Here's just a large list of things that I'd like to see added in regards to the "late game", along with things that players can work towards as tangible goals. I understand that some of these have probably been suggested in some capacity, but these are how I'd personally like them to be implemented, along with scenarios that could occur should they be added:
Restoring the Power Grid/Controlling the Power Plant - This is one that would require a lot of effort on the player's part. But let's imagine a scenario in the future where NPC's and factions have been implemented, or you're simply on a large multiplayer server with many different groups and you want to have a large project to work towards. Restoring and controlling the power grid could be an interesting late-game goal to work towards, but it also comes with many unique scenarios as well. Let's say one faction is in control of the power grid and is forcing other groups to pay tribute or else the power will be turned off for good. Power could be routed to each of the major towns, and with a flick of the switch, one of the towns now has no power. Different groups could band together in a combined effort to take back control of the power grid, or they could try and scavenge whatever fuel is left across Kentucky in order to power their own generators. It could also cause smaller groups to attack eachother, because if there are 4 small groups in say, Rosewood, and only one of them is refusing to pay tribute, maybe the other 3 like their current situation and don't want to lose power, so they wipe out the group completely and stay in the good graces of those in control of the whole grid. I know this specific suggestion has been suggested a lot, but I think there's a reason for that. People want to be able to do this, but I think the scope at which people have imagined this scenario is only scratching the surface with what the developers could come up with.
NPC Military Convoys - When listening to the Emergency Broadcast System, it sometimes discloses certain information on the movement of military groups. In the current game, this does nothing. But for future updates and the implementation of NPC's, these could be actual spawnable events that players could investigate. When the player gets to the location, they could either encounter a large group of hostile soldiers, causing a massive shoot out. Or, they could discover that the military convoy has already been overrun, and all that's waiting is a massive horde. The vehicles could be filled to the brim with weapons, medical supplies, and food, but the player will have to fight for it in order to obtain it. These could be more prevalent early game but slowly dwindle as the months pass, creating an observable timeline of the collapse of the military. Any convoys that do appear in the later game would have even more soldiers/an even larger horde, but there would also be a much bigger reward for getting through it.
Nuclear Detonation - I know that this is currently on the list of "No's" on the common suggestions thread, but I think that "Nuke" is a blanket-term for what most people would be expecting with nukes. Nukes should be a very specific, hard-to-obtain, and rare event. Not something that players could just throw around for no reason. It's also not one of the "Hard No's", so I think if done right, the developers would consider it. For my suggestion here, I'm taking inspiration from Fallout 76, which has a really interesting nuke system. In Fallout 76, you have to find eight pieces to a launch code that are scattered around the map, pick a target, and launch a nuke. This could work exactly the same in Project Zomboid, with "Military Officer/Scientist" zombies with a piece of the code on their person. Maybe 1-2 spawn in pre-determined places that never change (the secret military base, for instance), 3-6 are in completely random locations, and 7-8 are hidden somewhere in Louisville. Maybe they don't even spawn until x amount of days or months. But once a player actually acquires all of the codes, something that would be incredibly hard to pull off, they could then go to the secret military base and launch a nuke. They could choose a specific town to nuke, and the game itself chooses a few cells specifically within that town to be affected. When the nuke is launched and it hits the target after a certain countdown, all the buildings (along with player structures) within the chosen cells become burnt/caught on fire, all of the zombies within those cells die, any players caught in the area are killed, any plant-life (trees, bushes, grass) is lost, and most if not all loot is destroyed. It's a harsh, late-game threat to worry about, but it's never on your mind because it's so difficult to pull off. But then it's too late, and maybe your base is under the threat of nuclear detonation. Unlike Fallout 76, which uses "loot magic" to spawn end-game loot in the nuked areas, Project Zomboid's version would play on the "This is how you died" trend, with the nuke just being another way that you as the player can die. Maybe there was no reason, maybe someone just spent a few hundred hours trying to find the codes and picked a completely random town. Or maybe, maybe early on in the server's lifespan, you just really pissed someone off. Maybe they knew where your base was located and planned their revenge and then spent many in-game months or years planning your nuclear demise. There's no loot in it for whoever launches the nuke, there's no special reward for nuking a specific area, it's just available to those who want to put the effort in. To make this already hard-to-obtain event even harder, like Fallout 76, the code can be a scrambled bunch of letters that need to be placed in a specific order. Maybe there are more than 8 codes, maybe it's actually 16. Maybe it's random when the server is created or the amount can be chosen by the server owner. But either way, the code could be scrambled and the player would need to choose the correct word out of all the collected pieces, and if they chose incorrectly, the console could be locked for x amount of days. That way, it's more punishing and harder to successfully pull off.
Expanded Meta Events - This one is a more obvious choice, but the addition of new meta events and the expansion of current meta events could bring a lot less repetition to the game. The mod "Helicopter Events Expanded" does this well enough, but a fully-fleshed out system of not just Helicopter events, but also horde-luring, noise-making, or just plain "spook the player" events could do wonders. I'd love to see a "kidnapped" meta event. This would naturally tie into NPC's and their quests already, but going to sleep one night and thinking you're safe - only to wake up in a completely new location and finding out that you've been "kidnapped" by some random thugs. You're handcuffed, your loot has been taken and set aside in a nearby container, and you're forced to break free and escape. Maybe this only happens if you piss off a certain faction, or kill certain NPC's and their friends come looking for you. This would also probably only happen if the player is alone, because if they're with a group/faction, there are a lot more eyes watching them and protecting them, so it wouldn't make too much sense to have been kidnapped. A random horde meta event would also be interesting. Maybe there's no sound indicator for this one, it just draws a bunch of nearby zombies towards your base if you have enough barricades/food/water stored. It doesn't just have to be zombies either, it could be a group of bandits trying to steal your stuff. But things like that are more suited towards the NPC side of things in general, and I don't want to stray too far into that territory with meta event suggestions. I think the opposite of some of the current meta events in the game could be good additions too, like town-clearing meta events that push a bunch of zombies into nearby cells for a brief window. This would give players a false sense of security before ultimately, the zombies would be pushed back in as the meta event ends, making it seem like zombies are entering the town/cell from all sides.
Radio Towers - Similar to the Power Grid/Power Plant suggestion, there could be radio towers placed in key locations across the map. If the radio tower is powered (either by the power grid being turned back on or by a generator), then players could turn their radios to a certain frequency and be able to listen to messages from it. The radio tower could have a natural "NPC attraction" meta event tied to it, where if it's powered, you'll randomly get visited by some NPC's (good or bad) that either want to join you or rob you. The player in control of the radio tower could also send specific messages over the radio, sending far-reaching messages to other players in a multiplayer environment. In the late-game, however, with enough resources and skills, players/groups/factions could build their own make-shift radio towers at their bases, luring in NPC's to their actual base instead of the pre-placed radio towers mentioned earlier. These radio towers could be used in multiplayer environments to warn of horde movements, overrun locations, hostile enemies, the incoming of a helicopter, etc. There's so much possibility that can be unlocked by these being added.
Exclusion Zone Events - This specifically would only serve to make the map borders a bit more interesting, but there could be some interesting scenarios that occur if players travel to the borders of the map. One event could be a group of news-reporter NPC's camped just outside, just barely visible to the player. Maybe they're still alive and currently broadcasting, or maybe they're already dead and all that's left behind are a pile of corpses. This would be more common during the early game, but maybe during the mid-late game the player can be shot at by military NPC's hanging around just outside the exclusion zone. Then, during the very late game, all the player gets to witness is wildlife roaming the area. The player could also find certain NPC's hanging around the outskirts/map border, finding thrill-seeking NPC's who wanted to break into the exclusion zone to "see what all the fuss was about".
Tank Event - Similar to the Helicopter event, this event would spawn in and be a great annoyance to the player/one that strikes fear. Out of desperation or fear, a military soldier (or random hostile enemy) has stolen a tank and is driving through the streets firing like a mad man. Not only does the tank firing draw in tons of zombies, but this one can actually interact with the player as it's a visible vehicle. If the player is seen, the tank will target them and shoot at them, causing damage to any structures the player might be hiding in. The tank is slow moving, however, and the event will only "end" when it is surrounded by a horde, with the NPC inside shooting themselves. The tank, at that point, can be acquired by the player, but it has all the same drawbacks as mentioned before. Unlike the helicopter event, which spawns after around 5 in-game days by default, the tank event would spawn in a long time after the game's start, 6 months - a year.
Ship Crash Event - Along the large river, at some point after 3-4 months, a ship can crash against the river banks when the player is nearby. A small horde spawns on the boat, it being either a party boat stuck at sea, or a military ship that's malfunctioned. You can find a small group still alive, either partygoers unaware of the outbreak, or military soldiers fighting off the horde. If you manage to save any, they have a chance to join your faction or run off in a random direction.
Achievements - The last on this list and something I'm sure has been in the works for a while. In the current state of the game, you can live a long time but not have much else to do other than farm more food and live in a secure area. It can get boring, and while this type of playstyle may appear less often with the introduction of more and more things to do during the late game, it won't disappear entirely. There will always be the people who have "accomplished everything" and get bored, or there will be people who just farm and remain isolated, choosing that playstyle while also getting bored. It's their choice, but giving the player personal goals that they can obtain while still respecting those play-styles would be beneficial, and with achievements, it can also entice them to move beyond their current situation and explore for something more than just the thrill of fighting zombies (but also that too). The following are achievements I'd like to personally see that would compliment unique play styles:
- Withered Rose - Visit Rosewood.
- Internment - Enter the Knox Penitentiary, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- We Didn't Start the Fire - Enter the Rosewood Fire Department, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Rosewood Tourist - Kill 1,000 zombies in Rosewood.
- Rosewood Veteran - Kill 5,000 zombies in Rosewood.
- Dreadful Muldraugh - Visit Muldraugh.
- Dying Star - Enter the Sunstar Hotel, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Elementary, My Dear Zombie - Enter the Muldraugh Elementary School, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Muldraugh Tourist - Kill 1,000 zombies in Muldraugh.
- Muldraugh Veteran - Kill 5,000 zombies in Muldraugh.
- Follow the River - Visit Riverside.
- Exclusive Club - Enter the West Maple Country Club, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Four Walls and a Roof - Enter the Riverside Church, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Riverside Tourist - Kill 1,000 zombies in Riverside.
- Riverside Veteran - Kill 5,000 zombies in Riverside.
- Out West - Visit West Point.
- Public Servant - Enter the Town Hall, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Tainted Meat - Enter the West Point Spiffo's Restaurant, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- West Point Tourist - Kill 1,000 zombies in West Point.
- West Point Veteran - Kill 5,000 zombies in West Point.
- March of the Dead - Visit March Ridge.
- Show Time - Enter the Cinema, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Community Buffet - Enter the March Ridge Community Center, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- March Ridge Tourist - Kill 1,000 zombies in March Ridge.
- March Ridge Veteran - Kill 5,000 zombies in March Ridge.
- Over The Valley - Visit Valley Station.
- The Shopping Dead - Enter the Mall, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Sharp Shooting - Enter the Valley Station Shooting Range, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Valley Station Tourist - Kill 1,000 zombies in Valley Station.
- Valley Station Veteran - Kill 5,000 zombies in Valley Station.
- Welcome to Louisville - Visit Louisville.
- Focusing on Your Zeducation - Enter the LSU Campus, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Thin Dead Line - Enter the Louisville Police Station, kill all the zombies in the area, and establish a base.
- Louisville Tourist - Kill 1,000 zombies in Louisville.
- Louisville Veteran - Kill 5,000 zombies in Louisville.
- Explorer - Visit every town.
- Don't Mess With This Guy - Kill 25,000 zombies as one character.
- The Zombie's Boogeyman - Kill 50,000 zombies as one character.
- I Am Legend - Kill 100,000 zombies as one character.
- Drunken Mess - Meet your end while being utterly sh*t-faced.
- Rule #1: Cardio - Meet your end while being extremely exhausted.
- Sweet Release - Meet your end while being severely depressed.
- Dozing Into Oblivion - Meet your end while being ridiculously tired.
- Starved for Death - Meet your end while starving.
- Desert Corpse - Meet your end while dying of thirst.
- Better Dead Than Zed - While infected, drink the only cure available. You know the one.
- I Want A Refund - While wearing a bullet proof vest, get shot in the head.
- Occupied - Get trapped inside of a bathroom with a zombie in hot pursuit.
- Pacifist Run - Survive for one month and not kill a single zombie.
- Kentucky Fried Zombie - Burn 1,000 zombies.
- Scorched Earth Tactics - Burn 5,000 zombies.
- Winter Is Coming - Survive the winter.
- Winter Is Still Coming - Survive two winters.
- Winter Just Keeps Coming - Survive three winters.
- Lone Wolf - Survive one year while not in a faction.
- Strength in Numbers - Survive one year while in a faction.
- Isn't That Ironic? - Burn down a fire department.
- Mighty Zeus - Control the power grid with a faction or by yourself.
- I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Kentucky - Launch a nuke.
- I'm Sorry - Kill your spouse while they are infected.
- This Was You, Not Me - Kill your best friend.
- Mercy Kill - Kill a member of your faction while they are infected.
- You Seem Familiar - As a new character, find and kill your previous character if they became a zombie.
- No Turning Back - Kill a human NPC.
- Murderer - Kill 25 human NPC's.
- Butcher - Kill 50 human NPC's.
- Too Far Gone - Kill 100 human NPC's.
- Friend of the Dead - With a horde of at least 25 zombies following you, lead them to a faction's base.
- King of the Dead - With a horde of at least 50 zombies following you, lead them to a faction's base.
- You Are Not Safe - Sleep in a building with no barricaded windows.
- You Are Really Not Safe - Sleep outside.
