I'm gonna have to disagree with everyone suggesting the loyalty box as an option for the old skins. I would like to see them come back some day, even if we can only choose one out of all the strains. But the LB really doesn't need anymore options, in my opinion, and it really doesn't seem like a good idea to put too many "exclusive" options in there. Anyone who really wants to keep getting more pets than CSC purchases allow would be left out of being able to get a skin, for example. This site allows its users to work on their pets, make HAs, battle, quest, etc. We shouldn't be forced to prioritize what we want to do just to keep something exclusive.

Maybe someday there could be an event where the prize for doing all the steps is choosing a single strain. Everyone could get the one they really want, and people who remained zombies up to this point would have their current strain and another one as a bonus. /shrug Just an idea.

But anyways, I like this, and I'm looking forward to hoarding collecting zapper skins next Morostide. :D

The best update this year. Thank you.

I just can't even express how happy I am about this whole thing. I was SO tired of not being able to make a decent HA. The wardrobe has suddenly become fun again. :D

I'm sure the people would appreciate that. I do like Andreas idea, if the Zombie part was brought back for Pandemic, having a chance to get the old strains from people who still have the virus, that would be great. That way those of us who don't care for any of the older strains can stay away from them and concentrate on the fresh meat.

From the first Pandemic, I kept my Zombie skin for three years, it wasn't that difficult to make ha's with, (the only thing that was disturbing was the no nose). So no, I don't believe that zombies have gone above and beyond and done some miraculous thing by not curing. Some Zombies are making it sound like they've done the equivalent of climbing Mt.Everest.

I think you're just bitter that you don't have full access too bad.

I can see how too many unique LB options could quickly become disheartening... after all, it does take us a long while to get each box. I still believe it could do well with having one or two more exclusive things/small account upgrades (currently pets are the only one), which is, of course, not to say the current options are bad.

If skins ever made it (zombie or not), I'd expect it to be a very small pool selection, just so people can eventually get a few extra pets and maybe get a skin too. Nothing too overwhelming that you'd have to wait 10 years to get it c: We still end up prioritizing what we want to get first (because currency isn't infinite), so as I see it, it'd be basically choosing to get a pet now and a skin later, or a skin now and a pet later~

But it could be really any other perk (I'm thinking about wardrobe perks but still!), I do agree that if there was a way to include legacy zombie skins / old ZD access, it would be a lot more fun to do it as part of a Survival event ^_^

what would you think of having the skins modified slightly and achievable through, well, achievements?

Oh, I'd be fine with that, anything that requires enough effort would work for me. Of course these couldn't be the easiest achievements ever, and should be zombie-related, but otherwise I'm good!

I see it fitting very well for a plot achievement, like suppose you're on the Underground hunting information for the SAI, then you have this puzzle/game/steps to complete and at the end you find an old crate, semi buried in a corner. You click on it to collect it and take it to the SAI, unlocking the achievement "Find the crate and take it to the SAI!", which awards you a real copy of said box. Upon opening the box, you find different vials containing all the different zombie viruses; you can then pick a single one out and get the respective skin. Plot wise, it was all part of an evil plan from Ecks that involved collecting every zombie's blood for isolating the strains and then attacking the humans with these biological weapons. The SAI thanks you profusely for finding such a thing and then proceeds on working with Louis for a REAL cure, which just happens to nullify the effects of the zombie viruses while still allowing it to run on people's blood. So from that point on, humans and zombies blood are virtually the same and eventually there's peace etc etc. ^^;

The only thing I see is that the Den yearly division would probably have to be knocked down for that, else we'd have everyone picking boobitis. xD

I don't know if they'd have zombie areas open to them though. Seeing as they didn't get these skins through actual infection they'd be more for looks than anything else. Everyone has access to the non-zombie areas but you'd still need to be actually infected for the zombie areas.

I'm just hoping to goodness there's a proper Pandemic next year sighs I'm tired of all the lovey dovey stuff x_X

To play off of Patrick Henry's quote, "Give me liberty or give me death":

Give me the undead to give me liberty (into zombie only areas)!

I'm wishing for new, permanent strains!

Ah, right, in that case it'd be a very similar skin just for the joy of using them. Well, I still think effort/zombie themed achievement applies (after all, we had to keep those skins for so long to be able to use them now!), and then for the Den... maybe at the end of the plot, when peace (or a truce) has been achieved, humans could have free access to all merchandise, for the remainder of the event, as a way to celebrate? Idk, sounds like it would be a decent compromise to let humans shop on the Den on this limited time window, and then if they need anything else during the year they have to reach out for a fellow zombie friend c:

But I agree with you, I'd really love to see some Ecks vs Skitters underground politics/"war" plot happening than just... lovey dovey stuff between him and Fantine. We get they love each other regardless of the circumstances, but SOCIETY KEEPS JUDGING HIS ROTTEN FACE I'd really like to see some more zombie activism I guess ahaha

Edit: More like a broader message of love and acceptance (and fighting for acceptance, too), regardless of the romantic content, which will be there anyway because S&F is a thing. I think it'd make the holiday a lot more inclusive to all sorts of people, not just the ones who enjoy romance ^^;

that'd be interesting actually. I'd love to see previous years' items in his shop beyond what I can access :P I'd want to see a time limit or something put on during that time though or things could become devalued a lot.

Also, yeah, I was thinking about zombie-themed achievements, too. Maybe you need to collect all the Bleer Boots or something as one suggestion. Maybe for the human candy strain you'd need so many certain items from Halfbaked XD It'd be fun to think different ideas up lol!

Maybe you and I can put our heads together in comments and make an actual suggestions thread :P

As for lovey dovey, I don't mind it between Fantine and SKITTERS but all the gushy stuff in Louis L'Amour's place...TOO MUCH PINK, MINT AND PASTEL!!! GAAAAAH!!!

This is coming out of left field after like 2 hours of sleep and far too much caffeine. I apologize if this doesn't make sense...

I'm not interested in the old skins, or the newer ones really, but I just thought up a fun way to reintroduce the old zombie skins... I don't know what the staff have planned for the next pandemic's story line but kind of like the Skelly Manor where we go through various places in the Zombie underground and learn more about the strains from the past. As we search we find clues, histories, play games, battle monsters and maybe find an explanation into the various strains and how they came about etc. Then at the end we can have the choice to unlock one of the skins.

Or if Subeta really needs money (yay daily goal), put potions of the various strains in the cash shop for some ridiculous price. People would be pissed but at least they would be out there. Or they could go in the Millionaire Center or have that weird Kumos looking thing (Louis?) make one up in his shop out of something other than candy hearts.

Idk. I'm tired! I tried!

What you think that I think, is irrelevant. Personally I think you're a Gobshite, but then it doesn't really matter what I think about you, only what you think about yourself.

This is definitely a brilliant addition to the wardrobe :D

I'm hoping that there will (eventually) be more zombie-like skins (as I can understand how they aren't able to be retroactive, and that is coming from someone who has had a different zombie strain each year), but this is brilliant :D

It should also make any future cosplay contests a bit easier too, as the coverups never looked human enough, it seemed ;)

[edit] If there was a way to unlock the older zombie strains (without giving access to the zombie den for those years - that should still be for those who are "proper" zombies from the relevant year), then I'd definitely be all for that :D :D

Although I realize it'll probably never happen, I'd love to see a way to be able to reclaim an older zombie skin, even if it's only one. I have no idea if there's a way to do it, but if the reclaimed skin(s) could include only the skin the person ended the particular event with and/or maintained for more than a week after the event, that would be cool.

Skins shouldn't be available (IMO) unless there's an indication the user wanted that particular skin enough to keep it for a while. What I mean by that is if folks cycled through three viruses in Pandemic trying to get their favorite, I don't think they should also get access to the two viruses they decided they didn't want.

I also think that if it ever becomes possible to reclaim old zombie skins, that access to Skitters NOT be included. If we're ever able to reclaim old zombie layers, that would be gift enough for me.

Besides, zombies are always willing to buy things for non-zombies at the flat rate they're purchased. Just because you can't get them yourself doesn't mean that they're unobtainable.

I found it a lot of fun, after I got over the torn-ness of whether I should cure or not because of the nose situation, to get creative on trying to find nose alternatives.

Eventually the artist that drew the Beast trunk set saved me by bringing that lovely skin out with the nose XP

Eventually I wound up with one of these two combinations:

+ +

or, if I wanted to look fair and pretty:

+ [item=Ghouls Choice Liquid Latex (Fair)] + + (for the "nose")

It just doesn't make sense that there are those complaining about access to zombie-only areas. There are way of getting any item you want from there from those players who are willing to sell them to you for what they paid.

I can understand the qualms about the nose situation, though. Oh well. Can't undo that one. It's kind of a double-edged sword. A lot of zombies are happy to have real skin back, where as others are disappointed that "zombies and others who have different skins must find other ways to cover up and nose alternatives" didn't stay in effect. You're ones I feel badly for. Kinda sucks, but what's done is done. The human skin option seems to be here to stay : /

I just want to add that having no access to a function of the site not being enjoyable is why this was changed.

Not being able to buy things from Skitters without having to locate an older zombie from at least a specific year or older to bother to purchase items is also NOT FUN.

I don't much care for the notion of this change only being half thoyght out and the fact that it's STILL causing "sides". If anything this change appears to be causing even more animosity amongst users, and frankly the attitude of some people posting with the elitest notion of if you cured then "too bad" you don't get older items, is disgusting and exactly what makes Skitters shop unfun in the past and present.

Hopefully that gets changed.

That's exactly what I was trying to tell Keith, by trying to be fair to one, he alienated even more.

Personally, I don't need any items from the den, I, knowing that I would cure myself every time, always bought multiples of each item just so I wouldn't have to hunt down people and bother them to buy me something.

That however does not stop me from having empathy for those that didn't do that or the new users who would like some of those older items and may not know how to go about getting them from generous users.

Most people that I seem to be encountering are more upset about not having the old skins than having access to the den.