New zombies, Soon?

[preacherlr 614]

I found this gem in the dev tracker, and since a lot of people don't read it, I thought I'd throw it in here.

Agreed. But I viewed the new collision system developed at bratislava and it blew my mind. A procedural system as part of packing the game raycasts to generate the navmesh in grid across entire terrain. This means navmesh is generated for the entire map, including buildings and trees and fences. The data was almost completely clean. It was beautiful. What happens now is our programmers use this new system, with a new method, to ensure that zombies only walk on this global navmesh. This will revolutionize the zombies, imho. It not only changes their behavior but reduces their performance overhead. The engine only needs to check if the zombie is inside the navmesh and not to constantly raycast for geometry collision. This does not solve dynamic objects (other players, zombies, animals), but we can deal with that next.


This is from rocket.
 

Edited May 9, 2014 by Preach

[bodybagger2430 59]

Nice find, it moves so fast I miss these nuggets.

 

It looks like the bratislava group is continuing to surprised Dean by getting comfy and working on the game faster than he expected. However he DID say in the roadmap that it was almost entirely done, and that once done it would take a few weeks of in house testing before being put out to the public. So it looks like we are still on schedule for a June or July revamp of zombies and "stress testing" by the public as I like to call the experimentals.

[Death By Crowbar 1213]

Zombies that don't travel in right angles (or very obviously calculated angles) will make for greater challenge, they might not take derpy routes around structures or only attack you in a straight line and then stand there dumbfounded when you merely step out of the way. This sounds promising! I wonder how the community as a whole who's used to truly "dumb" zombies that are easy to deal with will respond? Positively I hope...

[qww 287]

cool

[joe_mcentire 2074]

unbelievable how magically fresh minds and different approaches can solve such an intricate problem in such a short time.

[Conrad_The_Comrade 577]

I can't wait for this, I just want to be able to run into a house, slam the doors shut, and have a horde waiting outside to slaughter me :P Jk, but this sounds promising.

[preacherlr 614]

Zombies that don't travel in right angles (or very obviously calculated angles) will make for greater challenge, they might not take derpy routes around structures or only attack you in a straight line and then stand there dumbfounded when you merely step out of the way. This sounds promising! I wonder how the community as a whole who's used to truly "dumb" zombies that are easy to deal with will respond? Positively I hope...

With any luck, They'll move onto a new thing to hate, And it'll get enough hate that it gets fixed quickly and very well.. Here's to hoping they don't jump on a terrible idea bandwagon..

[Bororm 1156]

Zombies that don't travel in right angles (or very obviously calculated angles) will make for greater challenge, they might not take derpy routes around structures or only attack you in a straight line and then stand there dumbfounded when you merely step out of the way. This sounds promising! I wonder how the community as a whole who's used to truly "dumb" zombies that are easy to deal with will respond? Positively I hope...

 

Honestly I think when zombie path finding is fixed they're going to be easier.  Right now zombies are only a "threat" because they warp through walls and get in the floor and shit.  If they actually have to use doorways, and walk around fences and don't clip into shit any more I think they're going to become easier not harder.

 

It's something I always kinda wonder about people who go on about how once zombies are fixed they're going to be so difficult.

 

We'll just have to wait and see though.

Edited May 9, 2014 by Bororm

[BadAsh (DayZ) 1513]

Honestly I think when zombie path finding is fixed they're going to be easier.  Right now zombies are only a "threat" because they warp through walls and get in the floor and shit.  If they actually have to use doorways, and walk around fences and don't clip into shit any more I think they're going to become easier not harder.

 

It's something I always kinda wonder about people who go on about how once zombies are fixed they're going to be so difficult.

 

We'll just have to wait and see though.

 

I disagree to a point. Because obviously the main factor for zombies is numbers. We simply need more of them, alot more. But once their pathing is fixed they can begin the serious work on their ai and tweaking their stats. This will also work in the direction of making them more dangerous, as for example the recent damage bug has shown us.

 

And of course meanwhile the contiunous optimisation of the game will eventually mean more zombies.

[HIHBGaming 14]

It not only changes their behavior but reduces their performance overhead. The engine only needs to check if the zombie is inside the navmesh and not to constantly raycast for geometry collision.

 

^This I suspect will give us higher Zed numbers but the overall post looks brilliant. This is gonna be good!

[Bororm 1156]

I disagree to a point. Because obviously the main factor for zombies is numbers. We simply need more of them, alot more. But once their pathing is fixed they can begin the serious work on their ai and tweaking their stats. This will also work in the direction of making them more dangerous, as for example the recent damage bug has shown us.

 

And of course meanwhile the contiunous optimisation of the game will eventually mean more zombies.

 

Yeah I guess I guess you're probably right, but I'm just a bit skeptical.  We'll find out eventually!

[HIHBGaming 14]

I found this gem in the dev tracker, and since a lot of people don't read it, I thought I'd throw it in here.

Agreed. But I viewed the new collision system developed at bratislava and it blew my mind. A procedural system as part of packing the game raycasts to generate the navmesh in grid across entire terrain. This means navmesh is generated for the entire map, including buildings and trees and fences. The data was almost completely clean. It was beautiful. What happens now is our programmers use this new system, with a new method, to ensure that zombies only walk on this global navmesh. This will revolutionize the zombies, imho. It not only changes their behavior but reduces their performance overhead. The engine only needs to check if the zombie is inside the navmesh and not to constantly raycast for geometry collision. This does not solve dynamic objects (other players, zombies, animals), but we can deal with that next.

This is from rocket.

 

 

Actually the whole Reddit thread is an interesting read... mmm Zeds that work.  ;)

[randomspawn 215]

maybe the zed's will get back to pre-patch levels, at least as far as quantity go. I still don't understand their ability to see me from so far away. It could be their sense of smell though, as I haven't found a stick of Right Guard yet. 

 

Just being able to shut doors will be cool

[HIHBGaming 14]

I'm sure once this navmesh is implemented and they can't glitch through buildings and such, their senses will be tweaked. The implementation of the navmesh is absolutely good stuff.

Edited May 13, 2014 by R.Neville

[MarchHare 184]

maybe the zed's will get back to pre-patch levels, at least as far as quantity go. I still don't understand their ability to see me from so far away. It could be their sense of smell though, as I haven't found a stick of Right Guard yet.

Just being able to shut doors will be cool

Post patch zeds seem to have redicu-vision. Peregrine Falcon level keenness.

[AnarchyBrownies 1383]

This solution seems utopian. Zombies behave better AND performance is increased!? More, better zombies. That's extremely exciting. In one patch we may suddenly have ourselves a zombie game.

[CANUCKinNZ 108]

Honestly I think when zombie path finding is fixed they're going to be easier.  Right now zombies are only a "threat" because they warp through walls and get in the floor and shit.  If they actually have to use doorways, and walk around fences and don't clip into shit any more I think they're going to become easier not harder.

 

It's something I always kinda wonder about people who go on about how once zombies are fixed they're going to be so difficult.

 

We'll just have to wait and see though.

30 of then coming at you from different directions but using gates instead of 1 coming straight at you isn't going to be easy! I can't wait.

[_Mandrake_ 49]

Once Zeds are pathing correctly, they can be made tougher.  I want to see Mike Tyson zombies punching off heads (or biting ears) and generally wrecking face.

 

Maybe.  But this is still great news, let's hope it does indeed come Soon™.

[igor-vk 909]

Untill there are larger numbers of zombies, they should be harder to kill with melee (only if pathfinding works and they dont go trough walls). Zeds will be more dangerous if you have to kill them with guns, they hear you and go your way, other players hear you and come your way. If you can kill 20 zeds with 20 hits with axe, where is the danger? This way you will calculate when to shoot and when to lose them in buildings. Guns should be used to kill zeds as well. Once there are hudreds of zeds in town, they should return melee hit values.

[timedance 120]

I don´t see any sense... - if they will add more zombies like that kind of zombies, its more unplayable than yet.

1 Zombie can instant kill you, with a lucky 1-hit + they are fast like "Usain Bolt"/who wins world-record in sprint. Now if they add more, you need a tank or something, to drive through them :D

[igor-vk 909]

Only thing that anoys me with zombies at their curent state is terible desinc. Zombie hits me when he is 3m behind me, when he already falling dead.

Runing away from zombies like a pussy is not shame, name of game is Day"Z", not Day"KOS" or Day"snipe". Zombies should be main danger in game, even beter if you can use them to kill players. (shoot one round to atract zeds in players area)

Edited May 13, 2014 by igor-vk

[HIHBGaming 14]

I don´t see any sense... - if they will add more zombies like that kind of zombies, its more unplayable than yet.

1 Zombie can instant kill you, with a lucky 1-hit + they are fast like "Usain Bolt"/who wins world-record in sprint. Now if they add more, you need a tank or something, to drive through them :D

 

Zed speeds currently, 100's of them would be problematic but they're really not that difficult to deal with even being fast. One shot from an FNX anywhere kills them or circling them with an axe is not hard either.

 

I mean they're supposed to be a threat, that's the whole idea. I do see the Devs tweaking them to get that balance but I'm one for in your face difficult Zeds.

Edited May 13, 2014 by R.Neville

[timedance 120]

I think they put out patches without knowledge about what they do.

 

Lets take a look at the melee-system. 10x hacking with fireaxe? They must be drunk to programm such shit

[HIHBGaming 14]

I think they put out patches without knowledge about what they do.

 

Lets take a look at the melee-system. 10x hacking with fireaxe? They must be drunk to programm such shit

 

I've yet had to hit a Zed more than 4 or 5 times to kill it with a fireaxe but typically hit it in the head once and it's dead.

 

I'm hoping this will be the same for gunshots at some point. It's like shooting fish in a barrel currently.

[agentneo 337]

Whats the ETA???