-goes to wardrobe- -puts on crackhead skin- -puts vanishing cream on top-

Staying old school! ;)

However, this may encourage me to try the zapper for the first time ever, so I like that.

Whatever the decision about releasing old zombie skins, personally I would like to see anyone who was not a zombie at the time of this change having access to next year's (or 2014 onwards as we do have vials knocking about) Zombie Den shop items only. A little bonus for us vintage critters!

(Sorry if this was already mentioned, couldn't cope with scanning all 11 pages!)

Yep, it was completely my choice to cure. But I only cured after being told for 5+ years how there would NEVER be any other way to have a human HA again and how "being a zombie is supposed to be difficult" so there would also NEVER be options like fake noses. Cover-ups and creative makeup to give the illusion of a nose were the only options given and any complaints about the difficulties of staying a zombie were met with very vocal members telling me (and others) that if I wanted to retain the ability to buy from Skitters and use the Alchemist, I just needed to suck it up and shut up basically. When you add that to staff members repeatedly saying that that is how it would ALWAYS be...I gave in after 5 years of "working around it" and cured...like 3 weeks ago. So while this is a truly good change and I support it 100%...I am still bitter about the 180 degree flip flop from even a few weeks ago when staff was still saying something like this could/would not happen. I would not have cured if I had any inkling that this change was [I]anywhere[/I] on the horizon. If staff had said that this was a possibility, I would have stayed a zombie and held onto that possibility for however long it took to make the possibility a reality.

So yes...a very positive change for the userbase as a whole. Yes, curing was my choice. And yes, I am still very unhappy with how it all rolled out with staff abruptly changing their stance on zombies from "no no no no no no no not ever ever ever" to "hey...look what we did" literally within weeks...that just so happen to coincide with the weeks where I cured after losing any and all hope that anything even close to this could happen. Oh and the LB idea would only be ok if you got access to Skitters for the year of that skin plus all years after, imo. Since that was the big "perk" of staying a zombie, seems only fitting it would come with the skin if you chose that from your LB.

On a much more positive note though, this change will encourage me to use the zapper again. I skipped it this year since it didn't seem worth it when I had no intention of keeping the skin for more than a few days. Now I have incentive to zap again so I'll have the skins to play with whenever.

I'm going to agree that I wish there had been a little more notice staff was at least inclined to change their instance on this... I can feel the pain there, if I had chosen to cure two days ago when human bases became movable, I'd have missed out on things I technically wouldn't have to if I waited as much as another day. I'm still glad the policy changed, though, in this case.

Maybe eventually they can come up with something to give users old strains (as of now, people with zombie skins unlocked can visit the Den whenever they "choose" these skins, so having the skin option is having Den access)... in the mean time, the vials unlock the Alchemist, so it would be sweet to be able to drink one and unlock the respective skin permanently after the transformation period has passed!

Part of me is torn on that, because these vials are semi-skins and layer so nicely over other strains hi, the lotus holes over heartburn are the ugliest thing ever but it's probably my favorite combo XD, but I rather like the concept of permanently unlocking things instead of working over and over again for the same result.

I've never really loved the whole division between zombies and humans, I kinda feel it breeds lots of resentment regarding skins people loved and its practical use (that handful of items) was hardly worth the HA limitations. From this point forward I'll be happy if accessing the zombie area requires less of a sacrifice.

of course I'm not opposing a war plot that sets peace between zombies and humans next Pandemic, with Louis finding a potion that doesn't remove the zombie virus from their blood but changes their appearance to human... at least most of the time xD

I think it is a pretty neat new feature, and I can't wait to see all the lovely new skins staff will release. :)

On one hand I kinda wish there was a magic way to retroactively give people their old zombie strains (I really liked the stone one, but the crippling lack of male mouths annoyed me enough to cure), but equally that's not fair either?

Like every single year I was a zombie, then cured, so in the retroactive mindset I'd have like what... five different strains? Where zombies from year one would have 1? They'd have one after years and years of covering it up and I'd have five because I cured every year? Seems silly.

I will say, though, that this change makes me feel like Skitters thinking is silly and outdated too. If zombies can flip-flop between human and zombie than why can't all years if zombies buy all zombie den items? I mean the perk of putting up with a zombie for so long has paid off and now they can be both, so why have year restrictions on the den. It'd be nice to see the older items more easily in circulation. I'm not saying humans blah blah den, but still. If you burn half the bridge, why not finish the job?

/thinking about that idea

If LBs eventually give out zombie skins as a loyalty option, and new strains aren't a thing anymore (at least not on the same grounds old strains existed), then maybe the yearly division could go. Or is it the other way around...

I'm not one of the oldest zombies, but I know I wouldn't mind 2012 people having access to my year's stuff -- however, if 2013+ people (or people who cured) wanted permanent access to the 2009-2012 items, they'd have to use up a LB for that. That's sounding more fair to me. Use the LB to unlock a thing, I like.

I think if the yearly division goes, the LB deal becomes doable, but I'm not sure how other zombies would feel about their year's stock (and their skin, too) being opened up to others.

OMG!! it worked! thank you so much!! I was going crazy!! You are so awesome!! XOXOX 💋💞

I get where you're coming from, but loyalty boxes are tied to account age and not the time you created your account. You get your 4th loyalty box on the 4th year you created your account. But I get mine on the 4th year I created my account. These could be totally different years; there's nothing to link '4th year account was created' with '2012 zombie strains', for example. Do you get where I'm coming from? Nothing about the way we get loyalty boxes is linked to the date we created our account. It's linked to how long we've had our accounts, but nothing is pinned to the actual date it was made.

I mean, this is all just semantics, really. The site 'knows' when your account was created in other ways. There are far bigger issues, like has pointed out; like me 'having' more zombie strains than those who've stayed loyal to a diseases (plus the years when you could change your strains...). It feels like a big can of worms that is going to cause a bigger headache than it's worth.

I think this whole problem could be easily fixed by just letting all previous skins be available to everyone.

Who the hell cares if everyone has access to all years of the Zombie Den? Does it really matter? No. Who cares if 186 other people have the same skin as you? Does it really matter? No. Who cares if you kept your skin for 4 years? Does it really matter? No.

Jiminy Christmas people, this is a pet site. I don't know why the staff even have these ridiculous limitations on things.

"They can switch between zombie/human again if they want, but you can't be a zombie" Do you see how ridiculous and one-sided that sounds?

I don't even know why I'm posting, it doesn't affect me one way or the other, even if the old skins became available in the Loyalty Box, I wouldn't choose one. I cured because I didn't want the skin after the event was over. I always thought that the zombie skins should have been automatically taken away after the event was over.

From the odd point of view of someone who wishes the "nothing stays retired forever" rule would also apply to other aspects of the site (doesn't equal "ease", tho), I kind of wish we could poll all zombies about this... idk, maybe legacy zombies could get a trophy with their year (ahaha) or something.

I think from this point forward the benefits will go both ways (both zombies can look human and humans will have a much easier time shopping on the Den, even if 2015 brings full non-vial strains they will now be unlockable switches) but eh. I feel there's still room for improvement on those general zombie area/item policies ._.

This is the best. Thank you for reconsidering your stance on this!

It feels weird to make an HA without going through all the coverup ministrations that I usually do. HOW DO YOU AVATAR?? 😆

But it's okay for zombies to have everything all the time forever? You're excluding a very large portion of users on this site, for a minority of others. That you can't see the irony in what you said is sad.

I saw a lot of people in the news post who were upset about not having their old skins back, like I said, I don't care for any of the old skins, but others do. So I suggested a very easy way to reintroduce them into the system (loyalty boxes). I have no stake in this, it doesn't matter to me if or how or when you re-introduce them in the future. I simply don't care one way or the other. I'm much more stoked about the layerable base.

Again, this doesn't even affect me. I don't care for any of the skins we already have, but I am eager to see any new ones that pop up here and there.

All in all, I think that this is a great feature and look forward to seeing how it's used in the future because the possibilities are endless.

Does unique include like the first pandemic (which was the funnest, imo)? Like where the biting switched your infection depending on the strain you were bitten by and you spent the entire time trying to get bit by the one you wanted and then being a hermit until the end of the event (and playing buddy system with other zombies of the strain you wanted) to try and keep it?

... I liked that (I thought it was enjoyable, in a sick twisted way). Could be you have to get bitten by current users with those strains instead of the wear an offensive mask and F5 to get bitten. Not really unique I guess, but the wide spread panic and threats of I SWEAR IF YOU BITE ME I WILL ePUNCH YOU was fun xD

(I swear everytime I post on this board I get a forum point)

love the news, thanks... glad to know i'm not the only one who got cured prior to this development... if only... sigh

I would be very opposed to old zombie flesh being available in LB form. Or really any other way. I'm a zombie snob.

Is anyone else really happy about this? I've been really happy...... maybe too happy.....

but uh, I came here to ask about the fake limbs we can purchase from the zombie den? Did those just... disappear? I bought two legs, two arms, but when I go through the wardrobe, my fake limbs are all gone. o.o It's not that big a deal, just curious what is to happen with this feature in the middle of all the skin changes?

I'm currently a zombie and this is how I see it - I'm a zombie with a human skin covering. Think of it this way: it's glorified Ghouls Choice Liquid Latex. I think that people who have deliberately kept their strain deserves to have access to the zombie areas of the site. We persevered and lived through the alternate ways of being able to pass for humans for X amount of years. Because of this, we've finally received our reward - a full skin covering. Now, this doesn't make us anymore human as putting a hamster costume on a dog makes him a hamster. However, we're now more easily able to dress like humans now due to our faithful dedication to keeping our zombie strain through thick and thin.

If old zombie skins ever were re-introduced to Subeta, I don't think that that should give people who cured access to The Underground and Skitters for that very reason - they cured. They gave the wonderful Zombie World up for the human one. Unless staff put another Pandemic on (please please please please please...!!!!!!) and release new (or past) strains that way, enabling you to become a fully-fledged permanent zombie once again, the re-released zombie strains should act just like the zapper and other new skins coming out - they should be for fun only.

In short - zombies who stayed zombies are rewarded for their dedication to be able to finally enter the human world without detection through a full human skin covering. Zombies that cured and turned back into humans, however, should not as they should've thought twice before curing. This way it makes the zombies only areas of the site a bit more fun to those who earned it.

I fought with myself a long time whether or not to cure back when I got my one and only disease, but I stuck it out. It's unfortunate that one cured oneself, but the thought of having the whole site open to me is what kept me a zombie. If others wanted the whole site open to them, too, they should've also stayed zombies.

Not trying to sound mean here, but it just makes sense really. You know the old saying, "luck comes in two forms, both good and bad"? Works here, too. If you were lucky enough to keep your disease, you found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. If you weren't lucky enough, you struck out. It's too bad, but what can ya do? :/

Wouldn't be fair for people that chose to cure to magically gain access to the zombie areas just because this new feature is out.

It reminds me of a promotion my bank had: Get $400 when you sign up for a new account with us and apply for this new Visa card! The catch was that you couldn't be a member already nor could you close your account down once the promotion started and re-open. It was for new members only. This zombie disease situation is the exact opposite of that example. However, the example is still relevant to the situation - some are lucky and got the $400 and the others had to miss out. Some are lucky and kept their strain, others had to miss out. Not everything in life is fair. I was pretty bummed when I heard that you couldn't close your account and re-open either XD But there was nothing that could be done.

Like Keith said - you can't have everything all the time forever. There are probably a lot of players, including myself, that wish they could be a plot pirate or a plot islander. We've accepted the simple fact that we have no access to those exclusive areas as we weren't playing when those events were on. It's something you can either accept and shrug off or whine about. I'm not always in the "let sleeping dogs (or wolves) lie" category, but this time I can actually see both sides and can understand the reasonings for the way things are. I have no issues if they somehow brought slightly modified versions of all the old strains out as it'd give people a chance to play around with the skins without access to the true zombies' zombie-only areas due to curing.

I don't know if the artists that did all the zombie skins are still around or not, but I just thought that maybe the skins could be changed slightly so that, even though they'd look almost 100% like the originals, they won't be quite the same. That way, if people just want the skins for looks, they can get them through the new achievement system that gives new skins out. The only difference with this change is that they'd not be able to access zombie-only areas but still have fun with the different skin strains.