What items should you be able to scavenge?

Just low level items - no expensive weapons at all (10)

10%

Both high level and low level items with good chances of hitting jackpot (how it used to be) (32)

32%

Both high level and low level items however with a small chance of hitting jackpot (58)

58%

 We had some interesting discussions on what kind of items you should be able to find and the frequency of these. The overall conclusion so far is that it's to easy to hit "jackpot" if you scavenge systematically.

Consequently we have adjusted the chance of finding items with a significant value f.x. a shotgun ($3000) or assault rifle ($10.000) to 1/1000 (in some cases it was 1/80). So judging from this updated item spawning system (starting from as right now) we would like to hear your input. Should scavenging just be low level items or should you be able to hit the jackpot?  

do you want to have all the weapons available in the shops, or will you limit them to what can be commonly found in the gunstores and the rest available only though scavenging? (does it seem plausible for a militia to sell their precious assault and sniper rifles?)

I want to be able to find items that are better than the normal shop items. To get stuff possibly that you can't get from stores. That I consider a Jackpot. Weapons that are a bit better than the weapon that they are supposed to be. Kinda like red text weapons from borderlands, without the abilities. Just the concept of maybe being able to get better versions of weapons from jackpots.

I voted just low level stuff to help out the newbies - Lots of rocks and bricks, some canned food, candy and energy drinks, occasionally some ammo, painkillers and caffiene pills. Some good melee weapons like a shovel, baseball bat or fire axe as well. But no assault rifles - perhaps a very occasional find like a classic revolver or double barrel shotgun - If I'm going to get out of my car during a zombie apocalypse I'm sure as hell not going to leave my gun behind.

unless you're infected

Posted By Irus on 14 May 2010 05:01 AM
I want to be able to find items that are better than the normal shop items. To get stuff possibly that you can't get from stores. That I consider a Jackpot. Weapons that are a bit better than the weapon that they are supposed to be. Kinda like red text weapons from borderlands, without the abilities. Just the concept of maybe being able to get better versions of weapons from jackpots.

I really like this idea and I would like to add that I think the higher your level and/or skill should enable you to find better items. The carrot for newbies of being able to find better items the longer they stay with the game and the opportunity for the older more seasoned player to hit a possible jackpot should keep people here playing for a long time IMHOP.

That is also the cool side effect to it. People will start making threads of what "super" weapons they have found and will cherish them. Savaging will have a element of playing the lottery too. You can't win if you don't play. Lol.

I found my G36 while scavenging, it served me wonderfully up until I bought my PKM. It's nice to have bought something big, bad and oh-so-shiny but there's the whooping with joy sensation of having just found something absolutely wonderful and having it all to yourself that's just above and beyond shop-bought items.

I for one would be very unhappy to log in one day to find that suddenly there's nothing nice to be gained from scavenging. It'd break my heart, I tell ya.

Want to vote for: low level items or nothin - all the time
mid level items - rarely
high-tec jackpot - very rare

BTW: want to add additional info to scavenge. I love the spray tags on the walls in locations. It would be a nice possiblity, that if you searched through an item you could spray those too and others could read additional maybe entertaining stuff out of the community, as I think that's one huge faktor in your game!

Just make scavanged items like police shotgun easy to find but hard to sell. Rare weapons from gunfreaks hidden in a place you wouldnt usually bother to check, like the broom closet. Anyone ever found something ina trash bin?

yes a 50 caliber Desert Eagle xD

I would lower the gun rate a little down, since i find a m16 every week.

I found me an M16 just yesterday.

9-13 damage, useable in close combat, 120 range, 3 shots per round, 30 bullets magazine.

I killed a 400HP Huge horde with it. And I'm level 18

Posted By testoster_one on 10-09-2010 06:51 AM
Want to vote for: low level items or nothin - all the time
mid level items - rarely
high-tec jackpot - very rare
BTW: want to add additional info to scavenge. I love the spray tags on the walls in locations. It would be a nice possiblity, that if you searched through an item you could spray those too and others could read additional maybe entertaining stuff out of the community, as I think that's one huge faktor in your game!

exactly

Lowering the gun loot rate would be good.

I always find a SCAR or two in military trucks every single day. Selling them gives me a good steady source of income.

high&low+jackpot would be the most realistic. You feel alright about the low level items, good about the high level items, and absolutely pumped when you find that really good item.

What there needs to be is a weapon tier system based on the difficulty of the map. If you are on the level 1 map then there should be low to mid level equipment. With the upper tier gear it should still be difficult to obtain, but make the odds a bit better and place it in the map 2 or map 3 areas. Perhaps the map 3 zone could have a higher probability than map two because you have to deal with more zombie hordes there.

nope, this is not boring rpg to have everything structured like that

Well if you do not add a certain level of difficulty in obtaining the items then where is the incentive to move up into the upper maps? Essentially many of the military lootables are in the level 1 map area. Furthermore, you have certain players who just go on new alts and farm the level 1 location for quality items. Once they find these quality items then they have their main account log in and pick up the item. As it is now, the game play is too exploitable and becomes redundant if all you have to do is stay in the beginning map to succeed.

I voted for high level and low level items with a small(or very small) chance of hitting jackpot.

if i get my opinion across the military and swat vehicles will disappear from most of map1, aside few special locations
they will appear in larger quantities in maps 2 and 3 in special locations ( i submitted many locations on old server, but they didn't got through to new server)
also i would increase the drop rates in higher maps, but increase risk of attack
police vehicles will be all over, but larger concentrations in higher maps

the thing i want to say is, there are no magical barriers/areas that grant better items
the chances should be realistic, more zombies, less looters, more drops
military overrun in high maps, pulled back from low maps, so vehicles and bodies present in high maps
the bullet limits are another issue, but other features need to be adressed first

I would actually have it specific item tiers and chances to find them. 1. Common (60%)These are basicly useless stuff or close to useless. 2. Uncommon (30%) This includes stuff like the buzzenergy drink. 3. Rare (9%) These are strong weapons but not yet Uber or the premium one that you have to buy with money or scavenge This area includes normal caffeine pills. 4. Ultra Rare(1%) These include all the extremely good things such as premium things or Uber weapons(This could in clude also super powerful caffeine pills).

i think that the idea of increasing rarities is good and work well with the fact that a lot of stuff have a value of +- no dollar, and i were really happy when i found cool stuff like an hi power or good def dress.
maybe it would be nice if you get 1xp even if you didn't find nothing, i mean you learn while you do (and burning 3sp is always bad)

I completely agree with everyone who says that the chances should be dependent on Map difficulty. Map 3 is almost pointless to stay on for me because there are so many zombies that it is costing extra money to maintain my safehouse and scavenging is not improved at all. It disappoints to think you are heading into a new map with new opportunities and finding virtually nothing new or useful but only more problems. Low level guns should be found often but should sell for less, for example the Hi-Power. It is reasonable that it would be found often and provides a few hundred for selling but also can serve as a valuable weapon for new players.

all I know is the way it is now..its getting to be I dont want to scavenge anymore...I waste hundreds of sp to find a bunch of crap worth $1.
I agree it shouldnt be too easy to find good stuff but If it changes where I never have any hope..I'll never loot again. so I'm voting for all sorts of items with a small chance of jackpot

Bump. Iced fate im sorry to say but this is a dead thread And I say this to anyone else that reads this.

Fail! No offense buddy.

Hi
No nerf please big no-no
Should the game be regarded as casual gaming or hardcore?
Remember, most games with low drop rates are real time games, because it artificially increases the game lifetime.
In those kind of games it already takes ages of hardcore no-lifing to find any good stuff.
But in Zombie Pandemic whats different ? Here is the difference :the number of possible actions is already limited by SP, and SP regeneration is limited by time:
that represents less search attempts in same amount of real time !
remember each search attempt consumes 35SP that represents 3 times 35 minutes yes more than an hour and half in that 105 minutes...
How many times could you have clicked on a "search button" in a real time game ? but here in Z,P you got only 1 attempt per 105 minutes, thats the big difference !
A 1/1000 drop rate would require - on average - 1000 times 105 minutes = 105,000 real life minutes, when you're not dogged by bad luck just in order to find a good item...

Please don't nerf drop rates, it will prevent even many relentless hardcore gamers to find the items they're looking for, even should they spend their whole real life playing the game night and day. I prefer games where luck plays only a minimal role compared to players actions and cleverness.

I think the suggestions like hellslayers more interresting (map level).

what i personally would suggest is a bit different though :
"best items are most likely found in places and containers where they supposed to belong to, but they're still a decent chance to find them everywhere" thats more fun and for those who like to spend a lot of time in games, their drop rates could be improved with player levels and Smart stat. That allows more cooperative gameplay, when high level clan members stay in low level map to help their new clanmates, they still can hope finding decent stuff on a casual search (when they are not sollicited) without burning all their SP in travels between maps.

Thank you for reading

*face palm*

Hello again !
One have to learn form one's mistake and I won't hide my shame or my mistake, so be it. I mistaken Halloween with April's fools maybe. Or I'm an attention seeker or simply my lil eyes were tired the day I read the SP cost for searching .
whats fun is the so few reactions (except maybe the face palm above).

ok now we got a search cost of 3SP, thats like 9minutes real life time worth, that means you can expect if and only if you're lucky, that some good stuff drops within 1,000 attempts that represents 1000 * 9 minutes that is 9,000 minutes w00t, still there a big difference with realtime games imagine how many clicks you can do during 150 hours ? Drop rates are nerfed in the kind of realtime games I won't play anymore.
But here actions are already limited otherwise (few actions/searches per day).

1/80 was already very unlikely because 1 out of 80 is only for the lucky guys. No progress is saved between each attempt, if you try and roll 80 with a die with 80 sides, don't expect the sides with other numbers than 80 to vanish when you roll them and the die to shapeshift, theres no progress saved, each time you only got a ridiculous chance and with 1/1000 it will we like an unlikely miracle...
Also the SP for searching is bigger than that, because you have only few searchable items per area and gotta move and flee from /kill zombies to continue searching.

Come on, we only got 1 life (I guess) why wait hundreds or thousands of hours (depending on your real luck)for a virtual thing to evolve ? Have fun now and don't wait for a zombie apocalypse to happen. Thanks again for reading.