# Needful things (simple additions to improve the game)

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570>\
**Category:** The Drawing Board\
**Created:** [March 23, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570 "2014-03-23T22:36:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 150

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![iceball3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@iceball3](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/iceball3)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2981 "2016-03-17T16:13:49Z")

</div>

[quote=“troll from behind, post:2980, topic:5570”]Didn’t Doctor break through diamond wall after tryin long enough?  
Though beign able to stay safe inside your tank while the horde pounds outside does sound kinda realistic we need to add in the factor EVERY fiction has, for some reason zombies can take out tanks.  
Also doesn’t it make survival a bit boring when you can just hunker inside your APC safe from the wicked world?[/quote]Well, if a hulk or shocker moseys on over, you’re gonna have Tough Times.  
That, and once you run out of fuel and power in your tank, and all the solar panels have been smashed off, you might as well be stranded until starvation due to the overwhelming crowd outside. An interesting situation.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheFlame52](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/theflame52/32/247_2.png) [@TheFlame52](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TheFlame52)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2982 "2016-03-17T19:17:27Z")

</div>

It’s a bit silly that a basic zombie can claw through an entire tank in an hour. A week maybe, a brute maybe, but this is just too much.

As for houses, a zombie could probably break through the drywall and siding, but couldn’t collapse the whole thing by taking out the studs. Maybe make walls decay into broken walls that have a lot more damage resistance?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Flashlight\_Hoarder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Flashlight\_Hoarder](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Flashlight_Hoarder)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2983 "2016-03-18T19:54:33Z")

</div>

[quote=“TheFlame52, post:2982, topic:5570”]It’s a bit silly that a basic zombie can claw through an entire tank in an hour. A week maybe, a brute maybe, but this is just too much.

As for houses, a zombie could probably break through the drywall and siding, but couldn’t collapse the whole thing by taking out the studs. Maybe make walls decay into broken walls that have a lot more damage resistance?[/quote]

I have a question. Would Marloss Man Reborn qualify as an Organic Tank?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pisskop](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/pisskop/32/1327_2.png) [@pisskop](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/pisskop)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2984 "2016-03-19T00:31:05Z")

</div>

Well no. You cant ride him

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheFlame52](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/theflame52/32/247_2.png) [@TheFlame52](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TheFlame52)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2016, 1:20am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2985 "2016-03-19T01:20:47Z")

</div>

According to me stepping in and out of my vehicle and measuring the weight difference, MMR only weighs 120 pounds. (120 kilograms?) So I imagine him looking like a pretty normal survivor, just with some mushrooms growing out of his shoulders and then he punches a hulk through a concrete wall.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheMightyHercules](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/themightyhercules/32/340_2.png) [@TheMightyHercules](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TheMightyHercules)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2986 "2016-03-22T00:39:27Z")

</div>

With a high enough skill (3-4, Maybe 5) in Construction you can have an ability to make certain types of furniture with no nails, using techniques among the lines of these:

![](http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MjM5WDQ1MA==/%24T2eC16Z,!yME9s5qHtDoBRkOfLD1lQ~~60_1.JPG?set_id=2)

If this may seem quite “Cheaty” it could be in a book, maybe something that’s rare.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Litppunk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/litppunk/32/409_2.png) [@Litppunk](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Litppunk)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 12:53am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2987 "2016-03-22T00:53:01Z")

</div>

Those are all good joints… but I don’t think any of them are typically actually viable without some sort of attachment. Such as nails… The special joints just reinforce the corner and help keep it from being easily torn apart, making the attachment material more effective, so it only has to hold the joint in a few directions, primarily not the directions the joint is intended to be stressed, but will help with those directions as well. While it is possible to make things with joints like that and not NEED any nails, or glue, the joints would typically be significantly weaker/prone to slide apart without supervision/ maintenance jigsaw puzzling. The best use of these joints is normally to make the connecting material more effective, or in the case of items that are not going to be stressed.

Am I mistaken?

Objects using these connections would take longer to build too… I don’t see a good way to implement variable joints in furniture that would not just be more obnoxious than simply finding the nails needed. There are lots of things you can break apart for nails.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Submarine](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/submarine/32/423_2.png) [@Submarine](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Submarine)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 7:50am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2988 "2016-03-22T07:50:12Z")

</div>

Give friendly dogs a NPC ( tag ) so you can give them ( better) orders need to feed and maybe amour the dog. Would be nice if it could be trainable and / or can be used in hunting.

When a NPC becomes friends with you and it dies after a period there is a chance that it turn into a ghost.  
The Ghost isn’t visible and only show up once in a while and only when you are awake and there are no near enemy’s

It can open doors turn on lights radios and what not but always turns them off after a while so the consequences are mild when not noticed.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Zireael](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/zireael/32/956_2.png) [@Zireael](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Zireael)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 8:33am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2989 "2016-03-22T08:33:36Z")

</div>

[quote=“Litppunk, post:2987, topic:5570”]Those are all good joints… but I don’t think any of them are typically actually viable without some sort of attachment. Such as nails…  
Objects using these connections would take longer to build too… I don’t see a good way to implement variable joints in furniture that would not just be more obnoxious than simply finding the nails needed. There are lots of things you can break apart for nails.[/quote]

Dado/lap connections are used when building log houses here in Poland. AFAIK they use no nails since the way to build them was figured out before nails were made. Good point on taking longer to build, though.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Litppunk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/litppunk/32/409_2.png) [@Litppunk](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Litppunk)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 2:15pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2990 "2016-03-22T14:15:25Z")

</div>

The original Lincoln logs?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RAM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9bd4f/32.png) [@RAM](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/RAM)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2991 "2016-03-23T00:31:56Z")

</div>

You missed dove-tail/wedge joints… And yes, the main issues I see are it taking linger, requiring more precise tools, and using more materials. I guess it would also require more skill too… But certainly, I expect a lot of equipment in a great many tasks can be avoided if people are creative enough…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Litppunk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/litppunk/32/409_2.png) [@Litppunk](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Litppunk)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 1:39am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2992 "2016-03-23T01:39:31Z")

</div>

I see the main problem being why bother? This is a video game, getting that specific with things just means more menus. Maybe do some ever increasing furniture “health” scaling via higher construction levels, and just let lore take care of “you are getting better at making stronger joints, and reinforced furniture” to do more than that seems tedious.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Coolthulhu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/coolthulhu/32/2446_2.png) [@Coolthulhu](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Coolthulhu)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 11:12am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2993 "2016-03-23T11:12:28Z")

</div>

> [@Litppunk](#):
>
> I see the main problem being why bother?

Nails are rather limited in some specific environments.  
Plus, construction is one of the weakest skills out there.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Litppunk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/litppunk/32/409_2.png) [@Litppunk](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Litppunk)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 2:32pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2994 "2016-03-23T14:32:46Z")

</div>

Hmm. True. So after level 5 or so… you get the option to go nail-less at the cost of time?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![WIndburns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WIndburns](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/WIndburns)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2995 "2016-03-23T20:02:39Z")

</div>

The ability to wrestle guns from npcs like in movies where you have a suspenseful scene of two characters grabbing onto a gun with one trying to prevent it from firing on him/her while trying to take it away; and it either cuts to a fired-off gun barrel or a plug-in gun firing sound effect.

Initate the ability and have some calculated dice-roll of sucess I don’t know. It probably helps with gun-wielding npcs for new characters without much in speech.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RAM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9bd4f/32.png) [@RAM](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/RAM)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2996 "2016-03-23T21:47:24Z")

</div>

> [@Litppunk](#):
>
> I see the main problem being why bother? This is a video game, getting that specific with things just means more menus. Maybe do some ever increasing furniture “health” scaling via higher construction levels, and just let lore take care of “you are getting better at making stronger joints, and reinforced furniture” to do more than that seems tedious.

_sighs_ it does seem like rather a bother. Okay, needful simple thing, lets all combine our mind-over-matter to change the world such that dynamic recipes becomes easy to implement. Then someone can sit down for a few minutes and crank out code enough to let us have some recipes that use an equation for crafting time based upon tool quality and material availability and can produce a low-quality improvised output if the materials and catalysts are insufficient for a standard result…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Litppunk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/litppunk/32/409_2.png) [@Litppunk](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Litppunk)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2997 "2016-03-23T22:56:21Z")

</div>

That seems pretty good.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheKobold](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/thekobold/32/513_2.png) [@TheKobold](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/TheKobold)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2998 "2016-03-24T21:17:09Z")

</div>

Pill bottles. Or at least the ability to put pills in small platstic bottles.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MrQwerty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@MrQwerty](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/MrQwerty)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 10:19am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/2999 "2016-03-25T10:19:31Z")

</div>

there probably already is such a function and if there is then please tell me in what version and how to use it:  
i am looking for a way to find specific items among all the trash that i hoard in my stockpiles.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Drajean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Drajean](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Drajean)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570/3000 "2016-03-25T15:39:37Z")

</div>

I believe the default binding is “V” (Shift+v), which lets you see all items in view. I think it has a filter function for searching too.

Edit: It also shows mobs in visual range if you hit tab. The filter function “saves” its filter between uses so make sure to clear it after you found what your looking for if you don’t want to be confused by the lack of items in the list.

[Previous page](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570.md?page=149)

[Next page](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/needful-things-simple-additions-to-improve-the-game/5570.md?page=151)