeah, right!). Therefore, I propose a three part plan to fix the ratio.

1) Raise the cost of manufacturing a syringe to 30 AP. Syringes can be hard enough to find searching in an ordinary manner (despite supposedly having a 1/20 chance of being found), so their rate can remain unchanged. This will put a stem on the massive outflow of syringes. NecroNet does not become useless, as the extra 10 AP is for the guarantee that a syringe will be found. I have searched three days straight using the normal method and come up empty handed.
2) Players should be able to be revived only once every two days. Considering that a well-organized group can conduct a revive of its member within a few hours, this will allow zombies to make a more noticable dent the survivor population. An in-game explanation can be that the player has developed a slight immunity to the syringe.
3) Have a 5% chance per zombie skill (capping off at 20%) that the syringe will fail. It gives zombies without brain rot a slight protection against combat revives, and also makes survivors who bought lurching gait and ankle grab soley for the purpose of making revives go smoother pay a little more.

None of these points are unfair. The thing is that Urban Dead is the exact opposite of what a zombie game should be. "It's a few brave zombies against a horde of mindless humans," to quote a wise zombie. The undead are an endangered species, and unable to increase their numbers in any significant way. Were it not for a small group of dedicated players who always return to their unlife, the zombie population would evaporate within weeks.

Notes: 41/55 Keep/Total. Well accepted as is.
Left Queue: 12:02, 18 June 2006 (BST)

Spray Can

Amount of Paint Left

Timestamp: 19:40, 26 Nov 2005 (GMT)
Type: Interface/Item change.
Scope: Spray Cans
Description: The approximate number of sprays/charges is displayed next to each spray can in the inventory, in the same way that pistols and shotguns show how many times those items can be used.
Notes: 7/9 Keep/Total
  • Even if it's not specific (2 sprays left, 3 sprays left, etc. - instead "The can feels heavy."
  • Make it only available if you have tagging.
  • Was "Spray Can - Amount of Paint Left".
Left Queue: 03:05, 12 Dec 2005 (GMT)

Colored Spraypaint

Timestamp: Schizmo 01:48, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
Type: Flavor
Scope: Humans, because Zeds can't use spraypaint.
Description: Short and sweet. Spraypaint comes in many colors in real life, so why not have different colors in Urban Dead? When you find spraypaint, its color is randomly selected from a small group of standard colors. Maybe 6, maybe 8, maybe 10, the number isn't important. What IS important is that anything sprayed will show up on the building description in its respective color.

So if you search a hardware store and find a can of spraypaint that ends up Red (through random chance) whatever you spray will show up in red font. Simple right?

This will let spraypaint messages stand out a bit more. Nothing too gamechanging, just a bit of useful flavor. As far as colors go, I was thinking black, white, red, blue, green, and yellow, but thats just me.

Notes: 25/25 Keep/Total. 100% in favour.
Left Queue: 22:45, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Wet Paint

Timestamp: 00:24, 28 August 2006 (BST)
Type: Improvement
Scope: Everyone
Description: Speaking, radio transmissions, attacks, etc. all have a timestamp on them to let you know when they happened. Graffiti doesn't. I'm proposing a feature addition to let you know how recently some graffiti was put up. I thought of this after standing at a revive point for several days before realising it's no longer in use, despite the promise made by the graffiti...

The age of the graffiti would be described as being in one of three stages (because can you tell how old graffiti in the street is, to the minute??)

New -

"Somebody has spraypainted "revives here" onto one of the larger gravestones. The paint looks wet."

1 day to 7 days old -

"Somebody has spraypainted "revives here" onto one of the larger gravestones."

8 days and older -

"Somebody has spraypainted "revives here" onto one of the larger gravestones. The paint is wearing off."
Notes: 28/35 Keep/Total, well accepted as is.
Left Queue: 20:15, 10 October 2006 (BST)