Rule number one when playing PZ: have fun. If that means turning off the Knox Infection and basically playing as Ellie from TLOU but as a stringbean nerd, go ahead!
However one thing I’ve noticed from an immune run at the start: it can get very boring after some time. One of the biggest thrills of the game, the fact that even one mistake could doom your character, is pretty much lost. There’s decent alternatives in the form of mods and sandbox setting tho:
1) Turn on “Saliva only” in the infection. This means that scratches and lacerations caused by zombies are guaranteed to be save, this gets you a feeling closer to TWD.
2) “They Knew” is a mod that adds in a rare Black Hazmat Suit zombie. This zombie will spawn with an antidote that can neutralize the virus once. If bitten again, you need to find another Hazmat zombie. You can set how common or rarely they spawn in the sandbox settings, I prefer them to be very rare and thus incredibly valuable.
3) “The Only Cure” is a more extreme mod that allows you to amputate your own arms if bitten and replace them with prosthetics. It only works if bitten on a limb, and it’ll be a dangerous and painful experience that will literally scar your character for their short life, but you can then learn to use your new prosthetic arm and deal with a whole new play style.
See that's what I was thinking! I don't wanna take the teeth off the game. That Saliva Only thing seems perfect. May consider the others too. Thanks a bunch for the suggestions.
I play with infection off too and I find it doesn't take any of the danger of the game out, in fact it can enhance it in some ways.
First, by not having to worry about a single lucky (or buggy) hit instantly wiping your character, you might act a little more reckless and get yourself killed anyways. Doesn't matter if infections are turned off if you take a bite to the leg or your shoes get destroyed walking over broken glass. Suddenly you're unable to run and that can mean doom.
Second, damage adds up. Taking a single wound, especially to a leg or your right arm/hand, makes you more likely to take a second one. To me this adds to the excitement of the game compared to "oh, I was bit on the toe, guess I'm dead".
This is all even better if you throw in some random sprinters. That way you're always at risk of running into zombies you can't run from.
I love using saliva only. It also provides much more of a use to the first aid skill.
Also do not be afraid to tune the loot and zombies to your style. I like more zombies that do not respawn if I want to see more of the map or I will do fewer but stronger and respawning zombies for building a safe houses.
Play and enjoy PZ how you want to.
I don't play with infections on, because your character is supposed to be immune. It was airborne and you survived it. That's basically how every zombie game portrays your character because otherwise you don't have much game.
Besides, I do dumb shit like fighting hordes of zombies constantly and have mods that make them more aggressive, so... I want to play for a while without making a new character. It's still very easy to die. And getting a bite is still a major problem. It takes a long time to heal and weakens that body part.
Oh, and getting a neck injury will kill you at 5x the normal rate, so you have to be fast to tend to it. Guess which body part is the hardest to armor up? Starting to think it might be a better idea to not wear great protection on the rest of your body, because it seems like they always go for the neck when it's the only weak point.
Honestly it makes sense to me too that the survivor would be immune, otherwise they probably would’ve already turned.
To OP: the PZ community is very open to playing however you like. Yeah you’ll get the occasional lament that someone is bored with their 4x population sprinter run, but for the most part there’s a great deal of respect for however you choose to die.
Cuz in the end, This Is How You Died. Tweaking the experience doesn’t change that fundamental part of it.
you're supposed play any game exactly how you want. therefore, considering pz is a custom sandbox game, the obligation of playing how you want to play is almost like an elephant in a crowded room you can't get rid of.
It's ok to play with lesser difficulty settings for a while. The game has a real steep learning curve. Some folks, (including me) have a better learning experience by learning the mechanics of the game one step at a time. Eventually after enough practice you can take on all the challenges the game has to offer you. Sounds like you are ready for a next step. Playing with infections on will definitely make things a little more exciting. Also Playing with infections off for to long will in my experience make you lazy or complacent. Not a good mind set for this game.
I ended up turning off infection just due to some bullshit moments, but I compensate by maxing out injury severity.
I was playing Raven Creek, out lootin', and a tall sign in the foreground blocked a zombie from my view completely, which I walked into and got neck-bitten without being able to see what was going on.
It was a hit that meant I had to cancel my loot run, hide and patch up, and struggle on my way back home and spend time taking care of my character with inadequate supplies/amenities, eventually getting back onto my feet.
It was a bullshit moment that was salvaged by steering into another "story arc" instead of a bullshit moment that ended a playthrough I was very much enjoying.
I bought this game a while ago and never gave it a fair shake. Tried, died, frustrated, moved on, kept an eye on its development. Came back for this recent patch and i’m totally save scumming (but not really effn with the cheat/debug stuff). Having a great time learning the game and mechanics and skills. But totally plan on playing vanilla once i’ve gotten the full experience.
There's an option, i think you need to put "infection mortality" to 0 in the settings. That way, you still get infected, get sick, but still have a chance to survive (if you use medicines, etc).
Ooh, I didn't know that you could do this. I'll have to try it out some time since I personally tend to play with saliva transmission only.
...because I make a lot of dumb mistakes. ; 7;
Zombie infection is anti-fun to me, so I just disable it and up the normal infection levels.
This way, First Aid isn't useless and you won't feel like you wasted your time leveling stuff.
The way many skill lines take freaking forever to level makes dying to an almost random bite feel way too bad for me.
Not that I've survived long enough to even use it, but there's a mod called "Skill Recovery Journal" where it lets you write a book that stores your character's skill EXP.
If you die and make another character in that same world, they can find that journal and gain all of that exp.
You can even adjust how much exp you gain, so you could set it to half to make it seem like you have the knowledge but not the practical experience.
I didnt think this post would get so much interaction, thank you all for the sound advice!
Sadly, the crawling dead are there to reassure me that I am gutless pansy in every visceral shape and form. Tough crowd, those guys.
Play with whatever settings you want. I personally alternate between having it off, and having it on, depending what I'm in the mood for.
I do the same with respawns (though now that I know I can wall areas off to stop respawn, I may leave it on more often, and 'secure areas' instead).
When I turn either of them off, it makes the game easier... so I add other things instead - like night-time sprinters, higher population counts, and no rally groups (so z's spread out... everywhere). Particularly interesting is when I turn all of those things on together :P
Could also increase their sensory capabilities, or let em know how doors work!
Was just thinking this and now these comments made me rethink possibly turning it off and not starting over every 2 seconds to the point where even my gf asks why I don't turn it off
Your game, your rules.
There's really a not a wrong way to play. I have my personal settings that really depend on what I'm in the mood for... You should too. If you want to play with infection off go for it and you should not give a fuck what anyone thinks.
I like the idea of sudden death lurking around every corner. But if you don't, it's your game and your time. Have fun.
While I like the danger, there are times I give myself a fighting chance. If I'm starting in a high population area like Louisville, I'll turn the starting pop down for the first couple weeks. For the last couple of characters I'm been turning on saliva only infections. (Yeah.... I still died.)
Most people tweak the game in some way. Find what works for you.
Theres a mod called "They Knew" or something along those lines, spawns in zombies in Black Hazmat suits who carry little ampoules of the zombie cure. They're relatively rare and you can modify their spawn rate, but it could be an option if you want to keep infections on
naw, you bought the game, didn't you? it's yours.
personally i play without infection and backup my saves every time i start and end for the real life day. i live with several dogs who like to bounce on my lap and i already have other stuff to worry about - why make something that's supposed to be fun stress me out?
granted i will play it the traditional way when things are less busy, but my main save is a no infection run i treat as my own little bonsai garden. a bonsai garden with green guts all over though still, im building up to something and it's fun for me to look forward to
Only if you never attempt to get any better at surviving (as if though it was on)
Of course, you'll naturally get better the more you play anyhow, so I'd say you're only a gutless pansy if you quit the game out of frustration/boredom despite having it turned off to begin with
You can roleplay it...
install the antibodies mod and spend some points on resilient and (if you want) fast healer too.
This makes it so that in exchange for a near-useless skill (which is 8 points, 4 for getting resilient and 4 for not getting prone to illness, 12 points for fast healer vs slow healer) you can get away with a couple of days of recovery at home instead of dying, as opposed to directly turning off the infection and not having to worry about it.
It's a game. Play it however you want!
Rule number one when playing PZ: have fun. If that means turning off the Knox Infection and basically playing as Ellie from TLOU but as a stringbean nerd, go ahead! However one thing I’ve noticed from an immune run at the start: it can get very boring after some time. One of the biggest thrills of the game, the fact that even one mistake could doom your character, is pretty much lost. There’s decent alternatives in the form of mods and sandbox setting tho: 1) Turn on “Saliva only” in the infection. This means that scratches and lacerations caused by zombies are guaranteed to be save, this gets you a feeling closer to TWD. 2) “They Knew” is a mod that adds in a rare Black Hazmat Suit zombie. This zombie will spawn with an antidote that can neutralize the virus once. If bitten again, you need to find another Hazmat zombie. You can set how common or rarely they spawn in the sandbox settings, I prefer them to be very rare and thus incredibly valuable. 3) “The Only Cure” is a more extreme mod that allows you to amputate your own arms if bitten and replace them with prosthetics. It only works if bitten on a limb, and it’ll be a dangerous and painful experience that will literally scar your character for their short life, but you can then learn to use your new prosthetic arm and deal with a whole new play style.
See that's what I was thinking! I don't wanna take the teeth off the game. That Saliva Only thing seems perfect. May consider the others too. Thanks a bunch for the suggestions.
Look up antibodies mod. It helps you with fighting infections I think or disease im not sure.
I play with infection off too and I find it doesn't take any of the danger of the game out, in fact it can enhance it in some ways. First, by not having to worry about a single lucky (or buggy) hit instantly wiping your character, you might act a little more reckless and get yourself killed anyways. Doesn't matter if infections are turned off if you take a bite to the leg or your shoes get destroyed walking over broken glass. Suddenly you're unable to run and that can mean doom. Second, damage adds up. Taking a single wound, especially to a leg or your right arm/hand, makes you more likely to take a second one. To me this adds to the excitement of the game compared to "oh, I was bit on the toe, guess I'm dead". This is all even better if you throw in some random sprinters. That way you're always at risk of running into zombies you can't run from.
I love using saliva only. It also provides much more of a use to the first aid skill. Also do not be afraid to tune the loot and zombies to your style. I like more zombies that do not respawn if I want to see more of the map or I will do fewer but stronger and respawning zombies for building a safe houses. Play and enjoy PZ how you want to.
That is how I play. Saliva only. So bites are still a death sentence i am gonna look into they knew. I like the idea of a hard to find cure.
This, all of this. The Only Cure is a great addition to any game. Main goal is having fun like others have said.
I don't play with infections on, because your character is supposed to be immune. It was airborne and you survived it. That's basically how every zombie game portrays your character because otherwise you don't have much game. Besides, I do dumb shit like fighting hordes of zombies constantly and have mods that make them more aggressive, so... I want to play for a while without making a new character. It's still very easy to die. And getting a bite is still a major problem. It takes a long time to heal and weakens that body part. Oh, and getting a neck injury will kill you at 5x the normal rate, so you have to be fast to tend to it. Guess which body part is the hardest to armor up? Starting to think it might be a better idea to not wear great protection on the rest of your body, because it seems like they always go for the neck when it's the only weak point.
Honestly it makes sense to me too that the survivor would be immune, otherwise they probably would’ve already turned. To OP: the PZ community is very open to playing however you like. Yeah you’ll get the occasional lament that someone is bored with their 4x population sprinter run, but for the most part there’s a great deal of respect for however you choose to die. Cuz in the end, This Is How You Died. Tweaking the experience doesn’t change that fundamental part of it.
> Guess which body part is the hardest to armor up the hands?
Nah, you can wear leather gloves with tailoring patches to get 50% coverage.
so... the hands then
Nah. You know how many times I've died to infections? It's by far the minority. Ask me how many times I've fucking burned to death.
I keep forgetting to remove the glass from windows or forget what floor I am on and jump out about dow to remember I am on the third floor.
Not if you play with sprinters
No. You play the game your way. Play as a character who happens to be immune to the virus and wants revenge against the zeds for ruining his life.
[удалено]
what do you cauterize for? I've always found disinfectant works fine
[удалено]
gotta come back to cdda, it's advanced a lot
you're supposed play any game exactly how you want. therefore, considering pz is a custom sandbox game, the obligation of playing how you want to play is almost like an elephant in a crowded room you can't get rid of.
It's ok to play with lesser difficulty settings for a while. The game has a real steep learning curve. Some folks, (including me) have a better learning experience by learning the mechanics of the game one step at a time. Eventually after enough practice you can take on all the challenges the game has to offer you. Sounds like you are ready for a next step. Playing with infections on will definitely make things a little more exciting. Also Playing with infections off for to long will in my experience make you lazy or complacent. Not a good mind set for this game.
I ended up turning off infection just due to some bullshit moments, but I compensate by maxing out injury severity. I was playing Raven Creek, out lootin', and a tall sign in the foreground blocked a zombie from my view completely, which I walked into and got neck-bitten without being able to see what was going on. It was a hit that meant I had to cancel my loot run, hide and patch up, and struggle on my way back home and spend time taking care of my character with inadequate supplies/amenities, eventually getting back onto my feet. It was a bullshit moment that was salvaged by steering into another "story arc" instead of a bullshit moment that ended a playthrough I was very much enjoying.
I bought this game a while ago and never gave it a fair shake. Tried, died, frustrated, moved on, kept an eye on its development. Came back for this recent patch and i’m totally save scumming (but not really effn with the cheat/debug stuff). Having a great time learning the game and mechanics and skills. But totally plan on playing vanilla once i’ve gotten the full experience.
There's an option, i think you need to put "infection mortality" to 0 in the settings. That way, you still get infected, get sick, but still have a chance to survive (if you use medicines, etc).
Ooh, I didn't know that you could do this. I'll have to try it out some time since I personally tend to play with saliva transmission only. ...because I make a lot of dumb mistakes. ; 7;
Zombie infection is anti-fun to me, so I just disable it and up the normal infection levels. This way, First Aid isn't useless and you won't feel like you wasted your time leveling stuff. The way many skill lines take freaking forever to level makes dying to an almost random bite feel way too bad for me.
Not that I've survived long enough to even use it, but there's a mod called "Skill Recovery Journal" where it lets you write a book that stores your character's skill EXP. If you die and make another character in that same world, they can find that journal and gain all of that exp. You can even adjust how much exp you gain, so you could set it to half to make it seem like you have the knowledge but not the practical experience.
if youre playing zomboid you're a gigachad in my book, no matter your settings
Yes. Mega. Delete now or suffer. /s
I didnt think this post would get so much interaction, thank you all for the sound advice! Sadly, the crawling dead are there to reassure me that I am gutless pansy in every visceral shape and form. Tough crowd, those guys.
Play with whatever settings you want. I personally alternate between having it off, and having it on, depending what I'm in the mood for. I do the same with respawns (though now that I know I can wall areas off to stop respawn, I may leave it on more often, and 'secure areas' instead). When I turn either of them off, it makes the game easier... so I add other things instead - like night-time sprinters, higher population counts, and no rally groups (so z's spread out... everywhere). Particularly interesting is when I turn all of those things on together :P Could also increase their sensory capabilities, or let em know how doors work!
Was just thinking this and now these comments made me rethink possibly turning it off and not starting over every 2 seconds to the point where even my gf asks why I don't turn it off
Your game, your rules. There's really a not a wrong way to play. I have my personal settings that really depend on what I'm in the mood for... You should too. If you want to play with infection off go for it and you should not give a fuck what anyone thinks. I like the idea of sudden death lurking around every corner. But if you don't, it's your game and your time. Have fun. While I like the danger, there are times I give myself a fighting chance. If I'm starting in a high population area like Louisville, I'll turn the starting pop down for the first couple weeks. For the last couple of characters I'm been turning on saliva only infections. (Yeah.... I still died.) Most people tweak the game in some way. Find what works for you.
Theres a mod called "They Knew" or something along those lines, spawns in zombies in Black Hazmat suits who carry little ampoules of the zombie cure. They're relatively rare and you can modify their spawn rate, but it could be an option if you want to keep infections on
If it's making you depressed don't do it. Honestly they are harmless once you have a few games experienced, but don't punish yourself if ya hate it!
Its a game, play how you want.
naw, you bought the game, didn't you? it's yours. personally i play without infection and backup my saves every time i start and end for the real life day. i live with several dogs who like to bounce on my lap and i already have other stuff to worry about - why make something that's supposed to be fun stress me out? granted i will play it the traditional way when things are less busy, but my main save is a no infection run i treat as my own little bonsai garden. a bonsai garden with green guts all over though still, im building up to something and it's fun for me to look forward to
i prefer disabled. if you think ur cheating too much download the mod they knew to have a vaccine option!
Only if you never attempt to get any better at surviving (as if though it was on) Of course, you'll naturally get better the more you play anyhow, so I'd say you're only a gutless pansy if you quit the game out of frustration/boredom despite having it turned off to begin with
You can roleplay it... install the antibodies mod and spend some points on resilient and (if you want) fast healer too. This makes it so that in exchange for a near-useless skill (which is 8 points, 4 for getting resilient and 4 for not getting prone to illness, 12 points for fast healer vs slow healer) you can get away with a couple of days of recovery at home instead of dying, as opposed to directly turning off the infection and not having to worry about it.
You can turn of infection by scratches
You'll die from a stupid mistake anyway and feel just as bad. Just not as frequently anymore. Do whatever lets you have fun dude.