Project Zomboid

If it's a video game it goes here.

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Octavious
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

Vix wrote:I feel awful for bringing this to everyone's attention... I did not mean to share the pain. ><
I sadly still hold out some hope since I really like the idea they have. I just wish they had some clue on how to run a project. They need a project manager bashing their heads in daily to ever get this out. You can't keep on adding new things forever it's just silly. I still see them adding new stuff a year later. Finish what you have and THEN add new stuff. Sigh...
Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.

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Octavious
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

Monday update infers that they are very close and getting a release in the next couple of weeks is very possible. I'm not holding my breath. ;)
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Octavious
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

FYI from the message board. Should have a release next week.... I really hope it's not a gigantic turd as I really want it to be fun. We shall see....

A delay on Monday IS possible, we cannot possibly deny that. We hope not, obviously. But if it does then we're pretty sure it would not be a week delay and more likely dropping Tuesday, Wednesday or something. Anything's possible though and its better to assume the worst. We'll know more on Monday and either will release or give a solid cast iron ETA.
Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.

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morlac
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by morlac »

Octavious wrote:FYI from the message board. Should have a release next week.... I really hope it's not a gigantic turd as I really want it to be fun. We shall see....

A delay on Monday IS possible, we cannot possibly deny that. We hope not, obviously. But if it does then we're pretty sure it would not be a week delay and more likely dropping Tuesday, Wednesday or something. Anything's possible though and its better to assume the worst. We'll know more on Monday and either will release or give a solid cast iron ETA.

I had too many beers two weeks ago and bought this after checking out their greenlight page on steam. I to hope this patch is good, haven't even played the game yet :)
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

HOLY CRAP THERE'S A TEST RELEASE. I REPEAT THERE'S AN ACTUAL RELEASE! :shock:

http://projectzomboid.com/blog/index.ph ... orum-test/" target="_blank
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Octavious
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

Quick impression. Not impressed. The interface might actually be even worse. I mean seriously is it really that hard to make an interface to pick up objects? Maybe I just need to RTFM, but man it's not intuitive. Hell just creating a new game took me a minute as it's not clear that you have to name it before you hit next. This screams of a project that's run with purely developers. I'm sure there's tons of cool things going on under the hood but the front end is a mess.
Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.

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Citizen
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Citizen »

I played for a few minutes last night then shut it down. After such a huge wait I was expecting to be impressed, but I wasn't really. I found some seeds. I guess that's for the gardening, but idk...other than that I was just like hmmm. I don't really know what is new, to be honest. I didnt see a change log, just a RC 2.9 download link. Plus, they are saying NPC's and fire are still broken. I was also dissappointed that the blog post didnt even mention Steam, just Desura - which is the wrost POS ever!
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Paingod
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Paingod »

It's still thrashing along, dragging one broken foot after another...

... and now you can access it on Steam. I'm glad it's finally gone that far. Now I can set it up as a Steam title and forget about it - and let Steam tell me when updates have been released.
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Unagi
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Unagi »

It's like the project itself is undead.

Not quite alive. Not really working. Not quite dead. Still haunting me.
Paingod wrote:Now I can set it up as a Steam title and forget about it - and let Steam tell me when updates have been released.
exactly.
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Octavious
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

I loaded it up into Steam a week ago, but frankly it's still horribly broken so I'm not playing it. The interface is horrible. It will crash A LOT and they don't have NPC's back into the game at all. Really a shame as I thought this would be THE Zombie game, but alas I've lost hope. State of Decay will be my next try when it goes on sale or I get bored of GTA 5.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Citizen »

I'll try state of decay when I don't have to have an xbox controller. I have zomboid on steam as well. It just sits and hopefully auto updates a lot.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Butterknife »

Has anybody played this recently? My son wants to buy it, and I'm wondering what state it is in. Have most of the bugs been fixed?
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Zarathud »

I cannot imagine Zomboid ever becoming better than State of Decay.
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Octavious
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

Ya not a chance. Thier interface is still horrific years later.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Smoove_B »

Wow, even as part of the sale today stay away, eh?
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Citizen »

$7 would be fair and $10 is if you really have a craving for zombie survival. The normal price of $14.99 is an avoid. I got mine for $7.99 back when it was only on Desura.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Butterknife »

My son went ahead and bought it. I tried to warn him off, but he was too excited. At least he waited a day to get it for $5 off! Thanks for your input, guys.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Frost »

I think with the MP up and running, this game has new life. the animations are so much different and better now than a few years ago as well.
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Paingod
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Paingod »

I'm beginning to think this game will never be done. It's funny that it's playable, and funny that it's on Steam - but it's been "Pre-Purchase" longer than anything I've ever seen without actually collapsing.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Smoove_B »

I guess there were some patches and updates over the summer? The developers seem rather active in the STEAM forums and they're saying this is the cheapest it will be. I'm on the fence again...mostly because I don't want to give them my $9 and they fold up shop like Double Fine, thanking me for that final cash influx so they can push out a 1.0 version and be done with it.

Still, it's $9...
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Octavious
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

I haven't touched it in a loooonnngggg time. The last time it was still such a buggy mess that I didn't bother after a few minutes. Maybe I'll give it a shot later this week and report back. I loved it when it first came out and then they retooled all the gfx and it just hasn't been the same for me since.
Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.

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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Smoove_B »

48 hour sale ends tomorrow at 1pm...no pressure. :D
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

Because I'm an awesome person I'll give it a few minutes tonight. If it crashes on me during that period I'm giving up. ;) It looks like they have been adding a lot of stuff since I last tried it, but OMG the interface was terrible. Wish me luck...
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Frost
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Frost »

I really want to like this game more, but it can be a bit of a chore at times. The inventory and interface is clumsy, and it just seems like you have to eat too frequently IMO.
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Octavious
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

I can confirm the interface is still clunky, but it is improved from the last time I played it. Seems A LOT more stable than the last time I tried it. No crashes at all and the FPS is solid.

I played for 2 hours and could barely find anything useful. This could be because I don't know where to look. ;) They seem to stock things based off the location and the area I was in wasn't very helpful. (Trailer park.)

I give it a meh rating for now. It has potential, but they have been working on this for a long time so god knows how long they will keep chugging away. For 9 bucks I don't think you will hate yourself, but I doubt you will be blown away.
Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.

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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Citizen »

They go for months and months and don't release anything. Their patch notes suck and their developers seem to lack any real direction. I bought it for $7 a few years back. I don't expect much from these guys.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Smoove_B »

Man...I just don't know what to do here. I'm not sure what would make me angrier. Taking my $9 and then pushing out a crap 1.0 version with cut features or working on it another year and they release a crap 1.0 version regardless. $9 STEAM problems... :D

At this point for me it's more about supporting developers that are doing something versus giving over money to a lost cause.
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Octavious
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

If it's a supporting developer thing... You're much better looking somewhere else. As was mentioned above they have no direction. The fact that they have worked multiplayer in when there's still much more important things to do speaks volumes.

I'll eat my keyboard if they ever release a 1.0 version that is passable. :mrgreen:
Capitalism tries for a delicate balance: It attempts to work things out so that everyone gets just enough stuff to keep them from getting violent and trying to take other people’s stuff.

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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Smoove_B »

Did you literally wait until I hit "complete" on my shopping order to post that? :D
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Octavious
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

:mrgreen: Seriously it's 9 bucks. I think you will be okay. :lol:
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Paingod
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Paingod »

Given the eternal development cycle, I figured I'd try this one again and see how it felt compared to the last time I played. There's a pretty good survival game in there if you can live long enough to unpack it. Each update, while months apart, has substantially patched and fixed the game. I've been enjoying my return to this. It is, by no means, complete - but it is very playable.

Things I'm currently digging:
  • Use-based skill and experience gain. You don't just read a book to learn carpentry. Now you read a book to get a skill gain multiplier, and purchase skill points with experience. If you never build anything, you never get better at building.
  • It seems easier to get into building log walls and basic essentials.
  • Lots of crafting options - from rudimentary stone axes to cut down trees to complex traps and triggers. There's even fishing, for Daehawk.
  • Vehicles! I've only ever found one car key, and didn't try to drive - but apparently this is a thing you can do. Including maintenance and fuel concerns.
  • Generators. I've never tried to use one, but these are also a thing. You can collect gas in canisters from around the map - but I'd call it a stop-gap since you can't renew resources and the gas will run out.
  • Events add some zest to the mundane and cause hordes to move around. Screams, Gunshots, and Choppers help shuffle the undead around by drawing them to different locations - where they stay for a while before shuffling away.
  • Detailed injury and health concerns. Not on the level of NEO Scavenger, but pretty good. You'll want to disinfect cuts, avoid crawling through broken glass, keep an eye on weather, and be prepared for winter. Don't forget to stay busy and manage your happiness.
  • Lots of logical abilities - like cleaning laundry with detergents, mopping up blood, moving bodies outside to burn them, and keeping your gear repaired.
  • Scavenging in most games can be rewarding, and this game is no exception. I love sneaking around the map, looking for skill books and food.
    I just wish Saws were as common as Hammers, though having no shortage of Hammers means no shortage of good bludgeons.
  • Power Loss - at some point between 0 and 60 days, the power goes out and doesn't come back online. Be sure to have lots of potable water stored and don't let perishables linger too long.
  • Those little moments. Like when you pick up a digital watch, only to discover that the previous owner had an 11:00am alarm set - and it starts to go off while you're sneaking through town.
  • Just because you can drink bleach doesn't mean you should drink bleach.
  • The pixel art has been swapped out for a basic 3D polygon art system with zoom in/out (I assume to help accomodate vehicles).
The Meh:
  • The hidden variables on some maps - like West Point apparently has a Chopper event around day 3 and is a "populated" town, so zombie clusters are automatically larger (about twice the size of the default, basically requiring a tactical engagement every city block).
Things I'm not digging:
  • NPC's are absent in the current iteration with no known return point (they will be back some day).
  • The Chopper event is just cruel. You get a nice base, some good walls, everything's buttoned up - and then a chopper arrives and hovers over you, drawing every zombie from 3 miles out to your front door. I've read that if you're hiding when it starts, it wanders around - but if it catches you out in the open, your only option is to run for your life for the next few hours or so before it leaves. While you're running, it draws every zombie on the map towards you, so you're constantly passing running hordes coming at you. This was a death sentence in a place where I was feeling nicely challenged. Even hiding out in the deep woods, the chopper drew a lethal horde directly to me. What kind of pilot goes "Oh, look a survivor! Hover over him until he's dead!"
  • Even though you're the only survivor, choppers & gunshots never stop happening randomly. I've read that even if you survive a year and have an awesome base, some a*****e in a helicopter can end you by drawing the unlimited horde down onto your head. *Edit: I've read conflicting reports - older posts say it never stops, posts from 2016 say it happens twice. I can't find more current info on it.
  • Zombies will relentlessly hammer on doors, even if the house is quiet with no signs of life. After a couple in-game days, I'm seeing a lot of homes with shattered doors and gaping windows. So what? So your own home will sometimes become the target of their ire, no matter how quiet and dark you keep things. I once figured I could go downstairs and make dinner while my character read a skill book for a little while. I cleaned out the area around my home, locked up, checked all my shades as drawn, and sat down for a nice read. I came back to my desk to find I had been zombified and was watching my corpse shamble around the map. No idea how they found me.
Character tip: Most traits offer skill bonuses. You get 8 points to add to a stock character, and can add negatives to give yourself more points. These bonuses are simply ways to "fast-forward" without gaining skill through practice. As such, spending points on these is eventually rendered moot. Instead, focus on either high-value traits (like Strong) or unique traits (like Cat's Eyes). Strong adds 4 points to your Strength; this adds a huge boost to your advancement as Strength training from level 4 to 5 takes 30,000xp. Going from 0 to 1 foraging takes 75xp. Some skills, like Herbalist, can be acquired in-game from reading - so spending 6pts on that seems absurd when you'll randomly find multiple copies of the magazine that grants it. My favorites so far include:
  • Cat's Eyes - 2pts - See better in the dark. I love this one, as navigating in the dark without it can be very dangerous - to the point where you might prefer to just hide, even though you could be out scavenging. For the point cost, this is almost an essential.
  • Graceful - 4pts - Make 60% less noise - Very useful for sneaking around town or past hordes.
  • Inconspicuous - 4pts - Zombies are 50% less likely to see you. Also very useful for sneaking.
  • Light Eater - 4pts - 75% less food consumption - probably a good long-term skill, for when supplies run out.
  • Light Drinker - 4pts - 50% less thirst - probably a good long-term skill, for when supplies run out.
  • Outdoorsman - 2pts - Low cost, prevents illness from being in the rain too long. Having a cold means you can sneeze and bring down the horde. Having tissues counters sneezing. Kind of good, just to avoid getting sick.
  • Wakeful - 2pts - Character needs 30% less sleep. More looting at night!
Some "good" penalties to consider for more points:
  • Overweight/Obese - +6pts/+10pts - it is possible to lose weight in the game, eventually negating these starting penalties. Pain in the butt, but possible.
  • Smoker - +4pts - You need to smoke every few hours or you get unhappy. Some folks online feel like this is a good trait because it forces you to explore and raid even in the absolute late game when you're situated in a completely self-sufficient farm.
  • Slow Healer - +6pts - You heal slower, but since getting hurt is typically life and death and you avoid it at all costs, this isn't a big deal.
  • Weak Stomach - +3pts - You get sick from bad food more easily. Easy to avoid - eat fresh!
  • High Thirst - +6pts - Before water gets shut off, this isn't any kind of problem. After water gets shut off you need a plan to hydrate anyway.
  • Hemophobic - +3pts - Panic when you bandage your own wounds, cannot bandage others. Maybe not so great for multiplayer, but fine solo.
  • Cowardly - +2pts - You're more prone to panic. Over time you become desensitized to zombies, so panic (except for phobias) dies down. More of a problem early on as panic makes you very inaccurate, which means weaker hits on zombies, which means more time to kill them, less knockback, and more weapon degredation.
  • Slow Reader - +2pts - It takes you 30% longer to read books, but once you've read a given book, you never need to do it again.
My most successful character to date was a Cat's Eyes/Graceful/Inconspicuous/Slow Reader. This is also the same character that died in the woods after a Chopper event brought down a relentless horde on my head that I couldn't seem to escape from. I fled my house with no food and by the time I died, I was exhausted, hungry, and sleep-deprived. It sucked.

Having spent time today studying the mechanics more, I think I'm going to restart my current character (I don't have Cat's Eyes on him, so I'm already annoyed with him at night; it's easy to get addicted to prowling at night) and try a Strong (-10pts, +4 Strength, +50% damage, +6kg carry weight) Obese (+10pts, 105kg weight, quick to exhaust) with Cat's Eyes, Inconspicuous, Wakeful, Outdoorsman. I'm hoping being slow/tired is nicely countered by being strong.

Character journals...
Spoiler:
*Edit: 2019-04-23: Obese is a helluva penalty. I run super-slow, and get winded after every other fight... but, being Strong, I lug around 18kg with ease, and have substantial knockback. My damage, I think, is being mitigated by always being exhausted. If I can last 60 days and keep my dude "Peckish" or hungrier all the time, he should be down to a healthier weight, leaving me with just "Strong"

*Edit: 2019-04-24: Mr. Anderson has had to be re-incarnated three times. My first outing as an Obese Strongman was going well until I got to a place where I tripped an alarm, panicked, and accidentally ran into a bathroom that didn't have a window I could climb out of. The second outing didn't last long enough to count as I stupidly fought with my back to a treeline and was jumped and bitten twice as an exhausted un-runner. The third outing has been filled with a lot more caution and regard to managing my slower run speed and quicker tiring. I've completely boarded up my favorite house in town, and am making headway on losing weight - down 1kg in three days. I keep my character constantly Hungry - not just Peckish - and exert as normal. I've had really good luck finding fruits and veggies and have been force-feeding him salads instead of bags of chips.

*Edit: 2019-04-26: Mr. Anderson MkIII expired last night after a Helicopter event. The event itself was survived, but it was stupid. I was comfortably sitting in my living room, reading a book on First Aid and listening to the TV on the quietest setting. All of my windows and doors on the first floor were sealed up tight with 4 boards each. Everything was covered in closed curtains. The upstairs windows were all closed and curtained as well. All the lights were off except the dull blue glow of the TV. I heard the chopper in the distance and grimaced - I knew it meant roving hoards. I sat tight and waited for it to get tired of wandering around. The bastard flew over repeatedly for what seemed like hours. Zombies started hammering on my doors and windows. I waited. Mr. Anderson went from a little sleepy to tired. I couldn't sleep yet, and there was no way was I going outside while he was flying overhead. I've seen what happens when he finds me.

When the sounds of the chopper faded, I crawled down my 2nd floor rope and assessed the damage. Large hordes of zombies were milling around the area, and one of them had latched onto my house. There were maybe 8 of them, all working at different windows and doors, and many planks were already missing. I got to work slowly drawing off one or two as I could, but not fast enough to stop them from ripping through my barricades and doors and entering the house. I had to work until I was completely, stupidly exhausted to clear enough space around my house that I felt moderately safe sleeping. I didn't dare nail anything down for fear of drawing more undead. I woke up in a panic even though I was safe.

Stepping back outside and seeing the hordes of 8 zombies everywhere that I had cleaned out was incredibly disheartening. I thought, perhaps, it was a good opportunity to try creating a "burning horde" I had read about - luring zombies into a camp fire, where they'd burn and then light other zombies on fire. I set one up in a safe, paved space, and had a really hard time getting it to burn for any length of time with simple bloodied clothes as fuel, but did get it going - and immediately burned myself. After some stop-drop-and-roll (with bandages) I then proceeded to run around and yell for zombies to come follow me, which they did, in droves. By the time they got to the camp fire, it went out. I spent some time running around trying to draw them off, and tried to re-light it, but failed. I ran around some more and tried again. It lit! I turned back to find I was too close to run and three zombies had rushed ahead of the others to grab me. I stumbled backwards into the fire, set myself on fire, and fell as the rest closed in. My burning corpse joined the others in a parade of flaming flesh that ultimately burned down two other houses and part of a park. Go me!

*Edit: 2019-04-29: Since Mr. Anderson was a washout, again, I tried making Ms. Anderson - and she did a great job. She even accidentally survived the Helicopter event unscathed. How? She went to bed just before he came and slept through the whole thing. I figured I'd try a different tactic with the Zeds, too. Since they get pissy at any doors or windows that are closed when they pass by, I started just leaving them all open. Each time I come home, I have to do a quick check to make sure everything is clear - inside and around the house - but when it's done, I'm safe. Having cleared out all of the zombies in the immediate area, I can even watch TV and read in relative safety. I keep all the lights off, curtains closed on all the windows and doors, and keep the windows themselves open. I have to be sound conscious, but that's it. When the helicopter passed overhead, the zombies following it never even paused in my house to knock down a single pane of glass. They moved right through and chased the chopper. The only door I had closed was the upstairs door I was sleeping behind.

Ms. Anderson was doing great. She had a massive stockpile of canned goods, medical supplies, and spare parts. She even had two cars she was going to work on - a hefty station wagon that was half-dead, and a little sporty car that was in good shape. Both neatly parked in the driveway. She had gained 5 different skill points and lost 2kg of weight (3kg more to "Overweight" instead of "Obese").

How did she die? Stupidly. While I was exploring a house in an area I thought was mostly clear, I toyed with the upstairs lights briefly to look for doors. Almost immediately after that, I heard moaning from downstairs. I figured I'd just sit tight and tiptoe around. Nope. A goddamn horde of undead spilled up the stairs and pinned me in the hallway alcove. I couldn't fight back and I couldn't escape. I died screaming at the absurdity of it all. Lesson learned. Apparently 8 zombies had been hiding in the bushes outside, unseen, and noticed me playing with the upstairs lights.

Some tips from this playthrough?
  • Car keys can sometimes be found in the glove compartment of a car. If you can find an open door in the car, move up to a front seat and check. Check all the seats to be sure (I've never found anything) but certainly check the glove box. I've found two car keys in there now.
  • Keep everything open. Open windows when you clear a house (for me this means fully looted). Remove any broken glass shards. This serves four purposes. First, you can easily slip through a window to safety from any side and out the other side, helping to dodge a horde. Second, breaking glass often draws any nearby zombies when you do it, letting you "call in" any nearby zombies to help clear the area. Third, when you're looking for places to loot, you can quickly pass by any homes with open windows and doors, knowing they're empty. Fourth, by sparing as many doors as possible from being busted down, you can practice Carpentry by removing them.
  • Obese isn't nearly the hindrance that I thought it would be, especially after I got my first point in Sprint. Yes, I tire quickly, but I can counter that by not running everywhere and sneaking more.
  • When you get tired and are thinking about going to bed, exert yourself to the breaking point before crawling into bed. This doubles the recuperative effect.
  • While a single Vest doesn't burn for very long in a camp fire, pre-stuffing a dozen or more clothing items in there as fuel does seem to let it burn longer. The game must simply consume one item after another. I had great luck making two campfire kits and setting them up on either end of the Church parking lot (to give myself options and a second shot). I grabbed a large 20+ horde and guided it into the killzone. I had to right-click on a fire from across the screen and select my firestarting method, though. Anytime I was close and tried, I took too long to select while standing still and zeds closed in. Selecting it from across the screen means your character walks up and wastes no time doing what you told them to do... then it's just a matter of leading the zombies over the flames and around in circles.
  • If you do try and start a car, be aware that the engine makes a lot of noise and draws a lot of undead. I had a car simply fail to start and when I got out to check why, a large mass of undead were closing in from three sides. I sneaked back and escaped through the way I had come (the fourth side).
  • If you want to find out what's wrong with a car, you've got to pop the hood and look under it. You'll get a comprehensive list of parts and their current status.
Ms. Anderson has been resurrected and already has two skill points assigned - Bludgeon Accuracy & Bludgeon Maintenance. She's downed 90 zombies in hand-to-hand combat so far and acquired one car in near-perfect condition with a 3/4 full gas tank. The keys to the car were inside the house it was parked next to, sitting in a counter. Her starting abilities were: Strong, Obese, Cat's Eyes (I'm addicted to this), Outdoorsman (I hate waiting inside for rain to stop), Dexterous (I figured it can't hurt to loot faster), and Wakeful (needing less sleep means more looting). Wakeful and Cat's Eyes go together like peanut butter and jelly.

I keep migrating to a particular house on the map: https://map.projectzomboid.com/#10917x10097. It's maybe not the perfect home, but what it does have is pretty nice... it's two floors, only two sides on the first floor have windows (minimizing access points), it doesn't take much to wall up the exterior to hide the windows you can see (I plan to eventually make Lvl 3 walls covered in plaster and paint so zombies won't even think to break them down), it has easy access to some early food & medical stores, there's a lot of good stuff in the nearby multi-level homes, the nearby Baseball Field and Church both make good herd & burn zones, and it's right next to a massive wilderness area that I can forage out of (and wilderness has the lowest zed spawn rate).
If I live long enough, I plan to eventually move to a wilderness home with a well for infinite water, but this will remain the perfect bug-out home once I completely button it up.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Paingod »

Figured I'd bump this with a more complete statement of some things for any interested parties.

Using the last post's list of "good" bad traits, you can easily give yourself 30 or more points to start with for positive traits. Some of the most effective characters (for my play style) have taken Lumberjack/Repairman as a profession, with Obese/Slow Healer/Weak Stomach/High Thirst/Hemophobic/Slow Reader as negatives and Strong/Handy/Thick-Skinned/Wakeful/Cat's Eyes/Outdoorsman/Lucky as positives.

Lumberjack has a number of benefits - like being awesome with an axe and moving through trees slightly faster than normal. Repairman just gives you great equipment durability boosts. Adding in Handy means your gear wears down even slower, your builds are stronger, and you have a notch in Carpentry - probably the most essential long-term survival skill needed sooner than later.

The general "best" theory for starting out is...
Spoiler:
... to utilize the massive free skill bumps you get from Life & Living TV when you tune in at 6:00am, 12:00pm, and 6:00pm. At those hours for the first 9 days, you'll get free skill points in Cooking, Carpentry, Fishing, Farming, Foraging, and Trapping. 6:00am is always Cooking. 12:00pm is always Carpentry until the next-to-last day, when it moves to 6:00pm. It's entirely possible to get 4 to 6 skill points in Cooking and Carpentry if you can find the right skill books and read them before the shows. It's possible to get 1-2 points in the other skills, which is a nice leg up on them. It's very handy to find an Alarm Clock or Digital Watch, too, so you don't waste time waiting for the shows to start or miss them by 30 minutes without knowing it.

On your very first day, you should immediately turn on your TV and tune in to Life & Living with the volume set to 1 or 2 (to avoid attracting zombies). You'll earn the majority of a skill point in Cooking. From there, start power-hunting for skill boost books as a prority along with Alarm Clocks or Watches. Clocks are typically found in bedroom night stands, and watches could be anywhere. I once found one on a zombie. Bookshelves hold 99% of all books, with some rarely spawning in counters. Hit the bookshelves, hit the bedroom, get out to the next house. Save collecting all the other supplies for later. You may want to search a little, too, for some basic tools if you come across likely locations - like moving boxes or crates, which often hold hammers, saws, and screwdrivers - which are essential for Carpentry. Grab some basic food items, a couple water bottles, and basic first aid - but little else. You're on a mission for books! You don't need to encumber yourself with a mountain of useless junk. Books are relatively easy to carry a lot of, and once you get a bag you can stuff them all in there.

Be sure to periodically tune in to Life & Living on TV's you find and check to see if a show is playing as you're looting. It's really hard to gauge time without a watch in this game and you're probably going to miss a few episodes until you either find enough skill books that you're satisfied to sit somewhere and read a lot, or find a watch to precisely time your viewing.

Using the schedule of shows from the above link, you can prioritize reading skill books to stay ahead of shows coming up. You can even read a book you don't have the skill to understand - you just need to pick it back up and "Read" it for a second once you have enough skill to activate the learning bonus.

At the end of 9 days, you've got a character that's well on their way to being self-sufficient without spending endless hours practicing the basics. Now you're free to explore the landscape more completely and start planning for your long-term survival.
On days 8 or 9 (and maybe very rarely on day 7) you'll be visited by the Helicopter. Spoiler below for how I survive this easily. It's not a fun event, but can be made easy.
Spoiler:
I focus my initial looting on sections of town with higher concentrations of two-story homes. In fact, I like to set up my first base here. On days 8 and 9, I stay home until the event is over. To prepare for the event, I don't bother securing my base - at all. In fact, I do the opposite. I open every window and door on the first floor. I turn off all the lights in the entire house, and outside it too. I put curtains over every window and keep them closed. When I sleep, I go to the second floor and close the bedroom door behind me. I keep a few Sheet Ropes, Nails, and a Hammer in the closet near the 2nd floor window for emergencies.

When the helicopter shows up, you'll hear the rotors before he can spot you. Be sure you're inside and don't step outside. If you go outside, you'll get spotted and he'll chase you relentlessly. Most players recommend you "RUN FORREST RUN" and never stop. This is a huge issue, though, as zombies are coming at you constantly from every side. There is nowhere safe to run to. The chopper brings them in from everywhere in the map. It's a migration event that's place-holding for legit NPC's who would otherwise create zombie traffic flow. It's remarkably easy to die to this as the chopper will follow you longer than your character can run before becoming too tired to run.

As long as you stay inside, hidden on the second floor behind a closed door, the helicopter will randomly fly around the map, dragging zombies with it. These zombies will take offense to any defenses you make and rip them apart, delaying clumps of them at your base. By leaving every window and door open on the first floor, zombies will pass right through and chase the chopper. Your sanity remains intact.

If you're on the Default Solo Survival mode (not a custom sandbox) I've read that this event happens just once. I've read, too, that it might happen a second time after 6 months. I'm not sure which is accurate - I've never made it 6 months. After the first event ends, though, I properly seal up my base to make it a fortress and set about fortifying against random incursions. There shouldn't be anymore massive running dog-piles of zombies to worry about.
General game play tips:
Spoiler:
  • The base rate for learning every skill is 25%. When you're creating your character, you can select jobs or hobbies that show as 75%, 100%, or 125% (depending on the total skill boost you get). This means you'll learn these skills 3, 4, or 5 times faster than normal. This is not a bonus you can acquire after character creation, and it stacks with the skill book multiplier. A level 5 Carpenter with the 8x bonus from the 100% read skill book that has a 75% skill bonus will earn 400xp per tic when watching Life & Living.
  • Knives are good for insta-kills, but you need to wait util the zombie is in biting range to use it. Knives include: screwdrivers, butter knives, kitchen knives, and hunting knives. Using a screwdriver is a last resort as this is a rare and essential tool. Using butter knives is awesome, but they break quickly. It's a good maneuver, but risky. If the zombie isn't basically hugging you, all you'll do is swipe like a regular melee hit.
  • Car keys can sometimes be found inside the car's glovebox or inside the house it's parked near. If you have 2 Mechanic and 1 Electrical skill, you can hotwire a car to bypass the need for a key.
  • You can use a propane torch & welding mask to break down wrecks in the middle of roads to make the road safer to drive on.
  • Gas stations often have a lot of gas cans, empty and full, and are a high priority to hit before power gets shut off. When the power stops the gas stops flowing. Putting a generator on the roof of a gas station can turn the pumps back on - giving you a potentially unlimited amount of fuel.
  • Generators cannot be used inside a building. You'll get CO2 poisoning and die.
  • After getting your skills and reading done and having a few hours to spare, consider traveling to a Warehouse or Lumber Yard to acquire axes, screwdrivers, saws, shovels, hammers, and other tools.
  • With a hammer, saw, and screwdriver in your inventory you can practice dismantling just about any wooden item in every house for easy Carpentry practice. When your skill is high enough, I've read that you can use a Crowbar to "lift" just about any 1-square item and transplant it somewhere else.
  • Zombies have a sense of smell you need to be aware of. They will be drawn to blood on the walls/floors of a house or yard, and will smell your dirty/bloody clothing. Something to consider as you avoid them. You can clean blood with a rag/mop/sponge and some bleach (even outside). You can clean clothes with detergent and water - though it's probably easier to replace your clothes or go naked (weather permitting). Dirty clothes also make you more prone to normal infections and, thankfully, there does not appear to be any mechanic that will cause Bloodied clothes to transmit the zombie virus (yet).
  • Zombies appear to be attracted to piles of bodies. Go figure. Dispose of corpses by either burying them (using a Shovel to dig a grave), or burning them (piling them on top of a camp fire and then lighting it).
  • Zombies are flammable. If you stock a camp fire with a lot of fuel, you can light it with a herd of zombies chasing you and drag them through the fire - creating a mass of flaming walkers. Caution, though, as these spread fire around and can easily burn down a neighborhood if you don't control them.
  • When you get to the point of chopping trees, be sure to frequently stop and look around. Chopping is LOUD work and draws in zombies from a ways off.
  • When I've cleaned a house of everything I think I might want, I run around and clean out any broken glass, open windows, and open doors.
    This is my personal "Clear" signal - meaning I can bypass this house on future loot runs. It also makes it very easy to escape a pursuing horde by slipping into the house and out the other side without making any noise or worrying about broken glass cutting you.
  • When you Forage, you can specifically look for types of items. This prevents you from chewing up a Forage location by accidentally acquiring a mountain of Berries instead of a bunch of Chipped Stone and Tree Branches (the items essential to making free, low-quality axes for use in forestry).
  • If you're scratched in combat, the standard chance of Zombie infection is 25%. If you're bitten, the chance is 100%. You'll know you're a goner if you start to feel nauseated a couple hours after being scratched (unless you're a Hypochondriac, then who knows). There is no cure, and there is no defense against those odds - but the Tough Skin trait can make it 10% less likely you'll be scratched (normally 25%), and 1.5% less likely you'll be bitten (normally 5%). You can play a character for years in-game and get a death sentence from a scratch. Practice caution.
  • Some people have used Batch files they run in tandem with the game to make auto-checkpoints of their save game files. It makes a copy, waits 600 seconds, makes a second copy, waits 600 seconds, makes a third copy, waits 600 seconds, and then loops to the first spot. If they die, they simply copy back the last safe version of themselves and restart the game. I don't do this, but totally understand why someone might want to. My survival record so far is maybe 13 days with close to 300 kills. If I had a character that lasted 6 months or more, I'd be pretty invested in them.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Paingod »

New release, 0.41, Beta (update as Beta in Steam).
  • New gameplay styles: Builder, Brawler and Survivor
  • More deadly ‘Survivor’ (Survival) gameplay balance – player can be dragged down by horde and feasted upon etc.
  • New survivor abilities: sitting, sneaking, sprinting, jogging, racking, reloading, climbing, fence-jumping, collapsing and much much more.
  • New combat, new weapons, new difficulty balance.
  • New character creation – many, many different new clothing options both on spawn and discoverable in the world as loot or on zombies.
  • New zombie behaviour: feasting on recent corpses, lolling against walls, falling over fences etc.
  • Blood system that progressively bloodies bodies and clothing of survivors and zombies
  • New injury system – movement and combat visibly hampered when injured. Lacerations now possible, an injury state that lies between bites and scratches.
  • Improved gunplay: green/red aiming outline, new guns, improved racking and reloading, increased gun loot spawn.
  • Zombie Death Scenes – zombies discovered in the situations in which people died. Prayer meetings, sports-viewing parties, survivor zeds wearing backpacks etc.
  • Situational zombie type/clothing and inventories – cop zeds in police station, firemen zeds in burnt buildings, Chef zeds in restaurant kitchens, bride and groom zeds at a wedding ceremony in church etc.
  • Clothing protection: different clothing provides different levels of protection from zombie attacks.
  • Visibly ripped and damaged clothing.
  • New Sims-style cutaway vision system.
  • Vehicle handling improvements, resizing and appearance tweaks.
  • Updated, remastered and improved Kentucky-themed soundtrack. Original music still in rotation, and also accessible through game options.
  • New SFX: weaponry, zombie moans etc.
  • New water visuals – including visible flow direction.
  • New puddle system during heavy rain.
  • Broken glass and related injuries.
  • Garage doors may be opened / closed and shake when hit.
  • New Challenge maps: Film Set and Kingsmouth Vacation Island
  • 3D Store Mannequins – can be dressed however you like
  • Working washing machines and driers
  • Server-side saving: MP save system now in a server-side database. Offline SP-side, also means no more lost cars via irl power outages.
  • New game cursor
  • New level-up sound, and tweaked levelling system.
  • Faint isometric aiming cursor that shows where you’re aiming in iso space.
  • New loot balance and loot balance system: houses and stores now have loot in the containers you would expect from real life – and not in a jumble.
  • Two tiers of loot priority – allowing for more realistic ‘filler’ loot amidst the more valuable gameplay items.
  • Many, many general fixes including remedies for: floating cars, farming issues, inaudible house alarms, erosion shrubs blocking vehicles, desensitized survivors being panicked by crawlers and much more.
  • VISIBLE BACKPACKS!
Word online is that combat has gotten harder and death is easier to find.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Octavious »

Another 5-10 years and they will add the story mode in. :lol:
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Paingod »

That'd be nice. The big things coming down the road, I think, are other survivors (including bandits and people to join you) and maybe multiplayer.

I've been playing a lot of their latest Beta build, and the combat has turned it up a notch. There's also a harder difficulty, which the game doesn't need.

Apocalypse mode: Stealth-oriented survival isn't a joke when they say it. Getting into a fight with a Zed is a surefire way to die.
Survival mode: Based on the previous "hardest" difficulty, this is still a hard survival game. It's not about ranking up kills, but being efficient and tricky.

I'm playing a modded Survival mode. I've given myself 16 extra build points, mostly so I can accelerate skill gains (it's tedious to start over from 0 at each death), and extended the day lengths to 2 hours each instead of 1 - so I feel less like I have to rush around the map (which can be fatal) before it gets dark (also fatal).

My best moment so far was venturing out in search of skill books (taking advantage of Life & Living TV for the first few days for free skills) and getting trapped in a torrential downpour half a mile from home, then totally turned around and confused. There's something extremely appropriate about slogging through the rain and breaking into homes where you square off against undead residents just so you can have shelter for a moment. I managed to get a Laceration while tousling with a zombie, which is in between a Scratch (25% chance to zombify) and a bite (100% chance to zombify), and bleeds profusely.

Panicked, I realized I had no bandages at all, and so I ripped off my shirt and tore it into strips, staunching the flow of blood. Between the night, the rain, and the puddles everywhere nothing looked very familiar and it was pretty scary, doubly so now that I was bleeding from my torso and had even chances of getting turned into a zombie. I staggered around in the rain, lighting flashing overhead, until something looked familiar enough to get my bearings.

It took too long to get home, ducking behind bushes and crawling through cleared houses to avoid zombie clusters. By the time I got there, I was soaking wet, very hungry, unable to run anymore, and very tired. I took enough time to clean my wounds and gorge on fruit before turning in upstairs. I lucked out and didn't die, too, which was nice.

This build is fun so far, but combat orientation wonkiness has gotten me killed a couple times. With the new animations, it's possible to try and attack in a direction that's close to, but not exactly, where a zombie is standing - and now you're in the middle of an animation while it bites you. :hawk:

The priorities in the game are still the same.
  1. Establish a safe house with a clear perimeter.
  2. Collect skill books and watch Life & Living TV at 6:00, 12:00, and 18:00.
  3. Scavenge for tools - screwdriver, hammer, saw, sledge, shovel, etc.
  4. Get a car to aid the above.
I think the zombies AI might be a touch smarter, too, which is both good and terrifying. They'll pursue you more effectively, seem to get hung up on things less, and spot you more consistently at medium ranges, even while sneaking.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Paingod »

New ways I've died...
  • Trying to fight more than two zombies. It used to be possible with some skill, now one at a time is the only safe way, and two is pushing it.
  • Crawled through a busted window and right into 5 zombies "hiding" on the other side, one tile over, bunched up on a door.
  • Bitten in my car while trying to start it. I kind of like this one. Zombies will rip you apart once they break out windows.
  • Flipped my car while playing GTA on the highway. I spent too long trying to find a way to roll it over and ended up surrounded.
  • Made the mistake of thinking I was safe and accelerating time while I was in a remote location. The clock didn't stop as three zombies broke through the window.
Still enjoying the new build, though - in particular the new armors. I love finding things randomly that are better than what I have. Running around in a police tactical vest, wearing combat boots, and sporting a fireman's helmet? Fun!
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Paingod »

A couple satisfying things...
  • Finally getting to a point in the new build where I can routinely survive until the helicopter passes and find enough skill books to have everything a "best boost" for learning. Now the game really starts and I have to figure out where I want to settle long-term. I've got at least one of every tool (except a propane torch, which are foolishly rare), piles of seeds, lots of crafting materials, and a library of books to keep me going.
  • Getting into a brawl last night where I miss-timed a swing, which let a zombie in close and I heard the tell-tale "grinch" noise of a scratch/bite. I shoved him back, but his partner also got in a scratch/bite. I went berserk, assuming I was dead anyway, and wailed on three zombies in close quarters. They didn't get another bite in, and when it was over I opened my health screen and checked to see how bad it was. My armor absorbed both hits without passing through any damage. I need to replace my jacket, but my survivor of 9 whole days is 100% healthy.
*Edit: 2019-11-12: Not going to keep bumping the same thread on a game no one else is playing, but my current run is awesome. The key to survival in the 0.41 build seems to be Axe skill and a Wood Axe. The wood axe has long reach and extreme damage. I can kite a horde of undead backwards and kill them in one shot until I'm winded, then it takes two hits. I'm up to ~400 kills now on this character and am still hunting for auto mechanics magazines and Carpentry books. This is the first character in the new build that didn't get to at least 6 or 7 Carpentry through books and Life & Living before it shut off. As an added RP bonus, my character lugs around a shovel and buries the undead he puts to rest, keeping any trinkets and momentos he finds on them in a safe spot near his bed.
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Punisher »

I've had this game for a while, but also haven't played it in a while. To be honest I have just been very confused about how the game works and was expecting a story or something, but from reading this thread, it looks like its just a sandbox survival thing to see how long you last.. It also sounds like there is some crafting/building and I never got that far in the game before.
Does anyone have a go-to beginner/starting guide they use?
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Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Paingod »

You're right that there's no story - yet. I think they plan on adding one. It can be modded to be multiplayer, as well as mods that let you recruit and fight other NPC's that aren't zombies (I haven't done this).

As for basic survival guides, there are a number of general guides, and each approaches things differently. These change a little, too, if you're playing the standard game or the BETA "IWBUMS" (I will back up my save) mode. IWBUMS is what I've been playing, and it adds new animations, , zombie variation, harder combat, better vehicle dynamics, and player armor through clothing.

For me, it comes down to:
  1. The tagline for the game is "This is how you die" ... ANY bite from a Zombie is 100% lethal.
    1. You will become infected, you will die from it, and you will rise from the grave.
    2. Zombie scratches have a 25% chance to be as lethal as bites.
    3. If you're playing on IWBUMS, there are lacerations, which I think are 50% lethal.
    4. You'll know you're doomed if your character heals, but starts getting anxious and then sick for no other reason (like catching cold or eating rotten food).
    5. If you're doomed, you can actually drink bleach to kill yourself deliberately.
    6. If you're inclined, you can strip off all your gear and leave it somewhere safe - so you can "Continue" from the main menu with a new survivor and pick it all back up. If you're not inclined, you start a new game.
  2. Knowing you don't want to get in too many fights, play accordingly. You can sneak with CTRL and run with Shift. Sneaking reduces noise and visibility, but costs stamina. Running increases noise and visibility and costs stamina. Walking, standing, sitting, or resting restores stamina.
  3. Character creation involves selecting negative and positive traits on a point scale. Different people choose different traits. I prefer:
    • Negative, Weak Stomach: Don't eat rotten or raw food and this isn't a problem.
    • Negative, Slow Healer: You heal slower, but shouldn't be getting hurt - sooo...
    • Negative, Smoker: Some people swear by this, but I can't bring myself to. You need a smoke once in a while or you get edgy.
    • Negative, Obese: You're very overweight, impacting stamina severely. This is a big penalty, but you can lose the weight, and thus the penalty (if you live long enough).
    • Negative, High Thirst: You need to drink more water, which is literally everywhere in the game.
    • Negative, Hemophobic: You get panicked when you apply first aid to yourself, which you shouldn't have to do if you're not getting hurt.
    • Positive, Strong: You carry more weight and hit like a Mack Truck in melee.
    • Positive, Thick Skinned: Reduces the chances of a being bitten or scratched when hit by a zombie. Just might save your life.
    • Positive, Cat's Eyes: See better at night. Without this, you're pretty much night-blind.
    • Positive, Inconspicuous: Zombies are 50% less likely to spot you.
    • Positive, Outdoorsman: You won't get sick from being outside in the elements. Preference. Sickness isn't that hard to work with.
    • Positive, Dextrous: Loot and move stuff between containers faster. This just helps with general time spent in a building searching.
    • Positive, Lucky: 10% bonus to find rare loot, +5% repair chance
    • Profession: Park Ranger: Bonus to axes, carpentry, foraging, trapping, and moving through trees. All valuable skills.
  4. When you first spawn, you'll be in your home. Zombie-free. The only guaranteed safe space for the first 10 minutes. Move around, click to open everything and take anything that looks useful. Your first priorities are: Some form of weapon, some kind of bag, food, and water. Your next proirities are skill books, magazines, and a clock or watch. Anything else will keep until you come back later. Nothing respawns or despawns.
  5. Not all bags are created equal. You can wear most on your back (right-click menu), and carry all in your hands. By wearing and carrying them, you reduce their weight by the percentage they say. The best common bag is a Big Hiking Bag, with a 22-kg limit and 80% weight reduction.
    Spoiler:
    The best (hard to find) bag is the Military Backpack, which is 30kg and 90%... but is in a hidden military base
  6. I stress skill books because for the first 8 days, you can get free skill points by watching Life & Living TV at 06:00, 12:00, and 18:00.
  7. Try and find a place to call "Safe" - know that by deault, Zombies will perpetually respawn unless you're in a Sandbox with that turned off (and if you do turn it off or way down, you may find the game gets boring when everything is cleared). I personally like to start in Muldraugh and head to this house. It has windows on the ground floor on just two sides, and a nice upstairs area to use for resting.
  8. Sneak around a lot in unknown areas, walk when you don't need to sneak, and try to avoid running.
  9. Know that zombies can't be avoided, so you better get good at killing them. Try and get one at a time to follow you away from groups. Shove them with the Spacebar, and when they're on the ground, stomp them with Spacebar as well. In IWBUMS, you need to aim for the head.
  10. Start collecting other things aside from food and water. Spare weapons, tools, pots & pans. Almost everything you find will have a use, except for many toiletries. Tools, in particular, are valuable. Don't use them as weapons unless you have duplicates. This includes kitchen knives, screwdrivers, wrenches, hammers, sledgehammers, crowbars, shovels, etc. Tools are most abundant in warehouses, inside brown crates and shelves. Scout around on the map (liked above) to find these places.
  11. Some people advocate barricading your home. I don't. Not at first. For the first 8 days, I leave my downstairs windows and doors wide open. I turn off every light, inside and out, and keep the TV at "1" volume. It seems counter-intuitive, but zombies will stop to break down a barricade on a door. They'll walk in and out of an open house, and hardly ever go up stairs unless they hear you.
  12. Cars. A last-first priority before gardening. Look on the map for gas stations and be sure to loot some gas and keep it safe. When the power goes out, you can use a generator to power the gas pumps. You can use generators to power your home, but you can't do it without gas. Cars rarely have gas in the tanks, so it's nice to fill 'em up when you can. Cars also make a lot of noise. Honking the horn will pull out every zombie in a two-block radius. Drive slow, drive careful.
  13. So you're sneaking around your neighborhood to loot skill books, reading them, watching TV on a schedule, maybe you've even found a car key and gotten some gas so you can drive around ... and then on Day 6-8
    Spoiler:
    some asshat in a Helicopter comes by. He drags every zombie on the map behind him. Not to worry. Most people say "Get in a car and drive away" or "Get your bug-out bag and RUN" ... but I say "Turn off the TV, go upstairs, sit by a window, sip some tea, and read a book" ... with your windows and doors open, zombies won't stop at your home, they'll pass right through and chase the chopper. As long as you weren't outside when the chopper came - and to be safe just plan on reading books for Days 6, 7, and 8 - he won't stop and hover over your home. He may also leave for an hour and come back. Don't trust his first or even second disappearance.
  14. Now that this is done, the game can begin. Survival. Long term. Decide where you want to live, set up a farm, build walls, and ride out the apocalypse - or maybe get in your car and play a nomad scavenger - or skip the car and see how many zombies you can kill before you get killed yourself.
  15. A word of caution: try to avoid letting bodies build up. They attract disease, can make you sick, and draw undead to the smell.
  16. Advanced combat: using a campfire to burn down a zombie horde, or a small town.
  17. Guns: The best way to die. So much noise, so little ammo, so very many zombies.
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2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
Freyland
Posts: 3041
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 11:03 pm

Re: Project Zomboid

Post by Freyland »

2. Knowing you don't want to get in too many fights, play accordingly. You can sneak with CTRL and run with Shift. Sneaking reduces noise and visibility, but costs stamina. Running increases noise and visibility and costs stamina. Walking, standing, sitting, or resting restores stamina. Dying and rising as the undead provides infinite stamina.
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