I believe that adding some more science to the zombies would add more depth to the game and the feel of the threat as well as diversify the player’s relationship with the undead.
First, I’ll clarify what I mean. Adding science would mean giving zombies a bit more logic, so that they respond as though they actually have specific methods to how they move, why they attack the player, etc.
A good example from the game is the zombie pheromone, which makes nearby zombies docile for a short time.
The only other example that I can think of that can give a good idea of this is in The Walking Dead:
-Very Minor Spoilers-
[ul][li]Removing a zombie’s jaw and thus it’s way of eating makes it much less aggressive and basically neutral[/li]
[li]Zombies in that universe identify dead and living by scent and behavior. Thus, someone covered in zombie innards can slip by more easily without making nearby zombies aggressive.[/li][/ul]
To allow for the player to interact with the zombie in a different way other than simply attacking it, perhaps the rope could be used to bind a zombie so that it can’t chase after the player, and maybe it could be gagged using some other item, so as to prevent it from biting the player. There would certainly be risks in trying to restrain it, and I believe that it should probably be a fair bit higher than if a zombie was simply attacking you. This makes it so that players aren’t just going around tying up every zombie they can. After this, the zombie could perhaps be considered a Subdued Zombie, which could be dragged around and examining it would bring up a menu
which allowed the player to maybe cut off limbs, or do other things to the zombie. Obviously a number of things could happen from here, regarding zombie how the zombie reacts, but I can’t quite specify as there is currently no psychology/physiology behind the zombie that is in effect in gameplay.
An example that I think showcases how zombies could be used is if the player managed to capture a shrieker zombie and successfully gagged it, maybe the player could then could then drag it to another location, un-gag it, and use it’s noise to attract nearby zombies from another place.
I believe that adding such things to the game can really revolutionize the way players interact with zombies, as they go from being simply a threat to a potential asset, depending on how much the player is willing to risk.