Tips, Tricks, and Newb Questions!

I have a question.

If Im looking to get a pet NPC, what do I need to do to make sure he can come with me?

For instance:
-Do I need to feed him, and can he pick up food I leave lying around for him?
-Does he drink water?
-Does he get the same benefits I do (if he drinks booze, does he get +1 str for tipsy?)
-He clearly needs to sleep.
-Does he need a seat in my car or will he simple ‘be’ with me if he is in it? God forbid I speed off with him in a trunk and he does a zombie and splats through the front windshield
-Will he retreat or use band aids if hurt?

-Does this apply to dogs and cats?
-Can other things be tamed? Like say my dermatik larva baby?

pedit:
While here, may I suggest that repairs on vehicle parts yellow or more required fresh materials on the grounds that you done tore it up? Too easy to keep my car in tippy-top shape.

[quote=“pisskop, post:12262, topic:42”]I have a question.

If Im looking to get a pet NPC, what do I need to do to make sure he can come with me?

For instance:
-Do I need to feed him, and can he pick up food I leave lying around for him?
-Does he drink water?
-Does he get the same benefits I do (if he drinks booze, does he get +1 str for tipsy?)
-He clearly needs to sleep.
-Does he need a seat in my car or will he simple ‘be’ with me if he is in it? God forbid I speed off with him in a trunk and he does a zombie and splats through the front windshield
-Will he retreat or use band aids if hurt?

-Does this apply to dogs and cats?
-Can other things be tamed? Like say my dermatik larva baby?

pedit:
While here, may I suggest that repairs on vehicle parts yellow or more required fresh materials on the grounds that you done tore it up? Too easy to keep my car in tippy-top shape.[/quote]

NPCs don’t need water nor food, I have also never seen them eating so I don’t think they can get drunk or gain any other bonuses from food. They can get poisoned and infected, they can also catch a cold. I have never seen an NPC heal himself, even when he has medical items on his inventory (but I have seen them take painkilles) and they never stop fighting unless you tell them to. They do need seats, otherwise they just splat against the inside of your car.

Dogs and cats are different, they cannot be healed (as far as I know) and the only way to control a dog is with a dog whistle.

There is no way to tame other things, you can craft Z-slaves and you can summon certain friendly creatures with artifacts but that’s it.

so folded seats above cargo holds work. Is there any way to tell if theyre strapped in? Or tell them to?

As soon as you enter a vehicle they automatically move towards the nearest seat, you can tell they are ready to go because they stop moving, and will only move once you get out of the vehicle.

Can I ask what you guys do to keep Focus up? Or do you really focus on Focus? I don’t usually have anything else but the MP3-player… and so my Focus drops pretty fast in combat, and takes some time to recover. I guess what I’m asking that is there a reliable way to keep Focus at 100 or more during combat, especially without resorting to addictive drugs?

You can take control of robots though. A chicken walker or a tank drone is one hell of a “pet”.

[quote=“BeerBeer, post:12266, topic:42”]Can I ask what you guys do to keep Focus up? Or do you really focus on Focus? I don’t usually have anything else but the MP3-player… and so my Focus drops pretty fast in combat, and takes some time to recover. I guess what I’m asking that is there a reliable way to keep Focus at 100 or more during combat, especially without resorting to addictive drugs?

You can take control of robots though. A chicken walker or a tank drone is one hell of a “pet”.[/quote]

Masochism is a solid option for keeping focus up during combat. As is drinking booze, and eating TOASTIES(Best food evar).

music. MP3 players. and booze and junk food.

Toastems and music can mitigate alcohol withdrawal.

I also ignore focus sometimes.

This right here. I only pay attention to my mood if I’m so overwrought that I can’t craft, and I only pay attention to focus if I’m looking to learn something from a source that isn’t books (since the learning benefits from reading seem totally inconsequential to your focus).

Honestly, it’s such a non-factor in most gameplay scenarios that I’d say it’d take a serious change to its implementation before it’s worth even thinking or worrying about. You might initially think that maybe higher focus would let you read faster, or do better in combat, but…

This right here. I only pay attention to my mood if I’m so overwrought that I can’t craft, and I only pay attention to focus if I’m looking to learn something from a source that isn’t books (since the learning benefits from reading seem totally inconsequential to your focus).[/quote]

Yeah, that’s me, too - combat skills (in particular) take care of themselves over time (goodness knows there’s plenty of opportunity).

If I’m grinding a skill (especially something that uses a limited resource of some kind), I’ll worry about focus. Otherwise, I pretty much don’t care.

I beat up all those child zombies and steal their chocolate bars. I pretty much always have the stereo going in my car as well.

I’m starting to think that the basis of a learning machine character are the traits Fast Metabolism, Gourmand, Optimist, Stylish… and Fast Learner of course. Then you just avoid mutating into Light Eater or installing the Recycler Unit CBM. You have to be able to eat as much good food as possible. Optimist and Stylish make sure there’s a constant Morale/Focus influx.

Eating is kind of tedious, though :confused:

The candy is a good one. Low fulfillment, some enjoyment. Although I’m not looking any more ways to wreck my health. It’s always the junk food that uplifts the morale :expressionless:

I guess one tactic would be to starve yourself before heading into big battle? Then you’d be able to eat and drink sooo much, and gain all the morale. All of it.

Dakka is always the solution when facing battle. Always dakka.

Im a fan of semi-automatic weaponry augmenting spears and clubs. And throwables like molativs and acid bombs for those thricksy situations. Worst to worst, a couple of spawnable friendlies to help out/distract and a CBMs that will kill those in front of you.

Then there are chems to snort and pain pills to pop.

Gourmand means you can eat all you want even when full, you just need more keypresses.
With metabolic interchange CBM, you can convert nutrition to energy.
Current health mechanics are easy to abuse - just pop a vitamin after eating crap.

Haven’t tried it in a long battle, but blood filter and every type of alcoholic beverage you have available (except boozeberry and other booze that gives negative enjoyment). Morale went as high as 3k with that. Finish it with spamming leukocyte breeder to make sure health stays up.

And if you have the methanol burner CBM you pretty much cover the energy cost.

That does give me a silly idea.

Time dilation - drink all the booze - leukocyte - kill group of zombies - time dilation again with the excess booze power - and so on and so forth.

Also, obviously this method will probably guarantee an alcohol addiction. Blood filter will remove the drunk status, but not the withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

[quote=“Azrad, post:12277, topic:42”]That does give me a silly idea.

Time dilation - drink all the booze - leukocyte - kill group of zombies - time dilation again with the excess booze power - and so on and so forth.

Also, obviously this method will probably guarantee an alcohol addiction. Blood filter will remove the drunk status, but not the withdrawal symptoms and cravings.[/quote]

Ethanol burner should be changed to burn alcohol off over time (like the micro-reactor), and blood filter takes all the alcohol out, so you don’t get the energy. It would make a LOT more sense.

[quote=“deoxy, post:12278, topic:42”][quote=“Azrad, post:12277, topic:42”]That does give me a silly idea.

Time dilation - drink all the booze - leukocyte - kill group of zombies - time dilation again with the excess booze power - and so on and so forth.

Also, obviously this method will probably guarantee an alcohol addiction. Blood filter will remove the drunk status, but not the withdrawal symptoms and cravings.[/quote]

Ethanol burner should be changed to burn alcohol off over time (like the micro-reactor), and blood filter takes all the alcohol out, so you don’t get the energy. It would make a LOT more sense.[/quote]

I would also suggest that it have a Power Curve too. Like the more drunk you are, the faster it builds up energy, but the faster it also burns up your alcohol. I would say that it should reduce your level of drunkenness over time. Obviously you’ll need to drink a lot of alcohol to maintain several combat CBMS.

I’m imagining now a survivor with a gallon jug of fireball whiskey in one hand, chugging it nonstop to fuel Time Dialation, and a broadsword held onehanded in the other.

Have my longest-running survivor yet by being careful (except for that one night I burned down the Home Depot by accident – so many explosions! So many dead zeds!) and studious. I have an RV parked outside my house. It needs a battery with a charge to start. I can’t seem to find one. What are my options for getting this thing going? I’ve been cram-studying Mechanics so I can make a recharging station but now I’m pretty sure I’m barking up the wrong tree.

I don’t want to just leave it because it’s in nearly perfect shape. =)

Car batteries should be relatively common. You only need like 1% charge to start, then keep the engine active for a while for alternator to fill it up.
If you can’t find any car batteries (likely due to the recent car spawn bug), you can refill the battery with the battery item, but that’s wasteful. 100 batteries should be enough - drop the rest or the entire stack will be used.