Zombie player control

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

This was an idea I came about from the possibility of Zombies not being in the initial release of the SA (from the 7th Sept update vide from rocket)

 

No zombies and you wil be reinforcing a KOS mentality from the off, I mean what else besides explore and craft will players do? So players may be without zombies for a short while but players gaming patterns stick very quickly, and the SA could do without a dedicated COD like posse jumping on board from day 2, when they find out no zeds but survivor only.

 

With the mod being worked on in tandem and inevitably becoming more like the SA, players are not going to leave or be dissuaded to buy the game, they will just jump until the game has the features they want and carry out like they do.

 

It is true without imagination players ignore the zombies after a while in game (Mod) I just hope the new zeds are alterable and adaptive enough to keep players occupied.  Lets be honest once you sneak past one zed there really is no challenge but from other players..

 

Now I would not say allow players to play as zombies, but if a (pointless, but nice animation non the less) rat can be simulated, then being a zombie player is very possible.  How about PVP, PVE on a player as a zombie level, your main threat (zombie) would take on a whole new measure with players directing them to EVERYWHERE. no place would be safe and no corner unchecked.  Many games now allow you to be the good and bad characters in game, I see DayZ's future success to allow players to be Zombies to give it that edge after the game becomes saturated.  Single player (ie lone wolf experience) gameplay does become stale after a while, but in group player style, your odds become 100% idiot proof to death. seriousy when was the last time you died by a zombie while playing in a group?

 

even if it is from release day until you create your super zombies in the background.........

 

rocket, Please allow players the choice to select to play as zombies (Not skinned survivors, not risen after bitten) this will (imo) bring your game into a realm of its own.  You will give Server side control to admins eventually so why not from the bat give players a choice which will allow them to play as they wish? save your time with new AI code, save your time with further developments, save your budget (it is understood you care less about this than most other issues)  there is no better enemy than a real life person who could control what you are trying to create. SA will offer endless options for players from all walks.

 

Mechanics?  give zed players better sound hearing, limited FOV or even secretion view mode, where they can only see certain things (blood, sweat, tears, piss and shit) to home in on Humans, think Predator heat signature but with a more realistic vision system. movement could be a the same as players only from fresh spawn (or infected?) speed and strength would be determined via last meal as it were, only regenerative by hunting and eating survivors (half a bar for animals? imagine trying to locate animals as a survivor then)  Zombies are infected after all with a brain like a horses pants puss, surely their digestive system would be unaffected bar the odd missing limb system. so what they will not have the scope of your dream to survive long (crafting, base building and yes no driving) but it would be an attractive alternative to career players who want everything in game and end up hoarding everything (server side spawning rate and availablity)

 

As a recently infected player, you could be a part of the story due to your demise, so many origins and could be a part of the textual, visual elements of the story.  A player could loot a house and be confronted by the original residents of the town, zed physical representation could be added to allow players to see who and where the zeds came from, a few pictures in houses and walls would give zed players more to relate to their evil character. Notes and diary entries would have more impact based on a limited emotional respose from players, heck make children zombies, slower but unbeatable, imagine that?

 

Negative? you WILL sell more copies than Shades of Grey and be imortalised with enough resources to buy all the DC and Lambos you need.  I was once told by a Mentor: Opportunities only come round once in a while, take them all!

[h3l1x 327]

And you'll end up having squads/clans half of them playing survivors with rifles, other half viral zombies, communicating via TS3 chasing/ambushing specific targets. Big no.

 

Not to mention all the zed trolling to take place if something like that ever gets added.

Edited September 8, 2013 by h3l1x

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

sounds more like a challenge to me!

[Mos1ey 6301]

On top of that this would just create a massive amount of work on top of what there already is to do.

 

Anyway, I think AI represents the way that zeds are reduced to a mindless being driven by basic instinct much better than a normal fully functional human being controlling a zombie ever could. If this is what you want then play L4D versus.

Edited September 8, 2013 by mZLY

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

Hey, friendly here

 

I disagree, Having players assume the infected, would be more effective as opposed to creating AI which could become ineffective just like the Mod version, so my point is why (potentially) waste time developing them when you could give players the choice? yes it is early days and we don't know if what they create will be as good as player driven infected. but what is better than a real person becoming a threat? I am not talking special powers or abilities, just a perspective change of detection and implementation.

 

Tell me a more effective way of making them more of a threat than player controlled? Do you think they will get it right? at least without a trade off of sorts? even today the Mod makes changes to them most updates, by giving players the choice you could have a more original threat as opposed to external elements (TS, Clans, etc)

 

Eventually there will be servers for every flavour (allowing mods etc), a choice of player zombies would only be a logical step. I would sooner see this in DayZ (a zombie apocalypse type game) as opposed to another game (not a L4D fan myself) doing this.

 

I personally think it will solve a lot of re-do's to get them right, don't hate, innovate.

 

It's just my opinion of a suggestion, one born from the devblog.

Edited September 8, 2013 by Michaelvoodoo25

[Mos1ey 6301]

Hmm... With zombies running indoors I really don't think they'll become ineffective. I can practically taste the tears already.

 

Also, like h3l1x said - what's to stop humans and zombies teaming up?

 

Personally, I think opening the standalone up to modding would be a horrible idea. We've seen what happens when you allow 'servers for every flavour'. You end up with one flavour, and that flavour is as easy and far removed from what the game is supposed to be about as physically possible.

[Bludy 324]

i'm for the wipe when zombies come in..

[Statik (DayZ) 2695]

I'm pretty sure in order for players to be able to play as zombies, they would need to have the AI version ready. Not sure what everyone else will do, but if the Alpha is released without zombies (and even if it has them) I'm just going to be running around the forest like a hermit.

[Wolfensteinsaurus 2252]

I don't like it, it serves no purpose but annoyance, but you do provide interesting suggestions

;) .

[IkaikaKekai 1957]

Player Controlled zombies in any form has pretty much been confirmed as a no by Rocket.  It would make the game harder only in the fact that clans/groups would have one or two zombies scout out ahead in stealth mode and communicate with the gun holders.  Animals being 'controllable' is nothing new (script kiddies in the mod turning everyone into crows, not to mention that being a bug) the mouse was probably to show off that 'hey we have a new animal'.

Okay say this was in the game/mod, you choose to spawn in as a zombie, and you spawn in Kamenka.  Oh by the way your locked into being a zombie till your killed.  You can't get in vehicles, and you can't pick up gear, you can only walk around, run when players are nearby, and attack.  You think 'sneaking' is boring, good luck with Zombieing about.

Edited September 8, 2013 by BigMike

[Karmaterror 982]

I think this could work.....all be it with severe restrictions on player controlled zeds. Id do something like player zeds can only wander by default in the same way ai blunders around....the player could influence the direction but not much. If a player was near the zombies head could begin to "tweak" as if smelling the survivor. The closer the player zed gets to the player the more you can influence the direction of the zed. Then only if a player crosses directly within line of sight (and within a certin range) you would suddenly have full control and be able to run.

 

That mixed with completely random town spawns for player zeds should combat them teaming with survivors. Also they too would have a hunger bar and could eat animals to keep alive aswell as survivors. With all that the only way to distinguish between a player zed and an ai zed would be the head tweaking and if you saw 1 eating an animal you would know it was a player, unless ofcourse in SA the ai zeds did the same.

 

One last thought is it may keep people on the server after a death. Where they might normaly rage they could think "ahh hell il be a zombie for a bit" then get jelous of players with full movement and guns and start a new toon, when normaly they would jus insta-rage.