Bubbled Luff

I don't think now is the time to be judging loot tables, spawn rates etc... there is presumably still a lot to be introduced item- and location-wise, and also a lot of work to be done to the core game. I would imagine newly-introduced items spawn at a much higher rate than they are finally intended for in order for players to test. Where we are at the moment, I really hope they get the basics sorted out and everything that is intended to be in, in. Balancing the finer points is a way down the line yet. As far as where we might be finding certain items; realism-wise I guess that depends on how far on from the outbreak we are, how much water has passed under the bridge. A lot of factors will have affected loot-dispersion based on that. How many survivors have been through these buildings already? Died in a certain place, leaving there lootings displaced?

I'm pretty sure some other locations have stopped spawning loot too since 0.46, the little sheds with the lean-to and a couple of houses/rooms. Can't be certain those ever did spawn loot though. Something similar happened a good while back (the wooden floored tents at airfields were affected then too), but was eventually fixed. I think it originally broke followeing a patch which introduced some new loot spawns; maybe new buildings or a town.

As many have already stated, you'll lose a bit of the fear after you've died and re-geared half a dozen times. And it's better to die through finding some interaction and excitement than going out to one of the many fatal glitches that will catch up to you regardless. Try putting some of your harder-earned gear in your backpack and dropping it somewhere safe before you enter towns - at least if you die you have a chance to recover a bit of gear if you run back to your stash before the server restarts. It also keeps it safe from damage if you get caught by a zombie or in a firefight. The compensation that it may not all be lost should the worst happen may just be the little reassurance that gets you over the 'fear' and gives you a bit of freedom to try some new experiences... it did for me. Definitely a viable tactic if you want to run the airfields or military installations. Also, replace some of the mil gear for a nice 'friendly' civilian hat and jacket... less threatening and may just help get more positive interactions.

Along with the MP5, find them quite frequently spawning on the roof or bonnet of Police cars in 0.46. Mags again on the police cars but more frequently military locations .

Papa's Got A Brand New Bag - find a pristine backpack Where There's Blame There's A Claim - die to ladder glitch Snickers Bar - run 26 miles There's A Hole In My Bucket - lose an item to backpack glitch Gone In 30 Seconds - combat log Toasty - build a campfire Filet Mignon - eat a raw steak This Game Sucks I Want My Money Back - uninstall game

Gamingdeluxe servers certainly have BEC enabled.

The skeletons everywhere, great stuff. Really ought to at least be some scattered body parts, corpses and piles of burnt undead as set dressing. More than just a couple of ruined buildings would be nice too.

Hmm... don't suppose he mentioned anything about empty backpacks or missing boots during your wanderings?

I realise that's sarcasm, but it's not entirely crazy though... car tyres, engines whatever you need for vehicles, you should need some kind of tote truck to drag them wherever you require. Would certainly add complexity to getting said vehicles up and running if you aren't just able to bang parts in the old backpack.

Too true. Fair enough, body shots should not be particularly effective on the infected, but a homerun swing for the head ought to be a 30-seconds+ KO, if not a kill. As they are just 'infected', concussion should work much the same as for a human. Depending on how far the physics/ragdoll go it would be nice if you could kneecap or some such and have that affect mobility or just trip. I'd also like to see 'soft' weapons like the bat wear out through use, could just snap at a crucial moment... The machete should be similar in effectiveness terms to the above... body shots will take a while but a nice headstrike should be effective. Shame I doubt we'll ever be able to lop limbs with bladed weapons though. Rare holsters (ie leg) which score you an additional 'free' storage slot would be great too. One question though - does you swing the machete back and forth or is it just a single strike like the axes? Lighter weapons could combo strike to offset lower range and damage. Been such a long while since I picked up a machete I cannot recall if this mechanic is in. "That's not a knife... That's a knife"

Stable branch. Even after a restart Z numbers are down compared to pre-hotfix, some places have none at all now. Some of the towns I visited do still seem to have the same Z population as pre-hotfix though. So not entirely sure this is intentional by the devs. Just been playing some 'daytime' so it isn't just night affecting as I speculated on my previous post.

There do seem to be less Z about since the loot spawn hotfix, but, have only played on a 'night' server since that point (and that was broad daylight). Need to try another server to see if it is the time of day or hotfix that caused this.

Agreed; It's a difficult balance they need to find. Making simple tasks overcomplicated is not the best for 'gaming', but at the same time, underplaying a skill or task takes away from the 'simulation' aspect. For me, must first find map/compass/windmeter, and then equip into hand to use. At this point You have an on-screen display (like the compass in the mod). That is enough balance between physically using item (simulation) and not making tasks a chore (gaming). But that's just me, and 'opinions are like arseholes' as they say...

IRL you also 'hear' wind direction/strength - sight, touch and hearing all contribute to the ability to tell 'how windy, which direction'. Honestly, I'd be fine with pop-up compass and wind indicator (should need to find the required item in-game still), but it seems to me the dev team are trying to go with a bit more complexity in performing simple (even instinctive) tasks. Making it more of a simulation perhaps. Whether this is the 'best' way forward is really down to personal opinion.

I don't disagree with you here, compass is a little convoluted to use, but I think that this is the degree of realism they are aiming for in the game. Just having the compass pop up over the screen like in the mod is a tad unrealistic, even if it is more user-friendly. It's not so clunky for those of us playing first-person though as it stands, 3pp have to switch viewpoints to even see it. So I was just putting out an idea in keeping with that ethos. Having a Tiger Woods PGA Tour type wind indicator arrow on the screen is again, a bit unrealistic. My suggestion needn't be overcomplicated, I doubt there would be more than 8 possible wind directions and maybe 4 degrees of strength, which shouldn't need masses if animation or overhead processing. But I am no programmer so...? Perhaps the wind buffeting your ears might be a little distracting, but it would be somewhat 'realistic' - it would also add in another dynamic to being able to stalk people/prey, knowing their hearing was obscured.