What about cell phones?

[Kaldrak]

I know the game is set in the 90's, but the more well dressed business people zombies should have those old brick phones from back then. I lived through that period and I definitely remember some people having them.

Come to think of it, why aren't there any regular phones in any of the houses?

Just some thoughts for later builds, maybe.

Edit: There apparently are mobile phones in the game. Must be an incredibly rare loot drop as I've never seen one.

[Animalman]

You mean briefcase phones?
I got my first cell phone at 11 around 2000 to 2001. But I agree. We should be able to call the radio when they are asking if anybody is out there to please call up. Also random phones ringing will move zombies around in residential regions, in a reusesble way, unlike house alarms, since once the house is breached and the house alarms goes off it won’t go off again. But a phone could ring multiple times. And if answering it can be a prerecorded window salesman, or reverse charge collect call, or it triggers cache spawn of some kind. Like as if you could make a friend on the other end of the phone by answering it, and although you never see him he will leave things for you at places in town. Could help depanic claustrophobia

[Sunday Driver]

Those old cell phones had terrible range and coverage at the best of times. You often had to be under a special spot in the city for it to work. We're playing in a rural area with poorer infrastructure that is in the process of rapidly collapsing. As soon as the power is off they become worthless anyway.

Perhaps for the narrative we can handwave away the phone system as collapsing too, due to the zombie outbreaks, power cuts, bandits, etc.

I'd like it if the ham radios would operate for longer and with more chatter on them. It'd be a nice part of the atmosphere for the game. A bunch of randomised messages and hearing the back and forth chatter would be really interesting and give something to do during downtime and when we're stuck in our safehouses waiting for the right time to come out.

[Animalman]

Trait -
Popular ; starts with a cellphone and a friend that calls you.

[_TheBunnymaster_]

I actually had a brick phone during this time period, in this game area. I'm all for introducing this into the game with the 'realistic brick phone physics' toggle added. Out in the open, it'll work, but everywhere else (or when it just feels like it) it won't.

[Kaldrak]

I don't care so much about the functionality, more the aesthetic. Right now there's tons of useless jewelry and wallets and such on the zombies, but it makes them feel more like they were once real people. Plus you could dismantle them for electronic scrap like the digital watches.

[Animalman]

A ha yes you could make remote detonators out of them

[_TheBunnymaster_]

Originally posted by Kaldrak:

I don't care so much about the functionality, more the aesthetic. Right now there's tons of useless jewelry and wallets and such on the zombies, but it makes them feel more like they were once real people. Plus you could dismantle them for electronic scrap like the digital watches.

I currently have a burglar with a mod that allows her to dismantle jewelry for gems and scrap precious metals that can be melted and formed into bars. With the help of a radio with higher frequencies (i.e. non-toy or cheap one) the player can exchange gold, silver or gems for stuff like weapons, ammo, soap, medicine etc. Exchange rate is ridiculous but it provides some idea of what trade between very scarce groups of survivors could represent. The author is continuing to update.

[Animalman]

There was once a rumour that you could cook an egg between two mobile phones

[_TheBunnymaster_]

Never tried that, but I did have one become a ball of fire once.

[Kaldrak]

Originally posted by _TheBunnymaster_:

Originally posted by Kaldrak:

I don't care so much about the functionality, more the aesthetic. Right now there's tons of useless jewelry and wallets and such on the zombies, but it makes them feel more like they were once real people. Plus you could dismantle them for electronic scrap like the digital watches.

I currently have a burglar with a mod that allows her to dismantle jewelry for gems and scrap precious metals that can be melted and formed into bars. With the help of a radio with higher frequencies (i.e. non-toy or cheap one) the player can exchange gold, silver or gems for stuff like weapons, ammo, soap, medicine etc. Exchange rate is ridiculous but it provides some idea of what trade between very scarce groups of survivors could represent. The author is continuing to update.

Neat.

[Animalman]

Pay phones that require money to use. You could grab a phone book to get all the numbers in a region and call some of them up to remotely move zombies you suspect might pose a problem when passing through the neighbourhood.

[Ficelle]

There are cordless phones in the game
They dont do anything and can only be dismantled, but they are there....quite rare

[Kaldrak]

Originally posted by Ficelle:

There are cordless phones in the game
They dont do anything and can only be dismantled, but they are there....quite rare

Oh? That's cool. I've never seen one.

[Ficelle]

One here
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2555539621

[_TheBunnymaster_]

Originally posted by Kaldrak:

Originally posted by Ficelle:

There are cordless phones in the game
They dont do anything and can only be dismantled, but they are there....quite rare

Oh? That's cool. I've never seen one.

Yeah, if you wanted to mod something in the game, the cordless assets would be good for a brick phone.