A18 infections imbalanced?

[↯Zindy⛦]

got infected on day 2 and no antibiotics can be found litterally anywhere, I even looted a drugstore. It seems even rarer to find them than A16. Beakers are also notoriously hard to find, and the moldy bread isn't even a common drop anymore. This is only relevant if you invest several points into intellect then yea science too. Also been to 2 traders and had none, not even honey. Let's not also forget that as you further search for the antibiotics you are bound to get hit a little, which raises your infection level, making it that much harder.

Is A18 infections just imbalanced or no? With how hopeless it is, I feel as if any player unlucky as me is just better off dying and dealing with the xp loss. Any others have thoughts on the new way infection works?

[JCD]

Infection is a mother right now, first play through in Navezgane and I got infected and no antibiotics anywhere went to 3 traders and the hospital, couldn't find honey either. Finally got so bad that a wolf or coyote took me down in one bite.
I then started an RWG and slightly better I've found 6 honey and had to use 2, found 1 antibiotic in a pop and pills but that's all I've seen so far.
My suggestion is keep your distance and watch the sky until you find something.

[UrbanNoodles]

I found 7 antibiotics day one uwu

[LeeIzaZombie]

Do some digging quests to avoid zombie interaction (run like hell when you find supplies) if you really want to be careful because there's a chance of being rewarded 2 anti biotics, it's also a way of earning money to buy canned food in vending machines.

Doing quests all the time is how I'm getting through fine so far but I'm killing zombies left right and center xD

[Go_Coup]

Does honey still work?

[DthBlayde]

Originally posted by Go_Coup:

Does honey still work?

Yes. But it's not an instant cure.Infection is measured by an onscreen meter, and honey removes up to 5% of the infection on a slow countdown. So assuming your infection is 5% or less, you'll be fine. Higher than that will require more honey.

[LeeIzaZombie]

Always bring honey out with you in long travels or leave in your vehicle storage, when you get infected honey will cure first if applied soon like mentioned above

[The Giving One]

Sounds like you have just been unlucky so far. I am sure that the results for beakers and antibiotics/honey are going to be different for just about everyone.

Me personally, I have done more building and crafting that looting and I have found two beakers and just one antibiotics as of now, but no honey just yet but that's me. Only on day 4, and not even out of the environmental protection yet.

[Kolljak]

ive also noticed... zombies do a sprint animation sometimes when inside... even in daytime

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by Kolljak:

ive also noticed... zombies do a sprint animation sometimes when inside... even in daytime

Sounds like rage mode for zeds.

[wakeupyouresleeping]

Traders have gave me a ♥♥♥♥ ton of herbal anti-biotics for doing dig quests and I've stocked up no a load of honey from hitting tree stumps, first air-drop had the real antibiotics too, I've got two beakers on day 5 too

[tirniel]

Same here. My character has been infected at day2, but I have been little more lucky, so founded trader with 2 honey and... working chemistry station too. So my character cure illness and has created some antibiotics for future.

[↯Zindy⛦]

Originally posted by wakeupyouresleeping:

Traders have gave me a ♥♥♥♥ ton of herbal anti-biotics for doing dig quests and I've stocked up no a load of honey from hitting tree stumps, first air-drop had the real antibiotics too, I've got two beakers on day 5 too

Originally posted by LeeIzaZombie:

Do some digging quests to avoid zombie interaction (run like hell when you find supplies) if you really want to be careful because there's a chance of being rewarded 2 anti biotics, it's also a way of earning money to buy canned food in vending machines.

Doing quests all the time is how I'm getting through fine so far but I'm killing zombies left right and center xD

gonna try doing quests and see if my luck turns around.

[jacobvandy]

I got a beaker on day one and a few of honey from looting cupboards and Shamway boxes not long after. So yeah, RNG gonna RNG. It's illogical and even a bit irresponsible to try to make claims about drop rates or balance from one short playthrough.

Infection really isn't even that much of a threat until you get way up to stage 3 and it's lowering your attributes, anyway. Stage 1 (less than 15%) does nothing to you, and stage 2 (15-60%) only slows your stamina recovery like you're thirsty. These changes are meant to make it more like a persistent minor threat that only kills you if you completely ignore it and continue exposing yourself (getting beat up by zombies, especially with low HP). It's no longer a relatively swift death sentence, and in exchange it is no longer a simple cure by popping one pill.

Still, the sense of urgency is understandable, and that's exactly the sort of thing that makes the experience more interesting. Sure, you could give up and respawn to be rid of it, but being eager to cure your illness and having trouble finding what you need is exactly the type of emergent gameplay that makes a sandbox game come to life. There have been other games that script that kind of drama into the main storyline and force you to go through it, but here it can just happen naturally.

[↯Zindy⛦]

Originally posted by jacobvandy:

I got a beaker on day one and a few of honey from looting cupboards and Shamway boxes not long after. So yeah, RNG gonna RNG. It's illogical and even a bit irresponsible to try to make claims about drop rates or balance from one short playthrough.

Infection really isn't even that much of a threat until you get way up to stage 3 and it's lowering your attributes, anyway. Stage 1 (less than 15%) does nothing to you, and stage 2 (15-60%) only slows your stamina recovery like you're thirsty. These changes are meant to make it more like a persistent minor threat that only kills you if you completely ignore it and continue exposing yourself (getting beat up by zombies, especially with low HP). It's no longer a relatively swift death sentence, and in exchange it is no longer a simple cure by popping one pill.

Still, the sense of urgency is understandable, and that's exactly the sort of thing that makes the experience more interesting. Sure, you could give up and respawn to be rid of it, but being eager to cure your illness and having trouble finding what you need is exactly the type of emergent gameplay that makes a sandbox game come to life. There have been other games that script that kind of drama into the main storyline and force you to go through it, but here it can just happen naturally.

well every minute focused on just trying to get a cure as fast as possible is time put away from doing other funner things in the game, it's called grinding, and while I see the necessity of it all, it shouldn't be dominating or overpowering on the actions of the player. This thread isn't about making a claim of what it should be like, rather more of a rhetorical question and general help thread, sorry if it looked the other way. It is A18 after all, and there is plenty of possibility of a balance issue on day 2 of the release, so it never hurts to get a general consensus.

[wakeupyouresleeping]

Originally posted by jacobvandy:

I got a beaker on day one and a few of honey from looting cupboards and Shamway boxes not long after. So yeah, RNG gonna RNG. It's illogical and even a bit irresponsible to try to make claims about drop rates or balance from one short playthrough.

Infection really isn't even that much of a threat until you get way up to stage 3 and it's lowering your attributes, anyway. Stage 1 (less than 15%) does nothing to you, and stage 2 (15-60%) only slows your stamina recovery like you're thirsty. These changes are meant to make it more like a persistent minor threat that only kills you if you completely ignore it and continue exposing yourself (getting beat up by zombies, especially with low HP). It's no longer a relatively swift death sentence, and in exchange it is no longer a simple cure by popping one pill.

Still, the sense of urgency is understandable, and that's exactly the sort of thing that makes the experience more interesting. Sure, you could give up and respawn to be rid of it, but being eager to cure your illness and having trouble finding what you need is exactly the type of emergent gameplay that makes a sandbox game come to life. There have been other games that script that kind of drama into the main storyline and force you to go through it, but here it can just happen naturally.

Yeah I think I read in the patch notes that the first (harmless) stage lasts 1 hour real-time and the second stage 14%+ lasts 3 hours real-time, so you got 4 hours from getting infected to get yourself some meds, not really a big issue, especially considering POI's have less sleepers now so looting is a little easier