Here's my list of observations for 1.02 - a little "state of the game" from the Jizzpective. Plenty of people have been critical of a number of known issues, so I won't rehash a variety of items and try to avoid sounding like a complainant - only those things I feel most directly impact the quality of my experience. For starters, the zombies are a true threat and I thank the devs for delivering. I haven't seen a zombie walk through a building or slide through a closed door at all for 1.0, and I feel like we're closer than ever to a true PVE simulation. A few things I noticed -
The zombies can strike the player through a closed car door. I don't know if this is intentional or not, but IMO a closed door should offer some level of protection. If I can't shoot back through a car window, they shouldn't be able to strike me.
The "bleed-rate", as I call it, or the rate at which a Z attack draws player blood and forces bandaging seem at a frequency I was accustomed to in Alpha. Back then the bleed rate seemed like every other attack would cause you to bleed. I'm NOT complaining though - what it boils down to is there needs to be a legitimate penalty to being attacked by a zombie, and I'd prefer the danger of getting a laceration than having to constantly replace ruined clothing.
The new noise dispersion seems to be working great. Zombies will run toward the vicinity of where you made noise, but the player still has an opportunity to evade (primarily at night) if you creep away quietly and out of sight. This is a huge improvement. Omniscient AI enemies that can follow what they can't hear or see should remain in the 90's where they belong.
I'm getting wet inside my military tent. This should be a pretty basic tenant of its functionality.. especially with hypothermia.
I can repair a woodcutting ax with duct tape, but not my shovel. That seems nitpicky.
Certain cars guzzle gas, others do not. While it appears to be totally random, my theory is there are some earlier-version (1.00, 1.01) cars sitting around since before gas consumption was fixed, and the patch didn't apply retroactively.
I'm unable to add oil to the car. I don't know if motor oil yet carries a purpose in the game anyway, but I thought I'd point it out. Also, this is true for both the gas guzzling and correctly functioning cars.
Doors are still unlocking themselves after server resets.
I'm still getting the tap-dancing car every once in a while. You get in and there a sound of tires vibrating/squeaking on the pavement before you've even cranked the motor. If you ignore this and attempt to drive the car will act very erratically and go bananas. My solution thus far has been to get out and try again.
I lit a fire in a fire barrel, but the fire never went out.
Suggestions Specific to Basebuilding:
Basebuilding is a WIP, I get that, so no need to split hairs (even if this is a "full release" game). If I had to guess why progress in basebuilding has been so slow, it's the "immersion (realism)" crowd versus the "It's-a-videogame!" crowd. The immersion crowd seems to be winning at the moment - i.e. if Person A can erect a fence in a short span of time with a hammer and nails, then Person B should be able to take it apart with similar tools in as much, or less time. I'm sure we could demonstrate this IRL. But the very reality of this game is at odds with what can be bullied away with the "IRL" argument - my character physically doesn't exist in-world during the hours I'm not playing, period. If I were managing a post-apocalyptic homestead IRL, I'd be there all day to defend it from assholes….. But I can't, which begs for more buffing of basebuilding elements. The amount of effort required to build a structure is anything but rewarded when another player with a hatchet and shovel can dismantle your efforts in less than 10 minutes. I'm not sure what's possible, because I'm on this side of the development of the game, but it seems like basic protections should be in place for offline players. If that's not possible, it should AT THE VERY LEAST require a gargantuan effort by another player to dismantle base components… like measurable in hours rather than minutes. A couple of ideas -
Barbed wire shouldn't be a static if/then barrier (if you're touching it then you get a bleeding wound). There should be a 50/50 chance that the assailant making contact with the barbed wire gets stuck (similar to a bear trap), and only another player with pliers can get them out. If they get stuck, and no one is there, they pass out from blood loss - and eventually, die. Struggling of any kind (any movement) by a player in contact with the barbed wire (whether or not they are already stuck) opens a new bleeding wound, but also generates a fresh chance to get stuck. This should also include a substantailly higher impact on ruining clothes - a point that alone might sway some of the military gear snobs out there.
IED's. There should be some kind of improvised landmine that can be crafted from a radio, metal wire, a 9V battery, a propane gas canister, bullets, and nails. Perhaps multiple versions. I also think these should have minimal effect on Base components. It would be nice to place a few near the edge of a wall without fear of blowing up your hard work. Might also be workable with grenades if they ever return along with tripwires. Maybe a new way to look at it is to start with a new shovel option "Dig IED hole" - then you add the above-listed components like you would when building a wall, and use the pliers to complete the process.
Deeper use of metal objects to strengthen base structures - metal wire, pipes, perhaps welding. A small welding kit that could work with a car battery and take a 4x4 inventory slot. The kit could be used to fuse pipes/wire/sheet-metal or chain-link fence to the outside of base walls to give it an achievable level of indestructibility. At least this way you're trading a player's additional efforts for an immersion-breaking imperviousness for base structures that we all opine.
Cement. Fucking cement. Lime + sand (shovel) + water… add the three to a deployed wire mesh barrier and wait about as long as it takes to tan leather. BAM - immovable object; well, sort of. Allow the use of a pickax by an assailant to break up the concrete and then un-deploy the wire mesh barrier - BUT it should take 2-3 times as long as filling a jerry can at a gas pump. Cement might also be a way to strengthen regular walls, where the player has the option to simply use two logs (as they currently can), OR they could take it a step further by adding lime, water, and sand, thereby fashioning properly footed posts. Again, an assailant would need a pickax to undo it. (my inspiration: years of hardscaping/landscaping with my old man when I was still in school)
Perhaps basic customizable signage (think Minecraft) would add a personal touch to everyone's efforts, and aside from trolls, casual players might be less inclined to grief if they know who they're doing it to (maybe that's too optimistic). One way or another, I think basic text signage should be in the vanilla game.
Additional suggestions/asks:
Any collapsible or detached stock should trigger a commensurate reduction in inventory usage. E.g. the SG5-K with the stock removed goes from 5x3 to 4x3. Not sure why this isn't already a thing... Feel free to educate me.
Please bring back the E-tool. It should have the same inventory scaling ability as I mentioned above with the guns. A craftable shovel would also be nice - duct tape, rope, long stick, frying pan/cooking pot lid… craftable with a hacksaw.
The ability to 'wear' a glowstick. Whether that means finally using the 'belt' slot on the player inventory or what not, having to commit both hands to hold a glow stick is a little stupid.
Taking that a step further, it would be great if certain light sources (torch/glowstick/flare) could be dual wielded, like with a pistol. Perhaps a corresponding reduction in accuracy/sway a penalty for 'gat-wielding'. Maybe just a dedicated left-hand slot that can only hold specific items... And operable through the hot bar.
I miss the Amphibia S, if only as a zombie-clearing tool. Rather than bringing back the .22LR 'tech tree' perhaps there could be a special silencer for the IJ70. I know there are too many firearm enthusiasts on the BI team to fabricate anachronistic fantasy weapons like a .380 Amphibia, but perhaps a robust single purpose silencer for the IJ70 could fill the same void and simultaneously give purpose to an otherwise forgettable weapon.
Bring back traps; and give me man traps w/punji sticks.
The only thing my crew craves more than dirtbikes is the ability to shoot from the windows of a moving car. I know there's a server-side emulation issue specific to cars, but hopefully, there's something that can be done to allow people to bandage, eat, etc. whilst getting a ride.
Bears. I want to kill a bear.
And I want to do it over the handlebars of a dirt bike.
