Why Do Zombies Serpentine?

[Elen Sila 1]

When zombies run at you, once they get within about twenty feet of you, they start rapidly zigzagging. Why? Is this an intentional part of their pathing? Or is it something Rocket has said they want to fix?

Also, when chasing a player, they dart forward, stop, dart forward, stop, dart forward, stop. It doesn't look natural in the slightest. I imagine they do this because they need to stop moving in order to attack. Will they be able to attack while running, in the standalone, thus removing the need to run in this ridiculous start-stop pattern?

(Forgive me if these are stupid questions; I've been avoiding getting the game, because I want to wait for the standalone; so I don't actually have any experience, and am basing these observations purely off gameplay videos I've watched on Youtube.)

[smore98 225]

Game is a bit buggy with the zombie pathing, which I am not really surprised about. I guess the zigzagging can also make you wonder how zombies can climb ladders with no difficulty at all?

...maybe they still attempt to use logic in the process of getting shot at? ZOMBIE BACKSTORY TIME!

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

Also, when chasing a player, they dart forward, stop, dart forward, stop, dart forward, stop. It doesn't look natural in the slightest. I imagine they do this because they need to stop moving in order to attack. Will they be able to attack while running, in the standalone, thus removing the need to run in this ridiculous start-stop pattern?

They used to be humans once dont you get gassed from sprinting?

[Hockeyguy 107]

I think is is because of:

1) The game is a bit buggy and the zombies lag

2) I think they do it because it makes it harder to shoot them in the body or the head

[Elen Sila 1]

They used to be humans once dont you get gassed from sprinting?

Humans don't typically go from "full stop" to "full sprint", instantaneously.

2) I think they do it because it makes it harder to shoot them in the body or the head

But that doesn't make sense from an in-universe perspective.

The zombies wouldn't know that serpentining is effective.

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

Humans don't typically go from "full stop" to "full sprint", instantaneously.

we are talking about zombies now logic is thrown out

[Elen Sila 1]

we are talking about zombies now logic is thrown out

No, logic is *not* thrown out. Rocket has done their best to make a game that feels authentic and is internally logical.

The zombie pathing bothers me, and does not strike me as having a particularly authentic feel. I am concerned that Rocket has not (so far as I know) mentioned this issue when discussing their changes in the standalone.

[Kajin 25]

It makes things slightly harder. These aren't undead we're talking about. They're still living creatures, for certain definitions of "living". Just because they've been reduced to the intelligence of bloodthirsty animals doesn't mean they don't have any form of instinct.

A zombie, at its very core, is essentially a pack animal. Easy to dispatch individually, but once you get more than a dozen after you you're sort of fucked if you don't think of something fast. Why shouldn't they run at angles like that? As far as we know it could be a natural flanking instinct so that a group of them aren't all coming at you from the same direction, making it harder for a potential meal to escape. Just because you don't think it works doesn't mean other people will think the same. You just have to alter your perception of the idea enough for it to fit within the confines of the perceived reality.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Kajin

[martink8190@gmail.com 149]

I believe they zig zag because of their pathfinding ability, trying to avoid all kinds of bushes, rocks or ''microterrain'' obstackles, while maintaining the close proximity to the player. I believe their (AI) instructions have been bit cut off due to performance and the calculation process results in what you're asking.

That would probably explain why the're not doing that on roads. Try it and let the zeds chase you while running down the road.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Colonel-Wicked

[Maca (DayZ) 769]

When zombies run at you, once they get within about twenty feet of you, they start rapidly zigzagging. Why? Is this an intentional part of their pathing? Or is it something Rocket has said they want to fix?

Also, when chasing a player, they dart forward, stop, dart forward, stop, dart forward, stop. It doesn't look natural in the slightest. I imagine they do this because they need to stop moving in order to attack. Will they be able to attack while running, in the standalone, thus removing the need to run in this ridiculous start-stop pattern?

(Forgive me if these are stupid questions; I've been avoiding getting the game, because I want to wait for the standalone; so I don't actually have any experience, and am basing these observations purely off gameplay videos I've watched on Youtube.)

Its a "Military Simulation" thats is why the Infected run the way they do.

If you play Arma the AI will react in the same way, zigzag to avoid getting hit....

Cant find the post, but look for something on (Eurogamer Expo 2012) Rocket talks about the infected and pathing, also a good insite to the standalone.

[svenbreakfast 231]

It's just because the engine wasn't designed for that type of interaction between models.

As for the zig-zag stuff, I hope they smooth it out but keep something like it in. It's about the only thing that makes taking on numbers of zombies challenging at all.

[Delta Smoke 01 765]

The actual reason for this, is that the zombies are actually soldiers from arma 2. They zig zag when closing in because thats what a soldier would do to avoid incoming fire. Not having a weapon results in zombies zig zag'ing toward you on sight.

[Kajin 25]

I think they should keep it in the game. The zigzagging provides an interesting challenge and really wouldn't be all that difficult to explain away.

[venthos 605]

Agreed. zigzagging should be kept. I don't see it as a "tactical move" so much as a zombie blindly chasing after its food with pure lust. It's not going to have peace of mind about anything. With his head bobbing up and down crazily, arms outreached, it would no doubt get a bit awkward up close and stumble around.

To me, it seems authentic. To others, they read it as the zombies using military tactics. While the latter is literally true from an engine point of view, I still think it makes sense from a point of authentic raging zombies and comes off as something desperately trying to reach its "food". They don't care/understand fine motor control and just barrel up on their target haphazardly. I like that you can't just run a few dozen yards, turn, and dispatch them readily. They go ape all over the place and it causes you to panic, waste ammo, and potentially start bleeding. I hope it stays in standalone.

[mr_chabowski@live.co.uk 2416]

I like the way they obviously don't want to be shot in the head, but the fast forward animations make it crazy!

I'm hoping there's something similar to their behaviour in the standalone, but I would've thought if they were trying to eat you, they'd be a bit more direct about it.

And they should be less punchy and more bitey and grabby. (would excuse the random bleeding, when's the last time you got punched and bled IRL?)

If they dodged about less vigorously and just went straight for you when within a certain range it would feel more animalistic.

Just now it feels like you're at a 90's rave and everyone is on the disco biscuits except you. :blink:

[Steak and Potatoes 13480]

not only do they zig zag but they curse aswell when you hit them good with a weapon

[sostronk 334]

I thought it was there to troll me into wasting more of the DMR ammo for my M14.

[electroban 102]

zombies are not pack animals, the term pack is like, no no no. zombies i assume are just totally mental and have an insatiable desire to consume human flesh.

has there been discussion as to the origin of the zombies in dayz, is it infection or a by product of some crazy bomb.

[Sutinen 635]

The zombies are much faster than survivors and can't hit while running. So once they catch you up, they try to hit you, then they fall back and catch up again, then try to hit you and it goes on as long as you keep running. This is why they randomly stop.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Sutinen

[Jamz 253]

I think of them as infected and it makes more sense, maybe its then a coordination thing.

If they were really animated dead then they would have to be very fresh to run, don't forget that their hearts no longer beat so blood no longer circulates. Assuming something else is allowing the muscles to work then after a while, as rigor mortis starts, they would slow dramatically and then decay would further this effect. As there is no timeline in the game, and no surviving military units I would assume everything was over dayz previous to the point we washed up on the beach so zombies really should be slower...

If they are infected then they should starve/dehydrate like humans so according to the mod they'd all be dead in a few hours... Its best not to think about it too much and just accept it!

[Elen Sila 1]

A zombie, at its very core, is essentially a pack animal. Easy to dispatch individually, but once you get more than a dozen after you you're sort of fucked if you don't think of something fast. Why shouldn't they run at angles like that? As far as we know it could be a natural flanking instinct so that a group of them aren't all coming at you from the same direction, making it harder for a potential meal to escape. Just because you don't think it works doesn't mean other people will think the same. You just have to alter your perception of the idea enough for it to fit within the confines of the perceived reality.

This explanation makes the most sense to me.I'd still like the zombies to stop zigzagging in the standalone, but if Rocket decides to keep this feature of their AI, then I would accept this explanation.