One thing that breaks my immersion is the ability to log out and remove threats.
I could, of course just not do it, but I'd like it to better than that. It's like enjoying SSF more on PoE now that its an 'actual' game mode, instead of being self-enforced. It feels better that way.
On a recent random server I joined, I plowed through the game for the first time in A20.
Here are some examples of the ways I used logout to avoid certain death, these are but a few of many:
Second horde I decided to skip rooftopping it and opted instead to base build. My base failed fairly quickly and as the horde broke through my wall I exited the game. I then logged back in after a short delay and as soon as I spawned in I placed a block down in spot where the broken wall had been and improved it.
This became such a common occurrence. I do not look up any base efficiency guides or want it to be impossible for zeds to get in; they should have their fair chance too. Eventually after ironing the kinks out of a base I've built, it becomes nigh impenetrable, but getting there isn't quick. I had my base get breached multiple times, only to be able to log out, back in, and plug the hole.
I was in an unfamiliar t3 or t4 POI, already wounded and a bunch of stuff dropped into an enclosed area I was in, that I was going to be unable to get out of in time.
This situation was much less common. All of my deaths actually came from trying to slug it out because I didn't want to have to redo the POI, but there were a few that were 100% certain death, and if I felt that way I just logged and reset the room. The zombies that weren't killed revert to their original spawn points laying down and it gives you a chance to move. Sometimes it requires a bit of running/maneuvering and then another log out/back in (because you may wake them again as you spawn in).
A POI ran longer than expected on a Blood Moon day and I thought I might be able to make it back to my base in time. I was wrong and ended up logging in/out as I rode my bike home. It went something like : ride, jump off, dispatch what vultures I could, bandage and then either 1. ride again or 2. log out/back in and repeat ad naseum. Once I made it home I then delt with the horde accordingly.
This situation only happened once.
I consider myself a slightly above average player, but my in-game stats did not reflect this. On the multiplayer board, this ended up making me look like I rarely died, when in-fact I would have had many more deaths.
I never felt in real danger because of the ability to log. I would like to see some mechanism implemented to prevent this.
Here are two suggestions, and I know there are more:
1. Log out timer (ala several MMORPGs) - you click log out and wait a specified amount of time before your character is logged out
2. Unable to log out while being sensed/hunted
If the character manually disconnects another way the character persists in the game world for a specified amount of time (~30 seconds)
Obviously this does not fix single player issues that would arise from closing the game and one way to fix that might be to have zeds awake and where they were when you log back in.