Thanks for your input and constructive criticism.

As part of the hunger system we will rebalance the hunger items making them overall more easy accessible (including easier to scavenge). More info is available in the recent blog post here: http://blog.zombiepandemic.com/Blog...ments.aspx

Besides the above listed we got 60 apartments and groceries coming which will be prime locations for food scavenging.

As part of this update we also update the health giving items making them more efficient (provide more HP) and make them easier to scavenge.

The option to enter a building will soon be available clicking the buildings on the location artwork rather than having to scroll down (that is why there is no enter button in the side bar).

Yes, the golden 1XP text feels a bit over the top, when playing a character with an unexplored map in front of you. We will look into that :-) The concept is to reward a more explorative gameplay. 

The ration was corrected (to be a hunger item) an hour ago or so. Thanks for bringing them up.

The raiders teaming up with bears and zombies bug is a bit more complex than first assumed but on the list. We hope to fix it next week.

The random attacks may seem a bit hardcore at first, but please keep providing input on how you experience it so we can balance it out. The more you scavenge on a location the higher chance of attracting zombies to attack you and map 2 and map 3 have a higher density of zombies meaning most likely entire groups will attack you.

Thanks for all your constructive input. Very helpful.

Problems with page rendering correctly and large item image showing should be solved clicking CTRL+F5 to force browser cache reload.

Health items and food items will be updated increasing their effect and making the more available (cheaper and more frequent to scavenge). Drop rates have already been improved several places and you can read more about the game balancing here:

http://blog.zombiepandemic.com/Blog...ments.aspx

The 3x3 minimap should show the fog-of-war (where you have been and not). If not try the CTRL+F5. 

The enemies and looting button in the right side menu is still there. If not try the CTRL+F5. 

The random attacks will be balanced over the coming weeks as more factors will affect how zombies are attracted. There is currently a beginner protection for up to level 5.

To sum up the algorithm it currently works in a way in which you got a certain chance of attracting the zombie groups which are located on the location. Thus if there is hordes of 40-50+ zombies roaming the location you might want to be carefull scavenging.

Going forward more factors such as smarts and other noise factors will come into play reducing the chances of getting jumped and zombie AI will also be enhanced in terms of the attacks on safe houses. The runaway chance will also be updated to include more factors and namely your agility skill and the number and speed of the zombies.

In terms of the crafting option this opens up for a lot of new features including the ability to craft your own ammo and other cool items while the upgradeable weapons systems with bayonets, extended magazines, scopes etc. being equipped to guns etc. is also related to this feature and in pipeline. We just commented in this thread if anyone is interested:

http://blog.zombiepandemic.com/Foru...fault.aspx

Posted By carlv_chua on 02-09-2011 09:32 AM
Can you please implement having either agility or smarts decrease my chances of getting random encounters?

I am open to the challenge, but there are even times when I just wanna go on my looting runs and not face a horde every 2 minutes.

Posted By latefordinner on 02-09-2011 08:44 AM
random zeds attacking while you loot is, IMHO, a very reasonable addition. Is this a completely random thing though, or is it (can it be hoped to become?) a function of a player's stealth/agility/smarts? How do we determine what makes noise, and how much?

The minimap is a potentially useful addition to the game, but it doesn't show the one thing that I would like. It doesn't show which squares the player has/hasn't visited. So it really hasn't saved me clicking back and forth between the main map and the location screen. Still, it's something i like, and i have hopes for it.

Hunger hasn't proved the handicap I thought it would, but I've only had to think about it for one day. I have managed to scavvy several cans of food. More in the past day and a half than in the previous year, I think. Is that just dumb luck, or has the looting really been changed that much? If so, I'll enjoy it while I can, because it's not going to remain so generous for long. It's a matter of days probably before it gets nerfed again.

I've seen a random mix of opponents several times these past few days. What are raiders doing in the midst of a pack of zeds? Why don't the zeds attack the raiders and give me a free money drop? A year ago i protested the same thing quite vehemently. My complaint now is just the same: not only isn't this realistic, it's just plain sloppy game design. If you want to make the game hardcore, there are saner ways to go about it.

Have I experienced a bug, or has the sidebar indicator for enemies present disappeared? Why? Why shouldn't players know that there are enemies present?

Wouldn't it be reasonable to clear a square first and then loot in peace?

shouldn't it be possible to clear a building, barricade it, and spend the night there in relative safety?

If this is intentional, it's (IMHO) a step in the wrong direction. If the idea is to reduce the number of high-level big-game-safari-zed-hunters by taking away the option to attack zombies, then prepare for a backlash. Yes, I know, I'm only one player, and not everyone shares my tainted-bloodlust, but still that is a massive change. If the random attacks on maps 2 and 3 are almost inescapable, but players remain unable to pre-emptively strike, then you may as well take all the sniper weapons out of the game today.

]Of course that may just be a localised bug, or my computer, which has been molasses slow.
On the character sheet, the stuff has spilled over the rest of the page, obscuring other things like skills I might want to upgrade. We've had (small) problems of this kind off and on since the decision to redo the character page and change it from text/list based to image based. In hindsight, I'm not convinced the improved aesthetics has been worth the aggro, but that's water under the bridge now.

Posted By Lord Simon Cross on 02-09-2011 01:53 PM
@ Spider,,,
There were 6 members in the safe house. The same average that has been there for a week or so. I am the strogest member there now, If I can not bring down a zed mob myself how can those in there with me who are weaker, armed and armored less do it? To boot when I was able to take down 1 mob 9 minutes later another showed up. I took down 2 mobs burning out my SP and HP and before I dropped the second mob a mob replaced the first.
What it still odd to me is the make up. All exactly the same. All 8 Zed mobs, all withing 6 total levels, all equal or above my character level, all within 50 feet so there is no way to avoid CC.

@Caelann,,,
How do you have such a high escape rate? Mine is either 35% or 55% depending on if its a random encounter or I started the fight. I never run because it never works. I just fight till I pass out as it cost less SP most of the time.

Posted By blperry99 on 02-09-2011 12:47 PM
Uh, uh. Sorry. This is the zombie apocalypse, not a stroll down some beach with a metal detector looking for buried treasure. Man up, strap on your PSN, Uzi and Hi-Power and get out there and kick some zombie butt.

Posted By Spiderjerusalem on 02-09-2011 07:59 PM
That's the second person I've seen complaining about the absence of the enemies icon.. but I still see the icon where it always was, right below the minimap? What am I missing here?