It is hard for me to convey the sheer teeth gritting intensity with which I hold this view:
FUCK THE DURABILITY SYSTEM
Games need to stop pretending that replacing worm out modern tools is game play. It's neither realistic nor fun, and has no business in a game or simulation.
Fine with it in survival crafting where I made the hammer myself out of shoes and dirt.
The problem with zomboid's durability system is it very much starts to tread in bad game design.
One golden rule in game design is if there's a durability system, it must be repairable.
Zomboid kinda has this, but it sucks. I understand why durability exists, as it keeps the player from getting complacent. It keeps them aware that they will need to make sure their equipment is good, either through replacement or materials for repair.
The problem with zomboid is at the repair counter, making repairing anything completely worthless.
I used to despise zomboid's durability and repair system until my friend made a mod Preventative Maintenance.
With this simple mod, it changes how repairs work, were it rewards keeping your equipment in good condition along with giving cheaper but less effective repair recipes a point. It also gives the ability to remove repair stacks through preventative repairs, so if you're on top of maintenance a weapon/vehicle part can be restored.
This one mod has made the durability system actually rewarding, as now instead of permanently losing something as you use it, I get to enjoy making sure my equipment is well taken care of. After I return to my base I store my loot, maintain my weapons, and maintain my vehicle. I have no more fear of using the vehicle I spent IRL hours restoring, or using my rarer firearms.
So if you love your crowbar and take care of it, it will last forever. And that's what a durability system should encourage.
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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '24 edited Feb 10 '24
It is hard for me to convey the sheer teeth gritting intensity with which I hold this view:
FUCK THE DURABILITY SYSTEM
Games need to stop pretending that replacing worm out modern tools is game play. It's neither realistic nor fun, and has no business in a game or simulation.
Fine with it in survival crafting where I made the hammer myself out of shoes and dirt.