More Zambinals

[Natures_Witness]

Big zombie hermit crab that’s using a functional machine-gun turret for a shell. Also when I first read the name of this topic, I thought it was asking for more of the big sweeper things they use at hockey games (zamboni).

[VampyreLord]

[quote=“VampyreLord, post:19, topic:3523”]This is bad. Generally bad it’s not fun anymore. A regular lion is just as a scary mofo zombie lion, what’s the point really? …and zombie sharks, seriously?

Zombie sharks might be a bit overkill as are non-native animals but I have nothing against zed bears, moosen (mooses? Moose? mooooooooosss?), Cougers, etc. Not to mention a “Zoo” type area, that said having a bunch of extra critters just for one area sounds like it might add unnecessary bloat to the game’s size (That said the game’s what, 8 megs?)[/quote]I’m all for new areas and stuff, a zoo area would be interesting, but having zombified animals is ridiculous. Some people mentioned zombie moose, are you serious? the regular moose is already a raging maniac and the last time I fought a bear he tore my 2 legs off, so what’s a zombie bear gonna do? rape my carcass?

[EkarusRyndren]

[quote=“EkarusRyndren, post:20, topic:3523”][quote=“VampyreLord, post:19, topic:3523”]This is bad. Generally bad it’s not fun anymore. A regular lion is just as a scary mofo zombie lion, what’s the point really? …and zombie sharks, seriously?

Zombie sharks might be a bit overkill as are non-native animals but I have nothing against zed bears, moosen (mooses? Moose? mooooooooosss?), Cougers, etc. Not to mention a “Zoo” type area, that said having a bunch of extra critters just for one area sounds like it might add unnecessary bloat to the game’s size (That said the game’s what, 8 megs?)[/quote]I’m all for new areas and stuff, a zoo area would be interesting, but having zombified animals is ridiculous. Some people mentioned zombie moose, are you serious? the regular moose is already a raging maniac and the last time I fought a bear he tore my 2 legs off, so what’s a zombie bear gonna do? rape my carcass?[/quote]

Well, the Zombie Dog implies that the virus /can/ spread to wildlife. And as this thread already stated it wouldn’t be common at the start of the game.

[Weyrling]

[size=13pt]Posting of Spoilers:[/size]
The cataclysm was primarily caused (5 days previously) by an extra-dimensional ooze that infects living things. In mammals such as humans and dogs (and later on wolves, bears, deer, etc) it then goes dormant, after the creature dies the ooze activates and proceeds to reanimate and control the corpse.
In constrast, the effect on other things is where we get giant bees/ants/mosquitoes, fungaloids, triffids, etc.
Then of course the teleportation technology that gave the scientists the ooze originally opens portals to other places, so we also get horrifying monstrosities such as amigara horrors or jabberwocks.

Practically speaking this means that early on you can kill a pack of wolves and a few bears or moose and just leave the bodies there, no problem. Later on (after the infection has spread far and wide) they will get back up and hunt you down if you don’t butcher/burn/smash the corpses.

Considering the medium of infection that caused the cataclysmic event in question (and a certain amount of suspension of disbelief), this all sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

[tikilla]

Zombie snake.
A storm of zombie birds.
Zombie wererabbit.

[Leper]

[quote=“tikilla, post:25, topic:3523”]Zombie snake.
A storm of zombie birds.
Zombie wererabbit.[/quote]
Zombification doesn’t work on anything below a certain mass. That is why we have zombie dogs, but not cats.

[John_Candlebury]

While I like the idea and welcome zombie animals into the game, i think that there should be some limitations to where they spawn. Sommething like making half of the over map area generate zombie versions of animals while keeping the other half relatively peaceful (like how it is now) so we both have mordor like regions of undead moose and relative down to earth forests and plains

I believe being under constant attack all of the time will be something that detracts from the game, after all we need a safe spot to camp, make a nice fire, and read or interact with npcs after that raid to the center of the city, that close shave while crossing the fungal forest and almost becoming a dermatik nest after your car engine finally gave out while crossing that bridge.

[vache]

I think there needs to always be SOME risk of being attacked at home. Otherwise, why ever bother with traps? Why dig pits or surround yourself with barbed wire? These are things people are going to do in a zombie apocalypse, and for good reason, and in my opinion we need to make sure the player has a good reason to use them.

[John_Candlebury]

Well it really depends, it is different to prepare your base for a incoming roaming horde (which is a great but temporary danger) or make a small temporary shelter when exploring “infested areas” (places with zombie wildlife) than if you don’t make a wooden bunker surrounded with spike pits and bear traps you are going to die because you are perpetually assaulted packs of murderous deer.

Plus you wouldn’t be able to know if the area you picked at the start of the game as a safe house is inside an “infested area” and by the time you know you base may be already well enough established for you to decide that you are defending it instead of abandoning. This approach also gives you those hard choices the game could have more of

[RadaRadaRada]

This game needs more Zombovines in [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSlGQpvl_IA/url]Moo Moo Farm

[VampyreLord]

I don’t know why people want to turn this game into a freak show is beyond me. What’s wrong with subtlety. You can’t be in constant danger and shoot every zombified animal around you like every sec, it is not a shooter.

[EkarusRyndren]

…after all we need a safe spot to camp, make a nice fire…

There’s an idea, though I’m not sure how it’d work for mobile players but a special construction, a fire pit.

When lit, it scares away non-zombified wild life, with the exception of domesticated creatures. It could also be used to contain fires, just needs a shovel, etc. But, when lit it also attracts /nearby/ zombies. (Doesn’t spawn them, just makes the ones that can see the fire move to it.)

[youtoo]

zoo would be a great new area and then add a bunch of zombie and mutant animals. id make some of them very fast. to make people want to go in there needs to be good drops. you would want to go in here with lots of explosives…

[EkarusRyndren]

zoo would be a great new area and then add a bunch of zombie and mutant animals. id make some of them very fast. to make people want to go in there needs to be good drops. you would want to go in here with lots of explosives…

Well in theory you’d go in there at first for lots of meat. XDD Not to mention I don’t know about other zoos but The Akron zoo has a fuckton of assorted fast-food places, looooooooooooooooads of fast food, food carts, food everything. Everywhere.

[kevin.granade]

I don’t know why people want to turn this game into a freak show is beyond me. What’s wrong with subtlety. You can’t be in constant danger and shoot every zombified animal around you like every sec, it is not a shooter.

This is what classic zombie mode (and hopefully future variants) are for, the default is a hodgepodge of different stuff, but in the future we’re planning on having sub-games where it’s “Romero style”, or just triffids, or maybe just demons everywhere as options.

[John_Candlebury]

A the mist style scenario will surely be awesome

and the option to toggle them with the world factory also but i dont think default settings should force us to fight murderous deer for the rest of our pathetic existance after the first week (special if they completely replace the normal and already very rageprone wildlife) even small safespots (5 or 7)square squares will be nice for getting a breath.
Also zombies will not always be the main threat when coming to living in wilderness (is it planned for gang skirmishes, research missions and looter wars to be the actual late game, right? if so having some normality that is still worth fighting over will be a nice touch)

I dont really like the idea of the game world become something like a dark mockery where everything wants you dead, there has to be something still worth fighting and surviving for. If not what’s the point of the whole struggle?

Its like basic narrative logic BTW

[EkarusRyndren]

[quote=“John Candlebury, post:36, topic:3523”]A the mist style scenario will surely be awesome

and the option to toggle them with the world factory also but i dont think default settings should force us to fight murderous deer for the rest of our pathetic existance after the first week (special if they completely replace the normal and already very rageprone wildlife) even small safespots (5 or 7)square squares will be nice for getting a breath.
Also zombies will not always be the main threat when coming to living in wilderness (is it planned for gang skirmishes, research missions and looter wars to be the actual late game, right? if so having some normality that is still worth fighting over will be a nice touch)

I dont really like the idea of the game world become something like a dark mockery where everything wants you dead, there has to be something still worth fighting and surviving for. If not was the point of the whole struggle?

Its like basic narrative logic BTW[/quote]

I like the sound of this… Plus it makes driving about the wastes in a war-bus calling myself “General” less insane. XD

[GlyphGryph]

Well, we’d like to actually make it where not everything wants you dead. But you should never be completely safe either. There are already some netherum and fungal critters that aren’t hostile, and we plan on introducing a few more in both cases. Regular animals will probably never completely disappear - and mutant animals won’t necessarily be hostile (the planned rust eaters, for example, usually won’t be).

But the world should grow increasingly more alien. The places that could be considered a “refuge” should shift depending on your resources and the march of time. You should never feel like you’re completely set and safe, but we’re hoping that eventually you’ll be able to feel like you can make progress and that there is some manner of hope. Not of going back to the way things were before, mind you. The message of the game will be that such a thing is ultimately impossible. But hope for building something new and establishing a foothold in what will increasingly become a strange new world.

When you think of post disaster recovery and hope, think more Nausicaa than anything else.

[Rask]

I definitely want to to the post apocalyptic zoo, if only to see the zombie Galapagos turtle. “You are disgusted!”. Well actually I’m not 100% clear on the lore, so maybe they are just mutated animals instead. Can’t wait to see zombie traveling circus too!
Maybe some violent animals can break out from zoo though into the nearby streets (I mean very nearby though).
As for zombie fauna, I support this. Some wildlife is already mutated (spiders) and some are already violent as it is (moose? wdf!). It just reminds static spawn players that zombies are still about. Carry your hunting shotgun at all times kids!

[vultures]

We’re now a Zoo-mbie nation?
A) My other cat’s an undead snow leopard. I’m sure it’s just eyeing your puppy in the back of your V8. You closed that door behind you for sure?
B) Dear John, zombie spider monkeys ambushed your oxes so they tore apart the wagon and rushed into the woods. I’m sure they’ll all look for you in the morning. I took the SMG and went to town for supplies. Your turn to feed the fishes.

I’m not with you on this one, any variation - today, or tomorrow. Really, I’m not gonna be sarcastic and say things like “Ok, give us zombie strawberries and oaks when you’re there” - but what’s really the point? I can understand the need to code something more terrible only to expand the pool for suprises, but zombifying everything? Are we staring at a bowl of nuts?