Talk:S.O.S.
It finally feels like a zombie apocalypse, eh -- boxy talk • teh rulz 05:58 2 December 2008 (BST)
Operation Band-Aid
I've only been playing for several months (survivor only), but IMHO survivors are very disorganized. RRF is very organized. Papa says "here is a map. Kill everything colored red." And they do it. It's not because zombies are extraordinarily powerful, it's because they converge on a single goal.
Many humans, on the other hand, refuse to speak in game. I've seen the sentiment described as "don't waste AP talking, do something that helps the survivor cause." That's ignoring your single greatest asset as a survivor, the ability to share info and keep up morale. I've made PKers laugh and move on from a building just by joking with them, reviving the person they killed and making them apologize, healing them and asking them nicely not to misbehave, etc...
And there are countless fractured survivor groups with only a handful of members, working to protect indefensible positions. Let's stop it! Rather than appeal to the game creator to tip the scales in our favor with elaborate, ill-conceived rule changes, why don't we come up with a set of policies that allow disparate survivor groups to work towards a common endgame? Why don't we do some data visualization and focus on concentrating forces in the most defendable parts of Malton, rather than trying to light up every worthless building?
If you don't want to use politics and charisma, be a zombie. If you just want to shoot zombies with a shotgun, play Left 4 Dead. If you want to RP and talk with funny people and work together towards an endgame, all the while staving off zombie ruination, then you should play as an Urban Dead Survivor.
I'm going to start a page called Operation Band-Aid if you want to talk about a more constructive way out of this crisis.
Capsid 20:31, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- I agree with this assessment. My suggestions work to encourage much needed intelligent gameplay amongst the survivors by competitively rewarding support behavior critical to the survivor cause, rather than significantly altering game mechanics.
--The God Emperor 02:33, 7 December 2008 (UTC)
Survivors on Strike?
So you are on strike because the game is unbalanced? Bloody hell. If you don't like it, why put humanity in a worse spot by idling out? Get off your arses and start to do some work to MAKE us better! --Haliman - Talk 16:30, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
So, what would need to change?
It is a zombie apocalypse game, but it's an open-ended on with no victory conditions for Humans. The only avenue is really zombie victory and thus game termination and restart. If the actual point of the game is for eventual zombie domination, then no changes are really needed.
One possible change would be to undermine the zombies just continually standing up where they drop. If zombies were randomly respawned on the city map several blocks away after a headshot, the hordes would be somewhat diminished and would give human players something of a chance when the swarms come. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rpace (talk • contribs) 22:25, 4 December 2008.
Balance?
I agree that the zeds have the better end of the stick at this time. Nice would be weapons that could damage more than 1 zed at a time like a molitov cocktail, or having the cost of rising from the dead higher. That said, a never ending balance is another kind of hell. What would happen if the revive syringes got less effective, and the cost of rising again was 20 AP? I think that it would increase the value of staying alive, and not getting killed no matter what you state was living or dead. I wonder if Kevan is looking to rest the game after a final zombie victory? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Todreich (talk • contribs) 04:06, 5 December 2008.
Let's get wiped out?
After all is it so wrong for zombie apocalypse? Lets get an end date with rescue coming and nuking of all zombies afterwards ;) and see if anyone makes it. However if Malton is to stay open-ended some extra zombie hunter skills would be just what the doctor ordered. Well, actually some new zombie hunter skills that are really annoying for zombies. Right now it's impossible to actually hurt them. It costs 1-6AP with Ankle Grab to get going again and barricades can't do the job against hordes (even though cumulative APs of builders would be enough to make zombies bash it for eternity, it's good enough for zeds if they wake up at a given time, bash it down in seconds and break in en masse, before first builder waking up). To add suggestion not yet mentioned - zombies may somehow wear-out. Headshots (or new skill) could lower their AP regeneration cumulatively. First would hurt only as much as current version of HS. However getting hits to the brain daily would mean meager AP regeneration in a weak. Effect would go away completely after like 3 days of not getting banged. Feeding on fallen enemies could also lower it. --Peterus 08:07, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- There's no escape from Malton, bud. Whatever the zombie plague is, you've already got it, and the rest of humanity would be supremely stupid to turn you loose. The quarantine isn't just for the walking dead...you breathers are zombies, too. You just aren't zombies at the moment.--Jiangyingzi 19:29, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
Making this better
You know, you could make this bigger. Give pro-survivor groups and solo's the chance to show support, make a "signed by" list for example. Make support templates. Just some ideas.--Thadeous Oakley 22:16, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
- This could mostly be improved by deleting it from the wiki and forgetting it was ever brought up in the first place.--Jiangyingzi 20:07, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- Troll away.--Thadeous Oakley 00:49, 7 December 2008 (UTC)
Sign!
You guys should sign your posts, so I know where to send the cheese with your whine--THE Godfather of Яesensitized, Anime Sucks Yalk | W! U! WMM| CC CPFOAS 
LOE ZHU | Яezzens 22:50, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
A little late
Kevan has already upped search rates back up to your little trenchie hearts' desires earlier this week. What's the point of this if the problem has been fixed? It'll take time but you'll get back to your easy living ways that made the game far too easy for you to survive in game. ZOMG, we're not the majority.... THE GAME IZ TEH BROKEN! Give me a break. --Johnny Bass 22:57, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
- It's not about surviovors dropping below 50%. Right now there're no green suburbs. Considering that there're only two real tactics for breathing here - outannoying and outboring zombies - we'll probably be all eaten. At least the newbs. As it's pointed out in the article - zombies were powered up several times. Most notably ruins of ransacked center of the town are hampering chances to successfully reconquer them. I do not mind getting eaten, but game simply won't be open ended like this. After current front-line gets ransacked up till the southern boarder zombies will be able to effectively wipe everyone out. Any new presence in the center will be severly penalized by ton of extra AP needed for rebuilding.--Peterus 08:18, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- Eh...one of my survivors has been working to reclaim heavily ruined areas for quite some time. The AP penalty isn't crippling. And the place gets up and running in a week or two, as long as you have a couple folks watching eachother's back. While many survivors may be running to the SW, waiting for the zombies to arrive, a great many are actually being proactive, and are in the north, working to reclaim decimated areas. The zombies won't wipe everyone out. And another tactic available to survivors is to maybe start working in coordinated strike teams...like the zombies do. --Jen 14:58, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- If you harmanz could do what intelligent ones like Jen here are doing then you'd be doing just fine and dandy. Seriously, organise "Repair strikes", where one person repairs a building, a couple more come in and barricade. Minimal effort really, but most harmanz are too stupid to realise how easy it is.--Drawde Talk To Me! DORIS Яed Яum Defend Ridleybonk! I know Nothing! 15:25, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
Chillax
I can understand how, when faced with a challenge, a person can become resentful... but we've seen worse times. Just because your formerly green suburb is no longer an Eden doesn't mean you can't have fun. Hell, have you seen Barrville lately? AH is sitting pretty, dodging zeds, catching revives... and enjoying it.
This is a zombie apocalypse after all. Hardcore Rockabilly, Retired FAE Axes High AH RR RRF
- That's not the point - that a suburb has turned from green to red. The point is that they have ALL turned - there are no green suburbs left. When over half of the suburbs are either red or ghost towns (as they are now), to me this is a sign that things are clearly out of whack. And each day that goes by makes it harder to do something about those ghost towns because of the cumulative effects of ruin. No one is resentful here but we do feel that we have a legitimate point. --Lucas Black
- The zombies are taking over? Maybe is because the game is a damn Zombie Apocalypse/Survival Game, not a SimCity with zombies being a mild irritation? ADAPT. The old times, when sitting on your "fortresses" and shooting zombies are dead. COORDINATE. I have never seen more than ten survivors acting together, save mall sieges and events (November the 5th). SURVIVE. You are SURVIVORS. You should SURVIVE, not "kIllZ Al ZaMbahZ!!11!shift+oneone1!"--Shotgunna Ramma
A bit of this is good...most is stupid
I rather like that first set of your suggestions, about players getting a bit of XP for performing support roles. I think the lack of them has been a problem for a long time. XP for currently thankless tasks would encourage SMART playing, which is something survivors desperately need to learn. But the other stuff is just plain stupid. Survivors don't need flamethrowers, or miraculous crucifixes, or zombies being forced to feed 24/7. All they really need, to balance out the latest zombie buffs, are improved search rates. We don't need anything new - we just need to be enabled to do our current jobs more frequently and successfully. What was really hurting survivors recently was the decay update, combined with ABYSMAL search rates. Low search rates mean more frustration...and also too few supplies to do anything. Kevan's just fixed that, and the city will be showing the results shortly. It's not the end of the world. --Jen 14:45, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- Dammit Jen, you're a ninja!
_ (-) \/D\
Some Additional Suggestions
Dude, I'm sorry, but these are hideous. While some of your "core" suggestions have merit, most of the "additional" ones of them are straight off the Suggestions Dos and Do Nots, others are familiar from Frequently Suggested, and others are just not well thought out. May I please suggest reading through both of those, having a good hard think, and then taking anything that's left to Developing Suggestions for some discussion with (hopefully) helpful peers?
- 1) Skills for either zombies or humans should start to degrade after a certain point the longer someone remains one or the other (i.e. a dual skilled player that remains a human over 30 days should slowly start to lose zombie skills)
- Leave Other People's Skills Alone. People earned those skills.
- 2) Survivors need Weapons of Mass Destruction. Recommend something like a) flamethrower and b) Molotov cocktails that will injure more than one opponent at a time. Fuel cans can be precursors to the fueling of flamethrowers or making of Molotov’s. Wine bottles would also be needed to make Molotov’s (makes these items useful to be found and kept). Both are wildly inaccurate (unless a skill or skill is bought) with a chance of "splash" damage. This damage is indiscriminant can hurt zombie, barricade, generator, and human alike if splash occurs. Fire damage CAN NOT be healed in zombies. Make the flamethrower a hard item to find (or construct in a junkyard), very heavy, has a chance per turn of exploding (goes up if attacked) and with a one shot use (one fuel can, one shot) but with extreme damage (20-30) to large crowds.
- Perhaps surprisingly, I actually agree that Area of Effect Abilities could be a fun addition to the game. However, given the amount of times it's been suggested, I severely doubt it's going to happen.
- 3) Zombies holding a crucifix should have a 1% chance each turn of being "miraculously" cured and turned back into a human. Adds an element of uncertainty.
- Crucifixes should be useless, just like in real life. These are science zombies, not magical ones. Hence the NecroTech-employed scientists running around reviving people.
- 4) Humans with the Brain Rot skill should have a 1% chance of "combusting" into a zombie.
- Because OBVIOUSLY it's not hard enough to play a Brain-Rotted survivor already, what with it being exponentially more difficult to get/coordinate revives. No, every Brain-Rotted survivor is just a zombie in pajamas (wolf in sheep's clothing) who's planning to kill all harmanz, whether they know it or not! POOF! There you go, zombified again! How exactly does this help survivors again? >:3
- 5) Items carried by a zombie should have a 5% chance of falling off every turn. Only makes sense that items carried would drop off eventually.
- Right... so the trenchies lose their guns and ammo as they walk to the RP. Brilliant! Newsflash: zombies can't use items, so this will only harm survivors.
- 6) Lastly, zombies should be forced to feed in order to maintain their health. Otherwise they should loss health like infected humans.
- So let me get this straight, a zombie logs in and stands up from headshot with the 60 HP they've only recently gained thanks to Flesh Rot. Then they go wander and bash on cades for 44 AP, maybe opening a building if it's VS or lower and the RNG doesn't rape them too hard. Now they're down to 16 HP, just perfect for a trenchie to come in and kill them in 2 shotgun blasts, right? Because what Malton really needs more of is idiots with guns shooting every zombie in sight for easy XP.
All that said, please, do yourself a favour and read up on the game mechanics and have a read through Suggestions Dos and Do Nots and Frequently Suggested. You may have some decent ideas in there, but you'll be much better off and your suggestions better recieved if you can avoid the common pitfalls.
One thing you DO have is enthusiasm, which is always good to see. :) So, assuming I haven't put you off altogether (I hope not), maybe I'll see you about Developing Suggestions? ᚱᛁᚹᛖᚾᚨᚾᛏ 14:49, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- Everything Revenant said, but with more vitriol. Seriously, you harmanz actually have it hard for once, enjoy it. It's actually a zombie apocalypse now.--Drawde Talk To Me! DORIS Яed Яum Defend Ridleybonk! I know Nothing! 15:18, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- Are you guys sure those suggestions were sincere? As far as I can tell that whole section was written by a person who has a grand total of three edits, all of them were the construction of that section. Could be trolling with a throwaway account. - User:Whitehouse 15:35, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
- Never heard of Poe's Law before, definitely appropriate for this. Without 3 and 4 you could easily think it was sincere, but with them you just can't be sure. - User:Whitehouse 15:55, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
Obvious troll post. Removing. I take it there are no objections? --The God Emperor 17:04, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
