What made zombies scary

[Miloch]

What was it that made zombies scary? To me it was the fact that you would shoot them again and again in the chest and stare in disbelief as they just kept coming. In the current game it seems like this isn’t really the case. If I have a M1911 I can kill pretty much any zombie with a lil bit of skill or instead of skill just being at point blank. Well what if you could shoot them in the chest all you want (unless you are using a shotgun) and they would just keep coming. You could damage their limbs, blow off their arms and legs and they’d be reduced, but not stopped. What if until you shot them in the head they’d just keep coming. Melee would suddenly be less palatable. Would most likely have to be it’s own separate mode if it were to be implemented or an option as some people would be very upset from a change like this. You’ll notice in most zombie movies they opt to not fight the zombies head on like you can often do. Well, if I can pump 10 9mm shells into a zombies chest and he’s still coming at me… fighting stops being quite so palatable. You’d probably also need to reduce the number of zombies while making sure to give the player some half decent starting gear.

[Reservoir]

So you want a headshots only zombie apocalipse where you cant aim and the player shoots like a handicapped child. Fine.

[ArgusTheCat]

Zombies are scary because their presence in numbers means that you, individually, are alone. Everyone else is dead. Not only are they dead, they’re now monsters trying to kill you. A zombie is existentially scary because it is everything good about humanity removed from a human shell, and it reminds us of what we could be. And like most good monsters, the idea of indoctrination is present. I know our lore here is different, but normally a single bite can turn YOU into THEM. Here, it’s even worse. It doesn’t even have to be the zombies that killed you, just dying makes you a candidate for reanimation, and makes you another face in the hoard.

What makes zombies scary isn’t their combat potential, or their bloodstained and familiar faces, or even their numbers. It’s the inevitability. EVERY good zombie movie ends with the main characters dying. Why? Because it’s the inevitability of death at the hands of a mindless other that scares us. There is no negotiation, no diplomacy, and eventually your defenses and willpower will be worn away. You will die, and that’s it.

That’s why I don’t think the game should have explicit win states. Because survival can only last for so long, and that’s horrifying.

[Miloch]

I like you Argus, you may not agree with me, but at least you make it seem like to put some thought into your reply.

[ArgusTheCat]

Well, in any other game, your idea would have merit. Hell, the developer is already thinking of making zombies here regenerate over a long period of time, making them the semi-invincible tanks you talk about, although not all at once. The thing is, there’s a limit to how much player input can influence a roguelike. There’s no twitch reflexes to go for a headshot, just a single combat attempt that may or may not work out. Without that control in the hands of the player, it’s better to focus on other areas of the game that can be improved, instead of making zombies impossible to drop.

[Miloch]

Well with this one I was also thinking it would require a bunch of other changes. Like i put the least of which would require to start better off. Probably at least with a pistol and some ammo. But it’d also probably require that we be able to get on roofs and stuff and climb from building to building without confronting the horde below.

[GlyphGryph]

So you want a headshots only zombie apocalipse where you cant aim and the player shoots like a handicapped child. Fine.

Well, actually - in this game, there’s no real evidence that headshots would actually do all THAT much more damage than body shots, and the zombies are still able to recover from getting a hole blown in their head even now.

[iceball3]

[quote=“Reservoir, post:2, topic:494”]So you want a headshots only zombie apocalipse where you cant aim and the player shoots like a handicapped child. Fine.

Well, actually - in this game, there’s no real evidence that headshots would actually do all THAT much more damage than body shots, and the zombies are still able to recover from getting a hole blown in their head even now.[/quote]Admittedly, this goes the same with the player, oddly.

Semi related, don’t wolves and cougars also behave a bit… odd in this game? I dunno, maybe they do actually act like that in real life maybe, but a way sort of like DF seems a tad more… natural I spose? This isn’t DF though so I dunno what you guys think.
But gunshots and injury should SERIOUSLY scare them off, even if you miss, srs.

[The_Darkling_Wolf]

It’s planned, but there’s only 4 of us, and we can’t be working on everything all the time.