Here’s a thread where I make some suggestions;
[shadow=red,left]Locations:[/shadow]
[glow=red,2,300]
Pet Shop[/glow]: Think little corner pet store.
The inside would consist of a counter with a cash register, some ‘displays’ which are wooden stands and maybe empty small cages. Maybe a small storage room in the back with cleaning supplies.
Perhaps these small cages could be used as a trap for squirrels/rabbits? Maybe then you could potentially carry the squirrels/rabbits around and use them when you need them.
Maybe zombified pets could potentially lurk inside?
Shock collars? I’m sure you can think of a use for them.
It could contain dog food, of both the canned and dry variety, both of which are edible, but you will be unhappy to eat.
(Maybe you could add cat food, just for more variety.)
Birdseed that can be ground up in a pot with water, and pressed into a sort of edible but bland ‘seed cake’, with enough survival skill that is.
Leashes that can be cut for small lengths of thin rope/string?
Maybe you can take the filters meant for fish aquariums and use them to replace the ones in your filter-mask, that is, if somewhere down the road you’d need to change the filters in those.
Metal dog dishes that you can used in place of a pot?
A plastic or glass goldfish bowl you can wear on your head, just because.
[glow=red,2,300]
Apartments[/glow]: Think small houses, interconnected and aligned in rows and sharing a hallway and a shared entrance into the building. Usually it would have a basement.
Apartments may, or may not contain the former tenants, either zombified or as NPC’s.
Maybe with a variant ‘[glow=red,2,300]Housing Project[/glow]’:
The housing project variant would be more run down, and have higher chances of containing illegal items or hostile npc’s or zombies.
[glow=red,2,300]Public Park[/glow]: You know, a park, a lot set aside as a public space. With a small and large lot variant.
Maybe it could have a pond, some restrooms, paths of concrete with park benches, a fountain, statues, trees, stuff like that.
Maybe the larger variant can have a sports field?
Batting cages with the automatic pitching machines?
Tennis courts with the tennis ball lobbing machine?
Maybe you could take those machines and use them as some kind of trap?
Like maybe you could put the pitching machine throw items in a straight line when its triggered by a tripwire? and maybe they could throw/launch more than just baseballs, I was thinking bricks or grenades even.
Perhaps there is a vacant vendors cart, with wheels and snacks ready to be snatched?
A baseball bat/tennis racket, or other sports equipment that have been left behind?
Maybe the rare chance of having any sort of item be left in the park.
[glow=red,2,300]Construction site[/glow]: Think of a lot surrounded by wooden fence, in the middle of the lot is some walls or framing, sitting unfinished, with some manual tools scattered about, maybe a lunchbox or thermos of coffee is sitting around somewhere.
Site might contain a small shack for the foreman, with a desk, light and chair inside.
The building they were working on didn’t quite get finished, however the tools and supplies being used were all left behind, its easy pickings for you.
An array of tools can be found here, You can also find bricks here.
two by fours are common here.
Find a hardhat or two, maybe steel toed boots.
Dumpsters filled with debris, like nails and scrap metal.
[shadow=red,left]Recipes/Items[/shadow]:
[glow=red,2,300]Hardtack[/glow]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardtack
Hard, dry, hardly edible and it lasts forever, its made with water and flour, and its definitely not enjoyable to eat often, but its something to eat at-least.
You’d need some survival skill and maybe some cooking skill to make this.
[glow=red,2,300]Caltrops[/glow]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltrops
Bits of metal with atleast one point facing up.
Craftable with some scrap metal, throw these down to damage enemies feet and slow enemies who pass over them. You can get hurt by them as well if you are not careful. You can hit ‘e’ on the tile they are in to pick them up, but it is time consuming. Maybe you could use a magnet?
Useful for when you are running away.
[glow=red,2,300]Magnet[/glow]: A small ceramic magnet, probably found in a hardware store or megamart, use one to quickly pick up caltrops.
It could have other uses, but I can’t think of any right now.
[glow=red,2,300]Brick[/glow]: Think of your average red brick.
Not particularly useful, but, oh so satisfying to throw.
Good for breaking windows.
Maybe they can be used in construction later on?
[glow=red,2,300]Hairspray[/glow]: For keeping your 'doo up. An item for bathrooms.
Aerosol hairspray, explodes when heated, the spray itself is also flammable.
Perhaps the hairspray can be used for some crafting recipes?
[glow=red,2,300]PVC pipe[/glow]:White pipe, commonly used in cheaper plumbing. Found in hardware stores.
Not much on its own, but useful in crafting recipes.
[glow=red,2,300]Potato Gun[/glow] Constructed with PVC pipe and used to launch potatos and other items.
Maybe a hacksaw, duct tape, superglue, a cheap lighter, and some hairspray as part of its ammo. Load in a potato and launch away. Can be used to launch items besides potatoes, including tomatoes, ears of corn, pipes bombs, splintered wood, cans of catfood, etc.
Probably doesn’t do much damage, but it probably isn’t too loud either.
Maybe there could be a better version that utilizes propane, for launching things at higher velocities with more noise?
[shadow=red,left]Enemies[/shadow]:
[glow=red,2,300]Wild boars[/glow]: mean piggies, throw a bunch of javelins into them, then butcher them, best whole roasted over a fire.
Really aggressive uncommon wild pigs
These guys are becoming a big problem in the southern United States.
[glow=red,2,300]Birds[/glow]: Assorted:
[glow=red,2,300]Pigeons[/glow] that spawn in urban areas
[glow=red,2,300]Robins[/glow], [glow=red,2,300]bluejays[/glow], [glow=red,2,300]magpies[/glow], etc for forests
Perhaps in the game a phrase will be displayed letting you know that you hear (a) bird(s) singing.
Maybe if you have decent survival or perception/intelligence, you’ll be able to tell what kind of bird it is just by the song, so instead of "You hear a bird singing, it’ll be “You hear a robin singing” Just for flavor.
Birds can have ‘alert calls’ which they sing when they see a large animal/zombie, and if your survival/intelligence/perception points/skills are high enough, you’ll be alerted to the fact that the bird has spotted something, giving you a neat little extra if your out roughing it in the woods. Bird calls do not attract zombies.
Finally a good use for your pellet/bb gun, or is it?
[glow=red,2,300][shadow=red,left]Game play changes[/shadow][/glow]:
Walls should get holes in them as they get damaged, so you can see whats on the other side.
Breakable street signs, maybe they can have some assorted names for added flavor.
Make superglue react with cotton/wool clothing, as in heating up to the point of causing burns or flame.
"Reaction with cotton
Applying cyanoacrylate to some materials made of cotton or wool (such as cotton swabs, cotton balls, and certain yarns or fabrics) results in a powerful, rapid exothermic reaction. The heat released may cause serious burns,[18] ignite the cotton product, or release irritating white smoke. Material Safety Data Sheets for cyanoacrylate instruct users not to wear cotton or wool clothing, especially cotton gloves, when applying or handling cyanoacrylates.[19]"
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate)
Maybe vegetables like potatoes should also come in sacks, meaning a sack full of them, and maybe said sacks could often be found in the basement of houses or in resturants.
I’ll probably think up some other things later on, I’ll add them to this post.
Also, gimme your input.
