Do Zombies Dream Of A Good Nights Sleep? (Zombie feedback)

[cash81 506]

Looking at the development roadmap currently posted on the official web page, it will be quite some time before improvement sadly.

Best they remove them entirely before first improvement.

 

anyone else not able to read his posts without doing the calvin voice?

[BadAsh (DayZ) 1513]

in the mod, they used to eat the player after he fell to the floor from blood loss. and after death they continued to eat the corpse. i think they just didn't get the animation for the SA yet.

 

This animation is actually in the game. Has been for quite a while.

[Damnyourdeadman 1045]

We can all agree that according to the latest zombie showcase video,broken zombies will be a thing of the past.

The only real question remaining,is whether their numbers are actually going to pose a threat.

Like it's said multiple times before,even the best zombie AI in the gaming world would prove worthless if their presence only offers a minor inconvenience...

[Azrail (DayZ) 211]

This animation is actually in the game. Has been for quite a while.

 

can't remember to have seen this happen for ages

because all they do (when not chasing after something) is stand about and stare at things

 

then again, in SA i've rarely been in a situation where zombies are a real threat

no matter how many of them are after your brain, grab any melee weapon, strafe around them, and keep clicking

 

bring back the scary times!

[sachad 1016]

We can all agree that according to the latest zombie showcase video,broken zombies will be a thing of the past.

The only real question remaining,is whether their numbers are actually going to pose a threat.

Like it's said multiple times before,even the best zombie AI in the gaming world would prove worthless if their presence only offers a minor inconvenience...

 

I hope we get some roaming hordes outside of towns and cities as well, so the danger is everywhere. And I can't wait to see a cow get chased by 20+ zombies :P

[Damnyourdeadman 1045]

I hope we get some roaming hordes outside of towns and cities as well, so the danger is everywhere. And I can't wait to see a cow get chased by 20+ zombies :P

 

I know right?

it's gonna be awesome!

You think we will see different behavior patterns?

Like them forming groups and going hunting or maybe even getting inside buildings sleeping.

It would be rad sneaking inside houses trying not to wake them while searching for loot. :D

[sachad 1016]

I know right?

it's gonna be awesome!

You think we will see different behavior patterns?

Like them forming groups and going hunting or maybe even getting inside buildings sleeping.

It would be rad sneaking inside houses trying not to wake them while searching for loot. :D

 

Just let them spawn inside buildings as well. Imagine the surprise of base junkies when their favorite looting grounds are all overrun by military zeds :D

[chambersenator 106]

After seeing the very promising test footage of the new zombies and the potential as they develop to create a truly insanely difficult apocalyptic world to survive in, I have been thinking about not only the challenges they will bring, but also how it will affect playstyles, strategies, and player behavior that would come long with it, as well as how such a drastic new development would create certain amount of complaints from a portion of the player base.

 

Most of the reactions to the high zombie population, the swarms/hordes, and their strenghs I've seen and heard in various places have been very positive. There are some that think it might end up being too much, for reasons varying from 'too hard - solo survival will be impossible' to 'how will I be able to have cool squad/solo PVP action with all these zombies? I want to fight real people, not AI all the time!' I think these are fairly reasonable questions, and as development moves onward, I think there could be a better way to find a balance, test the limits of SA, and still have something for everyone, by making a separate set of 1st-only and 1st/3rd person hives that focus on high populations of the new zombies.

 

To fully explain where I am coming from and what I am proposing, I need to say a bit about how I see zombies in DayZ as they are now, and how I would like to see them in the future. (full disclosure - parts of this are from a comment I posted on the DayZ subreddit (yes, I know) in reply to someone who was concerned of it becoming 'too difficult' and after I wrote it, I felt it was worth building upon and talking about here, where there is a better chance of having a good discussion about the pros and cons. My current post/comment count is low, but I used to be much more active on the old forums, and have been playing DayZ since May of 2012)

First off, I want to be terrified of them - not distracted, not inconvenienced - terrified.

The fact is the zombies won. We show up afterwards. Think about that. They defeated everything the militaries of Russia, the neighboring former Soviet states, and NATO's spec ops could throw at them. The assorted wreckage and remains of the fight are scattered all over Chernarus. However, they did not go down without a fight.

Now you might say "but the infection probably got most of them before anything could be done." You're right - but it didn't happen all at once. There is a good bit of evidence that the whole thing took only a few weeks from the start - the scattered newspapers on the ground mention something about some contamination coming from a banana shipment (probably the last issue of the newspaper), the most of the camps and military presence were there before to deal with the rebellion (covered in ArmA 2), but the destroyed armor columns (such as the one north of Krasnoe) and the NATO and Spetnaz helicopter crashes indicate various failed reinforcements/recon attempts, the piles of burned bodies and disposal ops (such as in the underground bunker east of Kamensk) indicate they were not all taken by surprise and attempts were made to stop the zombies. The patterns of heli crashes and wrecks seem to indicate the surviving forces and civilians moved northward/westward from the coast, but the infection moved faster than they did.

The infection and the zombies were able to do what neither Hitler or Napoleon could - defeat them on their own ground. That means these zombies have to be a lot tougher and way more numerous. For an area of the world that has a reputation of the centuries for being resistant to invasion and enduring incredible hardships to defeat an invading foe by by organized and irregular forces, that is no small feat.

As it is right now, 3-5 civilians with small arms, 100-year old rifles, axes and fire extinguishers could easily clear Chernarus of zombies in less than 8 hours with barely a scratch (not counting respawns, of course). Even if only a single platoon or a couple squads from the military survived and rallied, they could probably clear it in less 2-3 hours with minimal effort by splitting into teams.

So, to make the reality of the current situation jive with how things apparently went down, zombies have to be crazy tough and numerous enough to swarm and overwhelm most small forces. The ones we encounter are the ones that survived what the military threw at it - either by being strong enough to survive the fights, or not being in combat yet - that's why the varying levels of strength, age, and speed makes total sense.

Surviving a solo looting trip to Cherno should feel like an insane idea and a foolish undertaking, and not a standard supply stop while gearing up or an easy PVP playground (don't get me wrong, PVP is cool by me, its just irritating when PVP is the only logical option).

I say bring it on - bring the hordes, the swarms, the door-bashing down zeds that know you're hiding in that building and will not stop for anything.

But I also can see such a crazy tough world being not for everybody, and that's OK. I'd love to see a third master hive set created once the zeds are worked out - a set of separate 1st/3rd hives with the zeds "cranked up to 11," alongside the 'standard' 1st/3rd hives, where zeds are still more numerous and stronger than now, but not as much as the insane, limit-pushing apocalypse of these new servers. Such a server set might be the answer to those seeking more than just PVP. This kind of tough situation would make finding another survivor a wonderful thing - together you just might live through the day, not to mention raising the stakes and tension when it comes to trust, betrayals and banditry.

This idea gives something for everyone, I think. It perhaps offers a faster way to find the right balance of zombie numbers by having a set of high-pop and mid-pop zombie hives. It also gives the option to keep both sets once we're at a 1.0 version for a true 'hardcore' option. Each one will require new play styles, challenges, and strategies for the players that will bring about new ideas and methods neither the devs nor the players have considered. And simply from a PR/player politics viewpoint, offering the extreme high-pop servers as an option to explore rather than a 'command from on high' will make the transition to the newer, much more dangerous world a great deal smoother.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Chambersenator

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

-snip-

 

Merged, I like where your going with the cranked up to 11 bit.

[cash81 506]

zombies do tend to spawn much closer and in bigger numbers now. i don't mind having more zombies, but it's the spawn thing that seems broken. like others have mentioned, you kill one, walk in to the woods and you now see another that wasn't there while you were in the field a minute ago.

 

zombies are indeed more of an inconvenience more than a threat when you have some gear. but to a new spawn they're trouble lol

 

PS: " the scattered newspapers on the ground mention something about some contamination coming from a banana shipment "

how many of us have eaten a banana in game??? we're now carriers! lol

Edited March 7, 2015 by cash81

[chambersenator 106]

zombies are indeed more of an inconvenience more than a threat when you have some gear. but to a new spawn they're trouble lol

You know that feeling of relief, a few minutes(hopefully) after you spawn, when you finally find something that's reasonably good at killing zombies? That little rush that comes with a momentarily realization that maybe, just maybe, you're not totally fucked?

 

When the new zombies come, stronger and more numerous than ever before, and after you've died a half a dozen times or more in the first two minutes after spawning, and the game seems impossible now, that when you finally manage to get your hands on a badly damaged pickaxe or even some brass knuckles, that little momentary feeling of relief is going to be exponentially stronger, as if you were just given a shot of morphine.

 

That right there is what's going to let you know that the sometimes hard to find 'old DayZ feeling' that so many pine for is back and stronger than ever.

 

PS: " the scattered newspapers on the ground mention something about some contamination coming from a banana shipment "

 

The newspaper joke is also in ArmA 3, where a newspaper's headlines talk about all the furniture on Altis and Stratis suddenly disappearing, and IIRC, the paper suggests aliens or some such nonsense are to blame. (For those who don't know, due to performance concerns, there is almost no furniture inside any of the buildings on Altis or Stratis.)

 

NOTE TO DEVS: Please increase the spawn chance of bananas at the wreck of the cargo ship tenfold. Add crates FULL of bananas - hundreds of bananas - enough to make every player on a full server throw up several times over. With one little addition to those specific bananas - a chance of some variant of the infection, or whatever caused all this. Maybe identify the bananas with a different model, that looks the same but has some little sticker that you can only see if you inspect it. Watch what happens. People will be leaving infected bananas all around the map to kill unobservant players, or playing "Banana Roulette" or "Three Banana Monte" with captured survivors, mixing good and bad ones around in a bag, handing the bag to someone else, who randomly picks one and force feeds it to the prisoner. You're not giving away any critical backstory or saying "this is how it happened" - the newspapers added ages ago to the game already made the possible connection. Maybe they're just bad bananas with some tropical bug that has nothing to do with the zombies, who knows?

[Mancomb 131]

I hope we get some roaming hordes outside of towns and cities as well, so the danger is everywhere. And I can't wait to see a cow get chased by 20+ zombies :P

 

I was playing a little while ago (not long after they added the elk/caribou to the game) and was in a town exploring when I saw a single, solitary zombie running towards another house; it disappeared behind the house, and my first thought was that there was another player nearby who attracted it, so I cautiously moved about, trying to stay hidden while also scouting for the other player. After about 5 minutes, I didn't see any sign of another player, so I figured that either they were watching me to see what I would do, they left the area altogether, or that it was an animal the zombie was going after. I then proceeded to move further into the town, and entered a parking lot, only to suddenly see an elk running straight for me at full speed; shortly afterwards, it veered off to my right and kept running, and no fewer than 6 zombies were hot on its heels. Unfortunately, since the elk decided to run right past me, at least half of the zombies chasing it decided to break off and go for me instead. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised by the whole thing, and it took me a second to realize that I needed to start running the other direction while taking out my axe to kill them off.

I cannot wait to experience this on a much larger (and scarier) level. :D

[cash81 506]

I was playing a little while ago (not long after they added the elk/caribou to the game) and was in a town exploring when I saw a single, solitary zombie running towards another house; it disappeared behind the house, and my first thought was that there was another player nearby who attracted it, so I cautiously moved about, trying to stay hidden while also scouting for the other player. After about 5 minutes, I didn't see any sign of another player, so I figured that either they were watching me to see what I would do, they left the area altogether, or that it was an animal the zombie was going after. I then proceeded to move further into the town, and entered a parking lot, only to suddenly see an elk running straight for me at full speed; shortly afterwards, it veered off to my right and kept running, and no fewer than 6 zombies were hot on its heels. Unfortunately, since the elk decided to run right past me, at least half of the zombies chasing it decided to break off and go for me instead. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised by the whole thing, and it took me a second to realize that I needed to start running the other direction while taking out my axe to kill them off.

I cannot wait to experience this on a much larger (and scarier) level. :D

I thought the story was going to be like "i saw the zombie run towards another house but ended up transporting right behind me through a wall"

Thats how many of my z stories go lately lol

[cash81 506]

Running across the map to do a trade today. Following the power lines it seemed every time i stopped to rest there was a gang of zombies on my tail. Kill 3 and run away only to find that im being followed again and again. It wouldnt be so bad if they didnt glitch out while im attacking them only to see them running in place and then end up behind me. Even a pond in the woods in the middle of nowhere isnt safe. Is this the spawn/aggro problem or are they just able to hear/see you from miles and miles away?

Edited March 16, 2015 by cash81

[BarbieXL 0]

So I JUST had a new m65 pristine jacket, and a zombie hit me 1 time, and it went RUINED...

How? :

I was drinking from a well, and couldnt do "Stop current action". 
And the zombie wasnt making sound neither.

I hope their also could be a cancel current action then with the well

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

There is a cancel action, also I'm not sure why people go on about pristine clothing I find the camoflauge factor of ruined clothing is far greater.  I actually purposely ruin all my clothing, just saying.

[Kurotaku-sama 6]

Oh yea but not only the zombies are op. Shoots are OP too because 1 shoot in your backpack and your backpack is completely ruined, your vest, and jacket.

[cash81 506]

There is a cancel action, also I'm not sure why people go on about pristine clothing I find the camoflauge factor of ruined clothing is far greater.  I actually purposely ruin all my clothing, just saying.

doesnt the condition also affect the amount of damage it will absorb? I thought i saw a youtube video with someone showing something about it.

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

doesnt the condition also affect the amount of damage it will absorb? I thought i saw a youtube video with someone showing something about it.

 

Not in the way one would think.  I just keep myself hydrated/energized so regardless of hits taken I regen overtime ultimately.  Surely there are arguments to be pointed, but I truly only ever wear ruined clothing and have characters that have been alive for a few weeks, well recently I died, but I blame Fluxley for running me over.

[BeefBacon 1185]

Not in the way one would think.  I just keep myself hydrated/energized so regardless of hits taken I regen overtime ultimately.  Surely there are arguments to be pointed, but I truly only ever wear ruined clothing and have characters that have been alive for a few weeks, well recently I died, but I blame Fluxley for running me over.

 

Don't the items in ruined clothing get damaged more easily? I often find that when a jacket or something is ruined most of the items in it get ruined too.

 

Have to say I do prefer how ruined clothes look, though.

[CJFlint 357]

So I JUST had a new m65 pristine jacket, and a zombie hit me 1 time, and it went RUINED...

How? :

I was drinking from a well, and couldnt do "Stop current action". 

And the zombie wasnt making sound neither.

I hope their also could be a cancel current action then with the well

I just stoped by to read some of the .55 notes and happened to notice your post.

 

Zombies have been kind of on my radar lately regards to this game, becuase of the upcoming changes to them. I am watching the .55 changes, to determine wether I even feel like investing any time in the SA or just to wait a while. Currenlty .54 stable and before the zombies really only had one major update that I know of. They are crude, and do not work correctly. The good news is there vary predictible and once you learn why there fairly easy to deal with once you learn why.

 

1) I expect them to go through walls and behave fucked up. This is big, they can go through walls you cant. So the best thing to do is get them out in the open. Kill them in the open.

2) Circle them they are slow, they raise both arms up to strike, and its pretty easy to dodge by circling. Simply hit them with a fire axe or or ice pick and it should only take one hit. Military zombies 2. There easy to kill. 

3) Log in and out in the woods far away from were they are. You can log out and be attacked by them still for 30 seconds.

4) Make sure your on a lower ping server like 70 or below.

5) In your case make sure that the area is clear before drinking. The drinking mechanics, are crude in this game and sometimes hard to make stop or cancel once it starts the animation. Its croky, and kind of wishy washy. Best thing to do is just not drinky unless the area is clear. Its a game flaw.

 

You know I used to just bash people who had problems like yours..."why you drinking out in the open for dumb ass" ect ect. How do should you know. I dont give a shit about the SA that much anymore so I will tell you a secret. About 70 % of playing this isn't how well your survival skill are our how good your manly instincts are. I know allot of players like to think so.....lol Its how well you understand the mechanics, and whats broken and whats not. The dev log and patch notes say allot, and you kind have to see what other players are saying is dicked up. Or how to get around issues. Its soo true. 

Edited March 19, 2015 by CJFlint

[sneakydudes 278]

Not in the way one would think.  I just keep myself hydrated/energized so regardless of hits taken I regen overtime ultimately.  Surely there are arguments to be pointed, but I truly only ever wear ruined clothing and have characters that have been alive for a few weeks, well recently I died, but I blame Fluxley for running me over.

So i am wrong in thinking the best gear (pristine) doesnt absorb a slightly bigger of impact damage then (damaged) gear?

 

Given weight of hydrated/engerized the same on both accounts.

 

For those that dont understand:

 

Ruined=-1, badly damaged =0, damaged=+1, worn=+2, pristine=+3

 

Mikey has pristine gear +3

Mikey has Damaged gear +1

 

(If your heathly you have a great chance of survival then someone whom is hungry and thirsty.) Does this weigh in on anything too?

Edited March 19, 2015 by TheSneakyDude

[Zboub le météor 250]

happenned to me today to,i was eating a can of peaches and got aggroed by a zombie. for some reason, the cancel action would not work, so i took about 6-7 punches before being able to take my axe out. i had luck because none of my gear was damaged. since i carry a plate vest, non of my stuff have been damaged.

 

Not in the way one would think.  I just keep myself hydrated/energized so regardless of hits taken I regen overtime ultimately.  Surely there are arguments to be pointed, but I truly only ever wear ruined clothing and have characters that have been alive for a few weeks, well recently I died, but I blame Fluxley for running me over.

 

hum, discretion is a good point, but i remembrer getting shot with a mosin while running in full pristine military gear (TTSKO jacket, SPOSN backpack, UK assault vest, ballistic helmet...), my screen went quite grey, but i didn't even bleed. that was a decisive factor, i could take my time not thinking about when to rags up and i finally could flank my opponent.

 

pristine clothes offer a better resistance to cold and, better protection (assaul vest and backpacks can absorb a significant amount of damage) and gets your items a little bit more protected from zombies hits.

 

i'm actually in full tan gear (m65 jacket, boonie hat, beige gloves, beige pants, beige comba boots, gaz mask), it offer a surprisingly good camouflage and pair so well with the plate carrier. sometimes, fashion can meet camouflage and protection :D

Edited March 19, 2015 by Zboub le météor

[sneakydudes 278]

I just stoped by to read some of the .55 notes and happened to notice your post.

 

Zombies have been kind of on my radar lately regards to this game, becuase of the upcoming changes to them. I am watching the .55 changes, to determine wether I even feel like investing any time in the SA or just to wait a while. Currenlty .54 stable and before the zombies really only had one major update that I know of. They are crude, and do not work correctly. The good news is there vary predictible and once you learn why there fairly easy to deal with once you learn why.

 

1) I expect them to go through walls and behave fucked up. This is big, they can go through walls you can. So the best thing to do is get them out in the open. Kill them in the open.

2) Circle them they are slow, they raise both arms up to strike, and its pretty easy to dodge by circling. Simply hit them with a fire axe or or ice pick and it should only take one hit. Military zombies 2. There easy to kill. 

3) Log in and out in the woods far away from were they are. You can log out and be attacked by them still for 30 seconds.

4) Make sure your on a lower ping server like 70 or below.

5) In your case make sure that the area is clear before drinking. The drinking mechanics, are crude in this game and sometimes hard to make stop or cancel once it starts the animation. Its croky, and quite frankly wonky. Best thing to do is just not drinky unless the area is clear. Its a game flaw.

 

You know I used to just bash people who had problems like yours..."why you drinking out in the open for dumb ass" ect ect. How do should you know. I dont give a shit about the SA that much anymore so I will tell you a secret. About 70 % of playing this isn't how well your survival skill are our how good your manly instincts are. I know allot of players like to think so.....lol Its how well you understand the mechanics, and whats broken and whats not. The dev log and patch notes say allot, and you kind have to see what other players are saying is dicked up. Or how to get around issues. Its soo true. 

2 zombies hit me once in .54 broke my legs and i barely shot them.

 

friend got hit 1 time by a zombie, ruined all his gear and died.

 

It must have been a super zombie in .54, or some dev flying around the map saying ill get this bastard, really i will this time :)

 

Run away sneaks run!

[tiadashi 262]

Watch Wobos videos if you havent already - very informative