So, I played both games a fair bit, but I haven't played in quite a while. Lately I've been thinking about sod2, and I kinda want to play again a bit, but the bugs I experienced throughout my time in it thus far as well as some... Design choices I don't care for have made it really difficult to gain much motivation to come back. So I wanted to ask if I'm the only One who experiences these, and if not, if there's anything that can be done about them

So first, the bugs

I'm not 100% sure this first one is a proper bug, maybe it's intended and it's just a mechanic I don't like, not sure. Someone who is more knowledgeable please (politely) correct me if I'm wrong.

So, ferals. They're *really* strong, as they should be. If I'm not mistaken, I believe they have a mechanic where they roar as soon as they see you, which I believe is meant to let the player know a feral is after them, so you don't just get unfairly jumped from behind without counterplay. Well, I've noticed in 2, the roars seem like they're localized to the area immediately around the feral, which means if they're far enough away, I don't hear it at all. That's led to so many instances of me getting jumpscared from behind and taken to half my max health immediately, with what feels like no counterplay because of that, which is more than a little frustrating. It's that a bug? Or maybe a technical issue? I'm not super tech savvy, mayhaps it's something in the settings I've got wrong or something? I am kind of an idiot lol.

The second one is the bloaters in the road thing. This one also may just be a settings or tech power thing, once again I'm not super tech savvy lol. But the jist is, bloaters like to lay in the road sometimes as a trap for passing cars - which is fine, I'm not upset at that part. The frustrating bit is that a lot of the time, the bloaters don't render in until *after* I've already run them over 🙃 is this a bug? And if so is there any fix?

Now the mods section: basically I'm looking for any mods that do a decent job altering dialogue. I don't care for the style they went for with the dialogue personally. It'd be cool to have a mod that makes the dialogue more realistic, but even just shutting the main characters up would be fine lol.

More than that though, I'd love an overhaul to how dialogue lines are chosen generally, cuz it feels like it's almost like, pseudo-random right now, and SUPER disjointed, that absolutely *KILLS* any semblance of immersion for me.

The most obvious example for me that always springs to mind is like, those early radiant missions that are meant to get you an extra survivor or two early on, where you escort a stranded person back to their base. Sometimes that base is overrun, and you have to kill off the corpses of that person's friends/family/surviving group *with them.* In some cases, they just had to kill their own family members with their own hands. With their first dialogue line, after doing so, they're absolutely *sobbing.* They've lost *everything* in one go, possibly again. It's a heartbreaking moment, and really puts you in the moment (or it would if they weren't just standing there idly, mouth flapping while it happens, but, not the point here lol). You really feel bad for them. And then, the *very* next line out of their mouth is something to the effect of "aww man, gee golly willikers, I sure am in a pickle, haha!"

.... Okay I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get the point lol.

So, with that rant over, is there anything I can do to fix/mod any of these? For all the bad times I've had with 2, I've had a good amount of good times and fun too, which is why I really want to get back in and have fun again, but these (among other reasons) are really holding me back :(

Also, just wanted to say, it's not my intention to be insulting or mean with this post, towards the devs or the fans, or anyone, so if any part of this comes off as insulting, I deeply apologize. That is not my intention :(

The zombies are so fast in SoD1. Did they get tired of running by the time SoD2 arrived?

How do I get used to this game's mechanics after playing #2 for so long?

Ethan Toth (Known as "male_tshirt_06" or "v06" in files. He doesn’t have a name, so I gave him one myself.)

My ideas for State of Decay 3: Keep permadeath, but let us make our survivors our own

I've been playing State of Decay 2 a lot lately, and I've been thinking about some things I'd really love to see in SOD3.

First, I don't want permadeath removed. Losing a survivor can really suck, especially when it's one of your favorites, but I think death is part of what makes State of Decay so much fun. The good moments mean more because the bad moments actually matter.

That said, I'd love to see more ways for us to create and personalize our own survivors.

1. Create your own survivor🧟 Some State of Decay 3 ideas from a longtime fan

I've been thinking about some things I'd love to see in State of Decay 3. I really love what makes the series unique, especially the fact that survivors can permanently die. I don't think permadeath should be removed—it's one of the things that makes the game exciting and makes your decisions matter.

Here are a few ideas I'd love to see:

1. Create your own survivor I'd love to be able to create a survivor who actually looks like me. Being able to customize things like hair, face, clothing, voice, traits, and skills would make the character feel much more personal.

2. Keep permadeath If my created survivor dies, they should stay dead. That's part of what makes State of Decay special. However, I'd love to be able to create a new survivor afterward rather than having to rely entirely on randomly generated survivors.

3. Let created survivors have a legacy If my created survivor dies, maybe the next character I create could have some connection to them—perhaps knowing their name, being from the same group, or having a small piece of their history. It could make the loss feel meaningful without bringing the dead survivor back.

4. Bring survivors into SOD3 from previous games It would be amazing if living survivors from State of Decay and State of Decay 2 could somehow be transferred into State of Decay 3. Imagine bringing a survivor you've spent dozens of hours with into the next game.

Dead survivors would obviously remain dead. I wouldn't want to remove the consequences of permadeath.

1. Make our old communities matter If possible, I'd love some kind of system where the choices and survivors from previous games could have an impact on the next game. It would make the games feel like part of one continuing story instead of completely separate experiences.

I think these ideas could give players more freedom while still keeping the danger and unpredictability that makes State of Decay so much fun.

Undead Labs, if you ever see this: please keep permadeath, but give us more ways to make our survivors feel like they're truly OUR survivors. 🧟‍♂️❤️

What do other State of Decay fans think?

I'd love to be able to create a character that looks somewhat like me and put them into my community. Things like hair, facial features, clothing, voice, traits, and skills would be awesome to customize.

1. If my created survivor dies, let me create another one

I wouldn't want the dead character to come back. They're still permanently dead. But I'd love to be able to create a new survivor to continue playing with rather than having to hope the game randomly generates someone I like.

1. Give created survivors a legacy

Maybe if a created survivor dies, the next character I create could have some small connection to them or their story. Nothing that brings the dead survivor back—just something that makes their death feel like it mattered.

1. Let us bring living survivors from previous games into SOD3

This would be one of my biggest wishes. If I have a survivor in SOD2 that I've spent a ton of time with, I'd love to be able to transfer that survivor into SOD3.

Dead survivors would obviously stay dead. I think that would actually make the feature more meaningful.

1. Make our communities feel connected

It would be really cool if our previous communities could somehow have an impact on future playthroughs. Even little things that make it feel like we're continuing our own history would be awesome.

Basically, I don't want SOD3 to remove the things that make State of Decay special. I just want more ways to make our survivors feel like OUR survivors.

What do you guys think? Would you want something like this in SOD3?

Sorry if this is not allowed let me know