Local zombie spawn chance based on weapon

[mrhappy (DayZ) 2]

I would (possibly) like to see a chance for zombies to spawn around players that have good weapons.

The general idea is to add this as a (minor) part of game balance, and make sure zombies remain a part of the game at all stages of play. Currently players can log on to an empty server, loot uber weapons, and prey on people gaming in full servers with negligible weapons without any repercussions. Also, people with semi-decent weapons have it pretty easy full stop - the zombie aspect of the game is basically not part of the game any more.

One would roll every second for a chance to have a zombie (or pack of zombies for the best guns) spawn near you. An unarmed player would have zero chance, a player with a Makarov would on average maybe spawn one zombie every 20 minutes, an Mp5 maybe 2-3 zombie spawns every ten minutes, an AS50 4-5 (more aggressive?) zombies every 5 minutes on average. It actually makes things much more difficult for sniper-campers as they might be far from a building to slow zombies down, and have a gun not really suited for taking on hordes. One would have to take into account guns that are in the backback also, as otherwise one could simply put a gun in a backpack to avoid this change having any effect.

Pros:

Balance (1) - players with better guns will have a harder time in pvp, as if they have a greater chance of being attacked by zombies mid-fight.

Balance (2) - if you see a zombie in the wilderness, you will know it is probably near a player with good guns.

Zombies a part of the game for players at every level.

Cons:

Realism (1) - unless you think zombies like the smell of an AS50.

Realism (2) - players with good guns will be easily spotted simply by looking for zombies - nerfs hiding in the trees a bit.

Travel - if you are simply moving from a to b, it might be a nuisance (though maybe this encourages only unarmed travel...

Difficulty to implement (?) - If zombies currently only spawn at specific points, maybe they cannot be easily made to spawn at random in the wilderness.

Sorry if this is already posted, I could not find it in a search.

[Druen 13]

Horrible idea in my opinion. You should not have a better chance against zombies because you have a trusty Lee Enfield.

[steve t 32]

I cant say I support this, either.

If I understand correctly, and using your example of an A S50...Why I say this is because if you are looting a town or a crash site with an A S50 for example, you will have randomly spawned, aggressive zombies around you where the A S50 is not an ideal weapon for up close, multiple aggressive zombies.

Just my thoughts

[mrhappy (DayZ) 2]

Druen - I agree that the realism point is a negative, however I feel that the additional balance this change would bring outweighs this negative.

Flybynight1 - That is exactly the point which I consider a positive. An AS50 is an ideal weapon for killing players, not zombies, and the majority of people who carry sniper rifles are using it for that purpose. It thus makes the game for difficult for people going around equipped for killing players, relative to those looking to fight zombies.

[steve t 32]

Yea...there are different ways to look at this, I suppose. I will admit that I responded based on my own game play, (I have never killed a player before). I have an A S50 and thought of using it to take out zombies, when my clan is busy raiding and looting. Also to cover them, should they get into a PVP situation.

I am sure there will be loads of things that will be altered and tweaked before the stand alone is released.

Cheers for now.