CoTZ Community Update 3 addon

I will add the minimal minimap to the consideration list. Muggings are currently disabled by default, but that storyline task can still take your inventory and break those NPC indicators. Doc's main issue was that players just stare at the top-left corner, but I suspect that's mostly because of the corpse indicators. I can remove the visibility and sound detectors through the xml, so that's not a problem for existing addons that modify the texture the minimap lives on.

Since the current CU has muggings entirely disabled as default, would you mind reuploading your mugging tweaks as a Mangun's Mugging Mechanic Enabler addon or something? That way players can go get that if they like the mugging mechanic.

(get it, mugging mechanic? MANGUN? yeaaah, that's the good stuff)

If you got saved because you were somehow able to see sound, I'm not sure if I should keep the sound bar. ;)

Yeah, good point. I'll leave cosmetics out of the CU.

EDIT: I'll add the mutant meshes to TZND in a future update. I have bad experiences with relying on links to external sources, because those sources may be updated and have compatibility issues in the future. I'd rather include those models to make sure they stay available.

Thanks for the kind words, that's the stuff that keeps me going and I think I can speak for Rhons when I say we really appreciate it.

Also, I love the comment and avatar combo. That's so endearing! :D

I may do a Vanilla+ Edition someday, and yes I would use FWR. But no promises and no ETA. When the picture in my head is complete enough that I get the itch to make it real. There are a few packs like that already though, aren't there? Like Raven's?

The main problem I have with lootmoney (and to be honest also with stashes from corpses and PDAs on corpses) is that NPCs can't loot it. So a dead body is just there in the street, empty. Dead for days. NPCs have looted it, there's nothing on it. But if I just look at it (not even wanting to take anything per se) I could get free cash, the location of a stash, and if the corpse has one, possibly a PDA for more money and perhaps another stash. I was not involved in this death. I earned none of it. I don't want it.

I agree with you on the fast travel thing, in principle. Thanks for letting me know that CoC version is compatible. I won't put it in the update, because the update is essentially just supposed to be an update of the base game. But I do much prefer having to unlock destinations and traveling there for free over paying to get somewhere I haven't been yet like the Immersive Fast Travel mod does. Question though, the destinations, are they safe or is there a chance you could get absolutely destroyed as soon as you spawn? Because traveling places with the Immersive Travel Revamped addon is kind of like playing Russian Roulette. My favorite is still the time I PAID for a GUIDE to bring me somewhere, and the BASTARD walked me right into a military execution squad standing around some poor stalker who was on his knees with his hands behind his head. I spawned right next to him. :D It did not end well.

As for things like minimap, geiger noises, PDA beeps, anomaly detector beeps, all those things: I'm thinking about doing a "Training Wheels" addon. Use all of them until you feel comfortable enough to take off the training wheels. Since most or all of these options would only require a .ltx change to disable, you wouldn't even need to start a new game.

EDIT: don't let me shooting down suggestions stop you from giving more suggestions. You gave me this fast travel suggestion, and that will probably be used in Mahzra's Package as an alternative for Immersive Fast Travel, because you know what? It just plays better.

It's my role in this bit to protect what I think Doc's intentions were when he created the game, and vanilla CoTZ offers very few shortcuts.

I just spent some time with the muffled pda and geiger addon, and my ears thank you. Particularly with headphones it is much nicer.

You done good, son.

EDIT: except for the beepbeepbeeeeepbeepboop contact sound. That will not be included. Because goddamn. Have not missed those.

There will be no fast travel options in the update, but I may provide it as an option in my pack.

Right now I'm testing a pre-release build of v2.0 of my package, built on Rhons' static pack. I've not updated Rhons' other addons on top of the pack, because those came out after I started merging.

And I'm not going to start merging those updates in now, because I just KNOW the moment I release that, the next version of Rhons' pack comes out. :D NOT THIS TIME, RHONS.

This version of the pack still has the blind faith travel addon installed though. It's not so bad once you know you have to be at full health, low weight and MAXIMUM EFFORT when you spawn. Cough.

Yes. Most of these files are already in Rhons' pack, and if they would cause conflicts they get overwritten by that pack's gamedata files. Let me know if you run into any issues, but I don't expect any.

Yeah, the memorial is top of the priority list for an update, but it'll be a while before I release an update to this.

Faster tooltips is in EFT, so I might as well not bother with mine. Actually I should archive mine now that's in this. Buuuuut I will consider using the one I have in Black Bevels GUI that's wider.

I wanted to include the Better Vanilla Headlamp, but is it vanilla enough? :D I'll put it in the to be considered list.

Important NPCs Teleport on Spawn is very good, and it does what it says on the tin ... but I love Dushman's fancy slide move (whooOOOP) so much and since I use ActionAI I don't have to wait that long for them anyway, so I don't know. Mangun takes his sweet *** time coming up from the bar though, I'll give you that. I'll put it on the list and see what people say.

Lootmoney and broken weapon traders, no. They're too much. VETO.

Your comment is exactly how I hoped people would react. Thanks :D

Haha, I really dislike selling stuff to Sid because I know he screws me over. Sometimes I have to, because I just need a few Ru more for something, and he says like "That's the way to go! You made my day!" and I always tell him "Sorry Sid, that was definitely not my intention. >:("

We'll see if people speak up for the headlamp. I made it because the default was just not powerful enough for me, but I much preferred the old torch look of the light over the super white LED light of the Stronger Headlamp addon. Your comment made me realize I could have just copied CoP's default. That would have been much faster and more efficient than remaking a headlamp and testing over and over. SO THANKS. :D

The thing with the NPCs is just that it was so funny for so long, right? One of my other favorites is the army technician who runs to the center of a room, stops and turns around and then flies straight up through the ceiling to his spot on the floor above. I want players to experience that. That is prime Stalker material. And if I include the NPC Teleport tweak I take that away from them, because nobody would make an addon to restore that. Let them laugh at the silly NPCs. And eventually it will stop being funny (apparently), and then they can install that addon if they want. I may never install it. :D

ActionAI is one of my favorite addons ever and is one of the cornerstones of Mahzra's Package. Another one is Wepl's hit effects. Absolutely essential.

You're welcome!

I've also had Nimble give me the weapon he himself wanted for another mission, things like that are so silly. Funny though!

Yes, it is. It should be compatible with most anything really.

-- NOTE

It is NOT compatible (or rather, it won't do anything) with packs that use fully extracted database files. I think that's just CoTZ+, Mahzra's Package - E.A.P. Edition and E.A.P. itself, currently. Their unpacked gamedata folders override everything in database files.

My EAP Edition includes everything but the red dot (because the animated detectors in it are very pretty but they don't use the same dot texture, a headache I'm saving for another day) and the fixed randomized start location because I use an alternative start addon in which random is default.

As always, the choice is yours. Yes you can do that.

My intention is only to make the feature opt-in instead of on by default. If we manage to unjank the system it'll go straight back in as on by default, because it is one of CoTZ' defining features and I do see its potential.

I'm a big fan of alternative death scenarios, I just don't like that the only thing that can happen after you black out is that confusing, illogical and plain unfair mugging scenario. My mates could drag me back to base to patch me up. I could wake up in the medic's office. I could wake up in a room in a hostile base, where they think I'm either dead or still out cold, and I'd have to fight my way out while finding my stuff. So many possible scenarios. Doc would have branched out from the black out scene eventually, and maybe only really put mugging in as a hint to us that stuff like that is possible.

ANYWAY YES, YES YOU CAN, GO FOR IT just answer the damn question Mahzra

**** it, comment's too long now anyway. I did do quite a bit of experimentation with the mugging system, like try to make it so that instead of dying, the player would always get mugged. Didn't quite work; it triggers at a certain HP threshold and dead is dead. I did manage to make it so the player would immediately black out and get mugged after taking the slightest bit of damage, like breaking a fingernail. It was kind of hilarious, actually.

Yup, that's how I view muggings too, and I did the same thing with emergency stashes with basic supplies in case I needed them. That's the part I like about the system, because the alternative is what we have now: endlessly reloading saves without consequences and hoarding stuff we will never use but that's too useful to sell. We're preparing for some big conflict that may never happen. I have an idea for that too, but it's tricky to discuss that without spoiling it for everyone. It's quite the twist.

Thanks for the kind words. Doc left some intimidatingly large footwear to fill. We try.

Someday. There's so much stuff to look at, I take it one little thing at a time.

Saving is not the problem, it's the loading. On Ironman getting mugged may save your life, but you can still roll back to an earlier save since you didn't die and your save's still there.

Thanks a ton, it feels so nice to hear that people "get it" as to why I uploaded this community update.

I'll look into camera reanimation and actor movement mods. Maybe AREA or Dead Air has something we could, uh, draw inspiration from, one might say.

I don't think anything in the addon would cause this, so it may be the engine. But I do have to ask, is 125 fps really not enough? Jeez back in my day blablablaoldmantalk KIDS THESE DAYS I TELL YA

EDIT: have you tried adding -nofpslock to the shortcut?

You're welcome! Enjoy your ridiculously smooth journey! :D

EDIT: For other players, the reason this fine gentleman wanted to unlock the framerate is probably because he uses a high refresh rate gaming monitor, like 144Hz or higher. The max 125 fps locked framerate would cause tearing in the image on such a screen. Unlocking the framerate allows the game to achieve 144+ fps, eliminating that tearing. If he enables v-sync, anyway. G-sync? I can't keep up.

Or maybe he just wanted to see the framerate counter go up to 500 fps. Who knows.

Don't forget to max out all the video card specific settings in its drivers as well! Combined with max game settings, you should be able to make incredible screenshots of bullet tracers as they come flying towards you frame.by.frame.

EDIT:
and then he posts a glorious lushly reshaded 4K picture dominantly featuring a 144 in the top left corner

you have to really look for it though because it's so tiny