What kind of zombies should be in DayZ

[Lights Out 141]

I've personally made a thread about this and I've seen it randomly mentioned throughout many topics. I've decided to make it into a poll to see what everything thinks is best. I also plan on updating the pros and cons to each type depending on what the DayZ community is posting. I'll try my best to weed through it all and find the best and most key points.

Which route do you think the DayZ standalone should take as far as the type of zombies we're dealing with. I feel it can be broken down into two main categories:

The Undead

In a nutshell, this zombie was infected by a virus that killed them and reanimated them without cognitive abilities. They are now driven by a mindless urge to feast on flesh. (Ex. The Walking Dead)

-This can add an interesting element to the game. You're previous dead player could be found lurking around the server.

-Gives a realistic way of spawning new characters.

-Players killed by zombies would reanimate as zombie NPCs after a given amount of time.

-Could even take a "Walking Dead" route in which every player has the virus dormant in their body and when you die (unless you're shot in the head) you will be a reanimated NPC.

-Zombies could have varying speed depending on how long the zombie has been alive and decomposition of the body.

-It would take more shots or a more precise shot to the head to kill them. Some zombies would take a hit to their speed after a certain level of decomposition but every zombie now has stronger characteristics.

-When you're friend is infected, how long do you look for antibiotics before you put a bullet in his head for you're own safety.

The Infected

This type of zombie was simply infected by a virus which caused intense sickness and fever which eventually over ran their body. They are now driven by a aggressive need to feed on flesh. These zombies tend to be of the faster, crazy sort. Decomposition is not an issue here as they are technically live humans, however the virus has taken over. They can be killed by conventional means however they are much quicker and aggressive. (Ex. I Am Legend and 28 Days Later)

-Being that decomposition is not an issue, these zombies are fast and that isn't changing until they're living no more.

-These zombies seem to be a bit more enraged rather that mindless. Would be more brutal being attacked by these and maybe be harder to escape.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Lights Out

[Lights Out 141]

Vote and leave your ideas, I'll try my best to include your best and most key points to decipher which zombie type is really best.

[Max Planck 7174]

Why this?

They're infected, it has already been decided. Rocket is fleshing out the characteristics of the virus with his brother who is a virologist.

[Lights Out 141]

I guess I missed that bit of information that he definitely wasn't doing an undead type.

Edit: It is in alpha as mentioned below so why not talk about it. It could be a key change within the game.

Edited September 1, 2012 by Lights Out

[[email protected] 175]

Voted for the undead zombies.

They are slow, but also tough motherfuckers.

That's what i want, slower zombies that you need to fire LOTS of rounds at them to kill them, unless you hit them in the head.

I don't like the "infected" at all, seems very weird.

BUT, maybe they'll look much better in the standalone, so i'll just wait to see what rocket is doing, i'm pretty sure they will be very cool in the end.

Why this?

They're infected, it has already been decided. Rocket is fleshing out the characteristics of the virus with his brother who is a virologist.

That's what my friend who worked in Umbrella Corporation said, and look what happened. Please be careful.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Fenrig

[Lights Out 141]

Yea, I always liked the undead zombies but I'm interested in seeing what he's doing.

[Tiercel 63]

Classic, undead, Romero, resident evil style zombies.

Ive never liked the "infected" style zombies, they ruined the zombie genre.

(totally not bitter about RE4 & 5 sucking balls)

[TractorFiend 58]

I would like to see a mixture tbh. Why settle for just 1? Viruses can mutate.

[TractorFiend 58]

Why this?

They're infected, it has already been decided. Rocket is fleshing out the characteristics of the virus with his brother who is a virologist.

Also, just wanted to point out one thing. This is an open Alpha yes? Surely the community should have SOME say in the game that they're testing?

Lets see how this poll plays out. It'd be interesting to see.

(inb4 Team Rocket blasts off again)

[Lights Out 141]

I've always liked the traditional undead zombies. I also feel they give you the most room for creativity. Not to mention a type of zombie that is known for taking multiple bullets unless shot in the head would definitely make them a higher threat within the game. I want to fear zombies just as much as players if not more.

Edited September 1, 2012 by Lights Out

[GlaciusTS 7]

Why not give us the option?

At the start of the game we can choose between Undead or Infected servers? I mean it would only be minor tweaks and it could be balanced.

Infected run, but can be killed with shots to any part of the body and you don't die from a single bite. Appear spaced out in smaller groups.

Undead walk, but they require headshots to die and a single bite could kill you. Appear in much larger groups but some strays can be found between groups to surprise you.

It would only require some new animations and some tweaks in speed and body part health. Minor balancing ain't too hard. It's not that big of an issue if one mode is a little harder.

[mrjazzyjay98 2]

A Single bite?

People would rage quit too much.

[ZOMBIES! 0]

I would like to have a choice, with that, everybody wins. I would also like to worry about being bitten even once, they are zombies after all. Just to make everyone happy they could make it so if you get bitten, you have a certain amount of time to use antibiotics to stop the virus.

Edited September 1, 2012 by ZOMBIES!

[ward 8]

Why not both? Zombies start out as enraged, crazy, fast motherfuckers that can die like normal humans. If you put them down but leave the head intact, however, they reanimate in a few hours (days? Timing could change) and come at you in mindless, slow moving, hard as hell to kill hordes.

[ward 8]

A Single bite?

People would rage quit too much.

When has Rocket ever been concerned about delicious tears?

[Doctor Invictus 0]

I have a vague overall preference for undead zombies in large numbers. I just think it introduces more of a threat to players. Current infected zombies are too easily managed by players, in my opinion.

Why not both? Zombies start out as enraged, crazy, fast motherfuckers that can die like normal humans. If you put them down but leave the head intact, however, they reanimate in a few hours (days? Timing could change) and come at you in mindless, slow moving, hard as hell to kill hordes.

I actually like this. I think it would set up an interesting dynamic where areas that have a lot of killed infected/current zombies (i.e., highly-player-populated areas) that haven't been shot in the head would also have a larger number of harder to kill undead zombies. This could lead to an effect where one group loots some place, dropping some infected in the process, and leaves. Then, hours or days later, a second group arrives to loot only to find the place swarming with much tougher undead zombies alongside the usual compliment of infected. The difficulty of looting the place, if implemented properly, just went way up. You could see this as a deliberate tactic of denying other players supplies.

The only draw back I could see is that they server would have to track the number of undead that have or are about to spawn in a location, though I suppose "spawn X undead at next routine zombie spawn" isn't that much to remember.

[Bratalise 26]

In my honest opinion i just feel like you could do so much more with zombies rather than infected. Zombies would react so much better to this game then the infected would. I honestly think zombies are more scary then infected its that shoot in the head thing that puts the pressure on you. I rather would have the zombies they're just more versatile i hate how they run after you while aggro'd what i want to see is zombies at slower paces but a lot more of them just set them at the zombie fast walk and perfect. They're should be much more zombies roaming around that way if you fire a shot then you'll have zombies coming 360 degrees around you. I want to be able to maneuver the zombies like so (1:39 is the part i m ooking for)

[ZomboWTF 527]

i dont know why anybody would want to change the type of zombies this late in the game

edit: with a map as big as chernarus, you would have to add so many zombies per player, that it would be impossible for any server to calculate visibility/hearing for every single one

additionaly, slower zombies would be so much more easy, its ridiculous, and zombies are allready too easy, lets face it

Edited September 2, 2012 by Zombo

[Lights Out 141]

They don't have to all be slow. Like I said, based on decomposition of their body, some would be just as fast as humans. It just depends on how long they have been a zombie.

As mentioned above, gun shots and such should bring zombies in from all directions within a certain radius of the gun shot or loud sound.

[[email protected] 450]

I'd certainly prefer the Walking Dead kind and I mean... It is called DayZ afterall and not DayI. ;)

[Lights Out 141]

Another point, yeah currently you can easily run away, but I expect Rocket to make sprinting more realistic and not allow you to sprint forever. In this case, zombies of any kind would be harder to just get away from and it would make vehicles that much more precious. Not to mention you'd be ALOT more careful around zombies if you knew you couldn't just sprint forever.

[Bratalise 26]

i dont know why anybody would want to change the type of zombies this late in the game

edit: with a map as big as chernarus, you would have to add so many zombies per player, that it would be impossible for any server to calculate visibility/hearing for every single one

additionaly, slower zombies would be so much more easy, its ridiculous, and zombies are allready too easy, lets face it

Actually in an interview Rocket stated that server in the stand alone would be able to hold upwards of 200-300 players, servers also can handle the mass A.I of zombie so having zombies in the 1000's wouldn't be to bad. One of the reasons they don't have that many is all the trees in chernarus, each tree is designed to be destructible I.E. crashing into it with a car or blowing it up make it react and fall down. If they made trees none destructible, servers could breeze through having thousands of zombie enabled at a time.

[John Spectre 32]

I don't have a direct quote for you, however Rocket has stated he specifically wants infected. These infected have a sort of life-cycle based off how much food and water they are able to get. As an infected starves and suffers from dehydration they get slower, a well fed Zed will get faster and more aggressive, perhaps even superhuman in speed and agility.

[GlaciusTS 7]

I feel like slower zombies make more sense, dead things have rigormortis. They should never be able to move as fast as us, but they can move a lot longer than us. Just make them a bigger threat by making bites infectious and making only headshots count. They could appear in greater numbers too.

[Forgewolf 70]

I voted for Undead.. but there should be a vareity of zombie types.. Ones that are fast, slow, crawlers, hoppers and ones with legs, arms missing and look more thrashed up.