@Rocket; Does it really have to be zombies?

[kingfury4 65]

To be truthful, this is one of the few zombie games that has interested me. Most of them just don't draw me in.

[TheDesigner 1197]

VAMPIRES? Really???? The zombies in this game aren't zombies; they're infected. But vampires? Not plausible at all!

He never suggested vampires, get better reading comprehension before posting.

I feel bad for you OP, you made a rational suggestion and are getting very irrational responses. I guess the community hasn't matured yet.

[daedrick 90]

He never suggested vampires, get better reading comprehension before posting.

I feel bad for you OP, you made a rational suggestion and are getting very irrational responses. I guess the community hasn't matured yet.

Thinking out of the box always have that kind of feedback.

Their reading comprehension is indeed seriously lacking, I mean, they answer NO... NO to what? I didn't ask for anything other than answers to my questions, questions that can't be answered with a YES or NO. It just doesn't make any sense.

Edited September 11, 2012 by daedrick

[Hetstaine 10852]

I'm just glad that you replied to my comeback :)

[SmashT 10907]

DayZ really isn't a zombie game though, the setting could be anything as the game isn't about killing zombies, it's about player interaction.

Edited September 11, 2012 by smasht_AU

[venthos 605]

Zombies just kind of work for this type of game. Why? They're not "special". They're just regular people that have turned from infection into wanting to kill other people. That's what makes them fit so well.

Any other creature is going to usually come with some sort of odd creation back story or some special ability that has to be balanced around It'd turn the focus more to PvE. Instead, zombies are simple and to the point. As Rocket has stated, the focus of the game is not going to be on zombies or PvE. It's going to be on player interaction. Picking too "special" of a creature turns the focus more on Player vs AI, which is not what Rocket wants.

I wouldn't mind seeing zombies get upgraded or even some limited types of "special" zombies (yeah I know I said I liked them because they weren't special). But I mean special in a different way. Have a few of the zombies (based on town size) spawn as kind of a more intelligent "leader" type zombie. Should you agro that zombie, it growls loud enough to cause a bunch of other zombies in the area to come barreling in (think of it like the zombie yell as if you fired a Lee Enfield in the area). That way if you see one, you'd be smart to take that out first with a head shot for safety before moving in. Otherwise you're going to have ass loads of zombies barreling in on your position plus a zombie scream/growl on the audible level of an enfield alerting nearby players that you're in the area.

This changes the mode from barreling into towns to scoping out the town from the perimeter and scanning the zombies looking for any tell tale signs of such 'special' zombies that may need cautious and precise removal before you move into the town. It'd add another 30-60 seconds to looting a town/moving locations, so it wouldn't be game changing. Just enough to make you think a hair before you barrel into a city.

I'd like little tweaks like that. Not a whole bunch of crazy tweaked super zombies. Just a sprinkle of 1 or 2 different types that have abilities which make running balls out through a city something you think twice about doing. That's really the only change I want with zombies. Turn up the creepy/scary factor a lot, and add some tweaks to them that make sprinting around town without a care in the world something that isn't so effective.

I'm completely with Rocket and his design plans he's communicated to us so far, so I have every confidence it's going to be a great game regardless. I love the zombie angle with DayZ simply because no one has done zombie survival quite like this before. It's usually in twitch-shooter format.

Edited September 11, 2012 by Venthos

[Quaby 93]

Rocket said he wont go for the slow unrealistic undead and I totally agree with him on that part. You are asking for slow zombies and expecting to fear them more than fast zombies? Even if your character have stamina, slow zombies are a joke. I could scavenge a whole town alone without firing a shot if I went agains't slow zombies, no matter how many there are.

Humanity would NEVER fall to slow zombies, undead or not. It would be a one sided war. Dont believe the shit max brooks write, we are not as dumb as he make us seems to be especialy at what we do best, destroy and kill.

Humanity would never fall to fast zombies. One tank > as many zombies it can kill with its BMG ammo and canister shot. And there are Quite a few more than one tank in existence. A platoon of well armed soldiers vs unarmed morons? Zombies don't stand a chance. That's why the work authentic is thrown around, since zombies are unrealistic in essence. It's one of the few nitpicky words that I actually care about. Tester vs player, mod vs game, whatever . Authentic vs realistic relating to zombies, go with the former.

[daedrick 90]

DayZ really isn't a zombie game though, the setting could be anything as the game isn't about killing zombies, it's about player interaction.

Finaly, someone get it.

[daedrick 90]

@Hetstaine, I see where you are going with that, and you completly right... but for a movie format.

That would never work in a multiplayer video game since its not your family you are facing, but nobodies without names nor stories. Canon foder. Meat shields. I dont feel pity when I destroy an entire town populated by infected people. I feel nothing. I do feel something when I kill an underserving player tough. But even if player turned to zombies, they would still be empty shells, since you know they will respawn uninfected and fresh.

[Hetstaine 10852]

I wouldn't mind seeing zombies get upgraded or even some limited types of "special" zombies (yeah I know I said I liked them because they weren't special). But I mean special in a different way. Have a few of the zombies (based on town size) spawn as kind of a more intelligent "leader" type zombie. Should you agro that zombie, it growls loud enough to cause a bunch of other zombies in the area to come barreling in (think of it like the zombie yell as if you fired a Lee Enfield in the area). That way if you see one, you'd be smart to take that out first with a head shot for safety before moving in. Otherwise you're going to have ass loads of zombies barreling in on your position plus a zombie scream/growl on the audible level of an enfield alerting nearby players that you're in the area.

This changes the mode from barreling into towns to scoping out the town from the perimeter and scanning the zombies looking for any tell tale signs of such 'special' zombies that may need cautious and precise removal before you move into the town. It'd add another 30-60 seconds to looting a town/moving locations, so it wouldn't be game changing. Just enough to make you think a hair before you barrel into a city.

The leader zed in I am Legend. As long as it was not extremely different in looks or even at all compared to the other zeds, then you would not know which one to single out until it screamed or ran at you first. I like the idea but if it is too obvious looking then, like you said, it only adds a very small amount of time to your scoping. When most people play for a couple of hours on the trot it becomes , ok lets just take out the leader (zed with red cap) then run in willy nilly like the old dayz.

@ Daedrick. Maybe if they added a slight humanity to the zeds, i dunno, like you may see them trying to eat food out of a can and totally rejecting it and spewing it out then throwing the can away in disgust and breaking down in sobs, realising they are doomed to be infected. Give them a tiny portion of character and the roots from where they came. Fighting amongst themselves over a scrap of leg or arm with the strongest one winning and the others cowering away.Would be cool to see a bit more 'life' in them.

[venthos 605]

I like the idea but if it is too obvious looking then, like you said, it only adds a very small amount of time to your scoping. When most people play for a couple of hours on the trot it becomes , ok lets just take out the leader (zed with red cap) then run in willy nilly like the old dayz.

Good point. I like it. Make it no more visually distinctive from other zombies. That way you have to decide whether you're going to risk whether or not a "leader" zombie is in the area or take the safe route and quietly dispatch/avoid zombies in your way. I'm only talking like 3-4 of these leader zombies at max in a town as big as cherno (potentially able to run into NONE spawned at all). Such that you very well COULD run in balls out and never run into one. Then again, there could be one! I love the idea of forcing players to make a calculated decision, but like you say not make it "forced" or as obvious enough that it just becomes a chore to scan for red capped zombies before running in.

Good call.

[Lysander_of_Sparta 43]

The monster idea seems fucking awesome. If rocket decides to do something after dayz, it should be that.

[Delta Smoke 01 765]

Because lets face it. If this was a game about a vampire apocalypse, would even half of the 1,200,000 be here? Would the game even work ?

[the horror 262]

Vampires make me yawn...

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

I always thought the DayZ system would apply itself well to an insurgency simulation. The zombies could be replaced by conventional military forces, while the players would make up the insurgents.

[AzVirus 25]

I would to see a game like DayZ based on Revolution or a Fallout MMO

[bazbake 456]

I actually found DayZ after a binge of Zombie games desperate for something to scratch that zombie survival itch. I'll probably move onto something better if it doesn't shape up. But if it manages to strike that perfect note of awesome, I'll be around for a long while.

Unless they keep tents and vehicle storage. Then I'm out.

[AzVirus 25]

vehicle storage

Why would that make you leave? It makes sense, you can store items in a car/truck - I could see the ATV/Motobike not having it though.

[Chimaera 68]

As Ive stated before imho

The zombies should be an ever present scary threat (which they are not... more like fluffy kittens atm)

But the encounters with other players should be terrifying + the shooting at the player brings real grief from the zombies.

Zombies need to be made a lot harder so that scavenging a town becomes a real challenge forcing you to use a gun and precious bullets, which also has the danger of alerting a player to your presence.

They should try and trap you in a building forcing a shoot out to get free etc etc you get the picture.

But its got to be done sensibly

Not im a 1000 yards away and the zombie is already running stuff.

They need to turn down the distance and make them more effective all round.

One thing i hope they add is make the zombies appear earlier so we cant use them as a way of anticipating players.

Unless they keep tents and vehicle storage. Then I'm out.

Thats just daft we need all the survival possibilities possible but sort the duping and make things rare then it will be fine

Edited September 11, 2012 by Chimaera

[DeadShaun 25]

I would like to see a mix of zombies and infected, I like the idea of a boss infected that maybe is harder to kill and can alert other infected and zombies, zombies would be slower than the infected but should be harder to kill as they require a head shot, this would also bring in the scared/injured effect more, you would certainly find getting a head shot more difficult when you are shaking and trying to fend off running infected and slow moving zombies, this would work really well in buildings, especially if the only one's moving slow are the zombies. Fast infected in buildings ftw!

[Sutinen 635]

As Ive stated before imho

The zombies should be an ever present scary threat (which they are not... more like fluffy kittens atm)

But the encounters with other players should be terrifying + the shooting at the player brings real grief from the zombies.

Zombies need to be made a lot harder so that scavenging a town becomes a real challenge forcing you to use a gun and precious bullets, which also has the danger of alerting a player to your presence.

They should try and trap you in a building forcing a shoot out to get free etc etc you get the picture.

But its got to be done sensibly

Not im a 1000 yards away and the zombie is already running stuff.

They need to turn down the distance and make them more effective all round.

One thing i hope they add is make the zombies appear earlier so we cant use them as a way of anticipating players.

Thats just daft we need all the survival possibilities possible but sort the duping and make things rare then it will be fine

The zombies are a threat, when they have aggroed you, you can't stop running away until you kill them (Which is difficult if you don't have a powerful weapon) or you find a building, otherwise you can get your legs smashed. And if you start bleeding in an open field, being chased by zombies, you will have to either kill the zombies very quickly or bleed out. Aggroing zombies can give your position away, leaving you helpless when another players shoot you.

I hate it when people say they aren't a threat.

Edited September 11, 2012 by Sutinen

[robax (DayZ) 4]

more better scarier zombies!

[Ajvkorn 72]

The zombies are a threat, when they have aggroed you, you can't stop running away until you kill them (Which is difficult if you don't have a powerful weapon) or you find a building, otherwise you can get your legs smashed. And if you start bleeding in an open field, being chased by zombies, you will have to either kill the zombies very quickly or bleed out. Aggroing zombies can give your position away, leaving you helpless when another players shoot you.

I hate it when people say they aren't a threat.

They aren't a threat....The only "threat" is showing where u are. And you can easily lose them in a house, tree, bush, hill, etc. I guess you haven't been playing very long. Any gun kills a zombies with one bullet in the head and if you are a good enough player, that is where you aim. If you took out the glitches and bugs that zombies do(such as glitching through walls, ceilings, stairs, etc), they are so easy to get around.

I still go with the idea that rocket needs to decrease their speed, make them into hordes, increase their damage, and have roaming zombies. Don't decrease their speed to the point they can't catch you, but to the point that they can't run as fast as you.(which is bs because no matter how you look at it, zombies are decaying and losing muscle mass which would make them run slower.) Adding the ability to fall down, fatigue, etc will increase the difficulty of zombies. Where are the female zombies, fat zombies, missing limb zombies, naked zombies, kid zombies, etc. Has anybody played the walking dead games? You literally shoot a boy who hasn't even turned into a zombie...Do you see anything on the news about it? People are so afraid to do stuff like this, but until others do it, nobody will be okay with it. Rocket needs to man up on somethings. Who cares about the media says, the hardcore gamers are still going to support him.

Edit: If anybody wants to try and use the 28 days later "zombie", you better get your facts right. Those are not zombies, but rage infected humans. Meaning they don't want to eat you, they just want to beat the living shit out of you. Zombieland, Shaun of the dead, etc are actual zombies.

Edited September 11, 2012 by Ajvkorn

[LackofCertainty 2]

OP, would you like to know the real reason why zombies and not anything else?

Zombies make a good backdrop for this game, because:

They are simple. (The AI for them is as simple as "Run at detected player. Attack. Repeat")

Very little additional modelling. (devs just need to make a couple skins and a couple shambling animations and attach them onto normal player models)

They are non-threatening enough that the focus of the game is on player interaction. (as has been mentioned, after a few days of experience, you should almost never die to zombies)

Programming in thick fog and Lovecraftian horrors would be great, but the problem with Lovecraftian Horrors are:

I will never be scared of something I've seen hundreds of times. (so it doesn't matter how terrifying it is, because I will see it a lot because of how this game works)

Much higher amount of dev work. (entire new models and more complicated AI means a lot more work needed)

The focus of the game is on Player interaction. (so complex/intelligent monsters just mean more wasted dev time)

The core concept of the game is a "what would you do during the apocalypse." A pandemic of rabies is more believable to me than a cross-dimensional god-beast that devours my very pysche.

I'm a bit like you, in that I've been a zombie maniac for a while, but I differ from you in that I still love zombies. More zombies is never a bad thing. If you're to the point where you don't want zombies anymore, then just start limiting yourself to only playing/reading/watching the cream of the crop. Just pretend all the mediocre zombie stuff doesn't exist and enjoy the good stuff.

P.S.

The reason why you don't see Missing limb zombies, or half-rotten zombies in DayZ, is because we aren't dealing with the living dead. The "Zombies" in DayZ are actually just "infected" living people. That's why they die when you put a couple rounds into their bellies. They're basically living people infected with a super-strain of rabies. If you cut off one of their arms with a hatchet, they'd bleed to death. :)

Edited September 11, 2012 by LackofCertainty

[Ajvkorn 72]

I guess I should rephrase that. You should be able to shoot limbs off of them. And that is the problem. Are these zombies or rage infected humans? I think it needs to be clarified because if he does say zombies, then my point remains valid. If not, then we should go with the shooting limbs off of "infected" and make it actually matter. Like shooting off a leg? The other problem is that if these are indeed infected humans, they should starve to death without any food. They beat on us like rage infected beings, but yet when we fall down they "eat" us like zombies? They need to make up their mind on which one they are.