I got so excited about this suggestion I had to make an account to did up it.
In Hongkong riot police are currently using riot spray that is dyed blue and has a stinging effect to control crowds and identify rioters after the fact. This got me thinking about a concept I remember reading about in a scifi book that seems mundane enough to be feasibly used in the CDDA world.
What about a short-lived (ala current acid mechanics) foam that makes movement through an affected area randomly roll to be knocked prone. This roll could also occur if standing still, but with less penalty for the player. This could be fired from a firehose or similar device and can be used to control large crowds of the living or dead as they’ll be flopping around until it eventually dries up. Perhaps this penalty could bs negated with a very specific type of boot found among other law-enforcement drops.
The lore behind this ammunition would be that due to more common riots of increasing violence DARPA began and completed research on a near frictionless fluid that could be whipped into a foam with the addition of soap or detergent, creating large quantities that cover a broad area before drying quickly (ambient temp could be used to play a role in effectiveness).
This was extremely effective at stopping a large rioting mass, quickly dropping everyone to the ground and making them unable to do little more than flop until it dries. The main concern was that law enforcement couldn’t close in and arrest individuals without joining them on the ground, so research was being performed on footwear that would dramatically reduce the frictionless nature of the foam.
Prototype boots were sent along to some agencies along with the foam delivery system, but most officers using them complained that they were heavy, bulky, and still only marginally better at protecting against skidding and busting one’s ass than flipflops. Some schematics for anti riot foam tires were drawn up and being actively researched, but it was highly encouraged to not drive in an area that has been sprayed down. An effective strategy discovered in some locations was to plant a riot turret that sprayed down oncoming crowds, considering there was next to no way it would be knocked over in the process, this was normally followed up with rubber bullet gunfire and prompt arrests.
I really look forward to your guys ideas and hope to someday see the dead ice skate on asphalt in June while my survivor rushes past with a makeshift sling full of the contents of a grocerystore.