Make zombies a real, persistent threat

[Fryseboks 30]

I started playing this 2 days ago.

The first few hours were amazing. I joined a real time server in the evening, the sun was gradually sinking and it became darker. I spent hours trying to loot the small villages, carefully observing the zombies and sneaking around. It was very immersing and atmospheric, and I felt very vulnerable and defenseless. I didn't find a weapon until several deaths and hours later.

Now just two days later, I figured out that it's really not a problem being chased by zombies at all. I can run like a headless chicken into cherno or elektro, and easily lose all the zombies in the first building I find. Within 10 min of spawning if it's close to either cities, I will typically have already found a gun and some supplies due to learning where to loot, granted some other survivor far away on some overlooking hill don't send a friendly .50 cal to greet my face. In short, zombies do not feel like a threat at all anymore, more like a nuisance you have to spend 1-2 more extra minutes losing.

First of all, the zombies need to be able to run in buildings. I understand this might be a technical problem, and this an alpha afterall, but it's simply too easy to lose them anywhere near a building with two doors right now. The zombies should probably be beefed up a little, taking several assault rifle shots to the body before dying and maybe also doing more damage to the player on every hit. There should definately be more much more of them in the two cities, and I think adding random stragglers walking in the woods would be a good idea too.

In addition to this, the audible range of guns should be increased a lot. The zombies in DayZ is said to have elevated hearing and smell compared to a human, but worse sight. I know nothing of guns in real life, but in a desolate rural post-apocalyptic area like Chernasus which is dead silent, would I not be able to hear someone firing a gun even 500-1000m away? I think increasing the audible range of most weapons in addition to stragglers in the woods and just a much higher general amount of deadlier, indoors-running zombies would drastically change how players interact compared to right now, with everyone killing on sight and all. There would be real consequence to firing your weapon pretty much any place, especially in a city and if you are alone. Strolling down the main street in cherno solo popping noobs wearing hatchets wouldn't be possible at all, even in military grade gear. Looting a city effectively would require teamwork of several people, cooperating and not backstabbing each other. Of course the option for banditry and backstabbing would still be there, but it would be very high risk as it in my opinion should be solo in a city. Weapons like the crossbow and silenced weapons would become very attractive.

All in all I think beefing up the zombies would increase the replayability and community spirit a lot.

Edited July 18, 2012 by Fryseboks

[otto.h99@hotmail.com 2]

This mod isn't that much about the zombies, it's about the other players and trying to get along with them, setting up your own groups, factions and so on. The zombies aren't meant to be the number one threat in the mod anyway.

[Fryseboks 30]

This mod isn't that much about the zombies, it's about the other players and trying to get along with them, setting up your own groups, factions and so on. The zombies aren't meant to be the number one threat in the mod anyway.

Beefing up the zombies would encourage that.

[Sm1L3y 9]

I think zombies are enough of a threat as they are now, since theres so many of them.

[otto.h99@hotmail.com 2]

Beefing up the zombies would encourage that.

There's absolutely no need for encouraging, because it would not work, ever. Making suggestions like this with the excuse "Encourage player co-operation" is just not going to work.

The players, they don't need encouraging, co-operative players will co-operate, killers will kill.

[Jehangir 52]

My starting experience is practically the same. But I would say play for more than two days. You will realize they are not as simple as you may think.

[Freckelz 9]

I get what your saying, at this moment with the current patch the zombies are a little duh-huh... But they arn't usualy like this. They were nasty little buggers that would chase your ass to kingdom come... it caused problems... I thick they are still trying to find a balence for the zombies. An experiences player finds them WAY to easy.. a new player finds them to hard... It's a delicate balence.

But one of the posters above me is right.. Dayz isn't all about the zombies. Its just a setting to make survival that much harder. Dayz is about your life being threatened at every turn and the frustrations and axiety that causes. At least thats how anyone whos played for more then a week or two will feel about it.

When your lugging around a rare gun on your back your a target... and you feel like one. It's STRESSFUL having a character over a week or two old, hell its strssfull having a few day old character. You find yourself being more and more reclussive and jumpy, and always on edge. It's that experience, that immersion that keeps the strady stream of players coming back.

You'll understand that when you find your first heli crash, or something oh so good up in the barracks. Trust me :P