How the new patch will bring Zombies back into the game.

[de4dcert 246]

Its been a while since I really sat back and thought am I afraid of the zombies in this game any more? I know their tricks, how they move and what bushes they cant get to. So what's the worry?

Well this is all set to change I think very soon and rightly so. The zombies are what's needed to slow the play down. Make people worry about what would be the dominant population on the planet at the time. Pull you out of cars after smashing it up. They move at different speeds. A single gunshot can bring on a stampede able to bust open doors. But here is the kicker.. infection chances are much higher. While a couple of things I mention are not in there right now this is how you make people scared again. I am afraid of being infected! That one Zombie hit could very well be the end of me. If I do get infected what are my team mates going to do if they can get infected by me or I become a high risk? what if I could turn if I'm not cured and some AI takes over and goes after my friends. The longer they carry me infected the higher the burden.

Zombies need to become the dominant threat in this game one way or another and I am sure the mechanics can be worked out. Frustrating it could be, but the rewards would be great.

Edited December 24, 2013 by SmashT
Removed patch tag

[Pat aka Silas 12]

Sure, but i think it would be too hard to loot in cherno and other big towns.

Z´s should be have a bite attack which is infecting you to 100%.

They should bite in 5% of theyr attacks but it also should have another animation.

This + the walking crowds on the map should be make it harder.

The effect from this infection should be shaking, fever and death after 2 Days.

Would be also cool if the player get to a zombie after the death from an infection and the "dead body" should travel over the map and be veeery aggresiv.

The Survivor-Z should be save "like a tent" so he doesn't respawn after a server restart.

[OrlandoKiller 0]

Lol before, a couple months ago when I played zombies didnt agrow u from like 500 meteres away, I am like Way far from a zombie and he starts running towards me when the eye and the ear are at 0, Lol Whats with them?

[tsandrey 379]

NO. Zombie are far too bugged (hit through walls, run super fast for no reason, zig zag when running), so making them harder would be idiotic. Maybe in SA when Zombies are fixed, but for now- NO

[intensity (DayZ) 312]

Yes, doing anything now is just cranking the annoyance factor. Remember that there are still newcomers to the game and most people struggle at first, imagine how it would be with super zombies on steroids straight at the beginning.

[DemonGroover 8836]

Make them run indoors. Would instantly make zombies fearful again.

[Dayzo 182]

The last two v175 patches have had much harder zombies and many more of them; the players on our server (Wireworld EU) unanimously thought it spoilt the game play (survivors and PvPer's alike). However, in the patch released just last night, it seems to be a little more balanced again.

Personally I like how you spawn zombies whilst in a vehicle and the increased spawn distance (seems to be @ 350m). I also like the more random patterns and the 'waves' of zombie spawning - it's good not being so sure if someone else is at the village you've just entered. I don't mind the increased risk of infection as long as antibiotics are as abundant as painkillers (which they are in the latest patch).

Some aspects are still annoying though: There is a fine balance between aggravating the zombies and being able to lose them again. It's also very frustrating when they're hitting you from 10m away and even swiping in the wrong direction. If zombies break vehicle glass before dragging you out, then the chopper fuel leaks due to broken glass MUST be fixed (or glass should be far more abundant). Also, hitting a single zombie in a car should never break a wheel and force you to abandon the vehicle.

What the devs probably need is a lot more servers running the latest v175 patches and more feedback from players, although their ability to get zombies 'just right' is probably severely hampered by the limitations of the Arma engine.

Edited December 24, 2012 by Anti

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

I thought the players were immune from the infection? or are we talking about one of the many new infections being introduced to the game which will change the DayZ experience beyond recognition?

Making changes to the Zeds is all good and proper but after a while they will have the same traits and people will find ways around them. Periodic changes to zed behaviour (Weather changes, Day / night, crowd numbers, player interaction, sound, smell, vision) should be used, offering players a non stable and always changing zed behaviour.

[tsandrey 379]

Make them run indoors. Would instantly make zombies fearful again.

No. As I said, they are far too annoying, incosistent and buggy to get even more features. Once they are fixed, feel free to add more features to them

[iegle 117]

I like the increased chance of infection. Unfortunately, I believe that it will be accompanied by an increased antibiotic spawn %. This will nerf the change and make getting sick no more worrisome than having to take deal with shaking from pain.

[diddi 35]

Make them fly. And invisible.

[shadowjack 254]

No. As I said, they are far too annoying, incosistent and buggy to get even more features. Once they are fixed, feel free to add more features to them

Thats the thing, right now they are only annoying. They need to be escalated to where they are a real threat. The buggyness isn't nearly as bad as it once was.

[SkrooLoose (DayZ) 143]

No. As I said, they are far too annoying, incosistent and buggy to get even more features. Once they are fixed, feel free to add more features to them

If the zombies are too much of a hassle for you now then obviously DayZ is not for you.

You complain they hit through walls. So stay away from the few walls that they do glitch through and stick to the middle of the room.

You complain they run for no reason. Really, that's a problem for you? If so then you clearly still haven't learned the proper tactics for staying unavoided.

You complain they zig zag when they run. Now you're just making up stupid issues to gripe about. Do you want the zombies to just walk in slow, straight lines so you can just stand there and kill them with tin cans and whiskey bottles? Yeah, that really sounds like a good time.

[WalkerDown (DayZ) 296]

...except the fact that there's no Zombies in this game (mod).

[Budheadz 28]

Has there been any info on the improvement to the zombies in the SA ?, mainly the animations and glitchy/jerky movement being sorted... im hoping they really put some good quality Z's in there.. and how about removable limbs ?, zombies are decaying and it would be realistic, maybe for a future update =]

[Regicide 111]

Yeah, zeds are too buggy. The only way to deal with them if you have something like an enfield or a Winchester is to get them inside. If you try to fight them outside, you can't really hit them and it takes too long to reload between shots. Not to mention that half the time they just ignore the laws of nature and teleport inside the building anyway.

[MattGL 18]

No. The infected are an interesting mechanic, and add a lot to the game. That being said, don't try to make this into a one player zombie killing game.

This isn't fking left 4 dead. Its a social/PvP game with zombies added for flavor.

[bigdogsco 143]

I want zombies to outnumber bullets. I want to be cornered in the church and have to switch to my hatchet cos there is a pile of hundreds of zombie corpses and used brass at my feet. This is more PvP than social at the moment because the zombies aren't dangerous enough to drive people to be social! Till they become more of a threat social interactions are going to be mostly limited to "friendly?" BANG.

[SkrooLoose (DayZ) 143]

No. The infected are an interesting mechanic, and add a lot to the game. That being said, don't try to make this into a one player zombie killing game.

This isn't fking left 4 dead. Its a social/PvP game with zombies added for flavor.

Well, there is no "flavor" when the zombies are watered-down shit. Heavens forbid that a zombie survival mod actually has zombies which are a threat, right?

[de4dcert 246]

No. The infected are an interesting mechanic, and add a lot to the game. That being said, don't try to make this into a one player zombie killing game.

This isn't fking left 4 dead. Its a social/PvP game with zombies added for flavor.

True this is no L4D but I think there is a good example in the AI director assessing your situation and surprising you with different zombie attacks.

I still think the Zombies need to be more of a threat, maybe the game could throw more random challenges at you depending on how advanced you skills are / load out, maybe even places you can get to and wait out an attack.

[A Lumberjack 32]

The zombies at the moment are still a serious threat. The way I see it is that if you are on a high populated server (PANTHERA!!) you just can't go rambo going full auto. You WILL attract the even more dangerous zombies: Bandits. On a low pop server there's not much risk aside from shaking the bee hive. You have to take into account that the noise you are making is more dangerous than the zombies themselves.

It is rather annoying that zombies can move through geometry. I've had my legs broken countless times from a randomly appearing zed halfway into the floor.

They really need to fix that. Until then they shouldn't make the zombies any harder. Recently I've played on a couple Taviana(EU) 1.2.0 servers. In this build of DayZ the zombies are way harder. It takes 3-5 hatchet hits to kill a zed and they can also hit you while you're in a vehicle. If you want harder zeds play Taviana.

[MattGL 18]

They are how they should be. They have basic instincts, see human meat, run to it and bite. What else do you want them to do? Should we give them guns?

To the guy who said he wants to be cornered and have to pull out his hatchet... don't be stupid, the hatchet is already the best item in the game to kill zombies.

[bigdogsco 143]

the hatchet is already the best item in the game to kill zombies.

Not if there's 50 of the buggers coming from all sides and you can only swing your hatchet once every 3 seconds.

[bfisher 561]

I do think zombies need to be more of a threat so the game isn't "PvP, occassionally being charged by drunken hobos". The running gunbattles and sniper duels in Cherno and Electro should, theoretically, attract a never end swarm of zeds.

I'm fine with zombies dragging you from a car AFTER THEY BREAK THE GLASS. I don't think they should just snatch you from a speeding car though.

[BearGravy 53]

Something needs to be done to force a quick companionship ingame.