A simple set of zombie changes to make DayZ what we've all wanted it to be

[Blay Wayne 31]

DayZ was always supposed to be about co-operation vs betrayal. You can work together to get things done, but you can also kill each other for personal gain or survival. It's a nice concept. Too bad it never worked: there really is nothing that you MUST co-operate for. Everyone's a bandit because zombies and survival aren't a problem.

There's a very simple way to fix this, without forcing anything arbitrary or unrealistic on players:

Simply put, these are the changes:

1: Make zombies an actual threat. They sprint faster than you and you can get mobbed, so they can kill you if you get too close.

2: Stop them from de-spawning when you abort. Players have no choice but to deal with them

3: Give them a respawn timer. Clear out an area, and it's free of zombies for 10, 20 minutes. Kill zombies, and you'll be free to loot in peace.

4: While they sprint faster than you, they run slower. Stay far away and you're safe.

5 (possible): make lone zombies do less damage and not make you bleed, so you can escape from them. Mobs can catch you and severely injure you, though. Alternative: let players spawn with a makarov again. If people aren't murdering each other non-stop, then this isn't a problem.

These very simple changes would radically change the whole gameplay of DayZ. Zombies right now are no threat. They don't stop you from looting an area. At the moment, you can go where you want and you'll always be safe.

But, if zombies are actually a problem and you MUST kill them to loot an area, then one player alone can't loot a town infested with 40 zombies. You NEED co-operation to do that. So players can work together to loot areas that they couldn't on their own. This makes players WANT to work together.

Voila, you've just improved the game tenfold.

Please, please consider implementing this. It's so straightforward. It's how zombies should have worked in the first place.

Edited December 13, 2012 by Blay Wayne

[Dancing.Russian.Man 1631]

Pretty sure the de-spawn can't be helped because of the engine.

Other than that; Wait for the standalone. Everything will be much, much better and brutal when we get there.

[Florent (DayZ) 2]

I hope they REDUCE the speed of the zombies. It's unrealistic that they run, not that zombies are realistic at all, but yeah- reduce their speed.

[Paddy0610 278]

The upcoming patch will increase the Number of Zombies in the Big towns and Towns in generall i think. Lets see if this makes things harder.

And you will get infected easier, i think it will get intresting :)

qoute from patch notes (located under announcments)

* [uPDATED] - Max local zeds updated based on the area your in (example CityCapitals - 100, City's - 80, Village's - 60 (Old Local Zed count was 40 at any location that has buildings)).

* [uPDATED] - Updated infection chance during zed attacks from 1/1000 to 1/50.

Edited December 13, 2012 by Paddy0610

[camycamera 36]

yes, this is my main complaint about DayZ (yes, even bigger than the bugs); currently DayZ feels like a huge deathmatch arena with not-so-threatening zombies. I WANT moreTEAM WORK. you would only work with your friends because they are your friends, but only a couple out of the hundreds of player encounters i have had were friendly and willing to help out.

once in electro actually, a bunch of us randoms were hardly armed and getting chased and killed by zombies and bandits, so about nearly all the survivors in the city (around 15 of us) organised a zerg train that went and killed and looted everything in the city, and then the trains separated into different sections and all went in different places. i bet a couple of them stayed even together for a while outside of the city. I WANT MORE MOMENTS LIKE THAT. where random encounters with randoms will not likely end with bloodshed, but rather "thanks for the beans!" BUT i also still want the bandits, the lone wolves who's lives are a hell of a lot tougher because of their choice of living, looting, and killing alone.

the zs need to be better, as do the loot. it is as simple as that, and teamwork will come. and it will come in standalone.

[Grodenn 53]

Pretty sure the de-spawn can't be helped because of the engine.

Other than that; Wait for the standalone. Everything will be much, much better and brutal when we get there.

Actually I believe they won't despawn in SA anymore because the server will handle the zombies instead of the client

[Dreygar (DayZ) 178]

Why do people think if you're always encountering zombies, and they sprint like olympians, and so forth that it would make for a better experience... and always... "generate teamwork" ... Do you not understand how this game works? People will team up if they want to, people will kill if they want to. There is no amount of game mechanics that will encourage teamwork unless you do a Resident Evil outbreak style forcing people to team up, which negates the whole purpose of this game.

[Very Ape 748]

Why do people think if you're always encountering zombies, and they sprint like olympians, and so forth that it would make for a better experience... and always... "generate teamwork" ... Do you not understand how this game works? People will team up if they want to, people will kill if they want to. There is no amount of game mechanics that will encourage teamwork unless you do a Resident Evil outbreak style forcing people to team up, which negates the whole purpose of this game.

I disagree.

While they will kill if they want to, they'll feel less inclined to doing so if there's actually something else they can do that's worth doing, ie surviving. Make zombies a threat, and people won't play just to kill survivors. They'll feel scared, threatened and alone, and will want a friend to help them survive. Right now there's nothing else to do but kill other players-- it's one big deathmatch.

The focus of this game is survival.

[Dreygar (DayZ) 178]

I disagree.

While they will kill if they want to, they'll feel less inclined to doing so if there's actually something else they can do that's worth doing, ie surviving. Make zombies a threat, and people won't play just to kill survivors. They'll feel scared, threatened and alone, and will want a friend to help them survive. Right now there's nothing else to do but kill other players-- it's one big deathmatch.

The focus of this game is survival.

The focus of the game is about survival, but you're turning the focus on zombies... Zombies are probably the #1 killer in the game as it is. Zombies do not need to be faster/hit harder. Already zombies can break your leg randomly at full health in one hit. Zombies in this game, are nothing short of awful. The SA should be much better in those aspects but to think increasing their speed, and to hit harder is a solution is just moronic.

Yes, increasing speed & making them hit harder will make the game MUCH harder, but it won't make it better. I'm a firm believer that the zombies need to be slow, like they are while inside a building. Zombies also need to be more aware, with better hearing and in addition smell. Smell should be the zombies primary sense.

No matter what you do to the Zombies it won't do anything in regards to teamwork. Players will always learn a strategy to evade or otherwise avoid the Zombies. In the beginning days of Day Z people didn't know how the zombies acted/reacted. It was trial and error. Now after having died countless times the Zombies pose next to no threat to a player. The longer you play the game the more familiar you will be with it and that will go for any setting they try to bring. You won't get the same "Oh shit, Zombie!" you got in the first days of playing it, once you've played it for a few months. I really don't understand you people.

[wolfstriked 143]

dbl post

Edited December 13, 2012 by wolfstriked

[-Gews- 7443]

Zombies are probably the #1 killer in the game as it is.

No way :lol: the only place where zombies are somewhat dangerous is the North-West Airfield.

[Hetstaine 10852]

No matter what you do to the Zombies it won't do anything in regards to teamwork. Players will always learn a strategy to evade or otherwise avoid the Zombies. In the beginning days of Day Z people didn't know how the zombies acted/reacted. It was trial and error. Now after having died countless times the Zombies pose next to no threat to a player. The longer you play the game the more familiar you will be with it and that will go for any setting they try to bring. You won't get the same "Oh shit, Zombie!" you got in the first days of playing it, once you've played it for a few months. I really don't understand you people.

I have been saying this for months :) no matter what the game, ai always has a workaround.

[badbenson (DayZ) 38]

No matter what you do to the Zombies it won't do anything in regards to teamwork. Players will always learn a strategy to evade or otherwise avoid the Zombies. In the beginning days of Day Z people didn't know how the zombies acted/reacted. It was trial and error. Now after having died countless times the Zombies pose next to no threat to a player. The longer you play the game the more familiar you will be with it and that will go for any setting they try to bring. You won't get the same "Oh shit, Zombie!" you got in the first days of playing it, once you've played it for a few months. I really don't understand you people.

while i agree that this wouldn't encourage team work just like that i think that very deadly zombies are a must to make looting a real struggle and bring back the sneaking of the old days. while it's true that people adapted over time it's hardly the only reason why they deal with zombies like they do now (just run past them). in the early days of dayZ zombies didn't have line of sight detection and couldn't be shaken off once they were aggored.

this may sound like an improvement it actually totally ruined the zombie gameplay because it took away the reason to really try to avoid them. now you just lose them running into a bush. what also has been "tweaked" for the worse is the probability of getting knocked out by zombies. people just complained so much that the zombies step by step got nerfed to what they are now.

while things like getting knocked out by a zombie or being chased by it until you kill it might sound annoying at first sight it is actually what makes the zombies much more believable. sure being knocked out by a zombie is kinda funny but it basicly just simulates what you see in several zombie movies. one grabs you leg and holds you back and if you don't get free fast enough (getting free in this case is the timer running down) you'll get eaten by the horde. if the players can constantly run around without the risk of aggoing a huge amount of zombies they can't get rid of just like that they will do so. if getting close to a zombie will most likely not get them knocked out they will get close to them alot.

the zombies changed alot over time. and that changed the gameplay.

i agree that a more hostile enviroment won't necessarily lead to team work but i think that it absolutely influences gameplay and overall behaviour around zombies. the problem is not that people will find ways to avoid zombies. the problem is that at the moment you don't need any anti zombie tactics at all. you just couldn't run around like crazy in early dayZ if you hadn't enough ammo to deal with the zombies you aggroed. those assessments don't have to be made anymore. which in my opinion makes the experience alot more flat and one dimensional. that's why i don't play it anymore and wait for SA. i just don't feel like running for hours to get one or two firefights. not worth my time. i miss the drama of engaging someone and having to retreat because of too many zombies. that was unique. i hope it comes back in the SA.

[DemonGroover 8836]

Rather than zombies standing there hitting you, i'd like to see them grab you, pull you to the ground and rip you to shreds.

Basically, if you are cornered and have 4 zombies around you, you are screwed.

[Hetstaine 10852]

The zeds that used to relentlessly chase you were far better than what we have now where a quick sidestep loses a zed train instantly. I remember running from Elektro to Berezino and everytime i stopped this bunch of zeds would still be coming..i did not want to waste my paltry few mags of mak ammo on them and just had to keep on running and running to keep the fuck away.

The zeds now are totally nerfed and as easy as piss, sttill imo no matter what you do with the zeds i cannot see it changing the way most people play, you ever see anyone getting chased by a fukton of zeds and stop to shoot because they spotted another survivor or the other way around ? seen it heaps and had it happen. I have been in Namalsk getting my ass raped in the barracks by a non ending stream of zeds and some douche will still pop me while i am laying down with busted legs and bleeding. I really don't think whatever they do with the zeds will encourage teamwork although we all want 'better' zeds, zed spawns, animations and instances like Demon posted above etc.

[-Gews- 7443]

The zeds in Dynamic Zombie Sandbox are very scary. They are very damaging and will even tear apart your vehicles. I ran into a truck to try to escape and within a few seconds my windcreen was smashed and it caught on fire and exploded.

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

Died from less than honorable circumstances with over 900 zed kills last night just from a spree, zombies by no means would have stopped me if I was the type to shoot other players and they wont in the future as there is always a way to adapt and overcome. Stopped reading at the Alternative: spawn with a makarov again. Survival should not be catered with your benefit in mind from the moment you are birthed in game.

[camycamera 36]

Do you not understand how this game works? People will team up if they want to, people will kill if they want to. There is no amount of game mechanics that will encourage teamwork unless you do a Resident Evil outbreak style forcing people to team up, which negates the whole purpose of this game.

i disagree. first off, this is supposed to be a post-apocalyptic survival simulator. now in real life if the world was a living hell, to survive teamwork is ESSENTIAL. you can not simply go out by yourself and loot because you would kill your self or be killed. shows such as the Walking Dead show that working together works. you can't just go out by yourself and survive that way. you'll go insane. also, Rocket wants this game to be a "social experiment". you can make these social decisions with your friends, sure, but what about with the randoms you'll encounter? you even have much more of a chance to make friends on this game if there is more of a focus on teamwork, instead of being prompt to shoot potential friends in the face.

second off, as of right now at times to me when i am out alone in DayZ it just feels like a huge deathmatch with zombies in it as a distraction. kill other players or be killed. sure, you can choose to work together, but at this stage it isn't necessary. the people who kill other people "just for the lols" need to understand that that will do you no good in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. as i said above, i still want the bandits vs survivors vs zombies mechanic to still exist, but as of right now it is just bandits vs zombies vs the lone survivors vs the group of friends that decide to team up together once in a while.

Edited December 14, 2012 by camycamera

[challe 7]

yeah zombies need to be a bigger treath, harder hits would be it, i don´t belive that they should be faster, you should be able to outrun them, but you should not be able to lose them so easy. engaging another player with a zombie at you is no prob. stand still and take punch when you need to aim is no problem, and that have to change, standing still or just walk while beeing hit could also make them hit you harder. pvp is a part of the game, and if you want that as a goal while playing that is fine. but i think the game should reachout to the post-apocalypse players that want more of a sim game. take away the player kill stat maybe. why have that?

[Shadow Man 142]

I disagree.

While they will kill if they want to, they'll feel less inclined to doing so if there's actually something else they can do that's worth doing, ie surviving. Make zombies a threat, and people won't play just to kill survivors. They'll feel scared, threatened and alone, and will want a friend to help them survive. Right now there's nothing else to do but kill other players-- it's one big deathmatch.

The focus of this game is survival.

I have to admit that Dreygar has a point. The thing is, there are people playing who don't care about trying to survive. They are playing because they like to pvp with other players, whether those other players like it or not.

I read somewhere on this forum that in the beginning the zombies were much harder, but because everyone complained the devs toned them down. Although I agree with the OP, its not going to completely solve the problem.

The other reason this may not stop player killing is that if you look at all the youtube footage of group play, nearly all organised groups kill other players on sight. Maybe because they are a threat, maybe they'll give away their position.

The only thing I can imagine that would reduce sniping and camping and killing on sight would be to make the simple act of a firing a gun suicide. For this to work there would need to be huge numbers of lethal zombies bearing down on you. There is a part of me that would love to try this out, but if I'm honest I think it may alter the game in unforseeable ways.

The game has to be played for some time to really see the consequences of big changes.

Edited December 14, 2012 by Shadow Man

[MarcDaKind 37]

Currently zombies is not a threat at all, the only thing that can kill me is either a game bug or other players. Zombies just serve as human detectors spawning where survivors are and tracking them down helping other bandits see the survivor, this needs to change.

Zombies should be slower than players (50-80% of player sprint) but move at the same speed in buildings. To compensate for this they should require a head shot to kill (body shots only slows them down), and do much more damage when they hit you (4-5000 blood) and always inflict pain and bleeding. They should also move in greater numbers and spawn independent of players just like animals, this will most likely be possible with the new optimized standalone engine.

This will make zombies a threat if they catch you off guard or you are looting inside a building, but also less of a irritating pain in the ass while fighting other players outside.

tl:dr: Make the zombies act more like they do in The Walking Dead series, 28 Days Later is a great movie, but I have never been a fan of zombies that can run faster than people...

Edited December 14, 2012 by MarcDaKind

[UmBe 125]

I hope they REDUCE the speed of the zombies. It's unrealistic that they run, not that zombies are realistic at all, but yeah- reduce their speed.

I wan't this, too.

Make The max velocity of them a slow jogg, but to Balance it increase their numbers dramaticly.

I want Player so be able to outrun Zombies, but if you want to go into a City to loot something you have to sneak or you have to deal with A LOT of "Zombies".

Make it so you are almost Not able to kill all Zombies (especially Not alone).