A deeper sickness dynamic

[NovaDose 128]

I searched the forums for something like this; but could only find similar posts...nothing to this degree.

So I like that you can get sick; but lets take it to the next level. Perhaps, this can be made more "fun" and add another dynamic to the game.

Lets give the virus stages, each stage includes the symptoms from the previous stage

1: Coughing. Max blood decreased by 2k

2: Gasping for air (similar to the panic sound file). Hunger rate +25%

3: Coughing up blood. Hunger rate +25% (total +50% rate). Skin starts to change to infected.

4: Death

The four stages of infection could be persistent and take a week or two to fully manifest. You log out, you are still infected. When you die, you don't just fall out and respawn like you've been shot. Your skin changes to that of an infected person and you can no longer be cured by antibiotics. You attack any one close enough to you and do so uncontrollably and with no exceptions (closest person gets attacked, even if you were friends). If you aren't currently agroed towards someone, you can walk around normally. As soon as you see another survivor/bandit you attack with no control. Of course, the finer points would need worked out, but you get the drift.

Could you imagine running between hospitals, trying to get antibiotics for your friend, knowing that he might turn any minute (get rid of persistence, but give it a random duration for effects to fully manifest). Or meeting a friendly infected person, then having to shoot them because they are too far advanced? I just think this would be the shit.

[Filmmaster 35]

oohhh, i see. zombie viruse. i like that. that would be awesome. but that would suck attacking people. youd be all like "kill me kill me"

[NovaDose 128]

I know right!!! You'd have to watch yourself kill your friends with nothing you can do. On top of that your friends would have to shoot you. Personally...if one of my friends was in the late stages...I would seriously be thinking about shooting them.

[Filmmaster 35]

well, thats the only thing you can do. if i was infected. i would just make my friend shoot me in the head. but how would you get sick? is there a chance from catching it from a zombie attack?

[NovaDose 128]

This is one of those "finer points" I was talking about. I have two methods in mind.

1.) The virus is air born right? Well that suggests that everyone is infected all ready. Perhaps when your temperature gets low (i.e. the current sickness causing condition) your immune system gets low enough that it starts to manifest.

2.) Like you stated, close contact with the infected.

Of course, both would work fine. You could even change the code on a smoke grenade type to be a "dirty bomb" of sorts that infects anyone who breaths it.