1.7.2.4 - No Longer Worth It To Sneak Past Zombies

[d00m 15]

I started in 1.7.2.3 and I really enjoyed sneaking past zombies. In 1.7.2.4, however, zombie sight detection is too sensitive or too random; the result is that sneaking just isn't worth it.

In 1.7.2.4, if you're crouch walking in the field of vision of a zombie within 100 yards, you're going to be spotted. I'll be crouch walking by three zombies within 20 yards, timing their movement to miss their vision, when across town about 100 yards away a zombie on a hillside detects me. It's frustrating to spend 10 or 15 minutes dodging zombies to loot a town undetected only to have a distant zombie detect you while the nearest zombies roam obliviously. As a player trying to sneak, you have two options: play excrutiatingly slow by always being prone, or wreck the spirit and intention of the game by sprinting past all the zombies and bugging them on some object.

I'm all for a more difficult game, but it's just too boring to always sneak prone. I suggest you return zombie sight detection to 1.7.2.3.

[LockeDown 144]

I have not had problems avoiding zombies in 1.7.2.4.

Revise your stealth tactic. Roll again.

[teteiyusu 36]

You could play on a sever when its night.

That's what I have mostly been doing.

Less people.. so less bandits...

Vision of zombies is almost nothing.

But they can still detect you if you're not careful.

I enjoy it.

Its a little more scarier at night as well.

Sometimes you can almost bump into them because of the dark.

lol

[`Orum 17]

Zombies really need a complete rework. For instance, I was sitting in a forest, behind a tree, when I see a guy poke his head out with an enfield and shoot at me. Where do the zombies he aggros run? After me. Then, despite the fact that there is a tree between me and him, the zombies literally push me sideways out of my cover, and BAM, enfield to the head. Maybe one zombie headed toward him the whole time.

So much for authenticity...

Edited August 2, 2012 by `Orum

[chaossound 101]

Yeah the zombie detection in .4 is pretty sketchy, but. I don't usually play on day servers so it doesnt bother me that much. but I have to agree with zombies being aggored from 100+ meters away when crouch walking is stupid. Considering that rocket said that the zombies rely primarily on sound. Zombies shouldn't be aggored from more than 50 meters unless the placer is making alot of noise.

[SmashT 10907]

Just run around with a conga line following, that's what I do.

[Taso (DayZ) 13]

I stopped sneaking in 1.7.1

I realized the power that weaving through buildings and trees has. Short of needing to stay silent for fear of humans, there is no reason not to just bolt through zombie hordes and lead them through a building that has both an entrance and an exit. Once they're inside, the town is free to loot for a little while.

The inability for zombies to attack while moving, run while inside buildings, or to attack you from the front while running has made surviving against zombies a joke.

Instances of zombies waiting inside buildings for you seem to be lower now too, which was one of the only ways they could get the drop on you. Now? Pfft. I worry more about starvation than zombies. Except one-hit bleeding. That happens way too often.

(I realize that seems contradictory- I'd like harder zombies, but I don't think making you bleed on each hit is the way to achieve that)

[The True Nova 22]

Stealth is still possible but far more difficult. I now find it pointless to try and sneak around them but will do so if I don't want to alert any possible players in areas such as Elecktro or cherno.

I liked the zombie sight range in the previous version and I think it would balance out the fact that zombies can now hear gun shots so if you attract one and shoot, chances are your going to go through hell to survive.

[kirai 18]

You could play on a sever when its night.

That's what I have mostly been doing.

Less people.. so less bandits...

Vision of zombies is almost nothing.

But they can still detect you if you're not careful.

I enjoy it.

Its a little more scarier at night as well.

Sometimes you can almost bump into them because of the dark.

lol

I agree, dawn or night is the best time to avoid Zeds and players but it is scary :P

[Kar98 27]

If anything you've just said that it's more worth to sneak because they are harder to shake and easier for them to see you. Personally I think it's fine

[Zacharysan 0]

Laggy zombie deaths, Getting hit from 10 feet away, Getting KO'd

Gotta love it

[kirai 18]

I stopped sneaking in 1.7.1

I realized the power that weaving through buildings and trees has. Short of needing to stay silent for fear of humans, there is no reason not to just bolt through zombie hordes and lead them through a building that has both an entrance and an exit. Once they're inside, the town is free to loot for a little while.

The inability for zombies to attack while moving, run while inside buildings, or to attack you from the front while running has made surviving against zombies a joke.

Instances of zombies waiting inside buildings for you seem to be lower now too, which was one of the only ways they could get the drop on you. Now? Pfft. I worry more about starvation than zombies. Except one-hit bleeding. That happens way too often.

(I realize that seems contradictory- I'd like harder zombies, but I don't think making you bleed on each hit is the way to achieve that)

I also agree about the one hit bleeding thing. I wish Zeds wouldnt make you bleed by hitting you but instead sometimes they could grab you and bite, eat, on you for a short period untill you get out if its grip. This would also only be possible if you are really close to Zeds.

[Siberian (DayZ) 527]

agreed, the new Zombie AI is wayy to hard.. i like a good zombie fear game as much as the next, but when Zeds can spot you across the godam map, somethign is wacky..

just earlier i logged in (at edge of a Forest i might add), and before i could take in my surroundings a Zombie was already hi-tailing it across a farmers field up the hillside for me..

come on..

[Sam Entropy 7]

I've only been playing for a couple of days now, but I have had no trouble sneaking past zombies, but I have managed to get the occasional random zombie aggro. Yet to find a gun, so I dont mind engaging in combat with zombies with my hatchet. It's annoying when you run out of bandages because you are bleeding from one hit though :/

[Trips28 2]

Just dont shoot an Enfield... shooting it west of Polana seems to agro the entire friggin town

[chaossound 101]

Just dont shoot an Enfield... shooting it west of Polana seems to agro the entire friggin town

the enfield is nicknamed the dinnerbell for a reason

[servebotfrank 14]

It's not nearly as bad as people say but the detection is too sensitive. I've had zombies that weren't looking at me and I am completely still but they get aggroed anyway. Slight tune up is needed.

[cyanyde 165]

Awesome.. this thread has intelligent people in it! :D

Here's my input:

As a player trying to sneak, you have two options: play excrutiatingly slow by always being prone, or wreck the spirit and intention of the game by sprinting past all the zombies and bugging them on some object.

I completely agree with you on this. I've been waaaay out in a field crouch-running and agro'd a zed from 100m away, and I've also crouch-ran past another one less than 50m away without any issue.. both times in an empty field with no cover or obstacles between. I'm fine with agro'ing the zeds, but it should be much more consistant.

You could play on a sever when its night.

...

Vision of zombies is almost nothing.

...

Its a little more scarier at night as well..

Again, this is a great suggestion and some good points, but it's still an issue because as night falls, there seems to be a definite drop-off point where they go from being bloodhounds to nearly retarded. I love playing at night for the "creepy factor" you spoke of, but it's nice to be able to spend a solid 24 hours in the game without feeling like you're playing Castlevania 2. :P

Zombies really need a complete rework. For instance, I was sitting in a forest, behind a tree, when I see a guy poke his head out with an enfield and shoot at me. Where do the zombies he aggros run? After me.

Yup, I've heard that the zeds will agro on the closest person between them and the shooter. You can use that to your advantage, but when other people do it to you, it can really work in their favour. ;)

rocket said that the zombies rely primarily on sound.

Yup.. actually it was sound and smell, but you're right.. and I really hope it eventually ends up working the way he intends because it will be amazing if it's actually working well.

Just run around with a conga line following, that's what I do.

Yup, me too.. I really hope Zombies go back to being scary at some point.. I realize there are connection issues and other things that are priority right now, but I really am looking forward to when Rocket has the time to focus on Zed detection.. they should be just as scary as other players are currently.. if not more so. :)

Edit: Wow. Lot's of replies in the time it took me to write this.. I'm loving this thread so far! Let's not let the retards take it over, ok? :)

Edited August 2, 2012 by Cyanyde

[airfell 179]

They need random packs of them that are in the wilderness. I don't think making what we've got now harder, its about mixing it up, makes you feel way tooooooo safe being outside of town, which is fine, but you shouldn't ever feel completely zed free.

[d00m 15]

It's not nearly as bad as people say but the detection is too sensitive. I've had zombies that weren't looking at me and I am completely still but they get aggroed anyway. Slight tune up is needed.

I've done a bit more testing and part of the problem is there is little use for crouch walk or crouch sprint anymore. When you're in a zombie's field of vision, there's only what seems like a few meters where you aren't detected crouched but would be detected standing. If you're in a town where the zombies will be relatively close, you're always going to be in a range where the zombies will detect you whether you're crouched or standing.

I enjoyed 1.7.2.3 more because there were set distances when you needed to go from standing to crouching, and then crouching to prone. In 1.7.2.4, with the negligible difference between standing and crouching, I'm either standing and sprinting, or prone.

[Shaimou 49]

You can pretty easily crouch, depending how many buildings there are around. And distant zombies lose your sight after running a few meters. Zombies are just fine but they need to hit harder. I have noticed no change between 1.7.2.3-1.7.2.4

Edited August 6, 2012 by Shaimou

[Thundirah 18]

You could play on a sever when its night.

That's what I have mostly been doing.

Less people.. so less bandits...

Vision of zombies is almost nothing.

But they can still detect you if you're not careful.

I enjoy it.

Its a little more scarier at night as well.

Sometimes you can almost bump into them because of the dark.

lol

I play at night too ^^, it makes things a bit easier as most people don't want to play in the night because they are unaware of the brightness and gamma video options. I was stealth crouching through Cherno one time and had to drop to prone as there was a mass of zeds around the corner and I managed to crawl past them, but then out of this bush that was like 1 feet away from me, some ugly as shyat zed crawls out and it scared the life out of me.

Edited August 6, 2012 by Thundirah

[Baelethal 102]

I've noticed the issue with Zed running at you from miles out. On more than one occasion, I've caught a zed start running out of the corner of my eye and wondered where the other player was, only to have the zed come sprinting at me. It made no sense why that monkey way out yonder would even bother noticing me while the three zed that I'm splitting the difference between are nonplussed.

I enjoyed sneaking through zed--the hoping to not get caught at slow crouch by a player's bullet was nerve wracking. Now I just crouch jog and run almost everywhere, jump a few fences, turn a few corners and lose the zed. I'm moving fast so there's less chance someone's going to be able to tag me with a bullet, and the zed are a non-issue because they're lost as fast as I pick them up.

I'd kinda like to see more zed in towns like Cherno or Elektro, and perhaps slightly fewer in smaller towns up north.

[Thundirah 18]

One problem I have with this game at the moment is that it feels like a bandit survival game rather than a zombie survival game (If you catch my drift). In cities such as Cherno or Elektro, I feel like I'm only seeing 2 zombies in town and the rest flock on the outskirts, this kind of annoys me as now I can just run through the flock of zombies on the outside of the city, aggro them, pull them into the first building with an entrance and an exit and then loot the entire town not even thinking about zombies.

[tommes 331]

Yesterday...well it was night... got a Zed aggroed while prone. Saw him running and was wondering who he's after...well it was me. Absolutely random. Lost half my blood in the process and was annoyed. While prone you are almost invisible to Zeds. Even in daylight. They walk right past you without aggro. Usually.