Zombies that actually act like zombies

[InfiniteWarrior]

This topic title gave me pause. I had to reflect on what I thought a zombie (outside the game) actually acted like, and I couldn't really come to a conclusion on that. I wanted to say "like the movies" and then "well, which movies" and then "all of them, kind of."

I don't really think there's a consensus on what a zombie does, but the movies that "World War Z" zombies are more like what I think of for a 7D2D horde night, though I find myself also thinking of "I Am Legend" and "The Omega Man" with "The Last of Us" and "28 Days/Weeks/Months/Years/Decades Later" being kind of neat too.



I can get behind the idea of several different behaviors, then maybe some toggles to turn on/off those behaviors.

There has to be a baseline somewhere. Toggles? Mods can handle that. Not for console players, but I think we've covered the specific hurdles of console players and they're not inconsiderable. No "master race" PC...stuff...going on here. Consoles are subject to specific limitations.

 

[Riamus]

There has to be a baseline somewhere. Toggles? Mods can handle that. Not for console players, but I think we've covered the specific hurdles of console players and they're not inconsiderable. No "master race" PC...stuff...going on here. Consoles are subject to specific limitations.

There isn't anything wrong with having options.

 

[InfiniteWarrior]

There isn't anything wrong with having options.

There is when it becomes so micromanaged as to indicate a mod like GCM and SCM for Fallout 4. No developer can be expected to accomodate every, single personal preference and whim for a game. That's what makes mods so indispensible...despite how console manufacturers feel about them.

 

[Riamus]

There is when it becomes so micromanaged as to indicate a mod like GCM and SCM for Fallout 4. No developer can be expected to accomodate every, single personal preference and whim for a game. That's what makes mods so indispensible...despite how console manufacturers feel about them.

Of course not, but giving sufferings for options isn't a bad thing. They can certainly add more options, and based on the town hall, they plan to do so. Giving them ideas is better than leaving it all in their hands.

Options that are hard to implement are privacy not worth adding, but if it is easy and offers value to a decent number of players, why not? I'm not suggesting that they should add hundreds of options. But they could easily double what they have now. And an option like I suggested about randomizing the ratio of dumb versus average versus smart zombies (if they added such distinctions) could definitely make for an interesting experience for a lot of players.

 

[HammerDano]

Yes, but like I said, we only assume these are "real" zombies. Without a story that explains what happened, we don't really know. It may be that they are, or they may be something else entirely. In any case, this is a game and not a movie. If you can easily walk away from zombies because they can only shamble along and all you had to do was barricade yourself somewhere for safety, it severely reduces the challenge and gameplay value of the game. Either way, if it's an option, that's fine. But I would definitely not like such a watered down game just for the sake of "realism."

The old zombies were a lot more zombie. I know that isn't a well worded statement. I am sorry, but, the behavior really did feel more like what they are describing. the jumping ,crawling, climbing spider was a legit nuisance. The heavies were tough, and the regulars hauled butt on horde night. they just felt more like the zombies I am familiar with from this game and from movies. not a hill I want to die on though. I mostly like the current zombies...except stumble forward. lol. I like the behavior they are describing because it sounds like it would add more depth of threat. If it was going to add 6 months or a year to the game I'd be a ■■■■ NO...make a mod...I can live without. lol

It's the lighting and the grittiness of the old version that really feeeeeeeeels good. Been watching Double G do his 50 hours of Alpha 16. HIGHLY RECOMMEND, dude is entertaining, and is giving it a legit play to see what he likes and what he don't. I have not played it either, so appreciate someone giving it a rip. Just lucky for me that he plays a lot like I used to play the old game...except the resource gathering...I used to spend hours looking for little boulders on console.

 

[Riamus]

The old zombies were a lot more zombie. I know that isn't a well worded statement. I am sorry, but, the behavior really did feel more like what they are describing. the jumping ,crawling, climbing spider was a legit nuisance. The heavies were tough, and the regulars hauled butt on horde night. they just felt more like the zombies I am familiar with from this game and from movies. not a hill I want to die on though. I mostly like the current zombies...except stumble forward. lol. I like the behavior they are describing because it sounds like it would add more depth of threat. If it was going to add 6 months or a year to the game I'd be a ■■■■ NO...make a mod...I can live without. lol

How many zombies in movies climb walls? I'm not talking about maybe climbing over each other such as in World War Z, but actually climbing walls like the old spider zombie in this game? I doubt you'll find many, if there even are any. And if we're talking about the stereotypical zombie, which seems to be the idea when the talk is about movie zombies being "real" zombies, then a stereotypical zombie shambles along slowly. It doesn't run. So your example for regulars doesn't fit either. As far as being tough, in a lot of movies, zombies aren't really very strong. They often just overwhelm people with their numbers. They just don't die easily because they are already dead.

I'm not saying liking that kind of zombie is bad. But if we're discussing "real" zombies as described here, what you are describing isn't any more "real" than what we have now.

 

[InfiniteWarrior]

The old zombies were a lot more zombie. I know that isn't a well worded statement. I am sorry, but, the behavior really did feel more like what they are describing. the jumping ,crawling, climbing spider was a legit nuisance. The heavies were tough, and the regulars hauled butt on horde night. they just felt more like the zombies I am familiar with from this game and from movies. not a hill I want to die on though. I mostly like the current zombies...except stumble forward. lol. I like the behavior they are describing because it sounds like it would add more depth of threat. If it was going to add 6 months or a year to the game I'd be a ■■■■ NO...make a mod...I can live without. lol

It's the lighting and the grittiness of the old version that really feeeeeeeeels good. Been watching Double G do his 50 hours of Alpha 16. HIGHLY RECOMMEND, dude is entertaining, and is giving it a legit play to see what he likes and what he don't. I have not played it either, so appreciate someone giving it a rip. Just lucky for me that he plays a lot like I used to play the old game...except the resource gathering...I used to spend hours looking for little boulders on console.

Seems to be a trend. GNS is also doing a playthrough of A16...although putting his thumb on the scale with the title of it. "May you live in interesting times." Few stop to ponder that's a Chinese curse. lol

 

[HammerDano]

How many zombies in movies climb walls? I'm not talking about maybe climbing over each other such as in World War Z, but actually climbing walls like the old spider zombie in this game? I doubt you'll find many, if there even are any. And if we're talking about the stereotypical zombie, which seems to be the idea when the talk is about movie zombies being "real" zombies, then a stereotypical zombie shambles along slowly. It doesn't run. So your example for regulars doesn't fit either. As far as being tough, in a lot of movies, zombies aren't really very strong. They often just overwhelm people with their numbers. They just don't die easily because they are already dead.

I'm not saying liking that kind of zombie is bad. But if we're discussing "real" zombies as described here, what you are describing isn't any more "real" than what we have now.

you are right, i did say from this game and movies, but, that's a cop out. lol
The regular zombies are a lot slower, but, the stun seems worse, allows the others more time to catch up, it is funny how fast two becomes a frigging problem...especially playing melee. Where shamblers become a problem is when there are a lot sped out over the entire area...which really isn't feasible in this version...not on console anyways. Having lots means making mistakes in pathing are costly...even when they are just slow. The other zombies by default cannot be regular...and according to logic are not realistic. hoisted
sorry guys. I think the mistake was not addressing them as "cannon" zombies, from popular culture. but...i may be wrong.

 

[Double G]

This topic title gave me pause. I had to reflect on what I thought a zombie (outside the game) actually acted like, and I couldn't really come to a conclusion on that. I wanted to say "like the movies" and then "well, which movies" and then "all of them, kind of."

I don't really think there's a consensus on what a zombie does, but the movies that "World War Z" zombies are more like what I think of for a 7D2D horde night, though I find myself also thinking of "I Am Legend" and "The Omega Man" with "The Last of Us" and "28 Days/Weeks/Months/Years/Decades Later" being kind of neat too.



I can get behind the idea of several different behaviors, then maybe some toggles to turn on/off those behaviors.

I have been under the impression for most of the time I've been playing this game that there is a large portion of the playerbase that aren't necessarily fans of the zombie genre.

All the movies you mentioned are from a subgenre of zombie movies.

There's a movie from 1980 called "Nightmare City". It was directed by Umberto Lenzi. Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of it and told a mutual friend to tell Umberto how much he loves his "zombie movie". When Umberto heard that he was offended. "What do you mean, "zombie movie"!? Infected people! Infected people!".

Those movies you mentioned don't have reanimated corpses in them. They're not the undead. They're "infected people". They're zombie-like, but they're not zombies.

Now, in traditional zombie movies, there are some variations in zombie intelligence and behavior, but they still don't deviate as far as the 7 Days zombies do. I don't think anything in any movie behaves like 7 Days zombies. Actually...Batman kinda does. 7 Days zombies have the spatial awareness of Batman...and probably Dracula.

 

[Double G]

Yes, but like I said, we only assume these are "real" zombies. Without a story that explains what happened, we don't really know. It may be that they are, or they may be something else entirely. In any case, this is a game and not a movie. If you can easily walk away from zombies because they can only shamble along and all you had to do was barricade yourself somewhere for safety, it severely reduces the challenge and gameplay value of the game. Either way, if it's an option, that's fine. But I would definitely not like such a watered down game just for the sake of "realism."

"Set in a brutally unforgiving post-apocalyptic world overrun by the undead...". That is from the official TFP description of the game.

If you can't imagine how having zombies acting more traditionally can be challenging...then don't worry about it. That's what the devs are for...only if they're willing to put a little more thought into it though.

 

[Noxom]

I understand wanting traditional zombies, which i also love, but THIS* video game has different priorities than a movie.

Traditional zombies would only be threatening in the early game. Once you got some good weapons/levels, shambling zombies are little more than a nuisance. When you can build and fortify bases, they have to be able to threaten your walls. Traditional meatbag zombies would likely maim themselves beating on your walls, unless there's so many that their collective weight can break down the barricades. When you can build concrete/steel walls several blocks deep... weight won't cut it. Cops and demos have to exist to give the zombies a fighting chance.

Traditional zombies also means that you won't get any special zombies, and that removes a lot of creative possibilities.

When it comes to the games description, it's easier to just call them undead, or zombies. Most people aren't going to think too much about it.

I for one wouldn't call them zombies in 7DTD, they're a lot more like feral ghouls. They can walk, run and sprint with no issues. They make a lot of noise and are way more vocal than i would expect from a "traditional" walking corpse. When you chop off a head, they bleed profusely and violently. If they were truly walking corpses then they wouldn't have beating hearts, let alone that kind of blood pressure. None of them appear to try to BITE you, they only use their hands to attack.

From what i can tell, the world in 7DTD was involved in both a zombie virus, and a nuclear war/apocalypse scenario. My personal theory is that the zombie virus hit first, and turned large swathes of the world into traditional zombies. Then at some point the nukes were launched, perhaps in an attempt to stop the virus. Instead of destroying the undead, the radiation had the opposite effect: the undead became highly energized, started to regenerate, became faster and stronger, and some mutated heavily.

Regeneration explains why they can claw through concrete and keep going. Their undead brains regenerating back to life, perhaps past the point of human intelligence and into something else entirely. A psionic bond that allows the ghouls to hive-mind to a certain degree. Perhaps this psionic energy pulses heavily once a week, like a giant sonar, attempting to locate anything not under psionic influence. As the player, this "pulse" could be slightly messing with our brains, causing the sky to look blood red. Ghouls from the nearby lands become fixated and show up in droves to eliminate the offending entity, or more likely attempting to zombify the player to add to the hive.

These aren't traditional zombies for sure, but i do love them and i think they have plenty of merit as far as fiction/gameplay is concerned.

 

[4sheetzngeegles]

I never checked this but can an option in the main menu, change a variable in XML.
Like if it were a true or false can it act as an instant plugin, within an xml line.

 

[zztong]

Those movies you mentioned don't have reanimated corpses in them. They're not the undead. They're "infected people". They're zombie-like, but they're not zombies.

That's an interesting perspective. I hadn't considered that distinction. Mixing in the supernatural isn't appealing to me.

Perhaps I've overlooked it, but I don't recall the supernatural being part of the game's lore. I don't really see it present in the game, where I do feel I see evidence of the infected people genres, even if it is borrowing terms like zombie and undead.

Isn't Darkness Falls taking the supernatural angle? I've not played it, mostly because I watched somebody play it on either Twitch or YouTube (I forget) and I recall seeing things like spell effects. I'm sure it's great, but not the genre for me.