Edit: (I tried to cut out the flub on this, sorry was too long) To summarize, I mean give players a means of getting materials they are short on by giving up materials they have an excess of. Not a shop outright, I agree that wouldn’t fit GZ, but something.
My one thought is a system like the constantly rotating assignments, but focused on collecting a random material and giving a random material in return. I constantly have 1000+ explosive, steel, lead, adhesive, but rarely have more than 100-200 of anything else, such as thread and textile. Even if the exchanges are asymmetrical, i.e. give 200 and get 50-100 I’d still find this a valuable mechanic.
I didn’t really get your point, do you want to be able to exchange for example steel to rubber? Or do you mean use these materials to craft consumables? Because I think both of the things would do great in the crafting system!
Hmm, I don’t think this would fit GZ very well. At the moment there are a lot of highly unrealistic things in GZ already. Implementing a store to purchase X with Y sounds strange to me. Rare materials are rare for a reason although FNIX and Apo machines give plenty of that.
You make a good point, I agree shops aren’t the way to go forward with GZ, and tried making the phrasing on my post a little more clear to reflect that. Things like aluminum, plastic, tungsten and steel are easy to get your hands on while looting machines, and things like thread, textile, and others are more common while scavenging buildings, bodies and containers.
Rare things should remain rare, but for players who prefer sticking to one style of play, (I.E. those who prefer stealth and scavenging vs those who prefer big battles and brawls with machines) even some common items can become a chore to obtain, and a system such as this would accommodate those players by providing an alternate means of getting those things, without breaking immersion or forcing them to play in ways they prefer not to.