Beware The Hordes of Chernarus

[ewitwins 0]

The one thing that kind of irritates me is that there are no wandering hordes in the game. All zombies stay in the general proximity of their spawning area, and don't really wander off from there.

Would something like that even be possible? One zombie attracting another zombie, and so on and so forth, until you have a shambling horde wandering down the coastal highway? I think that it would add a whole new element to the gameplay, and force players to act more cooperatively (or, inversely, not at all to get each other killed) by calling out the locations of different hordes across the map.

Think about it: You've been told by other players that Chernagorsk contains food and supplies, and you're making your way along the highway when you hear something. You peak out from behind the bushes and you're greeted with the sight of around 50-100 zombies, all shambling down the road in a group. Players could use this to their advantage by drawing the attention of the horde and using it to either screw other players over or to clear the way for a larger group, like a forward guard. This would also bring the heavy weapons that some players find into play by giving them a reason to carry it: crowd control finally becomes a factor.

Well gentlemen, that's my suggestion. Anything you'd like to add, or subtract from this? I like to think that it follows more earnestly along the lines of acceptable zombie lore, and adds a sense of dread to wandering the highways of Chernarus alone (besides the threat of bandits).

[sucaru 0]

Finally a suggestion lately I like. It would really mix things up. I'm very used to being crouched ALL the time in town, and as soon as I leave, I go running, and don't even think about zombies. Just people. So, it would be pretty cool to have to worry about hordes that wandered into a direction.

[Sgt.Spam 42]

That could be interesting.

They need to wander towards the spots with the most players.

Think NW airfield. =)

[Soldier of Failure 14]

Yes, project zomboid style.

Wandering hordes is probably the BEST suggestion Ive seen. it would be so epic rounding a corner and seeing a 100 zombie horde in the distance. Perhaps smaller groups of 10-20 wandering randomly through forests. This would also make nades much more useful.

[DannyRed 32]

This + Dangerous wild animals like bears,wolfs,snakes etc.

Also, i hate the fact that every building is guarded by zombies. I wouldn't mind if it was random. I know it is a balancing issue but why does it need to be so balanced? Why not make the game more unpredictable instead?

[Archsamael 0]

I agree with this suggestion. It would add a scouting element to the game, right now somebody would be able to run around the area without caring if they knew zombie spawns were unlikely. With hordes, they have to scout. If they are planning to kill somebody they have to scout or risk alerting your friendly neighborhood horde o doom.

[phate 55]

Zombies need a gigantic buff - until this happens, uncooperative play will continue. Hell, zombies need to be made the focus of the game again - adding new shit should be put on hold until zombies are fixed and buffed correctly (to the point where two are a relative threat, and where allowing just one to detect you will lead to the possibility of anything up to a dozen also discovering you).

Unpredictable AI - exactly like what ewitwins is suggesting - is a major part of this, as is precise 'IF THIS happens, THEN THIS'-based scripting. For example...

"If Detects then PLAY and SET MOVESPEED = Pursue"

"If PLAYS inside 50m of then MOVE to and SET MOVESPEED = Walk"

"If Detects then PLAY and SET MOVESPEED = Pursue"

Obviously, this is very basic programming and it's just a very vague example of what would work (I'm definitely no programmer), but this kind of chain-reaction scripting for zombies would make the experience a lot more tense, and so much more satisfyingly challenging with regards to PvE.

The bottom line: Zombies need fixing in terms of pathing and movement speed (some new animations wouldn't hurt, either) and a huge buff (in terms of both individual dangerousness and numeracy). More extensive scripting would be brilliant in regards to this. Other content other than code and server stability should be put in the to-do-later pile until zombies/PvE is once again the focus, and the Deathmatch mentality is suppressed. No carebear.

[ewitwins 0]

Zombies need a gigantic buff - until this happens' date=' uncooperative play will continue. Hell, zombies need to be made the focus of the game again - adding new shit should be put on hold until zombies are fixed and buffed correctly (to the point where two are a relative threat, and where allowing just one to detect you will lead to the possibility of anything up to a dozen also discovering you).

Unpredictable AI - [b']exactly like what ewitwins is suggesting - is a major part of this, as is precise 'IF THIS happens, THEN THIS'-based scripting. For example...

"If Detects then PLAY and SET MOVESPEED = Pursue"

"If PLAYS inside 50m of then MOVE to and SET MOVESPEED = Walk"

"If Detects then PLAY and SET MOVESPEED = Pursue"

Obviously, this is very basic programming and it's just a very vague example of what would work (I'm definitely no programmer), but this kind of chain-reaction scripting for zombies would make the experience a lot more tense, and so much more satisfyingly challenging with regards to PvE.

The bottom line: Zombies need fixing in terms of pathing and movement speed (some new animations wouldn't hurt, either) and a huge buff (in terms of both individual dangerousness and numeracy). More extensive scripting would be brilliant in regards to this. Other content other than code and server stability should be put in the to-do-later pile until zombies/PvE is once again the focus, and the Deathmatch mentality is suppressed. No carebear.

That's perfect! You took my suggestion and put it into coding terms, which is exactly what I needed!

That being said, what we're both trying to say is that, at the moment, zombies don't really have a mob mentality or even represent anything CLOSE to a mob. Sure, you might find yourself running away from several zombies at a time, but they're all acting individually.

[r3volution (DayZ) 19]

This would be fucking epic! Great idea just to add a bit more random threat to the zombie menace. Though it would have to be way more likely to happen in populated/built up areas.

[THUNDERMINE 2]

I concur.

[mattyh1995 1]

Good idea, I like it! But I have one piece of criticism, what would rendering 100 or so zombies in close proximity do to some peoples computers? That wouldn't affect me personally, but I can bet some people who are playing on an old GTS 450 or similar would notice a performance hitch when encountering a horde.

However, I may be wrong since i'm not too familiar with how 'taxing' this game is on hardware.

[imdrunk 0]

make zombie use gun haha

[ewitwins 0]

make zombie use gun haha

That's bad and you should feel bad for suggesting it.

That being said, I honestly have no idea whether or not this idea is even really possible, so if anyone with a working knowledge of the software could give some input, that'd be great!

[mike10019314@yahoo.ca 3]

small groups of zombies moving betwen towns would be intresting, could replace the curent respawn mechanic

[Soldier of Failure 14]

I would like, everyone once in a while a very large but widespread horde of 100-200 zombies too just go across the map and give players something to run from or to band together and kill. Could also make choppers useful as scouts/ mow em down with the side mounted machine guns.

[THUNDERMINE 2]

A note on the way Zombies should operate to make the game that much more dynamic:

1: Remove zombies from spawning, period. This is not how it would be in real life is it?

A zombie popping up next to you in the same spot you just killed one, five times in a row until you're out of ammo? lols its killed me probably 20 times.

2: Zombies start fresh with the server each reset at their normal spawn points, but THEY

NEVER FULLY DIE WHEN KILLED. How much more awesome would it be if you put a zombie down and instead of thinking that zombie was dead you were standing there nervous knowing

that anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes from now that zombie was going to get back up and start terrorizing!!!

3: the Zombies need their own AI so they can roam all over the map chasing people, but after a set time of not being aggro'd they sorta start walking back to their home areas.

4: Zombies can Aggro each other so they follow each other around sorta pissed.

[robosheriff 13]

this is what we need to "force" people to work together HORDES OF ZOMBEH.

Put this right now

[catgut 3]

Zombies need a gigantic buff - until this happens' date=' uncooperative play will continue. Hell, zombies need to be made the focus of the game again - adding new shit should be put on hold until zombies are fixed and buffed correctly (to the point where two are a relative threat, and where allowing just one to detect you will lead to the possibility of anything up to a dozen also discovering you).

Unpredictable AI - [b']exactly like what ewitwins is suggesting - is a major part of this, as is precise 'IF THIS happens, THEN THIS'-based scripting. For example...

"If Detects then PLAY and SET MOVESPEED = Pursue"

"If PLAYS inside 50m of then MOVE to and SET MOVESPEED = Walk"

"If Detects then PLAY and SET MOVESPEED = Pursue"

Obviously, this is very basic programming and it's just a very vague example of what would work (I'm definitely no programmer), but this kind of chain-reaction scripting for zombies would make the experience a lot more tense, and so much more satisfyingly challenging with regards to PvE.

The bottom line: Zombies need fixing in terms of pathing and movement speed (some new animations wouldn't hurt, either) and a huge buff (in terms of both individual dangerousness and numeracy). More extensive scripting would be brilliant in regards to this. Other content other than code and server stability should be put in the to-do-later pile until zombies/PvE is once again the focus, and the Deathmatch mentality is suppressed. No carebear.

I'd like to see more dangerous zombies, but only if they weren't at literally every town. Right now in order to get supplies you have no choice but to deal with zombies, and having a single alerted zombie mean 10-20 rampaging death machines chasing you down every single time you look for supplies would get old pretty quickly. Having the choice to keep on going to possibly find a more deserted town would be much more interesting.

[phate 55]

Zombies need a gigantic buff - until this happens' date=' uncooperative play will continue. Hell, zombies need to be made the focus of the game again - adding new shit should be put on hold until zombies are fixed and buffed correctly (to the point where two are a relative threat, and where allowing just one to detect you will lead to the possibility of anything up to a dozen also discovering you).

Unpredictable AI - [b']exactly like what ewitwins is suggesting - is a major part of this, as is precise 'IF THIS happens, THEN THIS'-based scripting. For example...

"If Detects then PLAY and SET MOVESPEED = Pursue"

"If PLAYS inside 50m of then MOVE to and SET MOVESPEED = Walk"

"If Detects then PLAY and SET MOVESPEED = Pursue"

Obviously, this is very basic programming and it's just a very vague example of what would work (I'm definitely no programmer), but this kind of chain-reaction scripting for zombies would make the experience a lot more tense, and so much more satisfyingly challenging with regards to PvE.

The bottom line: Zombies need fixing in terms of pathing and movement speed (some new animations wouldn't hurt, either) and a huge buff (in terms of both individual dangerousness and numeracy). More extensive scripting would be brilliant in regards to this. Other content other than code and server stability should be put in the to-do-later pile until zombies/PvE is once again the focus, and the Deathmatch mentality is suppressed. No carebear.

I'd like to see more dangerous zombies, but only if they weren't at literally every town. Right now in order to get supplies you have no choice but to deal with zombies, and having a single alerted zombie mean 10-20 rampaging death machines chasing you down every single time you look for supplies would get old pretty quickly. Having the choice to keep on going to possibly find a more deserted town would be much more interesting.

This is also a good idea - zombies would not congregate around a small village/farm for very long; maybe three or four at the most.

[Reciever80 0]

Me and the five or six other guys I play with were all discussing this as well. Random zombie hordes would be scary as shit when running through a forest or some plains outside stary sobor. Just imagine, hearing the 400+ feet hitting the ground at once! Rocket, could you implement this, and if you could, would you think of maybe adding in a stampede sound when the zombie horde hits 60+? Maybe add a "int horde = 0" line in that code, and each time a zombie is added, it goes "horde++" until it hit 60, and throw in the code:

if(horde>=60)

{

PLAY[stampede]

}

else

{

//do nothing

}