Suggestions to improve Player vs Zombies. Can also improve PvP melee.

[St. Jimmy 1631]

Game speed - harder to avoid:

 

Currently we can run endlessly way too fast and zombies have hard time to keep with us. I know that this will change at some point and stamina system is coming but I like still to point this out. The slower we're the easier it's for the devs to implement hit detection, zombie AI etc. There should be then less errors that zombie runs over and is suddenly behind you.

 

If you get hit your speed should slow down for some time. Many other zombie games have this implemented so one zombie can be deadly because suddenly you can have a horde around you. This also can force you to try to kill the zombie and not just run away like it's nothing. This makes people to be really engaded in combat.

 

Faster zombie attack animations. These are fast zombies so their attack animations don't need to be too slow because the slower the harder it's to create attack/hit detection/animation system that's immersive for the player. Currently it's hard to tell which part of the animation really even hits the player. I don't mean with faster attacks that zombies hit you like 10 times per second but that the attack just happens quickly. The slower the attack animations are the easier player can just run behind the zombie when it's playing the animation.

 

Bleeding:

 

One of the worst things in DayZ is the blood system that makes your screen desaturate instantly. I hated this a lot in the mod and I still think it's implemented very badly. No desaturation should happen unless you're very low on blood. What's more annoying than watching a black and white movie or badly set up monitor when you know everything could look beautiful, colorful and realistic? What's the point of implementing any better graphic engine when things can look horrible after a hit from a zombie? What's the point of artist team to implement different grass colors when everything will blend because of the desaturation? I know you can currently heal quickly by eating well but it shouldn't be that easy in the future.

And please don't use too much blur to indicate anything. Thank god we can turn off some PP effects because nobody wants to look a screen like this...

 

Bleeding ratio from a zombie attack should be lower so you don't get bleeding 50% of the time. Balance this that zombies make more damage if necessary. This way medical system can be improved in to a level of Project Zomboid so we need to patch up different body parts.

 

Head hits:

 

Really lower the ratio where a zombie gets knocked out from a attack. Make a head hit just more damaging. It's very immersion breaking. Make them ragdoll from a head hit so it's more cool looking.

 

Overall:

 

The player vs zombies isn't currently fun at all. You can't engage because it's pretty bad thing even against one zombie but you can still outrun every zombie so nothing forces you to fight them. In my opinion the biggest reasons why nobody wants to fight against the zombies are high bleeding ratio and desaturation effect. Then it's everytime the same, you're running in circles and attacking. The combat should be more engaging face to face fighting and not a circle running 14th century tournament where zombie doesn't have a chance. PvP melee combat is also suffering for the same things but I think people are more engaged than against zombies.

Edited January 5, 2015 by St. Jimmy

[Zarniwoop 1193]

Agree with mostly everything, especially the part about the blurry screen. It's really just a nuisance. Still I like the way it does away with the onscreen UI, but it does so quite crudely. 

 

Beans from me.  :beans:  :beans:  :beans:  :beans:

[therandomredstone 432]

Fixing zombies and such is all over the 2015 roadmap. Did you ever know that the current zombies and their AI are just placeholders? These zombies are going to be 0% like what the finished zombies will be. This is the 'finsished' zombie traits that have yet to be added in:

 

Investigating: Lights and sounds will draw in zombies to the vicinity but if you are not in plain sight they will be on 'High Alert' until a curtain amount of time has pasted.

 

Looks: Zombies are going to look better; their skins and textures are going to be modified and they are going to be more detailed; you will see their mouth open when they yell, etc.

 

Physicsc: The zombies are going to be more "humanoid". Right now they are like walls that die after hitting them X amount of times. In the future when you hit them, you will see the damage caused.

 

Damage: Right now the damage system is pretty basic, in the future, head hits will almost instandtly kill them. for example you could give them 3 good swings in the head with a crowbar and they will be down. Sounds easy? Nope...

 

Numbers: After the new engine and renderer and EVERYTHING is added into the game. A door will be unlocked to new possibility's. This means more and better zombies, and everything else. You will sneak into electro and see 5 or 6 zombies around every corner. Just dragging around aimlessly until prey comes along. Now, whenever you RUN through a city, you will have 10 to 20 zeds chasing you, instead of the occasional 1 or 2, (3 or 4 if not looted).

 

Fear Factor: With all of these other features for the zombies; the scary face, the investigating, the damage, zombies will be a threat that wont easily be diminished. Even with a firefighters axe. Whenever you are about to enter a city, no matter what you have; AUG and a ghillie suit with a crap ton of ammo. Zombies will be a reasonable foe. To get that good loot from Cherno and electro you will have to use stealth or distractions (which takes survivors to group together) for example you are in a foot long alleyway waiting for this other survivor you found to light and throw a flare from the building he is in to the street. The zombies would then fill with rage and run towards the flare hoping to get a good meaty meal while you take this opportunity to run out of the alley, past the street and into the jailhouse.

 

The current placeholders that can be easily killed with a firefighters axe, will soon turn into full out rage filled creatures, that anybody would hesitate to mess with.

 

Edited January 5, 2015 by therandomredstone

[Bludy 324]

about bleeding in general, i'd like to suggest a scaling system where if you take a small hit, there's a real chance the bleeding will stop alone untreated, maybe leaving a bigger chance to start again on next hits.

 

and i agree with limiting saturation decreasing and blur, it would be interesting having controls/actions effects instead, like failing some command like reload or bandage, or falling on your knees

[St. Jimmy 1631]

Fixing zombies and such is all over the 2015 roadmap. Did you ever know that the current zombies and their AI are just placeholders? These zombies are going to be 0% like what the finished zombies will be. This is the 'finsished' zombie traits that have yet to be added in:

Don't worry I've read the roadmap. Just brainstorming and saying what's currently wrong and see if people agree with those things.

[Damnyourdeadman 1045]

We need to make them substantially stronger than the player.

Imo when zombies come into the player's close proximity getting knocked down should be very common(imo 90%chance).

After all they are violent savage beasts,they should act their part.

One should alert each other in (5-10 meter) proximity when spotting a survivor.

Trying running from them in the open should be almost suicidal.

The ultimate goal,is to force the player lock doors and look for shelter in the houses.

I used to love the mod's mechanic,where they pilled up in front of the entrance and slowly made your way to you.

Using a weapon without a silencer,should bring you heaps of trouble(imo all zombies in proximity alerted+additional 25 spawned with each shot as penalty).

Make bow and arrow weapon of choice when facing the infected.

[☣BioHaze☣ 7337]

It will be super exciting to see all elements of melee and zombie interaction improved!

 

Speaking of which, I would LOVE to see a wide variety of infected AI types.

 

At the very least like 3 different states of awareness, kind of like how we have standing and walking now but a bit more indepth as I believe the mod was.

 

A zombie that just stands there with a set cone of awareness, maybe lolling his head around, good.

 

A zombie that walks/runs a fixed small/large, pattern, good.

 

A zombie that walks/runs a random small/large pattern, good.

 

Crawling, crouching, zombies that drop themselves from 2nd story windows as you walk by. :P

 

Different levels of interest in the animals is good.

 

Edit: Oh yeah, and I believe they should be able to grab onto players for biting in some instances, even if they aren't trying to eat you....

Edited January 5, 2015 by BioHaze

[Aktymel 8]

i think blur screen can be repaired by hit ESC press settings and video and it should be ok 

[star-lord252 83]

Could we see eventually more types of attacks from zombies like he jumps on you and starts killing you or if you die he comes to your body and start seating it continuously ruining your gear.

[sneakydudes 278]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY5ibWnbXTc&feature=player_embedded

 

I would  love to see more zombie attacks even up in the face, attacks. Something to throw me off my seat :)

 

Hoping is wishing and wishing is hoping so I bother with neither

 

Edit this video looked better

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DutlVwyEcr8&feature=player_detailpage

Edited January 13, 2015 by FIRMSneakydude