About Zombie Numbers

[CalUKGR 4]

I read a lot of posts from players who consider the upped zombie numbers 'awesome' (however unintentional it was, from Rocket's point-of-view). Yep, I can see that many players, especially those who enjoy working in squads, could get some fun out of the increased ranks of the undead.

Sadly, I'm amongst the still considerable number who prefer to play DayZ alone and who also now find they can't really play this game with any sense of enjoyment at all due to the impossible odds stacked against us from the increased zombie population.

All the voices congratulating the devs for upping zombie numbers are confirming my worst fears for this mod: it will become, primarily, a squad-based shooter, the purview of the 'madskillz' brigade, a hostile place for anyone (like me) just wishing to play 'lone wolf' against the zombies; somewhere that ultimately will be deserted in large numbers by those of us who don't see any fun in being owned by an artificially swollen zombie population or by organised gangs of bandits.

I understand that 'elite' players, players in organised squads, all want to keep the game 'hardcore'. I see that. I get it. But when the zombie count was lower I, too, on my basic level, was also able to enjoy the game. Now I can't - and if these new changes stick going forward I won't be able to again.

I know I won't win this one, but I just wanted to say it for the record.

[Wüstenfuchs (DayZ) 105]

I read a lot of posts from players who consider the upped zombie numbers 'awesome

Why did you create a new thread if there are a lot of them already? Why not just reply in the existing threads with same topic? Now this topic is scattered all over the place' date=' and your new thread makes it even more scattered.

You could had for example replied your opinion of this subject in one of these threads:

The New Zombie Count is AWESOME

New zombies are great!

Good zombie amount.... with more ammo?

Finally, zombies in between towns!

Why more zombies is just what this mod needs

More Zs = <3

Patch 1.5.7 and this being an Alpha and fucking zombie spawns

I just think the forum becomes very messy and hard to read if everyone posts a new thread about the same subject.

[bearcollector 0]

I am a mostly solo or "lone-wolf" player as well. Yet, I'm not having any problems dispatching Z's when I need to. Obviously you can't just run to the closest village/town 5 minutes after spawning on the beach and go in guns a blazing with only a Makarov. Use some stealth and have some patience until you can find a better gun, then start worrying about clearing towns.

[Trinity (DayZ) 0]

Multiplayer mod favours multiplayer? Wow how shocking,

but I do see where you are coming from and my advice to you is that as much as you hate it try find some buddies to tackle the world with.

[CalUKGR 4]

Multiplayer mod favours multiplayer? Wow how shocking...

Yeah' date=' right? Except part of the brilliance of this multiplayer mod is that it uniquely permitted solo play as an option. It still does, of course, but now the entry requirements are a little too steep to make solo play a viable choice. DayZ stood out from the pack because it offered [i']more than just the usual squad-based shootery stuff. I think that's the point I'm making...

[Bandit (DayZ) 3]

Adapt and overcome.

[Lycrius 0]

Played quite a bit yesterday, alone, and didn't find looting towns that much harder than it used to be. Only thing increased zombie spawns I've noticed to do is more people sneaking to towns and villages instead of run and gunning all the zombies down, do quick search and move on. (Still see them for about as long as it takes for them to bleed to death)

I prefer the need for discretion.

Also random bandit snipes seem to have calmed down, enjoy your snipers that agro 800 meters arc of zombies.

[boneboys 7988]

I reckon this thread has its place.

All the others are in praise of the Zombie count.

Being in a group or playing with a buddy is not a fix for the current build.

Ten Z's or more repeatedly spawning out of a small barn in the middle of nowhere is not helping anybody, lone wolf or not.

[wolfgang784 13]

I do feel the pain of the lone wolf as my party is not always here and I am left to survive on my own sometimes such as yesterday when the patch came out, but it really is amazingly more fun as well.

I play with a large group of people because it is easier to take down bandits and other survivors alike, and the zombies were incredibly easy with 8 people. The only danger to clearing an entire town was that players would hear and get a lucky shot on someone. Now though, we had to take a good while planning out how the attack would go on the starry sobor military camp and what we could do.

Eventually it came down to using flares in the daytime to lure a few away so that we could split up into a few tents in groups of 2 and then start shooting. Took down 20 zombies each when they started coming from the outskirts of town as well, and we still nearly lost one member.

The only advice I can give someone who is still lone wolfing it at this point is good luck. With the new zombie density sneaking by is not usually possible and when it is, it is very hard to do. Remember that if you go prone you can get within a few feet of zombies without them seeing or hearing you.

[Siphex 2]

I started playing during last patch when zombie counts were unintentiuonally low and I foudn that to be much better than this only because when you encounter zombies more seldom each encounter and the buildup to each encounter becomes a much mroe powerful experiance.

Personally I'd like to see few but tougher zombies, with zombies being so laggy and glitchy as they are currently I don't see why we need so many of them.

[lev 39]

Multiplayer mod favours multiplayer? Wow how shocking...

Yeah' date=' right? Except part of the brilliance of this multiplayer mod is that it uniquely permitted solo play as an option. It still does, of course, but now the entry requirements are a little too steep to make solo play a viable choice. DayZ stood out from the pack because it offered [i']more than just the usual squad-based shootery stuff. I think that's the point I'm making...

I don't see how players have had so much trouble with the zombies. Yeah there are more of them but if you were lone wolfing you shouldn't have been engaging massive groups of them with the expectation of winning. Stealth hasn't changed all that much since the last patch except that zombies have a higher tendency to wander towards noises. It still is very possible to sneak past zombies. I've raided the airfield and other towns lone wolfing without so much as firing a shot and in the scenario where I do alert a few zombies I lead them out away from the town before going loud and dispatching them. Also a smoke grenade/whiskey bottle do great at drawing zombies away from entrances and chokepoints.

Lone wolfing isn't impossible and the new patch hasn't turned this game into a squad based only game. You may have to consider that even though you want to lone wolf it, you just aren't cut out for it. Lone wolfing should have a steeper entry skill; the game was too easy to survive solo before and the zombie threat was a joke. You can either survive solo based on your own skills or if you can't, find a group that can help keep you alive.

[willia_ho@hotmail.com 1]

The mod started out with alot more zombies from what I hear. People got too used to 1.5.6 patch which broke zombie spawns, pre 1.5.6 there were lots of zombies.

Its still alpha and may need some tweaking but I find the current zombie spawns far more approaching the original vision of the mod. During 1.5.6 zombies became a minor nuisance where you could take down 1 or 2 zombies at a time. Now you have to be tactful and use strategy.

Let go of 1.5.6 patch, adapt or die. The zombie count will probably never be that low nor that easy ever again.

[resident emil 1]

As I wrote in another thread; Two of my friends (both playing the mod for the first time) walked from Komarovo to the Power Plant just north of Elektorzavodsk yesterday. Except for a brief gunning at the beach (their first DayZ fight ever), which they both survived, they managed to get to the Power Plant unharmed. They sneaked around towns and past Zambies. They also managed too pick up some loot in a building at the airfield near Balota. A reasonably experienced lone wolfer should absolutely manage to do what two total DayZ noobs managed.

Also, as a Lone Wolfe you should expect to have the kind of loot available to such a player. Expecting to run around solo with your backpack full of bloodpacks that you got at a hospital is not reasonable.

Looting the big cities should take the effort of a well coordinated team, OR a highly skilled Lone Wolf equipped with the patience and skill it takes.

[CalUKGR 4]

Let go of 1.5.6 patch' date=' adapt or die. The zombie count will probably never be that low nor that easy ever again.[/quote']

Well, as I've said, I know I'm not to going to win this one. I know most people seem to prefer the higher Z count and most people tend to play in groups. I guess that's entire point of the MP thing. I just really liked it when playing solo was also a sensible choice.

Lower numbers of Z's meant that each and every encounter from the smallest rural hamlet to the dangerous urban cities, was a strategic gamble - as a lone wolf, every encounter felt like a minor epic, and yet winnable. Now, masses of Z's just feels cheap and unwinnable, in comparison. Some of the magic went away.

The challenge is gone, as a lone wolf, because no matter what, the moment you fire that first shot you will be overwhelmed, your ammo will run out and you will never live as this character to fight another day.

Yes, I'm whining like a bitch - and I'm sorry for that. I'm on a losing side of the argument and I'm sad to see the game I enjoyed slipping away...

[kyawn 0]

I personally think the increase in zombies numbers is a good thing, it added a lot more atmosphere to this being a zombie apocalypse mod. I mean a city with only about 30-40 zombies in it? Please...

You can still perfectly play this game solo even with the increased zombie count you'll just have to crouch-walk and sometimes even crawl your way around certain areas, I personally have to get out of the middle of cherno when the patch came out and I did it fine by myself without firing a shot surrounded by overwhelming odds.

This mod still have perfect solo potential in my opinion, but a lot of people will say (including myself) that the better means to survival against the odds is teaming up with a friend or two to help out in sticky situations or to even the playing field. That is also another aspect of a "survival game".

And don't get me wrong CallUKGR, this post of mine isn't a blow at you and I'm not trying to shut down your argument. All I'm saying is that I think your points are a bit flawed considering a lot of people (including me) can and still play this mod solo fine. And some of us enjoy it even more so now than before in 1.5.6.

[sunnz 24]

Let go of 1.5.6 patch' date=' adapt or die. The zombie count will probably never be that low nor that easy ever again.[/quote']

Well, as I've said, I know I'm not to going to win this one. I know most people seem to prefer the higher Z count and most people tend to play in groups. I guess that's entire point of the MP thing. I just really liked it when playing solo was also a sensible choice.

Lower numbers of Z's meant that each and every encounter from the smallest rural hamlet to the dangerous urban cities, was a strategic gamble - as a lone wolf, every encounter felt like a minor epic, and yet winnable. Now, masses of Z's just feels cheap and unwinnable, in comparison. Some of the magic went away.

The challenge is gone, as a lone wolf, because no matter what, the moment you fire that first shot you will be overwhelmed, your ammo will run out and you will never live as this character to fight another day.

Yes, I'm whining like a bitch - and I'm sorry for that. I'm on a losing side of the argument and I'm sad to see the game I enjoyed slipping away...

I lone wolf have and successfully went into two big towns and a few smaller settlements with over 100 zombies in each ( smaller had less but still quite a few that could see) and got the supplies i needed without dying.

When I got chased i used the Winchester since its quite, went into homes, sneaked around, NO RUNNING and made sure that i check every corner.

Sure the cities like cherno or elektro would feel impossible for a lone wolf BUT THAT IS HOW IT SHOULD BE!!!. A massive town like that should require a team, if you lone wolf then tough, i know i wont be going into them towns cause i know i would fucked up alone.

[willia_ho@hotmail.com 1]

CalUKGR, looks you started playing during the 1.5.6 patch (not dissing you here mate ;)) which was really a step back for the mod. The devs have pulled it back near the original counts but of course tweaks need to be made.

Here's a few tips for 1.5.7:

- Use empty cans, smokes, etc to distract zombies away from areas. Throw those items and watch the zombies shuffle towards them.

- Use prone or crouch walk near buildings towns.

- The pistol should be considered your primary weapon now, you'll attract less zombies when firing it. Rifles, etc have a larger agro radius.

- If there is a zombie a few feet away from you and you haven't been spotted, stay prone and don't move!

Solo play is possible, just have to be much more careful.

[daedrick 90]

I rarely play with others as I only group up when I recently died because i have nothing to lose anyway and can take more risk yet, as a lone wolf, I didn't have any problem at all, looting towns.

Simply, crawl near a building, press X, walk slowly inside, if you aggro a zombie or two, no big deal, they will funnel in the building, easy to kill.

You got confortable with the preceding patch, thats the only thing I can see. Also, take a look at the new player/noob section of the forums, I posted a small guide to gear your up relatively easy.

[weft 0]

Well first off this game is zombie simulator. Yes there are huge towns that there civilians were turned into zombies. It's a simulator, there for in a real life scenario, yea you could be a lone-wolf but you would have a greater chance of living if you were in a group, which this game reflex.

If you want to play a solo game why not get a server and put a password on it that you only know? Whining on the forums about a change in ALPHA is not going to change anything, its a free mod. If you don't like where the game is at in this point of time take a week off and come back later. Who knows they might lower the zombie limit, they may not. Patches have been coming a lot so just wait out the storm. If you don't like the state of the game and not having fun with it stop playing? No one is forcing you to play.

[Boss (DayZ) 1]

Guess you don't know what prone is?

I mean, you can literally prone through the most zombie infested towns and cities looting every building and not attract a zombie.

If someone fires at you and doesn't kill you in one hit, they've got the whole city on them.

It's more time consuming yeah, but, you want to lone wolf, you can, you just won't use an option that is sitting right in front of you.

[Evilsausage 87]

Yes I love the tens feeling of having to sneak around. This is a survial game so I don't really think anyway should expect it to be clever to run all by yourself with guns blazing.

Before there where abit too few zombies, most of the times the players where the main threat.

I kinda like it now when you can see a shitload of em walking zombies in the distance.

Though 800 on a server might be a tad too many. But 500-600 i think is a good number.

You also seem to find zombies in less obvious places now. Like slightly outside villages etc, which i really like.

I hope they add some zombies that roam across the land. So that you can never fully feel safe. Even in a forrest.

[pastyvirgin 3]

Zombie spawn count is outrageous, maybe 1 or 2 extra but 20-40 extra? I was lone wolfing at NW Airstrip and I literally could not leave the factory tower until a Bandit snuffed me out of it, was forced to run bc of ludicrous zombie count, then killed during my run.

I'm okay with lots of zombies. I'm not okay with 20 more spawning bc I cant defend myself w/o creating noise.

[CalUKGR 4]

Guess you don't know what prone is?

I mean' date=' you can literally prone through the most zombie infested towns and cities looting every building and not attract a zombie.

If someone fires at you and doesn't kill you in one hit, they've got the whole city on them.

It's more time consuming yeah, but, you want to lone wolf, you can, you just won't use an option that is sitting right in front of you.

[/quote']

Thanks, that's a helpful suggestion. I didn't realize that going prone makes you so much safer than simply sneaking. I guess the big drawback is that it will take literally ages to get anything done. Please don't think I'm down on DayZ - I love whole concept, but I suppose it's a case of 'if only they made this exactly the way I want it' and I realise that's impossible. I'll try the going prone route - see how that pans out.

[Marcuss95 0]

i was just on a server with 949 zombies

[Zarathustra (DayZ) 87]

My God, CalUKGR , you don't know how wrong you are!

I had my best 'lone wolf' session of Day Z last night!

Firstly, when collecting supplies from villages, ALWAYS go prone. The zombies will not aggress you until they more-or-less bump into you. It's really very easy navigating around them when you're prone.

Secondly, if you're a homicidal 'lone wolf', little has changed - this play style is completely viable. I picked off five players last night on the Swedish servers around Elektro, and I never once got any zombie aggro - this was with the noisy Lee Enfield, I should add. Stay out of the town, employ the use of cover and change your firing position often. Always have a safe-house nearby to run to if you do get zombie aggro.

Also, I could be wrong about this, but I think shooting in wooded areas muffles gunfire. I shot a player in the woods with my Enfield only 100m (quite possibly less!) from zombies, and they didn't hear a thing. It was a odd - I expected to get swarmed, but didn't.

So far I love the changes. Yes, banditry and solo-play is a bit harder, but it's still satisfying.