Different Zombie "Attributes"

[evolution (DayZ) 51]

It seems now that all the zombies are the same but with a different skin. They all take the same amount of bullets to go down and they all have same speed, vision and strength.

What I'm suggesting is that we add different attributes to different zombies which will make the game much more interesting.

Civilian Zombies (ADD MALE/FEMALE) - These zombies which are currently found around Chernerus should be the stock standard zombies. Same vision/strength/hearing/speed as the current zombies in DayZ. Although there could be different types, for example;

Fat Zombies - Bigger than most, these zombies are slower but much more powerful. It takes 5-6 bullets from an AK-74 to take these guys down. They have the same vision/hearing as civilian zombies but less speed and more strength.

Military Zombies - These zombies should be the hardest in the game. They require more bullets to take down since they wear body armour(6-7 from an AK-74), should be stronger (doing more damage and a higher chance to knock you out unconscious), their range of sight and hearing should be increased and they should be faster. Maybe SOME of these zombies could have NVG's on to see at night to make it more dangerous(but once they die the NVG's cannot be looted)

Police Zombies - These guys should have the same hearing/sight/speed but are harder to take down (3-4) bullets from the AK-74 as they also wear body armour.

Player Zombies (non-playable) * Suggested by Sticky Ninjaz* - Players killed by zombies should reanimate and roam around, they would have slightly better stats (speed, damage, health) than general zombies but retain most of their loot, however they would drop the equipped weapon.

*NOTE* Headshots kill all zombies with one shot.

I've used the AK-74 as an example.

Loots should stay the same, unless anyone has better ideas?

These additions are not unrealistic and extreme like l4d special infected but add a variety in the game and make it more exciting. It would give players more incentive to be stealthy than just run around and shoot zombies with 1-2 shot kills.

These are just a few ideas I came up with, if anyone has anything more to add please do so.

Edited July 28, 2012 by evolution

[BenderBot 0]

I think this is a good idea...it should add a different dimension tactic-wise for everbody.

Edited July 17, 2012 by BenderBot

[Druig 7]

This would be awesome, but i kinda have the feeling that something like this will come in the future.

[Clasius 22]

Good idea besides military zombie with NVG's. Should be better a bit difference within zombies... Got my beans.

[Sumdum 29]

Funny thing, my friend in TS who played this game months ago was talking about Priest zombies and what a pain in the ass they were. Was there already an attempt at this? Or was he just on shrooms?

[witalit@gmail.com 22]

This is an awesome idea! There could be so many variations of this also. You have my beans..

Would be cool to see some variation with the zombies. I find the animations for running irratic and I wish it was toned down slightly.

I was thinking of a Zombie boss who has multiple zombies chained to him. He is super strong and takes mutiple shots to take out. You can shoot the zombies chained to him or when he is shot dead they snap loose and chase you as normal.

Just an idea I thought haha.

[Bludy 324]

yeah a bit of variety sounds good

[nacrom 82]

Funny thing, my friend in TS who played this game months ago was talking about Priest zombies and what a pain in the ass they were. Was there already an attempt at this? Or was he just on shrooms?

I saw a few of these but don't recall them being harder. I did bless myself when I saw it though (not really).

+1 for fat zombies!

You should replace "personality" with "physical characteristics" though. I thought you were going to start suggesting emo zombies.

Edited July 17, 2012 by nacrom

[serpent10i 1]

Yes. I like it. Just PLEASE NO ranged zeds

[ollox 38]

Zombies types should each have distinct attributes, this makes sense as they are partially decomposed so will have lost some functionality. These different abilities make zombies far more dangerous when in packs.

Eyeless - Being completely blind they have heightened senses of hearing and smell. They can detect nearby humans by smell even if silent and hidden; you need to stay downwind of them (if wind direction exists in DayZ) and wounds could make you easier to detect as they smell the blood.

Fatman - They are fat and move slowly but take large amounts of damage (but don't deliver increased damage) . They are also extremely loud when alerted, attracting zombies from far away.

Spasm - This becomes the only zombie that fully sprints at you. They visibly spasm and twitch as they move around when passive. They are very fast and lash out dealing a lot of damage, but aren't hard to take down if you can get a shot away first; they're not very good at sensing humans either.

Stalker - Extremely good eyesight, also moves very quietly.

I think these attributes compliment each other well and would bring another element of strategy to the game by making zombies more challenging. You'll have to use different strategies depending on what type of zombies are around.

Spasm is the most deadly, the others act as his sensors and Fatman is the relay to call reinforcements. Alone, each can be dealt with fairly easily but together they become extremely dangerous. They can all still kill you on their own, but Spasm is freakishly strong and is the one you should be most concerned about alerting.

For example, you could be near a water supply and see a Fatman and an Eyeless near it, off in the distance are some other zombies including Spasms. You cant take the near two down with a melee weapon because the Eyeless will hear you coming and alert the Fatman, who will in turn alert the zeds in the distance; and shooting the Eyeless would alert the Fatman. So unless you have a silenced ranged weapon, the best action is probably to take out the Fatman first, then deal with the Eyeless. But while you're planning your move a Stalker could sneak up behind you and ruin everything!

Edited July 17, 2012 by Ollox

[sticky 7]

Shut up and take my beans!

Not sure about the NVG zombies though, I suppose as an ultra-rare chance at military spawns it would be fine, but they should be nearly blind in daylight (don't tell me the zombies are smart enough to take off and put on NVGs), also the NVGs should be lootable.

Definitely Fat Zombies. Ollox gets beans too for Stalker and Spazz Zombies, I guess Blind Zombies would be fine as long as they are slow and fall down often.

Other ideas:

Zombie Animals, dogs or wolves that travel in packs would be fierce and the howls would make the forest a frightening place.

Decayed Zombies and Graveyards, I've not seen a single cemetery in Chernarus, and I'm not sure if resurrecting the long-since deceased would fit with the lore, but... zombies that are little more than skeletons wrapped in decaying flesh would be gruesome, they would be slower, less observant and weaker than general zombies but nearly silent since their vocal cords have begun to rot. It would be great if these zombies had a high chance of causing infection.

Player Zombies (non-playable), players killed by Zombies should reanimate and roam around, they would have slightly higher stats (speed, damage and health) than general zombies but retain most of their loot, however they would drop the equipped weapon, which could still be picked up if found.

Things I don't want: Boss Zombies, Ranged Zombies, Gaseous/Explosive Zombies, that stuff would make it too much like an open world L4D.

Edited July 17, 2012 by Sticky Ninjaz

[ollox 38]

I like the idea of players becoming zombies. It could even sometimes happen from a non-lethal bite, you'd have no indication that you were turning into a zombie other than losing control for a second here and there, then you lose control completely but can still see through the eyes of your character as he tears into your friends! It would be pretty cool to watch a Zombie's-eye-view of the game. What would you do if you knew you were becoming a zombie?

[Zeromentor 169]

I don't really want to see more fat zombies... Seen enough. Let's pretend all the fat guys were eaten or died from heart attacks.

Anyhow, I like the rest. Military zombies should take a little more to put down than a normal civilian zombie, and maybe add some more kinds of zombies. As it is, zombies seem to have half the health of players, and I don't think that is enough. Sure, they are glitchy, but if rocket lowers the run speed they shouldn't glitch on their paths quite as much. See other games with extreme NPC speeds from the early 2000s. They have the same problem with NPCs glitching through walls and stuff due to their speed.

If they ran just slightly faster than people instead of the extreme amount, with extra health to offset the decrease in zig-zag glitch running, it would be cooler and seemingly better made. Just my opinion. Outside of fat or ranged zombies, I support the OP.

[Sumdum 29]

Let's pretend all the fat guys were eaten or died from heart attacks.

#1: Cardio

[gant12000 4]

i am personally against this idea, simply because i like that these are just all infected people. nicknames for the zombies were invented by the players, and i am sure each of us have our own names for the walking and moving style of each infected. i was just talking to a friend the other day about how i loved that this game didnt fall to the urge of adding different zombieswith different attributes to hook audiences.. the game's focus on survival is intensified because of this. shooting zombies is a secondary priority to finding food and supplies. if stronger or faster zombies are added into the mix at random, then why not just give in and make it a resident evil clone?

but this is just my thought on the subject. i could be wrong about this.

Edited July 18, 2012 by gant12000

[Flambo (DayZ) 50]

I think this is a good idea, but I do not think it would improve the quality of the game much in its current state. This idea would make zombies more interesting, but as the current best zombie strategy is to sprint through them and lose them in multi-exit buildings, making some zombies take more hits/do more damage/see better would not make zombies any more challenging overall.

I would much rather see changes that make zombies remain challenging even to players who are aware of the best methods for dealing with them.

[Zeromentor 169]

i am personally against this idea, simply because i like that these are just all infected people. nicknames for the zombies were invented by the players, and i am sure each of us have our own names for the walking and moving style of each infected. i was just talking to a friend the other day about how i loved that this game didnt fall to the urge of adding different zombieswith different attributes to hook audiences.. the game's focus on survival is intensified because of this. shooting zombies is a secondary priority to finding food and supplies. if stronger or faster zombies are added into the mix at random, then why not just give in and make it a resident evil clone?

but this is just my thought on the subject. i could be wrong about this.

The guy was asking for stronger zombies based on physical characteristics. Like military zombies wearing those vests having more health, due to the vest. Not the T-Virus Hunters...

[evolution (DayZ) 51]

if stronger or faster zombies are added into the mix at random, then why not just give in and make it a resident evil clone?

Exactly the point I was trying to make. I don't want a boomer, hunter or those other crazy (obviously fake) attributes to zombies. I want to add characteristics based on the zombie.

For example, fat zombies (or overweight) run slower but take more damage, or military zombies should be harder to take down as they have body armour.

I dont want to make this game unrealistic, just add more variety so players might have to develop strategies and tactics.

Also this would make raiding military camps/airfields much harder hence giving a good risk>reward system.