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 Yes, it's a zombie game. No wait! Hear me out. State of Decay is a pretty good name for this game, but the game's working title was Class 3, a reference to The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks- a book which delighted zombie nerds all over the world and seems to have heavily influenced the developers of SoD. Why Class 3? It's the classification for a type of zombie outbreak from Brooks's book:  The Zombie Survival Guide posted:A true crisis. Class 3 outbreaks, more than any other, demonstrate the clear threat posed by the living dead. Zombies will number in the thousands, encompassing an area of several hundred miles. The duration of the attack and a possible lengthy mop-up process could last as long as several months. There will be no chance for a press blackout or cover-up. Even without media attention, the sheer magnitude of the attack will leave too many eyewitnesses. This is a fullblown battle, with law enforcement replaced by units of the regular military. A state of emergency will be declared for the infested zone, as well as the neighboring areas. Expect martial law, restricted travel, rationed supplies, federalized services, and strictly monitored communication. All these measures, however, will take time to implement. The initial phase will be one of chaos as those in power come to grips with the crisis. Riots, looting, and widespread panic will add to their difficulties, further delaying an effective response. While this is happening, those living within the infested area will be at the mercy of the undead. Isolated, abandoned, and surrounded by ghouls, they will have only themselves to depend on. Sounds fun! This is the inspiration for the game and it is the zombie-overrun zone our survivors are in. State of Decay isn't about fighting zombies, it's about surviving them. This game was talked about in terms of the player being able to develop and test their own survivial strategies in the face of the undead apocalypse. Most zombie-loving nerds have thought about what they'd do, right? Well, you can't QUITE do that, but the game is very much focused on how to stay alive and escape the zone while building and maintaining a small group of survivors. There are different home sites with different advantages, the ability to do facility upgrades, stockpile resources and materials (which are finite), recruit useful people (and ditch useless ones), etc. The game pushes you to continually use different survivors from your group, so most of the time you're not plowing through all hazards with one super-powered person. The developer, Undead Labs, impressed a lot of people with this game. Microsoft Studios is the game's publisher (and now partner), and has given Undead Labs a lot of support for developing DLC and their next game (working title: Class 4) which aims to offer the same sort of thing, but as a larger MMO experience on XBox One. LP STUFF quote:
skool, you're bad at this game. What are you doing. It's more interesting when you play like a dummy! I want to show the learning experience of the game, not zip through it like a pro. As far as the gameplay is concerned though, I'm going to leave it pretty much up in the air. It IS kind of an open-world game, and all your survivors can die through various means... but it's also pretty great when you manage to pull off something risky or somehow escape from what you think is certain death. I'll be taking cues from the thread as to what you want to see, what to do next, stupid challenges to take, and so on. It'll be fun. Breakdown and Lifeline I have the DLC so I'll probably show it, not sure what the plan is yet. Mods Mmmnot really. I didn't see any I was impressed by, and the most useful ones alter enough of the main game that I don't want to use them for an LP. However, I will be installing a mod to make the hints/tips go away, and maybe one to make Lily shut up. Educational Literature As the game is fairly inspired by The Zombie Survival Guide as well as other pop culture zombie media, I'll be dropping short excerpts from the book in most updates, if there's something relevant. Seems fitting. The Zombie Survival Guide posted:Survival is the key word to remember- not victory, not conquest, just survival. This book was not written for the police, military, or any government agency. These organizations, if they choose to recognize and prepare for the threat, will have access to resources far beyond those of private citizens. It is for them that this survival guide was written- private citizens, people with limited time and resources who nonetheless have refused to be victimized. From this book, you will learn to recognize your enemy, to choose the right weapons, about killing techniques, and about preparation and improvisation when on the defense, on the run, or on the attack. Naturally, many other skills- wilderness survival, leadership, even basic first aid- will be necessary in any encounter with the living dead. That said, knowledge is only part of the fight for survival. The rest must come from you. Personal choice, the will to live, must be paramount when the dead begin to rise. Without it, nothing will protect you. Table of Contents                                 Let's Share! You guuuuuuuys  Glory of Arioch made something so you know who the real star of this LP is:  Yoake has a theory about Omar, though:  Click here for the full 900x1474 image Hotwire (MisterMcPunchy) got his little modding fingers into his game and apparently, I'm a troublemaker (and I want to date myself?):  Click here for the full 1680x1050 image He also broke my Caballo record, in a great way:  CountZio also made an attempt! It's also wonderful. For different reasons. supermikhail is a visionary and has envisioned what is going to happen to those Caballos:  Click here for the full 1000x645 image He calls it "A variation on 'The Caballo Justice' for a confusing palette and a photoshop filter." It's no problem though, we can just get more cars from The King of Used Autos. AltaBrown has gone the extra mile (he still needs to go 20 more to work off the calories) to create and eat a chilichongadog:  Click here for the full 2448x3264 image (oh uh, did you... want instructions? Er okay...) Looks just like The Original Chilichongadog on a Stick! Except it's not on a stick. Yoake has another theory, this one about the chilichongadog:  Click here for the full 900x1273 image Survivor Stories! Jeabus Mahogany contributed a story to Episode 17! supermikhail contributed a story to Episode 18! Yoake and Jeabus Mahogany contributed stories to Episode 19! Samovar contributed a story to Episode 20! skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 08:10 on Nov 10, 2015 |
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Survivors Marcus Campbell - Weak against curbs. Has no other weaknesses. Is unstoppable. Leadership, Powerhouse (specced for Pro Wrestling, Heavy weapons, Sweep, Combat Endurance)  Ed Jones - Do we need accountants in the zombie apocalypse? You tell me, Skippy. Reflexes (specced for Sweep Kick, Bladed weapons, Leg Slice, Rage)  Isabella Mariah - Maya Three. Doesn't have Maya's looks, but does have her skills. Immediately drafted onto the "gets stuff done" team. Hunter (+shooting, +cardio, +wits), Eagle-Eyed (+shooting, specced for Rifles, Focus Aim), Taxidermist (chemistry)  Omar loving Coronado - THE Omar Coronado. Operates in Omar Time. You'll never kill his adventuring spirit. Mechanic (tools), Liked Tailgating (cook), Bad Back (-encumbrance)  Lily Ritter - You killed her undad. She likes to talk. Turns into a werewolf on the full moon. Junkie. Chain smoker. Loved movies (-cardio), Asthma attacks (-cardio)  Ashlyn Noland - Never left the house. Probably a cat lady. Quietly useful. Nimble, Fitness Guru (+cardio)  Dominga Nieminen - Shoutout to hot moms! Heh heh, "fast hands." Uh, that's about it for her. Fast Hands (+fighting)  Karen Tolbert - A drinker, a lush, AND a party girl. That's about it really. Somehow she's not dead yet. Lush (-wits)  Brody Somethingorother - Saddled with Karen, driven out by the army. Doesn't actually have kids probably. Was set up to die helping the Wilkersons but somehow survived. He's all right. I think he might have a cardio bonus maybe?  Edwin Grossman - "Don't mention clowns around him." I guess he doesn't want to see Clowning Around in the Marshall theatre, then. He's like Ed, only a winner. Powerhouse  Ana Sepulveda - She once was lost but now is found, can't search 'cos she can't see. I can't remember why I made this joke. Played Drums (+cardio), Pack a Day (-cardio)  Joseph Rassle - A mysterious traveller out of the Warp in the West. Jerk, Off the Wagon, Mechanic (tools), Liked Tailgating (cook), Tough as Nails (+vitality)  Dominic Leslie - We went to the Trumbull Valley Mystery Spot and all we got was this guy. Bro, Stylist, Storyteller, Watched Realith Shows, Fast Hands (+fighting)  Katie Hailey - She defected from the poorly-run Courthouse enclave. Cycling (+cardio), Natural Athlete (powerhouse, specced for Pro Wrestling/Rage), specced for Shotguns EXILES  Alan Gunderson - He's the kind of man who doesn't have a butt. Also an otaku. He got sad or scared or something so  and then he couldn't cut it on his own. Israel McElroy - We picked him up because he was on the way. A sullen man. We can put you back where we found you, you know. Follow-up: AND THEN WE DID.  Emmanuel Graw - Another ex-Courthouse recruit. His strength is Superman-level, but he prefers to keep it on the down low. Therefore, he was no use to us.  Frank Johnson - We lost him in the Time Void, but he clawed his way back from the beyond to rejoin us. A quiet hero. Says he's tough as nails.... tough as stupid baby nails, maybe.  Gracie Kirsten - Maya's pod person. Looked like Maya before she died. Looked like Maya after she died, too. But then she wasn't dead at all!  She'll be dead again soon. Jaiden Hyatt - I don't even know, all these guys are starting to look the same. But look! Farming! Sorry Jaiden, who needs a farmer when you've got pallets of wiener cheese? IN MEMORY OF:  Maya Torres - She murdered Colton and Strand. Her fate was better than she deserved. R.I.T.P. (Rest In Two Pieces)  Jacob Ritter - Lily's flaky brother. Was Eli's boyfriend, til Eli died and we smashed Eli's melon head in with with a crowbar. He kept being sad after that. Went out with a bang, though!  Pastor William - As pastor of Church of the Ascension, you'd think he'd have more experience with those who are risen. His death was rather ironic.  Caden O'Rourke - Why did you keep going on special zombie hunts, Caden? Why? The special zombie was in the church all along.  Sam Hoffman - We never got the chance to ask her about her big dick, but in the end, it didn't save her. It couldn't have been that great.  Thomas Ritter - Beaten-dead dad.  Wendell Higgins - Never heard of her.  Sheila Brookstone - Loving mother of three, recently separated from Charles. Holed up in her white-trimmed craftsman style home when the outbreak began, but was unable to save her children when little Thomas would not stop screaming "Spongebob Squarepants," attracting dozens of the undead. She no longer believes in God. DID THEY EVER EVEN EXIST?   Wyatt Meiss - Carrot #2 skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 08:28 on Mar 6, 2015 |
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Aug 2, 2014 10:21
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Regarding the Surveying bar: Sometimes it just doesn't show up. I have no idea why. Saying that, State of Decay has plenty of little... quirks like that. I think sometimes it just doesn't flag surveying as an objective when you climb a tower. Looking forward to the rest of this! (Speed rummage through everything!)
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Aug 2, 2014 10:56
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I was really interested in this game when it was coming out, mostly for the survival aspect. But I read somewhere that the game kept doing poo poo even while not playing, so I've been hesitant to pick it up (also my computer is dumb and runs everything really choppily). As such I've been waiting for an LP of this for a while.
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Aug 2, 2014 12:02
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I never picked up this game becuase I guess, Zombies just don't do much for me. But it acutally looks pretty neat! And the LP is neat too, Skool. Can't wait for more.
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Aug 2, 2014 12:03
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Love this game, and this looks like a fun LP. Question - is "tag along and watch my back" new? I remember being annoyed that you couldn't recruit AI companions on demand.
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Aug 2, 2014 12:45
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Kloro posted:Love this game, and this looks like a fun LP. Question - is "tag along and watch my back" new? I remember being annoyed that you couldn't recruit AI companions on demand. Yep. Latest title update added that. Also I've never heard that the 'loud noise' actually breaks an item. Where'd you hear that?
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Aug 2, 2014 12:53
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Hmmmm I'm sure the game tells you that fast searching and low wits increase your chance of breaking items while searching. It's possible I misinterpreted that to mean breaking/removing a findable item, rather than just making the breaking noise... I will do some googling when I'm not on my iPad. I'm glad there's interest in the LP! The game does advance without you, but only up to 3 days. Things happen while you're away but usually no one will die unless you're doing a horrible job generally. Mostly it is an issue of resource drain, which should be manageable with a small survivors team. Anyway! What I wanted to say was that as most of our survivors are almost entirely blank slates, I'm hoping that thread posters will have a good time crafting information and back stories about about these chumps. I can add the best stuff to the survivors section! DID Colton and strand get zombied??? HMMM Also after the next update or two I will be letting the thread influence what I do pretty heavily, if I can! So, without spoiling anything, feel free to suggest stuff to try throughout the thread. We will also be able to vote on whether certain survivors get the axe, etc.
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Aug 2, 2014 13:36
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I imagine zombie attacks are among accountants' top escape fantasy. Also, I guess whatever caused a zombie's head to become brittle also gave enhanced their hearing to be attracted by the search rustling of a bag. Maybe it's a tradeoff deal.
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Aug 2, 2014 14:26
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Mr. Highway posted:I imagine zombie attacks are among accountants' top escape fantasy. As a real-life accountant I can attest to that. I'd bludgeon any one of you with an axe handle to get away from yet another budget.
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Aug 2, 2014 16:48
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Mr. Highway posted:I imagine zombie attacks are among accountants' top escape fantasy. Their ear canals have widened so much that it has undermined the structural integrity of their skulls. There's just a big honkin' hole the size of a softball on either side of the head and a hard blow is enough to crack the whole shebang open like a leftover jack-o-lantern in late November.
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Aug 2, 2014 16:52
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Clayren posted:Their ear canals have widened so much that it has undermined the structural integrity of their skulls. There's just a big honkin' hole the size of a softball on either side of the head and a hard blow is enough to crack the whole shebang open like a leftover jack-o-lantern in late November. You seem like fun, I would like to survive a zombie apocalypse with you. Love this game, looking forward to this LP.
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Aug 2, 2014 17:16
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Drakenel posted:Yep. Latest title update added that. Wow, that would make the game both a fair bit easier and a lot more fun. I should get round to replaying it some time.
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Aug 2, 2014 20:14
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Kloro posted:Wow, that would make the game both a fair bit easier and a lot more fun. I should get round to replaying it some time. They also added an ability to certain vehicles which improves another issue a lot!
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Aug 2, 2014 20:29
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BTW, petrol bombs are what most people THINK Molotovs are, a bunch of petrol/gasoline in a bottle with a wick. 'Real' Molotov cocktails have tar or something similar so it sticks to the Soviet tank you throw it at, and drips into the exhaust vents.
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Aug 3, 2014 00:45
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Gaz-L posted:BTW, petrol bombs are what most people THINK Molotovs are, a bunch of petrol/gasoline in a bottle with a wick. 'Real' Molotov cocktails have tar or something similar so it sticks to the Soviet tank you throw it at, and drips into the exhaust vents. Actually, the most common image (in America anyway) is just straight up booze, usually the high alcohol content stuff like Vodka and poo poo.
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Aug 3, 2014 00:49
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skoolmunkee posted:They also added an ability to certain vehicles which improves another issue a lot! Oh? I wasn't sure if they added that to the main game or just the latest expansion. (I've yet to play the main game since) I think I know the tip you're talking about, and I think it was meant to infer 'you break something that makes noise' rather than an actual item. If it does destroy an item, that's kind of dickish. Glad to see someone play this game. Shame that they hyped everyone up at the idea of co-op then backpedaling on it on the grounds of 'we didn't PROMISE this feature' and instead pushed it off to their upcoming MMO. (Which if any other MMO or zombie multiplayer game with random people has taught me, this is a terrible idea. But I'm not the one with the budget.  )
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Aug 3, 2014 02:35
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Drakenel posted:Oh? I wasn't sure if they added that to the main game or just the latest expansion. (I've yet to play the main game since) It's an update applied to every part of the game but there's some achievement that's tied to doing it only on Lifeline if you are into that sort of thing. Anyway, I think this is the first time I saw someone climb up those ledges at the river never the end of the video on purpose. I always just ramped the truck over the bridge like the big dumb action hero I wanted to be.
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Aug 3, 2014 03:02
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You're gonna be grinding a lil bit at the start right? 'cause boy howdy does that simplify things later on. Though the game isn't really hard unless you get really, really unlucky. Beat it on my first try with only one death, to that one you know very well.
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Aug 3, 2014 03:25
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My fondest memory of this game involved running from three hordes simultaneously on foot, barely making it into a safehouse, and using the fine folks in there as a distraction to make it back to my home base! Looking forward to the LP!
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Aug 3, 2014 03:49
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Had a lot of fun with this game, though if people have an issue with the 'time progression when offline' thing. there is a program called Zombie Standard Time that runs the game without it.
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Aug 3, 2014 04:44
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I'll watch this. Also, I honestly kinda suck at this, so I'll see if I can watch and learn.
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Aug 3, 2014 05:29
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Deceitful Penguin posted:You're gonna be grinding a lil bit at the start right? 'cause boy howdy does that simplify things later on. Though the game isn't really hard unless you get really, really unlucky. Beat it on my first try with only one death, to that one you know very well. I'm thinking that the only things I will do for sure are try to keep enough resources that the offline time won't hurt my group, and actively recruit survivor enclaves (at least at the start). Otherwise I will leave much of the direction up to the thread if I can! If people think I should train up survivors or focus on stockpiling, ok. I can't have y'all vote on whether to do every individual mission, but I'm hoping that goal-oriented decisions will cover those. I'm honestly not too sure what the long term effect of the offline time will be on the play through, if it becomes a problem I can use zombie standard time.
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Aug 3, 2014 08:10
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skoolmunkee posted:I'm glad there's interest in the LP! The game does advance without you, but only up to 3 days. Things happen while you're away but usually no one will die unless you're doing a horrible job generally. Mostly it is an issue of resource drain, which should be manageable with a small survivors team. Yeah, it's really not that bad. Most of the complaints come from people who have to do a "perfect" run... which isn't really thematic to the zombie survival genre at all.
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Aug 3, 2014 08:56
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Skippy, as a fellow real life accountant, I have to say that I can't describe the rage I suddenly felt when you mentioned offhand a bank reconciliation not balancing.
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Aug 3, 2014 09:51
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skoolmunkee posted:I'm thinking that the only things I will do for sure are try to keep enough resources that the offline time won't hurt my group, and actively recruit survivor enclaves (at least at the start). Otherwise I will leave much of the direction up to the thread if I can! If people think I should train up survivors or focus on stockpiling, ok. I can't have y'all vote on whether to do every individual mission, but I'm hoping that goal-oriented decisions will cover those. Honestly, as long as you have a decent amount of food and don't leave a shitton of -problems- in the neighborhood for people to get caught by, everyone'll be alive by the time you get back. Cranky, probably, but a good half hour of playtime fixes that pretty easily. Only thing I'd advise you? Spend all your materials before you log off if possible. They disappear quickly for no benefit. Unrelatedly, I do hope you show off how silly powerful Marcus can be with 2 handed weapon. The man has the right skill set to make him invaluable for tackling more difficult tasks.
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Aug 3, 2014 10:18
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Colander Crotch posted:Skippy, as a fellow real life accountant, I have to say that I can't describe the rage I suddenly felt when you mentioned offhand a bank reconciliation not balancing. Thank yr lucky stars I didn't mention a cash flow statement then or I'd fear for the safety of anyone around you.
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Aug 3, 2014 10:46
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Drakenel posted:Only thing I'd advise you? Spend all your materials before you log off if possible. They disappear quickly for no benefit. Unrelatedly, I do hope you show off how silly powerful Marcus can be with 2 handed weapon. The man has the right skill set to make him invaluable for tackling more difficult tasks. Powerhouse is one of two positive traits that are fantastic to have on a character that you control directly a lot (the other being Reflexes), making Marcus a really good character to use. I'll be sure to follow this LP: State of Decay is a game that I really like despite not really being a zombie fan, and the first video was a good introduction. 
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Aug 3, 2014 12:41
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Started playing this and I'm liking it a lot. Though for some reason Maya is "hurt" in my game and has been for a while now. She has really low stamina and health (she doesn't have penalties, her max stamina and health are really low for some reason) and whenever I switch to her she acts permanently winded. I have an infirmary but it doesn't seem like it's going away.
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Aug 3, 2014 20:03
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How long have you gone not using her? And for healing "hurt" status, is it a percentage chance every so often? I haven't played this game in a while.
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Aug 3, 2014 20:22
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Wiseblood posted:Started playing this and I'm liking it a lot. Though for some reason Maya is "hurt" in my game and has been for a while now. She has really low stamina and health (she doesn't have penalties, her max stamina and health are really low for some reason) and whenever I switch to her she acts permanently winded. I have an infirmary but it doesn't seem like it's going away. Gonna offer advice in the games thread so as not to spoil things. Nerdlord Actual fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Aug 3, 2014 |
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Aug 3, 2014 21:39
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Because timing is everything, State Of Decay is now 66% off on steam.
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Aug 5, 2014 18:14
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So is the idea that it's a semi-persistent world in which stuff is happening when you're not playing it? So you have to make sure a survivor camp has enough supplies to last until you next see them? That sounds potentially interesting...
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Aug 5, 2014 20:45
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SkoolMonkee you mentioned it briefly in the LP, but when you're doing a survey and your character comments on a building you should check it out. That means there's something good there, it's usually just a pistol or some high grade glass, but sometimes it's something really exotic.Wiseblood posted:Started playing this and I'm liking it a lot. Though for some reason Maya is "hurt" in my game and has been for a while now. She has really low stamina and health (she doesn't have penalties, her max stamina and health are really low for some reason) and whenever I switch to her she acts permanently winded. I have an infirmary but it doesn't seem like it's going away. One thing you can try, if she has a enough stamina left, is running her around and tire her out even more. Sometimes things get stuck in the game.
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Aug 5, 2014 22:29
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girth brooks part 2 posted:One thing you can try, if she has a enough stamina left, is running her around and tire her out even more. Sometimes things get stuck in the game. Yeah, I mentioned doing something like that in the Games thread after Phuzzy pointed me there. I actually let a single zombie injure her which admittedly was a really risky move.
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Aug 5, 2014 22:35
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I was surprised by how fun this game ended up being! I was thinking about LPing this since it's definitely a game that deserves showing off. Looking forward to more videos!  Diogenes Bub posted:So is the idea that it's a semi-persistent world in which stuff is happening when you're not playing it? So you have to make sure a survivor camp has enough supplies to last until you next see them? When you leave the game for a bit, you'll come back and things will have changed enough to keep things interesting and give you problems to take care of. Thankfully this doesn't mean you'll load the game and half your camp is dead. Resources get used but I've never had any issue with it to the point where I had to hoard a ton of supplies before I logged off.
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Aug 5, 2014 23:14
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Colonel Corazon posted:
You should've seen it before it got patched on 360. You could not play the game for a day or two, and the majority of your supplies would be gone as well as a few survivors. It was pretty frustrating coming back and a survivor you have leveled up dies due to the simulation.
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Aug 5, 2014 23:33
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Those assholes would also eat all your twinkies.
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Aug 6, 2014 05:34
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Skippy Granola posted:Thank yr lucky stars I didn't mention a cash flow statement then or I'd fear for the safety of anyone around you. You two should relax with some nice fun control testing.
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Aug 6, 2014 06:29
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So I bit the bullet and picked the game up. Now I just need to get my PC looked at. This game is goddamn charming Skoo'.
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Aug 6, 2014 07:12
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