DayZ Standalone - What would happen if zombies are deadly?

[Wayze 549]

It is a question we all should ask ourselfs. If zombies are a real threat in the Standalone, how will it affect the gameplay?

Maybe nothing changes and all stays the same. But think about what is more likely, the gameplay and player behavior changes completly.

 

Now let me explain this, but I will use these requirements:

- the zombies are slightly faster than the a player running normally

- the zombies can attack while running

- there is a high amount of zombies

- the zombies will be able to run indoors

- the zombies have a good trackingsystem

There are other conditions which will increase the following resultations immensly, but that's something I will write later.

 

 

So, we have zombies who are real killers, like the infected in 28 Weeks Later. As we all know, DayZ is more like The Walking Dead nowadays because the zombies are no threat. Their are stupid and easy to kill.But if Dean Rocket Hall changes it in the way I described before, following things will happen very likely in my unpretentiously opinion:

Players will really struggle to survive, if you have no weapon, the zombies will kill you probably very fast. If you have a weapon and shot, the zombies will kill you probably very fast. If you have a firefight with another player, the zombies will kill you probably very fast. If a zombie follows you, you will most likely die very fast.

Why? Because if zombies are made well, they will be very deadly. If they are slightly faster than you while running (not sprinting) they will catch up and while they are doing that they will hit you, knock you over and eat you alive. If you have a meele weapon you can defend yourself, but if there are more than 5 zombies following you, you wont be able to kill them as easy as in the mod. You will be hit really often and a zombie is not dead by one knife slash or baseball slap. So as you will play you will have to be really careful and I mean really careful. For example:

You are indoors and another player jumps infront of you. You got your pistole, maybe an AK or M4 it doesn't matter. The other guy has a weapon too. You both know exactly if some of you will shot, zombies will come, run at the one of you who survived and kill him.

 

Now here are the extra conditions which will appear in DayZ SA:

- ammo is really rare

- weapons are really rare

- the medical system is complex and way more realistic

This is enough to increase the situation.

 

 

Back to the confrontation. So both of you don't want to shot because if you do that zombies will eat you both. Why? Because you have not enough ammo to kill a horde of zombies and meele against the new zombies will be way more dangerous than before. You can get hurt pretty fast and die by the infection of the wound, bloodloss or other injuries. So what will you do? Both of you probably will switch to a meele weapon which is ready in the quickbar. The good thin is now you can even talk about it. The other player will now have to attack you until you get near him.

A meele weapon will be much more valuable than a pistole or shotgun. It is silent and will safe your life every single time you would use a firearm. This would change the game completly. There would be a complete new way of handling situations, just because of the fact that zombies are deadly. Firefights in cities would result in death. Sniping on electro hill would result in death.

But, if you actually group up and form large groups, all these problems would dissapear, more or less. Of course you would have to be careful, but 5-10 zombies for 5 players are not a big deal. They take out their meele weapons and kill them. Even this single fact would incourage the teamplay. Surviving in DayZ would be way more easier with other people. Being a lonely bandit who kills other players for fun, would be way more difficult. The bandits would have to adapt to the game, find new methods to kill players. For example playing with another survivor and kill him some place without zombies.

 

But anyway, all of this will be implossible if the zombies aren't like I described. Probably it would take much effort to make zombies really dangerous (mostly because of the shitty pathfinding, they can't even jump over obstacles), but in my opinion it would change the game in a really good way. Probably many, many people would stop playing just because it would be to hard to survive. (and yes, I mean mostly the 12 years old who think DayZ is Battlefield in big because they saw Frankie on youtube and playing on private hives with 10.000 AS50 per m²)

 

 

 

But I am curious about your thoughts, would such a change be welcomed by you or maybe you even disagree with my argumentation what would happen if zombies would be dangerous.

Write your comments!

Edited July 31, 2013 by Wayze

[Welch (DayZ) 756]

I wouldn't mind if they were tough. Although, I'd mind if they were "hard" like they are now. And I mean hard as in they infect you every other hit, and they throw you to the ground by running near them. A clean, non-laggy difficult zombies game would be awesome, but it won't do if everything's glitchy.

[dinosaurturtle 4]

Well Wayze, in a game were a zombie would run faster than my character I just wouldn't play it. I love DayZ, its my favorite mod in the whole wide world, but if in the Standalone zombies are faster than players, well I just wouldn't get it. 

[p4triot 207]

You should be afraid of zombies hitting you (hope its bitting you instead of hitting in the SA) because it may infect you, as in any zombie book/movie. Other than that zombies shouldn't be much of a threat. It's not like they are xenomorfs from Alien.

 

However in numbers... well thats another story, and if they run (even more than us!) we then need one thing. DOORS. You can't beat a hundred zombified Usain Bolts on an open field. In this hipothetical situation where zombies are as you stated and also magically traspass closed doors then humanity loses and zombies take over the world. End of the story.

 

BTW, I can assure you, even in your game situation, people WON'T team up. It's a fact. The gamer nature is what it is and won't change (not anytime soon).

Edited July 31, 2013 by p4triot

[-Gews- 7443]

Zombies mostly ignore me now. I can run within meters of them without getting any aggro. I was more scared of them in 1.7.6.1.

 

 

I already know what would happen if zombies were deadlier in standalone: it would be a better game.

[DemonGroover 8836]

Well Wayze, in a game were a zombie would run faster than my character I just wouldn't play it. I love DayZ, its my favorite mod in the whole wide world, but if in the Standalone zombies are faster than players, well I just wouldn't get it. 

A bit defeatist don't you think?

 

Making the zombies slightly faster than you would prevent straight out running away.  Twisting and turning, running through buildings and around corners, through thick trees will probably still lose the aggro eventually.  I don't think Rocket is going to create zombies that cant be lost.  But i think we all agree that zombies need to be a threat. It is a shame that in the mod players just run through towns completely oblivious to zombies chasing them because they can be lost or killed indoors so easily.

 

I actually do think a more serious zombie threat will make players a bit more cautious and more open to be friendly. Perhaps not initially as players use their mod tactics in the Standalone, but i don't think these tried and trusted tactics will work too well after a while - new tactics and strategy will be born.

 

I don't actually think that an individual zombie has to necessarily be harder either, but the greater numbers, better pathfinding and (hopefully) more limited ammo will make them a bit more of a threat than an annoyance.

[dinosaurturtle 4]

A bit defeatist don't you think?

 

Making the zombies slightly faster than you would prevent straight out running away.  Twisting and turning, running through buildings and around corners, through thick trees will probably still lose the aggro eventually.  I don't think Rocket is going to create zombies that cant be lost.  But i think we all agree that zombies need to be a threat. It is a shame that in the mod players just run through towns completely oblivious to zombies chasing them because they can be lost or killed indoors so easily.

 

I actually do think a more serious zombie threat will make players a bit more cautious and more open to be friendly. Perhaps not initially as players use their mod tactics in the Standalone, but i don't think these tried and trusted tactics will work too well after a while - new tactics and strategy will be born.

 

I don't actually think that an individual zombie has to necessarily be harder either, but the greater numbers, better pathfinding and (hopefully) more limited ammo will make them a bit more of a threat than an annoyance.

Well zombies in DayZ are actually pretty much hard enough for me already. I guess making them harder would be more fun but them having the ability to run faster than myself? Its just crazy.

[Avallanche 121]

I don't think the zombies are hard. They are glitched. That's why it's hard to kill them.

 

I'm no programmer or anything and I don't know why the pathfinding needs to be like it will be in SA  (the zombie notice you / goes to the place you were when he saw you / chase you  - Dean and Matt stated this in some devblog feel months ago).

 

Consider that and this recently information quoted:

 

 

One of the key reasons is performance. Without it, we can't populate the world well enough with things like zombies and loot. The more zombies we can add, the more "authentic" we can make their speeds. So no bubble == no alpha.

 

 

So, if the zombies behave in, lets say, normal speed, they probably wont glitch and will be very easy to kill (if the pathfinding stay as it was stated). If it's good or bad, we'll see in the alpha when we play it, but it will definitely change the way PVP is now.

[Wayze 549]

Well zombies in DayZ are actually pretty much hard enough for me already. I guess making them harder would be more fun but them having the ability to run faster than myself? Its just crazy.

But I think the zombies in DayZ are no Zombies like in The Walking Dead. They are infected people, not the living dead. Infected people like the zombies from 28 Weeks Later are fast. And they are a real problem. And they stay a real problem no matter how long you play the game, because they actually are a real problem. Zombies who are slow, will alway be easy to lose. Even if 30 of them follow you, it is simply no problem. Zombies are in that way just some decorations, like in the Mod right now. But if they are faster than you, they get a essential part of the gameplay. Probably we will die way more often by zombies than by players and I would greatly appretiate such a change, because it would be authentic.

 

But I don't know which zombies Rocket is planning to have in the standalone.

Slow zombies who are no problem anyway, if you know how to deal with them (for example The Walking Dead) they can get dangerous if there are 20 of them, but you just have to avoid stupid situations

Or fast zombies who are even dangerous in number from 2-3, who run very fast.

 

I prefer the second kind, because the first kind is for me not scary and not a threat at all. Let us be serious, to die in a zombie apocylpse like in The Walking Dead you gotta be a real idiot. However to survive in a world like in 28 Days Later you got to have luck and brains. The first kind of zombies could be just changed with another setting, if zombies are useless why implement them? He could just change it to a The Road like setting.

[behi 3]

I play mostly as a lonely wolf that try to avoid rather than kill other players.

If the zombies where that much of a threat, then honestly it would only encourage me to kill survivors outside of cities and take their beanz. I'd just camp on the outskirts and wait for folks passing by, shoot them in the head, loot and run.

[Elsijn 3]

I think that the amount of things you carry should have an impact on your movement speed.

 

So for example, if you are a fresh spawn, you would move slightly faster than zombies do. On the other hand, if you have an engine, main rotor assembly, 3 windscreen glass in your backpack, an M249 with 600 rounds in main inventory, a pistol with 6 mags and a few water bottles, then you shouldn't be able to outrun zombies.

 

This would also give the players a choice if they want an advantage against zombies, or against other players. For example if you have a pistol you could outrun zombies, but have a disadvantage against players. Or, if you have an m249, you wouldn't be able to outrun zombies, but would have an advantage in a gunfight. Maybe even let players throw away their gun or backpack while running, so that they can get away from a chasing zombie and pick up their gear later on.

[shotdownzero 0]

But I think the zombies in DayZ are no Zombies like in The Walking Dead. They are infected people, not the living dead. Infected people like the zombies from 28 Weeks Later are fast. And they are a real problem. And they stay a real problem no matter how long you play the game, because they actually are a real problem. Zombies who are slow, will alway be easy to lose. Even if 30 of them follow you, it is simply no problem. Zombies are in that way just some decorations, like in the Mod right now. But if they are faster than you, they get a essential part of the gameplay. Probably we will die way more often by zombies than by players and I would greatly appretiate such a change, because it would be authentic.

 

But I don't know which zombies Rocket is planning to have in the standalone.

Slow zombies who are no problem anyway, if you know how to deal with them (for example The Walking Dead) they can get dangerous if there are 20 of them, but you just have to avoid stupid situations

Or fast zombies who are even dangerous in number from 2-3, who run very fast.

 

I prefer the second kind, because the first kind is for me not scary and not a threat at all. Let us be serious, to die in a zombie apocylpse like in The Walking Dead you gotta be a real idiot. However to survive in a world like in 28 Days Later you got to have luck and brains. The first kind of zombies could be just changed with another setting, if zombies are useless why implement them? He could just change it to a The Road like setting.

 

This guy has hit the nail on the head. Rocket has said they are not the undead, they are infected. I have always wanted to play a game in which the infected are as deadly as they are in 28 days/weeks later - they are a real threat, even just one at a time. With the pathfinding optimisation they demonstrated in that devblog all those years ago, this could be possible in the standalone. I don't think they should all be able to run faster than you though, that is silly, but some should be faster than others (the fatties can lag behind...)

[DirtySpartan 5]

This guy has hit the nail on the head. Rocket has said they are not the undead, they are infected. I have always wanted to play a game in which the infected are as deadly as they are in 28 days/weeks later - they are a real threat, even just one at a time. With the pathfinding optimisation they demonstrated in that devblog all those years ago, this could be possible in the standalone. I don't think they should all be able to run faster than you though, that is silly, but some should be faster than others (the fatties can lag behind...)

 

I'm pretty sure OP specified zombies could outrun you while you are running normally. You can still sprint though.

[S.Maelstrom 10]

As of now, you can crouch-run away from the infected and they won't have a chance to hit you since they have to stop to attack, even though they run at their full speed.

They are glitched. If SA fixes that, there is no need to up their speed.

Edited August 1, 2013 by S.Maelstrom

[Wayze 549]

As of now, you can crouch-run away from the infected and they won't have a chance to hit you since they have to stop to attack, even though they run at their full speed.

They are glitched. If SA fixes that, there is no need to up their speed.

Exactly, and their speed is faster than the player right now, so like you said no need to up their speed.

[Soupee 57]

Zombies mostly ignore me now. I can run within meters of them without getting any aggro. I was more scared of them in 1.7.6.1.

 

 

I already know what would happen if zombies were deadlier in standalone: it would be a better game.

 

I don't know what you're talking about running within meters of them and not getting aggro.  Maybe I'm doing something wrong?  I have them aggro on me from crazy distances still.  And it seems like they communicate telepathically because once one aggros I have five or six aggro'd almost instantly.

 

Well zombies in DayZ are actually pretty much hard enough for me already. I guess making them harder would be more fun but them having the ability to run faster than myself? Its just crazy.

 

It is very very very very hard to see what the mod zombies would be like because of the glitchy movement.  Looking through the mod prism makes it hard to grasp what well fleshed out zeds would be like should they behave "naturally".  How frustrating is it trying to shoot at a zed that is running at an angle right now?

 

I'm pretty sure OP specified zombies could outrun you while you are running normally. You can still sprint though.

 

Then what's the point?  They already catch up to you when you're sprinting, but they have to stop to attack so that makes them appear "slow".  See above, if they get the zeds behaving correctly I am all for very difficult zombies.

 

As of now, you can crouch-run away from the infected and they won't have a chance to hit you since they have to stop to attack, even though they run at their full speed.

They are glitched. If SA fixes that, there is no need to up their speed.

 

Yes.

 

 

 

 

The most frustrating part of the aggro on gun shot sound right now is that the zombies don't actually aggro to the "sound" they aggro to the player.  So if I were in Cherno fired in the grocery store with no zeds in eye sight they should run TO THE STORE... so theoretically you could slip out the back and only have to deal with zeds coming from that direction.  But now, if you fire they know where you are at and come around houses looking for you even if you're moving.  That's not the way it should be.

 

All that said, if you make zombies faster than me, much more numerous than they are now, similarly glitchy as in the mod, and more able to track me down I think I would give up.  Here's the truth no one really wants to hear... if I wanted to be continuely frustrated I could just stay at work.  And yes, I want a hard game.  I love the infection as it is now, I love the scarcity of ABs...  but in the precious few hours I get to do things other than work/family time, I still want to be able to survive.  I really think we need to see what good, naturally moving zombies look like before we start talking about how difficult to make them.

 

Maybe they should aggro on each other to some extent?  That would help make loads of them all wadded up, but would help clear out some areas for fresh spawns to loot a bit.  It's frustrating as it stands with the seemingly mind reader zeds either in buildings or entering buildings right when you do.  :)