For the standalone; please make the zombies a challenge

[KetchupOnTheDog 41]

As most of you already know, zombies aren't a problem in the dayz mod. They are ridiculously easy to line of sight, they walk through buildings, their hits are very weak, and they cannot catch up to you if you are moving. If any of you have seen 28 days later, you'll know where i am heading with what I want to see from the zombies in the standalone.

Zombies should be faster than you. Zombies should have quadruple the amount of energy as us. The speed of the zombie would of course depend on the body type of the zombie and the condition of its legs, arms, etc. A perfectly healthy group of zombies 10+ should move together as a horde and easily be able to catch a player and kill them in a matter of seconds. Imagine how much more cautious you would be if you saw a group of zombies. They should be able to run in buildings. One bite could mean the end of you if you don't find some antibiotics. One zombie aggro should aggro other zombies in proximity, and gun shots should aggro a lot further, or at least cause zombies to investigate the area.

There should be different stages of zombie alertness. Stage 1; zombies think they hear, see, or smell something. Stage 2; zombies are on alert and you only have a few seconds to break line of sight before they see you. Stage 3; zombies are aware of your presence and attack you. You could cover yourself with zombie blood to make yourself less detectable through smell by zombies, but you are more prone to diseases. Ghillie suits could make you less detectable by sight in wooded areas. I also read somewhere on reddit that zombies should be able to smell blood, so you could throw a blood bag to attract zombies to an area.

Of course to balance this difficulty change, zombies won't be glitchy. Right now zombies use flanking maneuvers and serpentine you, they should normally run at you in a straight line. They should not run nor hit/bite you through walls. Another form of balance would be to allow players to equip a melee weapon as a secondary, allowing you to switch to melee when dealing with zombies in close combat without alerting a horde with gunshots.

Zombie hordes should be more common in towns and cities, but still wander through the woods. Zombies should be persistent in the world or spawn a lot further away from players. No more knowing someones around because there are zombie spawns. Spawns should be a lot more random. You shouldn't run to a building knowing there's going to be zombies around.

Zombies should be dismemberable. Assuming there's a revamp of the melee system, you should be able to swing an axe at a zombie's head and chop it off, swing it at its leg and immobilize it, or take out its arm and it cannot do as much damage. Which brings me to my final suggestion, MORE BLOOD! Every zombie game needs more blood :D.

[jaytmuk (DayZ) 621]

Id like to see the zombies run directly at you instead of zigzagging lol

And it takes a head shot to kill them

A bodyshot will maybe knock them back and slow them for a couple seconds maybe

PS - From the interviews i have seen of Rocket, he states that zombies will have a life cycle.

The more a zombie eats the stronger and faster it will become and the less a zombie eats the slower and weaker it will become.

So in places where players get killed by zombies more the zombies will be more a danger, That should escalate up till them places will be very dangerous to go :)

So the more players go to a place the odds there will be more player deaths from zombies.

So am guessing in time places like Elektro, Cherno and anywhere lots of players go will become full of super zombies lol :P

Edited November 25, 2012 by jaytmuk

[Rivy 32]

I do agree that they are silly right now. The only reason why they can be a threat is because of glitches (either their movement, them detecting you instantly for some reason, hitting you through walls, etc).

Once that is fixed zombies won't be a problem for most players, which means they need to be improved. I don't agree with instakill bites since these are punching zombies: I mean, the fact that zombies try to bite in close quarters is the reason some characters can survive such encounters in zombie fiction, if they just tried to kick and punch the shit out of those guys they wouldn't get away with pushing the zombie back by the neck, but I digress ! They could be tougher vs bodyshots, more numerous and whatever it takes to make them a threat after the glitchiness is removed, but they should still be predictable and not cheap (1-hit kills).

Oh, also when zombies hear gunshots they should start moving in the general direction the sound came from... not go straight to you through walls. What are they ? Oblivion guards ?

[Wazza 274]

When you say Zombies you mean Infected right?

[KetchupOnTheDog 41]

When you say Zombies you mean Infected right?

DayZ.. Z=zombie

[glasscasket 33]

imo it's pretty awesome that they work well as they do considering arma 2, but you wouldn't have dayz without arma 2 soooooooooo

the zombies are intentionally the way they are, love it or hate it.

while i see that this is something that'll probably improve over time, i wouldn't be counting on any drastic changes come SA.

[KetchupOnTheDog 41]

imo it's pretty awesome that they work well as they do considering arma 2, but you wouldn't have dayz without arma 2 soooooooooo

the zombies are intentionally the way they are, love it or hate it.

while i see that this is something that'll probably improve over time, i wouldn't be counting on any drastic changes come SA.

Rocket already said he would be able to improve the AI of zombies.. watch his interviews

[Wazza 274]

When you say Zombies you mean Infected right?

A 225 km2 open world post-soviet state and one of the areas hit by a new and presently unknown infection which has wiped out most of the world's population. You are one of the few who have survived and now you must search this new wasteland in order to fight for your life against what is left of the indigenous population, now infected with the disease.

From the DayZ Mod front page..But yes i agree it says zombie there as well..and breathe

Edited November 25, 2012 by Wazza

[seddrik 44]

Zombies right now are buggy. A patch or 3 back they were better.

Currently if you watch them run they actually sprint faster than you by 3-4 times speed. And because of this speed increase the run all zig zaggy.

If you haven't noticed, there is currently a no swing animation fast hit issue with zombies. EVEN a zombie behind a wall or getting up off the ground can fast hit you 2, 3 sometimes 4 times and never swing at you. Ive had more through the wall hits since that recent patch that "fixed" their dying animations... Also, this animation issue makes them harder to hit with an axe now. If you are close enough to swing, when they do swing at you if you atttack at the same time with the target dead on them... you will not even touch them. So they have a buggy unhitable moment now as they attack you.

And zombies can one hit you... break your bones... which can easily result in your demise. Easy? Once you learn how to deal with them it gets easier to avoid them, but what do you want? Zombies with a huge spotting distance, super running speeds, one hit killing you all the time? Meh... they already patrol loot areas, and swarm you if you fire or go into houses with no back door. They already cry out if you are near and warn players who listen that you are there.

Edited November 25, 2012 by Seddrik

[KetchupOnTheDog 41]

Zombies right now are buggy. A patch or 3 back they were better.

Currently if you watch them run they actually sprint faster than you by 3-4 times speed. And because of this speed increase the run all zig zaggy.

If you haven't noticed, there is currently a no swing animation fast hit issue with zombies. EVEN a zombie behind a wall or getting up off the ground can fast hit you 2, 3 sometimes 4 times and never swing at you. Ive had more through the wall hits since that recent patch that "fixed" their dying animations... Also, this animation issue makes them harder to hit with an axe now. If you are close enough to swing, when they do swing at you if you atttack at the same time with the target dead on them... you will not even touch them. So they have a buggy unhitable moment now as they attack you.

And zombies can one hit you... break your bones... which can easily result in your demise. Easy? Once you learn how to deal with them it gets easier to avoid them, but what do you want? Zombies with a huge spotting distance, super running speeds, one hit killing you all the time? Meh... they already patrol loot areas, and swarm you if you fire or go into houses with no back door. They already cry out if you are near and warn players who listen that you are there.

What i mean by faster than you is they don't slow down when they reach you. Even if your running away they can catch you and kill you (think left for dead speed). You will have no choice but to kill them or try to line of sight them. If you read my post you would find i never mentioned anything about huge spotting distances, super running speeds, NOR one hit kills.. and also they do warn other players as is in the mod, but that's the point. You're more scared of the players than the actual zombies. Its a ZOMBIE apocalypse. Zombies should be #1 threat. They probably won't be, but I'd at least like them to be authentically dangerous.

[Shag 90]

I think everyone agrees zeds should play a larger part in the game. they're a mior annoyance at the moment.

I like the idea of a zombie lifecycle, so that they are more un predictable. it also means that zeds won't despawn but rather die, which all adds to the believability. Also stops zeds in a town = player logic which kinda ruins things, and zeds spawning in a town straight after being killed.

[badbenson (DayZ) 38]

So am guessing in time places like Elektro, Cherno and anywhere lots of players go will become full of super zombies lol

since when do people mostly die to zombies in those places?!

imo it's pretty awesome that they work well as they do considering arma 2, but you wouldn't have dayz without arma 2 soooooooooo

the zombies are intentionally the way they are, love it or hate it.

while i see that this is something that'll probably improve over time, i wouldn't be counting on any drastic changes come SA.

just not true.

1. the zombies suck because of the way they are made. they were much better in the beginning because they were based on normal AI units. then they got reduced to a very simple AI which makes them run to your last position instead of your current position. and then because people were whinning that they can't hide from a zombie inside a house (eventhough they just aggroed it *sigh*) rocket implemented the fancy line of sight shizz which makes them totally useless. aka run into a bush and it will be as if you were never there.

2. rocket stated several times that the zombies will be be rebuilt from the ground up. so yea you CAN count on drastic changes come SA.

3. to say it's awesome they work as "well" as they do considering arma 2 is just bullshit too. there are several zombie AI scripts for arma that work MUCH better than the dayz zombies. the dayZ zombies are made simple to save resources.

so please check your "facts" before you drop another "truth bomb" on people...

[jaytmuk (DayZ) 621]

since when do people mostly die to zombies in those places?!

just not true.

1. the zombies suck because of the way they are made. they were much better in the beginning because they were based on normal AI units. then they got reduced to a very simple AI which makes them run to your last position instead of your current position. and then because people were whinning that they can't hide from a zombie inside a house (eventhough they just aggroed it *sigh*) rocket implemented the fancy line of sight shizz which makes them totally useless. aka run into a bush and it will be as if you were never there.

2. rocket stated several times that the zombies will be be rebuilt from the ground up. so yea you CAN count on drastic changes come SA.

3. to say it's awesome they work as "well" as they do considering arma 2 is just bullshit too. there are several zombie AI scripts for arma that work MUCH better than the dayz zombies. the dayZ zombies are made simple to save resources.

so please check your "facts" before you drop another "truth bomb" on people...

The places where most people go is likely to be the place where most people die from zombies, Just odds tbh

[oldfossil 59]

I do agree with that kind of requests about Z's behaviour.

Enhancing Z's skills in hunting humans, wandering as hordes, being more sensitive to noises and human presence in the neighborhoods, in a few words making them more dangerous than the actual ones, in my opinion could have benefits even on other sides of the game.

With more dangerous Z's for example will be more difficult (or challenging, the choice is up to you) for players to hunt for other players. If you think that every single shot with a gun could attract a lot of Z's on you as you are shooting with a Lee Enfield, hunt for other people will be a more meditated and risky strategy to hold in game.

[seddrik 44]

Actually, I've gotten the impression that DayZ was never intended to be a Zombie mod in the first place. It has been related to me that Rocket originally set it up after a harrowing experience on a survival training mission for the military. He set it up as a survival mod on ARMA II for training purposes. The commanders declined, so he added zombies to make it more appealing to the general gaming community and voila, here we are.

So zombies were an after thought, a compromise for the sake of selling the survival training,

*shrug*

Edited November 26, 2012 by Seddrik

[oldfossil 59]

Actually, I've gotten the impression that DayZ was never intended to be a Zombie mod in the first place. It has been related to me that Rocket originally set it up after a harrowing experience on a survival training mission for the military. He set it up as a survival mod on ARMA II for training purposes. The commanders declined, so he added zombies to make it more appealing to the general gaming community and voila, here we are.

So zombies were an after thought, a compromise for the sake of selling the survival training,

*shrug*

I think you are right about initial intentions of the developement, but now we are facing a game strongly characterized by zombies, so, In my humble opinion, let the zombies do their dirty job at their best potential and became one of the a main game features.

[Chris529 380]

zombies definitely need to be a bit more dangerous, not so much killing you quickly as if you alert 1 it will make a bunch of noise and a lot more will come running. at the moment if I'm scrounging around a town and see movement i freeze up and then sigh of relief when it's just a zombie, since i know its easy to avoid them at the moment and i wont have to kill it. should be thinking oh crap a zombie better keep the hell away, hope there arent any more in this area or im in trouble

[jojovem 0]

Why do zombies need to run? They should be slow! Let us respect Mr. George A. Romero's, the father of zombies. They should be very stupid and slow, BUT, they have to be numerous! So they can easily surround you. The stamina system should be more realistic, no one can run for an unlimited amount of time. Characters should tire if runs too much, so even a slow zombie can eat some sorry ass brain. It need to be hard with slow zombies, much said.

[BSB Jimmy 360]

DayZ.. Z=zombie

wrong if x=6 than z=16x-9

[root 48]

DayZ.. Z=zombie

That's not correct. There are no zombies in Dayz ... they are called "infected" as rocket stated before. The "Z" in name is not for zombie but for "Zero" ..... Day Zero, that's first thing you see when you fresh spawn Day 0.

Edited November 28, 2012 by root`

[dgeesio 1034]

infected is just away to get away from what cant be done with zombies ingame ;)

what has been suggested should be how it is especially in big towns for eg churno. would be great to see big hordes like 100 plus also faster zombies sorry infected :lol:

i suggested this before but you should have more areas of intrest like a prison a mall cinema maybe . make the bigger places like a prision with high yield loot but infested and very hard to get too.

for eg how easy zombies are yesterday i sat on a server just running in small circle with lee enfield shot 140 plus zombies in middle of a town wasnt really hard and never in danger. that is wrong it should be hard it should be a challenge. the honus should be on fighting zombies not humans. we cant change this the devs need to make this about fighting zombies or infected.

[Rivy 32]

That's not correct. There are no zombies in Dayz ... they are called "infected" as rocket stated before. The "Z" in name is not for zombie but for "Zero" ..... Day Zero, that's first thing you see when you fresh spawn Day 0.

MIND = BLOWN

[KetchupOnTheDog 41]

That's not correct. There are no zombies in Dayz ... they are called "infected" as rocket stated before. The "Z" in name is not for zombie but for "Zero" ..... Day Zero, that's first thing you see when you fresh spawn Day 0.

Well i stand corrected

[Roark92 90]

zombies/infected shouldnt be able to catch the player if the player is running... i imagine the player is more fit than the former, so why would the infected (also human) run faster? maybe have them not tire instead, and have the player tire so that you can still out run them but not for long. (they wouldnt even need to be very fast in this scenario) as tedious and pace-slowing as it would be, there definitely needs to be stamina... you simply can NOT call this game authentic in any way if a player can run forever...

Edit: player fitness improvement over time, even a subtle one, is also a good incentive to not suicide/respawn.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Roark92

[badbenson (DayZ) 38]

everything that makes a zombie a zombie is what characterised infected except that infected can move fast. the following is true for both.

1. eat humans

2. the ability to turn into one is transfered like an infection (incase of the walking dead zombies for example the bite doesn't turn you immediatly but kills you in a matter of hours or less and then turns you)

3. reduced to basic instintive behaviour

there might be more...

the distinction comes mainly from different movies/universes because the first zombie movies had dead people actually coming from their graves. but since romero this whole genre has the above rules. although "28 days later" might not be called a zombie movie by some sticklers it still is. the idea is not different from the romero classics. it's just modified. they are just faster to make them more scary.

dayZ has fast zombies. call them what you want the premise is the same.

also the whole setting of dayZ is modelled after any zombie movie/cimic/tv-show you can find. most people are turned into monster the others are the so called survivors struggling to survive, scavenging, forming groups and fighting eachother.

stop acting as if dayZ has anything else but zombies. how do you explain each one of them trying to eat you? which "authentic infection" would justify that?

adding certain behaviour or features to dayZ's zombies isn't a matter of logic or authenticity. it's a matter of if rocket wants it that way or is able to do it that way. no matter how he or any of his self-proclaimed spokesmen justify it.

dayZ zombies are basicly like l4d zombies. no one would call l4d an infected shooter. it's a zombie shooter.

please stop it now...