Suggestion: Zombie damage should greatly increase

[ElysionField 7]

First of all, I am not a native English speaker. Please forgive me when I make mistakes.

I am so disappointed because dayz now is just a normal individual/team deathmatch with a bigger map + zombie decorations.

Also, I have read all the dayz suggestions, and none of the suggestion talks about this issue. ( May be I missed it)

Zombies have never been a threat to players. Players, including me, can run through a village full of zombies and come out safely like nothing there.

Got bitten by a zombie couple times? a bandage + a piece of cook meat, then you back to normal like nothing happened.

Once you have a friend with couple bandages and blood bags, zombie threats can be ignored entirely.

When zombies can be ignored entirely, players start shooting each other and turn this game into COD or Battlefield.

I think of one way to solve it is to greatly increase the damage of zombies. Like in most zombie movies, got bit by a zombie is a pretty big deal. For example, if you got bit by zombie once, you are infacted and die in couple hours; if you got surrounded by couple zombies, you are dead.

In game, it would be something like this:

-1 bite 4000-6000 damaged. Automatically get a cold. Blood bag has no effect anymore unless a vaccine is applied. (like in the game, vaccine is extremely scared)

-blood lost 5 point/sec. Which means if no vaccine, you would be dead around 20 mins once you got bit by a zombie once.

-once bandaged, blood lost would be 2 point/sec. Which means if no vaccine, you would be dead about an hour once you got bit by a zombie once.

-if you got bit by zombie twice within couple sec, you die instantly.

-a recently dead player would turned into a major zombie attraction. It may last, for example 30 sec. (now we may see some heroic suicide/ shoot your teammate on the leg to save yourself)

The point is: like in the movie, once you got bitten, you are basically dead. But this is a zombie survival game! Zombies supposed to be the greatest threat of players!

[[email protected] 450]

I am so disappointed because dayz now is just a normal individual/team deathmatch with a bigger map + zombie decorations.

Also, I have read all the dayz suggestions, and none of the suggestion talks about this issue. ( May be I missed it)

LOL; no you haven't read any suggestions if you say something like that because it's one of the most discussed topics out there.

[Tarkastio 38]

You can pretty much be knocked unconcious on one hit, which equals death.

This is forced difficulty. Sure, we could make every zombie instant death, increase their health, and increase their speed, but it`ll just piss off players and not make it more interesting. If we are going to add difficulty, add it organically, such as better AI.

[ElysionField 7]

Sorry I read the summarized one and I didn't find it. what are the suggestions? Can you post me some links? Thanks

[Tarkastio 38]

Sorry I read the summarized one and I didn't find it. what are the suggestions? Can you post me some links? Thanks

I think the summarized one pretty much only accepts good suggestions.

A lot of this stuff is already in game to some degree, or already suggested.

[[email protected] 450]

Sorry I read the summarized one and I didn't find it. what are the suggestions? Can you post me some links? Thanks

Even in the summariized one there is a whole section about the Zombie behaviour.

[ElysionField 7]

You can pretty much be knocked unconcious on one hit, which equals death.

This is forced difficulty. Sure, we could make every zombie instant death, increase their health, and increase their speed, but it`ll just piss off players and not make it more interesting. If we are going to add difficulty, add it organically, such as better AI.

well, it is not about difficulty. My point is Dayz now is not a zombie survival game but a pure death match. I just want to do something to turn the players' focus back on how to survive in a zombie apocalypse, which is the selling point of Dayz.

Most of my death in Dayz are being shot; None of my death in Dayz is because of zombies. I think that is ridiculous in a zombie survival game.

[phleep99 13]

It's not the damage that is the issue. They should be able to grab players and drag them. This will make them far more terrifying as you are dragged towards the horde as you hope another survivor takes pity on you.

/Standalone Dayzdreams...

[Bombolz (DayZ) 23]

Increasing zombie stats will do almost nothing. 1-2 zombie attacks for a kill will piss off almost everyone. If you want to make zombies a threat then you should be able to grab you, preventing, or obstructing you from shooting, in other words, shoot them before they get to you. Also, getting grabbed leaves you open to other players, and especially snipers since they can spot someone easy once they see that the zombies attention is focused on someone. Anyway, if you want to make zombies more of a threat, it has to be something like his rather than increasing damage to 1-2 hit kill, but I sort of agree with you to some extent, because in the mod, right now it takes about 20-30 hits for a zombie to kill, whether you bleed, or break a leg, it's still about 20-30 hits for zombie to kill when it needs to reduced to about 10. Maybe a bit more/less, but I think 10 is a good starting point, especially so players can get used to it.

10 does sound quite a bit, but they can grab you for other zombies to attack, and can be as fatal as breaking your legs.

[ElysionField 7]

Grabbing probably a better idea. Did anyone mention that before?

[[email protected] 2416]

I think the summarized one pretty much only accepts good suggestions.

This made my day.

On topic. You even said it yourself -

Players, including me, can run through a village full of zombies and come out safely like nothing there.

When standalone DayZ introduces a stamina mechanic, so you can't just sprint infinitely, the Zeds will automatically become a greater threat.

The A.I. will be souped up, there will be more zombies at a time, the animations will be fixed (fingers crossed) and as soon as you stop to catch your breath, you get your ass eaten off.

EDIT: Regarding 20-30 hits to kill.

I don't think you should be able to bleed to death from being punched by zombies.

The grabbing idea is a good one, it comes up in many topics, it's what people expect from zombies.

What I think would make sense, Zombies shouldn't be hitting players as their main attack, they should be throwing punches to knock players down. Then once a player is knocked down (by being hit a few (5-10?) times in a row) or grabbed and pinned to the floor (by 1 or more zombies) the horde should descend to bite and try to eat them.

Bleeding from zombie hits should be made a LOT rarer. Bleeding from bites should be instant.

Players should obviously still have the chance to escape , but once you're down it should be seriously difficult to get away unless someone saves you.

Edited October 18, 2012 by Chabowski

[wolfstriked 143]

I don't think upping the hit damage is good.Its to computerish looking of an effect to get hit twice and your instantly at low blood.You want to add in fear and panic to the mix and timed stuff adds tension by forcing the player to make the choice "drop down now and bandage or wait". I feel that increasing the bleeding rate from infected bites and each bite causes you to need painkillers to stop the shakes would be better.Maybe if you get knocked down and are being eaten alive you have to waste a precious morphine to function again.

TD:LR Getting bitten causes harsher bleeding and pain(pain killers) and if you get dropped and a few start gnawing on you you will need some morphine.

Edited October 18, 2012 by wolfstriked

[kebman 213]

In order for OP's suggestion to work, the general mechanics around zombie spawning and activity must be changed - drastically. In fact, I'm pretty sure damage can be lowered - especially in those cases where the zeds knock you out and kill you with just one blow. That's just lame.

First of all, zombies need to spawn independently of players, and outside the areas where players move. I know this is the exact opposite of the current game mechanics. That is to say, there needs to be found a way to make them spawn all over the map where there aren't players, without increasing lag. I'm sure it's possible.

This need not change the general tactical use of zeds to spot other survivors. Zeds can for instance still be in a sleeping state when other players aren't around. Bottom line, your smell, your visibility and not least your activity should still (slowly) wake zombies up, and possibly aggro them (if you do something stupid). Thus, spotting moving zeds, or zeds in strange places, will still be a way to deduce that there are other players around (an important game factor on such large maps).

And here's the candy: By making them spawn independently from players, it is now possible to clear an area of zeds, thus making it possible to get a temporary safe zone. This is extremely important, as a it would make way for new objectives in the game, and make it possible to find good bases and defend them against both zeds and other players.

This should be possible, and IMO it's the only thing lacking in the mod.

Also I really like the idea of zeds grabbing you. Also, they should move more slowly, but in deliberate packs.

[Siberian (DayZ) 527]

so ur idea is that basicly everytime u get hit by a Zed. its a restart for your character ?

how exactly would that be fun ???

sorry but that idea suks.

[DemonGroover 8836]

I like the idea of grabbing rather than Mike Tyson punches.

Perhaps zombies could try to drag you to the ground thereby ripping your guts out. Which is pretty much what zombies do in every movie i ever saw - even 28 Days Later.

Ideally you could probably push one, maybe even 2 zombies away before thay dragged you down, but anymore than that and it should be Adios.

[Bombolz (DayZ) 23]

In order for OP's suggestion to work, the general mechanics around zombie spawning and activity must be changed - drastically. In fact, I'm pretty sure damage can be lowered - especially in those cases where the zeds knock you out and kill you with just one blow. That's just lame.

First of all, zombies need to spawn independently of players, and outside the areas where players move. I know this is the exact opposite of the current game mechanics. That is to say, there needs to be found a way to make them spawn all over the map where there aren't players, without increasing lag. I'm sure it's possible.

This need not change the general tactical use of zeds to spot other survivors. Zeds can for instance still be in a sleeping state when other players aren't around. Bottom line, your smell, your visibility and not least your activity should still (slowly) wake zombies up, and possibly aggro them (if you do something stupid). Thus, spotting moving zeds, or zeds in strange places, will still be a way to deduce that there are other players around (an important game factor on such large maps).

And here's the candy: By making them spawn independently from players, it is now possible to clear an area of zeds, thus making it possible to get a temporary safe zone. This is extremely important, as a it would make way for new objectives in the game, and make it possible to find good bases and defend them against both zeds and other players.

This should be possible, and IMO it's the only thing lacking in the mod.

Also I really like the idea of zeds grabbing you. Also, they should move more slowly, but in deliberate packs.

Well, if you want zombies all over the map, including the forests since they don't go there, rocket could try zombie animals. Especially meat eaters like wolves who eat dead infected people and get infected themselves.