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

[de4dcert 246]

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.

Yes the zombies are head shots on this mod it really causes a lot of problems when you are out numbered but that gives you the adrenaline feeling. I'm not for the different zombie types though, sure different stages of flesh rot and condition is awesome, varies speed.

In my group we have taken bases on day for e.g. the industrial complex in polana. Now we're standing there having a chat around the camp fire and all of a sudden the next wave of zombies pop in and always niggle at you so you have to get rid of them. What I think would be cool is a level of persistent zombies, that will always keep coming at a low level walking through the fields just the odd one or 2 always walking through the camps every half hour to remind you where you are, building up behind the walls a bit like in walking dead around the wire fences. So on exit you have to make a plan.

[kumando 199]

I prefer Dayz to warz any day of the week but i have to give credit to zombies in warz, they really are a threat to players they kill you with like 4,5 hits, im not sure if it would work with the dayz zombies since they are faster but they should do more damage anyways, dayz zombies at the curret state are a joke, only a minor annoyance, no threat at all.

And they sould make them run indoors, and dont ignore players hiding in bushes, that would make a different ball game.

Edited December 25, 2012 by Kumando

[Danny_Boooy 61]

Seriously guys look at this from the perspective of reality. Would you run through a town full of zombies just to get the sweet loot on the other side? On Dayz, a lot of you would. Because you could just shake the aggro by going inside etc. People aren't afraid of zombies. Zombies are fuckin' scary and I'd never run through a town full of them in real life. This is a zombie survival game. Not a zombie hide and seek game. Zombies are too weak at the moment and definitely need to be improved.

[malau 11]

Lets not forget their bugged attack mechanic. The 'hit/miss' result is calculated at the BEGINNING of their attack animation rather than when the arms are fully extended. How many times have you been wrongly hit by a zed from 10m away that began its attack mechanism when you ran past it? Bloody annoying!

Edited December 25, 2012 by vecuccio

[El_Hadschi 15]

Well in the last few days I played. Zs were giving me a hard time. One time they succeded in knocking me out with 1 or 2 hits, the other time they broke my leg with the first hit.

I think increasing the chance of getting infected would be too annoying. Better increase their number/HP/damage......

[ZomboWTF 527]

Just my opin-onion

zeds are needed to take care of players being too well equipped and having nothing better to do than shooting other players, with zeds being able to talk to each other, sneaking becomes an option well chosen again

Imagine cherno and elektro hill snipers being chased by ALL of the zombes of the town, and not being able to log out because of zombie aggro

Also guns with smaller and less noisy rounds will be way more powerfull against zombies this way (M249 for example, or Bizon SD)

With the new update on DayZ Taviana (DayZLand version) the zombies had about 20000 health, which i hope will be in 1.7.5 as well

[SnipersAre4Scumbags 9]

Give zombies the ability to run you down. At this point they can chase you and get right onto your heel but they're pretty much harmless as long as you don't stop or change direction too slowly. If you're not ever going to get exhausted atleast give the zombies a chance of grabbing onto you or pulling you down if you're not going to break LOS or fight them like a man.

[de4dcert 246]

I think if a zombie can pull you down then you have the option to fight it off maybe, good luck with your fists!

[theunbeholden 0]

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

Actually the opposite, what makes zombies scary is when they shamble... especially in large groups.

So I propose, make them all walk outdoors and indoors... but make it sort of like a fast walk. Increase the amount of zombies by x3 and there you go. Difficulty increased and actually scary. Theres also fixing all the glitches and making their spawns more random but at a larger distance away.

You can see this in many ways but its clear that zombies need some kind of overhaul: bites, grabbing & females that go for the crotch.,.

Edited December 25, 2012 by TheUnbeholden

[Maxgor 2314]

For me, I want to be able to outrun zombies, their normal speed being less than your run speed, maybe inbetween that and your standing slow walk, and there be alot more of them. This way way they'll be getting some speed at you inside buildings, and be very intimidating. I certainly don't want shamblers as they are not intimidating, even in a large group. Maybe even vary their speed abit. Some are faster, hoppers are slower, crawlers are slowest and then zombies just have varying speeds in general so everything is stilted and you don't know what to expect.

And yeah, zombies need randomized spawns and to not give away when people are near, so maybe have it be that there are a few zombies in most locations at all times, with more starting to spawn as you get near or just have the zombies always out. Is it a limitation of the game to keep them spawned to save on map resources or something? Maybe at most, just make all high profile loot locations like the cities and airfields have zombies 24/7.

[bfisher 561]

How about random herds of zombies? I don't know what it would be from a technical standpoint, but I think it would add an additional element of danger if you had packs of 5 to 50 zombies just wandering the countryside. Maybe you go into an empty town to loot but then you have to decide if you are going to quietly lay low until that huge herd wanders through.

[A Lumberjack 32]

How about random herds of zombies? I don't know what it would be from a technical standpoint, but I think it would add an additional element of danger if you had packs of 5 to 50 zombies just wandering the countryside. Maybe you go into an empty town to loot but then you have to decide if you are going to quietly lay low until that huge herd wanders through.

On the private hive that my mates run our zombie spawn rate is massive. Take a stroll through cherno and you'll have upwards of 500 zombies to deal with. The admin once told us that there is over 5000 zombies currently spawned and there was only 6 of us in the server at the time.

[de4dcert 246]

On the private hive that my mates run our zombie spawn rate is massive. Take a stroll through cherno and you'll have upwards of 500 zombies to deal with. The admin once told us that there is over 5000 zombies currently spawned and there was only 6 of us in the server at the time.

Now that sounds like a mode I would like to try. But with all the extra AI routines does the FPS suffer?

[kmach1ne 15]

Yeah you can't really make the zombies any more complex than they already are especially with all the bugs. Meaning that upping the infection rate and knocking down doors and all the other things we WANT them to do, it isn't really possible in the mod. Standalone however, different story. You have to consider how hard of a toll zombies take on a server. Each zombie has complex bone structures that eat away at your performance each time one spawns. In the standalone, it's been talked about on how they are removing all of those bones and making them into a simple character model with a low baring on FPS performance. This means we can have huge packs roaming around and doing all the cool zombie things we want (at least some of it). And of course they won't be so hard to hit because they won't look like Adrian Peterson running at you full speed dodging all your bullets with his sick juke moves.

Upping the infection rates and other things to make things harder on the players sounds nice but it might be a bit discouraging after awhile. Average life would drop around 30 minutes I'm sure.

[JustThatEpic 72]

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.

And it should be that way. With the new maps, they should force players to work together, rather than have them and the zombies. I have no problem with the game, other than the fact that it is glitchy as hell and I'm waiting for the standalone, but this is the zombie apocalypse, and it should feel that way.

[Jamz 253]

In my opinion only two small changes really need to be made to the zombies to increase their effectiveness, remove the noises they make when they sense you and the white blobs indicating their positions either side of the screen.

Now you don't know whether you've aggro'd zombies (unless you see it), where they are or how many. The fear would be not knowing, you may still hear one or two outside the room you were scavenging in but you wouldn't know if they had detected you or not... Having a group creep up on you while you are scavenging would be a lot more frightening and it would be easy to become trapped in a house if you were not careful.

[Maxgor 2314]

In my opinion only two small changes really need to be made to the zombies to increase their effectiveness, remove the noises they make when they sense you and the white blobs indicating their positions either side of the screen.

Now you don't know whether you've aggro'd zombies (unless you see it), where they are or how many. The fear would be not knowing, you may still hear one or two outside the room you were scavenging in but you wouldn't know if they had detected you or not... Having a group creep up on you while you are scavenging would be a lot more frightening and it would be easy to become trapped in a house if you were not careful.

So zombies are now suddenly silent? Kind of a silly idea. The white blob thing isn't an issue either, as I barely pay attention to them and mostly only do if I am out in the woods and needing to keep an eye out for an animal.

[de4dcert 246]

In my opinion only two small changes really need to be made to the zombies to increase their effectiveness, remove the noises they make when they sense you and the white blobs indicating their positions either side of the screen.

I'm not sure about taking the sound away, maybe more variation in the sounds sure. The blobs I am not much of a fan of I admit but visual impaired or deaf people need access, I would think that helps.

I think now were all looking forward to the standalones situation regarding zombies. I know we are all accustom to their habits but I want zombie survivor and forefront and Center if you watch the walking dead series that's has got to be one of the best zombie interpretation I have seen how in my mind how they would react to people and that running around big open fields with the pressure of random numbers rather than running speed against you. Maybe a zombie might be alerted by you and track you for miles. A gunshot goes off half hour later that area numbers increase as they roam towards you.

You know like a farm can be cleared by a group, you get some time of peace with your friends but every so often the server sends you that wave of pressure at different points. If maybe 3 or 4 of you are together, keeps you on your toes if you are holding up. Makes you think do we have the supplies to fight another wave off, do we have wood to barracade it. Chop lots more wood. You all inside zombie wave surrounds the place and if someone makes a noise they go nuts and start ripping their way in.

[Maxgor 2314]

I personally see little danger in shamblers. If you are trapped in a small place with one exit, 50 zombies on you might get scary, but to me it makes more sense to have zombies of varying speed. Not full blown sprinters like the infected in 28 Days Later, but could be rather speedy if need be, maybe more like Dead Island, where zombies can hurry abit if need be, and then randomly there will be sprinters who are newly infected along with those that crawl around and can go unseen.

Roaming hordes would be cool though, basically design them like chopper spawns, where in many locations around the map, you could just suddenly run into a group of like 10 or 20 of them.

[A Lumberjack 32]

Now that sounds like a mode I would like to try. But with all the extra AI routines does the FPS suffer?

Well honestly? About a month ago that probably would have melted my CPU but since then i've had a pretty decent upgrade. It doesn't seem like its too much trouble. Search 'Carbonatedgamer' in dayz commander to find it.

[SnipersAre4Scumbags 9]

I personally see little danger in shamblers. If you are trapped in a small place with one exit, 50 zombies on you might get scary, but to me it makes more sense to have zombies of varying speed. Not full blown sprinters like the infected in 28 Days Later, but could be rather speedy if need be, maybe more like Dead Island, where zombies can hurry abit if need be, and then randomly there will be sprinters who are newly infected along with those that crawl around and can go unseen

But ask yourself though. How scary are differen't zombies with different running styles if they can all be outrun fairly easily? Its one thing when you can outrun them carrying a small empty sack, a flashlight, a bandage, and a pack of painkillers but when you're running around with large bags full of millitary wepons, axe, toolboxes, car parts, and all inside of a full ghillie suit its kindof laughable when the supposedly "28 Days Later" zombies can't even catch you.

When I think 28 Days Later I think Jim running through the streets of London pulling agro from hordes of zombies and barely making it out alive wearing only a hospital gown before getting rescued and narrowly escaping into a convenience store. Then once again when Jim and Selena have to scramble up an apartment building to get saved by Frank. Every chase was heart pounding as you know they couldn't stay out of reach for long before they were to become a zombie snack. In the end they finally discovered the only way to outrun them was with wheels and only as long as they had road.

DayZ should be like this. As it is I don't even need to enter a full sprint to outrun a so-called "super zombie". I can just string them along wherever I go as I casually walk with my rifle or machinegun in hand until I can lose them on a slope or in a forest or inside a building or on the water..

[disorder 344]

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.

How about just increasing the spotting range/ability. You can crawl past zombies quite easily but it would be a lot tougher if they could both see you out from further and see movement on the floor near them.

Secondly the spawn radius should be increased to the areas of grid squares (instead of just a circle around each town) which would allow some to spawn in forests.

Edited December 26, 2012 by disorder

[Maxgor 2314]

But ask yourself though. How scary are differen't zombies with different running styles if they can all be outrun fairly easily? Its one thing when you can outrun them carrying a small empty sack, a flashlight, a bandage, and a pack of painkillers but when you're running around with large bags full of millitary wepons, axe, toolboxes, car parts, and all inside of a full ghillie suit its kindof laughable when the supposedly "28 Days Later" zombies can't even catch you.

When I think 28 Days Later I think Jim running through the streets of London pulling agro from hordes of zombies and barely making it out alive wearing only a hospital gown before getting rescued and narrowly escaping into a convenience store. Then once again when Jim and Selena have to scramble up an apartment building to get saved by Frank. Every chase was heart pounding as you know they couldn't stay out of reach for long before they were to become a zombie snack. In the end they finally discovered the only way to outrun them was with wheels and only as long as they had road.

DayZ should be like this. As it is I don't even need to enter a full sprint to outrun a so-called "super zombie". I can just string them along wherever I go as I casually walk with my rifle or machinegun in hand until I can lose them on a slope or in a forest or inside a building or on the water..

Well I was going for the idea that zombies would be better faster for the most part, just not at full super zombie speed. I think that they could just be under your speed, so that they at least can stay with you and if you make a mistake, your in trouble, but I think a mixture of fast and then less than that would be good. That way you can get some sprinters, and then some that can be quick in towns and get the jump on you, with slower ones being the ones you miss amid the action. It's at least better than shamblers where you can just easily outrun them all with no issues and really the discussion is about how to make the zombies better. You fix the slope, tree, and building glitches, vary the speeds of the zombies, and then add more of them. Thats a big change right there.

And I think the gear idea should be added in also, where if you have a larger pack with more gear and weapons, you'll be slower than someone with a smaller pack and lighter gear. That's something that would really add to the games realism. You would have to use camps or vehicles more to store your extra gear or you go fully decked out with all the ammo, food, guns, and gear you need, but you are sluggish, as you should be.

[kingfury4 65]

Nooope. Right now they're already a major pain. They some how smack you and break your leg, they can glitch through walls, and some times it takes several shots from a high powered rifle to kill them.

[SkrooLoose (DayZ) 143]

Nooope. Right now they're already a major pain. They some how smack you and break your leg, they can glitch through walls, and some times it takes several shots from a high powered rifle to kill them.

You're kidding, right?

You're saying they're "already a major pain". They're suppose to be a major pain. In fact, they're suppose to be an outright threat to your existence. They should be able to break your bones. They should take multiple shots before being put down.

The glitching through a wall... yep, I'm sure everyone agrees that's not right. But, number 1, that's the engine's fault, and number 2, they don't glitch through every single wall. So it doesn't take long before knowing what walls are safe to stand by and what walls to move a few meters away from. It's not rocket science.